Indigo1991

Thank you all for the kind words! jeanZ_RN, I am a little dot of 5'2" and pre sleeve was 223lbs, 203 on the day of surgery and am now 138. Cosmetics will shave off another 5-7lbs and then I will be done. Got to goal of 140lbs after 8 months and reset it down to 135lbs. But not aiming to lose any more weight, surgeon was very happy when he saw me for my one year check :-)

I can't quite believe that one year ago today, I was waiting to go into hospital for surgery... I had lost 16lbs pre-op, but still had over 70lbs to go at only 5'2". I had type 2 diabetes, was taking a serious combination of chemo and injections to control my arthritis and I was being urged to take medication for my high blood pressure. On the outside, I was professionally successful and didn't appear to care about my weight and its effects. Inside? Oh I cared. I was lethargic, miserable and probably depressed. I could barely go up a flight of stairs, wouldn't/couldn't walk any distance and my eating was out of control, although I would never have admitted it. I hated me and punished myself with food. But it was also my self-medication. It numbed the pain related to the rest of my life but was also the biggest cause of many of my problems. I ate when I was happy. I ate when I was sad. I ate when I was angry, in fact I ate in response to every emotion I experienced. Having become single after a 30 year relationship, I thought no one would ever look at me again... So a year ago today, I wasn't in a good or happy place. I was quietly desperate for a new life. I was hanging on by my fingernails because I couldn't see how I could ever lose weight. Looking back, it really is like looking at someone else. It's still me - but not me. The year has been ostensibly about losing weight but it has also been about the parallel changes going on inside my head. The lighter I've become, the happier I have become. It has been like a rebirth as the real me has re-emerged from where I have been buried for most of my adult life. It hasn't all been easy. But I stuck to what my surgeon asked of me at every stage, didn't deviate but that worked for me. It took discipline and patience but my sleeve has given me that. What a partnership! Every time I have struggled, it has stood firm. Yes, there have been occasions I have made bad choices. But with my better health (no HBP, no diabetes and my meds for arthritis now down to one injection per fortnight), my normal sized body and my positive outlook, those now consist of momentary lapses - I don't dwell or beat myself up, I forgive myself and move on. So life one year on, do I have regrets? None, not one. I am the person I want to be, I look how I want to look and I have so much hope for the future. Have been on some dates, go dancing, walking, travelling and have started running. I laugh all the time and have had such fun with friends old and new. Who would have guessed it! I have spent this year saying "yes" to invitations I would never dreamed of accepting before - and probably wouldn't have been invited to when I was miserable and angry with myself. I am living a life transformed, excited to be alive and looking forward to the many happy and healthy years that I believe now lie ahead of me. I will be eternally grateful to have been sleeved. I can't go back and comfort and console the girl who was waiting nervously for surgery a year ago and tell her it will all work out for the best. But her determination and courage is why I am here today, living life out loud. So I say to all of you starting out on the journey or who are coming behind me - I wish you well and if it works out half as well for you as it has for me, hold tight for a fantastic new life. And to those of you who have supported and believed in me over the last year, a heartfelt thank you. Jacqui x

Wow, looking great. I am just buying my first swim suit in years, hope I look as good and as confident as you do!

You look great in your pics, stunning!

PdxMan, thank you for the kindly tap on the wrist. It's taken a year to post - wrongly - on here but I will be more careful in future, honest, lol. OP, sorry for muscling in :-)

JeffreyB, see your doctor. While I was allowed to exercise (walk, light jog and gentle cardio) from two weeks,, didn't get cleared for proper workout until 6 weeks and weights until 3 months. So if your stomach muscles were hurting, sounds like you may have overdone it a bit. But the other stuff needs checked by a doc....for your own peace of mind, get a medical opinion. Good luck!

My surgeon said no alcohol for 3 months and I hung out for 10 before I drank. It's empty calories and you have a window to maximise your weight loss in the first 6 months so use - it does get harder the longer time goes on and the closer you get to goal. So technically the answer to your question is another question - what does your surgeon say? Then follow his or her's advice. You have a fresh start to get good habits going with your eating and drinking - use this time wisely, not to immediately go back to doing what you did pre surgery. It will be worth it :-)

Nope, unlikely to be it. Just another one of the stalls we go through. Some people lose weight steadily and others, like me, after initially losing weight steadily then dropped weight like steps - plateau of a few weeks, then lose weight, plateau, lose.... Stick to your plan and make sure you are getting the right amount of Protein and fluids in - and maybe move a bit more. Confuse your body a bit But don't give up, you've done so well, just don't panic and keep with the programme...

You are recovering from major surgery so please don't worry, it's normal. Keep sipping your fluids and, as teachingkids2004 says, follow doc's orders and you won't go wrong. Look after yourself and rest - but keep sipping, this too will pass :-)))))

Wow, you look amazing! Forget numbers, take a good look at the pics and see what you have achieved through your hard work...

Sad thing is, if your skin has stretched to a certain point, it won't go all the way back so saggy skin is inevitable to a certain extent. Yes age, skin quality etc are bound to be factors. Veronica.N's experience is different from mine even though she has lost more weight than I have - but I had been overweight for as long as she has been alive, lol So although I don't have a huge amount of loose skin, it doesn't look great and I need surgery, Do everything you can, then it will be the best result it can be.

Thank you all for the kind words. If you are heading for surgery and life has been feeling a bit tough, keep thinking where you might be a year down the line. It will be so worth it. JanetRN, great idea, we should all write letters to ourselves as we go for surgery and read the a year out. It's easy to forget just how far we have come. Madam Reverie, thanks but you forget I have seen your face - and you are a stunning girl... I have to try harder than you cos I am an oldie )) Law001, you can do this - I never imagined that I could have control over my eating but I have. So can you. I am not perfect. Sometimes it slips and I have a cookie. But I have one, not a packet :-) Had my first "she's too thin..." comment today. Did I quake in my boots and rush to a mirror to see if I was? Did I take it to heart like so many negative comments about me in the past? Nope I did the happy dance and laughed cos I know I am just normal, like many other people. Losing weight has restored my confidence and belief in myself. I am not a screw up or screwed up. I have my days when I am tearing my hair out but I don't eat myself into oblivion. No more punishing myself... Instead, I savour every moment of being normal. Was in a plane yesterday and everyone was so nice to me from the flight attendant, who commented on my smart coat, to the man who helped me put it in the overhead locker (I must look little and helpless now ha ha!) to the taxi driver who jumped out his cab to help the "young lady" with her bag. It is a joy to be alive...

I eat out three or four times a week and have done since I was around 3 months out. I always try to eat "on plan" in the sense that I eat Protein first, with some veggies and a bit of carb if I feel like it. I eat for the social side but I still enjoy my food, no matter how little of it there is! It's not a problem eating out. I look small to normal so no one questions the amount I eat - they think I eat less cos I am little rather than I am little cos I eat less :-)))) I don't do doggie bags... When I have finished with my meal, I don't want to take it home and eat it for a few more meals. So I usually ask for the smallest pice of fish, steak or chicken and more often than not, get a portion that I can eat most of - but I am a year out. I suppose the eating out thing for me is about not letting food dictate to me any more. It feels like it in its place, which means I can eat out and enjoy the experience, friends and food in equal measure. I don't go out to stuff myself or for the pudding any more ... and there's a great sense of relief that the pressure is now off!

Go you! I am excited for you. I am one year out on 26 April which I now regard as my other birthday as I have been given a second chance at life. Hope it goes well for you too, it's truly life changing. As for the pounds you need to lose, go for it, you can do it. Best of luck, keep posting and let us know how you do!

Gone from UK 6 to 4.5 and no longer wide fitting.... Sadly I have had to throw out all my shoes and buy new ones. Lol!!!!

Well, I am a few years short of you but just wanted to wish you all the best for your surgery. I hope there are "old" people who can give you the encouragement and support you need... For me, it's the best thing I have ever done, changed my life and rid me of the comorbidites I was suffering pre surgery. In my 50s, I feel 10 years younger - walking, dancing and doing all the great things I had been denied for years. Good luck, hope it all works out for you :-)

Nothing you can do about the hair loss although Biotin helps with the regrowth. It is one of the most hated side effects of the surgery - but it passes. Mine started at 3 months, which is when it usually starts, and went on until I was 8 months out. I lost half the volume of my hair, but gritted my teeth because as it fell out, my weight was dropping. Strangely enough, I had always had "big" hair to balance out the rest of me. But as I shrank, it seemed to matter less as there was less to balance out, lol. But when it got bad I used Toppik, keratin hair fibres you puff into the roots of your hair and by magic, you look like you have lots of hair again! As I head for my first anniversary, my hair is well back to looking like it used to - and I now have the advantage of being a size 6/8. Hang in there, it won't be forever - and it was a small price to pay :-))))

I am excited for you because from Tuesday, life will never be the same again - it will be better than you can imagine! It won't be easy - there will be pain to start with, discomfort, tears, gas and shock as the new normal kicks in. Then the weight loss starts - and then you might stall. You'll worry if you did the right thing - then you might find that your hair starts falling out. Then you question if it was worth it.... You'll think about the downsides less and less as you weigh less. As your energy and zest for life returns. As you laugh more. As you shop for smaller and smaller clothes. As you cuddle up to your husband. As you feel happier than you have done in years.... So you might be being a Nervous Nellie today, that's understandable. We have all been there. I was so organised, I was driving myself nuts, lol! But this is a big move so if you weren't worrying, I would be worried for you. Best of luck, I wish you everything you wish yourself - and a bit more - following your surgery. Just keep breathing! :-)

I am almost a year out and from the start have taken two kids chewable Vitamin tablets. My blood tests are spot on so the vits and my food intake seem to be on the right track. If you can buy the vitamin from the store, I would go for it rather than waiting for the new shipment.

Superfab is right, your hormones are going crazy as your body does its thing kick starting major weight loss and releasing hormones. That can really make you crazy. There's also the whole thing of going through a major change. Even when we want things to be different, we get scared. You know who you are, where you fitted in in life. Or at least you did until you started to look different and feel different. Now who are you? Where do you fit? Don't know about you, but those are fundamental questions that shook me up until I got used to the new me. All I can tell you is that it will pass and you will begin to go with it. It takes time to recognise the person in the mirror, but let me tell you it is wonderful. I am coming up for my first anniversary and I can put my hand on my heart and say I would do it all again, despite the crying, the pain, the stalls and all the other stuff that's happened on the rollercoaster of being sleeved. My life has been transformed - I am transformed. Good luck, but keeping talking and if your feelings don't improve, get the right help :-)