NothingUpMySleeve

My husband was supportive but everyone else really wasn't. Standard "you're not that big" or "you'll just gain it back" type stuff. I felt kind of alone.

Well, I did it anyway and I'm damn glad. The food prep is no biggie. My husband ended up deciding to do it, too, after he saw my success.

I was a self-pay in Mexico but my surgeon has an online support group. I log on every single day for encouragement. Six months out, I have a healthy bmi, some nice muscle, and I can buy cute small clothes (I know this last point is prob not as big a deal to guys, but still...)

You can do this.

I want the same thing done. I am so sick of my chest size. 32H, and it just is painful. Tummy is smaller than pre-sleeve but still has the gross double gut thing going on, where it looks like a letter "B" from the side.

I am trying to work up the bravery for a consult.

Yesterday was my 6 month surgiversary. When I was researching the sleeve, I used to LOVE the surgiversary posts, so I figured I'd pay it forward

I've lost 50 lb., and last night I went to dinner in a size 4 pencil skirt, sleeveless blouse, and strappy sandals. Six months ago I was in dumpy jeans that were cutting into my tummy and shapeless oversized sweatshirts. I know the what I've lost might not sound huge to some, but it's a lot when you're short and small-framed.

My first month really sucked, but it's gotten so much better. My bum's a little droopier than I'd prefer, and my hair is a bit thin, but I love that I can wear shorts without shame. I love not being the fat mom at the playground. I love giving a presentation at work and not obsessing over how fat I look to the audience. I love that my liver enzymes are finally in control.

Weight loss doesn't solve all your problems, but it really does make daily life a hell of a lot nicer.

I still get hungry, but it's different. Before, after two weeks on an 800 cal diet, I'd be hungry and craving anything just to fill me up a little more.

Before, It was like the minute I went back to eating like "a normal person" the weight would just plop back on. Well, since the sleeve, I have easily eaten 600-800 calories a day and it's ok.

Now, my hunger message is like someone writing "Hey, I'm kinda hungry" on a post it note. Before it was like a marching band playing a hungry song and flying a banner saying "EAT NOW DAMMIT" while throwing Cheetos to the crowd.

My skin seems to go in phases--it'll look wobbly and loose and then tighten up a bit, then wobbly again. It seems to lag weight loss a bit. My poor flabby booty ain't never coming back though, ugh.

Yeah, for some reason fruit doesn't really trigger me, but Pasta will make me hungrier the next day. The absolute WORST for me is crackers. They will trigger munchies for the next 3 days, I swear. Plus they make me a bloat monster.

Check out the Vets forum--there are definitely people who do lose farther out. Does it come off as quickly? Probably not. But they do continue to lose. There are so many success stories.

Holy moly if my calves were that nice, Id be prancing around in heels and skirts every day! You don't look odd at all. You'd probably look really cute in one of those sleeveless wrap dresses.

That is reassuring to hear. I wonder if men have this, or if it is a female thing...

You make a good point. When I put in my contacts, I never feel like I'm just masquerading as a person with 20/20 eyesight. Hmmm.

Glad I'm not the only one. You don't realize how much of your identity is wrapped up in being "the bigger friend."

Like you're just pretending to be thin? Or that when you buy something, the clerk thinks, "yeah right, fatty" even though logically you know that isn't the case? Or when someone says you look nice, do you feel like saying, "No, no, really I'm actually a fat person."

Sometimes I get these nagging feelings and it's just so annoying. For so long, I coped with the constant emotions surrounding weight loss failure--it never occurred to me how intense the feelings around weigh loss success would be. Mostly I'm happy, but then there are those moments of alien-ness and disconnection. Such a weird journey.

3 months was when I really noticed it.

I have two kids, 3 and 4, that are the love of my life. My son is big but thin; my daughter is not a big eater at all but she is a bit chubby. I don't really notice it until she's around other kids and she's a lot thicker. Both kids like to swim, play outside, etc.

My husband and I are trying to build healthy family habits, and since we're both sleeved, there's not a lot of junk in the house anyway. My pediatrician isn't overly alarmed but asked us to keep an eye on it. I feel like we are doing all the things recommended for healthy kids, but I wonder if it's really possible for two parents who've battled weight to have kids that can outrun their genetic lottery toward weight gain. Thoughts?

I've been in HR a long time and had many employees come with paperwork for time off for WLS, and I always thought, "Good for you!" They frequently ask if they have to tell boss/coworkers why they'll be out and I tell them they are welcome to say anything or nothing. It isn't anyone's business.

Unfortunately, I saw the stigma that was sometimes attached to those who chose to be open about their surgery. They were perceived as somehow weak or lacking by their peers and people would act like their success wasn't "real." For some reason, people think it's ok to look down on people who seek medical help for obesity or sometimes mental health.

I am open with friends and family about the sleeve. At work, it is no one's business, and I don't want any sort of stigma attached to me. My body is not an ok topic of the workplace.

I believe that the "just eat less and move more" approach has like a 95% failure rate when it comes to anything more than about 20 lb. but sleeve surgery fails less than 10% of the time, or something like that. You can google stats. You are the one who lives in your body. Good luck.

I've lost at least half my hair volume. Have taken all recommended supplements and so forth.

Interestingly, my hair and nails are growing insanely fast. So I might end up with only 3 pieces of hair left, but hey they'll be long.

There are hormones in fat. It isn't inert. I'm sure there is a science-y person here who can explain this better, but basically your visceral fat around the organs gets mobilized first. This is good because even though it's less visible, it's the most dangerous (says my gastroenterologist); the visceral fat is more hormonal (?) than regular fat, so when you're losing it, it's dumping a stew of stuff into your body. He said lots of Water intake helps,and since your lymph system has to process some of the toxins, he said swimming and walking really help lymph movement. I thought it sounded plausible.

I started a new job 4 weeks post surgery. I dropped a size about every six weeks on average, but tried to stretch it out with belts, adjustable dresses, etc. I joined gwynnie bee until I sized out of it (it's like netflix for clothes). I found a lot of good stuff at thrift stores, surprisingly.

You will feel ok to start the job, but you will need help lifting the baby, particularly in and out of the car.

You can do this! I am a big stinkin wuss who failed at every diet and this works! You have time to get your food back on track, maybe try a low to moderate carb plan to wean of processed stuff a bit.

One thing I was glad I did was to quit diet coke a month before. It sounds stupid to admit, but that was really hard for me, and I wanted to be over it before coping with surgery. I did take all the Vitamins and Biotin but still lost hair, but some don't. I can disguise Hair loss better than I could extra chub.

Good luck! Keep your eyes on the prize!

I can pretty much eat anywhere, just in smaller quantities. Mostly I don't miss anything, though, because NOTHING tastes as good as the feeling of the sales guy at banana Republic yesterday telling me, "oh sweetie, that 6 looks a little loose, do you want a snugger fit?"

Hi! I had surgery when my daughter was 2 (almost 3) and my son was 4.

I had surgery on a Thursday and had internal bleeding and a clot so had to have re-operation on Friday. Even with a complication and blood transfusions, I was up and totally fine by Sunday and I am not a tough person AT ALL.

I went back to work and my normal routine on Tuesday and it was tiring but totally ok. I didn't lift my kids for about a month, but they could climb on my lap and everything. As long as your little one can climb in the car seat, you'll be fine.

I have had an appendectomy and a gallbladder removal--recovery was easier than either. The worst part is making kids dinner when you're on pre-op liquid diet, lol.

My surgeon was Dr Illan and he and his patient liaison Omar (who is kind of like your assistant/boss/jedi weight loss master) were so great with following up with me. Best $4500 bucks I ever spent.

I am six months out and I am so happy to model a healthy lifestyle for my kids--hiking, sports at the park--all the stuff I would have been too embarrassed to do when I was heavier.

I lost very slowly at first and regretted the surgery, but then it just kicked in, and now I'm loving it. Good luck to you!

I have done every diet out there, and I long ago made peace with the fact that I will never be able to eat like a "normal" person and not gain. I just don't require many calories to live, and the sleeve helps me stick to that. I can't overeat, I don't really graze anyway, and sugar makes me queasy after a few bites.

I did have an early complication with bleeding and a clot, and then I had VERY slow loss the first 6 weeks or so. After that was smooth sailing and my sleeve makes it so easy for me to stay on my diet. Maybe I am one of the lucky few who doesn't really have emotional issues with food. I am close to goal weight now and although I will ALWAYS need to closely watch my weight and intake, I don't anticipate any problems maintaining. It is awesome to be a size 6 and to have healthy lab results. I'm hopeful for the future!

I went from a size 14 to a size 6. No real co morbidity but diabetes runs in my family. My blood pressure and liver enzymes are great now, and I feel so much more confident

Dust yourself off. Keep trigger foods out of the house. You will succeed.

About a month.