livvsmum

Thank you! :-)

I didn't find this until after surgery, but I wish I would have started it before.... I highly recommend the book, "When food is Love" by Geneen Roth.

That is great! Congrats on all your hard work!

I did the endoscopy, EKG, Abdominal/Liver u/s, etc. None of them were really a big deal. I was also worried about the endoscopy, but really, the worst part was just getting the IV. I was in and out in no time and no discomfort at all. In fact I remember my hubby and I stopped and had a lunch date on the way home. :-)

Good for you! Be proud of your resolve! That determination will get you far in this process!

For me, I started out my journey totally certain that I wanted bypass, but about 1/2 way through the pre-op insurance requirements I realized that the re-routing of the intestines was not really something I wanted. The reason I chose the bypass initially was because I thought you could lose more weight with it. I decided at that point that if having bypass meant I lost 100 pounds, and having the sleeve meant I lost only 75 pounds, no big deal....if I had the tool I could work harder to get those extra few pounds off. Turns out my concerns were moot because I have lost 140 pounds with the sleeve and never regretted my decision for a minute!

Yep, definitely. I've struggled with eating disorders all my life and right now am battling body dysmorphic disorder. What I see in the mirror and what other people see are definitely not the same thing. Therapy helps, but it is a constant struggle. I keep thinking if I lose 5 more pounds I will "look" thin, or if I get rid of the excess skin I will "feel" thin, but I know it is a much deeper issue than 5 pounds or some saggy skin that no one else sees. You are definitely not alone!

I am 13 months post op and personally I don't worry too much about calories. Instead I focus on getting 80g of Protein, and no more than 30-40g carbs and the calories, fat, and sugar seem to fall in line if I keep an eye on those other numbers (100 oz of Water too). But to answer your question, if I look back over my MFP logs since reaching goal weight I've been getting an avg of 700-750 cal I would say, and rarely over 1000.

I was just looking at charm bracelets last night for the same reason! Lol. I'm using the Higdon plan for the full. It's what I used for the half and I thought it was perfect....no injuries, feeling fully recovered.

Thank you!! It's hard for me to believe too! Lol

I had the same response when I was in your position. I came very close to backing out after reading some of the posts. Thank God I didn't!! One year later, my life is completely different. I've lost 140 pounds, am officially a marathon runner, and have done the hard emotional work. The journey is what you put into it. Good luck to you!

One more pic!! I need to order the print but haven't gotten the chance yet.... Finish line!!!!

This weekend, after 12 weeks of training, I completed the Hershey Half Marathon and came in 30 seconds under my goal time!!! That means I ran -without stopping- 13.1 miles!! That is just crazy to me, seeing as before my sleeve I never ran even a city block. Around mile 12 I really wanted to walk, but I just kept thinking "the girl I was before couldn't have done this, I'll finish for her." I pushed through & did it and outside of the birth of my kids and my wedding, it was the best day of my life. As a side note, we went to Hershey park the day before the marathon with my teen daughters & I rode every single roller coaster. The last time I was at that park, I tried to ride one with my daughter, but couldn't fit. It was the most humiliating moment of my life, so it was pretty fitting that a year later I returned there to ride all the rides AND run a 1/2 marathon!!! This is just an example of how working with my sleeve to reach goals has helped me transform my life. ....and now I'm registered for my first full marathon in a few months!!

For me I would say there are a few things that have helped me. First was to stick to the plan pretty much religiously until I reached my goal weight. The weight comes off so quickly in that first year, maximize it!! A lot of the hunger I felt at first during the first few weeks was head hunger - not that it's not real, because it is- but it was more withdrawing from all of the carbs & sugars I ate for so long. Once your body adjusts it's much easier. I also found that I have to completely stay away from refined sugars or it's just a complete trigger for a food addict in recovery :-) Another thing that has made all the difference has been doing the emotional work to end my eating issues. I started by reading When Food is Love & I meet with an eating disorder therapist weekly & probably will for quite some time. Finally, exercise. Find something you love & do it! For me it was running. I actually just completed a half marathon this weekend - see pic- and it was AMAZING!! For me running gives me something goal related to focus on that is not scale related. Finally, my blog is linked in my signature. Feel free to check it out to read more about my journey! :-) Good luck to you!

Hmm 1000 seems like a lot to me. I'm 13 months post op and usually don't break 1000. But at the same time 300 does seem low and the vomiting is not really something I experienced. What did he say about that?

Sounds about right to me. Are you following your surgeon's recommendations? Trying to understand your scale will make you crazy. you will do everything perfectly and be at a stand still and then all of the sudden one day you will weigh in and it will have dropped several pounds. It's maddening! Just stick with the basics (Protein, low carbs, water) and you will start losing again!

I'm not sure that there is anything really "proven" to help prevent this. Certainly getting lots of Protein in can't hurt for a lot of different reasons. I was pretty stressed out with the hair loss that went until about 6 months post op. It bothered me, but I'm pretty certain no one else really noticed, except maybe my husband and kids because I complained about it all the time. :-) It started growing back in around 10 months and now I have tons of regrowth growing in really nice and thick.

I have to say, I read this thread back when I was still pre-op and it scared the crap out of me and nearly convinced me not to go through with the surgery. Thank God I did. Now 13 months post op I haven't regretted it. Now that I'm pretty much at goal weight, the struggle is real, for sure. I actually just wrote a blog post on this topic yesterday and how the real work really starts when the first year or so is over and you realize that you STILL have to work at it and your weight loss problems didn't solve themselves. But with that being said, while I bounce around between the same 3 or 4 pounds up and down now depending on water weight, time of month, etc. I've been maintaining with careful watch of what I am eating, sticking to the basics as far as protein, water, and carbs, and exercising. So if there are any pre-op peeps reading this and getting scared crapless after reading through it like I was, don't get discouraged! Does the sleeve help you lose a lot of weight quickly, YES! Does it keep it off in the long run? NO. But you do, your choices, and your strategy of using your "tool" - the sleeve - long-term and your daily lifestyle changes. Just my two-cents.

I had the sleeve and am now 13 months post op. I've lost 140+ pounds, going from 278 to 137. I can tell you that I had a similar debate with myself when I was in your position. Because of the concern of losing more weight with the bypass, I initially started out planning to get that. After a couple months I realized that i wasn't comfortable with the re-routing of the intestines, and would be a lot more comfortable with the procedure itself of the sleeve. I guess the conclusion I came to myself was that no matter which you have (bypass or sleeve) it is a tool and it will only take you so far. What you do with it is up to you. So if I had the bypass and it helped me lose 80 pounds, and the sleeve would only help me lose 70 pounds. Big deal!! I would just work a little harder and lose that extra 10 pounds... It's funny because I was just looking back over my blog (linked in my signature) and thinking about how I had these very concerns when I started and how much of a moot point it seems now since losing so much weight and being at a healthy weight. You can totally be just as successful with the sleeve as with the bypass. It all comes down to the lifestyle changes you make and the choices you make long term, after the "honeymoon" phase is over. Good luck either way!

Ugh! That sounds so frustrating! I hope you're able to get some answers soon!

That is awesome! Congrats on taking the first steps in this journey for YOU! It sounds like it is about time that you do this for yourself! :-) I don't think you will be disappointed with your sleeve journey.

Wow! I think I would find a new doctor! I'm 13 months post op and pretty much the opposite of everything your doctor said. Like you, I am 5'7" and I have lost 140+ pounds going from 278 to 137. No unhealthy side effects like GI distress or Vitamin deficiencies. In fact all of my follow up labs have been perfect. I was able to quit my pre-diabetes meds, and I'm actually running a half-marathon this weekend. Don't be discouraged! Find a doctor that is educated on the procedure, as it doesn't sound like yours is, and move forward with your decision!

Congratulations on taking the steps to start your journey! I don't think you'll be disappointed at all with your sleeve journey! It has changed my life. I also started my journey because of health reasons. Like the members of your family, I actually found myself in congestive heart failure at 32 years old and knew that if I didn't change i would die and leave my kiddos with no mommy. I was definitely a mix of nervous, scared, and totally excited like you are. If you're interested, you can read more about my journey in my blog (linked in signature). I started it to document my journey and help others who are just starting out. :-)

I agree with you. I didn't really look at the BMI charts when setting my goal initially. I wanted to lose 50% of my initial body weight. I of course checked it against the charts and it put my right in a healthy weight range. I also get a lot of comments from my mom especially that I need to quit losing weight because I'm getting too thin. Then I remind her that I am right in the middle of a healthy weight range. And then I remind her that I don't feel at liberty to comment on her weight, so she should not feel at liberty to comment on mine.

Definitely stick to the plan! For me what I felt right after surgery - intensely- was a head hunger. I'm not saying it's not real, because it feels very real, but it wasn't a physical hunger. It was more of me going through withdraw from years and years of bad food choices. Hang in there! I promise after the first few weeks it gets way easier. Another thought is that acid reflux can present as a hunger feeling too. Are you on any meds for this? If so, maybe you need a change in type or dosage, and if not, maybe you need to be on one for a short while until your stomach starts producing the appropriate amount of acid for your new tiny tummy.