TBodmer71

Woohoo 4 U! Keep rockin' your sleeve.

Congrat to you. Keep up the great work. I am envious that you are able to "rock that sleeve" around the globe.

Hi Mandy, I would love to help. I was 289 lbs at the start of this journey. I am now 2 months post-op and already down to 223 lbs. My life so far has improved greatly. I am no longer pre-diabetic, my asthma/copd is now under control, my knees and hip barely even bother me anymore, and I am down to a size 14 from a size 24 (total from 1st appt). My surgery went trouble free. My recovery time was about 2 weeks. If you would like a more thorough, detailed Testamonial, send me a mesage.

I started this journey last November with a yearly check-up with my pcp. At that appointment I inquired about weight loss surgery. My doc handed me a referral to their bariatrics team. My weight was 289 lbs. I went to the informational meeting in Dec. Between Dec. of 2012 and August of 2013 I went to monthly meetings with the bariatric team, monthly appointments with my pcp, and had all sorts of tests and appointment to cover all of the requirements for my insurance. During this time I lost 23 lbs. On August 12 I started the 2 week pre-op liquid diet. It was hard at first but after the first few days it wasn't so bad. Aug. 26, my day for surgery I weighed 251. The 2 weeks of liquids allowed me to lose another 15 lbs. My surgery went well. I had no complications. My pain was minimal. For me it was pretty routine. I have had many abdominal surgeries in the past. When I got home and stepped on the scale, to my surprise I went up to 259 lbs. From reading so many postings on this sight I found out that is pretty common. After surgery I was on Clear Liquids the first day, full liquids for 4 more weeks. Then I was graduated to a soft, mushy, pureed diet for 2 more weeks. On Monday Oct. 21st I finally got my clearance to eat real food. (keep in mid I have to chew, chew, chew and hope my tummy tolerates it) As of right now I am down to 223 lbs. My jeans have gone from a size 24 to a 14. My shirts have gone from a 3X down to a 1X. I have had to put 6 more holes in my belt. I am getting complements from people almost everyday at work. I also go for a half hour walk for my lunch break. I try to get 10,000 steps on my pedometer everyday. Currently I am not working out but I am researching personal trainers and hoping to get on that bandwagon soon. The pictures I have posted show me in the black shirt at 275lbs in April, The pink blouse @ 266 in August, the teal shirt @ 243 lbs in Sept, and In the pink T-shirt @ 231 at the beginning of this month. I am now down another 8 lbs since the last picture. My highest weight was 289. My surgeons goal weight for me is under 200. My personal goal weight is 160. ( I am 5'8") At this moment I am currently just past the halfway mark to my personal goal. Woohoo!

The way my surgeon explained it to me was.....for the first few weeks after surgery the stomach is about the size of a #2 pencil. When all is said and done the stomach will eventually be about the size of one of the tiny baby bananas that you see at the supermarket.

Hopefully you just jinxed yourself because.......I asked the very same thing on this forum a few months ago and later that afternoon I got the call. I was sleeved Aug. 26th. Best of luck to you. See ya on the sleeved side soon.

Looking fabulous. My stats are very close to yours. The day of surgery on Aug. 26th I was 251 lbs. Today I am 225. My personal goal is to be down to 200 by New Years. I am well on my way because I've been averaging 3 lbs a week. Good Luck to you on this journey.

Good Luck. I wish you a trouble free procedure and a speedy, pain free recovery. See ya on the sleeved side soon.

Hello Everyone. Yesterday I went shopping at JC Penneys and I noticed that by brand new (2 weeks old) size 18 jeans were feeling loose. So, I figured I'd buy a couple pair of size 16's. But to my dismay they didn't have any size 16s on the shelf. But I found a pair of 14's figuring they'd bee too small. OMG> OMG>OMG........They fit with room to spare. I left the dressing room and just had to blab the news to someone, anyone. So, the dressing room attendant and a few other shoppers had to endure my story. Next stop......no longer shopping in the "women's/ Plus Size" dept. I started this journey last Nov. with a visit to my PCP. At my heaviest I work size 24 jeans. My surgery was Aug. 26th. My starting weight was 289 Weight before pre-op diet 266 Pre-op 251 Post-op 259 56 Days Post-op 226 Woohoo! Yippee!

Sadly I was hit on late last night by a gross smelly unwashed toothless gas station attendant in Maine. I need to change the vibes I'm giving off.

I have recently realized that my shapers are now too big. My belly was doing the "Bigger than it should be" when wearing the shapers. I decided to go to the Maidenform outlet store and found a huge assortment of shapers on sale for just $12.99 each. I typically prefer the medium strength shapers but If I were you I'd recommend the firm/strong/extra strength version for the costume and the weaker ones for everyday.

Congrats! Keep up the good work. I can't wait to join you, but it may take me a little while longer, but I'll get there.

I am down 60lbs. 23 lbs prior to the 2 week pre-op diet. I lost 15lbs during the pre-op diet. I have lost another 22 lbs since surgery on 8/23. Woohoo! Congrats to all of us losers!

I am currently 41 days post-op. I have attached 5 photos starting at the start of my journey up until this morning. The first was in April, 2013 at 275 lbs (black shirt) The second was in May, 2013 at 270 lbs (white shirt) The third was in Aug, 2013 at 266lbs (pinkish-purple shirt) This was prior to my liquid pre-op diet The fourth was in Sept, 2013 at 243 lbs (blue shirt) The fifth is now at 231 lbs (pink shirt) I was sleeved on Aug. 26th. I started this journey last November at 289 lbs, but I don't have any pictures. I was able to go from 289 to 251 prior to being sleeved. Since being sleeved 41 days ago I have been able to drop another 20 lbs. I am so excited to see my results so far and looking forward to how much further I can go. So far I am no longer pre-diabetic, my copd and asthma has been under control, my knees and hip don't hurt nearly as bad, and it just feels great that I've gone from a size 24 jeans down to a 16. Woohoo!

Good Morning Ya'll, I step on my scale this morning and I am down to 230lbs from my highest of 289. When I started my BMI was 243 and I was classified as morbidly obese. I was excited when I lost enough to be classified as severely obese. But now I am overjoyed because I just hit under 35 for my BMI. I am now just OBESE! Yippee, Yahoo! My next goal is to be overweight. I am hoping to reach that goal by New Years.

Oops bad typo. My starting BMI was 43 not 243. I am 5'8". Sorry for the confusion.

Prior to my weight loss I suffered from occasional incontinence when sneezing or coughing. I am now down almost 60 lbs and it no longer happens.

I have both....spanx and flexees. I like them both for different reasons. The flexees tend to rip easier (putting my fingers through them when trying to hike them up). The spanx tend to roll down more. I've only worn the ones that start just below the bra line and end with a panty, end at mid thigh or ankle. But this weekend I found.........The maidenform Tank. Woohoo I am in love. It is an over the shoulder, can wear your own bra and panty, body shaper disguised as a tank. I wore it all day and it never rolled up on me. The other great benefit is the way it helps lift the "girls" because of how the straps come around. I am glad I bought 3.

I have that same issue with the spare tire that won't deflate. I have always been a fan of wearing a coat, jacket or blazer. This helps me hide it. I have discovered a new bodyshaper item that I am loving. It is a shaper tank. It is just like the spanx body shaper that you can wear your bra with except that it stops at the bottom of you pooch and covers about 2/3rds of your rear. It does not have the awful bra clasps in the crotch region.

My husband referred to this as the "Last Supper". We had gone to a great steak house. I had a porter house and he had the fillet. It was delicious. Now that I am sleeved I can't even imaging consuming that much. Good Luck to you on the liquid diet and your upcoming surgery. Just remember every pound you lose at this stage gets you to goal sooner.

Best of luck. Demand good meds, walk as much as you can, and try to get some sleep between the nursing interruptions every 2 hrs.

I just hit the mother-load of all clearance sales at JC Penneys. They had racks and racks of clothes for only $1.97, plus the sale was take an additional 25% off. On top of all that they had a coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase. I had 2 rewards coupons for $10 off any purchase. I bought $25 worth times 2. I now have a full wardrobe in a 2x and a 1X for my total out of pocket price of only $10. Woohoo for me! By my surgery date I was already down 2 sizes. In the last 5 weeks since my surgery I have gone down another 2 sizes. I went to work Sunday morning at 5 am to swap out one of the machines. Thank goodness I was the only person in the plant because as I am walking while holding this huge metal tray full of parts my once tight fitting stretch jeans started falling. I couldn't just set the tray down because it was covered with liquid plastic resin. So, I had to walk through the lab and into the cleaning room with my feet apart trying to prevent my pants from completely falling. By the time I was able to set the tray down my pants were below my butt. Luckily they never made it to my ankles. That Sunday afternoon is when I hit JC Penneys. I went forma size 24 jeans and now wear a tight 16 or a loose 18. WOOHOO!

I am 1 month post-op. I went from a size 24 to a 20 pre-op. I am now a 16 ish. Unbelievable. What I don't understand is when did the clothes on the rack get so big for the sizes. In the 1990's I weighed 220lbs and wore a size 22. Now today I weigh 234 lbs and fit into a size 16. I don't get it. I have 10 year old jeans that are a size 16 and their is no way I can fit into them. My 10 year old size 20's fit snuggly. But regardless, I am extremely happy with my sleeve. I am down 55 lbs total. Woohoo 4 me!

I am also wondering this same thing. My surgery date was Aug. 26th. At first I thought mine was infected because it still hurt, was really red, and had what looked like puss showing up around the edges of the scab. When the scab came off the "puss" was actually this rubbery glue. It is so grose. It is still sore. I have to keep it covered with a very large band-aid to prevent my pants from hurting it further. When I am walking I tend to have to hold my belly in that location because of the movement makes it hurt too.

You have approx. 10 weeks to lose 28lbs. That is certainly do-able. that is less than 3 lbs a week. A "dieter" is supposed to aim for no more than 2 lbs a week. But you are just starting out with your sleeve and we tend to lose quite rapidly at the beginning. Just make sure you keep up your Protein and Water consumption. You should have no problem reaching your goal. But please do not let the numbers on the scale rule your progress. Instead of fixating on a number, you may want to choose a goal not related to the scale like a smaller pant size for example. Best of luck and enjoy the journey.