LuckyT

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

Thank you for posting the pics! It always motivates me to see before & afters - you both look great

My husband and I took care of 4 critically ill parents, lung cancer, COPD, Ovarian Cancer and his Dad, the final, with Dementia, who lived with us 3 years, but then my sister, with ALS. You will need strength, and most important, your children need you. God Bless and I am so happy for you helping yourself like we have done! Seela and Lucky, just keep counting those blessings. I am happy for you, your families, and for me and my dear husband!

Oh my... I can't possibly list all of them... first I'm so thankful to have my health back and set a good example for my children that I will now live long enough to see make a difference. I'm also thankful that because of my renewed health I'll be able to help my parents as they get older and need more help. There's a million more but these pretty much say it all for me.
Nice thread:)

Hi there. I used to have a sweet tooth in the highest degree before surgery. I am now 6 months out and has completely loose my desire for sweet things,especially chocolates....lol.Awesome. Did anyone else have this experience?

Wow, great idea Alex. I like my doctor's support group but often miss meetings due to the time they are held which is either mid-day when I am working or early evening which is hard to do sometimes as it is a bit of a drive to get to where the doctor's office is. This would give people in my area a great opportunity to connect.

A little fear is a good thing. It will keep you vigilant. Over confidence is much more dangerous. Just don't let your fear get out of control. Missing the gym for a day or 3 will not make you gain 88 pounds overnight. You just go back on day 4. For myself I do not want to get over obsessed with the gym or my diet choices. I did that before and when I fell off I would get so distraught that my foundation would collapse. This time I go to the gym to be healthy not to punish myself or work off the chips. It is something I need t do to maintain my success. I also allow myself food diversions such as on holidays but then the next day I start a new slate and refuse to feel guilt. I track every good and bad morsel in MFP. I need a plan for life and living and do not want to think of this as an all or nothing. It is much harder to give up chocolate chip Cookies or a cheeseburger if I think I will never have one again. I just won't have it "right now". My goal is too be "good" 90% of the time, take advantage of the times my willpower is strong and make superior choices. That will overcome the 10% when I am weak or indulgent. I make that 90% really count. It would be easy to let one bad decision lead to another but like the other poster said live in the moment and make the best choice now. The past is the past.

So my doctor and everyone else who knows is telling me how great I am doing. I have lost 88 lbs in five months, and I feel great. However... I would be lying if I didn't say that I am scared to death right now. I have lost over 80 pounds twice in my life and it didn't stick. Logically, I know that in those cases, I didn't have to tool of WLS on my side and it never came off this fast. I also know that in the past I was nowhere near as good about what I was putting in my body as I am now. Despite the best efforts of my rational mind, I am scared of screwing this up. Like anyone else I make little mistakes here in there, occasionally allowing myself a very small treat that is not on my ideal food list. The fear also sets in everytime I have a long day at work and I don't make it to the gym because I am exhausted. This time around success means more to me as I want to make sure I am around to watch my 15 month old son grow up. Leaving this life early is no longer an option I am willing to accept or talk myself into. Not sure what it says about me that I am fighting this hard for this, but am still scared to death I might screw it all up. I appreciate any thoughts or insights you guys may have,

Yes, I had a blood clot in 2009 which blew & passed through heart & lungs (scary day!), then had lap band surgery in 2011, then band removed in 2013 then sleeve surgery in October 2013. I was on Coumadin for 2 years then stopped since no reason for DVT could be determined. My hematologist suspected it was possibly related to birth control pills. In any case before each surgery my history was discussed and heparin shots administered. Prior to the lap band surgery my surgeon put me on 5 days of home administered heparin shots - it wasn't fun but it was doable & gave me reassurance that we were being proactive to prevent another DVT. Good luck to you, I am sure you will be fine just because you are already looking for answers

I'm so happy! The sleeve works! I know, I know, why did I have the surgery in the first place if I doubted it? Well, I never did doubt it, just thought I was a slow loser. Then, I read a little on here about counting calories. Now, at first, I didn't think it was important because that wasn't emphasized at my surgeon's office - just the Protein part. Then I realized that I was eating way too much! So, I contacted the nutritionist and she said I needed about 1000 calories a day for the first year. After that, about 1200 calories a day to maintain. Anything less (or more) and I wouldn't lose weight. Uh, duh, I had already proven that theory! After a week of looking at my caloric intake AND my Protein intake, I'm down 5 pounds!
Now, does this mean I won't plateau? Nope, it sure doesn't. I'm certain I'll do that again. But seeing that scale go down has made me so happy and so motivated!
For those of you who think you're slow losers, calm down. Look at what you're eating and your caloric intake. if you're not eating enough, your body is going to hold on to every single piece of fat you have and store it away. If you're eating too much, then you need to cut back. Make sure you're getting your protein and taking your Vitamins as well.
I'm certainly not an expert, but wanted to share my experience and my glee with everyone!

I was a strong, happy over weight person. I have someone who loves me big or smaller. I carried my weight as part of my identity. I was big and strong and sometimes intimidating. 5'10 255 is a pretty big woman. But now, almost four months post op and 191 pounds, I am amazed by the transformation. I like seeing my face. I like being in photos. I like not feeling like I take up too much space. I like not imagining that people are seeing me through a fat filter. This is an amazing experience and if you're pre-op and scared I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. I'm a fairly intelligent and self aware person, yet I had no idea of how I'd limited myself because of my weight. Do the research. Read what people are going through and make the right decision for you. But this girl here--- I'm ecstatic. I feel like a butterfly coming out of my cocoon of fat. You can do this.

I had my band removed in April 2013 then was sleeve 10/22/13, so far I am down 47 pounds. I had nothing but problems with the band - stuck feeling in chest all of the time, regurgitation and couldn't even nibble any type of bread without paying high price AND still didn't loose any weight. Needless to say I am loving the sleeve and wish I had considered it before having the band.

That is an awesome achievement! Congratulations No questions at this point but I am sure I will have some in the future. Brutal honesty is okay, sugar coating things never helps.

That is an awesome achievement! Congratulations No questions at this point but I am sure I will have some in the future. Brutal honesty is okay, sugar coating things never helps.

Wow, great idea Alex. I like my doctor's support group but often miss meetings due to the time they are held which is either mid-day when I am working or early evening which is hard to do sometimes as it is a bit of a drive to get to where the doctor's office is. This would give people in my area a great opportunity to connect.

Hi Kerri,
First let me say congratulations! 60lbs is great! I totally relate to your fears, my closet is stacking up with clothes that I am nervous of giving away. I had the lap band for 2 years and at first lost weight, gave most of my loose clothes away only to have the band fail and the weight to creep back up. Now with the sleeve I am trying to find the balance between gung ho and cautious optimism. I wish I had the perfect advice for you, all I can say is try to stay focused on all the reasons why you had the surgery in the first place and how great you are going to feel when the scale hits your goal weight. Also keep coming to this website, it has been a great help to me.
Good luck,
Trina

Hi Sarah,
I have PERS Choice through the county I work for. My insurance has been fabulous; I went from a lap band to the sleeve and was denied on the first request for revision. My surgeon did a peer to peer conference with Anthem Blue Cross and I received approval soon after. I feel very lucky & blessed especially after reading what hoops some people are made to jump through by their insurance companies. I am a little over 4 months out and love my new tummy and lifestyle more each day. All and all it has been a great experience so far.
Trina

Hello! I am in California too (Northern CA, in Chico area); my surgery was in October 2013. You are doing something for yourself & your family so don't let other people's negative reactions undermine your decision. Many people don't understand how hard you have tried to loose weight in the past without success and what has led to this decision; I shut down some of my concerned family by reassuring them that I had done my research and understood the risks as well as the benefits which include a better quality of life, more energy, less health problems, more time on this earth, God willing, with my family - the list just goes on. This forum is a great place to talk about these things.