Summer Rain

This is awesome and I am so happy I read this. I do not know when I will be having surgery but this is something I can start working on now! Thanks so much for this article.
Summer

They tell me that I'm still alive, but I'm not sure I believe them. Haha
Seriously tho, not too bad so far. Pain is mild right now, tho it's all I can do to stay awake. And this TV does NOT have HD channels. Ugh.
More updates to follow over the next few days.

Sleeved this morning, Aug. 11. Mostly gas pain right now. Doctor said surgery went well. Wishing you all much success in your weight loss journey.

Mine was 4 supervised visit with my surgeon or 6 visits to my doc. So I started to see my surgeon and my first visit was dec, jan, feb, march and then they submitted my paper work, was approved march 21 and had my surgery march 31. So yes it has to be a month apart.

I agree with what @@jessiquoi said. Even though I have not had surgery yet I have been on enough diets in my lifetime to know that you just have to get back on the horse. Don't beat yourself up as it doesn't solve anything and only makes you feel worse and then you eat more - its a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped. Yesterday is over and this is a new day so just start again : ) Good luck!
​Summer

I'm obese (not just overweight), because I love food and hate exercise. Well, I don't HATE exercise, but I love a lot of other things WAY more than exercise, so when it comes to where I want to allocate my time, exercise is pretty far down the list.
I don't have any good excuses of childhood trauma or misplaced emotions. I've had a truly, fantastically happy life. I have the best parents in the world. Really, they are the BEST! There are not words to accurately describe how amazing they are.
I have a loving and supportive husband. I have a good job and make enough money to live comfortably.
My weight has been the only real struggle in my life. It has been a struggle from the time I was in middle school. I've always been fat, been called fat, been self-conscious about being fat, etc. Sometimes it was enough to motivate me to try to lose weight and I'm actually really good at losing weight, because I have an obsessive personality. So when I'm obsessed with losing weight, I commit to it 100% and I lose it consistently. The problem is maintenance. As soon as I'm no longer obsessed, I go straight back to eating junk and I stop exercising.
I am really really hoping that gastric sleeve will make this a lifelong commitment, and not just a temporary obsession.

I'll get my two cents in here.
For me, weight loss is emotional. Very emotional. It is personal.
I recognize that we're all different. But we are all human beings. We all started perfect, normal, ideal.
I'm not even consciously aware of when I started to gain weight. I was not a heavy child. I was a normal weight child. I believe I am not meant to be heavy. I do recall my 16th birthday and being appalled to realize that I had nothing to wear that made me look good for an evening out.
In our household, junk food was not allowed. Babysitters hated coming to our house. Yes, I had tasted soda pop and potato chips and chocolate. But not at our house! And it tasted good! Very, very good. And when I was 13 years old, I started babysitting, and had some of my own money. Guess what I bought with it? That's right. Junk food.< /p>
I was also an emotional person. Still am. And I was never close to my mother, though I dearly wanted to be. She just didn't want it. As an adult, I recognize that was her doing, not mine, but it still affected me. But I found some comfort in music and in the taboo foods. So, is that where it started? Food replacing affection?
But I saw other kids eating it. Why weren't they getting heavy? Why was I?
I actually didn't really know that my weight was not normal as a teenager. Until seeing cousins one summer who I hadn't seen since the summer before. And in greeting, the cousins happily pointed out that I "GREW"!! And then the 16th birthday with nothing flattering to wear. The other kids at school ranged in sizes, so it wasn't apparent that I was overweight. Though, there was some name-calling "Cow" in junior high. Oh, and my mother decided that she would also call me a 'big, fat, cow' whenever she was irritated (mostly at the sight of me). So, there was the stigma now. I am being likened to a cow. I got through high school all right, (though another emotional time during my parents separation and divorce), and made my first registration at Weight Watchers at age 19. I was done with being a cow.
By the way, my two sisters were not overweight at this stage.
And, yes, I lost a little weight before I gave up on the effort because I felt like I wasn't part of things. That was almost 70 pounds ago, the first time I joined Weight Watchers.
Are relationships partly to blame for gaining weight? I mentioned my relationship with my mother. And, of course, teenage siblings can be cruel. And their friends, too. Where my friends, some overweight, too, accepted me, fed me, supported me.
And go on in life to my naïve feelings for someone not being reciprocated; to no real interest shown to me by a man; to an abusive marriage, which I entered full of love; to divorce; to losses of loved ones. To where I am now.
I want to get off the cycle now. I'm ready. I don't want to have (emotional) excuses that make it okay to be overweight. I want to stop the insanity.
But I really do feel that you have to look at why you are overweight to begin with. Then you can heal. And normalize.

Use any analogy you want but the bottom line is.........Everyone has their own individual metabolism. Put more food in than you burn and you will gain. Put in alot more in and you will become obese. Throw in an uncooperative brain and it seems impossible to overcome.
Along comes the sleeve. It does it's part by helping to control the amount. But the brain is up to us. Believe it or not, it can be changed too. Good luck

Hi there
I have tried many, many, many weight loss methods since I was 19 years old (the first time I joined Weight Watchers, but not the first time I was 'fat'). That's 30 years of the weight loss insanity
And while I had success on many of them (temporary success, obviously), the one thing that was never addressed was "Why am I overweight in the first place?"
Weight loss programs focus on losing weight. Some of them have a 'keeping it off' element, but not many do. So, the focus is on reacting to the symptoms rather than causes (starting where it started with the weight gain).
Why did the weight gain start? Is it ALL because of lack of willpower or self-control? Is it because of genetics? Is it emotions? Hormones? Why are some people predisposed to putting weight on when others face similar situations and are not so predisposed? Why is weight loss so hard to maintain?
I doubt very much that I'm overweight because I'm lazy, don't try hard enough, can't control myself, etc. Which are easy judgements from people who have never had a weight issue.
I look forward to your posts.

Hi all...I am new to this site.....looks like a good one!....I started my required 6 month insurance process on May 13.
Looking forward to surgery in mid to late October. Has any one used Dr. Krause at Beaumont Mich.
So far so good...it is an interesting process...

Wow. That is very interesting. It's amazing the impact that our illnesses have on the different areas of our body.

I agree with what @@jessiquoi said. Even though I have not had surgery yet I have been on enough diets in my lifetime to know that you just have to get back on the horse. Don't beat yourself up as it doesn't solve anything and only makes you feel worse and then you eat more - its a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped. Yesterday is over and this is a new day so just start again : ) Good luck!
​Summer

It takes your brain 20-25 minutes to register you are full. I try to eat slow so my brain can keep up with my stomach. I don't want to over eat and I'd like to feel full for as long as possible.
I don't like eating slow - i mean really - how long does it take one to eat 4 oz of food - most people that is two bites, for the rest of us it is the whole meal.
I do find it difficult to make 4 oz last 20-25 minutes but each meal I try. I notice the slower I eat the fuller I feel longer. As everything else everyone is different - find what works for you.

In the beginning I had to eat slowly because I didn't know how much it took to make me full. And one bite too many was very painful. My stomach has different limits depending on the food. At around 10 months post-op, it had become a habit.
I also have an unconscious "food meter" which tells me when I'm approaching my limit. So I can quickly scarf down a few bites of whatever safely, if I'm in a hurry.
But most of the time, I eat everything out of the same bowl, so I know I can eat the entire amount at whatever speed I want without getting overfull.

Many of our weight loss surgery clients talk to us about ‘feeling full’. It is common for many clients who we meet prior to having surgery to speak about ‘feeling full on a smaller amount of food’ being one motivation to have surgery. Following surgery, those with a gastric band may often seek further adjustments of their band hoping it will help them feel ‘full’.


Feeling satisfied and feeling full after eating are not the same and it is important to understand the difference.
To eat until satisfied means to eat until you are no longer hungry. You feel you have definitely eaten something, but may not need to eat for a few hours. You could eat more.
Eating until full is like when prior to surgery, you dined out on a delicious three course meal, so tasty you could not bare to leave any on the plate. It may be the feeling after trying to make sure you got your value for money at a buffet, or the feeling after lunch on Christmas Day.
Eating until full after weight loss surgery can cause some discomfort, indicating you have eaten too much. Continuing to eat too much over a long period of time will compromise your weight loss and it can cause surgical complications.
Eating until satisfied will guide the amount of food you should be eating. Whilst serving sizes may have been recommended to you, everyone is different and you need to listen to your internal cues to judge how much is right for you to eat.
People who have dieted for many years may have lost touch with the signals they get when eating. It is important to re-learn how to listen to your body’s signals to judge how much to eat.
The following scale can be useful to help you understand your internal signals and when is the right time to eat and to stop eating. Keep this scale near where you eat. Before you start eating a meal, stop and rate how hungry or full you are. Once you are part way through your meal, pause and consider where you would be on the scale. Do you need to continue, even if you haven’t finished the plate? If you are still hungry, continue eating. Pause again later in the meal and repeat. If you do finish the plate, rate yourself again.
Try this at different meals; Breakfast, lunch and dinner. It may take some practice, but is an exercise well worth doing.
Your goal is to start to recognise the point where you reach a 6 – this is the goal.

1. Starving, ravenous. All you can think about is how hungry you are. This is a ‘danger time’ for overeating.
2. You may have a headache or feel weak or grumpy.
3. You feel like it’s time to eat.
4. Your hunger is just starting, but you could wait to eat. Your stomach is starting to feel empty.
5. Neutral. Not hungry, not full.
6. Satisfied or “just right”. You are no longer hungry, but probably will be in about three or four hours.
7. You had a few bites too many. You are a little uncomfortable.
8. Full. You definitely don’t need more food.
9. Your stomach feels stuffed, uncomfortably full.
10. Painful. So full you feel like you could vomit. For some more reading on this topic we highly recommend the work of Dr Rick Kausman and his book, If Not Dieting, Then What? Find out more here.
Let us know how you go finding your number 6 by joining the conversation on our Facebook page.

Wow. That is very interesting. It's amazing the impact that our illnesses have on the different areas of our body.

Just walk in there with your head held high! You're doing something better for you and your health, who's going to judge you. And, if they do, it says way more about them than you! I went in at 320lbs, but I was doing it to make myself healthier. You can do the same. Good luck!

I would focus on my health and nothing else I agree with the above statements visit a few gyms and most give free pass to grind the one for you, good luck .

Does the gym have a "family" work out room? I have the same issues you do. Sever social anxiety, mainly weight related. My husband and I joined a gym which also has a family work out room. It's got the older equipment in it so barely anyone goes in there. It helps alot

You and I are the same height (5'3), and I started out almost the same weight as you. ( 225 lbs). I joined our local YMCA just before I was banded, and started 3 mornings a week , , in a fast moving swim fitness class, at 6 am . In a size 18 bathing suit. If I can do it , so can you ! It helped me lose 65 lbs , fast but healthy ! We had , and still do , ALL shapes, sizes and weights. We have one lady who has lost 100 lbs, she still shows up, probably weighs 300 still. Who cares ? Not us ! Quit worrying about what "other people " think and worrying !

I read one article that said one of the best indicator of whether someone will keep off lost weight is the people he or she hangs out with. Make some friends while you are there!

One thing that helped me was a few sessions with a personal trainer...that way I was focused on her not the people around me. It also gave me a chance to learn gym etiquette as well as learn the types of exercises/weights I ought to be doing...which gave me confidence to go back by myself.

oh hellfree i am feeling ya. if you feel a bit uncomfortable there, go to a few different gyms just to see how you feel. in my large city, we have a lot to choose from. I just remember going into a gym, wanting to put a bag over my head, overweight, and kinda crawling home. i felt best about planet fitness (10/month) as even their ads are geared toward normal folk that don't grunt as they lift weights or something. there's also curves. i also loved the idea of swimming to get in shape, so there's that. and if you have no other possibilities, take the advice of these other ladies and just DO IT. i DO want to start weight lifting, so I will be joining you at some future date.
in support,
triss

Like RJ said, almost everyone is focused on themselves and their workout. The cardio machines at the Y have TVs in them, so people are watching those as they do their cardio... If they aren't watching the TV, they are listening to music... Lifting weights, people are focused on their form...
Personally, I felt the exact same way as you. I thought everyone would stare at the fat girl and wonder why i was even bothering... I couldn't join a gym until I had lost over 100lbs. Boy do I regret that! Once I started going I realized no one cares about anyone else (unless your on a weight machine they want). When I look around, no one else is looking around. Everyone focuses on themselves... When I see a bigger person, I'm actually jealous that they have the confidence and I didn't. Just think of how much further (or less loose skin!!) I might have if I'd started earlier...
All that said, you go and work out! You deserve to be there as much as anyone else. Have that confidence I didn't. Rock the gym!!!

Girlfriend listen to me:
Your money is the SAME size and color as those skinny people.
You know how they got skinny and stay that way? By not caring what some other person with a hangup has and getting in there and working it!
You will have role models in front of you to keep motivated.
I didn't care. I was in a gym for college age people. I got out there walking and then cheering on any one else larger. I then kept working it until I was down girlfriend ...
do not under any circumstances, after you've come this far, let someone with a small mind interrupt your Quest to be healthier.