gertiesboys

November 19th - found out today!!!!!!

I was approved yesterday also. I go Thursday to officially put the wheels in motion.

I have something in common with each of you. I too exercise - not rigorously but I am active. My weight does not slow me down, its my head. I know that, no matter how hard I exercise, it will be all for not because my diet with sabotage it. Dieting your whole life truly affects your relationship with food. I am so needing a tool that can help me focus on my diet other than people and books telling me what i already know. I've told my mom, husband and best friend but no one else. If I lose the weight, everyone will want to know my "secret" but I'm not sure what I'm going to say. My mom is supportive but clearly against it. I have to do this for me....no one else. ITs time.

I'm in a similar situation. BMI at about 38 depending on the day. Other than some sore knees at times and asthma in extreme cold weather or with allergies, I am overall pretty darn healthy. Never had issues with blood pressure or cholesterol. At one point I felt kind of bad because I was the smallest person in my bariatric orientation. It was almost like I didn't belong there. I would be happy with a 50-60 lb weight loss. My dietician said we should aim for a weight of 120-130, I said 150-160 was good enough for me, she wasn't buying it so we'll see what happens lol. I go Oct 23rd and the closer I get the more nervous I get. I wonder about excess skin and how my body will look afterwards. It's hard to find people close to my starting point to see where this can potentially take me.

Mainly starting a new healthy lifestyle that I don't feel will be sabotaged by my mirror. Being active. Being comfortable enough to dance like no one's watching and to not give a flip if they are.

I have something in common with each of you. I too exercise - not rigorously but I am active. My weight does not slow me down, its my head. I know that, no matter how hard I exercise, it will be all for not because my diet with sabotage it. Dieting your whole life truly affects your relationship with food. I am so needing a tool that can help me focus on my diet other than people and books telling me what i already know. I've told my mom, husband and best friend but no one else. If I lose the weight, everyone will want to know my "secret" but I'm not sure what I'm going to say. My mom is supportive but clearly against it. I have to do this for me....no one else. ITs time.

Looking on the outside the way I feel on the inside. Kid at heart!!

I'm looking forward to my thighs not touching the bottom of my steering wheel in my car, and for those 2 back fat rolls near my waistline to quit having sex.

I honestly cannot remember a time in my life when I wasn't dieting. Now, because of my low BMI, I've been told not to lose any weight. I feel like I'm headed in the other direction though because I am eating what I want but in moderation. I'm not counting anything, I'm not logging anything, I'm not taking any pills, etc etc. It is very hard. I know that my diet will be the focus of my life after I'm approved (not if but when, staying positive). I just do not know how to live without trying to lose weight.

Hi! I am really in no position to be a mentor as I am just fumbling my way through recovery and readjustment to this new way of living, but I can share with you my experiences.
I was sleeved apx. 9-10 weeks ago. I am 5'6", weighed an average of 214 with BMI of 34ish. I was 197 day of surgery with a BMI of 32.
I've lost 30lbs since then. Over 50% of my excess weight. I'm down two pant sizes (almost a third!). Recovery was pretty easy...I was able to sleep normal after just two days, drink pretty easily, no pain at incision sites.
Mt two biggest adjustments have been learning when to stop eating/take small bites/chew & eat slow...and learning new stress coping skills since I can no longer "eat my feelings away".
I kept my surgery secret from everyone in my life...at first. The day before surgery I told my best friend and my mother. Just today I told my sister. I feel like I had to do more in-depth explaining and justifying of my decision than perhaps a higher BMI persons who has co-morbidities has to explain.
Here are some of my main points:
1. The science is showing that the surgery has more successful long term results for lower BMI individuals.
2. Low BMI'ers have an easier recovery and less complications.
3. Lot's of people have cosmetic surgeries everyday....this is a surgery with real health benefits in addition to cosmetic improvements.
4. I need something to physically keep me from binge eating. I NEEDED a smaller capacity stomach.
5. Having this surgery has been like hitting the "reset" button on my life-long eating habits and psychological attachment to food. I've been released from a 1000 pound emotional anchor I've been dragging around for decades.
6. It may seem very extreme but it's really not. It's a laproscopic surgery not a full blown operation, quick recovery time, does not reroute the digestive system, and allows me to eat any food in limited quantities. We're not loosing an organ...we're just making it smaller!
7. The research shows stomach cancer survivors who've had a complete surgical stomach removal have normal life expectancies after surgery (bar any other cancer related complications). Living with a smaller stomach will not affect life expectancy.
8. In this worldwide battle against obesity, pre-emptive steps are becoming more important. Why wait until our BMI is 40 and we're 100+ pounds overweight with co-morbidities when the medical profession can now step in before it's gets so out-of-hand?
Today I am still learning so much about my new body. Being aware of my Last Bite has become much better. At first I was eating a few too many bites and felt miserable. Getting in the recommended Protein and liquids is an everyday focus. Eating every few hours has been a challenge, especially when I'm at work. Replacing food with other coping methods has been challenging as well.
There was some time around weeks 4-5-6 that I had moments of regret. Mostly it was when I could only eat three or four bites of food. I just wanted to eat something! I just wanted to take a bite, chew, swallow, bite, chew, swallow without all of the thought and uncomfortableness. Suddenly around week 7 my stomach swelling must have gone down a lot and I could eat more....not a lot, but enough that I can feel almost 'normal' when going out to eat.
I have found so much POWER in the fact that I can eat just a small amount of food and be satisfied, that I can leave food on my plate, and that I can order the healthy Protein rich item instead of the junk-food carby menu item. I finally feel like I control my eating, nit that my eating controls me.
This was expensive...$14,000 out of pocket, but it is the best decision I could have made for myself. I see it as an act of Self-Love. I love myself enough to make this very tough and serious decision. I love myself enough to sacrifice my comfort-zone food habits and embark upon this wls journey.
Good Luck to you in your journey!! I've learned so much from reading other's experiences and have a lot of appreciation for those who've taken the time to be a supportive part of this community. Please continue to share your questions and experiences.

Im in the same boat - 42 years old, BMI 36, I can run 10k without trouble and I cycle a lot. I am 'fit' in that I exercise all the time. I have perfect BP, no co-morbidities at all except I had early menopause (fertility problem). I am SICK of FAILING at losing weight.
I am an ambitious professional in my work with a lot of determination, but when it comes to losing weight? Nope I fail all the time. Cant keep it off.
I am questioning going for the operation quite a bit. The real truth is I can lose 15-20 lbs at a time and gain it back, over and over again but I will never ever get down to a "normal" BMI range without surgery. I haven't been a single digit pant size since about grade 8.
When I told my mom I was considering this I was shocked that she was totally against it. "I just need to be more disciplined about eating". OMG. this is the lady who put me in weight watchers for the first time when i was TEN years old. Clearly, her strategy does not work for me.
I am interested in talking to someone of a similar BMI and activity level who has undergone sleeve surgery.

I hear you about not remembering the last time you were in a diet... When I began this process in March, I stopped "dieting." Have had some food funeral moments, but really, I have spent my whole adult life dieting, but not dieting in the right way. I needed something drastic, something I could be passionate about, and something that was all about me. Having the medical team behind this is huge for me. I think I am a compliant patient...I want to do what medical people say, although the "hey, just exercise and eat right" from my marathon running doctor and nurse never hit the right chord! I have not been dieting and have gained I think in the last 6 months. Not a ton but consistent. If I were not doing this now I would just continue to grow. I think the research is on our side... The low BMI folks.. as long as we view this as an amazing opportunity to get our psyche and lives on a good track to healthy. There is a lot of good stuff on this site. Just dig in and look around!!!!