james1

You do and eat ...EXACTLY...what the doctors tell you to do. You follow that eating and drinking plan EXACTLY like the doctor says and let the doctor / doctor office know of any complications right away. That part is not optional. Even something as small as popcorn to early will damage your surgery incision.
For me, it was an odd sensation of not being hungry but being thirsty and trying my best to get fluids down. A single cup of Jello was hard to take in all at once....you are re-learning how to eat and live. If you eat things to early you will hurt yourself and or be sick. Trust me, I did it once where I ate to much and regretted it about 20 minutes later in the bathroom at work.
I cleared an entire shelf in my fridge and that was MY shelf, of ONLY things I can eat at that time, at my eye level, and all else was out of sight.
I did mine during the holidays too, and its hard as the family eats all around you, but I stuck to it and have good results.
Good luck!

You do and eat ...EXACTLY...what the doctors tell you to do. You follow that eating and drinking plan EXACTLY like the doctor says and let the doctor / doctor office know of any complications right away. That part is not optional. Even something as small as popcorn to early will damage your surgery incision.
For me, it was an odd sensation of not being hungry but being thirsty and trying my best to get fluids down. A single cup of Jello was hard to take in all at once....you are re-learning how to eat and live. If you eat things to early you will hurt yourself and or be sick. Trust me, I did it once where I ate to much and regretted it about 20 minutes later in the bathroom at work.
I cleared an entire shelf in my fridge and that was MY shelf, of ONLY things I can eat at that time, at my eye level, and all else was out of sight.
I did mine during the holidays too, and its hard as the family eats all around you, but I stuck to it and have good results.
Good luck!

You do and eat ...EXACTLY...what the doctors tell you to do. You follow that eating and drinking plan EXACTLY like the doctor says and let the doctor / doctor office know of any complications right away. That part is not optional. Even something as small as popcorn to early will damage your surgery incision.
For me, it was an odd sensation of not being hungry but being thirsty and trying my best to get fluids down. A single cup of Jello was hard to take in all at once....you are re-learning how to eat and live. If you eat things to early you will hurt yourself and or be sick. Trust me, I did it once where I ate to much and regretted it about 20 minutes later in the bathroom at work.
I cleared an entire shelf in my fridge and that was MY shelf, of ONLY things I can eat at that time, at my eye level, and all else was out of sight.
I did mine during the holidays too, and its hard as the family eats all around you, but I stuck to it and have good results.
Good luck!

You do and eat ...EXACTLY...what the doctors tell you to do. You follow that eating and drinking plan EXACTLY like the doctor says and let the doctor / doctor office know of any complications right away. That part is not optional. Even something as small as popcorn to early will damage your surgery incision.
For me, it was an odd sensation of not being hungry but being thirsty and trying my best to get fluids down. A single cup of Jello was hard to take in all at once....you are re-learning how to eat and live. If you eat things to early you will hurt yourself and or be sick. Trust me, I did it once where I ate to much and regretted it about 20 minutes later in the bathroom at work.
I cleared an entire shelf in my fridge and that was MY shelf, of ONLY things I can eat at that time, at my eye level, and all else was out of sight.
I did mine during the holidays too, and its hard as the family eats all around you, but I stuck to it and have good results.
Good luck!

You do and eat ...EXACTLY...what the doctors tell you to do. You follow that eating and drinking plan EXACTLY like the doctor says and let the doctor / doctor office know of any complications right away. That part is not optional. Even something as small as popcorn to early will damage your surgery incision.
For me, it was an odd sensation of not being hungry but being thirsty and trying my best to get fluids down. A single cup of Jello was hard to take in all at once....you are re-learning how to eat and live. If you eat things to early you will hurt yourself and or be sick. Trust me, I did it once where I ate to much and regretted it about 20 minutes later in the bathroom at work.
I cleared an entire shelf in my fridge and that was MY shelf, of ONLY things I can eat at that time, at my eye level, and all else was out of sight.
I did mine during the holidays too, and its hard as the family eats all around you, but I stuck to it and have good results.
Good luck!

I had my 3 month post op today, all is good. I can tell you the food/drink you can't tolerate this week may be ok in a few weeks. My doctors have a gradual week by week diet of foods to add back, and it all seemed to be very gradual increases in texture and thickness.
I didn't think I would like cottage cheese (name and texture thing) but its not bad and was way easy on my stomach. I actually ate it as a kid, but stopped until after my sleeve.
Agree that trying different Protein shakes is key but don't write them off totally if you can't hold one down now. The premier shakes are huge Protein boosts and worth sampling later, or breaking up through a day to get your protein. I was always ok with that brand so I haven't tried to many others

Man I wonder if there is something to that. It makes sense, the whole balance being off thing,

I've had many "klutz" moments. I've come to think that my center of balance is so different that my "mind's eyes" can't keep up with my weight loss.
Does that make any sense? That's the only explanation that I have. My body is so used to having a balance a large chunk of ---well ME, that now that I have less mass, I'm just flinging myself around as if I still had it. But, being lighter I am overcompensating and becoming clumsy and unbalanced (physically---well ok, maybe a wee bit mentally as well, but that's a story for a different day )
Anyway, that is my theory and I'm sticking with it!

Three month check up today. 52 pounds down, labs all good. Feeling great! Very few problems to speak of.
The real question...did anyone else turn into a clutz after losing weight? I mean stumble, drop stuff more often,...like I am learning to walk again lol.

Need to move more would be my 1st guess. Also, your Water intake needs to be right or your weight wont budge (at least thats what I think happens to me).

well. I find that I am putting up with people treating me badly a lot less. in fact I am having to make myself wait to respond lest I overdo it.
Did I put up with more before this journey? are people trying to push me back in an unhealthy place because they are threatened by my weight loss? I don't know. Thankfully this for me, is a workplace issue and not my core relationships.
I don't know yet if I have changed or if they have.

Good Morning,
I just wanted to drop a quick line about my 30 days post op experiences with Gastric Sleeve Surgery on 12/23 with Doctor Michael Thomas in Louisiana:
The numbers: I use a free App called 'My Fitness Pal' to track food and nutrition, a Fitbit HR to measure steps and heart rate, and I have the fitbit scale to measure weight and body fat %. I like this setup because it is EASY to use, very low maintenance (no big day to day shift in my habits), and it all just integrates together into the 'Myfitness Pal' app. As long as I use the ap, everything is in sync and I have one place to check on things. Step on the scale each morning, scale is wifi and updates my fitbit software and My Fitness Pal. Eat something, log it in diary of myfitness pal, walk and my steps automatically go into the app. Logging food intake is easy, my fitness pal can search out almost every food and has a barcode scanner to find and load specific items (and their nutrition levels). When its time to see nutritionist again, I can log in online and print my food diary and hand it to her. Its all in the phone I already carry around. To my weight...so day before surgery I was 296.3 with 40.2% body fat as measured at home and today I am 266.9 with 36.4% body fat now. So that's about -30 pounds and about -4% body fat, about 30 days out. About -38 pounds from my all time high #304neveragain
The good: By all accounts, my surgery was damn near perfect. 45 minutes total surgery time....no nausea, no site infections, out of hospital after just one night, off prescription pain meds a few days after I got home...limited need for non-prescription pain meds...no drainage issues. I credit that to a Bariatric surgeon who has made this his career and his team that supported me all of the way, BUT I also did everything they asked me to do by the letter. Most of the good things you hear after surgery are TRUE. MAD weight loss so far...if you listen to what these professionals are telling you to the letter. I mean 30 pounds in about 30 days is incredible and ALREADY LIFECHANGING for me...yes I have already had people notice I am losing weight (people who don't know what I did). Those marginal clothes I have been clinging on to, all fit great now. The energy level (once pain and pain meds is done) is totally increased. I WANT to exercise right now, but have not been cleared to do so yet. Hopefully on my 1 month follow up. So I walk.
The bad: Those clothes that fit great before, now all fit like crap....even just at 30 days out! I have already tossed blue jeans into the donate pile and dug out some 'I hope I fit in these again one day' jeans, that happen to do fit. Why is this bad? If you dress up for work, put a little money aside for clothes. Suites over the next year will probably get real expensive for me. Food Choices: My doctors have a very specific set of foods to eat, and each week more foods are added back. Its very Boring but WORTH following. I did roll forward and nibbled a few items that were a week ahead, and was ok....and I also found some items (even now) that my stomach is like 'nope, never again'. You learn those items quick, as they speed through your system, if you get my drift.
The ugly: HOLY HEAD HUNGER BATMAN. Hit me a few days out. I just KNEW I could eat something and be ok...my brain was trying to do its best to convince me. I wanted to because I was soooooo hungry...1.5oz of Jello later and I feel like it was after Thanksgiving meal at moms. But I resisted...I ate the Jello slow...half spoon full, wait....half spoonful, wait....wait....whats that feeling? (Full is a new sensation for me btw)...I had to let my stomach and brain re-wire to see what the signals meant. Very bizarre, and it took me time.
Dehydration is a very real problem. I did find myself slipping on my Fluid intake as I got a few more food choices back, and woke up one morning feeling totally dehydrated. Took it upon myself to start sipping power aid zero for a few days to get feeling right again, but I can't rehydrate as fast as I once did. I need to watch that in the summer, glad I did this in the winter.
That's about it for now, good luck everyone!
-James

so awesome!!!! that is very helpful to hear. I am waiting patiently thru my 6 month waiting process for insurance. I did have a question for you. Do you get full by driinking the Water ? you said you get dehydrated, but do you find yourself full after having sips of water?

Good Morning,
I just wanted to drop a quick line about my 30 days post op experiences with Gastric Sleeve Surgery on 12/23 with Doctor Michael Thomas in Louisiana:
The numbers: I use a free App called 'My Fitness Pal' to track food and nutrition, a Fitbit HR to measure steps and heart rate, and I have the fitbit scale to measure weight and body fat %. I like this setup because it is EASY to use, very low maintenance (no big day to day shift in my habits), and it all just integrates together into the 'Myfitness Pal' app. As long as I use the ap, everything is in sync and I have one place to check on things. Step on the scale each morning, scale is wifi and updates my fitbit software and My Fitness Pal. Eat something, log it in diary of myfitness pal, walk and my steps automatically go into the app. Logging food intake is easy, my fitness pal can search out almost every food and has a barcode scanner to find and load specific items (and their nutrition levels). When its time to see nutritionist again, I can log in online and print my food diary and hand it to her. Its all in the phone I already carry around. To my weight...so day before surgery I was 296.3 with 40.2% body fat as measured at home and today I am 266.9 with 36.4% body fat now. So that's about -30 pounds and about -4% body fat, about 30 days out. About -38 pounds from my all time high #304neveragain
The good: By all accounts, my surgery was damn near perfect. 45 minutes total surgery time....no nausea, no site infections, out of hospital after just one night, off prescription pain meds a few days after I got home...limited need for non-prescription pain meds...no drainage issues. I credit that to a Bariatric surgeon who has made this his career and his team that supported me all of the way, BUT I also did everything they asked me to do by the letter. Most of the good things you hear after surgery are TRUE. MAD weight loss so far...if you listen to what these professionals are telling you to the letter. I mean 30 pounds in about 30 days is incredible and ALREADY LIFECHANGING for me...yes I have already had people notice I am losing weight (people who don't know what I did). Those marginal clothes I have been clinging on to, all fit great now. The energy level (once pain and pain meds is done) is totally increased. I WANT to exercise right now, but have not been cleared to do so yet. Hopefully on my 1 month follow up. So I walk.
The bad: Those clothes that fit great before, now all fit like crap....even just at 30 days out! I have already tossed blue jeans into the donate pile and dug out some 'I hope I fit in these again one day' jeans, that happen to do fit. Why is this bad? If you dress up for work, put a little money aside for clothes. Suites over the next year will probably get real expensive for me. Food Choices: My doctors have a very specific set of foods to eat, and each week more foods are added back. Its very Boring but WORTH following. I did roll forward and nibbled a few items that were a week ahead, and was ok....and I also found some items (even now) that my stomach is like 'nope, never again'. You learn those items quick, as they speed through your system, if you get my drift.
The ugly: HOLY HEAD HUNGER BATMAN. Hit me a few days out. I just KNEW I could eat something and be ok...my brain was trying to do its best to convince me. I wanted to because I was soooooo hungry...1.5oz of Jello later and I feel like it was after Thanksgiving meal at moms. But I resisted...I ate the Jello slow...half spoon full, wait....half spoonful, wait....wait....whats that feeling? (Full is a new sensation for me btw)...I had to let my stomach and brain re-wire to see what the signals meant. Very bizarre, and it took me time.
Dehydration is a very real problem. I did find myself slipping on my Fluid intake as I got a few more food choices back, and woke up one morning feeling totally dehydrated. Took it upon myself to start sipping power aid zero for a few days to get feeling right again, but I can't rehydrate as fast as I once did. I need to watch that in the summer, glad I did this in the winter.
That's about it for now, good luck everyone!
-James

Good Morning,
I just wanted to drop a quick line about my 30 days post op experiences with Gastric Sleeve Surgery on 12/23 with Doctor Michael Thomas in Louisiana:
The numbers: I use a free App called 'My Fitness Pal' to track food and nutrition, a Fitbit HR to measure steps and heart rate, and I have the fitbit scale to measure weight and body fat %. I like this setup because it is EASY to use, very low maintenance (no big day to day shift in my habits), and it all just integrates together into the 'Myfitness Pal' app. As long as I use the ap, everything is in sync and I have one place to check on things. Step on the scale each morning, scale is wifi and updates my fitbit software and My Fitness Pal. Eat something, log it in diary of myfitness pal, walk and my steps automatically go into the app. Logging food intake is easy, my fitness pal can search out almost every food and has a barcode scanner to find and load specific items (and their nutrition levels). When its time to see nutritionist again, I can log in online and print my food diary and hand it to her. Its all in the phone I already carry around. To my weight...so day before surgery I was 296.3 with 40.2% body fat as measured at home and today I am 266.9 with 36.4% body fat now. So that's about -30 pounds and about -4% body fat, about 30 days out. About -38 pounds from my all time high #304neveragain
The good: By all accounts, my surgery was damn near perfect. 45 minutes total surgery time....no nausea, no site infections, out of hospital after just one night, off prescription pain meds a few days after I got home...limited need for non-prescription pain meds...no drainage issues. I credit that to a Bariatric surgeon who has made this his career and his team that supported me all of the way, BUT I also did everything they asked me to do by the letter. Most of the good things you hear after surgery are TRUE. MAD weight loss so far...if you listen to what these professionals are telling you to the letter. I mean 30 pounds in about 30 days is incredible and ALREADY LIFECHANGING for me...yes I have already had people notice I am losing weight (people who don't know what I did). Those marginal clothes I have been clinging on to, all fit great now. The energy level (once pain and pain meds is done) is totally increased. I WANT to exercise right now, but have not been cleared to do so yet. Hopefully on my 1 month follow up. So I walk.
The bad: Those clothes that fit great before, now all fit like crap....even just at 30 days out! I have already tossed blue jeans into the donate pile and dug out some 'I hope I fit in these again one day' jeans, that happen to do fit. Why is this bad? If you dress up for work, put a little money aside for clothes. Suites over the next year will probably get real expensive for me. Food Choices: My doctors have a very specific set of foods to eat, and each week more foods are added back. Its very Boring but WORTH following. I did roll forward and nibbled a few items that were a week ahead, and was ok....and I also found some items (even now) that my stomach is like 'nope, never again'. You learn those items quick, as they speed through your system, if you get my drift.
The ugly: HOLY HEAD HUNGER BATMAN. Hit me a few days out. I just KNEW I could eat something and be ok...my brain was trying to do its best to convince me. I wanted to because I was soooooo hungry...1.5oz of Jello later and I feel like it was after Thanksgiving meal at moms. But I resisted...I ate the Jello slow...half spoon full, wait....half spoonful, wait....wait....whats that feeling? (Full is a new sensation for me btw)...I had to let my stomach and brain re-wire to see what the signals meant. Very bizarre, and it took me time.
Dehydration is a very real problem. I did find myself slipping on my Fluid intake as I got a few more food choices back, and woke up one morning feeling totally dehydrated. Took it upon myself to start sipping power aid zero for a few days to get feeling right again, but I can't rehydrate as fast as I once did. I need to watch that in the summer, glad I did this in the winter.
That's about it for now, good luck everyone!
-James

Good Morning,
I just wanted to drop a quick line about my 30 days post op experiences with Gastric Sleeve Surgery on 12/23 with Doctor Michael Thomas in Louisiana:
The numbers: I use a free App called 'My Fitness Pal' to track food and nutrition, a Fitbit HR to measure steps and heart rate, and I have the fitbit scale to measure weight and body fat %. I like this setup because it is EASY to use, very low maintenance (no big day to day shift in my habits), and it all just integrates together into the 'Myfitness Pal' app. As long as I use the ap, everything is in sync and I have one place to check on things. Step on the scale each morning, scale is wifi and updates my fitbit software and My Fitness Pal. Eat something, log it in diary of myfitness pal, walk and my steps automatically go into the app. Logging food intake is easy, my fitness pal can search out almost every food and has a barcode scanner to find and load specific items (and their nutrition levels). When its time to see nutritionist again, I can log in online and print my food diary and hand it to her. Its all in the phone I already carry around. To my weight...so day before surgery I was 296.3 with 40.2% body fat as measured at home and today I am 266.9 with 36.4% body fat now. So that's about -30 pounds and about -4% body fat, about 30 days out. About -38 pounds from my all time high #304neveragain
The good: By all accounts, my surgery was damn near perfect. 45 minutes total surgery time....no nausea, no site infections, out of hospital after just one night, off prescription pain meds a few days after I got home...limited need for non-prescription pain meds...no drainage issues. I credit that to a Bariatric surgeon who has made this his career and his team that supported me all of the way, BUT I also did everything they asked me to do by the letter. Most of the good things you hear after surgery are TRUE. MAD weight loss so far...if you listen to what these professionals are telling you to the letter. I mean 30 pounds in about 30 days is incredible and ALREADY LIFECHANGING for me...yes I have already had people notice I am losing weight (people who don't know what I did). Those marginal clothes I have been clinging on to, all fit great now. The energy level (once pain and pain meds is done) is totally increased. I WANT to exercise right now, but have not been cleared to do so yet. Hopefully on my 1 month follow up. So I walk.
The bad: Those clothes that fit great before, now all fit like crap....even just at 30 days out! I have already tossed blue jeans into the donate pile and dug out some 'I hope I fit in these again one day' jeans, that happen to do fit. Why is this bad? If you dress up for work, put a little money aside for clothes. Suites over the next year will probably get real expensive for me. Food Choices: My doctors have a very specific set of foods to eat, and each week more foods are added back. Its very Boring but WORTH following. I did roll forward and nibbled a few items that were a week ahead, and was ok....and I also found some items (even now) that my stomach is like 'nope, never again'. You learn those items quick, as they speed through your system, if you get my drift.
The ugly: HOLY HEAD HUNGER BATMAN. Hit me a few days out. I just KNEW I could eat something and be ok...my brain was trying to do its best to convince me. I wanted to because I was soooooo hungry...1.5oz of Jello later and I feel like it was after Thanksgiving meal at moms. But I resisted...I ate the Jello slow...half spoon full, wait....half spoonful, wait....wait....whats that feeling? (Full is a new sensation for me btw)...I had to let my stomach and brain re-wire to see what the signals meant. Very bizarre, and it took me time.
Dehydration is a very real problem. I did find myself slipping on my Fluid intake as I got a few more food choices back, and woke up one morning feeling totally dehydrated. Took it upon myself to start sipping power aid zero for a few days to get feeling right again, but I can't rehydrate as fast as I once did. I need to watch that in the summer, glad I did this in the winter.
That's about it for now, good luck everyone!
-James

Good Morning,
I just wanted to drop a quick line about my 30 days post op experiences with Gastric Sleeve Surgery on 12/23 with Doctor Michael Thomas in Louisiana:
The numbers: I use a free App called 'My Fitness Pal' to track food and nutrition, a Fitbit HR to measure steps and heart rate, and I have the fitbit scale to measure weight and body fat %. I like this setup because it is EASY to use, very low maintenance (no big day to day shift in my habits), and it all just integrates together into the 'Myfitness Pal' app. As long as I use the ap, everything is in sync and I have one place to check on things. Step on the scale each morning, scale is wifi and updates my fitbit software and My Fitness Pal. Eat something, log it in diary of myfitness pal, walk and my steps automatically go into the app. Logging food intake is easy, my fitness pal can search out almost every food and has a barcode scanner to find and load specific items (and their nutrition levels). When its time to see nutritionist again, I can log in online and print my food diary and hand it to her. Its all in the phone I already carry around. To my weight...so day before surgery I was 296.3 with 40.2% body fat as measured at home and today I am 266.9 with 36.4% body fat now. So that's about -30 pounds and about -4% body fat, about 30 days out. About -38 pounds from my all time high #304neveragain
The good: By all accounts, my surgery was damn near perfect. 45 minutes total surgery time....no nausea, no site infections, out of hospital after just one night, off prescription pain meds a few days after I got home...limited need for non-prescription pain meds...no drainage issues. I credit that to a Bariatric surgeon who has made this his career and his team that supported me all of the way, BUT I also did everything they asked me to do by the letter. Most of the good things you hear after surgery are TRUE. MAD weight loss so far...if you listen to what these professionals are telling you to the letter. I mean 30 pounds in about 30 days is incredible and ALREADY LIFECHANGING for me...yes I have already had people notice I am losing weight (people who don't know what I did). Those marginal clothes I have been clinging on to, all fit great now. The energy level (once pain and pain meds is done) is totally increased. I WANT to exercise right now, but have not been cleared to do so yet. Hopefully on my 1 month follow up. So I walk.
The bad: Those clothes that fit great before, now all fit like crap....even just at 30 days out! I have already tossed blue jeans into the donate pile and dug out some 'I hope I fit in these again one day' jeans, that happen to do fit. Why is this bad? If you dress up for work, put a little money aside for clothes. Suites over the next year will probably get real expensive for me. Food Choices: My doctors have a very specific set of foods to eat, and each week more foods are added back. Its very Boring but WORTH following. I did roll forward and nibbled a few items that were a week ahead, and was ok....and I also found some items (even now) that my stomach is like 'nope, never again'. You learn those items quick, as they speed through your system, if you get my drift.
The ugly: HOLY HEAD HUNGER BATMAN. Hit me a few days out. I just KNEW I could eat something and be ok...my brain was trying to do its best to convince me. I wanted to because I was soooooo hungry...1.5oz of Jello later and I feel like it was after Thanksgiving meal at moms. But I resisted...I ate the Jello slow...half spoon full, wait....half spoonful, wait....wait....whats that feeling? (Full is a new sensation for me btw)...I had to let my stomach and brain re-wire to see what the signals meant. Very bizarre, and it took me time.
Dehydration is a very real problem. I did find myself slipping on my Fluid intake as I got a few more food choices back, and woke up one morning feeling totally dehydrated. Took it upon myself to start sipping power aid zero for a few days to get feeling right again, but I can't rehydrate as fast as I once did. I need to watch that in the summer, glad I did this in the winter.
That's about it for now, good luck everyone!
-James

Glad your surgery went well! I hope you make it home for Christmas

So my pre-op Wednesday went well. Hospital is about an hour and a half from my home so took the day off with my wife and we made our way there. Lots of paperwork and some more blood work. I am a little nervous that my stay would roll over into Christmas day, so I am trying to do everything they tell me by the book. Using the little breathing device they gave me every night to practice, as the nurses described it as 'my ticket out of the hospital', lol.
On another front, I have made the decision to tell a few select people about my surgery (brother, mom, dad, and a few close friends...6 in total). I have to say it was pretty liberating and I have had great support from most everyone I told. They only detractor was my mom, who doesn't like any surgery whatsoever, but after she said it she never really spoke up about it again...or forbid me....or even really caused drama. She teared up a little, and I think that's the mom in her not wanting her baby hurt. I then disclosed I had hit 304 pounds when I started down the surgery path (now about 290), and she got quite (knowing that's not healthy either).
My work only knows that I am going out for surgery and my HR is making me do an FMLA packet, but I have a ton of sick time built up and I am using it. The HR people have made a few sly comments to me about my surgery, never asking directly what its for, but trying to fish it out of me in a round about way (two times so far). My answers so far have all been truthful, "the surgery is a procedure that will take about an hour and is laparoscopic and I should recover quickly, and I am going to be ok when its done. Its just a little maintenance 'under the hood' . "
T Minus 6 days!

So my pre-op Wednesday went well. Hospital is about an hour and a half from my home so took the day off with my wife and we made our way there. Lots of paperwork and some more blood work. I am a little nervous that my stay would roll over into Christmas day, so I am trying to do everything they tell me by the book. Using the little breathing device they gave me every night to practice, as the nurses described it as 'my ticket out of the hospital', lol.
On another front, I have made the decision to tell a few select people about my surgery (brother, mom, dad, and a few close friends...6 in total). I have to say it was pretty liberating and I have had great support from most everyone I told. They only detractor was my mom, who doesn't like any surgery whatsoever, but after she said it she never really spoke up about it again...or forbid me....or even really caused drama. She teared up a little, and I think that's the mom in her not wanting her baby hurt. I then disclosed I had hit 304 pounds when I started down the surgery path (now about 290), and she got quite (knowing that's not healthy either).
My work only knows that I am going out for surgery and my HR is making me do an FMLA packet, but I have a ton of sick time built up and I am using it. The HR people have made a few sly comments to me about my surgery, never asking directly what its for, but trying to fish it out of me in a round about way (two times so far). My answers so far have all been truthful, "the surgery is a procedure that will take about an hour and is laparoscopic and I should recover quickly, and I am going to be ok when its done. Its just a little maintenance 'under the hood' . "
T Minus 6 days!

Most people are hungry at first. Trust me. But it does go away. Even tho you are hungry, it takes very little to satisfy the hunger.

I am 14 months out. I never experience physical hunger and my head hunger has gone away too over time. I know I need to eat because my energy level will get low. I eat small amounts frequently, like a couple of handfuls of nuts, every few hours. I pretty much eat what I want. I just eat way less than before. I just have no hunger. I was a binge eater so I know about cravings and overeating. I've lost about 115 lbs. i wear a medium. I feel so very blessed.

I am excited and of course nervous!
I have finished my classes and feel completely educated. I read everything on here too. I am meeting with someone this Friday and she had surgery last year and has her Tummy Tuck on the 30th. I plan to ask tons of questions about both!
12/28 at 7:30 AM.....wish me luck!!

good luck Christmas sleevers!
got three seats saved on the losers bench for all of you!

My surgery was 12/17 of last year. It's been an awesome year.
I finished a 3K Saturday, compare that to - being barely able to stand while preparing 2014 Thanksgiving dinner.
Best wishes to all of you.