Luckygrl

Ok, attempt number 3 at replying to this!!! I've written two long responses and lost them both into cyber space. My hurdles are the vicious mental cycles. -What if I fail? -What if I still binge? -What if I end up with ugly loose skin that looks worse than my fat? -What if I could have done this without surgery but I just didn't try hard enough. -Maybe I just need to try harder. (even though I can hear Dr. Lamasters saying that even those that do lose it on their own, only about 1% can keep it off without surgery) :-( Then I just get angry with myself for allowing myself to get fat in the first place. ​-Maybe there's a way to lose the weight without surgery and I just haven't found it. -What if I lose a bunch of my hair? I'm already thinning. Those are some of my hang ups right now. My therapist has asked me to start making small changes now. -Have a Protein shake each morning, rather than skipping bf. -Eat a healthy lunch, rather than either skipping lunch or having just a pb sandwich. -Cut my portions at dinner time. -Drink more Water. -Be more active. I'm using my fitbit and challenging myself to hit at least 5,000 steps a day. Eventually I'd like to lose enough that I feel ok in a swimsuit so I can learn how to swim and do some water aerobics. I do well at most of these small goals for 2-3 days then I'll slip up. Once I slip up, I toss the whole process out the window. Then I get depressed, angry, feel defeated, etc. When I mess up I feel like I punish myself by sabotaging the entire plan. As for your success, way to go!! It's very inspiring to hear about your journey. I'm going to one of the support group meetings this Saturday. I'm looking forward to hearing more great stories and information. Maybe it'll help me make my decision.

So far, I've gone to the info meeting and the initial consultation with the surgeon (Dr Lamasters). At that consultation I met the dietitian, nurse and insurance lady. Next up is a support group and psychiatrist appts. I'm still on the fence. My emotions are all over the place. :-/ Just found out today that insurance covers it except like $5,500. Do you have any regrets? What was the worst/best parts of the experience?

You need this. http://www.mybodygallery.com Wow!! That's really a neat website! After looking at that, I really want to push for 150ish. I don't want to be skinny. Just healthy and energetic. Oh, and shop for cute clothes. That'll be bonus fun.

I just had my initial consultation with my surgeon yesterday. I felt absolutely deflated when she told me I'd realistically reach about 185. My head was thinking 150. She said surgery will reset my body and I'll lose significant weight, but I'll probably not get to 150. Now, as I said I felt deflated because in my head I was visualizing 185 as still being really fat. Well, one of the insurance girls came in and I was visiting with her about my disappointment. She stood up and said, "I'm the same height as you, how much do you think I weigh? Guess, and I'll tell you." I looked at her and thought, man this girl looks wonderful. I guessed she was about 140 lbs. She smiles and says "oh honey, I wish. I'm 190. I'm considered overweight." My mouth dropped. Could not believe that that's what 'my ideal weight' looks like (in general). It shows just how distorted my mind has gotten when it comes to weight. If I look even close to that good, I'll be thrilled!!! It was very encouraging and inspiring. I don't care if I'll still be considered overweight. I'll be healthy!!! And over the moon happy!!! I rarely post, but felt like adding my experience. Bless you all.

Iowa!!

So, basically have a little step stool in the bathroom to put under your feet so it changes your posture and position of the colon so your bowels work better. I'll put this on my "remember" list.

Iowa!!

I read your blog and find it very inspiring! I bookmarked it so hopefully I'll catch new posts as you write more. Way to go!! I'm happy for you. It has me thinking of ways to record/share/monitor my own journey.

I'm having some of the same thoughts about the surgery. My therapist has me really thinking of different angles also. I'm going to follow this discussion to see if I can benefit from some advice from our fellow sleevers.

I'm still pre-op but my husband and I use a cream called Traumeel, for sore muscles, arthritis pain, bruises, etc. It works very well and is all natural.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I think my biggest fears are clots, hair loss (mine's already thin), horrible loose skin and the horrible surgery that that would require and the fallout from certain family members. BUT, I keep telling myself the clots are probably rare, hair loss can be dealt with by taking supplements and regrowth, loose skin isn't the end of the world and can be removed if I find the courage lol, and as for fallout from family....this is my health, my body, my decision. I want my life back. I'm not happy being overweight and certainly not healthy. Losing the weight would change my life in so many ways. I was thin as a kid/teen. My weight spiraled after some major life occurrences. I need to rid myself of the protective wall. I'm certain I'll hit mental roadblocks throughout the weight loss too. I've been told that weight loss can cause old wounds to surface. Not excited about that, but I'll deal with it. Sent from my HTCONE using the BariatricPal App

Good morning!! Congrats to both of you on your success!! Way to go!! You'll get back on track. You've come this far, you can do it. I'm considering either LaMasters or Cahalan. Leaning more towards LaMasters. Did you do a liquid diet before surgery? I've read that some people did have to and some didn't. Did you do the 6 months of classes before making your decision? Is that a requirement for insurance to cover it? Did you tell anyone you were doing the surgery? I've only talked to my dr, husband, daughter and therapist. There's reasons I can't share it with my extended family. That's a chapter of it's own lol. How did people respond to your weight loss? How did you handle the questions? Did you or your wife lose a lot of hair? How can you prevent it? Is there a way to prevent a ton of loose skin? Sorry for all the questions lol.

Hello...I'm from DM. I'm seriously considering the sleeve surgery. I'm going to an informational meeting in a couple weeks. I guess that's the first step. I'm hoping to gather info, suggestions, etc from these forums. For those of you that have had the surgery, how are you doing with it? Any regrets?