Anghelys Garcia

Update
11 days post op 09/11/16, a little swollen but feeling better!
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3 months post op!!
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3 months post op!!
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3 months post op!!
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One month post op! Surviving the craziness that has been this recovery.
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Congrats!
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One month post op! Surviving the craziness that has been this recovery.
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Wow! Looking amazing!

Update
11 days post op 09/11/16, a little swollen but feeling better!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This is so amazing because I've been diffusing lavender to keep calm also. I've been using essential oils on and off for a few months now and they do help. I just seem to forget how helpful they are. I use a blend and dill for hunger but will definitely look into grapefruit oil.
You're inspirational and strong to have gone through all of those surgeries. Truly inspirational.
As for worrying about my weight gain, I'm going to either avoid weighing myself until the swelling goes down, or try and accept that the scale will be higher due to the swelling. Do you know of anything that can help with swelling?
I will try and stick to my normal routine diet as best as I can. But I need to accept that I might have to make tweaks due to my healing. My cravings are strong but I have plenty of alternatives that can calm them down.
Thanks so much for your advice. I greatly appreciate it.
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Thanks so much! I'll definitely look into your suggestions. I will also be undergoing brachioplasty and thigh lift. Good luck with your procedures!
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Thanks so much! It's going pretty well for me. The one thing I could say is that I'd never go through this unless it's a medical necessity. It's so not worth the pain haha. I don't know how people can put themselves though this.
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Update
11 days post op 09/11/16, a little swollen but feeling better!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Update
11 days post op 09/11/16, a little swollen but feeling better!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Update
11 days post op 09/11/16, a little swollen but feeling better!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi thanks so much for your response. Thanks so much for assuring me that I'm not alone. Im planning on starting counseling once I finish school in late October.
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This is so amazing because I've been diffusing lavender to keep calm also. I've been using essential oils on and off for a few months now and they do help. I just seem to forget how helpful they are. I use a blend and dill for hunger but will definitely look into grapefruit oil.
You're inspirational and strong to have gone through all of those surgeries. Truly inspirational.
As for worrying about my weight gain, I'm going to either avoid weighing myself until the swelling goes down, or try and accept that the scale will be higher due to the swelling. Do you know of anything that can help with swelling?
I will try and stick to my normal routine diet as best as I can. But I need to accept that I might have to make tweaks due to my healing. My cravings are strong but I have plenty of alternatives that can calm them down.
Thanks so much for your advice. I greatly appreciate it.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi thanks so much for your response. Thanks so much for assuring me that I'm not alone. Im planning on starting counseling once I finish school in late October.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This is so amazing because I've been diffusing lavender to keep calm also. I've been using essential oils on and off for a few months now and they do help. I just seem to forget how helpful they are. I use a blend and dill for hunger but will definitely look into grapefruit oil.
You're inspirational and strong to have gone through all of those surgeries. Truly inspirational.
As for worrying about my weight gain, I'm going to either avoid weighing myself until the swelling goes down, or try and accept that the scale will be higher due to the swelling. Do you know of anything that can help with swelling?
I will try and stick to my normal routine diet as best as I can. But I need to accept that I might have to make tweaks due to my healing. My cravings are strong but I have plenty of alternatives that can calm them down.
Thanks so much for your advice. I greatly appreciate it.
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Thanks so much on the advice and congratulations on your journey also. How did you deal with the emotions and pain? I'm trying to be kind to myself but I am so terrified of gaining weight, like even my doctors tell me to take it easy. They tell me I'm doing great, but I feel like I'm doing everything wrong.
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Hi everyone, yesterday I underwent my first round of skin correction surgery to get rid of my excess skin. My of my has it been challenging, but I know I'll feel great in the long run. The surgeon started on my belly and chest. Bellow are images before surgery.


After photos coming soon!
Keep on keepin on!
-Angie
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Hi everyone, yesterday I underwent my first round of skin correction surgery to get rid of my excess skin. My of my has it been challenging, but I know I'll feel great in the long run. The surgeon started on my belly and chest. Bellow are images before surgery.


After photos coming soon!
Keep on keepin on!
-Angie
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Hey Angie, welcome I'm Linda from Connecticut. 1 month post op, 23 pounds down so far and still counting cant wait to be where you at. I'm also interested in some recipes since i just started my journey and really don't know what to eat.
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We all deal with "head hunger," that insistent little voice that tells us we really need a bacon double cheeseburger, even though we had a full lunch two hours ago. Coping with head hunger is a fact of life, even for those of us who have had weight loss surgery.


We all deal with "head hunger," that insistent little voice in our mind that tells us we really need a bacon double cheeseburger, even though we had a full lunch two hours ago. Sometimes, it tells us it's all right to keep eating after we've reached our fill line because the cookie bag is not yet empty. Other times, it tells us that mint chocolate chip ice cream really will relieve our emotional pain.
Anyone hungry now?
Head hunger happens all the time, often with the slightest provocation. It has little to do with our body's immediate need for fuel. It has everything to do with our sense of smell and the abundance of savory and sweet foods in our environment. It's a habit we've reinforced over the years. For some of us, it contributes to obesity and other health issues. For others, it complicates mental health conditions. Head hunger promises to make us feel better, but it often delivers misery instead.
Coping with head hunger is a fact of life, even for those of us who have had weight loss surgery. Our surgery has given us a physical tool for our weight loss journey, but we need to supplement it with mental tools. I didn't fully understand this need before my vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Yes, I believed my head hunger would magically disappear with the majority of my stomach. It didn't. The voice still comes and goes, usually reaching top volume on stressful days. It lies to me, insisting that I want food I could not possibly digest at this point in my journey.
How do I cope with my head hunger? How do I keep it from derailing my weight loss or jeopardizing my health?
I'm going to answer with a cliche: I take it one day at a time. This is not intuitive for me because I am not a "one day at a time" kind of girl. I've learned, though, that the harder I fight head hunger, the harder it fights back. Brute force won't stop the intrusive thoughts of food. This is why I must take it one day at a time, with compassionate self-care.
When head hunger hits, I have many options for taking care of myself without reaching into the refrigerator. I can exercise for half an hour to see if the cravings pass. I can spend time with my kids. I can lose myself in a good book or movie. I can learn a new crochet stitch. I can start a new art or writing project. The actual activity isn't important, though. The important thing is to understand when hunger is mental hunger and not a physical need for food.
Understanding what head hunger means to you and what triggers it is the first step in coping with it. After you know this, you can create a personal plan for the day-to-day activities that will help you avoid overeating or eating when your body doesn't need fuel.
Keeping a journal can help you sort out the different physical and emotional feelings associated with head hunger. Talking to other people who understand these feelings can help, too. Giving yourself time and space to deal with the feelings instead of beating yourself up for them is crucial. Above all, showing yourself kindness every day is the most effective way to minimize the influence head hunger has over you.

Hi Everyone,
My name is Angie and I'm almost two years post op. I managed to lose over 170 pounds and have been maintained a steady weight since September. My surgery has definitely changed my life for the better; not only physically, but mentally as well. Before my surgery I was severely depressed, I've struggled with mental illness and body image issues since I was a kid. After the first few months to about a year I felt true happiness, almost like a high. I got taken off of my anti-depressants and had no depressive symptoms for almost a year.
Unfortunately highs don't last forever. Despite my successful weight loss things have been going down hill, I no longer feel that happiness and satisfaction that i did when I first had the surgery. On top of that I've been feeling depressed and am starting to loathe my appearance. A lot things have gradually changed that have caused me to feel this way.
To begin with, I quit my steady job. Holding a job was always hard for me when I was heavy; a few months after surgery I went through two jobs. The first one closed went out of business. Two weeks later losing that job I found another one, it was steady and stable for some time and I was actually happy at one point. But that steady job was beginning to make me unhappy after a while. What changed was that my old bosses were promoted and we were under new management. Long story short, the job went from a positive environment to a negative one. I went from feeling happy to go to work, to dreading it. So I left, and I don't regret leaving.
But after leaving back in August many things just went down hill. I had two failed jobs between September and November. I started my senior year of college.....online. This is an issue because I am normally an onsite student. Despite the commute to school, I enjoy the classroom interaction and meeting new people in my classes. Also, having the face to face guidance of a professor works better for me. So I'm now an online student, and I loathe it; my grades are still good, but I'm unmotivated and am always home.
So I have yet to find a steady job, and I'm attending school online, I'M ALWAYS HOME. On top of that I'm always alone...... I try getting out of the house, going to Zumba, going to the library or coffee shops to do school work....but the loneliness kills me. On top of that, not having any outside obligations gives me less of a reason to fix myself up. I went from wearing decent clothes and makeup every day to being dressed down or in pajamas most of the time. I feel so unattractive, and it makes my already existing self-esteem problems worse.
I've been struggling with my body, it looks like a deflated balloon. I have so much loose skin, and I now have to stuff my bra. I lost all of my curves, and feel as though I don't look feminine at times. I can look amazing in clothes, but naked is another story. Overall, I can say that the honeymoon phase of my surgery is over. I no longer have the satisfaction of losing the weight because there's no more weight to lose. I no longer feel high on life, despite the negatives. I'm left unhappy, and In a way back to square one. I'm left to face reality without having the option to eat my emotions away as I once did.
I guess the only difference from my depression pre-op is that I'd give up. My depression post-op still sucks, but I'm still fighting. I'd fight before, but I'm fighting harder than ever now. I don't allow myself to stay in bed all day, or eat my emotions away (despite a few instances), or allow my grades to drop. I'm trying to adjust, I'm trying to accept my new body, and accept that in order for there to be highs there must be lows. I'm falling but I'm getting up. I must accept that surgery wasn't a cure to my depression, but a tool to keep my health on check. I must learn to be an adult, and face life.