nurselala

Question: What have you replaced your "food addiction" with?
Me.... I can't stop buying sexy underwear.... I know it's crazy. But one of the first things i did was threw out all the un-sexy white high-wasted cotton draws..... Now i look forward each month to getting the coupon in the mail from VS. My underwear drawer use to be a sea of white ugliness..... now it bright and cheerful....
I would have said sex... but i don't think "by yourself" counts.... lol

That's like a non smoker telling you it's easy to quit. People who have never struggled with weight don't get it, this is our time to shine!

This is your journey not theirs. Try and make a point of surrounding yourself only with people who you know will support you. Stay true to yourself and your own goals to lose weight and be healthy.
You'll be a much happier person in the long run if you don't change your direction to please somebody else's vision.
Good luck!

phooey on her, haters gonna hate...
dont let them get you down..i got the most support from people that knew my struggles, but even my best friend of 25+ years had nothing nice to say, and we havent spoken since my surgery...chalk it up to jealousy and envy..do whats right for YOU
good luck!

Hey I'm leaving to Mexico on the 9th surgery on the 10 th excited and scared all in the same Dr. Alvarez Endobariatrics

This is one of your bariatric mothers speaking...............
Bacon at 5 days?????? Are you kidding me? Dear bariatric daughter, please go to Youtube and watch a real video of the surgery you just had, to remind yourself of how brutalized your stomach is right now. You would not give bacon and eggs to a newborn, so don't expect to go complication-free if you are pushing your recovery schedule up by weeks.
At five days, you might be considering purees. At least then you could take kitchen food and run it through the blender with broth so that it is still wet enough to roll off a spoon. Even those of us with progressive surgeons don't get to soft foods any sooner than two weeks. I know you miss flavor, crunch, and chewing - we all did. But you can't let your taste buds run the show.
I don't know if you are into Bible stories, but consider the Israelites wandering through the wilderness (men did not ask for directions back then, either). God sent them manna from heaven. It was a completely nutritious edible
(although strange) food meant to sustain their bodily needs for energy and health (kind of like our Protein shakes).
But noooooooooo, they missed their leeks and onions and were very vocal about it. They were alotted so much per day (portion control). If they got greedy and gathered too much, it just rotted and got wormy.
So whether you believe it as historical fact or Aesop's fabel, the point is this: can't do liquids anymore and don't want to do liquids anymore are two different things. I encourage you to be strong and resist the temptation to satisfy your tastebuds over the proper healing of your digestive system - you sort of NEED it to survive. If you don't want to be miserable, then don't jump your plan by eating foods your stomach is not ready for. A rupture is a lot more miserable than one more Protein shake.
If you have to, put your shake in a blender and add some yogurt, vanilla, sweetener, very ripe banana, and make it thin enough to pass as a puree. Or get vanilla shakes and add your favorite flavor of fruity baby food. You will pass through these phases soon enough. This is only one month of your new lease on life. You knew going into this that it was going to be inconvenient and uncomfortable for a while. So, chin up.....you will heal in no time if you knuckle down and follow the plan your surgeon gave you. Our surgeons do enough of these that they know what works and what causes complications that you would not wish on your worst enemy.
I wish you good luck and good health. Do you darndest to get control. Your new tummy is now the boss of you and will demand respect. If that is through vomiting, diarrhea, reflux, foamies, or chest pain then Tummy has spoken. Please be kind to yourself.
I am guessing that you will do what the last poster just said and disregard the rest of us, but that indeed is your call. I would give you one caveat: at the first sign of distress, back off to the previous stage. You did this to feel better and be healthier, so if any food you eat hurts or your tummy gives it back, then you were not ready for it yet. Just be careful.

Ten months ago I weighed 302. Yes, 302. I was so blue.
My life was small and getting worse. Obesity was my lifelong curse.
I had a dream. A dream to live. It asked for all my strength to give.
I mustered strength and all my will. Every requirement I would fill.
I got my LapBand and then began
My new life of not "can't", but "can".
I can, I said, and walked a mile. You've never seen a bigger smile.
I can, I said, and rode a horse. "The hour trail?" I said, "Of course!"
A trip to Italy, climbing hills. My new endurance gave me chills.
A bubble bath is a luxury that once was for everyone else but me.
An airplane ride with a regular belt. I can't describe how good that felt.
The movie seats used to squish my hips. Now the room I have brings a grin to my lips.
My larger clothes become someone's prize as I donate them for a smaller size.
My dozen meds have gone away. One pill and a Vitamin today.
Arthritis pain controlled me so. I am so glad to see that go.
A hundred pounds have waved goodbye. There really is no better high.
Fifty more to get to goal. Not stopping now. I'm on a roll!
So if you're starting out, don't fear. This all can be in your new year!
Have faith, believe, work hard, and give
Yourself the best of gifts -- to LIVE!

After much waiting...and much heat from my sleever homies...I'm posting my before and after pics!!! I hit my goal weight back in August, and haven't had any significant gain whatsoever...swearing that I'm never going back to 'Heavy B' again!!
 

I got pregnant exactly 18 months post op! I went from 271 to 156 and started the pregnancy at 163. I am now 26+ weeks and am now 169 lbs and am pregnant with a healthy baby boy! We tried for 4 years!

You look great!! We have the same body type...I'm also 5'7. I'm just starting the process at 308. My problem area is my stomach, I carry most of my weight there...did find that your stomach went down as you lost weight? It is so hard picturing myself after I lose the weight...but seeing your pic gives me hope ????

Me the night before flying to San Diego for surgery, and 5 months after surgery... Surgery date 8-26-2014

The pix in light blue is me at about 280-something...(not quit sure but 284 is mi highest recorded weight.) The royal blue is me at 11 weeks post op. The pic of me running was taken in 2013 after i had lost 30 pounds i weighed in at 254 the morning after the run (5k). In the pink i am 225(today) and i just finished a jog. I'm training for a 5k in Feb.

A few days post op

A week ago

6 months out and 100 pounds down.
Sw 275
Cw175

Cant believe it will be a year soon. I was sleeved on 3/28/2014 the day my hole life changed. I am only 4lbs from my goal and have lost 122lbs. This has been an amazing journey and I am so looking forward to the future. Hope everyone is doing well and reaching their goals.

Battling hunger, head or otherwise, is no joke. Why be critical of someone struggling? We are all here because we have, or have had issues with food. OP, don't give up, and don't beat yourself up, just pick yourself up, and keep trying. You will get there.

By the time I lost the first 30 pounds, I was starting to feel friskier because I was just plain feeling better and feeling better about myself. My bariatrician doubled my Wellbutrin (which also boosts libido in some folks).
Loosing over 65 pounds at this point has reduced my arthritis and neuropathy pain levels, and I was able to stop Lyrica as well. Lyrica is designed to quieten overactive nerves, but it can't pick and choose, so it quietens your nerves everywhere including your nether regions. Dropping that med alone made a significant difference in response and enjoyment.
Needless to say, my gentleman friend is delighted with the difference and we have bypassed the frisky norm for our age. (63)
So with your current relationship ending, you can, uh......practice .....in the privacy of your home, to keep the mojo going. Just sayin'.

What a GREAT idea! Thanks illgeturhairdid for suggesting it! I have to say though, for SO many years, my thoughts, no, my entire life has centered around "what can I do to get rid of some of this weight? I know I would be happier (healthier, more content, would love myself more, would feel better about myself, etc) if I was thinner"!

But anyway, here goes...... I am a 62 year old female, a wife of 42 years to Bill, mother to Katie, 37, Sarah 36, J.D. also 36 (NOT twins!) and Daniel 35. (Sarah will soon be 37 and Katie soon to be 38). I am also Grandma to Taylor, 17 tomorrow!, Alex 14, Ella 7, Tate 6 and Tyler 5. The kids, their spouses and the grandkids are the lights of my life and the joy of my heart!

I am a Labor and Delivery nurse of 42 years and still working. I am a travel nurse, which means I work for an agency that contracts me out, usually for periods of 13 weeks to various hospitals. I grew up and live in Iowa, but have been working contracts in California for the last 4-5 years. I HATE Iowa winters (it is freezing rain right now as I write this, the TV is already publishing the school closings for tomorrow!) which is one of the reasons I love to work in California.
I love to cook and bake (one of the reasons I ended up having a VSG!) and of course I used to love to sample what I made. My only regret in life is that I didn't understand how much I loved to cook and bake till about 10-15 years ago. If I had realized it in my 20's, I would have been a chef, not a nurse. My youngest son IS a chef, and he kindly teaches me lots of tips and tricks of the trade. So I do get to do some "chef" like cooking sometimes.
I love to read (Yeah Kindle!), cook/bake (already mentioned that one), travel (hench the Travel Nurse job), collect antiques (have a house full, am becoming VERY selective of what I buy these days!), decorate my house (am currently stripping the wallpaper in our bedroom. If I even mention wallpapering one of the rooms in our house again, please shoot me! I HATE TO STRIP WALLPAPER!!!), shop (that one gets me into trouble!), Entertain (hence the cooking/baking) and socialize with friends and family.

I had a total hip replacement when I was 48, and my doctor told me he was sure my weight at least contributed to my need for it. My joints (other hip and knees) have been painful for years now, and I was dreading the thought of more surgery, which seemed like it was going to need to be done SOON. I was plagued by fatigue from dragging 260 pounds around all the time. I was finding it difficult to go out in public anymore as I was ashamed of how I looked. My (Intimate) relationship with my husband had deteriorated due to the fact that I hated to have him see or touch me as I was so fat. In short, I was miserable! I hated my body and how I looked. I finally decided I HAD to do SOMETHING in order to feel better physically, and to feel better about myself!

My cousin IS a bariatric surgeon, and I went to see him for a consult. He offered to do my surgery for free, but I would still have to pay the hospital and anesthesia charges myself, as our insurance would not cover any of it. Since those two items would amount to almost $15,000-20,000, I decided to go to Mexico for the surgery. I cashed in one of my retirement 401Ks to pay for the procedure. I wanted it THAT badly! And I have to say, it is the best thing I have EVER done for myself!
I have lost 98 pounds so far and am within 10 pounds of my goal weight. I went from wearing a size 26/28 top and size 24 pants to size 12/14 tops and size 8 jeans/slacks! I love it! And I love the way I look now. I hate it that my skin is saggy and floppy, but in my Size 8 jeans, no one can tell!
When I had my surgery, I was working a contract in California. My husband flew out and went to Tijuana with me, and then came home, leaving me in CA. That was in June. The next time he saw me was the end of September, when I flew home for a week of vacation, He came to the airport to pick me up, I was waiting curb side with my luggage. Guess what? He drove right past me! He didn't recognize me standing there, and we have been married for 42 years! As he drove by, he thought he recognized the luggage, and stopped and backed up to see if it really was me!
I am now home, working a contract at a small county hospital in (cold and frozen) Iowa. (Did I mention I HATE winter in Iowa?) I am hoping to do a contract on the east coast, somewhere within commute distance of Washington, DC this spring, as I have never been there and want so badly to explore the Smithsonian, all the Memorials and Monuments, the historic places, etc.
To help in my Quest to get healthy and fit, I recently joined a fitness center near our home, and now I work out for an hour four days per week. I HATE it too! But I am DETERMINED that I will succeed. I will be healthy. I will not go into old age gracefully giving up doing the things that I want to do. I will work to be lean and fighting mean and HEALTHY! Since the surgery, I have been able to go off my arthritis medications, my blood pressure meds, my cholesterol meds and my allergy meds (who knows about that last one? I don't have ANY idea why my allergies would be better from loosing weight!) But I am saving big bucks not having to purchase all those meds, and I AM Healthier!
And I almost forgot, I LOVE PINK TOO!!!

As a former medical social worker... Please take this always be kind to nurses and staff... THEY are the ones that take care of you.. The drs just sign off on it..they're the ones that get things done!!! Respect....

Congratulations on you date and the day that will be a new beginning. Follow your Doctors order and the plan, it does work! Try not to sweat the stalls, they are normal. There will be lots of firsts and things to look forward to! Enjoy the journey and the milestones! This will change your life in so many ways!
I was sleeved in September of 2013 (my new life birthday). I don't regret having the surgery for a second. I'm down 116 pounds and 22 pounds from goal weight. I love the fact that I got to cancel the Lane Bryant/Roamans credit card. I can buy clothes anywhere! I cried in Kohls when a large fit me! The space between and table had me in tears also. The icing on the cake has been in the last 2 weeks. I have had 2 people that I have known for over 10 years walk past me and didn't know who I was until I spoke!
Best of luck to you and a speedy recovery! Use this sight, it has a wealth of knowledge and SUPPORT!