Chele Martines

I just realized this morning that i have dropped under the "obese" range on the height and weight charts and am now only "overweight"! I never thought I'd be so happy to be considered overweight. ????
What an amazing thing a sleeve and 4 months can do!

Wow, great stuff. I guess I wouldn't be here at all if I thought I really could do it on my own. Just like the rest of us, it's been a constant struggle with losses and regaining. Even this last month, my last NUT visit was over a month ago and in mental preparation for the surgery I've been having too many food funerals and have actually set myself back to where I was at the beginning of August. So yea, I mean no, I obviously can't do it on my own! Yesterday's appointment had me shaking in my shoes, I've slept on it and let a lot of it sink in and am feeling a little better today.
Thank you so much for your candor! You guys hit a lot of nails right in the head for me. Reminded me why I started down this path to begin with.
One of my goals is to be able to shop in a specific store I haven't set foot in in many many years, so shopping is right up there with no diabetes and no double knee replacements before I'm 50!
It's soooo good to hear that there are some who have exceeded those averages! I know this whole process isn't going to be easy, and am glad to hear that putting in the effort will show better results than I had heard. I'm not afraid of hard work at all, actually started today looking into a personal trainer at my gym so that I still have some accountability when I'm tired. I'm not a lazy person at all, but I am sure the time will come when I just don't want to! I am also infamous for just finding something 'more important' to do every day vs. going to the gym.
I was really hoping that the lower end of that average was reported by those who expected surgery to be the panacea, and just didn't put in any effort. I just couldn't imagine that anyone would go through this process and not appreciate it and take advantage of the opportunity, so was having a hard time wrapping my head around the 60% of your excess number! I thought that was mighty low. And would have been really concerned if the responses to this thread confirmed that fear.
Would live to hear your steps to successes?
I have a great eating plan and a great NUT who gave me a great place to start, but struggle with the right exercises, and am actually getting tired already of the Protein shakes (I've only tried 2). I'm not a real foodie so will be fine with missing most things for awhile just need to find creative things with the shakes.< /p>
What were your favorites?
What obstacles did you overcome and how?
Was there one (or a few) thing(s) specifically that you could say were the secrets to your abilities to get passed the 60%

The only thing that limits you to only losing 60% of your excess weight is you. I've lost over 100% and am maintaining easily. I eat whatever I want whenever I'm hungry....protein first, then veggies, fruit and whole grains. But I also eat ice cream, desert, bread, alcohol, cake, etc.... just everything in moderation. I do not excercise and I've never tracked or counted or measured my food. I didn't have surgery just to be on a diet the rest of my life. I do make sure I drink at least 64oz of Fluid and I do take my Vitamins (but I've always taken Vitamins, so this is no change)
Other than making much healthier food choices, my life isn't a whole lot different than preop. Unless you count Having a normal BMI, shopping in regular stores for clothes, not being in pain everyday, spending a lot less money on groceries, and being able to hike, climb stairs, etc without getting out of breath, Perhaps I am an anomaly, but I just wanted to let you know that there is more than one way to be successful and postop life does not have to be all that complicated.

@@Lauriep, I hear what you are saying. I had my initial consult and I had several things go through my mind. I had my heart set on the sleeve because the thought of having my insides rewired was scary. I was only choosing between the sleeve and the bypass oh and NOT HAVING SURGERY AT ALL!! And I do take ibuprofen for occasional pain from degenerative arthritis.
The thing that got to me was IF I'm going under a general anesthetic to loose weight and halt some chronic disease processes, I want the procedure with the highest percentage of average weight loss.
The thing about the pain, well at least the arthritic pain, it's an inflammatory process. So, there is a high chance that joint pain would significantly improve with improved diet, exercise and less weight.
I've loss a considerable amount of weight before and maintained it for many years (on my own) and then I lost that control. And I'm here thinking that I could do it on my own but my ability to maintain weight loss is virtually impossible. Some weight loss, especially by big people can be easy (barred serious metabolic issues) but we all have the history of "gaining it all back and then some" that is a common thread in our story.
There is gravity in the decision, but just remember to keep it real and be seethingly honest with yourself. Only you can decide. I don't know what you have gone through for your insurance co., you would definitely have to do all that again down the line.

Many sleeved patients lose over 100 and even 200 lbs. Doctors give you conservative numbers or averages. If you realistically think that you can stick to the nutrition plan you are on now and exercise then there is no need to go through surgery. For most of us dieting and exercise without the help of surgery are just not enough. Do you know the stats for keeping the weight off with just dieting and exercise? Under 10%. I never was one of those 10%. Surgery was my only long term option.

Lauriep, I hear what you are saying....but the number that they give you is just an average. Individual weight loss depends on the individual. I know people who havent changed their lifestyle habits of eating.......just how much they eat and they don't exercise yet....they lose about that about 75% of their excess weight. Next thing you know....they are whining cuz they didnt lose as much as they wanted. So my question to you is.....how bad do you want it? Are you gonna work your butt off in the gym and follow the nutritionalists advice and guidelines or will you be like the millions who just cant wait to get back on "real solid food" and only have a minimal weight loss?? All I can do is speak for myself......Im paying for this surgery out of my pocket, so I look at it differently. I am gonna stay on the liquid Protein diet take my Vitamins and exercise religiously until i lose the majority of what I wanna lose. Hope this helps. Good luck in your decision and in life!!

I told my nutritionist that I was willing to use artificial sweeteners for recovery, but not beyond. (I am persuaded that my Diet Pepsi addiction helped get me to where I am, and after weaning myself off of it, I find the aftertaste repellent.) She was not interested in discussing sweeteners or my preference for a whole foods approach to weight loss, which makes me wonder how current her training is.
However, the bariatric nurse assured me I would be back on whole foods quickly, and it was truly the best thing to do for my health. So I won't be stuck in sugar free, fat free, fake food land forever.
While not everyone is sensitive to the biota-changing effects of fake sweeteners, I will discourage my kids from using them, even though their father, who shared my 20-year diet Pepsi habit, is thin and still fits into his high school jeans.

Getting them to take Probiotics is a tougher nut to crack! They'll eat fermented sauerkraut and pickles, though -- and occasionally kombucha and yogurt. They are not fans of kimchi and miso.

I agree with @@Elode's suggestion.

Just had that 1 wk ago. I figured it was some ice tea I had just before bed. I now stop drinking tea about 3 hrs before bed. I also take 40 mg of protonix in the am and pm. You may need to increase the dose of your reflux meds. I feel your pain . I absolutely hate middle of the night reflux. Yuck.

I was told it's OK to take Tums. I would do that if I woke up feeling that way.
I had (have?) acid problems and in addition to 20mg of protonix twice a day, I take 300mg of Zanac at bed time. I also cut out acidy stuff where I could.
Hope you feel better. I would suggest calling your surgeon's office so your treatment can be adjusted. Don't want an ulcer!

I am 9 months post op and I too suffer, I began taking a regular 40 mg omeprazole in the morning with a delay release 40 mg and problem solved. I suffered so bad I felt like it was in my ears! Hang in there it will get better.

Thank you for the suggestion - I may try that starting tomorrow morning!

@@Chele Martines It's not going to help you right now but you may want to break that Omeprazole up and take one in the am and one at night.

This sounds like fun so here goes.... I am 43, mother to an almost 21 year old son, an 18 year old son and a almost 14 year old daughter. I am happily married to my husband Dave. We have been married for almost 5 years now. My first husband was abusive and it took me 10 years to leave that codepenant relationship. I have yo-yo dieted for 20 years. Loosing up to 40 pounds two and three times, but always gaining it back and almost never getting under 170. Once, on weight watchers, I got to 163 but it was very short lived. I was back over 170 in short order. I reached my all time high of 236 about two years ago. After i got remarried we wanted a child together. After all the fertility treatments and hormones, my weight was at this all time high. I knew I had to try something new. We never got pregnant either.
I hosted 10 exchange students over the years and went to see one of them get married in Brazil last spring. I have not hosted since being remarried though it is something I want to continue to do as soon as I can. I am a forensic scientist in firearms and toolmarks and have been for 12 years. My first career was cytotechnology (we diagnose cancer on the cellular level) so I have a pretty good medical knowledge, but i only use it as a little hobby now. My husband calls me "Dr. My Wife" because family members are always calling me for advice and to diagnose their health issues. I am not a doctor, however. I love forensic science. I am about halfway through my Masters program in forensic science administration right now. I am still in disbelief most of the time that I have lost almost 60 pounds already and only have 40 to go!
I know I can loose 40, I have done that before but this time I feel confident I will not be gaining it back again! I am 5 months out next week. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am a traveling notary in Florida, currently separated from my DH. I have two grown sons and a stepson that I will continue to claim as mine forever.
I'm 45 and just bought my first ever house alone!! I've been moving for days, so have been offline for a few days.
I've been self employed for 10+ years and I love it!
I see, read, live to garden and do DIY projects, and I am an aspiring writer. Someday...
Lissa

Surely you are someone outside of your surgery and struggles with our weight. You have interests and dislikes and families- jobs and hobbies. And honestly- yes it is exciting to have this stool and to be on the journey- but hasn't there been enough focus all our lives on just our weight?
I know VST is dedicated to our VSG stories, but I sort of think that who we are makes our VSG surgeries that much more meaningful.
So I'll go first...
I'm Danielle. I'm 27 and I have three sisters and one nephew. I am unmarried and have no children. I work full time running the office for a respiratory company. This semester I am also attending college full time via online classes. I'm now also trying to squeeze in going to the gym three times a week.
I suffer from PCOS and had this surgery to help increase my chances of having a family of my own one day.
I am a TOTAL girly girl! I love the color pink, I like Hello Kitty the way others like Betty Boop or Tinkerbell, and I HATE HATE HATE spiders! I'm not much of an outdoorsie person- my idea of roughing it is five girls and one bathroom. That being said I do love to garden and can't wait for spring.
I love anything to do with 16th century european history and am a total fanatical nut when it comes to Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. My favorite movie and book of allllllllll time is Gone With the Wind. I love watching old movies with my mom- our favorites are Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, anything with Doris Day and the Tammy movies. We also make a point of watching A League of Their Own together whenever it is on tv. I'm close with my Dad but sometimes I feel like we don't have anything in common.
Prior to surgery I loved home cooked food! (Along with chinese and pizza hut haha) I still enjoy cooking for my family (One sister, my parents and I all live together for economic reasons) and resumed cooking them meals within a few days of coming home from the hospital. I have a dog, she is a chihuahua/yorkie mix. Her name is Gypsy and well... she is sort of a monster!! I <3 her tho!
Now it's your turn!! Tell us who you are!

Hello All! I am a 37 year old father of one (5yr old) and loving husband. I decided to get sleeved for what I have named "Operation Longevity". I have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol. I've been heavy all my life and it's time to make a change. I was sleeved on 12/11/14. The first hours following surgery were probably the roughest. Once I was able to start walking and beat the dreaded gas pains, I began to feel much better. I was released from the hospital on day two and I haven't really needed much in the way of my pain meds or nausea pills. I look forward to sharing the journey with everyone here and seeing the new me emerge.

Hi I'm Jamie from Northern California. I'm getting ready for surgery and not getting support at home I have decided to find support online. Let's see I love showing i grew up showing horses reining, all style. I show my yorkies and French bulldogs and am a master groomer. I am ruled by my mean little hairless cat Ivvana Coat or fluffy kitty as we call her. I'm a outdoors have a blast kinda girl and miss ridding my horses and just want to be a healthy weight to ride again.

I am exactly 2 months post op. Sleeve. I am 42 pounds down and it has been a bumpy road with learning how to eat. Maintain Fluid intake and get my Protein in. But..... I have no regrets, it has made it possible for me to gain control of my eating. I was never a big eater, just poor choices. food is no longer fun so I am learning what works and it's a simple decision. I would rather have a boiled egg white than a piece of pizza! Yay me

Who am I? I am Brigette. Not Bridgette. Pronounced Bri jet. I am a triplet. Yes, 3 of us 2 boys, 1 girl. I am married nearly 14 years. I have 2 daughters ages 12 and 6, I am 47 years young. I had the lapband in 2010, I was very successful. However, I had an eye stroke in 2012 and forever was uncomfortable with the lapband. I also could never get proper restriction. Professionally, I am a Training Officer. I am scheduled for revision sleeve on 9 February 2015.

Hello guys!
My name is Ashlee. I'm 29... Will be 30 in February. I have been overweight ever since I can remember. I was always the fat friend. I don't know if it's because I'm turning 30, but I have come to a crossroads in my life. One way is to live the way I was living ( in a relationship with another obese person keep the same job that I don't like and start a family) or take the other path which involves me taking control of my life and doing what I really want to do. So I chose the path where I'm in control. I have yoyoed dieting my whole life. I want to maintain my weight especially for my health but for my wardrobe too! I have clothes ranging from size 14 to 24! I am ready to make a fresh change in my life starting in 2015

Sooo hi, I'm Katerina, 26 years old and from Athens, Greece. I'm a speech therapist but my high goal is to be a psychologist. I live with my parents but I'm now renovating a little appartment just for me and my dogie. My dog is 6 years old and he has been with me since I was a student, I love him to death but he prefers my parents, the little devil. I have been obese my whole life so I'm so excited (scared, too) to find out how I look like skinny. I love reading books, binge watching all kinds of tv series and swimming. I'm not an outdoorsy person but I think it's because of my weight. So happy to meet all of you.