Sleevefornellie

Of all days - in a hurry this morning. . . forgot my cell phone at home... I get home, notice I missed a call - voice mail from my surgeons office - they received verbal approval! Calling to schedule my pre-op tomorrrow! Let the fun begin!!! Yay!!!!

I haven't posted much but had my daughter take pics and WOW is all I can say!
At my top weight I was 210.....at 5'2" that is a lot. I got down to 196 on surgery day - 6/16/14. I had a pretty rough 6 weeks right after surgery but once I got on the proper medication the journey got pretty easy.
Now 11 months post op and down to 129 it has been an awesome adventure. So pleased I had the sleeve done.
I also show horses (and have for years), after I had lost about 75 pounds I was at a show, the judge was someone I showed with, she didn't recognize me and asked my trainer who that was riding my horse! Too funny.
 
Thanks for letting me share!

I duly reported but yeah what a pain! Spammers be gone! We need a block button for people we don't ever want to see in our feed again!

RANT: So, this morning, while checking in on my bariatric peeps, I see eight (8) posts from more low numbered posters just throwing useless non-bariatric links at us. I am expecting recent posts from forum members and just see crap except for a couple of folks. WTH?

I know how you feel, I will be 2 mos post op Monday, and it seems like the only weight I'm losing is in my legs. My belly still makes me look like I'm pregnant, and I still have my double chin. So discouraging when your grandmother tells you that you look like you've gotten bigger...lol...have to laugh to keep from crying sometimes.

Simply put and not to be wishy washy, but i think it really varies. But i think a combination of exercise and diet make this work. I know if i stop working out for a week, my weight loss slows and I really have to focus on my eating. But doing my cardio etc, helps me, and makes my eating easier. so its a mix of both, as to percentage. Couldnt tell you.

I've lost over 100% of my excess weight and I have not exercised postop at all. Sure, I have a physical job and active lifestyle, but it's no different than preop. So in my case, my weight loss is due 100% to diet, 0% exercise.

I think it's more like diet is 98% and exercise is 2%. Also, there is good evidence that exercise increases the appetite, not suppresses it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/exercise-benefits_b_1777630.html
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/phys-ed-why-doesnt-exercise-lead-to-weight-loss/?_r=0
http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2015/01/15/4162890.htm
"A provocative new study shows that a substantial number of people who take up an exercise regimen wind up heavier afterward than they were at the start, with the weight gain due mostly to extra fat, not muscle."
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/exercising-but-gaining-weight/

I was told that exercise is a great thing to do, but if the food choices and calorie reduction are not done, exercise by itself will not promote weight loss. In the past, when I have exercised, it did keep me focused on eating healthier, but not really on the calorie reduction aspect of weight loss.
I need to get motivated to exercise. I know it is good for my physical and mental well being. That being said, I have actually lost a lot of weight without exercising. I am not saying I recommend that though. I am just being honest.

U look absolutely amazing!!!!

I'm with you too! Surgery June 26. My heart has been racing and I'm addicted to reading everything I can. I can't stay off this page. Lol. I'm driving my husband nuts! Good thing is I only have to be on a liquid diet the day before which is fine cause I probably won't be able to eat anything by then. Sooo nervous!

I am with you!!!! My surgery is June 24th and I started the liquid diet on Monday by day 2 I was ready to throw in the towel... If been sad, crying and going back and forth with myself... I quit smoking which wasn't easy for me because it was my stress reliever, and now I'm quitting food!!!! I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and this is what has to be done....it isn't easy but... We can do this!!!!

I'm new to this site. Going to get sleeved on 6/15/2015. My story in a nut shell... I went from bikini model babe to eating my way to doubling my weight over the past 20 years. I am an expert diet pro. I have gained/lossed 80%/40% of my body weight respectively. I have done this more than I can count. My husband of 10 years met me as I was hitting a low weight 152. We've been married 10 years and I have ballooned up to 227. He has never treated me any different. I fought the deadliest form of breast cancer and so far 5.5 years out and I'm still alive. Now I really want to live!! But not at the fat, unhealthy weight I'm at now. I don't want to do anything or go anywhere and I hate the mirrors. So after considering this for 8 years now The Lord is blessing me with this opportunity. I don't know how to fill out profile. I hope to get to know some great people who can share this journey with me!????

i started my journey march 23rd 2015 i started at 235 I'm currently at 190 and going hoping it does!!
her are some picture of my so far progress!!
first one is disneyland last year in May and the last three are from this weekend!!

Hello all!
So I had my real first OMG moment.
I went dress shopping for a wedding I'm in, left picture is 2 weeks after surgery, jan 19th and right picture was today! April 12th.
Same dress but 5 sizes smaller.
84 pounds down from
December 27th 2015.
I was blown away by the side by sides. I can't stop looking and smiling at this picture!! This is, by far, the best thing I have ever done for myself. Today...I'm very proud! ????????

I donated them to the local charity-based thrift shops. No need for them to end up in a landfill (other than underwear, stuff in really bad condition, etc.). I didn't want them hanging around as an invitation to get that big again. If I re-gain, there is going to be severe financial pain associated with that, and I *want* that as a disincentive.

Hi All,
Well I'm officially sleeved as of Monday! Still in hospital as I write this. My doctor told me I would have gas pain, but he never told me that gas pain would feel like I was giving birth! It hurts like contractions and I cannot take pain meds as I end up vomiting them. Really rough start. Still can't even handle Water, and I'm on nausea medicine whenever I want.
They gave me suppository for the gas pain to try and help it, and it does feel a bit better today. I'm up and walking every hour. No Problems there. The stitches don't hurt, belly doesn't hurt, just severe gas pain for two days, and a lot of dry heaving. Not fun for sure. Not sure if body didn't like being under or what, but this has been a lot harder than what I was told. Hopefully it will be better today.
Amy

I just want to preface this by saying that getting the surgery was probably the best decision of my life.
A briefish summary of my story: I was lean as a kid and a teenager. I was highly active and on many days I would play basketball for 3-4 hours after school. Then, I went off to college. As a teenager, I ate a ton of food just to keep the weight on. I could eat ~5,000 kcals a day and my weight wouldn't budge. I had a 6-pack and could dunk a basketball on a good day, which isn't easy when you're 5' 10".
When I got to college, I started partying a bit (others certainly partied a lot more, but I'm not going to say it didn't affect me). I also stopped playing basketball every day because I either felt too lazy to go to the gym (none of my usual friends were around to motivate me to get off the computer) or I had to focus on studying/writing a paper/etc. I gained about 20 lbs my freshman year. I still didn't look bad in a shirt, but I think this was the beginning of my battle with obesity. I'm certain that extra 20 lbs was enough to trigger the beginning of my sleep apnea.
The next year, I became incredibly lazy, mostly because I was often tired. I went to go see multiple doctors on campus, including a psychiatrist, and they all diagnosed with major depression. When I mentioned my poor sleep, they just attributed it to the depression. I tried various anti-depressants, but they didn't seem to help. My doctors and I thought it was a matter of just finding the right medication. Meanwhile, I kept gaining weight. I gained another 40 lbs my sophomore year and my abdominal bulge could no longer be hidden by wearing a loose shirt. I made it through that year with OK grades, but it was a struggle. Once I finished the semester, I resolved to lose the weight. This was my first diet of many.
I spent most of my summer working out / playing basketball and adhering to a strict 1,500 calorie diet. I managed to lose 40 lbs and and I actually looked quite good due to the muscle I put on from weight training, but as soon as school started up again, I slipped. I supposed it was the stress that caused me to fall of the wagon. Between late August and mid-May of the following year, I put on 50 lbs and was heavier than when I started dieting. I also lost a lot of my muscle mass, to the point where my legs buckled a few times just walking around. Worst of all, I failed a couple of my courses each semester. I decided I needed a change of scenery and transferred to a different university, hoping that a new location would help me reinvigorate myself. Long story short: it didn't help me. I ended up dropping out and moving back in with my parents.
I spent the next few years in a state of lethargy, hopping from one crushingly monotonous retail job to the next, quitting when my fatigue would become overwhelming. Finally, at 26, I started to turn things around. It started when I saw a report on the news about sleep apnea. None of my doctors ever mentioned it to me, but I was certain that I had it. After a few months, I finally got scheduled for a sleep study. The night at the sleep clinic was rough as I had trouble sleeping with all the wires attached to me, but I did manage to sleep for an hour, enough to be diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. A week later, I finally got my CPAP. It changed my life. I went from having little motivation and energy to wanting to change the world. I signed up for a couple of classes at the local CC and aced both of them. I then transferred to the nearest university while living at home. Over the next year, I took 39 credit hours and made As in all of my classes except for a difficult genetics class, which I got a B in. It was by far my most difficult course load, but I thrived. I would have graduated summa cum laude if it weren't for the fact that I need another 15 hours at the campus to qualify.
But I still had one large problem: I was fat. Fatter than I had ever been, tipping the scales at 330 lbs. I had also recently tried dieting, but succumbed to the yo-yo effect. Throughout my time living at home, I dieted several times. Each time, I was initially successful, losing 30 lbs or more, but I always ended up a bit fatter than before. I finally realized that dieting was futile, at least in my case. I was in the 95% that re-gains after weight loss through traditional means. I always changed up my diet some, going from low fat to low carb, but the result was always the same: fatter than before. I had known about bariatric surgery for a while, but I didn't consider it an option until after I graduated -- even then I was reluctant to get operated on.
Fast forward to this past March. I had be avoiding doctors, but I finally went to get my bloodwork checked at the behest of my parents. I still felt pretty good thanks to my CPAP but, shockingly, I was diagnosed with diabetes. I also had hypertension, hypertryglceridemia, hypercholestolemia and mildly elevated ALT levels, on top of my diabetes. My A1C was 6.6%, but my doctor said that I could put my diabetes into remission if I lost weight. I had to do something, but I knew dieting again would be a failure. It was time for something different. Fortunately, immediately after my diagnosis, I saw an ad for True Results offering to do VSGs for $3,500. I knew my insurance wouldn't cover my surgery, so I called and set up an appointment. It wasn't long before I had a surgery date.
I had my VSG on April 6th. My pre-op weight was 331 lbs. Today, I weigh 270 lbs. My appetite is nil. I feel fantastic and walk 8-10 miles a day. I lift weights 3 times a week. I've gone from wearing XXXL shirts to fitting comfortably in XL shirts. I was wearing size 52 pants, now I can squeeze into size 42s. I wake up feeling refreshed every morning. I still use my CPAP, but I my pressure has come down from 12 to 6 cm H20. My blood pressure has gone from being uncontrolled even with 2 meds to being normal without any medications. I haven't had my post-op bloodwork yet, but I have no doubt that it has greatly improved.

Wishing you a speedy recovery!!!! Congrats!!!

Scares me that this can happen. Maybe if you bring your own small plate and always put just what is the proper portion on it and that is it. Wasting food was one of the hardest things I have learned when I had my lapband. But in the end would you rather waste it or have a bigger waist? Just throw it out, give it to the dog, portion it and fridge for future meal. Do something with your time right after you eat so you are away from the table and not focusing on food. Even in a restaurant get up and leave if you are done as sitting there with family and friends will allow you to snack and focus on the food. We are doing this because we need to and they will understand. One girl I like to look at her posts on youtube says she eats before she goes to dinner at restaurant or friends houses and then just says oh I already ate and does not eat at all at restaurant or party. Also she said she wears her tight Walmart panties that have tummy control fabric, like tight underwear, so that she feels full faster when with family or friends in situations with food. Don't worry about what already happened, just get back on track for now on.

I was so totally blitzed on drugs that I mostly remember trying to not fall down between moving from my bed to the bed where they make you sit to the point where you stand up in front of the imaging device to drink the Fluid. It tastes awful, but you pretty much don't care or remember afterward. I wish I had been able to see the results of my test. I remember vaguely looking at the screen but I was so high it was just a blurry object in the distance.
Short version...it's literally just drinking a cup of grossness, standing for a bit, then going back to your bed. Nothing crazy at all.

It's starting to really hit me...today I started my preop diet which means I am exactly 14 days away from surgery which is on June 23, 2015! I am excited but I also feel my nerves kicking in as well. My mind and emotions are all over the place!! I hope this will get better because this will be a long 14 days if I don't get a hold of mysel!! Does anyone else understand how I'm feeling? Is this normal? How did you deal with your emotions as your surgery date got closer?

Im so excited and thrillled to know this time tomorrow I will have finally be over with all the anticipation and nerves and even though I will be in pain I cant wait for the real journey to begin....Renewed, Restored, Rebirthed!!

I have a different take on it, in that if you have this opportunity to get healthy while still young and not experience your 20s etc as an obese person I think you should grab it with both hands.
Think about the reasons that you made your decision in the first place and YOU decide what is best for you.

Sleeve saved my life and I am a big advocate. However, if you were my kid I would want you to try a lifestyle program first. I believe younger/less obese have a chance at that. If it doesn't work,'bariatric option is still there.