mt_hi_liner

Right there with you. To step on the scale and see it start with a 1 will something I would have never dreamed to be a possibility.

Congrats Recycled. You and I have very similar stats. I'm curious since I am 6 months out. How much did you lose after 6 months.
I know everyone is different but I have around 10 pounds to my goal and might try to go lower.

Right there with you. To step on the scale and see it start with a 1 will something I would have never dreamed to be a possibility.

This thread really made me laugh.
I have heard:
1. I didn't realize your head was so big.
2. You have a turkey waddle.
3. Don't you feel so much better now?
4. Are you ok? (I had a conference with customers and finally had to leak that I had the surgery because so many were asking my coworkers if I had some type of serious illness)
5. You look like you did when you left my house. (My Mom) She thinks that she didn't instill bad eating habits into my life which I am totally responsible for but growing up in my house was not helpful.
6. There have been others but I can't remember them.
Here is the thing though. I don't care what people think that much. You can think I took the easy way out and I'm fine with that. My health isn't changing because of your opinion.
I don't mind talking about the surgery and am open with it after I knew it was going to work. I always make jokes and use myself as a target to not offend others quite a bit of the time. Life is just easier if you can laugh.
I also know sometimes my mind gets ahead of my mouth and I say things that don't make sense so I cut people slack when their mouth is ahead of their mind.
Most of it is just ignorance from people who have never had to endure the struggle that obesity is. They can't equate it to whatever struggles they have.

This thread really made me laugh.
I have heard:
1. I didn't realize your head was so big.
2. You have a turkey waddle.
3. Don't you feel so much better now?
4. Are you ok? (I had a conference with customers and finally had to leak that I had the surgery because so many were asking my coworkers if I had some type of serious illness)
5. You look like you did when you left my house. (My Mom) She thinks that she didn't instill bad eating habits into my life which I am totally responsible for but growing up in my house was not helpful.
6. There have been others but I can't remember them.
Here is the thing though. I don't care what people think that much. You can think I took the easy way out and I'm fine with that. My health isn't changing because of your opinion.
I don't mind talking about the surgery and am open with it after I knew it was going to work. I always make jokes and use myself as a target to not offend others quite a bit of the time. Life is just easier if you can laugh.
I also know sometimes my mind gets ahead of my mouth and I say things that don't make sense so I cut people slack when their mouth is ahead of their mind.
Most of it is just ignorance from people who have never had to endure the struggle that obesity is. They can't equate it to whatever struggles they have.

This thread really made me laugh.
I have heard:
1. I didn't realize your head was so big.
2. You have a turkey waddle.
3. Don't you feel so much better now?
4. Are you ok? (I had a conference with customers and finally had to leak that I had the surgery because so many were asking my coworkers if I had some type of serious illness)
5. You look like you did when you left my house. (My Mom) She thinks that she didn't instill bad eating habits into my life which I am totally responsible for but growing up in my house was not helpful.
6. There have been others but I can't remember them.
Here is the thing though. I don't care what people think that much. You can think I took the easy way out and I'm fine with that. My health isn't changing because of your opinion.
I don't mind talking about the surgery and am open with it after I knew it was going to work. I always make jokes and use myself as a target to not offend others quite a bit of the time. Life is just easier if you can laugh.
I also know sometimes my mind gets ahead of my mouth and I say things that don't make sense so I cut people slack when their mouth is ahead of their mind.
Most of it is just ignorance from people who have never had to endure the struggle that obesity is. They can't equate it to whatever struggles they have.

YES!!
Look at that ticker. I have worked my tail off and been extremely diligent. Hope you don't see this as being too cocky but man I am thrilled to have lost over 100 pounds. One of the best decisions that I've ever made.
Next major goal is to step on the scale and see it start with a 1.
About 25 more pounds and I will reevaluate to see where I want to try to reside at.
Anyone have suggestions about maintenance?
I think I am still at least 6 months away but want to digest some ideas before formulating a plan. I have had to earn the last 20 pounds or so and I don't think the next 25 will be any easier to get rid of.

YES!!
Look at that ticker. I have worked my tail off and been extremely diligent. Hope you don't see this as being too cocky but man I am thrilled to have lost over 100 pounds. One of the best decisions that I've ever made.
Next major goal is to step on the scale and see it start with a 1.
About 25 more pounds and I will reevaluate to see where I want to try to reside at.
Anyone have suggestions about maintenance?
I think I am still at least 6 months away but want to digest some ideas before formulating a plan. I have had to earn the last 20 pounds or so and I don't think the next 25 will be any easier to get rid of.

YES!!
Look at that ticker. I have worked my tail off and been extremely diligent. Hope you don't see this as being too cocky but man I am thrilled to have lost over 100 pounds. One of the best decisions that I've ever made.
Next major goal is to step on the scale and see it start with a 1.
About 25 more pounds and I will reevaluate to see where I want to try to reside at.
Anyone have suggestions about maintenance?
I think I am still at least 6 months away but want to digest some ideas before formulating a plan. I have had to earn the last 20 pounds or so and I don't think the next 25 will be any easier to get rid of.

YES!!
Look at that ticker. I have worked my tail off and been extremely diligent. Hope you don't see this as being too cocky but man I am thrilled to have lost over 100 pounds. One of the best decisions that I've ever made.
Next major goal is to step on the scale and see it start with a 1.
About 25 more pounds and I will reevaluate to see where I want to try to reside at.
Anyone have suggestions about maintenance?
I think I am still at least 6 months away but want to digest some ideas before formulating a plan. I have had to earn the last 20 pounds or so and I don't think the next 25 will be any easier to get rid of.

I was outpatient. Had surgery around 8 am and was sent to my hotel around 1 pm or so. I think I was able to rest more comfortably with anyone bothering me (except for my wife for whatever the doctor asked her to do) Hard to recommend since I don't have any experience the other way but it did not bother me.

I attended a seminar in my hometown. The surgeon had actually had the procedure. He gave an awesome presentation and is very passionate about the subject. I met with him and started the process. I would have had him perform the surgery except for 2 things. First, my insurance did not cover it so I had to self pay and midway through the process he moved jobs and went to Utah.
At this point, I had been researching the procedure for around 8 months. I now switched to trying to find the best surgeon that I could at the best price. I narrowed it down to around 4 surgeons thanks to this site and then started doing my own research on the internet.
I settled on Dr. Umbach because he was ranked as one of the top surgeons in this type of surgery. I believe he was top ranked in 2011 and 2012. I got lucky and spoke with one of his patients as well. He also has a cash price which was a consideration due to my self pay. Lastly, although this had no bearing on my final decision, he is located in Vegas which isn't a bad place to have to be for the few days that you are recovering.
I know I made the best decision for me. Mexico might be good but I wasn't comfortable with it and the care that I received from Dr. Umbach and his staff was top notch. I would be glad to speak with anyone about them if you are looking and tell you about my experience.
I am pretty independent, so I cannot speak to the long term aftercare as I don't utilize it and I am only 3 months out. I have spoke to the nutritionist a few times and she is very knowledgeable.

I attended a seminar in my hometown. The surgeon had actually had the procedure. He gave an awesome presentation and is very passionate about the subject. I met with him and started the process. I would have had him perform the surgery except for 2 things. First, my insurance did not cover it so I had to self pay and midway through the process he moved jobs and went to Utah.
At this point, I had been researching the procedure for around 8 months. I now switched to trying to find the best surgeon that I could at the best price. I narrowed it down to around 4 surgeons thanks to this site and then started doing my own research on the internet.
I settled on Dr. Umbach because he was ranked as one of the top surgeons in this type of surgery. I believe he was top ranked in 2011 and 2012. I got lucky and spoke with one of his patients as well. He also has a cash price which was a consideration due to my self pay. Lastly, although this had no bearing on my final decision, he is located in Vegas which isn't a bad place to have to be for the few days that you are recovering.
I know I made the best decision for me. Mexico might be good but I wasn't comfortable with it and the care that I received from Dr. Umbach and his staff was top notch. I would be glad to speak with anyone about them if you are looking and tell you about my experience.
I am pretty independent, so I cannot speak to the long term aftercare as I don't utilize it and I am only 3 months out. I have spoke to the nutritionist a few times and she is very knowledgeable.

I was curious if anyone else has gone through this. I am over 3 months out now and here is what I am experiencing. I will go days even a few weeks with no weight loss. I will notice changes in my body with how clothes fit. In other words, I know I am getting smaller.
I do not however see it on the scale. Eventually, maybe 2 or 3 days after I notice the change, I will see 2 or 3 pounds come off on the scale. I only mention it for a few reasons.
1. I have lost weight plenty of times and have never really noticed this routine before.
2. If you are not losing weight at the rate that you had hoped for, I think it is critical to have measurements to see that progress. I have had stalls of up to 3 weeks already and these measurements have helped me to realize that I am on the right path and keeps me from getting frustrated with the process.
It sounds petty to say it but when you are losing 5 - 7 pounds a week in the beginning, 1 - 2 a week seems like a letdown. I have to remember there is a lot less of me to lose. I have switched to weighing myself every 3 - 4 days as well to limit my frustration. I can actually vary day to day by 2 pounds.

I was sleeved on 6/19/14. Weighed 318 beginning of May. 291 at time of surgery. I am now at 240. I had a 2 - 3 week stretch with no loss. Knew it was coming thanks to this site but it still sucked.
I am eating around 800 - 1000 calories. I have had a few days that went up to 1400 range. I am exercising but not as consistent as I would like with 3 kids under 10. That is my next thing to incorporate in.

Don't know about plication but I can tell you that the sleeve has been unbelievable for me in under 2 months. For me it really came down to losing weight permanently or having my weight take care of me permanently.
I have lost 43 pounds in 7 weeks with another 25 or so before the surgery. I have had no side effects or pain and don't expect any at this point. I know it is different for everyone but mine went extremely smooth. The only issue I had was needing fluids that next day after surgery due to not being able to hydrate. After the IV, I was on the Las Vegas strip all weekend.
It is a difficult decision that I struggled with for well over a year and I had already narrowed it down to the sleeve at that point. I would encourage you to take your time and create a pro's and con's list.
I must have done that at least 20 times before committing.
With all that said, I will say that I wish I had done this 10 years ago. But I wasn't ready then and I was 7 weeks ago.
Best of luck. You will know what and when it is right.

My doctor has very little limits at this stage so I have a couple of Protein drinks ... that is 320 cal. I snack on beef Jerky and almonds. Normally a 150 - 300 calories in a day depending on what and the amount. I eat fish, burger, tuna fish, canned chicken or something like that for dinner. That is usually 3 to 4 ounces and typically good for 300 calories. Normally adds up to around 700 - 900 calories. Probably should note that I am a male and I don't know if that makes a difference.

I had surgery on 6/19/14 and 4 of the 5 look like scratches. I don't think they will scar hardly at all. The one on the side is a little puckered and may leave a mark.

I was sleeved on 06/19
HW - 318
Preop diet weight - 311
Surgery Weight - 294
Current Weight - 276
Everything is going good.

Thank you for the feedback. I am pretty sure that I am going to move ahead and schedule to be sleeved around mid June. Big decision obviously from a lifestyle perspective as well as being self pay. I would like any feedback from anyone on increasing my chances for success.
I have really struggled with the ability to control hunger and hope this will be the tool that will help me with that aspect.

Thanks for the info. I have studied this so much that I feel like now I am overthinking it. I went to a support group last night here locally and spoke with a lady who is a year out. Talked about some of these things and she told me that you can't imagine it until you have done it. Guess I can relate because I feel that way about being a parent. By the way, she looked amazing. Seeing those results really get me excited about the procedure even though I know the effort and price because I am going to have to be self pay.