Beme

On May 12, 2015, I had my weight loss surgery in Tijuana. I had a procedure called Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, or "gastric sleeve" for short. About 80% of my stomach was removed. The normal human stomach is about the size of a football. My new stomach is the size of a banana. As a result of the surgery I can only consume small portions of food, ranging from a few ounces to a cup of food, depending upon what I'm eating. However, the amazing thing about this is that I am fully satiated from eating so little. When our stomachs are full they send signals to the brain that makes us feel satiated and we stop eating. Since my stomach is so small I get those signals way quicker and with very little food. So I feel satiated off of a few ounces of food while a person without the surgery may have to eat an entire plate of food, or more. Before surgery I could eat an entire large pizza by myself in one sitting. Today I can't even finish one slice. I believe the surgery, along with quitting smoking, saved my life.
My Stats:
Highest Recorded Weight - 388 lbs
Weight at Time I Decided to Have Surgery - 370 lbs
Weight on Day of Surgery - 350 lbs
Weight One Year After Surgery - 190 lbs (and still losing!)
Goal Weight - 170 lbs
Total Weight Loss To Date - 180 lbs
Highest Recorded BMI (Body Mass Index) - 50.2
Current BMI - 25.8
Largest Pant Size - 46
Current Pant Size - 32
Largest Shirt Size - 4X
Current Shirt Size - L to XL
I want to give a shout out to my niece, Jazmine, who thought it was funny to say that my legs are so skinny they look like teenage girl legs. Trust me, I am taking that as a compliment! I would rather have "teenage girl legs" than massive tree trunks. Also, a shout out to my friends who told me that I went from a "2" to an "8" on a scale of attractiveness. That was much appreciated! Finally, a shout out to my bestie Michelle who told me that "Now there is no one out of your league, only people beneath you." (Kind of a mean-spirited comment but a definite ego-booster!) LOL
So what's next? Well, I have 20 more pounds to lose and then I will be at my goal weight. I also need to start saving for my plastic surgery to have my excess skin removed. It's weird because even though I lost the weight I am still majorly self-conscious because the excess skin is so ugly. I would not be comfortable at all with taking off my shirt in public. Even after the surgery I will still probably be majorly self-conscious because I will have so many scars. I will probably look like a sexy Frankenstein's monster. So it will be real ironic if after all this is said and done that I still would not feel comfortable taking off my shirt in public. All I can do is take it one day at a time and hope for the best.
BEFORE and AFTER pictures below!

Dub, that is absolutely preposterous!
Everyone knows that only a sting from a box jellyfish with toenail fungus can do that!
(I have 119 minutes to verify this information and make a correction).

@@Beme sleeping isn't a major set back, your body is still healing... sleep helps the body doing that... Think of it as your body saying let me heal... Good luck
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I know it's early to Celebrate (or is it?) or maybe not enough to create a whole topic, but this might motivate people peeking through the endless pages of the forums!
So I'm officially three months (and two days) out of my surgery, and I have lost 27kgs, which translates to 59,5248 pounds according to google!
I am really glad I did this surgery for it has already changed many aspects of my life, it has taught me that life's pleasures do not only revolve around eating/drinking.
I know the "path" is still veeery long and that it will not always be easy, but so far I am really pleased with the results.
Of course I strictly follow my surgeon/doctors advice and I also do loads of sports : I swim twice a week (1,6 miles each time) and I go mountainbiking two to three times a week (depends on the amount of rain my place receives), around 20miles each time.
Cheers everyone, and thanks to people that have been helpful on the forums !

Im just in the beginning part of my 2 week diet. I had a hard time with the no nicotine for 6 weeks and am glad that that part is over with

@@Beme Try drinking things at different temps - you may tolerate warm liquids instead of cold.

Yayyyy I'm home Guys.. finally feeling great no pain killers 1st day yes.. but after that Nada... So Happy I'm Home.... Listen a very important tip drinks lots of HOT TEA it helps break the Gas pockets .....
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I have reached my one week post op mark and it's crazy how much my life has changed. My weight on the day of surgery (1-22) was 208 I am now 207. A total of 11 lbs down in one week. ????
My body:
*I am still very exhausted from surgery. I do walk a lot but I have to coach myself a great deal before I get up and move.
*Pain is still a issue however I stopped taking my pain pills three days ago. I don't like how strong the pills are so I either just take some OTC Tylenol or just deal with it. The shoulder pain is the worse and I'm still having pain when Fluid reaches my stomach.
*Cold feet is now a new issue. Never had cold feet before but every single day and night since surgery my feet are freezing. Yesterday I started using a heating pad on my feet to keep them warm.
*My arms seem to go numb after laying on them for a few minutes. I am constantly adjusting myself when laying down.
*Lastly, the feeling that I'm hungry is becoming stronger every day. Today was really bad. I was almost at the point of crying because I felt so hungry but a few ounces of my Protein shake and I was better.
Every day that I am successful with this life long diet is such a inspiration. It proves that my desire to be healthy is greater than my need for food. If I can do it you can do it too!! Good luck everyone!! ????

Well I am preparing myself to start my liquid diet and by doing that I have been on a diet of my own. I cut back all sugar drinks, gatorade, iced tea,soda even milk. I also stopped eating late at night before bed I am down 10 lbs just in a week by doing that alone! I also cut my portions down. I am always hungry but I think it will get better...I am just keeping myself busy. I do notice I have been sleeping WAY better. Its crazy how food and what we eat can have such a impact of how we feel. That is all I have to say for now lol

My Dr. Only had me on liquids for last two days before surgery. I'm not really looking forward to that part Sent from my SM-N915V using the BariatricPal App