MistyAnnMoon829

Woo Hoo to all of your NSV! Mine this week was, for me, a biggie! The weight on the scale matches the weight on my drivers license!

Buying scrubs today in regular size L (pants) and M (tops). At one point, I had to wear 4X pants because the 3X were too tight when I sat. Hard to believe.

So the other night I was totally thrown for a loop and for the first time in a long time, I was actually rendered speechless. I was at a parent dinner meet and greet for a new sport my youngest is part of. I knew only 3 or 4 people (out of about 40) as this is my daughter's first year on the team.

I have known the woman who organized it (as well as her husband) forever. Her husband has always been very friendly with me, but we rarely see each other because they are both the most boring people on earth. Nice enough, but not people I want to hang around.

The husband came over to me and in front of about 15 people I've never seen in my life said, "Hey! How are you? And where is the rest of you?". Truly oblivious, I assumed he was asking about my husband as there were MANY dads there and I said that he was still at work. I've not been fat for over a year and a half and NO ONE mentions it anymore. People I've never met would have no idea I was ever fat.
He goes on to say, "Well, you've lost at least 100 or more pounds, right? I mean, you've lost at least half of yourself. Where did it go?" Immediately all eyes were on me and I had no idea what to say. (Weird, I know. I ALWAYS have something snarky to say. Long day, I guess.)
What a freaking beast. It was completely uncomfortable and awkward for me and I could tell a few of the ladies around me could feel it. Someone tried to make a joke that she "found it" and a few people f***ng congratulated me on something they know NOTHING about. I've left my fat life behind, how could this one jackhole completely throw me back into that world with a few sentences? One of my biggest reasons for losing the weight and my only real insecurity about being obese was how much I hated being "the fat mom" at every event. Leaving that world behind has been the best part of this whole experience and he brought it all slamming right back into the present.
I'm still pissed. I am going to see him endlessly throughout the summer and the season. I want to kick him in the nuts really bad. ARGH!!!

SHOPPING!! I feel like I am buying something new at least once a week. I am now small enough to shop on Wish (Chinese app/website) I still have to buy the biggest sizes but at their prices, IDC. Just this month alone from Savers/Goodwill/Wish/Target/Amazon/Ebay I have gotten a new swimsuit, 5 new dresses, several (means I can't remember!!) new tops, 2 pairs of capri yoga pants, French maid costume, peek a boo booty panties, and I can't stop.
I also just bought an epilator to do home hair removal instead of shaving every other day and waxing every 4 weeks at $50 a pop. So saving money in waxing to put towards buying more clothes. >D
Every time I purge my closet I fill it back up in about 3 months. I even shop out of my best friends closet as well. Guys, I think I need an intervention!
Oh, and Sex, definitely addicted to sex now that it is easier to move around.

SHOPPING!! I feel like I am buying something new at least once a week. I am now small enough to shop on Wish (Chinese app/website) I still have to buy the biggest sizes but at their prices, IDC. Just this month alone from Savers/Goodwill/Wish/Target/Amazon/Ebay I have gotten a new swimsuit, 5 new dresses, several (means I can't remember!!) new tops, 2 pairs of capri yoga pants, French maid costume, peek a boo booty panties, and I can't stop.
I also just bought an epilator to do home hair removal instead of shaving every other day and waxing every 4 weeks at $50 a pop. So saving money in waxing to put towards buying more clothes. >D
Every time I purge my closet I fill it back up in about 3 months. I even shop out of my best friends closet as well. Guys, I think I need an intervention!
Oh, and Sex, definitely addicted to sex now that it is easier to move around.

I'm actually doing way better than I expected to. I wasn't expecting more than 65lbs lost or even 70 lbs. I had hoped I would achieve more and I did, but my expectation was very low. I'm at about 95lbs down. I'm hoping to hit 100 by my 1 year. I went into this knowing exactly what the averages were and expecting to be on the low end so that anything above that would be amazing, and it is.

Had a huge NSV victory this weekend. My 3y/o son rode his bike and I ran along side him. Not only did I keep up, I was actually running faster, and not getting tired!! To have the energy and health to play with my son nearly had me in tears. I'm so happy

Ha..I didn't think that but I didn't think that I would stop losing weight at a fast pace so soon in the journey. It feels like I didn't get a honeymoon period.
At about 4 months out I stopped losing 2 pounds per week. Then I went to 1 pound per week and by 6 months I was losing about a half a pound per week, which is where I am now - .5 pound per week. Hey, creeping down is a lot better than creeping up. I think I could have better progress if I exercised more.

@@IcanMakeit Thank you! I did, it was very boob flattering. Which we all know right about now is helpful.

I'm actually doing way better than I expected to. I wasn't expecting more than 65lbs lost or even 70 lbs. I had hoped I would achieve more and I did, but my expectation was very low. I'm at about 95lbs down. I'm hoping to hit 100 by my 1 year. I went into this knowing exactly what the averages were and expecting to be on the low end so that anything above that would be amazing, and it is.

@@Kacherry
18 pounds in a month is good! Are you starting at a lower BMI? I say "lower" because I notice people who start with a 40 or less tend to as a rule not lose as much as quickly. Just the way the cookie crumbles (Mmmmm cookies)
Are you making sure you're getting your Protein and Water? I know it's hard that soon out, but it helps with weight loss. Like I said, you're doing fantastic though.
The weight didn't just magically appear overnight on you I'm almost willing to bet. It's not going to be gone overnight, either. Patience, Grasshopper. Follow your plan, and it will come off at your body's own pace.
I mean, look at me. I've lost 69 (68 some days) in 9 months. I'm 16 pounds til goal. Do you consider me a failure because the weight didn't come off immediately?

LOL! Seriously? You thought you were paying for, what, magic?
FYI, I lost 10.4 pounds after Month One post-op. I'm now at goal (hit it 8-1/2 months post-op). FTR, I did not lose 10.4 pounds in a month via Weight Watchers ... EVER!

Yup. Totally. Boy, was I in for a surprise.
My husband had RNY almost 9 years ago. Back then, they didn't really give them many "rules" to follow. Or they did, and he just didn't follow them.
Although he got more active, he never exercised formally, ate whatever he wanted (yes, that includes sweets and carbs..he didn't really dump ever) and in almost a year, had lost 130lbs. He went from 300 pounds the day of surgery to 170 lbs in less than a year. He has maintained most of it aside from an initial 20lb gain (he looked healthier after that) and then another 30lb gain after quitting smoking. He has since lost the 30, but has learned now that it's a slippery slope, and he cannot eat whatever he wants anymore without gaining. His pouch has stretched considerably.
Fast forward 8 years. I decided to have WLS. But I had also decided to have the sleeve, not the bypass. I really thought I would be able to do the same things and lose the weight. Thanks to my NUT and this site, I learned that was absolutely false. And on top of it, Karma kicked me in the ass with slower than average weight loss.
I work my butt off. I adhere to my plan 98% of the time, and I have turned into a gym rat. Has it been frustrating at times? HELL YES. But I am happy I've learned to love exercise and have learned so much more about proper nutrition. If it had just fallen off of me with little effort like it had my husband, I would have never cemented the habits I have today. I feel I at least I have a fighting chance of maintenance when I finally hit my goal. And hubby has learned good habits from me

Today is my one year surgiversary. I am so glad that I made the decision to save my own life by losing weight. At the beginning of the process, WLS was not part of my plan. (I had gone through the whole pre-op testing process five years before and then backed out of having the lap band.) I started dieting in Jan. 2014, lost weight steadily for a few months, and began to enjoy the improvements to my health and appearance. I decided that I didn't want this to be just another diet, where I lose weight only to find it again within a few weeks or months. I then talked to my PCP and he suggested that bariatric surgery might help me with maintenance.
Within three months of that conversation with my PCP, I was sleeved. My family was amazed that I changed my mind about bariatric surgery and had it done so quickly, but they were all so supportive, it made me feel even more secure in my decision.
Just like so many other people, the initial post-op period was unpleasant, but I was lucky that the worst of it passed within a couple of months. Then it was a pretty steady period of loss until I reached my surgeon's goal in December 2014. The goal he set for me, 135 lbs., put me near the top of the acceptable BMI level. At that weight, I looked so much better than before, but still looked a bit chubby.
I had set my own goal at 125 lbs. because I remembered feeling pretty good and strong at that weight back in my college student/dance minor days. I didn't really advertise that goal. I had no confidence that I would reach it. But I must have gotten a second wind after my breast reduction at the beginning of December. Not only did I surpass my surgeon's goal, I surpassed my own secret goal. I have now lost 132 lbs. and look and feel like a new person.
Changing my lifestyle has really been facilitated by my VSG. It has given me better control of my eating habits and the weight loss (and breast reduction) has made it possible for me to exercise without pain.
I won't have my one year follow up visit with my bariatric surgeon until next week, but I'm expecting to hear good news, just as I did at my 9 month follow-up. Pretty much everything I was suffering from when I was overweight is either improved or resolved.

Hi everyone!
My name is Jamie and I am new here. I read this forum a lot prior to surgery but never registered. Thank you all for being so helpful with such a huge decision!
I am 36 and married with no children. I have a high level position with a national catering company and have been event planning for over ten years.
I had my surgery on May 11th.
I am posting all over this board today because I really want to get involved and grow a strong community of support.
I decided to start making youtube videos to document my journey.
This is my first one that explains what is happening and why I decided to get the sleeve

Bought this in a large and received it today. I love it! It might be too big before long though...

1. I fit in the seats at the ballpark and there is room on either side where my hips used to cram in and hurt.
2. I wrapped the towel around me at the gym on my way to the shower and it stayed on!

Time for an update!
My band was removed and I was sleeved on May 12. I lost 12 lbs during the 2-week pre-surgery diet. Everything apparently went just fine with the surgery - not too much scar tissue, no hernia, no nausea or vomiting thus far. I got through my 3-day post surgery Clear liquids diet with no problem. I drank just Water and apple juice and couldn't believe I wasn't hungry at all. My tummy must have been really swollen! By yesterday I was able to get about 60 oz of Water in, so I'm feeling well, I think.
Today was my first day of the full liquids diet, and I was able to drink three Protein shakes. Still some gas pain, but it's considerably better today, which makes it easier to get fluids in. I'm not really hungry. I'm sure I'm going to get bored with 10 more days of the liquid diet, but if I continue to not really be hungry that will make it easier I think.
I think my scale is broken - when I weighed in on surgery day I discovered I had actually lost 5 lbs more than what my home scale said - so it's hard to know if I'm still losing. But I'm not really focused on the scale at this point - I know I'm swollen and probably retaining water, and anyway the first 30 days is about healing, not weight loss.
All in all, feeling really good at this point!

@ ... if you're hungry, eat.
But eat what will assuage your physical hunger.
Protein is great for assuaging our physical hunger.
But highly processed carbs (slider foods) just make us crave more of them.
Before I had surgery, I heard this a lot from my surgeon, his team, and online: The sleeve will not fix all your eating / weight / health problems. The sleeve is not the only tool you will have to use to lose all your weight and maintain your weight forever. Other tools available to you include: Nutrition education; meal planning; food tracking; exercise; counseling / therapy (for a variety of reasons -- you don't have to be "crazy" to benefit from counseling); patience; a positive attitude; personal discipline and accountability; etc.
As my surgeon said: "The sleeve isn't magic. There is no magic."
BTW, "head hunger" is a general term used around here that means a number of things, including: emotional eating; self-medicating uncomfortable feelings with food; eating out of habit; eating in response to environmental cues. Not every impulse to eat comes from unpleasant feelings either: Some people have learned that they are cued to eat when they are happy or in a celebrating mood. A lot of people (me included) learned very, very well to eat when we "deserved" a treat. food = rewards for a lot of us. Yeah ... no.

Before my surgery 9.5 months ago I bought a cute bolero halter vest that ties in the back in a large, off Ebay for $6, and every so often I would take it out and try it on, and it wouldn't tie...guess what I'm wearing today!? I am so happy, I feel so cute.

Before my surgery 9.5 months ago I bought a cute bolero halter vest that ties in the back in a large, off Ebay for $6, and every so often I would take it out and try it on, and it wouldn't tie...guess what I'm wearing today!? I am so happy, I feel so cute.

I actually had the same thing happen to me, I didn't want to eat, at least not really for the first week after surgery, but once I was healed it was pretty much the business as usual. I do find however that the things that I eat when "snacking" are better now than the things I ate before. I think this new tummy just happened to turn us into the people who need to eat a small meal every couple hours versus three normal meals and the occasional snack.< /p>
Protein does keep you full feeling longer (it didn't work when we were bigger because of our ginormous tummys), I also find that drinking flavored Water helps more than regular Water and I LOVE regular water. Something about the flavoring tends to soothe the hunger pains that are in my tummy/brain. I'm pretty sure a portion of this is head hunger as well. We are use to eating junk whenever we want and that is a hard habit to break. A few recommendations that I have read are to drink a lot of water and if you still want to eat in 30 minutes, eat some Jerky or a Protein Bar. That should tide you over until your next meal.
I agree though, thank goodness for the small stomach so that I can't overstuff myself because I think I'm hungry!

I actually had the same thing happen to me, I didn't want to eat, at least not really for the first week after surgery, but once I was healed it was pretty much the business as usual. I do find however that the things that I eat when "snacking" are better now than the things I ate before. I think this new tummy just happened to turn us into the people who need to eat a small meal every couple hours versus three normal meals and the occasional snack.< /p>
Protein does keep you full feeling longer (it didn't work when we were bigger because of our ginormous tummys), I also find that drinking flavored Water helps more than regular Water and I LOVE regular water. Something about the flavoring tends to soothe the hunger pains that are in my tummy/brain. I'm pretty sure a portion of this is head hunger as well. We are use to eating junk whenever we want and that is a hard habit to break. A few recommendations that I have read are to drink a lot of water and if you still want to eat in 30 minutes, eat some Jerky or a Protein Bar. That should tide you over until your next meal.
I agree though, thank goodness for the small stomach so that I can't overstuff myself because I think I'm hungry!

I actually had the same thing happen to me, I didn't want to eat, at least not really for the first week after surgery, but once I was healed it was pretty much the business as usual. I do find however that the things that I eat when "snacking" are better now than the things I ate before. I think this new tummy just happened to turn us into the people who need to eat a small meal every couple hours versus three normal meals and the occasional snack.< /p>
Protein does keep you full feeling longer (it didn't work when we were bigger because of our ginormous tummys), I also find that drinking flavored Water helps more than regular Water and I LOVE regular water. Something about the flavoring tends to soothe the hunger pains that are in my tummy/brain. I'm pretty sure a portion of this is head hunger as well. We are use to eating junk whenever we want and that is a hard habit to break. A few recommendations that I have read are to drink a lot of water and if you still want to eat in 30 minutes, eat some Jerky or a Protein Bar. That should tide you over until your next meal.
I agree though, thank goodness for the small stomach so that I can't overstuff myself because I think I'm hungry!

You need to write a letter. Now, while you are one step removed from the situation but while it is still fresh in your mind.
Detail what you've been through, what you advised the providers, the reactions you perceived and how it made you feel.
You deserve an apology and they deserve to be informed of how their reactions affected you. Do this for yourself and for the next patient who comes in with a less than perfect body.
Deliver that letter personally to the office manager so they put a face to it. Seriously.