Stef_L

Well, here goes nothin'. This is my first blog entry, I've honestly never written a blog before but I thought I would give it a shot. I have quite a bit to say and I feel safe saying everything here. Let's start off with my weight loss journey and where my weight problems stemmed from. I was always a yo yo'er. I would be thin, fat, thin, fat all my life. I was into sports then I would stop and balloon back up. In highschool I was a 18 and thought I was fat, little did I know, by the time I was 23, I would be nearly 400 lbs and a size 30 in jeans. I was miserable, I got married young, at 22 and before then I was on a steady incline of weight gain, after the marriage, it got out of control. I was eating my feelings and I didn't know how to stop. The topic of surgery came up when I had blood work done (i'm anemic) and my doctor told me that I was borderline diabetic and when I saw the # on the scale say 394#... I knew something had to be done. He referred me to the Bariatric Institute of Wisconsin. With my insurance I was required to do a 1 year treatment plan and several times within that year, I nearly gave up and thought it wasnt worth it. Boy, I'm glad I stuck it out. My gastric sleeve surgery was May 16,2013. The day that changed my entire life. The surgery was good, the next day in the hospital was torture but again, It was 100% worth the struggle. I spent my time looking at before and after photos and watching youtube videos of people who had the surgery and wondering "will I ever be this person with these kind of results?" and the answer is yes. If you want it bad enough, it will be you and I am living proof of someone who changed their life with one struggle at a time. The first few months are the worst, your life is basically taken on a rollercoaster with no seatbelt. You have to learn slowly what you can and cant handle, how to count protein, and slowly get into a work out regimine. At about 3-4 months, everyone besides me was noticing the weight loss. I honestly thought I was at a stand still and scared of developing body dimorphic because I wasn't seeing it but everyone else was. I just thought everyone was being nice knowing I had this surgery done. At about 8 months, it hit me. I looked through old pictures of myself where I thought I looked great and to my own self, I was unrecognizable, thats when things started to really hit me. The hard work, the 5-6 days a week at the gym, the sacrifices were all making sense and I was ecstatic. It's a strange feeling. okay.... at 10 months, my personal life started to take a bad turn. Before my surgery, my husband told me he would be supportive and was excited for me to go through this and better myself and he promised to take the plunge with me with changing eating habits and working out....that didn't seem to be the case. I was more active and wanting to experience life because well, I got my life back! and all he was concerned with was going to buffets, ordering pizza and laying in bed playing video games. Our sex life (tmi) was non existant, We started to only speak a few words a day to eachother. I was going out with my friends constantly because he would never want to go anywhere. Well.... a month ago I filed for divorce and am moving into my own place tomorrow. It's really liberating to have the strength to do this, I was unhappy for at least 2 years but this surgery gave me the confidence I needed to break free. I'm only 25 and yes, I got married young and I understand, marriage is a commitment but a person can only give so much until they break and try to work on things so much before it becomes a lost cause. I never knew I had this strength in me and I owe it all to the gastric sleeve surgery. It saved my life in more ways than one. So if you're on the fence or not sure about it... think about all the doors it can open in other aspects of your life. I'm now just over 1 year out, almost 190# down, went from a size 30 to a size 14 in jeans and i wear a size small/medium in mens tshirts, when I used to wear a 3x. it's a pretty amazing feeling! thanks for reading

yeah, agreed. ill see my sister for the first time in April 2014 since she moved to australia a year ago... she hasnt seen me since surgery and all my life she made fun of me for being bigger than her, but now she's gaining weight and im losing, it'll actually be kind of gratifying to see the look on her face. It might sound mean, but i honestly hope she's jealous...her and i have always been competative and as much as she tortured me about my weight growing up--- it'll make my day that's for sure

For years, ive been the "fat" friend in the group- a lot of my best friends are a little on the hefty side but no where as big as I used to be, so i think they felt a sort of comfort around me cuz it made them seem smaller, but now that i'm thinner than all of them, some make snide remarks about "but you have loose skin" but most of them have actually be surprisingly supportive, to my face at least..but like someone else said, your real friends will support you no matter what. I'm a real sarcastic person, so the ones who like to judge me and make rude comments they think are funny, i just reply with "oh---- well i have some old clothes that are too big that you can have if you want?"

i cheated on my pre op too and felt really guilty but now im 5 mo out and over 100 lbs down, just stay focused on the goal ahead, we all have road blocks but just keep your eye on the prize! its all in your head. There's going to be a lot of head hunger in your future but just make sure you are constantly drinking it'll help surpass it! and if you can have any protein water in your diet, try that cuz like someone else said, the protein will definitely help curb the appetite

yeah, i used to be embarrassed by having to sit in the "double" seats in waiting rooms and always wanting to ask for a table instead of a booth. Isnt it an amazing feeling to not have to be scared to basically live life? congrats to you guys too!

So, my husband and I decided to invest in some 6 flags season passes that go through fright fest this year and next. I went to fright fest this past Saturday and was terrified and have an underlying fear of being turned away from rides (since it happened at my highest weight) but now that im over 120 lbs lighter than my highest I thought id give it a shot and guess what? I rode all the rides my heart desired without any issues or embarrassment. it was probably one of the single greatest moments of my life. To someone who has never had to worry about it, it would seem silly, but to me it was like winning the lottery. I loved it so much that a friend and I went back to six flags on sunday for a few hours so I could experience it all again. (we're actually going again the 26th!) This is definitely my greatest NSV--- why don't you share some of yours that keep you going when things get tough?

I know the feeling, with my insurance i was told i had to do either 1 year physician supervised diet or 6 months multi disciplinary plan...which at first they told me was my physician and psychiatrist. so i completed the 6 months and was told in order to use the multi disciplinary route, i would have had to have seen a nutritionist as well, i was livid and about to give up...but i ended up just sticking with my doctor another 6 months to do the 1 year physician diet and it flew by, before i knew it, i was scheduling surgery and trust me, its WELL worth the wait. Insurances are gonna have you jump through hoops, its what they do (i work at a hospital, battling insurance companies for their lack of payment and cooperation) But everything good in life is worth fighting for and if you have dealt with the struggle this long, you can hang on a little longer. Dont let a little road bump like this set you back. you'll get there! and good luck with everything!

thanks guys ive been working my butt off (literally) and I am so glad I did this surgery. My surgery date was May 16th. the time has flown by.. cant believe i'm approaching 4 mo already!

my favorite is when people I barely talked to at work are coming up to me telling me how great I look...the worst is when I have had several people make the comment "oh I bet your husband is more attracted to you now" but those I just brush off because the good definitely outweighs the bad

thanks ladies! I couldn't be happier and of course I bought them, I am going to rock them this weekend at my best friends bachelorette party

I just thought i'd post because I had a total NSV today, I went shopping and found a cute pair of jeans that only had a size 20 left. It was one of those "lets see how much further I have to go" type moments and I put them on and they buttoned and fit PERFECTLY. I was jumping for joy. it's amazing how far ive come in such a short time and I want to thank everyone on here for your inspiration and encouragement. this surgery was definitely a blessing in disguise. I attached a picture of me wearing a size 30 and a picture I took in those jeans in the dressing room today

you look absolutely amazing and I bet you feel ever better than you look, congrats!

Wow that's awesome, im really having this issue right now and I'm gonna try this. Thanks for sharing!

it pretty much depends, for me it didn't feel like I dropped sizes but my clothes felt baggy until I went shopping and bam I was in a 24 at 3 months and a month later I was able to button a 22. Coming from a size 30 I should have figured it out sooner but I just expected "baggy" clothing. Have you tried putting on some smaller sizes at all??? you might have an NSV! I'm almost 4 months post op and down 85 lbs from surgery and 110 total- you'll get there. I felt discouraged from a lot until I was 3 months post op and it'll hit you. Good luck and from your numbers you're doing amazing!

so inspirational! I'm 3.5 mo post op and started at a 28/30 pant and am now in a 22. cant wait to even be in a 14/16 i'd probably cry if I ever was in a 4.--that's pretty amazing congrats!!!!!!

yah, there are some who have horror stories and some who don't experience much at all. To be honest I had buyers remorse right away but that QUICKLY subsided. the heart burn went away and the "foamies" as some call it went away too, im now 3.5 mo out and 80 lbs down from surgery and I feel AMAZING. The weight loss and the feeling of getting your life back is so worth it. I'm so happy I decided to finally go through with this surgery cuz it's basically like a huge weight lifted off of me, literally... and I can experience life now like I couldn't before. You'll do great, just remember, the first few weeks are definitely the worst but it all gets better in time. Don't let it discourage you, the fight is definitely worth the prize!

arbor mist is a sparkling wine actually.... hence why they have merlot and moscato

I would just stay away from heavily carbonated wines like arbor mist....

I had my first sip of wine at 6 weeks and I was fine. it was a dark red wine so the few sips I did have gave me a bit of a buzz... just be careful and if it doesn't feel right, stop. i'm my best friend's MOH and her bach party is 3 weeks away and I plan on it being a very cheap night for me! enjoy but just be careful!

Eddie's angel- i had that too, are you taking really small sips? if you take too big of a gulp or even breath in air while you drink it'll cause an air bubble when you swallow. my nutritionist told me to make sure all the air was out of my mouth and make sure i don't breath in when i sip, if that makes sense? i hope that helps!! good luck to everyone- it's definitely a struggle but trust me and everyone else who has responded who has been where you guys are, it does get better!

Chances are, you're not going to die. The first few weeks after surgery are definitely the hardest but there was a reason you obviously made this decision to have surgery. Obviously, its not very nice for your boyfriend to be cooking like that in front of you but just consider it a test of will power because that is something you're going to need for the rest of your life. This surgery is a tool and you need to use it as such and if you're easily tempted by the smells of foods that might not necessarily be good for you, it's going to be a struggle, but just remember you can still cook and have GREAT food, just healthier... As for the liquids, I had a hard time choking them down too, the protein shakes get to be a bit much but maybe you should try another brand. I used ensure high protein and I liked them up until I started eating regular food, you can use flavor extracts to change the flavors a bit, I loved the rootbeer one mixed in a vanilla shake, tasted like a rootbeer float... and you were just sleeved a few days ago so your opening to your stomach is still swollen so as long as you're sipping CONSTANTLY for the first week - 3 weeks, you should be fine. It's a definite struggle but it's SO worth it in the end. Good luck with everything and I know as long as you put your mind to It, you can succeed!

may 16 down 65 lbs.

i had my surgery may 16th and ive been at a stall for about 3 weeks myself, my scale seems to fluxuate between 303 and 305, its become frustrating but ive just increased my work outs to an extra 10 minutes a day and increased my protein intake by 5 g and I lost 2 lbs in the past 3 days. I think all of us go through stalls, just hang in there and keep following doctors orders and it'll start coming off again