anigerm41

You look fabulous, and I totally agree with you. Sometimes I look in the mirror and can't believe the changes I'm going through - is this real? Have I really gone down 3 dress sizes? Did I really walk that far without getting out of breath? I too feel so grateful and love the changes that are happening to me and what's to come.

Accepting that the changes are real is a fight at times. Our perceptions are so much in our minds. I had sleeve surgery on 7/26. I'm down 32 pounds since then and 72 over all. I'm deeply grateful and humbled and what is happening to me.
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Accepting that the changes are real is a fight at times. Our perceptions are so much in our minds. I had sleeve surgery on 7/26. I'm down 32 pounds since then and 72 over all. I'm deeply grateful and humbled and what is happening to me.
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Accepting that the changes are real is a fight at times. Our perceptions are so much in our minds. I had sleeve surgery on 7/26. I'm down 32 pounds since then and 72 over all. I'm deeply grateful and humbled and what is happening to me.
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I'm not an expert. I was sleeved August, 2016 after a lifetime of diets and eating/exercise programs. My weight fluctuated my entire life. I was an obese child. My first diet began at age 9 after being teased unmercifully at school. I struggled to maintain a "close to" normal weight as I entered my teens. Thus began a lifetime of eating disorders that included bulimia and anorexia that lasted well into my 50's. I took pills, shots and filled my body with anything that promised a quick solution and weight loss. All this to say I've had a lifetime of experiences being overweight. I know many people on this site have very similar experiences.
I feel compelled to post about my surgery because I fully expected my life to be very different post surgery. I did lots of research and read many stories from many people who had not only sleeve surgery but also bypass surgery and lap band surgery.
I needed a drastic change. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life waking up and going to sleep with my weight dominating my thoughts. While I'm certainly still adjusting I am learning to listen to my body. I'm aware when I've had enough to eat and it is well before I'm "full". If I don't listen to my body sometimes one additional bite can cause me to feel nauseous and throw up a portion of my food.
I made a commitment when I had the surgery to stop eating when I'm not hungry any longer. Feeling full is no longer enjoyable for me and I'm happy my body doesn't tolerate it very well. Things are very different. Meal time is different. What I eat is different. How people react is different. But I expected these changes.
If people are concerned about how much or what I'm eating I compare it to an alcoholic worried that I'm not drinking enough [emoji4]To my friends I usually say "why don't you worry about what you're eating and I'll worry about what I'm eating".......with a smile.
This is lots of reading for a very simple thought and my very humble opinion. Your life changes after sleeve surgery (or bypass or whatever). It's a permanent change and you will eat differently, you'll feel differently about food. The hard changes are about how we use food, how we think about food and what food we think we want or need. That doesn't go away overnight. The sleeve is a tool. It will work beautifully if you use it correctly. If you don't make the necessary changes it will fail. You still can't eat anything and everything you want in huge quantities. You still can't use food to heal emotional hurts or make you feel rested if you're tired. You still need to make good choices and eat things that will fuel your body instead of your emotions.
Many people on this forum have said over and over again that "head hunger" is a problem and we need to work on it everyday. Surgery doesn't make it go away. I had never heard the term before but believe it's true. Food is never the solution but perhaps counciling and/or a good support group can help.
Any type of bariatric surgery is simply a tool. It is not a magic cure for being overweight. If you think your whole world will change as a result of the surgery I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. It still requires commitment, dedication, sacrifice and a willingness to work hard. I absolutely believe it's worth it!

This is so insane to me lol I'm four months out and have lost 84 pounds thus far and my surgeons office wants me to lose at the bare minimum 130 pounds and I've already lost 70% of that .. crazy honestly if you're on the fence about this surgery it's truly so worth it like I never thought I'd be here and actually feeling good in my (loose) skin

I
I love the caramel Premier Protein shake, I am going to mix with my coffee tomorrow!! I LOVE THE IDEA!! Thank you!!

Anyone mix their vanilla Premier Protein shake with coffee? Mmmmmm good.!

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I turned a corner today!! Omg I was able to eat a little and my energy was so much better! Was able to eat a small cup of Tomato Soup for lunch and about an ounce-ish of chicken and a couple bites of mashed potatoes for dinner. I feel like a new person!!! And for a snack I had a wedge of laughing cow cheese. Now I just gotta get my Water in. But hey, small victories!! Woohoo!!


5'7 HW: 256 SW: 248
CW: 235 At 2 week post op GW: 150
Fantasy GW: 135 Sleeved 8/7

Angie...I know what you're feeling. I kept saying that...what if I'm the one person it doesn't work for. I've been overweight for 30 years. I've run, worked with a trainer, ate clean, did WW, did NutriSystem, you know the drill...you are scared. It felt like the last shot...and what if THIS didn't work?? I have a big hug and good news. It does work. First, the amount of calories you're taking in -- you won't want more! And when you do, your belly will stop you. Early on, the liquid, you're like...but I can have this and it isn't super restrictive. I added more dense food lately, and believe you me, your body will stop you like a Mac truck hitting a bridge...giving you one of those, "if you take one more bite, you'll regret it" moments. Once you feel that sensation of it climbing in your sternum, you don't want that feeling again! You'll be like, yep....and before you know it, you look at the scale in disbelief, because somehow, someway, weight is coming off of your body. I'm always amazed that I can FUNCTION on the small bits of food I'm eating. I've been so used to LARGE portions, over-sized portions, it's understanding that a small portion will be enough and you still feel good. Very neat as things go. Sweetie, I still worry it won't work, and I've lost 46 pounds. How? Right? Fear of failing again is a pattern in your head, but everything is changing now. Take my hand, we're heading to the other side now...success.

I made chicken stir fry for my family and I put it in the blender with some chicken stock and unflavoured Protein Powder. It was delicious!

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I made chicken stir fry for my family and I put it in the blender with some chicken stock and unflavoured Protein Powder. It was delicious!

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Girl stop with all that we're all getting this surgery done to lose weight. And your acting like I'm an everyday all day or every weekend pot smoker well I'm not. I took a couple of hits over the weekend and that was that. I wasn't drinking it up and smoking packs of cigarettes or smoking blunt after blunt on end. I'm simply asking a yes or no question when it comes down to it[emoji849]

Thanks to everyone, especially the frequent posters and vets who make such a difference - more than you know!
I am 11 weeks out from surgery and am so grateful that I am on this journey to reclaim my health for decades to come.
A little background - my highest weight was pre-surgery at 335. I lost 16 lbs in the two week pre surgery diet and since surgery have lost 53 pounds. In the first month I lost 29, 2nd month I lost 12.6 and this month I will loose around 10-11 lbs.
I was a snug size 24 and am now wearing an 18 in most plus size brands.
I flew for a work conference last week and had plenty of room in the seat and inches to spare in the seatbelt (no extender!) I am now working out, building my strength up, walking, active and energetic.
I naturally wake up early in the morning rested.
I have lost 39% of my excess weight in 3 months based on a target weight of 165.
While my MIND does not have an aversion to over(eating), my sleeve sure does.
I have had a few slips - eating chips, bread, etc and have begun to get what a dangerous slope that is because I don't experience any restriction on the crappy foods.
I sometimes find myself impatient for instant gratification, wishing I were at goal, wishing the pounds would come off faster, but I figure that is the mentality that got me here to begin with.
I have changed the way I think about my weight, food, and my body.
I have gone from ordering delivery daily to cooking and prepping most of my food from home.
Each day is a learning experience and a gift.
Thank you everyone for your sharing, coaching and participation, it's great to be here learning and on this road with you.

I blend my food as well, but this was an approved puree recipe on Pinterest. Here are some others. I love to cook, so I needed options.

http://gastricsleevefoodie.blogspot.nl/2010/07/week-2-post-op-quick-pureemushies.html?m=1
https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1793517

Belle,

What an accomplishment you have been through! I am not there yet, but I am going to give you my two cents worth....here goes. You are almost there! Yes I'm sure you dont look quite like you want to right now, but you are so darn close!! Just look at it as another stepping stone. You lost 290 lbs!! I mean ROCK STAR!! Now you just need to get the finishing touches, thats all! Just wear clothes that make you feel comfortable right now, but know that you are so darn close!! I hope my pep/rant helped somewhat! I mean if you can loose 290, you GOT THIS!!! #seethelightattheendofthetunnel

Just as the above person said, make sure you identify what is hunger vs. thirst. Most of the time, when between your meals if you get hungry, it's thirst. Just sip on water/sugar free juice, and it will soon subside.

There are a lot of myths being perpetuated on this thread. To be fair a lot of them are perpetuated by doctors who find it simpler to give axioms or simplifications rather than explain complexities.

First of all, sliders aren't things that form a slurry and slide through. All food forms a slurry when chewed and combined with juices (stomach acid).

Sliders are foods that don't have much substance to them and thus when chewed sorta dissolve away. Think of which foods you can crush down to nothing WITHOUT eating them. Crackers, chips, toasted bread, crisp Cookies etc.

Some other foods behave like sliders because they don't stay in your stomach--most of those are liquid to begin with like broth.

There are other foods that behave that way on a case by case basis, but a lot of the things listed here--donuts, cupcakes, bread in general, do NOT slide right through. Neither do they swell up in your stomach. The feeling you get that makes it seem like swelling is from the gluten Proteins becoming Gummy. Ball up some white bread outside of your stomach and you will see what I mean.

As for why or whether there is a honeymoon period of a year or a regain starting at 3 years... yes there is some observable data there. But is it because we reach our new set point and losing beyond that is harder or is it a time window... we don't KNOW. The best obesity researchers don't Know.

I'm four years out and maintaining well but I can't pretend to be an expert on anything except MY experience. I lost 136lbs and can easily maintain 115 of that. The last 20lbs are a pain in the butt! But you know what, that's NORMAL. I'm 47 years old. What normal 47 year old woman doesn't struggle with 20 lbs or so. Am I a failure? No. Heck I don't even consider that regain. Do I even care? Most of the time, no! That half a donut or three cups of kettle corn at the Father's Day car show sometimes mean more to me than those 20lbs. Other times I buckle down and drop them. It's all good.

Have I reframed my relationship with food, yeah. Do I still have a cookie in times of anger or stress or frustration, you bet I do, but I know it's an anger cookie. And you know what, my sleeve stops my from that cookie turning into 2 or 3 or a dozen just as much as my mind does.

We are all in this together and until we've walked in each other's shoes all we can speak to is our own experience and there is no universal.

That said, newbies should probably stick to their docs program and not believe they can listen to their bodies instead... listening to our bodies got us all obese. We picked our surgeons for their expertise. Why trust someone to cut you open but then not trust their dietary advice?!?!

Hi there,
I guess it's true that Time flies when you're having fun; I've been having a lot of that. Honestly, I cannot believe that two years ago today I was waking up from surgery and beginning a new chapter in my life. I had no idea then of the many ways my life would be reshaped aside from the shape of my body.
I'm forever grateful the band was available to me as it has been the perfect choice for my situation. We are all different. I was 52 at the time and had never been an overnight patient in a hospital before. I can barely tolerate going to the dentist. Getting a band was a big decision but I was fortunate somehow to just know that that's what I wanted to do. Thank goodnes there are so many different surgery choices available to us; we live in marvellous times.
Two years ago I was 250+ and now I'm in the seventies. I'm a little tall and like my curves (oh my goodness, do I LOVE having a waist!) so I don't want to get too thin. But a word about collarbones: YIPPEE! And hips. Wrists. You know how it is -- I'm celebrating this new body every day. I was wearing size twenty pants and am now in tens. No more Plus Size anything. I would not have predicted that I have a thing for clothes, but oh yes, I sure do. It's so much fun to be able to just try something on without all of that angst.
I have been an exerciser for many years (arthritis - have to move) but in the last two years I have ratcheted up to being more of an athlete. I feel ridiculous even typing that out as it's such a foreign concept. I used to work out for 45 minutes 3-4 times a week; well, it turns out I am some one who needs more like 75-90 minutes 5-6 times a week. There's the faking it until making it thing and that's what I did. I pretended that I liked it, that I was one of "those" people until I actually have become something resembling one of those lucky people who truly look forward to exercising. Like I said, resembling. I'm not quite there but I raise my hands up in that crossing the finish line pose and I go do what I need to do and I feel like a million bucks afterward.
food. I am happy to report that I still like food. I can taste almost anything and be quite satisfied. That is a miracle. I love to cook and one of my weird non-scale victories (NSVs) is being able to tie my apron double around my waist. I love that. All those years in all those kitchens with my big fat Winnie-the-Pooh belly in an ill-fitting apron or Chef's jacket. No more. Silly, but that just feels so good. I was very restrictive in my former life so I am careful to not be on a diet. I make good choices, which I can do because my appetite is dimmed and I know what good choices are. But I also let myself have a little bit of whatever I want, whether that's a square of chocolate or cheese (behold, the power of cheese). This is why I still have a little weight to lose but I'm okay with that. I do drink alcohol and we have a lot of dinner parties, go to restaurants, etc. Practically no one knows I am banded; I'm extremely private about that. What people do see, however, is how much I'm exercising and how good I feel. It was important for me to go a bit slowly because I wanted the weight loss to be incremental and I didn't want to have saggy skin.
Well, that's about it. I am tremendously grateful to all of my Lapband Talk friends and now Bariatric Pal. You know who you are -- the encourageers. Virtual friends. This has been my first experience on a forum and it's been great. Best wishes to all of you wherever you are in the process. For new people, a few words: don't get too hung up on what kind of surgery you had; we have much more in common than not. Don't try to give or take advice from strangers on the internet. Have a good working relationship with your doctor and show up for all your appointments. Show up for yourself! I really had to put myself first to get the surgery and choose my own well-being over taking care of other people's needs first. I don't do that any more and, guess what, every one else benefits from that. Here's to our health!

This is a question only you can and should and should answer. I am kind of in the same boat. I am 5 foot 11 and a big framed guy. The least I have weighed in my adult life was at my wedding, 249. I have weighed as much as 294, and as less as the 260 range the past 10 years. I just can not get to the 210 range I want to be at. My knees are junk. 1 already reconstructed. Back bothers me all the time. I have an 8 and 3 year old. I am down to 255 right now and every is telling me there is no need to have wls...... But I know 2 things...... I cant get to where I want to be with just diet and exercise. To get to my wedding weight..... I was miserable. By the time I came home from my honeymoon, I was up 20 lbs like nothing over 2 weeks. The other is even if I could get down, staying there would be impossible. This surgery isnt the solution to my issues, but a tool to help. I have had second thoughts and second guess myself but my weight now..... been here before and I just get stuck. Surgery is going to be that 2nd gear I need.

I had the rny about little over 2 weeks ago. Prior to surgery i didnt tell anyone but my husband. But my family and friends are really nosey. Lol. So i ended up telling some family and fyi i come from a family of big women and men. Not surprisingly everyone was negative. " 1.Why would you do that you not that big. Lol. 2.your legs are skinny just your stomach is big. WTH... 3. You should go gym and dont eat out at resturants so much. " meanwhile i been in the gym for over a year i rarely eat out, nothing beats home cooked meals. Fast foward to this week. I finally got back to the big island after being on oahu for surgery for two weeks and since surgery i lost about 20 lbs. Everyone was shocked. No one said a dam thing about my so called FAT. Lol. Now some are even saying they might look into the surgery for themselves. Power to them, but for me i did this for my family because i wanted to be around for along time and be there for all my childrens graduations weddings children and anything important. I cant help them from the grave. So so far it has been a rough mental journey but i kept pushing ahead and now i feel it was so worth it. And id do it all over again. So im so proud of everyone of you for making this decision its not eazy and only the tough will consider and do it.
(Desiree from hawaii )


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Sometimes and( I know people do have bad experiences with telling people about surgery ) you will be very surprised I told my close friends and family and some co workers I was having it done so the day of my mom and fiancé were receiving a ton of texts checking in on the actual surgery, my mom asked before I went in the day of if she could just write it on Facebook so she didn't have to respond individually to 1000 text twenty different times to update people and I told her no... but then got to thinking that I don't care what others think, I've worked really hard to even have this surgery, I'm making a huge life change and I'm proud of myself, so that night after having surgery from the hospital bed I made a huge Facebook post about here goes the first day of the rest of my new life and I was SHOCKED by the amount of support I received!!!! Over 100 comment and almost 200 likes of all support!!! I think you will feel so much happier to just be honest and open, when you hide it it subconsciously always makes you feel like your doing something wrong and by no means is this the easy way out of weight loss! I've had so many people say I don't know how you do it it just seems so difficult... but again I'm proud of how far I've come and I'm not even one week post op and have the love and support from my close community!!! And it feels GREAT... ignore the people who have negativity chances are they have never been in your shoes, also if there negative towards you they probably have something dragging them down in their lives and want to induce negativity around them to make them selves feel better! Respond to them with didn't your mother ever tell you if you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all!!!

My name is Gina. I'm almost 49 and single mother of two teenage boys. I was sleeved on 7/26 and feeling pretty good. HW 304 SW 260

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I have been stalled at 200 for two weeks with fluctuations of up to 1.4 pounds up despite being meticulous about my calories, Protein, carbs, and Water. Every day I would wake up and tell myself "today is the day. You're going to get out of the 200's" only to be sorely disappointed. Then today it finally happened!

I had my surgery 8/30/16. I am down 134 pounds in almost a year! I have gone from size 24 pants to a size 8.