Allan Cameron

Mine talks to me all the time, drink some Water, it comments, eat food it sounds off for quite some time. Sometimes it just talks when I'm not doing anything...never used to be so talk-a-tive...now it's a chatterbox...it's talking right now in fact. I'm suprised you can't hear it...Go Sleeve!!

I have to second the notion on not comparing yourself to others, you are you and know what you need and want. I had my surgery done in June and needed to loose 250lbs at that time. So far today I've lost half that with 125 gone, which makes me feel great. I'm concentrating on the weight, others do inches, whatever works for you. I've stalled out a couple of times, usually because I changed something or another or I cheat and fall off the wagon. The sleeve works to help, but as said around here all the time, it is a tool you just have to learn how to use it. I'm a guy, and guys and gals are oh so different, when I stall out I hit back, walk more, lift more weights, hit the liquids harder and cut back on starches, not that I eat a lot of them to begin with. Part of this journey is learning how your body reacts to things, being aware of the consequences of your eating habits. You will know what you need to do, the will power to do it is sometimes the only issue, we all tend to fall off the wagon, you just got to climb back on. As said before, good luck to you and Go Sleeve!

I too what if'd for years, probably put off having this surgery 20 years of more, then I got Kidney Cancer, lost my left Kidney, and now I have Gout on top of High Blood Pressure... Things were starting to pile up, got the surgery done last June, I've lost over 120 lbs (much higher starting weight than you, but hey) and I'm walking everywhere. I feel soo much better, I'm in a good mood almost all of the time (too good of a mood sometimes). Still not doing cafine, but most of my coworkers think I'm drinking double shots of esspresso. Life is fun again, and eating is not a war zone between my head and my gut anymore.

After surgery you will still be on a diet, of sorts. And some foods you used to like, well you will have to see if you still like them, it is all kinda weird for awhile. I ate steak for the first time in seven months this last week. Still seems odd that I can only eat a small portion of a steak when I used to be able to gobble down two or more... You seem to really know yourself, I wasn't happy with myself, my health wasn't happy with me, I had to get the surgery. As you yourself know, you have to answer these questions and make these decissions...we are just here to support you whatever you decide.

There are two books I've left on my Kindle since before I had the surgery, they are "The Sleeved Life: A Patient-toPatient Guide on Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Weight Loss Surgery by Pennie Nicola" and "The Big Book on Gastric Sleeve: Everything you Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy by Alex Brecher and Natalie Stein." I've also got a couple of cookbooks, but I don't really use them all that often...

Goals sometimes have to move...I know I once had a goal of living in Hawaii, well I moved to Hawaii in 2003, now I'm back in Washington State...I had goals at work, met, done, did that... I too have goals for my weight, unlike you I've not gotten there yet. I only wish I could see 230 or anything in the 200's, that would be so great. Congrats and hope you find new goals to set and meet...life is all about setting and meeting our goals. Again Congratulations, and Go Sleeve!

Six months into things and I've lost over 110lbs...just recently started weighing under 350. Still need to lose over 150 lbs more myself, but I have faith that this new lifestyle (and being sleeved creates a new lifestyle whether you want it or not) is going to be the ticket to a healthy me and a long retirement (which can't come too soon)... I have more energy, I can do things I couldn't even dream of when I weighed 450 lbs or more. This has been the best decission I've made in decades.

I had an acute Gout attack in my second month (couldn't walk or stand for three days) so that kinda set my timeline back but four months out I hired a Personal Trainer with his own storefront (no big box store gym, just a store front in between a hair salon and a tanning studio). We started out slow, two days a week, the fifth month out we went to three days a week, and now this month I'm actually thinking about going to a local "gym" and getting away from the expense of a Personal Trainer. He started me out slow and taught me exercises to do, both free weights and on the fitness machines. Now I'm going to have to see how I do on my own...

They took mine out as I left the hospital, it kinda tugged, really was a bit of a wierd feeling something inside moving about, but it did not hurt, just kind of like internal pressure or gas. They put a bandage on the hole said not to get the dressing wet for a couple of days, until is scabbed over and now it's just another one of the six scares that show that I had this surgery...

We are all different and of course will lose weight at different rates, especially guys and gals. I too have been stuck, stalled for almost a month now. I keep telling myself to have patience, but I'm getting tired of looking at the same numbers, I want it to go down...NOW!

Another Olympia voice here, I was sleeved June 7th...as a retired Air Force Sergeant I got my surgery at Madigan.

I started to feel "normal" during my third month after surgery. I was finally able to really begin to walk for more than a mile, and I was eating real food again. The weight loss for me is almost automatic as big as I am and as big as I started. This month (my fourth month after surgery) I'm really fealing like I'm making progress, I've even got an appointment with a personal trainer tonight to start really exercising, beyond just walking. My wife and I are able to go out to the resturants we like, granted I always leave with a "doggy bag" but it is good to feel "normal" again.

This is a decission that you need to make. You will surely consult with those whose opinions matter to you, but in the end it is your body and your life we are talking about here. No one else should be telling you how to live your life. Like many other here I made the decission in consultation with my spouse, no one else got to comment on the decission prior. Many people knew I was thinking about it (for over a year), but when it came time to actually make the decission, it was me and my wife that had anything to say... Since having the Surgery I've let most everyone know that I've had this surgery, and especially my family I left all of them know that my eating habits were drastically new and different. I am very thick skinned, to the point of being dense sometimes, so if someone disagrees with my opinion or decissions I may not ever know... But so far I've not had anyone state that this surgery was not great for me...heck I've lost over 100 lbs in the first 4 months. Go Sleeve!

Are you loosing weight? Did the food stay down? Those are the questions I worry about. My sleeve tells me when I eat too much at a single sitting or over a short period of time. And my scale lets me know when I've let the total level of food get out of hand. As long as I continue to drop weight, and I can keep the food down, I figure I'm still on target...Go Sleeve!

I did not choose either of the bybase types of surgery partially because of the dumping issues. I want to live a normal life after surgery, and already just over four months I'm able to go out to most any resturant I want (though I eat really small portions and take home the rest almost all the time). I can go for walks without worry of having to find a facility (most of the time). I'm 56 and wanted to get my life back befor I retire, and especially be able to be active for my retirement. The Sleeve is letting me get there, and I expect to loose at least another 100+ pounds.

I don't think of it as cheating, in fact I go to Buger King every day I work and have a Double Stacker for lunch, can't eat more than one, that is my limit... Then again I walk from my office to the BK and I walk back (a little over a mile round trip). Since football season started I usually eat a big bag of Dorritos over the weekend... And I go for a two mile walk... Yes I even have Ice Cream Sandwhiches in the freezer... I look at these as treats, I'm still loosing weight at a good clip, and truth be told I can't afford to loose faster, I did that early on and ended up in the Hospital with gout, now I treat myself and loose weight, I find this to be a great combo...Go Sleeve!

I'm one of the extreme types, and the sleeve has worked great for me...lost over 100lbs in the last 4+ months...the sleeve will not let you overeat, try it and it will bite you back...I know, once I got back to eating real food I tried to eat too much, or to eat too fast, either one will teach you very quickly to change your habits. I have so much more energy and life is getting better and bette every day...my own mantra is Go Sleeve! But we all have to make our own choices.

I finally hit my second big milestone over the weekend, I've now lost over 100lbs...still not halfway to my goal but life is getting better and better every day. I walk at least a mile every day, and on the weekend I try to do at least one two mile walk (that is my limit for right now). I feel so much better and am so much more active both at work and at home. Even contacted a personal trainer this weekend to see if I can't start actually getting in shape again. For over thirty years I've been waging a loosing war with nothing but wieght gain, it's great to finally win a battle and loose some weight...Go Sleeve!

I don't consider myself to be all that far along on this journey, sleeve 7 June, but I'm already eating what I consider normally... I can go to my favorite mexican restaurant and order an enchilada and eat a few chips and salsa, I can eat a BK double stacker burger at one sitting... When I have a sandwich I usually use a round loaf of bread and basically only eat half a sandwich... A Pork Chop is at least two meals... Small boneless chicken-breast at one sitting (large is two meals)... Drinking is still the hardest thing, I never have gotten the hang of sipping.

Learn something new every day...that is a good goal, and one I just achieved. Now back to my other goal to keep losing weight, I've got a ways to go to catch up...congrats on getting to this step on your pathway...

Kgregory

Check out the military treatment facility options were you are stationed. I'm at McChord Field and Madigan Army Medical Center is where I had my surgery, they have pre and post op support groups that meet weekly and a whole Barriatric Education program that is available only to spouses and retirees (active duty are not authorized to have this type of surgery). Your Primary Care Physician will have to refer you to the Barriatric Surgeon, but once that has been done you are on track... If this is the choice you choose. The big sleeve book advertised on this site was one source I used when I was looking to make my decission. There are many books on the subject by both docs and patients. This site has great info and lots of people willing to talk about the good and bad...best of luck to you.

Kgregory

Check out the military treatment facility options were you are stationed. I'm at McChord Field and Madigan Army Medical Center is where I had my surgery, they have pre and post op support groups that meet weekly and a whole Barriatric Education program that is available only to spouses and retirees (active duty are not authorized to have this type of surgery). Your Primary Care Physician will have to refer you to the Barriatric Surgeon, but once that has been done you are on track... If this is the choice you choose. The big sleeve book advertised on this site was one source I used when I was looking to make my decission. There are many books on the subject by both docs and patients. This site has great info and lots of people willing to talk about the good and bad...best of luck to you.

I've been very public about what I'm doing and how I'm doing, both now when everything is working, and especially a month or so ago when I had an Accute Gout attack and things went to heck-in-a-handbasket... I've yet to have anyone give me anything but positive reinforcement. Then again I don't really listen to negative people, I tend to tune them out and ignore them... We are all different in our habits, and our reasons for having this surgery, but once you've figured out that this is your best or even your only open option, make the best of it. The sleeve will force you into some changes in your eating habits (you just can NOT overeat, you try and you will pay for it). But as so many have said, it is a tool, and you will have to determine how best to use that tool...

Set the goal you want. As you get close, you'll find the balance between food and activity and through them, a good weight. Then adjust your goal.. Weight is not first. A new relationship with food and activity is first. (IMHO)

I have to agree with Arts 137, I had set a goal in accordance with the BMI charts, my doc told me to be a little more conservative...I'm just trying to lose the weight, goals are just that goals...I pretty much have new goals every week with the sleeve, lose 5 lbs, then lose 5 more lbs, I figure when I've lost enough weight I'll know...still a long, long way from getting there...learning to exercise and eat right are huge right now. That and staying healthy, which goes right back to learning to exercise and eat right...

Your tastes are going to go thru cycles, and not just once, but many times. I try foods sometimes weekly, and some times my tastes will change that quickly (though not too often). I haven't found too many foods I didn't like that I now like (then again I don't usually try foods I didn't like before) but I've had foods I like, go onto the not so much list. Even chocolate, especially chocolate Protein Shakes have move into my not so great catagory. eggs have been off the menu but are back on now... Couldn't eat chicken for a time, but tried it again last week and my sleeve didn't have a negative reaction, and it tasted just fine. Sometimes the taste is now great, and sometimes my sleeve tells me not to eat that again (or else).

As a guy (with no kids) I think this type of surgery is much harder on women and especially mothers. Everyone else in your house is eating normally, and you've got to go thru the liquid diet, then the pureed food and finally you get to start eating normally. But even then it is in such a reduced quantity as to be noticeably different. I have great respect and sympathy for all of you Mom's that go through this surgery.