ByeByeFluff

My surgery date is Oct 19th ....getting nervous
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Got my date the other day. October 20th. Can't believe how fast it's approaching!
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I start my pre op diet on Oct 12th. Going shopping for everything this weekend... I'm so excited!
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Haha, I was reading this whole exchange and that was my first thought!
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You ever feel like you're being punked?

Hi everyone,
I'm scheduled for October 19th. I'm in Atlanta, but getting sleeved in Alabama. Starting pre-op diet on the 12th... same day as pre-op/nutrition class day.
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Hi everyone,
I'm scheduled for October 19th. I'm in Atlanta, but getting sleeved in Alabama. Starting pre-op diet on the 12th... same day as pre-op/nutrition class day.
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Every last one of you are so inspiring!!! Thank you so much for sharing and can't wait to have Before & Afters to share as well
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Congratulations!!!! You look amazing and your story is inspiring!!!
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Best decision of my life! Yesterday was my 9 month post op check in with the surgeons office. Everything is looking great and I have lost 132 pounds since surgery! My bmi is almost to being out of the obese range and I am about 45 pounds from my personal goal weight.
My heaviest weight in 2011 was 376
My surgery weight in September 2015 was 319
My current weight is 187!!!!
First picture is almost at my heaviest, then purple shirt is 11 days before surgery and black & white top is last week.

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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Update as of today! Current weight...267!!! Officially 100 pounds since surgery and even more than that since I weighed in at410, June 5, 2015!! Hope everyone is well! I feel great!!!

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

What an inspiration... thank you so much for sharing!!!!
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Thank you everyone, I love the support I get from all of you. It really means a lot to me. My son (14) was showing off my pictures to a new teammate from his baseball team and the kid said "damn, you went from honey boo boos mom to Kim kardashian" that's a heck of a compliment coming from a 15 year old boy!!! Just wanted to share thought it was cute!!! ❤️❤️
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Congratulations!! I had a consultation today and looks like I will be sometime in August. Don't be nervous... just excited... great things are in our future!!!
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Love it... great job!!!!
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Awesome ThatKaylorGirl!!! I can't wait to see your progress!!! I had my gallbladder removed in 2005, and remember those gas pains all too well. Walking does help... and I used a heating pad when it moved to my shoulders (that can be a little crampy). Best wishes for a quick recovery! Looks like I'll definitely be scheduled in August.
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Yesterday was my one year Surgiversary!! Woohoo!!!! Hard to believe that I have made it this far, but alas, here I am... *AND* I have not only survived but I am loving life. There is so much to reflect on, but overall, I truly believe this was the best decision I have ever made and I am now a happier, healthier version of me. That’s not to say that the past year hasn’t been without its share of ups and downs … plenty of those! However, all in all, if I had to go back to the point of no return I can honestly say I would be willing to do it all over again.
Here’s how things are looking…
HW: 305lbs
SW: 265lbs
CW: 173lbs
Total weight lost: 132lbs
Clothes: From a size 5X or 26/28 to a size L or 10/12
Health: Diabetes - Controlled without medication (Fasting glucose avg.105 with no meds from 155 on high dose of meds), Blood Pressure - Controlled without medication, Cholesterol - Controlled without medication, Previous Spine Injury - Controlled with OTC meds as needed.
Fitness: From being able to walk less than 15 minutes on a treadmill in physical therapy to having completed 10+ 5K races with my most recent at a sub-13 minute mile pace. Registered to walk my first marathon in September 2016.
Goals: I don’t have a target weight, as this was never about a number for me. My surgeon would like to see me at 150lbs. We’ll see. Non-weight goals have been my focus all along and this is the direction I continue to move.
What have I learned? LOTS!!! I could seriously write a book, but then again, couldn’t we all?!?! Here are the things that really stick out to me. As a graduate speaker at my program, these are the things I try to stress to new patients as they begin the process.
Listen to your team! They really do know what they are doing. My NUT has been super supportive and told me that it was better to ask questions than to worry myself over nothing. I eventually stopped calling her regularly, but just having those niggling little questions answered was a huge weight off my shoulders. When they say drink X-amount of Water, drink it. When they say eat X-amount of Protein, eat it. There really is a reason behind your program and following it will help you a 100 times over.
Listen to your body. It will talk to you … and I don’t mean all the gurgles and sounds from your new sleeve! When I found myself getting sluggish and tired I needed to look at my protein and water intake. Was I getting enough? Usually the answer was a resounding NO. When my sleeve revolted and I had uncomfortable cramping, had I eaten something new or different? YUP … usually, but as I continued to re-introduce more foods I found the discomfort would lessen and go away much faster. Certain foods may never like you again. Find something new to try. Your palate will change some & you might like something that you never did before. You know your body better than anyone else. If something seems wrong, don’t ignore it, ask. But try not to let it control you either.
Stalls happen, get used to it. I started out weighing myself every day and it quickly took a psychological toll on me. I needed to stop for the sake of my own sanity. I actually had my husband hide the scale on me and only allow me to have it once a week. Now it sits in the bedroom, but I still only weigh on Monday mornings (surgery was a Monday so I stuck with that day). Stalls have plagued me throughout the past year beginning with the dreaded 3 week post-op stall. I don’t like them & I get frustrated, but I am now used to them. Current stall has lasted me 2 ½ weeks so far. The scale will move eventually and I will move on with life until the next one.
Choose NSVs as goals and reward yourself when you reach them. Non-Scale Victories are my best friend! I started walking shortly after surgery & built up my distance from one block to the point of doing 3+ miles at a 25 minute mile pace in just 3 months, as an incentive I registered for a popular local race. When I finished my first 5K I bought myself a treat (Coloring Books! Not food-based). When I finished my first 10K I went shopping for a new bedroom comforter set. When I reached my first sub-13 minute pace I bought new running sneakers. My NSVs have kept me motivated and kept the focus OFF the scale … which often doesn’t move as quickly as I’d like.
You will change … maybe not your morals and values and the things at the core of your being, but your outlook and your confidence and the way you see yourself. It will be difficult at times. Make sure you have a good support system to help you through, and if you don’t consider seeing a therapist. So many times my husband and my best friend have listened to me rant and rave like a crazed lunatic. They let me cry it out & yell it out, and in the end, talk it out. Sometimes it has been stupid piddly sh!t that set me off, but right then it was all I could focus on and I needed to vent in order to move past it. People say things that they don’t mean to be negative, but being in an overly sensitive state I found things that normally didn’t bother me were my total undoing. I have (mostly) come to terms with the new “ME” … I don’t hide behind my weight anymore. I am not invisible. But I have had to learn how to handle this new found confidence and channel it in a positive way. My friends don’t treat me any differently than before, but some acquaintances and co-workers have been snide and negative. Let it go … they don’t define you, YOU do!
This is *YOUR* journey, and yours alone. You will have people support you and encourage you, and there may be those who try to tear you down. Your weight loss will be different than the next person, and different still than the person after that. Do not compare yourself to others or try to keep up with anyone else. I did not go through with my WLS for anyone other than myself, and that is the only comparison I should make. What’s the quote? “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Take the first step, and the next, and the next. Keep moving forward. Remember now and then to look back and see where you’ve been, and look ahead to where you are going, but don’t forget to stop and see where you are right now. Live your life, don’t just exist while trying to get to your goals.
I still have a long way to go, and goals that I want to achieve. I want to LIVE my life and not be limited by my size...I want to take a trip and not need a seat belt extender for the plane ride. I want to go to the caverns this summer and not be told I am too big to go in the crawl spaces. I want to try zip lining and be able to fit in the harness. I want to go on a cruise and I want to wear a bathing suit without being embarrassed. I want to be in a size 8/10 at least ONCE in my life. I want to be in photos with my children and grandchildren and not always be hiding behind the camera.
The good news is that I am on my way! And even better, I am determined to not only reach my goals, but to enjoy myself as I do. This summer I will do my first 10-mile race, and in September I will walk a marathon. We have a family trip planned and it will be my first plane ride since WLS. I can’t wait to just sit down & buckle up! I bought a bathing suit for the first time in years that doesn’t cover more than it shows. And I have started smiling and taking “selfies” with my granddaughter on a regular basis. My husband and I have grown even closer than before, and together we are building our “life after children”.
By the way ... in the photos I attached, the before pictures are literally from the day before my surgery and then two weeks after surgery. The after photos are from two days ago … almost exactly one year from my WLS.

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!

Yesterday marked my 8 month surgery anniversary and I have gone from 319 pounds on surgery day to 200.6 pounds this morning!
The picture on the left was right around surgery time and on the right was this morning.
It's a lot of hard work but so worth it! I feel like I've been given my life back!

I'm finally seeing a difference in my body! I'm 3 months post-op as of today and I'm down 74 lbs. I'm staring to feel "normal" again and I'm loving it. I took a picture this weekend and was finally able to see some of my progress. We have to Celebrate all along the way!

Hi there,
It's been ages since I posted anything so I thought I would give a quick summary of my journey to date.
Starting Weight : 225 pounds, 5 ft 3 inches and 39 years old (2 kids)
Band fitted in April 2011
Lost 82 pounds to August 2012 - weight 143 pounds
Band Slipped - horrendous reflux, sleeping sitting up for 5 months
Lost 13 pounds to December 2011 - not able to eat solids - weight 130 pounds
Band Removed - surgeon insisted that I wait at least 3 months before getting a sleeve.
Gained 31 pounds to April 2012 - weight 161 pounds
Sleeve Surgery
2014 - 125 pounds - Tummy Tuck and breast lift surgery.
These days my weight fluctuates between 121 & 135 pounds & I'm ok with that, I finally feel that I can control my weight and keep it within a healthy zone. I'm fitter and more active than I've ever been, but most of all I feel comfortable in my own skin :)
Being sleeved was definitely one of the best things I have ever done!
In the past I was always one to avoid being in photos, for about 20 years of my life there are virtually no photos of me at all.
I hope you like the before and afters!
xxxx

Have just done a 21 mile charity cycle ride with the family today.
Did it last June too, pre surgery.
Last year took over 3 hours. Today, 1 hr34 mins.
Surgery 3rd Sept 2015 Wt 288
June 2016 Wt 182
Still 28 pounds to go, but feeling proud today!

My weight gain journey began in May, 2013. I was exposed to black mold a few months prior in our master bathroom of a house we had just purchased. Unaware of it of course. May 2013, I had to have half of my right lung removed. After the lung removal I was forced to take nine months of oral steroids. During this nine months I gained another person in weight.
September 2014, I was well enough to finally have the sleeve done. I tried to lose the weight on my own but anyone who has been on steroids for that length of time knows it is nearly impossible. I have since lost that extra person I gained. And couldn't be happier. The first picture was taken by my surgeon the week before surgery. The second picture was taken last week.
My starting weight at surgery time was 222. My current weight is 125, as of this morning. I am 5'4 1/2.