SaraAlexandra

I'm Sara, 37, from Stockholm, Sweden. (Used to live in NYC with my American husband).
Four children, 3 sons, one daughter, 18, 13, 7 and 4.
I'm a psychologist.
I started turning to food for comfort around 13 years old, but as soon as I put some pounds on I would diet it all off, and have done so my whole adult life. I've been slim to normal weight most of my life because of it. But to a great cost, starving myself, working out all the time etc. I have a thyroid issue (diagnosed at 20), so I always had to work extra hard to lose/maintain weight.
I gained quite a bit during my pregnancies, but always lost the weight, I guess I'm vain, so I became very disciplined. Or rather, I've always been very disciplined when losing weight, but then I get fed up and binge and then back to starve mode, so safe to safe that I messed up my body a lot.
When my now 4 year old son was 4 months old, I was diagnosed with aggressive cancer and after almost 3 years of chemo, radiation and constant cortisone I gained over 60 pounds in 2 years. I worked very hard for a year and a half to get it off, but what used to work, no longer did, I would lose a little bit (and all my cancer treatments had messed up my thyroid even more) and gain even more back.
I became more and more depressed over my weight, since I was just getting bigger and bigger and couldn't control it like I used too. And I just saw a future of more and more weight related issues.
My BMI was between 28-29 when I decided to have the surgery (obviously self pay), and I was sleeved May 11th, 9 weeks ago, and I've lost just under 40 pounds - with 20 pounds to go. I might go for another 10 more after that depending on how I feel. I'm a size 8 now, and I don't want to get under a size 4/6. I'm 6 feet and like to keep some curves as I feel it looks better on me being so tall.
Of course I like the fact that I'm starting to look like my old self, but more than anything, I feel healthier and I don't worry about future health problems, as well as feeling like I've broken my binge/starvation "addiction". Which is the best feeling of them all.

I'm only five weeks out, so I can't share too much yet. But I started out at BMI 30,5 and I've lost 31 pounds already. I haven't started to work out yet, because it's not until the last week that I regained my energy. Everything has been pretty smooth for me, besides that part - lack of energy and feeling dizzy. But I upped my Protein and Water and now I'm doing much better. So I'm going to start weight training and running.
I eat 580-620 calories a day and keep my Protein over 85. (In the last few days around 95-98), as I'm 6 feet and I also feel I do so much better when I keep my protein that high. Carbs are under 20 and almost only from vegetables. I haven't had a stall (yet) and seem to be losing as much as a lot of high BMI'ers. Sure, weight loss has slowed down from the first two weeks, but I still lose something every day.

I'm Sara, 37, from Stockholm, Sweden. (Used to live in NYC with my American husband).
Four children, 3 sons, one daughter, 18, 13, 7 and 4.
I'm a psychologist.
I started turning to food for comfort around 13 years old, but as soon as I put some pounds on I would diet it all off, and have done so my whole adult life. I've been slim to normal weight most of my life because of it. But to a great cost, starving myself, working out all the time etc. I have a thyroid issue (diagnosed at 20), so I always had to work extra hard to lose/maintain weight.
I gained quite a bit during my pregnancies, but always lost the weight, I guess I'm vain, so I became very disciplined. Or rather, I've always been very disciplined when losing weight, but then I get fed up and binge and then back to starve mode, so safe to safe that I messed up my body a lot.
When my now 4 year old son was 4 months old, I was diagnosed with aggressive cancer and after almost 3 years of chemo, radiation and constant cortisone I gained over 60 pounds in 2 years. I worked very hard for a year and a half to get it off, but what used to work, no longer did, I would lose a little bit (and all my cancer treatments had messed up my thyroid even more) and gain even more back.
I became more and more depressed over my weight, since I was just getting bigger and bigger and couldn't control it like I used too. And I just saw a future of more and more weight related issues.
My BMI was between 28-29 when I decided to have the surgery (obviously self pay), and I was sleeved May 11th, 9 weeks ago, and I've lost just under 40 pounds - with 20 pounds to go. I might go for another 10 more after that depending on how I feel. I'm a size 8 now, and I don't want to get under a size 4/6. I'm 6 feet and like to keep some curves as I feel it looks better on me being so tall.
Of course I like the fact that I'm starting to look like my old self, but more than anything, I feel healthier and I don't worry about future health problems, as well as feeling like I've broken my binge/starvation "addiction". Which is the best feeling of them all.

Morning everyone, I was sleeved on March 25, 2015....I am almost 4 months post op....starting weight was 227....current weight is 185....having the gastric sleeve was the best decision I could have made for me....I feel good....I have energy to do things now....I am no longer on any bp medications....this surgery was the best decision ever....and I am thankful for this second chance at living a healthier life....

Surgery date: April 22 - 412 lbs
April 30th - 387lbs
May 26 - 365.7lbs
June 18 - 345.6lbs
July 21 - 334lbs
Next appointment is July 21 - by doctors estimates I should be 338lbs, but I'm actually at 330lbs now.
The progression has been relatively smooth. I have followed the doctors recommendation 98%.
Biggest issues/challenges and adjustments have been:
1. Chewing food up more and eating slower ... Previously i guess i was eating fast and virtually swallowing food whole, lol.
2. Recognizing when my new stomach is full and mentally accepting that it only takes 1/8th the amount of food that i previously ate to get me full.
3. Taking all of the Multivitamins
The Benefits (which far outweigh any issues) have been:
1. Better health
2. Reduced medications
3. Weight loss
4. I look and feel better
5. For the first time i can goto the regular section in clothing stores and fit 3x shirts instead of 6x. I can fit 46/48 Waist pants instead of 56 waist. This was and has always been a goal of mine... I wanted to be able to walk into a store and buy regular clothes.
I haven't come completely off of all meds, like some have but I'll take a 50% reduction any day... Also, some of the strengths of my meds have been reduced. (250mg to 150mg, etc. )
My doctors office has been great... The support system is awesome. Helping me with finding healthier Snacks and meals. Emails and questions answered and returned promptly. I think the after care is 75% — 80% of the battle. To date i don't have any loose skin... I have been in the gym working out potential problem areas and I have been very successful.
I am by means no expert... But If i can answer any questions or help make this journey easier for anyone, just message me.

About a year ago, I had my sleeve surgery. It's been a long road with a few bumps every now and again, but I would do it over in a minute. I'm a slow loser and because I carry my weight in my legs (lipedema) I may never get to "thin" but I'm much healthier and happier now than I was. I'm posting before and after pix here!
Julia

My name is Tim and I just discovered this web site. I had gastric sleeve surgery with Dr. Teresa LaMasters in West Des Moines, IA back on December 30, 2014. I have had serious weight problems most of my life with the exception of my time in the military where I just wasn't able to eat whatever I wanted. My issue was definitely Portion Control and now just the thought of how much I would once eat seems like an incredible amount of food. I am just over 6 months post-op now and I have lost 83 pounds from my heaviest weight. I started at 315 and dropped to 311 day of surgery; I am now 232. I had several other medical conditions related to weight including high blood pressure, high cholesterol/triglycerides, obstructive sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation. I'm happy to say I no longer have blood pressure or cholesterol problems and the sleep apnea seems to have gone away as well so three of the four related problems are gone. I look forward to hearing from others and offering up any advice I am able to give.

I can't help with your question but just wanted to offer support during what must be such a dreadful time. You are amazing, in that you have still worked so hard even with all your problems hitting you daily. I really do admire your strength and hope you get it sorted soon, you deserve it!!
~ Gentle Hugs ~
Kate

I expect to get out of it as much as I put in.

Only my family and our friends know about my husband and I having the sleeve. We haven't shared with his family at all. He doesn't want his mom to know for at least 6 months. She's the type who if he lost 200 lbs would say, why not 250. Not very supportive. Would do nothing but worry and second guess everything we do. So we have our reasons. We have all the support and encouragement from my family and our church family that we need. We don't need the negativity right now.

I can tell you my experience:
My highest weight was 235. I lost almost 20 pounds pre-op (on my own diet and my surgeon's pre-op diet). Surgery day I weighed 216.
Month 1 I got up (finally) to almost 800 calories (was hitting closer to 500 most of that month).
Months 2-4 I ate 800 cals/day on average.
Months 5-6 (thanks to my bariatric PA's advice - who knows TONS of stuff about bariatric nutrition, more than my NUT, frankly) I gradually bumped up my cals to 1,000 cals/day.
Months 7-8 I gradually raised my daily cals to 1,200.
I hit my weight goal (150 pounds) 8.3 months post-op.
In the last 2.7 months I've been trying to hit 1,750 calories/day -- the calorie budget that my PA, my NUT, my exercise consultant and I all independently determined would be a good maintenance diet for me. That's pretty hard to do, and as a result I've lost another 6 pounds. However, I think that finally at 144 pounds the 1,750 cals/day thing is working for me.
I am sooo glad I didn't eat 800 calories for 8 months. There's no way to know for sure, but my feeling is that if I had eaten less during that time that my maintenance calorie budget would be lower than it is.
I don't want to lose anymore. I am older (69 years old now) and look just fine. I also want to be able to bounce if I fall down. And I don't want to eat like a bird to maintain some fantasy 125 pound weight that's too light for me at my age.
This has worked out really well for me.
Everyone's mileage may differ considerably from mine, but that's my story.

Ashley1213,
It will get better! And I’m not just saying that because you asked me to!
You just got your stomach cut out. It hurts. A lot. But it’s healing, and it will feel better every day. Make sure (nag) you help it feel better by following doctor’s orders to a T. Don’t even think about cheating on the post-op recovery diet, because that can put you in more pain and make weight loss harder down the road.
It’s also really hard mentally right now, and that can make you feel worse. This is the first time you can’t change your mind and back out. It’s done, and it can’t be undone. That’s a scary thing, and it can take a while to get used to. Also, now that you’re actually experiencing it, the whole weight loss surgery journey may actually be becoming REAL, and that’s scary, too.
Hang in there, and it’ll get better, and you’ll look and feel great! Good luck, and keep us posted!

Use the search function here and look for the phrase "three week stall" -- you will find that this is something virtually everyone goes through about 3 weeks out. You are not doing anything wrong. Your body is taking some time to rest and recuperate after a drastic shock. The scale will start going down again, I promise you. Don't expect your weight loss to be a linear plunge down -- most people, as they go through weight loss, find that their weight loss graphs look like crazy stair steps designed by a drunk. Our bodies are not calculators, and they don't always behave with mathematical precision. It can be frustrating, but don't let it stress you out. Maybe stay off the scale for a while if it is making you crazy. But I promise you, stay on plan, this is a temporary blip.
Also, promise yourself to come back here in a few months and answer one of these sorts of posts. I am not kidding when I say there is a post every.single.day by someone who is freaking out because somewhere between two and four weeks out from surgery, their weight loss has "stopped" even though they aren't doing anything wrong. Maybe even go make some pre-emptive, informative posts on the pre-op forum so that not so many people are unaware of this phenomenon!

@@ShrinkingPeach
Good rant. And so true.
Lipstick Lady posted a thread not too long ago about whether it was cheating or a choice? We make choices every day, but I also understand there are some deeper issues about WHY we make the choices we make.
But in the end, it IS all about the choices we make. We got fat because of the choices we made, and we will get healthy with the choices we make. Are they always easy? No, but I am quickly learning that delayed gratification is not something easy to practice for current or formerly obese people, and we don't like anything that makes us feel uncomfortable, such as drinking Water or exercising when we don't want to. Seems to be a common trait among us.
This WLS thing ain't for sissies. You have to learn to delay gratification, do things you don't want to do, and learn to be uncomfortable sometimes. But the rewards are so worth it.

ill ay this, many people look at themselves as victims. they aren't fat they are big, or plump or whatever, or its my metabolism, its my ( insert ailment , syndrome, etc)
When you dont take responsibility for who you are and what you do, it becomes very easy to simply blame everything as too hard, too this or too that.
Now the only saving grace here is when you do own up and make the choice within yourself to grab the reins and pull yourself out of this negative victim hole, you look back and want to slap yourself for being so blinded the whole time. Unfortunately i see a lot of posts by people where you can tell they will never see the truth in front of them, and they are already on that slope to failure. So many successful people on here that truly inspire, like Alex, lipstick lady, cowgirl, babbs,etc ( no offense to those i didn't list.) these people have such confidence about their future because they have taken ahold of their issues with both hands and willed themselves to be successful.

I was so proud of myself when I did my liquid diet and did not cheat. Never thought I had the will power for it. I now realize that it not only shrinks your liver but it prepares you to start your new journey.
I never ate cottage cheese before; I eat it now becuase it has a good amount of Protein in it.
I hate most Protein water; I drink it because I need the help with protein.
I'm horrible with taking my vitamins; I always have been but recently set up reminders for these.
I loved Pasta and potatoes pre-op; Haven't had them becuase it's not recommended.
Most things in life are a choice.

Agree 100%. When I see "can't" on here, too often I am afraid it really means "I prefer not too".
I know there are rare instances when someone has an allergy or other physical impediment. But, too often it is just discomfort.
As my surgeon pointed out right before surgery, if you passed your leak test after surgery, there is no physical reason you cannot drink three 11oz premier Protein shakes in one day.
I could go on. Maybe I am lucky (or just lived long enough to gain some experience) but most of what it takes to succeed is attitude-related.

Often I hear or read the following statements:
I can't drink another Protein Shake
I can't drink Water it tastes bad
I can't drink so much water it makes me pee a lot
I want to lose but these spaghettios cost $1 a can and I need cheap lunch
Oh I can't eat that it tastes bad
These Vitamins are gross
Blah, Blah, Blah
Okay, some of these are from my co-workers and some are from BP. Grow up people! The diet industry is an over $1Billion industry, yeah that's billion with a "B". In what world do you diet to lose X pounds and then eat what you want when you are done and not gain it back?? Really? That's rocket science?
If you were told you were going to die and all you had to do was drink 3 Protein shakes a day for say 2 weeks, would that change your attitude? Bet you would find a way to like them then. No one said you have to drink them plain you just have to watch what you add so you don't add sugar or calories. It's called google people.
Yeah water can be boring or maybe even harsh on your tummy. Add something like Mio or fruit to it, it changes the molecular structure as well as the taste. Or you can go ahead and drink diet sodas and pretend they are not a problem, your choice.
Of course the water makes you pee, it is flushing out bad stuff and cleaning your kidneys. It won't do that forever, the body will adjust. Or you can stop drinking and dehydrate your body and keep your weight since you like it so much!
The girls in my office are ALWAYS dieting. None of them need to lose more than maybe 12-20 pounds but they are always trying the next fad diet, taking diet pills intermittently, doing the latest workout videos etc. Then every other day I see them dipping into the ranch dip, eating fried Chik Fil A, eating ramen noodles, eating spaghettios!!, drinking sweet tea. I really don't care what yu eat it is your choice but really?? Do I have to hear you complain about your weight while you are eating that stuff. I actually watched a co-worker eat her tuna for lunch yesterday and then when a co-worker was finishing up, she made a mini sandwich with 2 waffle fries and put pickle slices in the middle. WTH?
I see a ton of complaints about vitamins on here. I take 2 chewable Bariatric Advantage vitamins a day (one in the morning and one at night), I take 2 500 mg Calcium chewables (one morning and one at night), I take sublingual B-12 twice a week. I will gladly do the chewables because for my newly sleeved stomach they absorb better when chewed. They actually taste pretty good to me. I WOULD MUCH RATHER TAKE VITAMINS THAN INJECT MYSELF DAILY WITH VICTOZA FOR MY BLOOD SUGAR!! I knew I was going to have to take vitamins BEFORE I had the surgery so why complain now?
Okay, I feel much better! Thanks for listening, empathizing or just plain laughing! All reactions are welcome! Putting away my soapbox now, carry on!

Not at all - in fact I have the opposite. I've tried bites of a few sweet things and yuck! I used to eat chocolate candy for lunch. Not any longer. And it makes my stomach upset.
If I get a real craving I have some of a Qwest Protein bar. The chocolate chip cookie dough or the brownie one is good for chocolate cravings.
And I bought the Qwest Protein chips. I put Laughing Cow cheese on those and salt them.
Or what's really yummy is take some cheese slices and break into 4 pieces. Put them on parchment paper, salt them and bake in a 250 degree oven for 35 minutes. You get "cheese" crackers that are delicious. I used cheddar, colby jack, baby swiss and havarti.

The more you stay away from carbs and processed sugar, the less you will crave them. That's how I deal with the cravings. If I do indulge, it takes me days to detox again and get rid of the cravings. It's just easier for me to limit or stay away completely!

Well, this is more a "what I looked forward to that actually happened". I had looked forward to going to the beach in a non skirted swimsuit and feeling good and totally unselfconscious. That happened today! Yay me! Thanks to all of you and this forum for giving me a place to say this!

I'm looking forward to not having my size consume my every thought! In the past few years I've put on a lot of weight and at this point I feel like no matter what I'm doing or where I am, my mind tortures me with self doubt and worry about what everyone else is thinking about me. It's exhausting. Looking forward to putting that behind me and replacing those feelings with pride, ethusiasm and happiness!
And yeah...I'm also looking forward to dancing and being part of the action instead of watching the action!!

I look forward to feeling pretty again. I have been thin all of my life. My emotional eating over the past 4 years has really packed on the lbs. I hope to get into my bikinis once again and to feel better health wise.

This is the best topic ever! I'm getting excited reading everyone's ideas, here are mine:
- looking good in my wedding dress (!!!!!) on October 17, 2015
- giving Lane Bryant the middle finger
- wearing a bathing suit that isn't a dress
- continuing my pole dancing classes and getting very strong
- joining a baseball team (softball who?)
- feeling good about full-body pictures
- fitting in the desks at school (starting bachelor's in the fall)
- that look on my fiance's face. yeah ladies, you know the one!!
- getting pregnant when we're ready and not worrying about complications