SmilinNC

I know what you mean. My partner stayed with me throughout whole process in the hospital. As a lesbian couple we were very popular with the nurses. And the first day I had a sponge bath we looked at each other and we could almost hear the song playing in the background just like Lady Jay said.... Let's get it on!!!! Lol

Hey everybody i need some HELP please i start my pureed diet on Monday and need some ideas for pureed food......can i eat chilli

Indecision - im sure you do but probably don't realize it!
I've noticed it, guys never said much before, now they flat out hit on me. Pisses my partner off.. haha.. And SHE notices women checking me out more. I don't. I really don't pay attention. I'm focused on learning to hold my head up high and smile at everyone because damn it, I AM BEAUTIFUL and will not hide head down anymore.

This was my before VGS and after my plastics!!! Love my results
pumpkin Protein shake.doc
This is my 1yr post VGS and 1 month post op plastics:)

ok now you're just asking me to be brave! LOL. I have yet to take a full body pic. The old phattie in me refuses (dont get mad anyone, its a term of endearment, not derogatory). Anyway, I need to take a full body pic, the clinic i used for my surgery wants to post my testimonial on their website. Also, I work for the insurance company who approved my surgery, so they want to do a poster...possibly a billboard.. SAY WHAT??
but I will do my best to post a pic. (GULP)

Day 247... Excited for the upcoming long weekend. Biggest event this weekend, I'm FINALLY in a wedding! Deep down I'll always blame the weight for me not having been asked before. Yes, our friends love us as we are...but c'mon, they wan't they're wedding pictures to be perfect... There's always going to be subtle discrimation against weight. Some is outright obvoius, but some not so much. I feel so proud to not be afraid to be in 10,000 pictures this weekend. Of course the 'old' me is praying non end up on Facebook, but it will happen.
I felt so pretty trying on and buying my dress. Of course I'm in complete panick mode because it's a spaghetti strap dress...ummm how the hell do i hide my arms? Which sucks, I'm excited to show off my tattoos (something I DONT do often because of the extra skin, but omg the SKIN! I couldn't find an offordable wrap or shawl. Figure I will go without during the ceremony since there will be minimal movement. But afterwards, SOMETHING is going around these arms. There will be dancing...and wiggling... ok now i've just make myself nervous. Oh lord.
After that fun day of wedding/dancing, sunday, not so fun. need to go pick out/purchase flooring for the house (UGH, DYI project). This is where things get fun. I am very much a DYI gal (thank you dad!), however, my partner, not so much. It's funny. By traditional standards, Im 'femme' shes...well not. (shh don't call her butch, she gets pissed, even though you can tell she's a lesbian from 10 miles away). she depends on me for the DYI or to repair things (here is where I grunt like tim the toolman taylor). But we're hoping to bring up the value of the home and get rid of the HIDEOUS carpet. Thank god we're not starting hte project this weekend (don't think i'm mentally prepared yet).
so not sure if i've mentioned my new obsession with cleaning. (oh wait, i did). Kids got a kick out of me this AM. I finished getting ready, my daughter was still working on her hair. I looked down and saw hair on the floor. So in typical Dawnie style, I grabbed a clorox wipe and began to push my daughter all over the bathroom while I cleaned up the hair and wiped the floor. She just rolled her eyes and said "seriously mom?". Hey it was a mini 5 minute work out. I love this new energy! Though, this week I've been somewhat sluggish. I know it's the Vitamins (i forget to take them, my bad). All I want to do is sleep. I know I won't. I won't allow myself to. Though I pray I can sleep in Monday without guilt.
Well I won't be able to log in this weekend Ms. Diary, but I will be back Tuesday.. until then..Dawnie over and out.

Thank you so much for the feedback. It's one of those situations that's a double edged sword. She can be so loving and so good to me. But then she opens her mouth..and it just ruins it. I've expressed 10,000X's about the comments. She says I take it too pesonal. Last night she looked at me as we were cleaning the kitchen and said "you need to gain weight already".. umm ? really?
I've tried talking and I do want therapy. However, she is very anti therapy (long history of family abuse from her end). However, I'm a strong believer. At this point the only reason I don't go, the cost. I am in 2 weddings this year (and my kids are in one with me). so money is ridiculously tight until January. Of course it didn't help that I just had to buy back to school clothes/supplies. And I had to go buy new clothes as well.
Still getting used to the changes in my body. Though the scale remains between 137-139, my body is still changing. Pants that fit me last month, don't this month. I'm tired of shopping (wait, what did i just say? LOL, I am NOT a girly girl and do NOT like shopping). So I just buy belts now I have sponsored clothing drives at work. Very successful (remainder of clothing donated to the Human Society). But takes so much work. I do need to host another one, I need some shirts! LOL.
As for you twins mama, your weight loss is wonderful! You have so much to be proud of! continue your beautiful journey.

You are very lucky hun! having a supportive partner is truly a blessing. My family was my rock. my mom, dad, kids & co-workers were my cheerleading squad.
Good luck to you! you made a wonderful lifestyle change.

Day 246 post surgery. Emotions are running on an all time high. Due to health care exchange, will be laid off anytime between now and March. Need to get a jump on looking for work, but bored of the insurance world. Need new challenges. Kids are doing ok. Love how proud they are of me now. How excited they are to see their mom happy. Though...happy in what ways?
My partner of 6 1/2 years is having issues recently with my weight loss. I was down from 239 to 171 last year. Band quit, I moved on. Had surgery in December. (during surgery had hernia repair, that night fell in hospital, tore spleen, almost died). Now I'm down to 139. It seemed so fast. I'm not complaining. I love it. But everyday I get different comments from her to "eat more", "gain weight" "your legs look like chopsticks" "you look pale" "you look sick". Really? Ok I get she has chosen not to have a surgery and lose much needed weight (her current weight is about 265). I love her as she is...but shouldn't she love ME as I AM? Don't think I care anymore. I don't regret anything I've done up to this point in my life.
Biggest issue is how I feel about ME. It's funny how much you can hate your body when you're over weight. I spent each week trying to find something to love about my plus sized body. Ways to find myself attractive. And a few months before my band sugery (sept 2011), I had fallen in love with me. Everything about me. Then during a physical, I find out I'm prediabetic. Oh hell no! There is no way in hell I am living with diabetes. That is when I found out my employer was offering WLS. Didn't think, didn't blink, just signed up. The journey has been...fun? I struggled with the band, no doubt. Grew increasingly tired of dealing with vomitting & getting 'stuck'. Was so thankful for the sleeve. I have been 100% happy physically since.
Now, I look at my body (with clothes/girdle on, thank you jesus for girdles!) and OMG. I'm tiny. I'm a size 8!!!! WHAT? Is this for real? Granted it took until last month to realize I AM HEALTHY. Before, I still saw me as 239. Now I see me..the new me.. No wait, the me i should've been 20 years ago. Then I take the clothes off...WHOA. YIKES. Eww. Can't stand it. Not as much skin as i expected , more so on my arms. Tummy is ok. Inner thighs, eh..saggy. Oh well. Hey look, i DO have ribs! Umm where did my booty go? i've lost my boot! damn. I liked my booty before. Now it no longer exists. Ok..fine, thank god for Booty Panties.
Wait, where are my boobs? When I place my hands where they USED to be, I feel bone. Go down further Dawnie..oh there they are. who moved them? and they fit in my hands now? wow. DD to C. (well B 1/2). That's ok. Bras are cheaper now. Hmm...why don't my shoes fit. My feet weren't fat...but my size 8's are huge. Wow a size 7 now.. OK i can do that. But now I have to buy new shoes (shock! not something I want to do, I loved my current shoes). Let's keep it simple, just buy Tom's in a few colors. Done.
My face is so different. Where are those infamous chubby cheeks? so gone. And what is this under my chin...what am i, a turkey? YIKES. That's fine, just smile alot. Keep your head straight so no one sees that turkey chin!
It's almost as if I need to find the beauty again. The beauty I had just found, she's gone. She's been replaced. Though, I look in the mirror and can't believe I was ever 100 lbs bigge. It's as if I truly was this thin person trapped inside of a large shell of a person. OMG I ATE ME!
So here begins yet another journey in my life. Not a bad one, no. But a journey nonetheless. It's ok. I'm strong, I love me, my kids/partner love me, I have great friends. I'm ok.

*boost*
I am very interested in vegetarian recipies in the pureed and soft food stage. I have this strange gravitation towards it (vegetarianism) for some reason.

Just had my 3 month check-up and lost an additional 24lbs during the last month. I've lost a total of 82 pounds in 13 weeks. I haven't felt this good in years, I feel in control and truly happy!
Here's an updated before and after pic! Started at 44 waist, I now fit in 38's I still have another 57lbs till I reach my goal.

Ummmm blank stare

I'm 43, and I've never took a squat in the woods!
Don't judge! I want to be able to pee in the woods without it running all over my leg.

Hey guys, I think it is great that a lot of you have supportive partners!!! I have found going through this with a small support group of friends a bit difficult at times. They are not with you 24/7 and cannot see how your daily life has changed. But it is nice when you do see them and you have lost more weight. I also wonder how meeting and possible dating will go now that I am sleeved. I will be a cheap date, that is for sure!!y consult weight was 360, surgery weight 306 and as of today 273. My goal is between 180 and 190. And I have plans for Excess skin removal next year. Good luck to those with upcoming surgeries and to those who have begun their journey.
Datrell

Hey Everyone!
Almost three years ago I signed up for this page and was so excited about my journey and getting sleeved. Shortly after that I moved over to ObesityHelp.com and spent most of my time getting support over there. Well, I decided to check out this site again and boy, has it sure changed! This is a happening place! I'll have to stick around and see what the fuss is all about.
Anywho, I love my sleeve and don't regret my decision for a second. I have been loving life and living all sorts of new adventures. Here's a couple of pics. It's been very inspiring spending some time here today and reading about everyone's triumphs.
Rock on! Keeping it off is the biggest challenge!

Save the best bite for FIRST because it's highly unlikely I will get to eat it if I save it for last!
I "blame" a lot of my weight issues on my previous tendency to make big luscious meals, pile my plate high and then save the best bites for last, ensuring that I will clean my plate.
I've always done this, from my first PB&J (eat around the crust first, from the driest bottom side, all the way around the edge to the squishy under butt of the crust and then circling around to the fattest middle filled with squishy deliciousness), to a pan of brownies (eat all the gooey, slightly under baked middle first, saving the crispy edges for last). I had a method of gluttony for eating everything (green bean casserole, push most of the crispy onions to one side to be enjoyed in the last crunchy salty bite) and the last bite had to be eaten no matter how stuffed I was. After all, it was the best bite, right?
Never did I consider simply cutting off the crust, just eating the edge of the brownies or simply adding a few more onions to a smaller portion of casserole. My mom has always been skinny and her dieting motto was to always leave at least one bite of everything on your plate, two bites of your favorite thing. My skinny friends rarely finish their plates nor do they need to eye everyone else's plate for one delicious morsel.
It really feels good to eat my bites best to worst, because when I am done, I'm done! It's still habit to save the best for last, but it's one I'm breaking slowly now that I've missed out on it so many times.

Ahh Whole Foods, my Disneyland of organic shopping too bad the closest one is over an hour away.. oh well worth the trip!

My VSG experience at one year post op:
I was sleeved on August 21, 2012 in Lancaster, PA by Joseph R McPhee IV, MD. My highest weight was 249 lbs, and I am 5’5”. At the time of my surgery I was 48 yrs old.
The full liquid pre surgery diet that my surgeon requires for 1 week helped to prepare me for my post op 2 week full liquid diet. After that, then I had a 2 week puree/soft food diet. At 4 weeks post op I was allowed regular foods as tolerated. Each surgeon is different, so follow their designated plan for you.
YES, you will most likely be sore after surgery, it’s normal, it was major surgery after all. Yes, you will most likely have reflux and pain in your shoulder from gas. Yes, the first 4 weeks after surgery basically sucks. BUT, it’s ONLY a very small portion of time in our very long lives, look at it that way. Before you know it, you’ll be recovered, barring any major complications. Follow all instructions from your surgeon, to prevent leaks and any major issues that might arise if you choose to do what you want to do.
Remember, you did NOT gain all this weight in a year, and most likely will NOT have it all off in a year unless you have less than 100 lbs to lose. So many people that I see here get so discouraged and say “I ONLY lost 10 lbs this month, is this normal?” Or, “I am in a stall, now what?” Our bodies need to recover and need to catch up and when else have you lost 10 lbs in a month, and not gained it right back? Calm down, quit whining and just keep doing what is right and it will all be ok. MOST of us have gone thru MORE than ONE stall and they last weeks upon weeks, so again, stop whining.
When I see posts that say “50 lbs GONE FOREVER” and the like, it makes me cringe!! This surgery is NOT a be all/end all to our weight issues. It’s a forever change in attitude and diet and exercise. It’s for life. If you think once you lose any weight you are NEVER gonna gain it back, you better get more help because IF you do gain it back, then what? As my surgeon says “one in five of his patients gains weight back”. Make sure you aren’t that ONE patient.
Many do not work out/exercise at all. I find that for me, although trust me the gym is NOT one of my favorite places to be, it helps me mentally to wrap my head around the whole ‘change’ in lifestyle. The gym or exercising helps with energy and helps with burning calories and helps with strengthening and helps with toning as you lose the weight. I’m not saying it will get rid of all loose skin but it definitely helps with overall health and muscle mass. I am at the gym 5 days a week with 50 min of cardio/the arc trainer and 3 days a week I add in 15-20 min of strength training. I burn like 600-630 calories doing the cardio, each time, which is awesome.
I found that after the 6 month mark, maybe because I didn’t have hundreds of pounds to lose, that the weight loss slowed down A LOT even with being at the gym 5 days a week. It did not discourage me though from continuing on with the gym and how I was eating. One month I lost 1 pound and a few months 3 and 4 pounds, and at month 10-11 I lost ZERO pounds. There is no rhyme or reason to it and I still kept losing inches. My suggestion is to do what I do and that is this……track with myfitnesspal or a similar app, everything that goes into my mouth I track. And, I take my measurements every 2 weeks faithfully. I also weigh myself daily ONLY ONCE though. Do what works for you, once a day, once a week, once a month. I don’t think it’s good to do it though more than once a day. Even with losing slower after the 6 month post op mark, I also know that I did not gain, so there’s the positive.
I would suggest if your surgeon has a support group to attend them. My surgeons’ practice has a support group every month and I go faithfully. It’s a wealth of knowledge and there are so many who can share with you what they have learned and you can also pay it forward to those who are starting their journey.
The sleeve WILL prevent you from putting too much into it at any given time, you will pay that price, although I never threw up, I knew when to stop. If you push beyond that point, get some help from your surgeon or nutritionist or psychologist since you obviously are over eating even with this. The sleeve WILL NOT prevent you from putting whatever you want into it. Sure, you can eat ice cream all day long and other NOT good slider foods. So, if you want to trick it and do that, then why bother having major surgery. Again, get help with your relationship with food first. You can and will gain weight again IF you do not realize that this is NOT a miracle cure for your eating issues.
At the beginning of my journey, I bought what I thought was a ‘goal outfit’, and it was a size 8 skinny jean and a small dressier blouse/shirt. Not realizing that sizing over the years has gotten bigger. Back in 2005 when I weighed 142 lbs I was a size 8 jeans. I fit into my ‘goal’ jeans at 165 lbs so, yes sizes are bigger these days, not sure why?? I am currently at 160 lbs at ONE year out, having started at 249 lbs. I thought at a year out I’d be at 149 lbs with a bit more to lose, BUT I am happy to have lost almost 90 lbs since starting this journey. Like I said before, we did not gain it in a year, so please have realistic expectations, and do not compare yourself to someone else who is your height and starting weight. For me, I know that I am hypothyroid and it makes it harder for me to lose weight even if it’s being regulated by medication. I think a goal outfit helped me to visualize where I wanted to be and kept me continuing at the gym and eating properly. It might help you as well!
I just had my 1 yr follow up appt today (8-21-13) with my surgeon. He said to follow the rules of 80 grams Protein and 90 grams of carbs per day, and 1500 calories per day as well. I’m not even at those calories per day now. I get between 800-1200 calories per day total due to burning 600 calories 5 days per week. I know I want to lose another 15-25 lbs although he thinks I’ll be good with 5-10 lbs more. As I said above, I weigh 160 lbs now and want to weigh between 135-145 lbs. He also said that throughout maintenance to expect to fluctuate 10 lbs, but to watch if it goes above that 10 lbs. He said to revisit what I’m eating and see what the reason is that it goes above that. He also said that the expectation with the sleeve is that we lose 70 percent of our excess weight, I have reached 76 percent, so I’ve gone beyond the expectation. I hope I continue on to have it go to 100 percent of the excess weight!!
I hope this post helps some of you with your journey, and I pray that each of you is successful in your journey to get to where you want to be so that you can enjoy all the things that you want to do.
Karen
This pic was taken before surgery 249 lbs
This pic was taken today 8-21-13 160 lbs (almost 90 lbs lighter)

thanks! I have a good model- my husband had VST Exactly 1 year before me, so he did all the "bushwacking" for me..he's on here too- fiddleman is his user name. Today was a good day- a lot of days are not this perfect...always a learning process!

Post-op day 9 for me & hoping DR will move me to full liquids tomorrow. The Protein broth wasn't too bad at first but after a week of nothing but broth I can barely stand it. Sadly, the Isopure aftertaste is so foul I can't tolerate it anymore. I now realize that I could tolerate drinking a bottle pre-op because I could down it in a few gulps! Now it's a full 60 minutes of disgusting to me.

I didn't realize it until just now but last night was the first time I'd really went out with a big group of friends for drinks and appetizers. Had an absolutely fabulous time and the shock of 90 lbs gone since the last time I saw this group was very flattering. (Hubby's coworkers) with 5 kids and working full time we just get so busy but it was SOOO fun to put on some cute size 8 jeans and sexy top. LOVE MY NEW LIFE

Now let's be fair about this. Speaking from a guy who no longer has anything resembling Man Tits. Not any more. And that is your point, right, you are improving yourself, and do not see why he is not interested in doing the same. Here is what I felt after reading your post. Okay, you have made a decision to change your life - AWESOME and conrats to you. BUT you would not need that change if you (and I and many many more) had not let ourselves go and made many a bad decision. So you have decided that you want more out of life. Here is my question. How long did it take you to make that decision? Presumably a while. What about him? how much time does he get? If you start looking great - or at least a ton better, is that an encouragement for him? I would only say that none of us - peeking into you life with 5 lines of information - have the answer. But I think a spouse has a little duty to help make changes in us as well. I was a stud athlete, professional, world ranked - that is what my wife married. Then 10 years in I got fat, not big, fat. She stuck by me and put up with my beer drinking and over eating. Now I look good again and I am so glad she is here. But you know what, she is 30 pounds over weight - maybe more - but that is okay. I love her for her. She stuck by me when I was a pig. 30 pounds on her at 5 feet tall is a lot - but I will work with her to get her lower - she wants that and I want that - why? because we are still in love. 25 years of her putting up with my retarded self - and we still care. My guess would be that there is more than just the weight issue. It may be an indicator of the relationship - maybe the weight is not the issue, it is that desire you have for more, and he does not have that. Again, it is easy to be Dr. Phil with 10% of the info, but make sure that it is the weight that is a problem, and not the lack of drive and ambition. Here is why, anyone (with great effort) can lose weight - not everyone can have that desire to move up and be determined for success. So I will get off my "Mr. know-it -all" soap box and wish you the best of luck - love is easy - marriage is hard - make sure you are carefully assessing you issues. And best of luck on your weight loss journey.

I wasn't cleared for anything other than walking (a treadmill would be fine as long as I only walked, no jogging) for four weeks after surgery. After that, I was okayed to gradually add in more exercise as long as I wasn't hurting myself.
Your surgeon's office may have other plans but I think what I was told is a pretty common post-VSG instruction.

Hi! I had my surgery July 2nd 2013 and average about 600-700 calories, 50 carbs, and between 65-75 grams of Protein per day. Highest pre-SW 330, SW 289, CW 262 at 5'5 1/2 age 34. For Breakfast I usually have 1/3 cup 2% cottage cheese (10g protein) with 1 tsp jam or Fage 2% plain yogurt with stevia, vanilla extract and berries. I can also add a slice of nitrate free Jennie O brand turkey bacon if I feel like it- a real protein gem at 6g per slice (much better than the Oscar Meyer brand at 2 g per slice). For lunch I had Ruben sandwich innards- 2oz corned beef thin sliced, 1 slice alpine lace reduced fat Swiss cheese, 1 Tbsp light thousand island dressing and 1 1/2 Tbsp sauerkraut- heat in microwave for a minute, yummy! snack was 2 light mini baby bell cheeses (also a real protein gem at 6g per piece) and 1/4 cup red grapes. dinner will be chicken broccoli curry casserole and dessert is an Outshine sugar free frozen fruit bar (10 cal and 2 carbs more than Popsicle variety sugar free but soooo much better taste wise). Nightcap is a mug of Healthwise protein hot chocolate with Davinci's sugar free creme de menthe. I love love love that hot chocolate and to get a better protein kick and make it creamier, I make it with nonfat milk instead of Water. I work out 4-5 per week to the Biggest Loser original DVD and alternate days of cardio and strength training- I'm also starting Zumba. Just try to get in as much protein as you can, read food labels, shoot for 60-80 per day (80 is best) and you may need to add some Protein Shakes in there at first to get to that goal, but I think you can get there on your own after a while. Look for lean protein, fat is ok- especially the good stuff in moderation, and low carb. If you have to choose between higher carbs and higher fat, go with the higher fat option (Atkins type diet). A lot of folks I've seen here stick to 50 carbs or less per day, especially in the first 6 months, so that's what I shoot for. If I eat lean Proteins, the fat sort of takes care if itself- I don't really worry about it. Work out when allowed- especially weight training...so your body burns your fat as you are losing and not your muscle! Keep as much of your muscle as you can. My fitness pal is an extremely helpful tool for me- if you don't already use it, give it a try!