George_NJ

Yeah, it's tough when it's all around you. I've been good though, down to 236 from 242.

After 31 lbs of weight gain over the last year of being off the wagon the alarm bells finally started ringing in my head. I had grown complacent with the slow gain. I had plateaued at 211 and fell back into eating the wrong stuff, not exercising. The sleeve part held good, I still can't eat like I used to before the sleeve but I began grazing junk food. I had fallen back into the trap of rewarding, comforting & punishing myself with food. I had recently made some break throughs in some old childhood abuse issues and that has helped me get a hold of the out of control drive cycle to eat myself to death & some other poor coping skills that beset in my mind early on. Yesterday I just had a glass of Unjury Chocolate for breakfast & lunch, no grazing, a healthy dinner & an hour long fast walk and I'm down 2lbs this morning, that's good motivation for someone like me. I just ordered more Unjury to make sure that I have it on hand for no excuses...

Jennifer, I too had fallen off the wagon and gained back 31 lbs in one year, I just climbed back on yesterday and already see a 2lb difference. I had the sleeve and that still works, but had been grazing and eating the absolute wrong stuff and stopped walking / exercise. You can do it!

WOW, you look fantastic! Great job!

I had it pretty easy, no problems. was done 12/1/14 and am down 107 lbs so far.

I have hemochromatosis (my body absorbs too much iron) and needed vitamins without iron. I found, "Smarty Pants" chewable multivitamins. they are sold online and sold in Walgreens. They taste real good, and are a very soft chewable. They are expensive though, that's the only downside. You take six of these daily for an adult.

Not young anymore, I'm 47 and have lost 107Lbs since last Sept, 30lbs before surgery and the rest since 12/1/14. I imagine it will be easier the younger you are. I can tell you its been great for me, I wish I did it years before. Good luck with yours! I have some pics before and after in my album.

You're probably gaining muscle & tearing down fat at once, you should measure yourself, not just weigh yourself to see the change, or try on smaller clothes to see how they fit now. Don't sweat it, if you are doing what you said you are doing it *IS* working, don't focus on the scale #'s alone.

I do it just about everyday, I do forget sometimes. The fluctuations I understand why they are there. The morning scale routine is just another tool at keeping my eating & weight on my mental radar throughout the day, in theory at least

8 months out & 100+ LBs down I look and feel good, my knees aren't screaming at me anymore (thank God). I've had to get used to compliments on my looks and weight loss. I can walk up and down stairs (not sideways) without holding on, pushing my weight onto to the railing to relieve my knees. I'm not exercising, some walking but that's it, but not sitting around on the couch. I'm not eating diet food or dieting, the sleeve is doing it's job by limiting my eating. I eat very small portions of food that I like...it's what I should've been able to do all along, but now with the sleeve I can do that. I'm still amazed at how I get full so fast with so little, but hey...I'm full / satisfied. I'm still losing weight, just slower now.

I only went to two pre-op appointments with the nut because I "had to", I've never been back. I too think you doctor is handling it himself, wish mine did instead of making extra appointments with someone else... We all know what we should and shouldn't eat, nut's really aren't telling us anything new, its just us finally giving in and doing it, they offer no magic...

I always said to myself, at least I still have my hair over the years... Two months after the sleeve my hair thinned out to where I noticed it and was bummed out over it, glad to say it all came back again

I lost 52lbs since my Dec 1st surgery. I had lost 34 prior to the surgery for a total of 86lbs down. Im not a fanatic with exercise, I try to walk several times a week, a mile or two. I'm happy with the amount I'm eating (very small). I'm not eating strictly diet food either. I've only thrown up three times, had the slimes a bunch but not much lately. I'm happy with the progress so far and look forward to losing another 60 lbs.

Great pics, such a nice, clean cut line. I wonder though, is that an average size stomach removal? Are there ones much bigger? I have a feeling that mine must've been a lot bigger than that...

Doctors are people too, they are certainly not perfect, they sometimes do and say the wrong things at the wrong times. Maybe he was in his own bad mood? A 2lb gain isn't the end of the world, he should've understood the period thing... My own Doc was all gung ho about surgery, then at the 11th hour he starts telling me how risky it (I'll be as a surgery risk), I took it as he thinks him telling this is his concern for my well being (him being so smart & earning his money)... Yeah, yeah, yeah, just write the note for the surgery clearance. Just get on with what you need to do, never mind his stupidity at that moment.

Your bladder is still sleepy from the anesthesia, that happened to me after a back surgery years ago. I think obesity has a lot to do with their judgment for the right amount of anesthesia, you & I probably got a little too much.

Make sure you drink the amount of water they want you to drink & get your protein in. I slacked on the water & protein a couple of days and felt like I hit the wall, no strength & felt cold. So don't do that...

Good luck! It's the fist day of your new life

They had me up and walking around the evening of the surgery, I did so well they just pushed me to keep it up and go further. The next morning I was up walking laps around the hospital unit by 6am, then 9 and again at 12 noon...some of the nurses jokingly called me a show off. I was too bored to stay in the room, really. When the doctor came around, the nurses told him that I was bussing all around and doing fine, so he let me out with just the over night stay. The doctor told me to keep up the walking, and do other exercise as soon as I felt ready. I've timed walking one mile in the past and it was 30 minutes, so I make sure to walk for the 30 minutes when I get up in the morning, any other walking later is gravy. I try to do the whole upper body swing the arm thing for extra affect, I would look really stupid doing it outside, but inside who cares.

Hi JustJaime5, Are you able to walk around the house at all, do some laps? The gas was the worst of it for me, too. Walking does help to get things moving again. it took a good three days after surgery to get gas out down below, another two for a bm, but I have been walking as much as I can, since in the hospital. I'm walking a mile in the morning and then walking some other times in the day as well. Hope you feel better soon.

Hi Bob, I started working in a restaurant while in high school, after I got my drivers license. Up to that time I was always lean & muscular... Once I got my driver's license I got no exercise at all. Soon after I started working there I started putting on weight, I put 50 lbs on the first year there. Even the owner's wife told me that I'd better be careful, maybe she meant not so much my weight, but me eating their profits I would sample a lot of what I would make, pick a little here & pick a little there. This went on for years. I had a couple of my own places over the years as well, but got out of the biz to get into real estate. The weight never left. As things slowed with construction, I got heavier while living an even more sedentary lifestyle. I am the cook in the family, so I'm always doing dinner & lunches for the family. I make good stuff, not microwave dinners. This was one of my big fears (especially my wife's), was I going to be able to still cook for everyone like before? Was it going to really bother me to cook & not eat what I'm cooking? Well yesterday morning I decided to made Breakfast, my style of home fries with eggs up for the family, this was the first meal that I made since the surgery. I wont lie to you, it smelt so damn good, you know a little onion & oil in the pan to start if off, mmmmmmmm. Anyway, I made it through with out too much fan fair...I did need to chomp on an ice pop while cooking to get me through this first meal. I think if anything you losing weight will be good for business, I know some people are turned off to very heavy people working around food, it's mostly a problem in their own minds, but it does cost you money when they wont come back. I had opened a restaurant and had one of my Sister in laws out front as the Manager / hostess... Yes a couple of people (I knew) mentioned her weight to me, I was kind of shocked, and here I am a fat guy myself, go figure? She had a bubbly personality that most people liked, but the people with "other peoples weight issues" took exception to her... Good luck with you surgery, it will all work out for the best. George

I just got sleeved Dec 1st, no catheter. I had spinal fusion years ago and woke up with a catheter, what a blessing that was, really. The guy in the room with me didn't, he had to use a jug A LOT, make a mess if he couldn't do it right in all his pain. Meanwhile I just had to deal with me resting and not deal with peeing. It wasn't a big deal. As long as you have a nurse who knows how to do it right with lube, there shouldn't be too much discomfort that you should fear it. Some nurses are better than others. They have to FULLY deflate the balloon on the end that keeps it lodged in the bladder, otherwise it will HURT coming out.

New sleever here in Sussex County, was done Dec. 1st! I was out of the hospital the next day I did so well. I was pleasantly surprised how well I did, was expecting it to be rougher. I was put in a room at 5pm after a 1pm surgery and was up and about walking the halls in the evening, the next day I took four long walks around the unit, where I was jokingly called a show-off . I was out by 3pm that day (dec 2nd). This was after my neck going out BAD two weeks before surgery and scared that the neck thing would put off my surgery, it didn't, so I'm happy its all done & my neck is getting better too. I'm only taking two Percocet's at night to sleep, not for my sleeve surgery, but for my neck. Daytimes not enough pain for pills. I only feel my surgery pain if I put pressure on my stomach. No nausea, thank God. Gas was the only worry, but its been ok, took two days for it to come out below but now flowing free. Trying to get as much Fluid Protein in to keep my strength up & keep walking & breathing around the house. So far, so good.