Megan1973

Just found out my VSG will be August 10th. This is right after my 33rd Birthday and I couldn't think of a better gift! So excited, praying for all my fellow August sleevers!
IG: @charlesburkley

HW 272
SW 252
CW 169
GW 150
I am 8 months post op and 19 pounds away from goal and a "normal" BMI.
I've been very excited lately with my changes and have been coming out socially more then ever. My life since the sleeve has been work, gym, walk and home. I would host dinner parties occasionally but only for close family and friends. I have recently been accepting invites to parties and outings because the shame is gone. I now can hold my head up and feel comfortable where ever I go. It really feels good to feel normal
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There are numerous threads on here that start out -- "Is there something wrong? I'm recovering so well and feel so good!"
And then dozens of people (who don't post a lot) chirp up and say, "Me, too! I thought I was the only one."
Honestly, WLS surgeries with no complications and fast, easy recoveries and little drama llama truly are the norm. Doesn't mean that other people don't have difficulties. But they're the exceptions.

Lol my wife and I had surgery the same day. I was in a living hell, and as I'm dry heaving very loudly, I can hear her ask the nurse "is it weird that I don't feel nauseous or sore at all??".. I literally wanted to kill her lol. So anyway, you're good. Everyone's different. Be happy.
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Yesterday marked my seventh month from VSG. It has been an interesting journey and one that is not close to being over. I am not sure what my current weight is because I am going to weigh myself tomorrow. As of last week I was 201 and my highest weight was 303 or 305. It is hard to describe the changes I have gone through. It almost seems unreal. Like, hey where did that collar bone come from. Or sitting with my legs crossed for a longer period of time. Being able to wear a size 14 swim suit. I am still very thankful for my sleeve and I look forward to hitting my goal weight. I think what I like the most is that I can feel my body getting stronger. How many of you are seven months out? What has surprised you so far?

Here we are!!! Not even a year since VSG and down so so so many pounds that I will never see again!!! Just wanted to give everyone an update!! I haven't been on here at all but that's because I'm LIVING MY LIFE and not just existing anymore!!! I feel incredible!! Every day that I wake up and feel refreshed and ready to go is a BLESSING!!! I'm so happy for me and how far I've come and I hope EVERYONE has been doing well!!! Work. Gym. Beach. Summer time fun. Eat. Thank GOD. sleep. Repeat. This is what I do!!! If anyone on here is questioning yes or no...YES TIMES INFINITI!!!! GO FOR IT. You may have little regrets here and there but the end result is PRICELESS. Please excuse my after picture btw...I was freshly out of the sauna!!! keep up the good work family!!!
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Just thought I'd post a little update. June 5, I was at my heaviest 410 pounds. I felt like DEATH...literally. I had SEVERE sciatica which caused me to go onto disability after working for YEARS...I couldn't walk. I couldn't stand. I couldn't sit. All I could do is LAY THERE and cry because of the nerve pain down my left leg and lower back. It was either back surgery or weight loss surgery. Since I also HAD high blood pressure and PCOS plus VERY obese and the severe sciatica...I thought weight loss surgery would be my best bet. Plus, healing would be 2837739354928 times harder if I were to under go back surgery at my weight. Dr's told me over and over again that losing weight may or may not help my bulging disc which was in turn causing the sciatica but I went for it and just hoped for the best. Day of surgery 9/2, I was 367 pounds (I went on a damn strict diet) and today...I am 314!!! I am also BACK AT WORK with no more sciatica pain what-so-ever!!! I'm off all meds for high blood pressure and I'm feeling fanDAMNtastic!!!!! I love the way o feel and more so, I LOVE ME. I've never been one to post pics....but here we go. Not ready for the whole "body shot" because this girl is under construction but here goes nothin!!! Top picture is day before surgery...the collage pic on left is last month and on the right is yesterday! I drink 64oz+ Water each day...and always try to get 90g of protein...even if I finish my day with a premier protein!! Alot of you girls and guys on here don't know how many of us look forward and look up to your updates and advice...@Babbs...@Elode...@InnerSurferGirl...all 3 of u girls I look up to and I cannot wait to keep on keeping on. Thank You from the bottom of my heart!!! -Vanessa

Well it's a whole year since I got in the jeep with my heart down to my boots to go to the hospital for surgery. Oh I was so afraid, I wanted to turn back and not go through with it. Entering the hospital I just let it all go and I thought well you are here now best let them get on with it. I remember walking down the corridor and saying goodbye to my other half, then climbing onto the trolley and that was it. I woke up in the recovery ward all done and that was the start of my new life.
I was so lucky I had no pain or sickness and all went well. Coming home was fantastic, I had only been away for 2 nights, but it felt like years.
I've lost 99 pounds and have gone from UK dress size 22 down to a 10 or 12 depending on the shop or the cut of the garment.
I am active ( thanks to Jamie logical who inspired me to start running) and most of all I am happy. I feel completely different to how I felt before my op I am optimistic now whereas before I was irritable and miserable and not always nice to be around.
I am so grateful for my sleeve and thankful I was able to pay for my op as here in UK it's not often done on NHS. I still have not met another person in real life who has had this op !
I have made friends through the forum ( hi Soodoo) and I have really enjoyed posts from so many people. It's like the oscars here in my house right now where the persons starts crying and then thanks everyone from A to Z!
Well to everyone who has ever read my posts and to all the guys and gals out there who's posts I have read, I say thanks for all of it.
If you are reading this and thinking about having the sleeve or other WLS just do it, I'm so glad I did, just wish it had been an option years ago
Happy anniversary to me and any others for 16 July !
That's all folks

60lbs down as of today!
4 months post op
Start weight 256
Current weight 196

I had trouble too but I found it. Here's how I found it on the mobile version of FB....
I went on my main FB feed page.
At the very top there is a search option.
Type in:BP August 2016
At the top of this search are the options Top, Latest, People... Etc.
If you keep scrolling over you will see "Groups"
Click on Groups and it pops right up.

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Is your husband a bariatric surgeon or registered dietitian with a specialty in bariatric practice? No? Then he can stfu.

I'm almost to my 6 month mark and I'm feeling great! I'm 86 pounds down and have about another 75 more to go!

Hey guys
My name is Norman.. I'm 25 years of age and I'm starting my pre-op Bariatric surgery (sleeve) journey. My hospital where I'm having my surgery is the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.. My surgeon will be Dr. Noel Williams (head of department) and my first appointment is scheduled for 07/20/16, I attended an informational session yesterday and I say I'm about 90% sure I want the surgery.
I'm currently 5 foot 9 and 390 Pounds with a BMI of 56.6 and though I don't look like it... many people say that.. I feel/am the biggest I ever was in my life!!! this is actually the second time I reached an astronomical weight.. at 17 I reached a high of 309 accompanied by high blood pressure but some how, with minimal diet changes and labor jobs I had over the years.. I was in my 240s.. don't know but I was that low in weight and ever since 2013 and now I've reached a breaking point where I'm tired of being Obese and want to do something permanently about it!
I'm not just fighting everyday temptation from eating bad food.. though I admit I say more than half my gained weight was my fault... I'm fighting genetics. My dad was 6.2 over 400 pounds and had his first heart attack at 30, throughout his 30s.. heart disease, broken ankles (weight), numerous attacks and strokes... They found him dead in his apartment on my 12th birthday.. it was assumed he died of heart failure... I'm not going out like that !!! I plan to live as long as I can so along with the lifestyle change.. I hope this story gets me there
I've done alot of research and don't have any questions as of yet... I have 1, hows the pain during post op as you are recovering?

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I had trouble too but I found it. Here's how I found it on the mobile version of FB....
I went on my main FB feed page.
At the very top there is a search option.
Type in:BP August 2016
At the top of this search are the options Top, Latest, People... Etc.
If you keep scrolling over you will see "Groups"
Click on Groups and it pops right up.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had trouble too but I found it. Here's how I found it on the mobile version of FB....
I went on my main FB feed page.
At the very top there is a search option.
Type in:BP August 2016
At the top of this search are the options Top, Latest, People... Etc.
If you keep scrolling over you will see "Groups"
Click on Groups and it pops right up.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you Megan1973! I found it! Just waiting for my request to be accepted. Thanks again

August 16th, Dallas TX
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You deserve it.
I mean seriously I just over indulged myself all the time.
It didn't help I had a high stress job an expense account and attended a lot of company events at 5 star hotels and very expensive restaurants. Working in the Tech field we had free lunch every day at work, catered happy hour on Fridays with unlimited booze in the office, free vending machines. You name it. I had an endless buffet of free food for years. Also no one cares if you are a fat nerd, it adds to your legend.
I still deserve all the nice and exquisite things in the world but they don't have to be food based. There is a world full of shoes

Yes erp! As hard as learning to lose with WLS, this maintenance program is difficult also. Most days go according to plan. And I do plan mostly.... Some days I'm just hungrier!!! Does anyone else have hungrier days??
It might be :yogurt and a Protein Bar along with my meatball and string cheese
Or dense Protein and extra protein milk. Or a premier protein.... (I still use those 9+ years out as old standbys) and good old chicken thighs and a sweet potato w/ a small vege.
A salad with salmon or chicken is a favorite, if I can stop with the creamy dressing. YUM. Yes. Eating slowly, and not drinking, except for a wayward sip took some getting used to.
We all have our challenges. And I wouldn't trade back for them for my 250 + life for money or fame[emoji93][emoji93]

What they said. Like Ann, I was SO ready for this. I even started my preop diet early cause I was so excited. Going into this new life with a good attitude, ready to embrace all that comes with it, not getting bogged down in the little stuff, and enjoying the ride will translate into a much easier recovery, transition and long term success.
For me, I simply underestimated the role that food played in my emotional wellbeing until I was put to the test. Just be ready to roll with the punches and know you may need a Plan B.

What Kindle and Ann said! I agree completely that as a pre-op, you are worried about everything because this is truly a new way of life for you. Relax...follow your doctor's instructions to the letter, and enjoy and reap the benefits of your surgery.
As a veteran of WLS, I can't say enough how much better the quality of my life is now and how that takes precedence over anything I put in my mouth. Now it's true...like Kindle, I went into therapy to work on my food issues...the band was not enough to deal with the root of my issues as overeating is/was a symptom. I can't stress enough how the emotional part of the journey is just as important as the physical.
Every time I see my reflection in the mirror, or take a step without pain, or squat down to play with my grandson, or make love, or plan a vacation, or buckle the seatbelt on a plane, I say a prayer of thanks for the gift of this wonderful tool I have that lets me lead the kind of life I was desperate for when I was obese and immobile.
Congrats on your upcoming surgery. Don't sweat it...don't worry about every little thing, and enjoy the ride!

Pre-op, I was so freakin' READY for WLS (I was sleeved 22 months ago), so my post-op experience was pretty much: "Thank God, finally!"
My surgery was perfect. Recovery was easy and fast. I was able to sip-sip-sip my Water (protip: you sip, then sip again, then sip again ). I walked a lot to get rid of surgical gas. I never threw up (22 months later I still haven't). By Day Five I was getting in my required 60 grams of Protein (shakes). In other words, my recovery was typical.
BTW, when I added pureed and soft foods I had NO difficulty drinking with meals, since I'd been practicing that for two months prior to surgery. Likewise, I had no problem taking small bites and chewing, even over-chewing, my small portions.
Post-op I did experience the new reality that my sleeve was much smaller than it had once been, so I really did have to make changes in my lifestyle. Pre-op, it seems a little theoretical; post-op, it is REAL.
I sincerely urge pre-ops not to imagine this is going to be more difficult than it actually will be. My personal opinion is that the more difficult you imagine it will be, the more difficult it will be.
As you anticipate your life post-op, focus on the idea that you CAN make many changes post-op in your lifestyle, even ones you think might be difficult. If you resent the changes you are dreading, you risk winding up where you always were.
My two cents' worth.

This is going to be long so if you don’t care about the story part, skip to the bottom for the numbers.
I never thought I would be here, post-op from WLS surgery, especially a surgery that removed most of my stomach but here I am, and I am thrilled to be here.
I grew up in a healthy, athletic family, really athletic, at the Professional level. We had healthy food and some not so healthy comfort food, but always real food in the house. I was always athletic, but slightly overweight growing up. Then in college, I started to yo-yo. My weight would change between 20 and 40 pounds. Then I had a baby, BOOM. I gained 70 pounds with the pregnancy and never lost it. I started working with Tech Startups in the dot com era and we had all the perks. Free food, free alcohol, all day every day. I moved up the ladder and with all the five star hotels came high calorie free meals. Extensive business travel meant eating out 5-6 days a week 3 times a day. On the days at home the eating out continued because I was so exhausted from the work week.
I was healthy with low to normal blood pressure and not diabetic most of this time. I was a healthy fat person for a long time until I wasn’t. I was active. I exercised, I could walk circles around even my thin friends in a mall. Then 10 years ago, diabetes. It was easily managed with pills and diet, so it didn’t create drastic changes. I never took it very seriously because I was never really extreme in my high sugars. Then about 4 years ago it seemed like things took a turn, I could never lose more than 20 or 30 pounds. My ability to exercise and be active seemed to diminish. Carrying all that weight was finally catching up to me and my body was breaking down and suffering. Then last year, high blood pressure came. After taking high blood pressure meds for 2 weeks that made me sleepy and made it almost impossible to run my business. I decided to have WLS.
I had researched and looked at WLS for years. I read WLS forums and talked to people, but always talked myself out of it. I finally decided that even if I died on the table that was better than dying slowly. So I knew I was ready. I went through the process very quickly. Almost not trusting myself to drag it out and I felt a real necessity to get the weight off quickly. I went from my first visit with the surgeon to surgery in 8 weeks. BCBSIL was wonderful and the whole process was fast and easy for insurance approval.
Another deciding factor that WLS would work for me, was because the post-op diet was something I was already familiar with. Low carbing? Sign me up. I had been an avid low carber off and on with varying levels of success for years. I realize now that the reason I was never successful was I gave up in stalls, but with the sleeve there is no giving up during a stall. I have always enjoyed low carbing because for me it makes my mind sharper, it is like doing coke or Adderall (no, I have never done either but I have been told the experience in great detail multiple times from multiple people). I have never viewed it as a punishment but a perk.
My issue prior to surgery has always been Portion Control. I skipped meals, focused on work and then would be ravenously hungry, and consume a whole days plus worth of calories all at once, or maybe in 2 meals. Even low carbing and eating healthy I would eat huge amounts. A 12 to 16 ounce ribeye is 900-1300 calories.
I was lucky to have an uneventful, rapid and easy recovery. I had very little pain, went back to work as soon as I came home (I work for myself), and stopped taking the pain meds within 36 hours of surgery. I met my Protein goals after the 2nd day. I eat all of the foods I enjoy, just in small quantities. I was lucky in the sense I never ate or liked a lot of the things that people have issues with giving up post-op. So I don’t have issues with avoiding them. I gave up sugar years ago to try and control my diabetes. I gave up alcohol for the same reason. I was already years out from either of these things when I had surgery so I didn’t have to give them up post-op.
Okay that is by backstory and how I got to the point surgery and why I felt it would work for me. This is where I am now.
Numbers
The weight I have on here is the weight when I first went to the Dr. It is not my actual highest weight.
HW 377
SW 358
CW 231
Total weight lost 146, 134 since first surgeon visit, and 127 since surgery.
Inches lost
Measurements in Inches
Bust (fullest part of bust):
20
Pecs (just above the bust line):
15
Ribs (top of rib cage just below the bust) :
21
Waist:
25.5
Abdomen:
22
Hips:
17
Right Upper Thigh:
8.5
Right Lower Thigh:
9.5
Left Upper Thigh:
8
Left Lower Thigh:
10.5
Right Calf:
2
Left Calf:
2.25
Right Upper Arm:
6
Left Upper Arm:
5.5
Total 172.75
I wore a tight size US Womens size 28 plus and a comfortable size US Womens size 30 plus. Now I wear a Misses 14/16 I am almost to a 12.
I have boundless energy to match my personality. I am so active in my everyday life in big and small ways. I don’t hurt all over anymore at the end of the day like I did before. I thought that was natural, because I had been so heavy for so long, I didn’t think there was a different way to feel, I thought that was norm. Now I know the difference. I feel like I have taken 20 years off my age.
So that is my story, if you read it all, thanks. I hope it can help someone. Obviously I am still not done. I need to lose at least another 50 pounds and once I get there I am going to evaluate and see if I want to lose another 20 or 30. I never thought that would be an option, to get my weight that low, but I think now it is a possibility.

Here is my thing. I have 3 children and a husband. I have almost missed dinner the last week or so because I am not hungry so I don't feel like cooking. At about 6:30, the kids start hunting me down to find out what is for dinner. We have had fend for yourself more. Nights than I can count on the last month. It will have to get better when school starts. Feeding the children is in my job description. Lol
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