Casey235

Just thought I'd share this photo! I was so excited when I saw my x-ray today!!! I am having esophageal spasms so I had a barium swallow test done... You can see my spine in the background, and My itty bitty tummy is the tube that comes from behind it and gets darker at the bottom!!! I'm so happy with the way my surgeon cut my stomach, and my surgery experience itself has been great! 4 weeks out down 30 lbs!! Woohoo!!! God is Good!!

Just wanted to take the time to say I am very happy with the decision to have this surgery! I believe it was Gods will to get me and every other fellow sleever healthy!
Thank you God for allowing my surgeon to be knowledgeable enough to perform my surgery, thank you for guiding the nurses, workers, and every one else who was a part of helping me on April 8, 2015!
Thank you God for their knowledge and for passing it along to me to be able to live a healthier life!
Thank you God for this website, for more reasons than one! I pray for all of those who are having problems, or struggling with something that you will guide them through the storm!
Life is not a guarantee but Heaven can be! I'm so thankful I have a spot reserved for me there! Do you?
I truly am thankful to God, and just want to share my experience with others! I'm sure I'm not alone here, and even though I know some will not agree with me, it's ok!

Just wanted to take the time to say I am very happy with the decision to have this surgery! I believe it was Gods will to get me and every other fellow sleever healthy!
Thank you God for allowing my surgeon to be knowledgeable enough to perform my surgery, thank you for guiding the nurses, workers, and every one else who was a part of helping me on April 8, 2015!
Thank you God for their knowledge and for passing it along to me to be able to live a healthier life!
Thank you God for this website, for more reasons than one! I pray for all of those who are having problems, or struggling with something that you will guide them through the storm!
Life is not a guarantee but Heaven can be! I'm so thankful I have a spot reserved for me there! Do you?
I truly am thankful to God, and just want to share my experience with others! I'm sure I'm not alone here, and even though I know some will not agree with me, it's ok!

Just wanted to take the time to say I am very happy with the decision to have this surgery! I believe it was Gods will to get me and every other fellow sleever healthy!
Thank you God for allowing my surgeon to be knowledgeable enough to perform my surgery, thank you for guiding the nurses, workers, and every one else who was a part of helping me on April 8, 2015!
Thank you God for their knowledge and for passing it along to me to be able to live a healthier life!
Thank you God for this website, for more reasons than one! I pray for all of those who are having problems, or struggling with something that you will guide them through the storm!
Life is not a guarantee but Heaven can be! I'm so thankful I have a spot reserved for me there! Do you?
I truly am thankful to God, and just want to share my experience with others! I'm sure I'm not alone here, and even though I know some will not agree with me, it's ok!

Just wanted to take the time to say I am very happy with the decision to have this surgery! I believe it was Gods will to get me and every other fellow sleever healthy!
Thank you God for allowing my surgeon to be knowledgeable enough to perform my surgery, thank you for guiding the nurses, workers, and every one else who was a part of helping me on April 8, 2015!
Thank you God for their knowledge and for passing it along to me to be able to live a healthier life!
Thank you God for this website, for more reasons than one! I pray for all of those who are having problems, or struggling with something that you will guide them through the storm!
Life is not a guarantee but Heaven can be! I'm so thankful I have a spot reserved for me there! Do you?
I truly am thankful to God, and just want to share my experience with others! I'm sure I'm not alone here, and even though I know some will not agree with me, it's ok!

Wow! You had a nice long time at home! Just be thankful that you were allowed that long at home to heal! I went back to work after a week!
You are a couple of weeks ahead of me, but I usually take some chicken salad or hummus for lunch, and cheese and Protein shakes and bars for snack!
Going back to work really helped me get back on track and start to feel somewhat normal again! Good luck!

I'd like to know if there is any "valid" info on it as well! Instead of just everyone else's useless rude comments! Lol
Why judge someone for being truthful when you could just give them insightful encouragement instead?
I have not drank alcohol, soda, or anything else I wasn't supposed to but Lord knows if I did I wouldn't post it on this board people are way to hypocritical. Lol
I'll ask my nut for real medical examples of why not to drink soda and alcohol and try to post it on here when I can.

You wanted the bariatrics police... And I see you got them!!!! LoL

I'd like to know if there is any "valid" info on it as well! Instead of just everyone else's useless rude comments! Lol
Why judge someone for being truthful when you could just give them insightful encouragement instead?
I have not drank alcohol, soda, or anything else I wasn't supposed to but Lord knows if I did I wouldn't post it on this board people are way to hypocritical. Lol
I'll ask my nut for real medical examples of why not to drink soda and alcohol and try to post it on here when I can.

You wanted the bariatrics police... And I see you got them!!!! LoL

@@CanyonBaby
Thanks for your response, because some of us "newbies" haven't had the opportunity to learn everything about this site yet and may post things that have been previously posted....... GOD FORBID
I do love this site and the advice I've been given from it! I'm also starting to see the ones who are judgmental and "picky" about what you post!
blah blah blah
But I guess we all have the right to voice our opinion? Don't we? LOL

It's Sunday morning, I am 4 days post-op and my husband is downstairs fixing breakfast for my kids and it smells delicious. These four days have been the hardest days of my life I believe. So I have lots of regrets right now. Hoping when I get to purées I will feel better, but right now I had rather be fat and be able to eat than be skinny and not be able to eat.... It sucks so far I just miss food badly.

I'm in!
CW :198
GW :185

Figured it out! I pick Marilyn because she was one of the first beauty icons, and sister wasn't a size 0, but more a 12/14. She's an awesome reminder that it's society who views have changed, and frankly don't matter. ????

**sheepishly removes cell phone from bra**

I often felt the plus size "fashion" was just another punishment for me. Hello, I gained weight. I didn't lose all sense of fashion.
What's up with all the beach/big floral fabrics? Like now I'm overweight, so I'm going to beach parties everyday? I need work clothes for the office! Ugh!
So nice to be able to find some real clothes again and feel presentable!!

Why. The hell. Is a 16W and a 16 a different size?
JUST MAKE ALL THE SIZES AND ALL THE MEASUREMENTS THE SAME FERCRYINOUTLOUD!!!!!!
XL fits beautifully here, 3X cuts off my circulation there...sigh. What I wouldn't give for some consistency!

My biggest gripe? All the ads where the women look so dang happy and comfortable in their bra's.....I hate bras....who can be happy in a underwire for 12 hours a day? Not me :/ lol....rant over!

You wanted the bariatrics police... And I see you got them!!!! LoL

I have at least one Protein Bar a day, plus a Protein shake! The bars practically dissolve when you chew them! cheese also helps me get to protein goal!!!

Just for those little moments when you are just home for a little bit, or watching tv, the times we are usually eating, are the hardest! I completely understand!!!
But... Once you are able to eat real food and are off the liquids your cravings will likely calm down some. The reason they did for me was because food doesn't make me feel the same anymore. I used to be able to eat and get so full, and feel great, but bad at the same time! Lol
Now food is just here to make sure I have enough nutrients to get by. I think it's part physical (with our tiny tummies) and part mental!! I really rely on cheeses and Protein bars to help my cravings, and you will see that once you can have these things it doesn't take but just a little bit to fill you up!
Good luck, it does get better I promise!!!

Nope, you're pretty much right on all counts. So how does the magic work? Most of us probably had the same thoughts you are processing right now. If it's all about what I eat, why don't I just follow the Bariatric Eating plan and avoid getting cut? Guess what? You can! BUT.... If you've tried any variations of the Atkins diet, or other high-protein, low-carb, drink plenty of fluids, and get some exercise programs, you know that except in rare cases, it's unsustainable. You'll lose a bunch of weight, then stop following it so closely. And when you do, the weight comes back on -- and brings friends. We've all been there. So what's the difference with the sleeve? It's really about the constriction. You physically can't put that much food in your stomach at a time. Even a year out, most of that constriction is still there. As you say, you can cheat it, but the sleeve makes it much easier to make better choices. And the removal of the ghrellin manufacturing plant helps too. Especially during the first 9-12 months or so, when you have your best opportunity to lose the most weight. Yes, people report being hungry shortly after surgery, but typically that's either thirst disguised as hunger, or stomach acids which can be controlled by Protonix or an OTC Omnaprazole pill like Prilosec. As you get farther out, more hunger returns, but it's not the ravenous "I could eat a horse" type of hunger. And I've been reading a lot about a "reset" program that people have been using to return their sleeves and pouches to their original effectiveness. So, is it easy? No way. But it is much easier that it would be without the surgery. It takes work, dedication, and constant vigilance, but the rewards are well worth the effort! Good luck with your surgery, and I look forward to hearing from you down the road.....

For those of you who have had recent surgeries, remember that you might not lose any weight at all in weeks 3-6 after surgery. That is normal and expected, but if you keep following the rules, the inches will still be coming off. After that, the weight will start coming off again too.
For those of you regretting your choice of the sleeve, my doctor says that statistically, bypass patients lose the quickest, then sleeve, then lapband. BUT..... After 18 months or so, they all end up at around the same percentage of excess weight lost. So the difference is not as big as you might think.
What it boils down to is what we put in our mouths. It sounds like some of you didn't get much advice and nutritional counseling prior to surgery. In my opinion, that's criminal! So here's a site I've found that provides a lot of valuable information about the entire process. It covers all stages of the program, including advice on what to eat, what not to eat, what Vitamins to take, and what exercise you should try to do. There are a ton of web sites providing this type of advice, but this site seems pretty comprehensive. Good luck!!!
http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/

I think I got what I expected, or maybe a little better. I lost more than 140 pounds,or 95% of my excess weight, (and 100% if I call this weight good ) in about 14 months. I've kept it off over a year. It's hard work but so much easier than before surgery. I could have never lost 10 pounds a month on any diet because I just couldn't get to and sustain the needed caloric deficit to do that.
Sometimes I think if I would have had the bypass I'd have lost more, but I'm still happy with my decision to have the sleeve. Not sure that last 5-10 pounds lost would add any value to my life.
Looking back, I remember feeling like it was not coming off fast enough. I worried that every pound I lost would be my last. I understand the fear that somehow, something isn't right. I know you see posts "I lost 100 pounds in 6 months!" but that's not the norm. Most people lose 8-10 pounds a month. This is a time for learning new habits. Contrary to what they say, it takes way longer than a few months to learn new eating habits, and it's way easier to slip back into old ones. At 2.5 years out, I'm still learning.