Dave in SoCal

Lost 114. But I discovered I'm not 5'11" like I used to be. I've shrunk to 5'10" (sniff). So I'll probably need to readjust my goal weight. Also, after thinking I had dropped into the overweight category and left obese behind forever, my new height sent me back to obese (double sniff). I'm thankfully, back to overweight now (barely) and am still losing on average 10 lbs a month. Even with my bureaucratic snafu setback, I'm still very happy.
I'm down to a 36 pants size from 48!
I have also noticed a pattern of weight loss where I tend to do all my weight loss in 3-4 days followed by a week of stagnation/small gains.

I was an over weight alcoholic. I was faced with a dilemma, die young because of my obesity or lose weight so I can grow old with my family. No brainer, I quit drinking (for the most part... details later), had the surgery. I am 9 months out today and down 116 pounds. I feel great. life is great. I was given a second chance. I do occasionally drink red wine. Bourbon was my daily vice. I have had it once since surgery (on my birthday). Don't let booze control your life. I know you are 21 and it seems like a huge part of your life, but that will wear off. I am not sure of your stats (height/weight) but you are young, this will give you an amazing rebirth. You can still go out and party. Yeah, you can drink. moderation is key.
I am glad you found this site. read on here. sooooo much info. it motivated me to do the surgery and has made me successful. good luck!!!

I am not the poster child for bariatric surgery. I'll be 6 months post-op in 5 days and am down 113 lbs (80% of the way to goal) so the success is there. But, I have not followed the rules in doing so. The truth is everyone is different, and how your body responds to drinking while eating may be severe and it may be nothing at all. For me, it doesn't seem to have any effect. Since the surgery, I've avoided my addiction calories (soda, chips and other empty calories) and focused hard on Proteins, fruits and vegetables. I've also really increased my activity getting (and using) a gym membership and trying to get 100% or more on my activity tracker each day. Other than that, I have chucked the rule book out the window. Again, everyone is different. The key is to let your body (and your scale) tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing.

Congrats all you guys!
I've lost 103 lbs -- 36 more to go. This last week I started being able to run on a soft track again without my knees hurting--first time since high school. Ran 2 miles without a break! My birthday is in early July so not going to get to my goal by then, but maybe below 200. I am starting to not recognize myself in the mirror.

Congrats all you guys!
I've lost 103 lbs -- 36 more to go. This last week I started being able to run on a soft track again without my knees hurting--first time since high school. Ran 2 miles without a break! My birthday is in early July so not going to get to my goal by then, but maybe below 200. I am starting to not recognize myself in the mirror.

@@thisfathasgot2go It's generally 3 months after you first meet with your surgeon, so if you're in a hurry get the consult scheduled with your surgeon as soon as they'll let you.
There are 3 support groups near you. The Hollywood group meets once a month on the third Tuesday, the Pasadena group meets once a month on the 2nd Monday. The Playa Vista group meets twice a month on the 2nd Monday and last Wednesday of the month.
These are post-op support groups, but pre-ops with questions/jitters are welcome and often come. If any non-Kaiser SoCal folks are reading this, these free groups are actually open to anyone who want to come. You don't even have to be a KP member.
As for your lowish BMI, you're above 40 so that qualifies you. The fact that you're very little above 40, and hopefully below after you've lost the required 10% over the next 3 months will only help you. It will greatly reduce the risk of complications.
You're welcome!

I had surgery in West LA Medical center with Dr. Benjamin Kim last December. My surgery went perfect. The pain was almost nonexistent. The results have so far been fantastic. I've talked with a number of others at the Hollywood Kaiser Bariatric Surgery Support group, and they have had similar feelings with their surgeons at West LA. I recommend you come to the support group. It's walk-in, free and great place to get your questions answered from other sleevers and the medical professionals that run the group. The next one is:
When: June 16th, 5:30pm (every third Tuesday)
Where: Conference rooms at 1515 N Vermont Ave, L.A., CA 90027 (probably the same place you're doing your Options classes)
PS: expect a long (at least 3-months) wait. The doctors in West LA do sleeves and bypasses all day every day, but still have a very long waiting period.

It's a long list:
-shop anywhere EXCEPT Lane Bryant
-fit in any seat
-run up stairs and
-outhike my young adult sons
-horsebike ride fast and long hours
-kickboxing without dying
-wear fashionable clothing - including the occasional item from juniors section
-keep up with people even much younger than me
-dance the night away
-sleep without the blankety blank CPAP machine
-live life without prescription meds for high blood pressure
-cross legs
Okay, and here is a funny one - be visible to the rest of the world. I don't think i realized I was invisible until I wasn't anymore, who knew?

My name is Justin Wiseman. I would love to share my story with you. I have been bigger than everyone around me for as long as I can remember. I have my report card from kindergarten and there in black ink under my weight is 100 lbs. Wow, 100 lbs at 5? All the doctors my mom took me to said I would grow out of it, but the only thing I grew out of was my pants. Well actually jogging pants because that was the only thing my mother could find to fit me. food was my world, it was my everything. It made me happy and took all the pain away. By the time I was in middle school I was over 250 pounds, and when I graduated high school I was over 400 pounds. After high school I pretty much stayed home. I hated leaving my house. After everything that I had been through I never wanted to feel humiliated again. By 25 I topped the scale at a massive 600 pounds, and at the age of 26 I was given only months to live. I was suffering from severe complications of cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. As I began planning my own funeral I had the ultimate “aha” moment and finally realized exactly what I was doing to myself. Desperate for one day of complete freedom before I died I began looking for options to shed the pounds. Being too big to be operated on I was left fighting the battle on my own until I was healthy enough to be cleared for surgery. Over six months I lost 130 pounds, and was actually healthy enough to be taken off several medications. I then had gastric sleeve surgery and over the course of two years I lost a total of 420 pounds. In the midst of the battle I made what I call my “Live IT List” kind of like a bucket list but my focus was on what I wanted to live for, not do before I died. With that my “Live IT List” was born and my desire to live was unstoppable. I got my one day of freedom plus a whole lifetime more. My focus has now shifted to helping others in similar situations along with doing my best to help eradicate childhood obesity. I was a child in the 80’s and the epidemic keeps growing. My story was extreme, but there are so many out there facing an even worse fate….death. I am the perfect example of what childhood obesity actually turns in to, and I have made it my mission to put a face on the cause. We hear a lot of statistics but people tend to overlook them, but if people asctually see what it turns into the impact is so much more. I feel like everything I went through was for a reason and if I can help save someone's life it was so worth it. I spend my days helping as many people as I can find their freedom and I really hope I one day get a chance to share my story with the world and throughout the schools. If you want to hear more of my story my blog is theliveitlist.tumblr.com my public page www.facebook.com/theliveitlist my personal page is www.facebook.com/justinwiseman13 and follow me at twitter.com/theliveitlist

I listen to iTunes Radio. The Dance Workout station. Like you said, it's upbeat and fast paced. My gym has free wifi so I can stream and have different music to every workout.

I started with walking. I use a heart rate monitor along with MapMyFitness (smartphone app) to keep track of all the calories I've burned. This is a huge motivator for me. If you have a newer smartphone the Polar H7 heart rate strap is great. Nothing better than adding a thousand calories (which I try not to use) to my daily allotment. After using it for 3 months I've ramped up to 5-days a week gym workouts. My favorite activities are swimming and elliptical (jogging minus impact). My wife is big into Zumba.

I started with walking. I use a heart rate monitor along with MapMyFitness (smartphone app) to keep track of all the calories I've burned. This is a huge motivator for me. If you have a newer smartphone the Polar H7 heart rate strap is great. Nothing better than adding a thousand calories (which I try not to use) to my daily allotment. After using it for 3 months I've ramped up to 5-days a week gym workouts. My favorite activities are swimming and elliptical (jogging minus impact). My wife is big into Zumba.

Maybe dehydration.Be sure to keep sipping your water...

I dislike all those shows. I think it's fat people porn less interested in helping these people and more a point and gawk at the fat person. There was one show A & E had a few years that I liked where they had the person come out to a ranch for 3 months then sent them home but connected them up with a trainer and nutritionist. If they gained a certain amount of time they went back to the ranch. They also dealt with psychological and environmental factors that made these people gain in the first place. It felt very human and truly concerned with the people involved. Of course it only lasted one season.

I was jumping hoops like a poodle in a kiddie show but it just made me more determined. I had a moronic first psych evaluator and maybe the OP(no offense ) isn't used to fighting for herself or thinks she doesn't deserve it for herself, who knows. As far as how this turned into a bitchfest, everyone reads what they will into text. Some take stuff as funny, some as sarcastic, some as mean. We don't know each other personally and our own days affect how we read something. I'm mad at the world...."well that comment was pretty crappy to me. Shut up you hag". Lol. Or the same comment on a day where I got flowers and got laid..."oh she's soooooo funny lol laadeeee da de da".... we have all been there. Just step back and think maybe one of us is having a crappy day. If it offends you...(whispering) it might be you.

I am just an observer...but maybe all the testing, and regulations, and visits, and psych consults manage to weed out the crazies, the qiuck fix seekers, and the mentally ill-prepared...and obviously, on occasion, an internet troll. .... 2¢

Although this is a compelling conversation, unfortunately this thread is devolving into a discussion which adds nothing to those still searching for an answer and to those who are looking for support. I am not going to perpetuate that tone. But as a lesson to anyone still trying to decide, this is a great example of taking this decision as seriously as anything in your life. Not all surgeries are necessary, not all are successful, and some people do experience problems, it has it's risks. Humblestar has decided those risks are too great and has decided to take another path. But for some, the risk of their current health conditions outweighs their fear of the risks of surgery, and ultimately many have it and enjoy renewed health and vitality.

Cool.
I won't even be insulted that you called those of us who went through with this process "ridiculous". I also won't point out that the reason I pay for insurance is so that I can utilize it to benefit my health. I certainly didn't have my stomach cut out "just to get money from my insurance company".
If you "just stopped", more power to you! If you don't think it's a must, I agree with you! If you feel like a "lab rat", you made a great decision for yourself. You are right! Millions of people have lost weight without surgery and millions have lost weight with it. I wish you the best.
BYE!

I also had my surgery through Kaiser. It was something like a $250 copay on the day of the procedure, which for practical purposes is free. It sounds like this was a passing freakout, but let me give you some ammunition against potential future doubts.
I went through the same dread about fatal complications. It took me nine months after I completed my Kaiser class to finally get the surgery. My thinking in the end, was that this surgery had no more risk than the risk my wife took each time she gave birth to our two girls. VSG would greatly increase my odds of seeing my girls grow up.
And while there are no shortage of horror stories, my story is much more common. I woke up after the surgery with a mild pain in my stomach. My initial thoughts were, "really, is that it?" I didn't even need pain meds after the first 2 days. I had to resist the urge to do heavy exercise the first few weeks because I felt all better. After almost 3 months, I'm down a total of 80 lbs (30 before / 50 after). I have 60 more to go, and already feel like a new man.

Not that you need to hear from one more in this camp, but I am surprised my saggy skin is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I'm 53 years old, starting weight 287, and have lost 114 pounds. I don't know if it helps, but I put Jergens firming lotion on my arms and neck most days, and on my thighs and tummy when I remember.
None of it shows when I am wearing my clothes at all, (and I like things close-fitting now that I am smaller) and I'm quite comfortable wearing a tank top to the gym and don't find that I feel like I'm gathering up loose skin when I put on pants. I did buy a good spanks one piece for dress occasions when I want to be sure things all look smooth – but I hardly ever feel the need to wear it.
Yes, we are absolutely all different, and yes – drinking tons of Water and taking the fish oil, Biotin, regular exercise, etc., makes a big difference for most folks from what I can tell. My thought is that in the end if you do all of those things you can, you will be surprised how thrilled you are with the multi-dimensional results. I also think its important to stay self-aware and continue to love yourself. Honestly, I found that this surgery and the changes it has brought has only deepened and improved that sense of healthy self and joy in my healthy new body.
I personally went into this knowing my insurance would not cover plastics and I was unlikely to ever be able to reasonably afford that. If I did have enough of a windfall to cover it, I'd likely rather have a trip to Europe with my husband.????

i feel your pain! i too...was HUNGRY. no, not head hunger, not all in my mind...i was HUNGRY. and guess what? i still get HUNGRY. as a matter of fact...i have to eat about every 2 hours around the clock because i get real hunger and i don't like to be hungry.
for me, as my body becomes more adjusted to life post surgery and the new me is emerging, i realize that i go through two phases every day, REALLY fast, around the clock:
1. i get hungry VERY quickly
2. i get full VERY quickly
i do not have a "middle ground" where i am "on my way" to being hungry. i eat and i am very full, and then two hours later, i go from full to hungry.
i no longer have a signal telling me i am GETTING hungry. i just get hungry.
i have adjusted to it, and i am fine with it. at first, i was very worried, but my surgeon was honest with me throughout the entire process. he reminded me that EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.
EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.
and that is not a bad thing.
some of us still get hungry. some of us don't.
i do.
personally, i like being hungry. i haven't lost my love for good foods, i haven't lost my desire to eat. personally, i was worried that i would "forget" to eat. ha, that is not a problem for me! i now struggle with my full signal...but that's another thread entirely. LOL.
do i regret my surgery? not a bit. i am almost 46 pounds down in a bit less than 4 months. i have no regrets and no qualms.
our surgeries are only tools...we are ALL different. you did not waste your money...you just have to make it work for you.

Have tried sushi and sashimi and am loving that it's now affordable. Next up, Spanish tapas.

I will be 18 wks post op tomorrow and on Friday nite I was shopping with my daughter and we took a selfie to send to my mom. I have a before pic on here of the both of us and when I looked at it compared to the new one I was amazed at the difference.
Just thought I would share it on here to help encourage anyone who might be struggling or help inspire those just starting out. I know stuff like this really helped motivate me in the beginning!!
I am sorry that the second pic is sideways, I have tried everything I know (which isn't a lot when it comes to computers) to correct it.

Hi Candice, I'm so sorry you are depressed. I understand it is very common when you've made such big changes in your life, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.
I think that by reaching out here you are taking a positive step. I've struggled with depression for many years and am lucky enough to have professional help. My therapist tells me that when I am starting to feel depressed, the best thing I can do is exercise and spend time being engaged with other people. It's very difficult to do when I am sad but always helps.

Also had mine on 12/17. I had high hopes, but it has gone way better then I anticipated. I waited 9 months after the pre-op diet.
Hw 320
Sw 290
Cw 255
I'll be writing up a full 'tell your story' when i get half way to goal, but just wanted to chime in on your post.
I'm feeling normal. I literally feel exactly the same except I have a smaller stomach. I've been really motivated to exercise and have been averaging 4 miles a day on walking/cardio machine workouts. I'm throwing out/donating fat clothes. To say I don't regret my decision is a huge understatement. Couldn't be happier.