Indigo1991

8 months out and I still have to get to grips with salad! With limited space, I don't bother with lettuce which has pretty much no food value - but I understand the need for a good crunch My first meal was actually on holiday in the US - chicken and a little mash. Ate about a third of the chicken breast and a table spoon of the mash but loved the fact I had a plate with food that looked like food not a pile of mush... Whatever you have, I hope you enjoy it!

... and breathe! Hope you feel better for getting that out! You look fantastic and it is great to hear from you 10 years out - a success story, just what I needed to hear :-) Thanks for coming on to the site!

I was terrified. But I kept taking deep breaths and focusing on what was going to happen positively after the surgery because I felt I had run out of road and this was my last chance to be healthy and fit. I couldn't back out as I didn't have a plan B. No regrets. Yes, there has been pain, yes, there have been problems, yes, I have had to deal with staying on track and yes, I did have a day when I thought wtf have I done???!!!! But the good days far outweigh all of that. Life has been transformed. I am now the person I always was inside - now I match on the outside :-)))))

You are not defeated, you've just taken an unexpected blow and it's hurting. So, now that you've shared your disappointment with us, dust yourself down, grit your teeth and get familiar with what you need to do to lose weight between now and then. You can do this... when you do get sleeved, it wont always be easy and you need to be determined to succeed. But it will be worth it... so time to focus on getting to where your nut wants you to be. Chin up, sending you a hug :-) Keep posting as you go, there's lots of support and encouragement on here!

Nate Good to see you back. Best piece of advice? Whatever happens, stay focused, don't give up and keep posting and reading here. There will be someone who's been where you are, no matter what you are experiencing. You can take or leave the advice offered but it is all here. Being sleeved isn't always be easy but if something is worth having, it usually involves hard work :-))))) But it will be life changing for the better.... and you have your whole life ahead, how exciting! Good luck, keep posting!

Good Small butt No longer sweat like a small piggy all year round Wider selection of clothes to buy Bad Sore tailbone from lack of padding on butt Freezing cold all year round Wider selection of clothes to buy The good still outweighs the bad... but lmao at the earlier comment "the ugly... the inside of my thighs" - me too!!!!!

Sorry to hear about this. From the little I know, SI joints take the weight of our upper body when we are upright. So your spine is supported by this area, which is where the connection may come in. Even though I have never had a problem there, my rheumy always checks it when I see him. Weight, wear and tear and ageing are all factors in inflaming the SI joints as is arthritis. So your bloods may give more of a clue as to what's going on in your body to cause this situation. Hope they get to the bottom of this. You are just a youngster to be having this pain and hassle... and especially after all the hard work you've put in post sleeve....

RJ That took my breath away! A friend? Think what bothered me most was her saying that you aren't taking care of yourself. After what you've been through, if you had been careless with your health, you wouldn't be here!!!! You know the drill for future - smile sweetly and thank her for her "concern" and remind her you are under medical supervision who know what they are doing and who will tell you if you go too far! Then I'd ask her how she's doing since she's looking a bit tired and peaky since you last saw her....

Glad you are getting support, you haven't let anyone down not even yourself. Think it would help us all if we changed the language we use about what we do. That might sound a bit trite but you made a mistake and you will put it right. You haven't failed, there was no exam or test - you did a human thing that you're not happy with. But that doesn't make you a failure. I know that, in the past, I have repeatedly done the wrong thing because after the first mistake I branded myself a failure - and that seemed to give me permission to carry on doing the wrong thing because what did I have to lose??? People can confuse kindness with weakness but they are so wrong. We can be strong and still be kind and forgiving of ourselves if we are to learn and move on. Being kind to yourself will pay off in a way that beating yourself up never will.... Been there, got the scars :-))))) So time to let yourself move forward, I wish you all the best and well done on a fantastic weight loss so far!

It is very hard to explain to people what it's like to wake up in pain every day - and then, post surgery, to find it's gone. Pain in itself is debilitating mentally as well as physically so it is almost miraculous to live a life where it's no longer the first thing you think of on waking. Keep breathing and we will keep everything crossed for you :-))))

I wanted to fit comfortably in an airline seat - I now can with room to spare. Like you, I wanted to wear high heels - on Christmas Day, I wore 5" sparkly heels! And I wanted to go dancing and shake my thang without being stared at - and I have now done that on a few occasions and LOVED it! I am sure you will have many NSVs this year - enjoy every one!

Agree, Alex, realistic goals - and write them down! Goals shouldn't be static (although some will be fixed). For me, the best way to achieve my goals was to review them every month, not to beat myself up over what I hadn't done but to remind myself of what I had done. It is so easy to forget or minimise our achievements, we are all guilty of doing that. Our brains are programmed to go with the negative so it's up to us to keep chipping in with the positive. 2013 was a life changing year for me. I know that because I can read about all my goals -including the ones I had forgotten about - from last January and see them develop or be ticked off as the year went on. I don't have quite so many things on my list this year but I feel optimistic that I can achieve them all...

SandeeD, we have similar stats - I am 5'2" and started at 223 pre-op, 207 on day of surgery (26 April) and hit 140 between Christmas and New Year. However, I am a couple of years older than you As a result of my sleeve, I have lost one of my comorbidities (diabetes) and I have stopped taking a chemo drug for my arthritis (just have one injection a week and we are even discussing that later this month!) and no longer have swelling or pain, my BP is normal, cholesterol good - and a couple of weeks ago, my doc said well done to me for saving my own life... All my risks are now the same as every other non-obese person. So congratulations for taking the big step to head off on this road. I wish you all the best, you should be excited... And I hope it all works out well for you!

You usually tell them the symptoms and they make a diagnosis. Never had an an exam or a test... But not a pleasant thing to have, antibiotics usually clear it up quickly. Hope you feel better soon.

I am so with you on this (as I sit in fleecy pjs and furry slippers in a centrally heated house). I have been living in layers for months - only good thing has been that as it has got colder and I have put on more clothes, I have been getting thinner. So at least this winter I don't resemble the Michelin man, lol!

Cranberry juice should stop the stinging - but you need something from the doc. Drink as much as you can and it will hurt less... Poor you, hope you feel better soon.

Don't panic, your body is just adjusting to the new regime and there is such a thing as the 3 week stall - which you have now experienced! Best advice is to stick with your plan - Protein, sipping and moving - and your weight loss will keep going. It's not necessarily going to be huge amounts on a weekly basis but over a month you will probably lose a good amount. But for now, don't lose hope, you're not failing and you're not going to. Hang in there, there are lots of us who are ahead of you who have been through exactly what you're going through and we succeeded. So you will you :-))))

Mike You lucky man, you have a wife AND all of us on this site... then again there are some who might not see that as being lucky, lol! If any of the guys want to step in here and reassure this man.... You can talk and hang out here and get all the support you need - there's even a forum for ranting on. You are not alone. If you have talked to your wife and are still not getting the support you need, get it from here. In time, when your wife sees your results, she might change. But this is about you, don't let anyone get in your way! Even your wife. You can also check out the new spouses/family forum where you can read what spouses/partners are saying about the surgery - you might get some insight into why your wife is behaving as she is... But join in posting on the site and you will meet lots of folks who find themselves in the same situation as you. Good luck!

Love your story, thanks for sharing and congratulations on your success! Recognise feeling naked without the weight - think it just takes time to get used to it. But you sound like you have everything sussed, couldn't agree more about being informed, it makes such a difference. Good luck in 2014 and all best wishes for continued joy in your new life :-)

Hope it goes well on Tuesday, let us know how you get on. When stuff like this happens, it's a pain because it can be distracting until it's settled. I have had an issue with my white cell count, that's entirely unrelated to the surgery, so more tests tomorrow. You just got to keep smiling....

Seela, I hit 12 weeks then stalled for over 4 weeks. That's not said to discourage you, just to let you see that losing weight with a sleeve is rarely steady or linear even if it starts out that way. I always relate it to a flight of stairs - I would step down steadily, then plateau for a wee while standing in the same step, then drop again, then plateau and so on. The trick is to hold your nerve and keep doing the Protein, drinking and moving as per your plan. Try not to stress as that won't help. It will pass, just hang in there, you're doing really well.

No, you sound like someone ready to engage with the opposite sex and you are not afraid to say what you want ... good for you!!!! Let us know how you get on :-)

Planetheather, I am no doctor but acidosis is not a normal byproduct of weightloss in the way that ketosis is. It can indicate that there is an increase in acidity in your body fluids and that may be a sign of something more going on in relation to your kidneys or lungs. Your doc seems to know what he's doing, I would go with it as it might just be something temporary. But if it isn't, you are well placed to get early treatment. You're certainly not delusional but I wouldn't necessarily jump to link this possible diagnosis with you being sleeved. We do still have things happen to us, despite the fact we usually are getting healthier. Hope that helps put some perspective on it - think you should be encouraged that your doc isn't taking the lazy way out and blaming everything on the surgery )))

It's ok, you are not the first person to vent about this and you won't be the last! People get used to us, how we look and where we fit into their lives when we are overweight. When we change that, it brings up all sorts of emotions for them that we don't necessarily see or understand. For me, most of my closest friends and family have yet to say "too skinny". That's because they know where I am going with this and they remember me last time I was a wee thing. So they are enjoying my size and my happier outlook rather then having an issue with it. But I know if I go too far, they'll let me know sharpish :-) However, I have other friends who have started sucking their teeth and frowning before telling me in a pseudo concerned way that I surely must have lost enough by now. Have to say the worst comment at Christmas was a friend who said "enough, you are going to look so old if you go any further". Wow! But when I thought about it, it's the first time I have ever been smaller than her - and now it's very noticeable... So, what do I do? I smile and let the enquirer know I am under medical supervision that I trust, then I move the conversation on. Sometimes you have to be direct if they don't take a hint. Did that to another friend recently when she said - again - that I mustn't get too skinny through little disapproving lips. I immediately said thanks for the unhelpful comment and that her comments were getting me down. She was shocked because, in her way, she thought she was showing concern and was embarrassed that that wasnt how it was coming across. But it has stopped and she has gone back to being supportive. You just got to say it as it is, nicely but firmly because some people have no idea the impact they are having. But it's not a problem I EVER thought I would be complaining about, lol!

CBT, I am 5'2 and recently hit 140, which was my original target (doc's was 154) for a total loss of 83.5lbs in 2013. Look fine with clothes on but am planning to have some cosmetics. Surgeon has asked me to give him 5-7lbs to play which would take me to 133-135 post that surgery. My dietician told me that would be perfect at my age. That's something to factor in - I was 120lbs at 18 but would look like death at 52 if I drop to that. So my plan is to take it steady for now, try to minimise any further loss but continue exercising to build muscle/ tone. Dietician has said take it a pound at a time and see how it goes so that's what I am doing now. Good luck!