Cheer Mama

Sorry, it's me again!! lol...As far as having the surg, I wouldn't change that. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made for myself.

Hi! I posted yesterday a pretty negative post as I am on day 10 pre op and this smooth liquid diet/liquid diet is very hard. I was regretting my decision as I am a slow loser. I did lose 11 lbs on the pre op diet so maybe my body is still adjusting. I am also 60 yrs old which means my metabolism isn't very fast. Any way I got a lot of positive posts and have decided to try to be more positive. This is a difficult time right after surgery. A lot of people say the hardest part is the month after surgery. I really miss chewing something even just a carrot. I miss eating and guess I am going through the mourning of my old life centered around my next meal or snack. Me and food were best friends and the breakup is hard. Now it is hard to want to overeat when your options are Protein Shakes, yogurt, cream Soups etc. I can have popcicles and Jello but for some reason they are now too sweet to me. I used to be the biggest sweet eater. Always bought a candy bar or two when I was checking out. I used to say I could just live on sweets. Now no cravings for sweets at all which is great. I guess my point is that the sleeve is worth it as it enables you to become the smaller, healthier person you want to be be but this isn't easy especially right after surgery. Every day gets a little better. In 5 weeks when I am allowed to eat almost anything in a much smaller amount, I think I will be so glad I did this but right now 10 days post op it is a struggle.

I am over 4 months out now and I definitely had doubts initially post-op like "oh my, what have I done to myself?" lol My honest answer is this...there are negatives, I am losing my hair and occaisionally I take that one bite too much of something and feel like crap, I have to take antacids and Vitamins daily, and sometimes I want something and just can't do it because I am afraid my sleeve will not approve, or sometimes I do eat that something and it doesn't taste as good as I remember. The first 4 weeks post-op is a pretty rough time as well! Considering these negatives, I still have not one regret, I am 95 pounds down and my quality of life has improved immensely and so in turn has my family's! My health is better, I have no problems breathing, I quit smoking for surgery and have not started again, I can get up in the morning and go, I take my son for walks and to the park and to the mall. I can come home from work and not need to sleep for 2 days because I am exhausted! The list of positive things in my life is much longer than 4 months ago and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

I am almost six months out and still dealing with binging behaviors and trying to break the food addiction..
30 pounds is not the end of the world, how is your restriction? Do you think you can go back to the basics again?
I find the night time the hardest, I guess the way I'm coping right now is coming on this forum, I find talking about it with friends here helpful.
I take it a day at a time.

I feel your pain and agony. One of the most important things I have taken away from this journey is that my relationship with food has changed drastically. The sleeve is the tool that provided me the ability to stand back and look at food from a different perspective. This can be an emotional process, more so for some than others, depending on what your psychological tie to food is/was. In my case, the first week after surgery was spent watching Food Network almost exclusively. Friends and families commented that they couldn't believe I could watch that knowing that I was on liquid/soft foods. I came to realize that this was my "mourning" process, similar to looking at photos or videos of a loved one that is no longer with us. You are still early out on your surgery. Take a deep breath and relax. As you go through the physical healing process and eat in a more mindful manner, you will learn the things that you can eat and those things you should avoid. At this stage, it is best to incorporate foods into your diet at home first, that way you know what will work and avoid spending unnecessarily or, worse, getting sick in public. Although I eat more slowly now than I did before being sleeved, the quantities I eat are much less than those of my dining partners (I don't have appetizers or desserts), I have learned to make the dining experience more about the company than about the food, you will get there, too. Good luck & congratulations on making a healthy commitment to yourself!

I disagree with the ignore it advice. People behave badly because they are allowed to get away with it and if you don't speak up it will just continue. Trust me! I have a whole family like that. You need to call her on it, in front of a witness. Just do it in the most kind, respectful way you can. Tell her you are not one of her patients. Tell her this was not an easy decision and that you are really working hard. Tell her you could really use her unconditional love and support and not her criticism. If she really cares for you, she will choose to be supportive. If she doesn't, that's when you should start ignoring it. The best tool I have found for my weight loss success was not my sleeve. It was finding enough love for myself to find my own voice. To stand up for myself and stop allowing my abusers to hurt me! You can do it too. You don't have to be hateful about it, but you certainly don't deserve to continue to be hurt or put down. Some people are just so full of themselves they can't see the pain their actions cause others. Give her the benefit of the doubt first. After all, isn't that what you would want for yourself? Best wishes!

Her rock. Her backpack. You don't have to carry her rock in your own backpack.....give it back to her. It's amazing how lite our backpack becomes when we give others their rocks back.

Revenge? How about Inspiration? If your experience has minimal, or no complications, and the weight GRACEFULLY melts off, you will be inspiring her. It sounds like she is under a lot of pressure to be in that department with weight issues of her own. Feel compassion for her. you'd be taking the high road.
I doesn't MATTER if she is critical. That's her issues. You don't have to embrace or internalize any of it. Don't waste energy on this. Focus on YOUR good health, including your good mental health.

Insurance companies suck!!! And the sad part is we pay them. I was denied 3 times for my surgery saying I was not morbid obese. Really! What the hell y'all looking at. Keep fighting. Had my surgery Monday. Don't give up that's what they want you to do

I wasn't able to do the shakes till about the 5th day. I couldn't eat anything up to that point. I like the EAS Carb Control chocolate shakes from Wal-Mart.

I think you look awesome.. Thanks for posting the pics. Extra skin is a big worry for me.. if I end up in your boat (minus the boobs, well.. and the bra and panties cause well, I'm a guy) I will be happy with it.. I'm so worried I will have to get another surgery to fix it, and I really don't want the body lift.

Ok this is weird coming from another woman, but nice butt!!! You look amazing!

Umm... It would be my dream fantasy to look that good after all of this is said and done !

Cheer Mama, I know just where you are coming from. I'm also getting less and less fit and watching my husband "do" things while I sit on the sidelines and watch. Not the way I want to lead my life. I have to keep remembering that for a while now I've been complaining that "I'm 50 not 60", and in the last 6 months I've changed that to "52 not 72, because that's how I often feel.

Hello!
I am only 3 months out and have fallen in love with food in a completely different way compared with before surgery. Before I liked to shovel food into my mouth until I was very uncomfortably full. Now I love food for the taste, the different textures, what it feels like in my mouth, the social aspect and trying new things. Last week my partner took me to a really nice tapas place in Sydney city, it was perfect because everyone shares so I don't have to waste any food. And for my 21st he is taking me to one of the top restaurants in Melbourne.
If your like me the love affair isn't over, it's just going to be different. It's hard at first but just make sure you take the time to really enjoy and savor every mouthful.
Good luck!!!

Well it's a done deal... I had my band to sleeve revision in one step today. I'm laying in the hospital bed almost in shock about how good I feel! I got off to a bad start when they had to poke me 8 times to try to start an IV and immediately after surgery in recovery I had the most terrible pain... Once they got that under control it has been smooth sailing! I am up and walking, I'm voiding, I have only taken 2 anti-nausea medications and pain medication every 5-6 hours instead of every 3 and ice chips/water is going down with out any difficulty! I'm very excited about my future to come on the "losers bench"!

Tell me when you get approved!!!!

YEA!!!! I have the same insurance!. This makes me so excited!

In the battle to lose weight, stop overeating, or break free from emotional eating, it’s important to pay attention to the things that trigger your eating to go awry. Learn about the 5 most common triggers now!


In the battle to lose weight, stop overeating, or break free from emotional eating, it’s important to pay attention to the things that trigger your eating to go awry. Simply focusing on what to eat misses an essential point–Your eating choices may be strongly affected by your emotions and your environment. And your food plan is useless if something is preventing you from following it.
Here are five common overeating triggers that you can take control of by taking some smart, proactive action before they sabotage your weight loss efforts.
1. Getting too hungry
Do you stick to your plan through Breakfast and lunch only to find yourself irritable, craving carbs, and ready to eat everything in sight by the time late afternoon or evening rolls around? The end of the day tends to be stressful for many. The transition between work and home, mealtime decisions, and other peoples’ hunger or tiredness can push a busy woman over the edge. When I start coaching a new private client, it’s not unusual to hear that this is THE most difficult time of day.
The key here: take control of what you can. This means doing what you can so that you don’t arrive at the end of the day feeling exhausted and starved. Too many women who are trying to lose weight, eat too little in the middle of the day and, as a result, lose control and overeat before, during, or after dinner (or all three). Make sure you are eating a balanced lunch (with protein) and then calculate the hours you are expecting yourself to last before eating again. Most women do well with a small snack midafternoon. Again, adding in Protein can make all the difference.
2. Evening eating
Evening (and late night) is a strong overeating trigger time for many busy women. If you are working hard all day long, it’s easy to come to see the quiet of evening as your reward. And if you are too tired and depleted to really enjoy it, food and emotional eating can become a big part of the evening ritual. “I eat in the evening because I want to treat myself.” “It’s my me-time.” “It’s the only time of the day where no one expects anything of me.” Women also overeat in the evening because they are tired (but don’t want to go to bed because this is the only alone time they have).
Breaking free of the evening overeating triggers can be challenging, but it’s essential. Start by creating a policy for yourself about eating after dinner. Be realistic but be firm. Now, identify the bedtime you need to honor so that you are getting a minimum of 7.5 hours of sleep a night. This alone can make a huge difference in your overeating. Trust me. Create a new wind-down ritual that includes some nice things for you but that doesn’t include food. Finally, start carving out some me-time (even ten minutes) on the front-end of your day. You might need to get up earlier, but you’ll be focusing on you when you have the energy to do it.
3. Snacking on treats at work
Are you overeating or grazing at work on the sugary treats that your coworkers leave all over the office or the break room? Make it easy on yourself by making one decision instead of hundreds. Set a policy with yourself about your eating at work. Make sure it’s a policy you can stick with. Sometimes something as simple as “I’ll only eat homemade food that is truly a treat that I can’t easily have any time” will do the trick. Spend a bit of time strategizing how you will avoid temptation and how you will reward yourself for doing so. And don’t forget to enlist support. If you are putting on pounds at the office, I guarantee that you aren’t the only one being haunted by the food.
4. Stress eating and overeating
Emotional eating—using food to cope with feelings—is one of the biggest causes of overeating and weight gain. Smart women take this one seriously! Take the time to check in with yourself before you eat. Try to identify how you are feeling. Become aware of patterns. Are you a stress eater? Comfort eater? Boredom eater? The key to taking control of emotional eating is to create better strategies—ones that really address the emotions you are having. Start creating ways of addressing your feelings that you can use INSTEAD of turning to food.
5. Too much on your plate
When you are too busy, stressed, and overloaded, overeating can seem like an easy way to sneak in a reward, some comfort, or a much-needed energy boost. The problem is that any benefits tend to be short-lived and the costs and negative consequences aren’t. If you want to take control of your weight, your eating, and your relationship with food, you MUST take control of your life. Learn to say no, cut back your schedule, carve out time that’s just for you and start practicing the art of asking for help.
The best part of addressing overeating triggers is that when you take charge of what drives your overeating and emotional eating, you are almost always fixing a problem that’s bigger than food. When you get to the root cause of your overeating and address it head on, the triggers often lose their power. When you find strategies for dealing with stress, overeating, and overload, you are also creating strategies for living a better life.

Warning TMI alert! OMG! I'm not sure if its because of the weight loss but tonight for the first time in over 2 years my husband came onto me! He initiated sex all on his own and he had no trouble getting "prepared". I'm literally in tears over the shock and excitement. He never initiates sex nor does he show any desire to be with me. Maybe it was the weight loss or maybe the new dress but he NOTICED me and actually liked it. I can't believe it. I'm still in shock. We had hot sweaty sex before I almost had a heart attack. Lmbo. I didn't want to freak him out and start crying.

Hey guys,
I started a post when I first joined here, but I put it in the wrong forum, so I figured I would start a new one here..
A lil back story..
I am 36 years old (Male) from New Jersey. In HS I put on weight my senior year from about 185-190 to about 250, and then dropped back down to the high 100's for a few years. It crept up over time and I maintained at about 225-250 for most of my 20's. My 30's I ticked up to about 275ish and after getting married I got to my peak of 326.
So, that covers my weight struggles.. Now the reasons for the sleeve.. Well, I was what I would call a heavy eater.. I worked on the road so I usually skipped Breakfast and got moving on my client visits.. lunch would usually be a stop at some fast food type place.. If per say it was the Arches.. I would get a double QP large, and probably a 10 piece nugget.. If it was a sub shop I'd get a whole sub.. You get the idea.. big meals that where not healthy.. I'd get home, and make dinner usually filling my plate with 2 portions of everything.. Then snack on chips or something later.. Drinking Coke the entire time.. Or Snapple Peach Iced Tea.
So, last year I decided enough was enough.. I had tried diets here and there, but never really stuck with them.. Will power is not my strongest quality.. I spoke to some friends who had surgery (RNY) and decided to set up an appointment with Dr. Chau of NJ Bariatrics. I really liked him, and decided that I didn't need to look any further.. I had planned to meet many doctors, but felt confident enough that he was the man for the job.
My insurance (through my wifes job) required a visit to the shrink and 6 months with the NUT.. So, I did it.. Got off of Sugary drinks, tried to make sure I had some sort of breakfast every morning and tried to change my meal choices.. I did lose a few pounds, but as soon as my 6 months was up, I pretty much went back to old bad habits, and ballooned up to my peak.. Insurance approved the surgery and I had it on 3/20.
Pre op diet for me was shakes for breakfast and lunch, and then protien heavy dinner no carbs. I did cheat on 3 occasions.. once the first night.. I had a pb&j, then later in the week I had a sub for lunch, and finally 4 days before the surgery I had 1 hot dog.. Even with that, I still lost 12 pounds. The day of surgery came and I was sleeved!
After the surgery, I spent 1 night in the hospital, and had issues with being "Tachy" my heart rate would sit at about 100-160 and they loaded me up with all sorts of pain meds in addition to my magic button of highness. :oP
So, I will skip the details of what a bad patient I was.. you can see my blog for those.. Link is in my sig.
I got home and was in moderate pain. I had to walk holding my belly up because the incisions felt like they where pulling and had to sleep on my right side because the largest cut hurt too much when laying. The pain only lasted 2-3 days at a constant level, then dulled down enough that I didn't need pain meds anymore.
Since the surgery I've only had one minor event.. I had a shake one night for dinner and it didn't sit well. I got nauseous, but couldn't vomit.. Just sat over the bowl dry heaving.. It hasn't happened since and I hope it doesn't happen again. Also.. POOP! I wasn't expecting not to poop for a week.. That was strange.. but thankfully the ladies in chat are not shy about talking about poop and told me it was normal.
Since my surgery which I am 5 days shy of one month, I now weigh 280. I saw my sister for the first time today and she was shocked! That felt really nice. I am so happy that I did this, and I get so excited when I pass my mini goals. I'll make a list of my mini's at the bottom of this..
I hope to be able to share events with my weight loss and life with you all in this thread, and also on my blog. If you are on the fence about doing this, I hope this might have tipped you in the direction of making that big change.
Goals
Be under 300 DONE
Lose 25lbs post surgery DONE
Be the weight I was when my wife and I got married DONE
275
lose 50 pounds total
Be the weight I was when I met my wife
250
Loose 100lbs total
225
200
185 Long term goal