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Getting more weight off to ease the constant knee pain in my left knee. Continued better health.....feeling great already.....want to keep feeling this way. Normal sized tall clothes. Airplane-friendly body (legroom is always going to suck, though) because I want to be able to hop on flights for spur of the moment fun trips.

Completely feel that way, too. Outside of this forum I do not like to discus the numbers with anyone. Some folks I bump into just can't stand not to dig and dig on the numbers. I think they are simply enthusiastically supporting me in their own way....I just don't think I'll ever be comfortable with it. I took a pic the day before the surgery and used it as my "before" pic. I simply can not believe how far I'd allowed myself to fall off. That pic was taken after losing 55 lbs pre-op, too. It is a great reminder of where I was and how poorly I physically felt. Friends that are non-obese are the ones I'm most guarded around with the details of my weight loss. When they "diet" it is to lose 10-15 pounds.....not hundreds of pounds like me. They are encouraging and nonjudgmental in their questions....it's just that I feel my responses would be in terms they can't grasp. There may come a day a year or two down the line where I'll be comfortable discussing actual weights with them......but today is not that day.

I'm now 2 days away from my surgery and I am so nervous . I can't stop thinking about it! Very understandable. I can only say that my sleeve surgery was non-event. Almost no discomfort and everything went really, really well. Followed my instructions like a good boy and everything went smoothly. You will feel so relieved in just a few days. Try to relax.....take a deep breath and let it all out....the fear, the anxiety......the build up.......deep breaths in and out......let the stress go. Everything is going to go really well and you will live normally....with ease with your new sleeve. The days leading up to my surgery found me posting a lot and looking at everyone's before & after pics. Seeing their progress calmed me down really well. Success. That is exactly where you are headed. We have a spot on the Loser's Bench saved for you. There is always room on it because everyone is getting leaner and more healthy. You'll join this group. We tend to smile a lot and laugh our butts off. Relax and look forward to claiming your seat. It's a fun process. Be thinking about the clothes you want to wear soon......the fun hobbies you want to engage in.......get ready to enjoy yourself a great deal.

Thanks @@LadyWarren I'm really looking forward to getting back to ENC before too long.......gotta get some proper BBQ !!!!!

You are doing great and off to a super start. It gets much easier to live with the sleeve as you go.

Innersurfergirl is spot on as always. Go slow.....very slow. like 1/2 teaspoon at a time with a minute in between to chew and wait...slow. My go to Protein in the early days was soft flakey baked-broiled-grilled fish. I had a nice piece today for lunch, too. Goes down easy.

Amazing thread. Great success stories made or in the making !!!!

Congrats on your strategy and incorporating weight training into things. It can be fun and you'll love the results. You're surgeon will have specific instructions for you. Mine was fairly laid back with his sleeve patients. He said he'd send us home from the hospital with very few restrictions....just to walk, move and get back to regular living as soon as possible. He did say something about waiting until our various follow up visits to lift anything substantial. I think he even referenced lifting a bag of groceries was fine.....just not several at once.

I'm 3+ months now. I have the occasional gurgling and noises for no known reason but it's not load enough for others to hear. Drinking is not a problem as I've learned not to take gulps like I used to. It is certainly noticeable when I'm eating. I have to go very slow and stop well before there is any type of getting full feeling. If I wait until the full sensation hits then it means I"m going to be very uncomfortable for a while. Today for instance.....had the New Orleans Seafood plate with broccoli & roasted brussels at Ruby Tuesday. Destroyed the 5-6 tiny shrimp.....had three of the brussels (halved) and then slowly began on the baked fish and ate roughly half of it. Never touched my Water, broccoli or the bread they bring out. I was stuffed and didn't like the feeling for an hour later. Normal meals at home are from a fairly routine "menu" and I know the portion size to consume and stop at. Restaurant dining is a different story. I've grown accustomed to never finishing any meal, but making a dent in it. Friday afternoon I had an order of wings from a local spot we like. I stopped with 4 wing sections.....not the 5 that come with a small order. That 5th would have made the difference between a good meal and being overstuffed and uncomfortable. Other than when eating.....I've never had much notice of my sleeve.

I would think so.

I'm early into this deal but have found that I do best when I avoid breads, Pasta, pizza and certainly sugar. I've not had any fruit since being sleeved, either. Steamed or grilled vegetables, Beans and avocados are carbs that I do enjoy every few days. I love freshly made guacamole. I do best when I stick to this. No carb cravings or anything like that.

You should cut & paste all of that into a special holiday card to send to them. Gotta love unsolicited advice and opinions.......your analogy for them is spot on. Sriracha sauce is the ticket, too. Love that stuff.

That is really awesome. One year !!!! That is amazing progress.

I can't really add much here that already hasn't been said about the pre-op hurdles. I grew really frustrated with them ultimately gave up on my insurance and self-funded the surgery. This cut through all the BS and I only had to wait a couple more weeks. I was in a hurry to get the weight off to take stress off a herniated disc and for other health reasons. Looking back....my only regret was not doing all this sooner. Inquire about your bariatric center's self pay options. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you find out. I approached the whole experience with one thought in mind....my goal was to lose weight....not just lay around and wait for the surgery to do it for me. I was able to get 55 lbs off before surgery. I should have tried harder. I got hung up with having "food funerals" savoring things for the "last time". I initially thought I was going to have a gastric bypass and the thought of the dumping syndrome fueled my desire to enjoy sugary junk food too much when I should have been losing more than that first 55 lbs. Ironically, I went on to have a sleeve....not a bypass. I could still have all that sugary junk food right now without any dumping so all those food funerals were simply stupid wasted opportunities to lose.....lose.....lose. I have no desire to eat that crap though and am very pleased with the sleeve. All the scary issues I had brewing have been resolved and the minor stuff is slowly easing off. I can't stress how much better I feel every single minute of every single day. I congratulate you on making the weight loss surgery decision. It took me over a decade to get behind it. Once I did....I fully embraced it and my life is better for doing so. The surgery requires you to change your way of thinking. This is key to your success. The first thing you have to do is change your relationship with food. Sounds like a bunch of hokey bs, right ?.......it's 100% true, though. No surgery can benefit you if you don't fix your head first. Get your thinking straightened out and everything else will unfold with ease as you march toward your surgery date and life beyond. You have to eat in order to fuel your body. You don't have to eat for any other reason. Use the time ahead of you to get your mind wrapped around that concept. If you stick with insurance funding the surgery then I highly encourage you to have frequent check ins with your insurance companies bariatric admins. Make them tell you what you need to do and make sure they receive all the documentation required. You may also be able to get credit for some of the 6 month if you can get your doctor to document you were counseled on you weight at various office visits over the past 2 years. Ask the admin and see. It sure can't hurt. Good luck and push yourself hard.

I made the switch from regular soft drinks to the diet versions when I was in my late teens. I dropped sweet tea way back then, too. That being said.....I was hopelessly addicted to Diet Mountain Dew and Diet Coke for decades. I scaled back on both leading up to my sleeve surgery last October. I've not tried either since then and I truly have zero desire for diet drinks. I am very happy to drink my Water and coffee and life is good. Not only are the diet soda cravings gone....but so are the cravings for sweets and other junk foods. I crave meats. About the worst junk food I ever want anymore is the occasional nuts or cheeses.....and even these aren't so bad.

I don't know how best to tell the story properly......so I'll just throw it how there in the sequence of events as they occurred. This is a true story. There were no animals injured in this story. There were no injuries had.....although I thought I was going to have to employ the services of a voodoo priestess to lift a curse on me. I'm a Houston Texans fan. I make no apologies for my fanhood. I love a good defense and Watt & Wilfork are my boys. I've seen Clowney play live in a couple games and was super enthused when he signed onto my Texans roster. Now, though, I'd like to kick him in the ass. If he finally shows up in full form my Texans will destroy any offense. They are currently getting punked out by Arizona. The game is painful to watch at times. I made a pro-move to improve their luck a bit and grabbed one of my Texans hats....the old worn out one. While up.....decided to get something to drink. Getting some Water from the fridge. Hat brim pulled down low........I let out a long deflated and frustrated exhale. What hit me next was was horrid. The smell. The terrible smell. Damn, dude......is your breath that rancid ??? WTF ??? Was this the ketosis breath that everyone talks about ????? How in the hell will I work around this ? The only time of the year that I could possibly get some action will be at a Halloween party and I'll have to wear a Darth Vader mask and respirator. I set my cup down and cupped my hands over my mouth & nose. Inhale..........exhale......inhale.......exhale. Again......again. Hmm. Smelled like Crest toothpaste & coffee. WTF? Turned around and saw my dogs looking up at me. Sitting there with their own WTF? look on their faces. Then the smell hit me again. Looked down and saw a fresh steaming pile of dog crap two feet from where I was standing. Fueled by Blue Buffalo Salmon & Sweet Potato dog food. I've never been so happy to see dog droppings in all my life. No keto breath. All is well........except JJ Watt has ripped his groin. Damnitman. Oh well.......there is always next season. i will be going to Houston to see them play, too !!!!!

It's all good. If it's the keto-breath monster then that means you are moving the scale righteously......which you clearly are. Looking at your progress all it easy to see that you are winning the battle really well. Off to an impressive start. This much momentum is most likely fueled by ketosis. Roll with it and tote a container of mints in your pocket. You are kicking ass !!!!

Wise. I pull for the Steelers for some compelling reasons.

Born and raised there......stayed a couple decades.........just had a sleeve............does that count ? Moving away from ENC was a bad decision.......but having the sleeve surgery was most WISE !!!!!!! Zero regrets and looking forward to living with my new turbo sleeve. It's the best gift I've ever received outside of the birth of my son. Powerful tool for recovering real living and thriving. Zero regrets. Oh yeah.....I couldn't appear in a proper NC thread and not give a shout out to my Pirates !!! Go Pirates !!!!!!!!

And their shyt doesn't stink ???????? Febreeze the hell outa the bathroom afterwards and get on about your bidness. Don't sweat the small stuff...................and most of it is truly small stuff. You've lost 73 pounds in the past few months....and are rocking a 30 BMI. Tell the whole world to kiss your butt.

My teef. Chew like a madman and then chew some more. Worked for me. I skipped the whole pureed stage. YMMV.

Details......details. Why sweat the small stuff. Isn't it enough that JJ. Watt sacrificed his groin on this day ?????????? I mean....I've been trying to find a worthy cause to sacrifice my groin to for a long, long time. Thank you. That last 4 quarters of football hurt badly. The suck was strong in my Texans today. The Cardinal-Chiefs laid the wood to 'em bigtime. All I have to say at this point is Go STEELERS !!!!!!!!!

Nope.....it's not. I'm in total agreement with @@rking I'd have done dog tricks if I'd been allowed some steamed broccoli, mushrooms and other type vegetables. Fetch.......roll over.......bark......you name it.

Same here. It was one of the many things that my surgeon did that made my sleeve experience a piece of cake. I'd asked him about how long I'd have to have the drain in my side. "What drain? I don't do drains. You'll be fine." I also asked him about what to expect with gas pains post-op? "What gas pains? You shouldn't have any.". And so it went in my pre-op Q&A session with him. Dude is a surgical wizard and I owe him so much respect. His work has literally given me a new outlook on life.