AvaFern

Exactly one year ago today I had my sleeve surgery and it has been a truly wonderful year! In the past I have dieted down to 120 and then ate my way back up to 200 at least 10 times, however I started 2013 weighing 197 and then I found myself at 237 by August. I simply couldn’t control my eating and I had gotten to a point where I wasn’t able to exercise a whole lot because my feet would swell up when I ran and I was a slug in the classes I took at the gym. Worst of all, my siblings had come to visit me in the summer of 2013 and the last time they had seen me I was around 130, so much as they assured me I looked great, I could see that they were shocked at my size. It was humiliating.
The third week of August I decided to go to the bariatric surgery seminar that the hospital in my city held once a month. The next day I had scheduled a consultation with the surgeon, and a week later we had my surgery date set for 9/9/13. Since I am a super impatient person, I had no interest in waiting around for my insurance company to possibly deny me six months down the road, so I was blessed in that I was able to go with the self-pay option.
I was SO worried a year ago that I was possibly destroying my life. I read all of the horror stories about people who had the surgery and experienced leaks or other complications and I had generally worked myself into a hot mess. Fortunately, when you shell out 20 grand, you minimize your chance of chickening out and a year ago today, around this time I was just waking up enough to be somewhat cognizant of the fact that I was in a hospital. I chose to tell no one about the surgery at the time, although since that point I have told my three best friends and they have been a great support system. I spent the first three days so ungodly sick I was positive that everything I had worried would come true. Fortunately, once I was off the IV narcotics and finally at home I started to feel a bit better. The effects of the anesthesia and drugs didn’t really start fully wearing off until week two, however I worked from home starting four days after surgery and I returned to full-time office work a week after surgery.
I think the worst part about the first few weeks was not being able to comfort myself with food. I felt rotten, I was terrified I was going to spring a leak and die, and I could not eat Cookies to feel better! Fortunately, I had an excellent surgeon who, while not a really nice person, was exceptional at his job, and I have never had any complications. Also, apparently when you’re self-pay, no one ever follows up with you to make sure you didn’t die, so I would totally advise if you go this route to find a doctor that has a great surgical skill set, but also one who is invested in your success outside of simply whether or not you live to leave his operating room.
By last Christmas I was in the 190’s, where I stayed for awhile because I enjoyed some Christmas chocolate, but by January after all of the junk was cut out again I started to drop. The 190’s and 180’s flew by, but getting out of the 170’s and under 160 took forever. I was stuck at the same weight for months, so for those of you who plateau, all I can say is, look at what you’re eating and how you’re working out, adapt, and keep going! I finally kicked the plateau and as of this morning I am 145.
Three weeks ago I had my first set of plastic surgeries, which included a breast lift and augmentation, an abdominoplasty, and Lipo to my inner and outer thighs and lower back. I don’t notice a huge difference with the lipo, but I can see a huge difference with the rest of the procedures. There is a reason people love plastic surgery! I will admit I tend to prance around in front of my bathroom mirror, naked, checking out my new figure and maybe at some point I will be able to do that in front of a man again instead of locked alone in my bathroom, lol. I have a groin incision thigh lift scheduled for the last week of November, but after that, I’m done with the worst part, and I don’t imagine I will have any major procedures done again anytime soon. I also lucked out and got a massively talented plastic surgeon who also has fantastic bedside manner. If you’re in Florida and you’re looking for an awesome practice- message me! My PS is awesome!
I’d still like to lose about 20 pounds, but I don’t feel worthless anymore. I’ve wanted juvederm and botox in my face for years, but I was always of the opinion that spending money to make my face better when the rest of me was fatzilla was just an expensive waste of time and cash. I have an appointment next week for both and I am excited, instead of sick with guilt and shame. Now, I don’t feel guilty about spending money on clothes or cosmetic things because I feel like I worked hard to get to this point, I look decent, and I deserve it. I can enjoy getting dressed up to go out and even though I catch myself occasionally still feeling like the fat girl, no one ever treats me like one anymore. There is such a night and day difference between the way people treat you when you are large and when you are regular sized, and it is nice to not feel instantly judged anymore (especially since I’m sure half the time no one was even looking at me me and it was all in my head!).
Overall, I can certainly say that the only thing I regret about the surgery is not having done it sooner. Sure, I have to be careful when I’m out to dinner because I tend to get instantly sick if I eat a few too many bites of the wrong thing and yes, there are times I wish I could bury my bad day in a bag of oreos, but I can still enjoy all of the food I love, I just do so in very small portions. I love my sleeve, I love the life that it has allowed me to have, and I look forward to continuing to log onto here and read everyone else’s stories!

I would take the B12 in the morning or you may have a hard time sleeping. Maybe take the multi and the Calcium after a meal. Multivitamins that I take on an empty stomach make me kind of sick. I take a handful of the flinstone Gummy Vitamins now and all of my blood work is good. The pill form of Multivitamins made me nauseous before the sleeve, but it was way worse afterward. And..gummies taste good.

Your post doesn't have your weight, so it's hard to imagine where you are right now. Crossfit is good in conjunction with cardio. If you've been largely sedentary, Crossfit is going to be horrible initially, which is not a bad thing, but if you supplement it with walking, light jogging, biking or use of the elliptical, you can work on building muscle with CF, but also getting leaner with cardio. I don't tend to think that only doing Crossfit is the best option, but it can give you a great community to be part of, and social experiences when working out are a lot more likely to contribute to you being consistent with exercising than is the case of being stuck doing something entirely on your own.
Good luck!

Six weeks from my one one year anniversary, and I am 20 pounds away from my goal. What a difference almost a year has made. I am 105 pounds down since the surgery, and I have never felt better. I still catch sight of myself in a mirror and wonder who that person is. I have sagging skin, but it doesn't bother me. I play on getting a Tummy Tuck in the near future to get rid of that annoying skin that I will never get rid of with just exercise alone, but I consider that a small price to pay for my weight loss.
Shopping for clothes has become a joy. Sales clerks treat you differently... sad, but true. I often will ask for the wrong size, just because I am not used to my new body. Hard to go from a size 4x and size 24 pants, to a size 10/12. It's a major head adjustment, and I find myself still asking for the largest size they have. It is still an amazing feeling to go into a so called normal sized clothing store, and find pretty much anything to fit me. I don't know if I will ever get used to that, especially after being overweight since I was 9.
I have gone down a shoe size and a half, which I didn't expect. More than anything, I realize how much my weight kept me from doing things I wanted to do. I was imprisoned by my own body, and it irritates me that I spent too many years unhappy with myself. This surgery has been a great tool for me... because it is a tool. I still work on it every day, and I still fight to make the right choices with my eating. But without this surgery, I would never have been able to lose the weight as I have done this last year. Best decision I have ever made, and I don't have one ounce of regrets. Thank you to all my fellow sleevers for your support and encouragement through my journey. I know when I was trying to make my decision about this surgery, I surfed these boards religiously, and every success story helped to convince me that I could also do this, and succeed where I had failed before so many times. I have posted a couple of pictures to show what a different 10 months makes. Can't wait to lose that last twenty pounds. Onwards!

I was also super tired after surgery. The first month or so I needed naps almost everyday, but it improves the further out you get. Also, when you can eat and exercise normally again, you'll naturally end up with more energy.

So tomorrow is the big day and I cannot believe it's already here. I'm so overwhelmed and overjoyed I feel like I've become emotionally numb not knowing how to feel about it all. I have already lost 12.6lbs on my pre op diet and can't wait to see what will come of it all in the next few months!!!!

I would take the B12 in the morning or you may have a hard time sleeping. Maybe take the multi and the Calcium after a meal. Multivitamins that I take on an empty stomach make me kind of sick. I take a handful of the flinstone Gummy Vitamins now and all of my blood work is good. The pill form of Multivitamins made me nauseous before the sleeve, but it was way worse afterward. And..gummies taste good.

Your post doesn't have your weight, so it's hard to imagine where you are right now. Crossfit is good in conjunction with cardio. If you've been largely sedentary, Crossfit is going to be horrible initially, which is not a bad thing, but if you supplement it with walking, light jogging, biking or use of the elliptical, you can work on building muscle with CF, but also getting leaner with cardio. I don't tend to think that only doing Crossfit is the best option, but it can give you a great community to be part of, and social experiences when working out are a lot more likely to contribute to you being consistent with exercising than is the case of being stuck doing something entirely on your own.
Good luck!

Happy Surgiversary! Mine was yesterday, so we can Celebrate together and eat some vegetables or something, lol. I also have been stuck at a few weights, so I appreciate how frustrating it can be. I would agree with your nurtitionist that going back to the basics is probably the best bet.
Good luck and try to enjoy today- you made it a year!

I was also super tired after surgery. The first month or so I needed naps almost everyday, but it improves the further out you get. Also, when you can eat and exercise normally again, you'll naturally end up with more energy.

Congratulations on finding yourself and learning to love yourself! Truly an inspirational post for me just starting the journey. Congrats again and keep up the great job!

Your post doesn't have your weight, so it's hard to imagine where you are right now. Crossfit is good in conjunction with cardio. If you've been largely sedentary, Crossfit is going to be horrible initially, which is not a bad thing, but if you supplement it with walking, light jogging, biking or use of the elliptical, you can work on building muscle with CF, but also getting leaner with cardio. I don't tend to think that only doing Crossfit is the best option, but it can give you a great community to be part of, and social experiences when working out are a lot more likely to contribute to you being consistent with exercising than is the case of being stuck doing something entirely on your own.
Good luck!

Exactly one year ago today I had my sleeve surgery and it has been a truly wonderful year! In the past I have dieted down to 120 and then ate my way back up to 200 at least 10 times, however I started 2013 weighing 197 and then I found myself at 237 by August. I simply couldn’t control my eating and I had gotten to a point where I wasn’t able to exercise a whole lot because my feet would swell up when I ran and I was a slug in the classes I took at the gym. Worst of all, my siblings had come to visit me in the summer of 2013 and the last time they had seen me I was around 130, so much as they assured me I looked great, I could see that they were shocked at my size. It was humiliating.
The third week of August I decided to go to the bariatric surgery seminar that the hospital in my city held once a month. The next day I had scheduled a consultation with the surgeon, and a week later we had my surgery date set for 9/9/13. Since I am a super impatient person, I had no interest in waiting around for my insurance company to possibly deny me six months down the road, so I was blessed in that I was able to go with the self-pay option.
I was SO worried a year ago that I was possibly destroying my life. I read all of the horror stories about people who had the surgery and experienced leaks or other complications and I had generally worked myself into a hot mess. Fortunately, when you shell out 20 grand, you minimize your chance of chickening out and a year ago today, around this time I was just waking up enough to be somewhat cognizant of the fact that I was in a hospital. I chose to tell no one about the surgery at the time, although since that point I have told my three best friends and they have been a great support system. I spent the first three days so ungodly sick I was positive that everything I had worried would come true. Fortunately, once I was off the IV narcotics and finally at home I started to feel a bit better. The effects of the anesthesia and drugs didn’t really start fully wearing off until week two, however I worked from home starting four days after surgery and I returned to full-time office work a week after surgery.
I think the worst part about the first few weeks was not being able to comfort myself with food. I felt rotten, I was terrified I was going to spring a leak and die, and I could not eat Cookies to feel better! Fortunately, I had an excellent surgeon who, while not a really nice person, was exceptional at his job, and I have never had any complications. Also, apparently when you’re self-pay, no one ever follows up with you to make sure you didn’t die, so I would totally advise if you go this route to find a doctor that has a great surgical skill set, but also one who is invested in your success outside of simply whether or not you live to leave his operating room.
By last Christmas I was in the 190’s, where I stayed for awhile because I enjoyed some Christmas chocolate, but by January after all of the junk was cut out again I started to drop. The 190’s and 180’s flew by, but getting out of the 170’s and under 160 took forever. I was stuck at the same weight for months, so for those of you who plateau, all I can say is, look at what you’re eating and how you’re working out, adapt, and keep going! I finally kicked the plateau and as of this morning I am 145.
Three weeks ago I had my first set of plastic surgeries, which included a breast lift and augmentation, an abdominoplasty, and Lipo to my inner and outer thighs and lower back. I don’t notice a huge difference with the lipo, but I can see a huge difference with the rest of the procedures. There is a reason people love plastic surgery! I will admit I tend to prance around in front of my bathroom mirror, naked, checking out my new figure and maybe at some point I will be able to do that in front of a man again instead of locked alone in my bathroom, lol. I have a groin incision thigh lift scheduled for the last week of November, but after that, I’m done with the worst part, and I don’t imagine I will have any major procedures done again anytime soon. I also lucked out and got a massively talented plastic surgeon who also has fantastic bedside manner. If you’re in Florida and you’re looking for an awesome practice- message me! My PS is awesome!
I’d still like to lose about 20 pounds, but I don’t feel worthless anymore. I’ve wanted juvederm and botox in my face for years, but I was always of the opinion that spending money to make my face better when the rest of me was fatzilla was just an expensive waste of time and cash. I have an appointment next week for both and I am excited, instead of sick with guilt and shame. Now, I don’t feel guilty about spending money on clothes or cosmetic things because I feel like I worked hard to get to this point, I look decent, and I deserve it. I can enjoy getting dressed up to go out and even though I catch myself occasionally still feeling like the fat girl, no one ever treats me like one anymore. There is such a night and day difference between the way people treat you when you are large and when you are regular sized, and it is nice to not feel instantly judged anymore (especially since I’m sure half the time no one was even looking at me me and it was all in my head!).
Overall, I can certainly say that the only thing I regret about the surgery is not having done it sooner. Sure, I have to be careful when I’m out to dinner because I tend to get instantly sick if I eat a few too many bites of the wrong thing and yes, there are times I wish I could bury my bad day in a bag of oreos, but I can still enjoy all of the food I love, I just do so in very small portions. I love my sleeve, I love the life that it has allowed me to have, and I look forward to continuing to log onto here and read everyone else’s stories!

@@AvaFern
hap, hap, happppy anniversary
how time flies when you are having fun!!!!
our stats/goals are almost the same
we are both 5'3
DOS - you were 237
i was 235
your GOAL is 129
mine is/was 130
you look great
I look "cute as a button"
as you said, everything you are doing now, spending money on...
ie clothes, makeup, cosmetics - YOU DESERVE IT!!!!
92 lbs lost
don't look at me, i didn't take them
keep up the good job
kathy
congrats

Exactly one year ago today I had my sleeve surgery and it has been a truly wonderful year! In the past I have dieted down to 120 and then ate my way back up to 200 at least 10 times, however I started 2013 weighing 197 and then I found myself at 237 by August. I simply couldn’t control my eating and I had gotten to a point where I wasn’t able to exercise a whole lot because my feet would swell up when I ran and I was a slug in the classes I took at the gym. Worst of all, my siblings had come to visit me in the summer of 2013 and the last time they had seen me I was around 130, so much as they assured me I looked great, I could see that they were shocked at my size. It was humiliating.
The third week of August I decided to go to the bariatric surgery seminar that the hospital in my city held once a month. The next day I had scheduled a consultation with the surgeon, and a week later we had my surgery date set for 9/9/13. Since I am a super impatient person, I had no interest in waiting around for my insurance company to possibly deny me six months down the road, so I was blessed in that I was able to go with the self-pay option.
I was SO worried a year ago that I was possibly destroying my life. I read all of the horror stories about people who had the surgery and experienced leaks or other complications and I had generally worked myself into a hot mess. Fortunately, when you shell out 20 grand, you minimize your chance of chickening out and a year ago today, around this time I was just waking up enough to be somewhat cognizant of the fact that I was in a hospital. I chose to tell no one about the surgery at the time, although since that point I have told my three best friends and they have been a great support system. I spent the first three days so ungodly sick I was positive that everything I had worried would come true. Fortunately, once I was off the IV narcotics and finally at home I started to feel a bit better. The effects of the anesthesia and drugs didn’t really start fully wearing off until week two, however I worked from home starting four days after surgery and I returned to full-time office work a week after surgery.
I think the worst part about the first few weeks was not being able to comfort myself with food. I felt rotten, I was terrified I was going to spring a leak and die, and I could not eat Cookies to feel better! Fortunately, I had an excellent surgeon who, while not a really nice person, was exceptional at his job, and I have never had any complications. Also, apparently when you’re self-pay, no one ever follows up with you to make sure you didn’t die, so I would totally advise if you go this route to find a doctor that has a great surgical skill set, but also one who is invested in your success outside of simply whether or not you live to leave his operating room.
By last Christmas I was in the 190’s, where I stayed for awhile because I enjoyed some Christmas chocolate, but by January after all of the junk was cut out again I started to drop. The 190’s and 180’s flew by, but getting out of the 170’s and under 160 took forever. I was stuck at the same weight for months, so for those of you who plateau, all I can say is, look at what you’re eating and how you’re working out, adapt, and keep going! I finally kicked the plateau and as of this morning I am 145.
Three weeks ago I had my first set of plastic surgeries, which included a breast lift and augmentation, an abdominoplasty, and Lipo to my inner and outer thighs and lower back. I don’t notice a huge difference with the lipo, but I can see a huge difference with the rest of the procedures. There is a reason people love plastic surgery! I will admit I tend to prance around in front of my bathroom mirror, naked, checking out my new figure and maybe at some point I will be able to do that in front of a man again instead of locked alone in my bathroom, lol. I have a groin incision thigh lift scheduled for the last week of November, but after that, I’m done with the worst part, and I don’t imagine I will have any major procedures done again anytime soon. I also lucked out and got a massively talented plastic surgeon who also has fantastic bedside manner. If you’re in Florida and you’re looking for an awesome practice- message me! My PS is awesome!
I’d still like to lose about 20 pounds, but I don’t feel worthless anymore. I’ve wanted juvederm and botox in my face for years, but I was always of the opinion that spending money to make my face better when the rest of me was fatzilla was just an expensive waste of time and cash. I have an appointment next week for both and I am excited, instead of sick with guilt and shame. Now, I don’t feel guilty about spending money on clothes or cosmetic things because I feel like I worked hard to get to this point, I look decent, and I deserve it. I can enjoy getting dressed up to go out and even though I catch myself occasionally still feeling like the fat girl, no one ever treats me like one anymore. There is such a night and day difference between the way people treat you when you are large and when you are regular sized, and it is nice to not feel instantly judged anymore (especially since I’m sure half the time no one was even looking at me me and it was all in my head!).
Overall, I can certainly say that the only thing I regret about the surgery is not having done it sooner. Sure, I have to be careful when I’m out to dinner because I tend to get instantly sick if I eat a few too many bites of the wrong thing and yes, there are times I wish I could bury my bad day in a bag of oreos, but I can still enjoy all of the food I love, I just do so in very small portions. I love my sleeve, I love the life that it has allowed me to have, and I look forward to continuing to log onto here and read everyone else’s stories!

Exactly one year ago today I had my sleeve surgery and it has been a truly wonderful year! In the past I have dieted down to 120 and then ate my way back up to 200 at least 10 times, however I started 2013 weighing 197 and then I found myself at 237 by August. I simply couldn’t control my eating and I had gotten to a point where I wasn’t able to exercise a whole lot because my feet would swell up when I ran and I was a slug in the classes I took at the gym. Worst of all, my siblings had come to visit me in the summer of 2013 and the last time they had seen me I was around 130, so much as they assured me I looked great, I could see that they were shocked at my size. It was humiliating.
The third week of August I decided to go to the bariatric surgery seminar that the hospital in my city held once a month. The next day I had scheduled a consultation with the surgeon, and a week later we had my surgery date set for 9/9/13. Since I am a super impatient person, I had no interest in waiting around for my insurance company to possibly deny me six months down the road, so I was blessed in that I was able to go with the self-pay option.
I was SO worried a year ago that I was possibly destroying my life. I read all of the horror stories about people who had the surgery and experienced leaks or other complications and I had generally worked myself into a hot mess. Fortunately, when you shell out 20 grand, you minimize your chance of chickening out and a year ago today, around this time I was just waking up enough to be somewhat cognizant of the fact that I was in a hospital. I chose to tell no one about the surgery at the time, although since that point I have told my three best friends and they have been a great support system. I spent the first three days so ungodly sick I was positive that everything I had worried would come true. Fortunately, once I was off the IV narcotics and finally at home I started to feel a bit better. The effects of the anesthesia and drugs didn’t really start fully wearing off until week two, however I worked from home starting four days after surgery and I returned to full-time office work a week after surgery.
I think the worst part about the first few weeks was not being able to comfort myself with food. I felt rotten, I was terrified I was going to spring a leak and die, and I could not eat Cookies to feel better! Fortunately, I had an excellent surgeon who, while not a really nice person, was exceptional at his job, and I have never had any complications. Also, apparently when you’re self-pay, no one ever follows up with you to make sure you didn’t die, so I would totally advise if you go this route to find a doctor that has a great surgical skill set, but also one who is invested in your success outside of simply whether or not you live to leave his operating room.
By last Christmas I was in the 190’s, where I stayed for awhile because I enjoyed some Christmas chocolate, but by January after all of the junk was cut out again I started to drop. The 190’s and 180’s flew by, but getting out of the 170’s and under 160 took forever. I was stuck at the same weight for months, so for those of you who plateau, all I can say is, look at what you’re eating and how you’re working out, adapt, and keep going! I finally kicked the plateau and as of this morning I am 145.
Three weeks ago I had my first set of plastic surgeries, which included a breast lift and augmentation, an abdominoplasty, and Lipo to my inner and outer thighs and lower back. I don’t notice a huge difference with the lipo, but I can see a huge difference with the rest of the procedures. There is a reason people love plastic surgery! I will admit I tend to prance around in front of my bathroom mirror, naked, checking out my new figure and maybe at some point I will be able to do that in front of a man again instead of locked alone in my bathroom, lol. I have a groin incision thigh lift scheduled for the last week of November, but after that, I’m done with the worst part, and I don’t imagine I will have any major procedures done again anytime soon. I also lucked out and got a massively talented plastic surgeon who also has fantastic bedside manner. If you’re in Florida and you’re looking for an awesome practice- message me! My PS is awesome!
I’d still like to lose about 20 pounds, but I don’t feel worthless anymore. I’ve wanted juvederm and botox in my face for years, but I was always of the opinion that spending money to make my face better when the rest of me was fatzilla was just an expensive waste of time and cash. I have an appointment next week for both and I am excited, instead of sick with guilt and shame. Now, I don’t feel guilty about spending money on clothes or cosmetic things because I feel like I worked hard to get to this point, I look decent, and I deserve it. I can enjoy getting dressed up to go out and even though I catch myself occasionally still feeling like the fat girl, no one ever treats me like one anymore. There is such a night and day difference between the way people treat you when you are large and when you are regular sized, and it is nice to not feel instantly judged anymore (especially since I’m sure half the time no one was even looking at me me and it was all in my head!).
Overall, I can certainly say that the only thing I regret about the surgery is not having done it sooner. Sure, I have to be careful when I’m out to dinner because I tend to get instantly sick if I eat a few too many bites of the wrong thing and yes, there are times I wish I could bury my bad day in a bag of oreos, but I can still enjoy all of the food I love, I just do so in very small portions. I love my sleeve, I love the life that it has allowed me to have, and I look forward to continuing to log onto here and read everyone else’s stories!

Exactly one year ago today I had my sleeve surgery and it has been a truly wonderful year! In the past I have dieted down to 120 and then ate my way back up to 200 at least 10 times, however I started 2013 weighing 197 and then I found myself at 237 by August. I simply couldn’t control my eating and I had gotten to a point where I wasn’t able to exercise a whole lot because my feet would swell up when I ran and I was a slug in the classes I took at the gym. Worst of all, my siblings had come to visit me in the summer of 2013 and the last time they had seen me I was around 130, so much as they assured me I looked great, I could see that they were shocked at my size. It was humiliating.
The third week of August I decided to go to the bariatric surgery seminar that the hospital in my city held once a month. The next day I had scheduled a consultation with the surgeon, and a week later we had my surgery date set for 9/9/13. Since I am a super impatient person, I had no interest in waiting around for my insurance company to possibly deny me six months down the road, so I was blessed in that I was able to go with the self-pay option.
I was SO worried a year ago that I was possibly destroying my life. I read all of the horror stories about people who had the surgery and experienced leaks or other complications and I had generally worked myself into a hot mess. Fortunately, when you shell out 20 grand, you minimize your chance of chickening out and a year ago today, around this time I was just waking up enough to be somewhat cognizant of the fact that I was in a hospital. I chose to tell no one about the surgery at the time, although since that point I have told my three best friends and they have been a great support system. I spent the first three days so ungodly sick I was positive that everything I had worried would come true. Fortunately, once I was off the IV narcotics and finally at home I started to feel a bit better. The effects of the anesthesia and drugs didn’t really start fully wearing off until week two, however I worked from home starting four days after surgery and I returned to full-time office work a week after surgery.
I think the worst part about the first few weeks was not being able to comfort myself with food. I felt rotten, I was terrified I was going to spring a leak and die, and I could not eat Cookies to feel better! Fortunately, I had an excellent surgeon who, while not a really nice person, was exceptional at his job, and I have never had any complications. Also, apparently when you’re self-pay, no one ever follows up with you to make sure you didn’t die, so I would totally advise if you go this route to find a doctor that has a great surgical skill set, but also one who is invested in your success outside of simply whether or not you live to leave his operating room.
By last Christmas I was in the 190’s, where I stayed for awhile because I enjoyed some Christmas chocolate, but by January after all of the junk was cut out again I started to drop. The 190’s and 180’s flew by, but getting out of the 170’s and under 160 took forever. I was stuck at the same weight for months, so for those of you who plateau, all I can say is, look at what you’re eating and how you’re working out, adapt, and keep going! I finally kicked the plateau and as of this morning I am 145.
Three weeks ago I had my first set of plastic surgeries, which included a breast lift and augmentation, an abdominoplasty, and Lipo to my inner and outer thighs and lower back. I don’t notice a huge difference with the lipo, but I can see a huge difference with the rest of the procedures. There is a reason people love plastic surgery! I will admit I tend to prance around in front of my bathroom mirror, naked, checking out my new figure and maybe at some point I will be able to do that in front of a man again instead of locked alone in my bathroom, lol. I have a groin incision thigh lift scheduled for the last week of November, but after that, I’m done with the worst part, and I don’t imagine I will have any major procedures done again anytime soon. I also lucked out and got a massively talented plastic surgeon who also has fantastic bedside manner. If you’re in Florida and you’re looking for an awesome practice- message me! My PS is awesome!
I’d still like to lose about 20 pounds, but I don’t feel worthless anymore. I’ve wanted juvederm and botox in my face for years, but I was always of the opinion that spending money to make my face better when the rest of me was fatzilla was just an expensive waste of time and cash. I have an appointment next week for both and I am excited, instead of sick with guilt and shame. Now, I don’t feel guilty about spending money on clothes or cosmetic things because I feel like I worked hard to get to this point, I look decent, and I deserve it. I can enjoy getting dressed up to go out and even though I catch myself occasionally still feeling like the fat girl, no one ever treats me like one anymore. There is such a night and day difference between the way people treat you when you are large and when you are regular sized, and it is nice to not feel instantly judged anymore (especially since I’m sure half the time no one was even looking at me me and it was all in my head!).
Overall, I can certainly say that the only thing I regret about the surgery is not having done it sooner. Sure, I have to be careful when I’m out to dinner because I tend to get instantly sick if I eat a few too many bites of the wrong thing and yes, there are times I wish I could bury my bad day in a bag of oreos, but I can still enjoy all of the food I love, I just do so in very small portions. I love my sleeve, I love the life that it has allowed me to have, and I look forward to continuing to log onto here and read everyone else’s stories!

Exactly one year ago today I had my sleeve surgery and it has been a truly wonderful year! In the past I have dieted down to 120 and then ate my way back up to 200 at least 10 times, however I started 2013 weighing 197 and then I found myself at 237 by August. I simply couldn’t control my eating and I had gotten to a point where I wasn’t able to exercise a whole lot because my feet would swell up when I ran and I was a slug in the classes I took at the gym. Worst of all, my siblings had come to visit me in the summer of 2013 and the last time they had seen me I was around 130, so much as they assured me I looked great, I could see that they were shocked at my size. It was humiliating.
The third week of August I decided to go to the bariatric surgery seminar that the hospital in my city held once a month. The next day I had scheduled a consultation with the surgeon, and a week later we had my surgery date set for 9/9/13. Since I am a super impatient person, I had no interest in waiting around for my insurance company to possibly deny me six months down the road, so I was blessed in that I was able to go with the self-pay option.
I was SO worried a year ago that I was possibly destroying my life. I read all of the horror stories about people who had the surgery and experienced leaks or other complications and I had generally worked myself into a hot mess. Fortunately, when you shell out 20 grand, you minimize your chance of chickening out and a year ago today, around this time I was just waking up enough to be somewhat cognizant of the fact that I was in a hospital. I chose to tell no one about the surgery at the time, although since that point I have told my three best friends and they have been a great support system. I spent the first three days so ungodly sick I was positive that everything I had worried would come true. Fortunately, once I was off the IV narcotics and finally at home I started to feel a bit better. The effects of the anesthesia and drugs didn’t really start fully wearing off until week two, however I worked from home starting four days after surgery and I returned to full-time office work a week after surgery.
I think the worst part about the first few weeks was not being able to comfort myself with food. I felt rotten, I was terrified I was going to spring a leak and die, and I could not eat Cookies to feel better! Fortunately, I had an excellent surgeon who, while not a really nice person, was exceptional at his job, and I have never had any complications. Also, apparently when you’re self-pay, no one ever follows up with you to make sure you didn’t die, so I would totally advise if you go this route to find a doctor that has a great surgical skill set, but also one who is invested in your success outside of simply whether or not you live to leave his operating room.
By last Christmas I was in the 190’s, where I stayed for awhile because I enjoyed some Christmas chocolate, but by January after all of the junk was cut out again I started to drop. The 190’s and 180’s flew by, but getting out of the 170’s and under 160 took forever. I was stuck at the same weight for months, so for those of you who plateau, all I can say is, look at what you’re eating and how you’re working out, adapt, and keep going! I finally kicked the plateau and as of this morning I am 145.
Three weeks ago I had my first set of plastic surgeries, which included a breast lift and augmentation, an abdominoplasty, and Lipo to my inner and outer thighs and lower back. I don’t notice a huge difference with the lipo, but I can see a huge difference with the rest of the procedures. There is a reason people love plastic surgery! I will admit I tend to prance around in front of my bathroom mirror, naked, checking out my new figure and maybe at some point I will be able to do that in front of a man again instead of locked alone in my bathroom, lol. I have a groin incision thigh lift scheduled for the last week of November, but after that, I’m done with the worst part, and I don’t imagine I will have any major procedures done again anytime soon. I also lucked out and got a massively talented plastic surgeon who also has fantastic bedside manner. If you’re in Florida and you’re looking for an awesome practice- message me! My PS is awesome!
I’d still like to lose about 20 pounds, but I don’t feel worthless anymore. I’ve wanted juvederm and botox in my face for years, but I was always of the opinion that spending money to make my face better when the rest of me was fatzilla was just an expensive waste of time and cash. I have an appointment next week for both and I am excited, instead of sick with guilt and shame. Now, I don’t feel guilty about spending money on clothes or cosmetic things because I feel like I worked hard to get to this point, I look decent, and I deserve it. I can enjoy getting dressed up to go out and even though I catch myself occasionally still feeling like the fat girl, no one ever treats me like one anymore. There is such a night and day difference between the way people treat you when you are large and when you are regular sized, and it is nice to not feel instantly judged anymore (especially since I’m sure half the time no one was even looking at me me and it was all in my head!).
Overall, I can certainly say that the only thing I regret about the surgery is not having done it sooner. Sure, I have to be careful when I’m out to dinner because I tend to get instantly sick if I eat a few too many bites of the wrong thing and yes, there are times I wish I could bury my bad day in a bag of oreos, but I can still enjoy all of the food I love, I just do so in very small portions. I love my sleeve, I love the life that it has allowed me to have, and I look forward to continuing to log onto here and read everyone else’s stories!

I was sleeved almost a year ago, so I'm not at the same time span as you. Something that really works well for me though is turkey chili. I only started making my own when Panera stopped serving it for the summer, but about once every 2 weeks I make a giant vat of turkey chili, I scoop one big scoop into a quart freezer bag, and I make about 15 meals, which I keep in my freezer. When it's time to cook it, I pull a bag out of the freezer the night before, and by lunchtime it's defrosted. I heat it for about 4 minutes, and it's quite yummy. With the turkey and Beans, it has a ton of Protein, and a serving size is about 150 calories. If you want to feel like you're eating more than you are and you want it to be a little bit fresher than from the freezer, pour a little bit of V8 into the bowl before you microwave it. I eat this almost everyday.

I was sleeved almost a year ago, so I'm not at the same time span as you. Something that really works well for me though is turkey chili. I only started making my own when Panera stopped serving it for the summer, but about once every 2 weeks I make a giant vat of turkey chili, I scoop one big scoop into a quart freezer bag, and I make about 15 meals, which I keep in my freezer. When it's time to cook it, I pull a bag out of the freezer the night before, and by lunchtime it's defrosted. I heat it for about 4 minutes, and it's quite yummy. With the turkey and Beans, it has a ton of Protein, and a serving size is about 150 calories. If you want to feel like you're eating more than you are and you want it to be a little bit fresher than from the freezer, pour a little bit of V8 into the bowl before you microwave it. I eat this almost everyday.

If it makes you feel better, I love agility and hate strength training. I have no problem moving reasonably quickly, but make me carry heavy stuff and it's game over. To be fair though when I was younger, I hated agility as well until I was forced to do it in soccer and basketball. Ever since then, I still hate it, but when it's over I feel strong unlike after a lifting session when I feel like weak, wussy, spaghetti.
Also, everyone wants to puke when they think about doing suicides- they're not meant to be fun.
Good luck in your next training session- you might not hate it as much as you think!

The first couple times I lost 50-80 pounds in my early 20's, I don't feel like I noticed the loose skin as much as I did after this weight loss cycle when I am now 30. In hindsight though I can look at old pictures and see that there was still some there. I just gave in and got plastic surgery and for the first time in my entire life I can look in the mirror and feel like I look like a normal person looks! I was very worried it would not be worth the expense, but it certainly has been.

The first couple times I lost 50-80 pounds in my early 20's, I don't feel like I noticed the loose skin as much as I did after this weight loss cycle when I am now 30. In hindsight though I can look at old pictures and see that there was still some there. I just gave in and got plastic surgery and for the first time in my entire life I can look in the mirror and feel like I look like a normal person looks! I was very worried it would not be worth the expense, but it certainly has been.

Just checking in. It's been 2 years since my gastric sleeve! My before and after pix are loaded as of today vs 2 years ago. I completely forgot what I was and had become. It has been an amazing journey! I almost went for the lap band and THANK GOODNESS someone talked me out of it! The sleeve has been a dream come true!!!!! I started as a 5'11 male (still 5'11 lol), 260 lbs. I am now 179/180 and lightest I have been since a shorter child. I have exceeded all expectations. My medical goal was 200 and i beat that by 20 lbs. I won't lie. It was easy in the beginning and then I started working out. Without the extra work, I was stable at 200 or so. Not too shabby. I work out 5 days a week now via running and pushups and that has kept me around 180. I'm sure I would be around 200 without it.. That said, I did have a bad 6 month 18 months ago when I had reached by goal weight of 198 (200 was goal) and then got back up to 215. I was drinking a little each day and then the munchies. I decided i wouldn't do all of this work just to go back, so limited my drinks to my dates and nights out (and I drink plenty). I drink when I eat, although not suggesting anyone else do that until you know what you can do).. The workouts have been key and thus, I give myself a lot of credit for the discipline and hard work. I also recognize that I would not have come close to doing this but for the magic sleeve.

sleep apnea-GONE
Diabets-Gone
resting heart rate of almost 100 then down to 60
Cholesterol borderline high to low
blood pressure to borderline high to low end of normal
Before 265 lbs. 42 inch waist
After 180 lbs 34 inch waist
height 5'11
Anyone new out there, enjoy the ride and work hard!! Life changes completely!

Congrats! My surgery was on 9/9/13 and the last year has gone wonderfully. Hopefully the day is lucky for you too!