MrsVanderbilt

warning, warning - hijack alert!!!!
i recently bought my first one piece bathing suit
wore it to the beach in GA with grandkids et al
haven't worn a bathing suit in more years than i can remember
i really did look great!!!!
congrats to ME for being so brave!!!
kathy

I thought I would post my goal pictures. I have not had plastics yet...I wore this outfit to the seminar I spoke at last week..
Here goes! See my hubby..Isn't he cute!!!!!!!!

What type of compression are recommended post-surgery? Did anyone begin wearing it immediately (after surgery) or after the bandages fell off? Did it make sense to purchase at a size immediately following the surgery or did you purchase a few in varying sizes? Please share any links of wear you purchased good quality compression. Also, anyone see results in wearing them or is the excess skin inevitable? Any advice would be helpful.

My observation is that there are a couple of different approaches. There are those who have to cut everything cold turkey so that they won't be on a slippery slope back to where they were, and there are those who need to feel like they have wiggle room. I think this is a personality issue rather than a success issue, too.
I don't do well with mega-restrictions. I personally don't feel that there is anything that is off limits, but there are plenty of things that are poor choices. So I have a commitment to tracking everything and making good choices 90% of the time.

We have "nicer" fast food places that have a lot of choices here, like Patio and Portillos, and if we do fast food, that's where we tend to go. It's really rare that I will order a burger these days but if I do I like to order a better one than a McD's and eat half of it or less.

Wow I love that is thread is still going strong! I've kept up my blog which has turned very recipe heavy. Lately I've done a lot of sugar free Desserts etc on there but still have lots of easy cooking recipes to share. The URL is www.twosleevers.com.
In addition to checking it out, if any of you would like to guest post a recipe, do let me know. Ersopher has been a regular contributor of yummi ness
Below are a couple of things we made lately. Korean galbi made easy and chickpea brownies (best things ever!) with sugar free frosting that tastes like real food instead of a chemical sh$tstorm

I thought WLS was for only the super morbidly obese. I didn't know that you didn't have to be over 500 lbs to get WLS. When a family member suggested it I was really offended at first, but after some research I realized that it might be the right thing for me. Now I'm 30+ lbs lighter and off one of my blood pressure medications. Although I'm only 6 weeks out, I wish I would've gotten the sleeve sooner.

I thought WLS was for only the super morbidly obese. I didn't know that you didn't have to be over 500 lbs to get WLS. When a family member suggested it I was really offended at first, but after some research I realized that it might be the right thing for me. Now I'm 30+ lbs lighter and off one of my blood pressure medications. Although I'm only 6 weeks out, I wish I would've gotten the sleeve sooner.

Pre-op. Don't stock up on anything. You should be out and about by day 2 or 3 and able to buy what you like. What you like now will change.

Post-op. Eat really freaking slow and never trust a fart.

Never ever trust a fart. Never. Seriously. Never

Lafayette here...hw 349. Sw 301 today still 202 ..June 18th makes my year...doing pretty good

Get back on track. 144lbs lost. Don't go looking for them.

My husband goes to the gym religiously 4 days a week. He's done that for over 15 years and has put on about 50 pounds of muscle. He's in great shape. Me on the other hand, I've put on 100 pounds of fat and sometimes it seems weird to be the fat wife of a fit guy. I can't wait to be smaller than him. Or at least his size!

A few years ago I lost 75 pounds and hated my saggy neck. So at 32 years old I had a neck lift with fat transferred to my face and lips. Best money I ever spent!!
When I go to a new doctor and they ask my surgical history they are shocked to hear of someone as young as me getting plastic surgery. And it also looks so natural you would never know it!

Two years ago I lost 45 lbs by doing a low carb high Protein diet...went from 225 to 180. I went from a size 18/20 to a size 12 in Old Navy jeans. I felt like a million bucks. I went from getting winded while walking up 1 flight of stairs, to being able to practically sprint up them without missing a beat. I could finally cross my legs! That was my favorite thing. I felt so small. When i would sit on my couch i barely took up any room and i felt so tiny!
i also didn't feel so bloated and full all the time. i went from breaking a sweat while walking on a treadmill for 5 minutes to jogging. i had energy to dance around my kitchen and take zumba classes. my husband and i even took dance classes together and it felt amazing that he could wrap his arms around me. No more huge muffin top hanging over my pants or pants cutting into my stomach. No more marks on my ankles from my socks digging into my skin. Getting out of a car? Easy peasy.
I can't wait to feel this way again!

That is adorable! Looks like a mini boutique...aren't you just excited about going shopping for summer clothes this year...yay!!! My mom and I went shopping yesterday and I was SO tempted to buy clothes...but had to utilize some self control...lol...just gonna wear what I have and add new pieces here and there until my old clothes get too big.
No more trying to cover up during the summer...cant wait to wear shorts without having to pry them down every time I take two steps. Wear maxi dresses without looking preggo...and tank tops...yes Lord...tank tops in the summer!! Im getting one for every color of the rainbow...lol...when my doc releases me im getting a gym membership asap. My goal is to be at goal by Christmas. :-)

Two years ago I lost 45 lbs by doing a low carb high Protein diet...went from 225 to 180. I went from a size 18/20 to a size 12 in Old Navy jeans. I felt like a million bucks. I went from getting winded while walking up 1 flight of stairs, to being able to practically sprint up them without missing a beat. I could finally cross my legs! That was my favorite thing. I felt so small. When i would sit on my couch i barely took up any room and i felt so tiny!
i also didn't feel so bloated and full all the time. i went from breaking a sweat while walking on a treadmill for 5 minutes to jogging. i had energy to dance around my kitchen and take zumba classes. my husband and i even took dance classes together and it felt amazing that he could wrap his arms around me. No more huge muffin top hanging over my pants or pants cutting into my stomach. No more marks on my ankles from my socks digging into my skin. Getting out of a car? Easy peasy.
I can't wait to feel this way again!

Very feminine looking. Love the Carrie Bradshaw quote, and the Manolos of course You did a great job!

The video was so much better but I took some pics of my new dressing room.

I have Medco for my prescription coverage (blue cross for health) and they covered it for me! I got shakes Vitamins and scar cream

Please let us know what they say I also have Medco.

I think this is interesting - I had to lose 50 pounds before anyone said anything about my weight loss. OMG - 50 pounds before I got an "Atta girl" from someone other than the 5 people that know I had weight loss surgery.
I was actually quite upset at my brothers and their families for not saying anything at Christmas time about my weight loss. Then I got to thinking - I'm more than my weight to them. I'm their sister, sister-in-law, crazy aunt, etc. They don't identify me as "The Fat Girl" like I identify myself. It takes me back to a comment my (skinny) brother said about 5 years ago when I told him I'm trying to lose weight...He said, "Why?" I was like, "You've seen me, right?"
I can tell things are changing from an internal perspective - I was on vacation recently and went to a restaurant where you have to maneuver around many tables to get to your seat. 50 pounds ago, I hated that place. Now, I glide in between people to and maneuver around like it's no body's business. I have no qualms about slipping in between chairs and tables. We sat down and my husband looked at me and said, "I like the new you!" I looked at him quizzically. He said, "Your more adventurous and you're happy." WOW.
I also found myself striking up conversations with people I don't know. Wow, that's the old-old me - like from my 20's and about 100 pounds ago!
I kind of like the new me, too!

Your post reminded me of a re-occurring dream:
I have garnered the ability to fly with nothing but the power of my will.
I fly around friends, relatives, and strangers and they just look at me indifferently.
I am screaming in self promotion, "I can fly..I am unique...no one else can do this!"
No dice. Nobody cares. I am swamped by the feeling of frustration.
What I am missing in my dream is the sheer joy of flying. I have risen to a challenge that I had considered impossible. I am doing what I thought I could never do. But I am missing the joy of my new freedom to see the world from new perspectives because I waste my dream trying to get elevated approval from the earth bound.
Back into the conscious world, I have experienced this. My wife got the gastric bypass a short time before I got sleeved. Our weight loss was similar and we reached our goals.
We moved to Florida and met with relatives here. They went absolutely nuts about how great my wife looked...to me they just said, "Good for you." Mrs.Astounding Transformation and her husband, Chopped Liver. If I weren't the mature man that I am I would have been jealous but I was happy for her and didn't let it bother me.
Peoples is peoples.
Grab your joy where you can find it.

"Hay you guys" I lost 155 lbs and still look like the sloth but wear smaller cloths whats wrong with that?

That is awesome. Plus you look 10 years younger.

hi everyone. its been awhile since I last posted, so heres an update. my highest weight ever was 323 lbs. i started this sleeve adventure in jan of 2013 at 292 lbs and my sugery date was march 19, 2013, about 10.5 months ago. today I weigh 184.4 lbs. ive been inbetween 181-185 for the last 2 months and I don't think its a plateau, I think this is the weight my body is going to stay at based on how I now eat and exercise. I can eat about 8oz of food at a meal, but still eat healthy and still put Proteins first. I no longer weigh or measure anything, including how much I drink because its all sort of become second nature to me now. I rarely have a Protein Shake, maybe once a week as I get enough Protein from the food I eat as well as the Snacks I consume inbetween meals. all my snacks are always high protein such as a Protein Bar, a lowfat greek yogurt with double protein, some beef Jerky or a lowfat cheese stick.
I exercise 4x a week, mostly running. I completed a 13.1 mile half marathon in October 2013 in 2 hours and 15 minutes and ive been training since October for a full 26.2 mile marathon that ill be running in central park new York city on Feb 23, 2014, which is only a few weeks away. im ready for it as I just did my last long training run yesterday of 20 miles. in my wildest dreams I never thought I would be running a marathon, but it was one of my goals and I know with the training ive done I will accomplish it. its just amazing to be doing this at the age of 50 and im so proud of this.
I used to always read this forum before I had surgery and always thought these great weight loss stories was something I always read about, but it could never happen to me. well I was wrong. it can and it did. it hasn't been easy and ive really followed the program to a tee, eating right, not cheating on what foods I put in my body and finding the time to exercise and not making excuses as to why I cant. the surgery alone will not get you this type of success, it takes a lot of effort to really use the surgery as a tool and as one step in a complete aftercare program. if you don't do all the steps, you may find some moderate success, but it wont be what it could of been and it will be much harder for you down the road to maintain if you don't make these changes permanent.
heres some updated pics. feel free to ask any questions. best of luck to you all and remember, each and every one of you can be a success story if you put your mind to it and youre willing to make the changes in your life that are necessary to go along with this surgery.