MarciHunter

10 months post op update !

Almost 100 lbs down! Whoop whoop! (97 lb)

Highest weight - 287 lbs, current weight - 190 lbs and I'm 5'9" tall have another 25 lbs to go to meet my surgeon's goal and 35 lb to meet my own personal goal Everyone's looking great, by the way

10 months post op update !

Almost 100 lbs down! Whoop whoop! (97 lb)

Highest weight - 287 lbs, current weight - 190 lbs and I'm 5'9" tall have another 25 lbs to go to meet my surgeon's goal and 35 lb to meet my own personal goal

Everyone's looking great, by the way

April 2013 April 2014 372lbs to 191lbs

Holy cow, indeed! Cannot believe how much you shrunk x impressive, well done

Hey Junies Marci here! New to this thread!

Was sleeved on the 19th of June , 2013. So far I have lost 96 lb . My surgery weight was 287 lb, my current weight is 191 lb and I'm 5'9" tall . I still haven't reached my goal of 165 lbs.

I've been at the same weight for 2 months now and I find it so difficult to shift these last few pounds

Don't get me wrong, I feel fantastic and if I'll stay at this current weight all my life , I'll be very very happy. I just.. Wanted to reach my goal. I would love to have a baby and I was thinking, the lighter I get, the better, so I can allow myself wiggle room if I ever get pregnant . And I really know there's plenty of time to reach goal, we're only 10 months post op but I just feel a bit discouraged.

In all honesty I haven't worked out until 8 months post op, because the weight was melting off me anyhow and I was still a lazy bum however I've been working out for the last 2 months (not as much as I'd like but I did ( I have an elliptical at home, some weight training, etc) the scale just won't budge , and yes, I know, you gain muscle and you lose fat and inches but no pounds. It's just...I'm gaining and losing the same 5 pounds over and over.

I'm very careful with what I eat (most of the time) and don't go over 1200 kcal a day . I know some people eat 800 kcal but that would not satisfy me anymore, especially when I'm burning 1000 kcal on the elliptical machine I use My Fitness Pal daily and log in all my food (even though I hate it with a passion), to hold myself accountable and I rarely go over 1200 Kcal.

It feels like my body got cozy and comfortable at this weight and don't wanna leave hehe. But fingers crossed , something will happen.

How about everyone else? How are you all doing at 10 months post op? What's your food intake? Are you all hungry almost all the time like myself? Do you work out and if you do, What's your workout like? Anybody else having difficulty losing lately? Would love to hear from you.

I know there's a lot of pages in this thread, and once I get some time, I'll go through them, but they date back to surgery and I would love to see how the people are getting on now hope everyone's is great!

I'll be attaching a before and after with myself as well x hope to her from you soon x

Respectfully,

Another June sleever <3

Little update on me everyone's looking great xx

I'm nearly 10 months post op, 93 lb (42 kg) lost so far, still have 28 lb (15 kg) to lose but I'm getting there with sweat and hard work

My stats : Height - 5'9" (1.76 m), SW - 287 lb (130 kg) , CW - 194 lb (88kg)

TW - 165 lb (75 kg)

Can't believe I'm posting a picture of me in that state. The before picture was 3 days after my surgery, when I got home

A little over 11 months out and 149 since surgery and 205 overall for me.

Wow, impressive, you look great and fit xx

Start weight 308 Current weight 148-150 amazing what losing half your body weight does for ya...

OMG, woman!! You look like a different person. 20 years younger. I even had to show this to my husband! Amazing job, well done, you!

Lol I never know how to take the 'don't lose too much more' comments... The worst now that I've thought about it is when people feel the need to constantly talk about their own weight now!! Like my sister and some friends of mine that are overweight feel the need to mention how big, awful, 'beastly' (sis' fav comment :-/) and fat they are when discussing...I honestly don't look at them that way and i get so uncomfortable because all I can say is that they look fine and just need to love themselves for who they are!! Before I lost weight I was a good 30kg heavier than they are now and didn't let it stop me from going out and living life, sure I felt restricted some times, limited and criticized however I didn't bring the people I loves into that, it was my own internal issue...now it's like they feel the need to constantly compare it really is awful sometimes :-/

I so know what you mean, really. I have a few friends that every time that they see a picture of me online (I live in another country than all my family and friends) they feel the need to bring their own weight into the discussion. And all of them..are skinny arses. Like..maybe 5-10 kg overweight, due to just having a baby, or something else.. Its soooo annoying. Yes, that's exactly the same, me being obese at 130 kg almost all my life...and you carrying a bit if baby weight..yeah, just the same! I even heard comments like : awww, you're losing more weight every day and I get fatter and fatter. I feel insulted, especially when all of them are thin and always have been.

And you're right, I was just the same, yes , at times I felt uncomfortable with myself but I did enjoy life no matter my size and I never brought them into my (real not like theirs) weight problem. I swear, most of them are attention seekers, waiting for you to just tell them how lovely they are. I never did that and I don't understand why they feel the need to do that

Then and now

You look amazing, well done x

Beautiful!

Thank you, lovely! X

Awesome work!! You're looking fantastic :-) you get the dress online? I'm looking for new clothes online these days the shops are just too expensive and lack variety!

Why thank you, chick!

I shop on Ebay, and always hunt bargains for new clothes, and sometimes I get second hand clothes from other people for pennies, and its so worth it, especially because we are still shrinking, and we only use the clothes a few times, I couldn't wait until my goal to buy new clothes. As for the rock chick dress ..I couldn't believe my eyes, it was only £10 and free delivery and it fits and brand new ! Bit tight around the boobs, but hey, I can suck it up. Where are you from, lovely?

Update.

Almost 7 months post op. Down 86 lbs (39 kg) . Another 35 lbs to go !

Height : 5'9"

SW: 287 lbs

CW : 201 lbs

I loveeeed squeezing into my first leather rock chick dress (faux leather, don't worry)

Update.

Almost 7 months post op. Down 86 lbs (39 kg) . Another 35 lbs to go !

Height : 5'9"

SW: 287 lbs

CW : 201 lbs

I loveeeed squeezing into my first leather rock chick dress (faux leather, don't worry)

Hey Marci, Thank you, those pics in red are from day before surgery at 123.5kg, not at my biggest 130. A 38kg loss and into double figures that's awesome progress congratulations!! Always exciting hitting under 100, I remember sitting at 102kg for so long all I wanted at that time was double figures :-) Lol Yes I'm happy with myself now however my surgeon has told me things will continue to change over the next twelve months with skin, shape and toning and I'm hoping to retain a fit and lean physique for life!

Hey again, hon

I knoooooow, right? I was sitting on the scale and when I've seen 101.. Then 100.4 ...and OMG, when I've seen 99.9 kg, I jumped with excitement, really. I felt like..ok, things got easier now that I'm under 100 hehe.

I'm sure you'll be able to keep yourself at your goal weight, when you'll get there and keep yourself into shape. While I'm looking forward to getting to goal, I'm not really looking forward to maintain my weight and my newly achieved leaner self, but hey, we gotta do it. All the best, chick.

I understand why people make the decision not to tell others, I really do. I don't judge it either, to each their own. That said, I have to point out that what you are telling people isn't "100% true". Not at all. It is a half truth, a partial truth. Again I say I have no judgement here but ask that you don't kid yourself into thinking you are being 100% truthful because you are not. If you are going to tell a half truth then own that that is what you are doing. Don't try and dress it up as 100% true. It just isn't.

Same here, I really think its a personal decision, but I totally agree how its not 100% true. It's not lying but it is untrue by omission, by choosing not to mention the surgery. And I believe telling people you did it the "natural" way, gives other people false hope they can do it just by themselves, when sleevers like us, definitely couldn't .

And please don't take this the wrong way, but I believe that if you are embarrassed for having the gastric sleeve means you yourself think you took the easy way out , and you all know that's not case. And telling people you did it the "natural" way by eating healthy and exercising, means that you probably are ashamed or embarrassed of having the surgery .

And somebody said that their own kids pass judgement on others for having the surgery. Soooo, let me get this straight? Instead of educating your kids when it comes to the gastric sleeve, you'll just let them believe their mom did it the "right" , "natural" way, and that other obese people are just too lazy and get surgery? I'm sorry, but while I totally understand why you won't tell people..I would tell my kids especially if they think like that. Maybe one day someone close to you will get the surgery and you know what they'll think: mom worked her butt off and lost it the healthy way and this person took the easy way out? You know what that does? That perpetuates what other people think of bariatric surgery patient, and you being one of them, should care more about how we're viewed. I know if I'm given the opportunity to educate someone about the wls, I'll do it gladly. But maybe that's just me.

So I'm in the middle of this. I had surgery 12/03/13. When I was pre-op, I debated telling people. My husband knew and my dearest friend knew, but no one else. Then, I decided to tell a small circle of 5 close friends in confidence, and when I got a range of responses from super excitement to criticism, I decided to stop telling. I didn't need the stress of dealing with other people's emotions and second guesses when I had my own to work through. I didn't want to have to backtrack if insurance fell through or delayed the process. Additionally, Even if things worked out and surgery was a go, I didn't want the food scrutiny early on and constant calls or texts from people about how much weight I've lost when I'm just getting this thing going. Now I'm five weeks out. I'm eating actual food -- soft, low carb food, but still food. I'm choosing behaviors that don't draw a lot of attention to me because that's what I prefer. I've lost 44 pound total, 27 of those in the five weeks since surgery, and people are beginning to comment. Many people still can't put their finger on what's different about me. When the nurses at my surgeon's office (who KNOW I've had surgery and am losing weight) asked if I got new glasses, I simply replied, "nope, same ones!" and left it at that. When my husband's boss asked if I'd gotten my hair done, that could be answered with an honest yes because I just had. When someone said I was looking "thinnish," I laughed with them and said, "oh, I don't know about that!" but they didn't ask if I'd lost weight, and I didn't feel the need to tell them I'd had bariatric surgery. Yesterday, a couple of moms at my daughter's playgroup asked if I'd lost weight. One is naturally thin and gorgeous and not someone I've known very long, and I told her I had. The conversation went back to her then, about how she needed to lose weight, but she was just too busy. There was no question about what I'd done to lose. The other mom, though, we've been good friends for years, and she just went on and on, and began asking what I was doing (as we've share weight struggles for years). I asked if she could keep a secret, then shared I had bariatric surgery. She was so excited and impressed, and wanted to know how I felt and how things were going, etc. She asked some really good questions. It was good! So far, I like the way I'm handling this. I'm not ashamed of having surgery, but I don't feel it's necessary to broadcast this to every single person in the world. When people who care about me truly express interest in what I'm doing/have done to improve my health, I don't mind sharing. Eventually, I'm sure word will move through the grapevine, but by then, hopefully I'll be further into my journey and will have an even greater handle on this baby sleeve.

Oh, hon, I know. While I tell everyone about my surgery and I believe in being honest. I totally understand how this type of people are better off not knowing about the surgery. While everyone I told was supportive and very nice about it, I have a similar acquaintance, this woman that looks really nice, she's always been slim , she had 3 babies, and she carried a bit of weight, and by "weight" I mean, a maximum of 10 pounds, so overall she's at a normal weight. And every time she sees a picture of me on Facebook ( she lives in France, I live in Britain) , she keeps saying things like " now you're losing so much weight and you look so good, and me, on the other hand, I get fatter and fatter and everyday" , or her first reaction of me telling her I'm having the surgery : so you'll get skinny and I'll stay fat! Felt like virtually slapping her. I can understand how even 10 pounds can be hard to lose, it's very annoying, when she compares her "struggles" with weight with me and my actual struggles at almost 300 lbs before the surgery when she's only 140-150 lb . Somehow , this kind of people, will always make it about them, and not you. Luckly, there's not many as them. Most of people are like the other mom at your school, supportive, curious, asking good questions, etc. Anyway, hopefully we won't have to deal with many people like this, many hugs and speedy recovery and hope you have an amazing journey ahead of you xx Marci

[The conversation went back to her then, about how she needed to lose weight, but she was just too busy. There was no question about what I'd done to lose. The other mom, though, we've been good friends for years, and she just went on and on, and began asking what I was doing (as we've share weight struggles for years). I asked if she could keep a secret, then shared I had bariatric surgery. She was so excited and impressed, and wanted to know how I felt and how things were going, etc. She asked some really good questions. It was good!

Oh, hon, I know. While I tell everyone about my surgery and I believe in being honest. I totally understand how this type of people are better off not knowing about the surgery. While everyone I told was supportive and very nice about it, I have a similar acquaintance, this woman that looks really nice, she's always been slim , she had 3 babies, and she carried a bit of weight, and by "weight" I mean, a maximum of 10 pounds, so overall she's at a normal weight. And every time she sees a picture of me on Facebook ( she lives in France, I live in Britain) , she keeps saying things like " now you're losing so much weight and you look so good, and me, on the other hand, I get fatter and fatter and everyday" , or her first reaction of me telling her I'm having the surgery : so you'll get skinny and I'll stay fat! Felt like virtually slapping her.

I can understand how even 10 pounds can be hard to lose, it's very annoying, when she compares her "struggles" with weight with me and my actual struggles at almost 300 lbs before the surgery when she's only 140-150 lb . Somehow , this kind of people, will always make it about them, and not you. Luckly, there's not many as them. Most of people are like the other mom at your school, supportive, curious, asking good questions, etc.

Anyway, hopefully we won't have to deal with many people like this, many hugs and speedy recovery and hope you have an amazing journey ahead of you xx

Marci

Hey I'm 27 and 5ft 8/9 - 173.5cm. Starting weight 132kg Surgery date and weight 15/10/12, 123.5kg or 272 pounds Current weight 75kg or 165 pounds Goal is 65-70kg over next twelve months

Hey there, first of all, you look great. Another 10 kilos lost and you would probably look too skinny. First of, the before photo, you definitely don't look 132 kilos and now, you definitely look lighter than 75 kilos, chick. You look amazing, and of course, if your goal is 65 kilos, then I hope you get there, but hope you realise you look beautiful and fit. We have similar measurements , Im 27, and I was 130 kg on my surgery day and I'm 176 cm (5'9"). And almost 7 months since surgery and I weight at 92 kg. While my surgeon put my goal weight at 75 kg, I would love to get to 70. Of course, I would LOVE 65, but I think its a bit unrealistic, as I'm tall, and it probably wouldn't suit me. If I'll look as you do when I'll hit 75, I'll be the happiest, really. Much love, Marci

It is an interesting assumption. I have watched five colleagues/staff go through weight loss surgery over the past two years. A couple told people and three didn't. There was more gossip and speculation and rumour about those who did not share than those who were open books on the topic. The ones who said "I have had surgery" were overwhelmingly given support, encouragement, and there was no gossip or rumour. Instead people would say "OMG have you seen M? She looks AMAZING!" Where as those who said nothing were subject to a whole lot of "she must have had surgery, do you think?" "No one could do that without help" "who does she think she is kidding pretending she is losing all that weight with high Protein and exercise, do we look stupid." And variations on that general theme. It is food for thought. I do think that those who think they won't be talked about by staying private are perhaps prone to wishful thinking. I may well be wrong, but my experiences differ in the extreme.

Hey, hon. I have to agree with you. One of my friends had surgery 3 years ago and told only a few people, I was one of them, but had to keep quiet . She would lie to most people, telling them she lost the weight by dieting. While it was her choice, it made it awkward to take part of said conversations, where I knew the truth. And of course, in the 3 years since she got the surgery, she started telling more people, and you know how people talk , gossip,etc, so..of course, everyone knows now, and they all feel insulted and deceived, especially that they're a supportive crowd of people. This friend of mine advised me to only tell the truth only to people that really need the surgery and to advice them towards the surgery but I tell everyone, even told the nice lady in the shop that admired how much weight I lost. Told her : " thank you, you're sweet, I had a bit of help though, I had weight loss surgery" . Most people don't know much about wls or what to say but generally they're all being nice about it.

Anyway, 7 months ago, I had the surgery done myself, and at the beginning, I felt embarrassed for having it, because of all the "being the easy way out" stuff...but I told people anyway, and I swear, I haven't met one person that wasn't supportive and nice and curious about it. I think we should give the people around us more credit and be honest about it. I HATE being dishonest or being caught in a lie, so I would rather not lie. Even though, of course, is everyone's choice. But I think that, it depends on the people you live/work/hang out with, too. When you really love your family,relative,friends,coworkers..you know they'll be supporting you , but when they're crappy people..yeah, then I understand how you wouldn't want them to know about surgery. Oh, and I also feel, that if someone who's obese asked you about the surgery, and you tell them you just dieted, that gives them false hope that they can do it only by dieting, which is a big fat lie, and we know that better, otherwise we wouldn't have had the surgery. While there are a few people that can lose over 200 pounds by only dieting, not everyone can. Anyway , my advice to anyone is to be honest about it to people that you care about or to people that would benefit from this surgery

You look amazing what a transformation: )

Thank you, lovely, I'm looking forward to the next 6 months and more kilos lost! Was actually looking at your pictures earlier and you can really see a big difference for only 5 weeks post-op. Especially your tummy and your face. I know I hate my double chin, I HATE it, and I was so happy to see it leave my face, so I bet you're thrilled with all the changes, hope everything goes smooth from now on xx oh, the next months will be amazing, you'll see xx

I'm finally NOT obese or super obese anymore! Whoohoo! Hi,everyone, I'm Marci and I'm overweight! ONLY overweight! Hehe

By the way, everyone looks amazing, keep up the good work!

Not a huge difference yet, but its a start ! I had vsg on 12/10/13. And I'm down 27.6 lbs so far... Have a long ways to go ( about 200 lbs) but I'm on my way! Loving all the pics and success stories on here! Inspirational!!

Aww, you CAN see a difference, well done, hon, I remember my first month , the before and afters, it was the first real time that I could see a difference and it felt amazing. Keep up the good work.

I had surgery March 20, 2013. My weight the day of surgery was 240 lbs today I am 140.8 lbs. I will be 9 months out next Friday. Before

Currently

I don't say this about many people..but, damn, you look like a whole different person. Well done, hon.

You, my love, are MOST welcome. Everyone who has suffered with a weight problem, has experienced at least some elements of what you've noted. Isn't it okay if those 'comments' are 'cultural'? Isn't it 'appropriate' for us to swallow them accordingly? With that being said, we're not all brave. Without additions like yours, we still feel like islands unto ourselves. It's refreshing to know there are no boundaries between colour, circumstance or creed. Welcome to the fold. I hope you find the liberation you need here, where you're living, and when you visit 'home'. You most certainly deserve it. As for 'here' you have a constant army of sometimes relentless, but brutally honest and vulnerable friends. Yes, we're relentless and vulnerable - we're working on it; but we can and are, great and experienced, friends With warm affection, A british located, subsequently over-weight, Revs x

Thank you for the warm welcome, lovely Revs

I'm really very happy to have found a group of people after my own heart, especially in this thread , and I'll try to pitch in from now on x

And yes, somehow, I always thought it is "okay" to accept all the remarks, all the name calling, because..its everyone is doing..must be normal.."we don't mean anything by it" or "come on, we're only joking" and my favourite : "no offence , but.." You rightly know you're gonna offend someone when you say that..but you choose to do it anyway, and that makes you an ah**hole..

Moving to the UK was a breath of fresh air and finally learned that ..it was not OKAY , and that the way I felt and behaved all my life was what normal decent nice people do, not the other way around. And to think that I always felt like the odd one out.

So thank you, my new British friend , it means a lot and .. By the way,I just love your profile picture. Hilarious .

With a bunch of respect for you and everyone else,

Marci, the newbie

Hey guys! Another lurker here!

I've been reading all of your stories from day 1 and keep coming everyday to check the thread! I found pieces of my life in each and every story and at times it was hard to read some of them and not get chocked up. You guys made me think about my own life and my own issues , even though for the last 5 years I put them in a box in the back of my head and slowly I started to let them go and I'm happier since . Well, mainly because 5 years ago I left "home" (Romania) and moved far away, to the UK. I found that since that happened I'm loving my dad more and even can't wait to see him every 6 months when I go back to visit . This wouldn't have happened if I were still living there. I met my wonderful husband when I moved here and he changed me for the better! I'm so happy I let go of the anger I had, but that only happened about 3 years after I left home, it took some time. But In all honesty, my story is not a dark one, I can't be hypocritical and say otherwise, I had a fairly happy childhood and was blessed with good friends growing up for whom my weight was never a problem.

I don't know why I overate all my life. My earliest memory of me overheating was when I was around 7-8 years old and mom made donuts. And I also had to do homework. I remember sitting on the sofa with a big bowl of donuts and eating ..and eating..and ..eating.. My parents told this story over the years, fondly remembering how I was stuffing myself just to get out of homework. Now, knowing myself.. I'm sure it was because ..I loved to eat and never knew when to stop, not because of homework.

I've always been a tall muscular child and until 15-17 I wasn't actually fat but since I was very young I heard how I was "fatter than other kids". My dad always called me "fatty" but in romanian(sounds a tad better in romanian) and he kind of sounded sweet, for him it really was a term of endearment ..so for me..it was very normal to be the "fatty" around..looking back..I really wasn't..and probably that's how it started.

Every time we would go visit relatives, my dad would embarrass me in front of the others, telling me to stop eating . I don't remember a time when we went places as a family where I didn't cry. All my life I heard how I was "too sensitive and cry always" .. But in their defence..I cried a lot, as a kid, as a teenager, as a young adult..all that changed when I left the country...hmmm..I wonder why? Well, because I'm finally surrounded my lovely people that won't put me down at every step.

My mom is a wonderful person , always doing everything for everyone, dad is a good person as well and always told me how much he loves me and my brother, always hugging us, but at the same time...he was always angry, always telling us we're doing everything wrong, we're good for nothing, etc.. It was so confusing.. He would yell at us, and threaten us with some butt whooping and in 10 minutes he would come over ,hugged us and told us, we're just "too sensitive" and that he loved us. So that's why I have mixed feelings and can't say my childhood wasn't a good one. But it wasn't the greatest either.

I remember sooooo many times around the dinner table when my dad would yell and I would keep my head down, tears were running down my face straight in to the food that I wouldn't touch. And then it started with secretly eating, hiding food, eating very very fast while they were away, etc.

Also, my boyfriend of 4 years in Romania.. Would not hold my hand in public and wouldn't act like we were together even though..well,everyone knew about us, as we were in a big great group of friends. That, of course, wasn't great for my self esteem and of course, made me eat even more.

Where I come from, people think its just ok to tell someone how fat they are and to make them feel like they're worthless. I was working in a school in Romania and when I gave my 2 weeks notice because I was moving to the Uk, the principal wished me all the best and she added : "now you'll fit better in the society, people are fatter in the UK" or something to that effect. But again, the way they're saying these things.. They don't mean to hurt you..they genuinely think its ok to say these thing..its a damn cultural thing, I don't know.

I think there are so many issues that contributed to my weight gain over the years, but I also think greed was also a biiiiig factor.

I've been sleeved 6 months ago and lost 80 pounds so far and in a month we're going to Romania to visit my parents, brother and friends..and it is for the first time when I don't secretly wish that something bad would happen that would cause us to postpone the trip, this time, I don't feel so ashamed..and for the first tine, my brother won't grab my tummy and say: come on, what's with all this fat?are you pregnant or something? Mmmmmmyeah, and that would be the very first second he would see me at the airport..wasn't very anxious to see my parents and hear similar things, how I get fatter and fatter every time I come home.

I think my dad made amends with me in his own weird way and paid for my gastric sleeve surgery, as I didn't have any chances of paying for it myself . He did not pressure me into it, it was my idea but when I first told him I want to have the surgery.. His face lit up, its like I could read on his face the joy and the anticipation that he'll finally have a normal looking daughter.

Oh well, so so many things to say..and I really wrote way too much. I'm so sorry for the long post, I just don't know where to start..where to end..but I wanted to write a post too, as I felt bad lurking around and reading all your stories..

Anyhow, sending you all happy thoughts and you're all so brave and I respect you so much, after reading everything..all I can say is ..you are a bunch of tough Cookies !