Chryso Konstantinou

Hw:287
CW:218
Had gastric sleeve nov 11, 2016! Hasn't been easy! I was in and out of the hospital with dehydration and stomach spasms causing me to vomit constantly! I'm doing much better now and these results make it seem worth it finally! Don't give up! You're gonna get to where you want to be! Have a blessed Friday!
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Vomiting and GERD -- I haven't had any
Pro's and con's -- first time in my life I am at a normal weight, which means my life has changed entirely. No real cons except (1) it's major surgery, so that does mean a period of pain and tiredness after as you recover; and (2) some people find themselves unable to tolerate certain types of food after. I can't/don't eat bread anymore or anything carbonated.
Advice -- you have to be ready and want to build an entirely new relationship with food. Food will no longer be your comfort, your entertainment, your stress relief, your way of celebrating holidays or family. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it though. You have to be willing to work hard at weight loss and weight maintenance for the rest of your life (I'm deadly serious about that). You have to be willing to accept the possibility that you radically change the kind of food you eat for the rest of your life. Don't kid yourself into thinking this surgery means you eat three bites of pancakes for Breakfast, one mini-cheeseburger for lunch, a Snickers fun bar for a snack, and a twinkie for dinner with a side of a couple french fries. Doesn't work like that. If you are like most of us, those types of foods are either entirely or very largely excised from our lives completely if we want to be successful in losing weight and keeping the weight off.
Small portions for the first month? I didn't have any "portions" for the first month. My plan called for liquids for the first month post-op.
After that I was allowed to move to pureed high Protein foods for four weeks. Portion size there was 1.5 ounces weighed or 3 tablespoons measured. This was more than enough, believe me.
After that I moved to soft foods for four months and my mandated size for each of my three daily meals was 3 ounces. I could rarely eat that much though.
I am now 3.5 years post op and can eat about 5 ounces per meal, depending on what is in the meal. I still focus on high protein, low carb eating in order to maintain my weight loss (over 200 lbs).
I don't know that there are stats or averages for weight loss in the first month. The first month post-op, your body does some insane things trying to recover from the trauma of surgery. Healing and getting used to a new way of relating to food should be your focus in the first month post op, not how fast you are losing. All that said, I would think anywhere from 8 - 25 lbs is a reasonable expectation for first month loss for someone your size. Focus on the lower end of that and if you lose more, let yourself be surprised and happy. Good luck in your decision!

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Getting my lapband removed and getting a sleeve with duodenal switch!
Prayers, good juju, positive vibes, happy thoughts, or whatever your thing might be would be gladly appreciated!

Katy W- Louisburg, NC
DS scheduled for 12/26

Absolutely. I'm so sorry for your loss. Our pets are such a special part of our lives - it's tough when they die. Having to make the decision to put them down is especially difficult.
Take good care of yourself.
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The fact there's a few people who said this was a bad idea because it wouldn't last. I told them flat out that if I get 4 - 5 years of normalcy then it will be well worth the time. That's four or five years I won't have if I do nothing or change nothing and if it was so easy I would have done it a long time ago. Sent from my LGUS991 using the BariatricPal App

I had my gastric sleeve done January 11th. I weighed 333.1lbs.
I'm 10 months post op now and weigh 144.2lbs.
I've set new goal weights as I've gone along...first was just to get under 200lbs, then I thought I wanted my goal weight to be 180lbs. When I got there, I made the crazy goal of 150lbs never thinking I'd make it....but I did. So then I figured my goal would be 145lbs which puts me at a normal bmi...which I haven't been since I was around 10.
Now that I weight 144lbs, I've decided my final goal will 133lbs, which will mean I will have lost a total of 200lbs....and I'll do it, I know I can.
I never thought when I had surgery that weighing in the 130's would even be possible.
I've gone from wearing sizes 5-6x, and 28-30, now I wear smalls and mediums and am a size 8....I would be around a 6 if it wasn't for the large amount of skin I have around my stomach and thighs....but it's a price I'm more than happy to pay.
I've been extremely disciplined this whole 10 months. I can honestly say I've never put a bad food in my mouth...not once. I follow a very low carb diet still, drink about 85oz of Water every day and get in around 80oz of Protein. I take all my required Vitamins daily.
The gym has become a big part of my life. I workout around 5-6 days per week doing a variety of exercising....spin class, step  class, yoga, cardio machines....I like doing different things so I don't get bored.
Anyway, because I'm so close to goal, I just wanted to share this. And for the people who have a lot of weight to lose like I did....remember, you can do this! I'm living proof!!
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I rarely take pictures but when I realized how much different I looked I had to.
I feel like a different person after 6 months.

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I will be 7 months post-op in just a few days! Loving my sleeve. First pic was 2/14/16 before surgery, other was today. Sleeved 3/30/16 

Does anyone else use pic apps to compare before and afters? I like to use picstich.
Lets see your facial before and afters...
This is mine. I plan on taking a pic in the same shirt every 25lbs. I prob wouldnt have picked the one I am wearing in the last two photos but it was what I was wraring in my preop pics. I didnt plan ahead.
HW 385 SW 359 CW 335 (50lbs down!) Sleeved 10/5/16

Pillows
Gowns
Slippers
Flip flops
Two out fits, one to ware to the hospital/ return home
Scarf
under garments
Smell goods
Tooth paste, mouth wash, and tooth brash
Deodorant
Heating pad
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Ooooooooo how exciting for you!!
Good luck... and i hope your surgery goes well... wishing you a speedy recovery.
Remember.... the most important thing after you get out... walk... walk your heart out... walk as much as you can.... it will get that gas out of your system faster and you won't be in as much pain... and enjoy those fabulous drugs hahaha
Keep us posted on how you go... good luck!

You are not the only one. My surgery is in 12 days and I sometimes feel like that. Or I start to think maybe am not as big as I think etc.. But you know what Ive been dieting my whole life and I think is time for something permanent So don't back out just think of all the benefits

Hello all,
Please tell me I'm not the only one. I am two weeks away from VSG and I am regretting my decision already. The first thing that comes to mind is that I could do this by myself. I know that is a lie because I've tried so many things in the past. I assume that this feeling is coming from the fear of surgery, I honestly don't have a clue. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that the surgery as well as diet and exercise will ensure some weight loss. Please tell me I'm not the only one with this feeling......
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