brookelynzoo

Hey guys!
So I’m showing my stomach today. Haven’t done that since surgery.. sometimes I am ashamed of my surgery scars but at the end of the day it’s my body and I love myself and I’ve learned not to care about anyone’s negative opinion.
Self consciously of course no one can see too much but it still feels good to dress like the old me, before the weight gain. I’m going out with 2 old friends today and I’m excited. Stomach doesn’t look too bad right??
I’ve been using dove lotion with pure coconut oil from whole foods and coco butter to reduce visibility of stretch marks on my stomach as well.
goal - 140
sleeved on - 121416 !
(Idk my measurements now they are prob still the same, for those who do ask whenever I post pics)

stared this journey a month ago at 207 and now 1 month to the day 179 kickin ass now taken names later lol !!

Hi all, quick update, I am close to my 10th month post-op.

I was VSG’d 03/10/17, HW: 405, SW: 385, CW: 230. My goal weight is 190.. It is very hard to shed last 40 lbs, it seems to be attached to my body LOL.. I am very thankful to this process; it is definitely a great tool. However, it is 50/50 we need to engage the other 50% and battle every day with our old bad habits. I am satisfied with my weight loss, but really wanted to lose more weight by now, I hit stalls 3 times, and they last for weeks.. I don’t even look at the scale, now is my enemy (LOL) , instead I rely on clothing and noticed I am losing size… I increased my workouts the last 4 months, I do 4-5 times a week (1.5-2 hrs), I split weight training and HIIT. Now I am working really hard on core workouts.. I hope I can meet my goal by March 1st,
PS: pardon quality of photos.. as header says (quick update)
haring this few photos for now… Will post more in March and I hope I can see a difference. You always friend Carlos….

My mom and I both had the surgery, she felt great 3 weeks out, I didn't start feeling normal again until 3-4 months out. I didnt feel pain from the surgery, just discomfort which was mostly gas lol. That went away after a week. My complications came from me not drinking enough, its something you really have to do, even if you dont want to. I had to go back to the hospital twice for IVs, because I was very dehydrated. The room kept spinning and it was hard to get liquids down. It really is a different expience for everyone. Staying hydrated is very very important lol! Around month 4 I finally started meeting my liquid intake goals and feeling energetic, and since then, I havnt had any complications. I started around 226lbs at the time of surgery, and Im currently 108lbs. Im 5'2" and 30yrs old. Im very happy with my sleeve, Id go through those hard few months all over again if I had to, it was worth it. My quality of life has changed dramatically for the better.
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Today is my 3 month surgiversary. I'm down 53lbs since surgery and 141lbs total since I started the 6 month pre-op program last May.
40lbs to go to hit my goal.

My father had a GB about 10 years ago, after a couple of years he gained back some of his weight (mostly due to bad habits). The good news long term has been despite his bad habits he may have gained back some weight but he is still way below where he started and has been able to maintain for about 7 years.

I went through the same! Low energy, anxiety about clots, thinking I made a mistake and lots of naps. My friends even came to visit about 4 days out and I couldn’t wait for them to leave so I could lay back down. I didn’t even have pain meds after day 2 so I couldn’t blame that. I was just beat. It passed by 2 weeks post. Just hang in there, get up anyways, follow the program anyways and when it passes you’ll feel great!

I went through the same! Low energy, anxiety about clots, thinking I made a mistake and lots of naps. My friends even came to visit about 4 days out and I couldn’t wait for them to leave so I could lay back down. I didn’t even have pain meds after day 2 so I couldn’t blame that. I was just beat. It passed by 2 weeks post. Just hang in there, get up anyways, follow the program anyways and when it passes you’ll feel great!

Okay got sleeved decided 26th and TMI for guys!!! So I have my period now and I feel I don’t get as full at all!!!! Anyone else?? I can kinda eat Normal... like I don’t have that full feeling?!? Scared!! Could it be stretched or is a period thing?? Anyone else feel like they don’t get full just on 4-5 ounces anymore? Even on Protein first? Please help!!! Thanks

It's crazy how fast these months went by! I'll be 4 months post op on the 11th! I'm amazed at how much better I feel in both general and also in working out. I'm a nursing student and I'm amazed that after my clinical day (11hrs on our feet) I still want to go to the gym to work out!
It's kind of weird that when I go around in my normal day, I still feel like I look like I'm 355lbs. I don't feel like I look smaller, when I buy clothes and see the smaller size and it actually fits, but I still feel just as fat, just in different sizes... But I can definitely see a difference in side by side pictures. I remember reading from post vsg patients having the same issue and now experiencing it myself is just weird. I try to do a side by side picture at least once a month so my brain can start to realize, I'm not as big as I was. I do love the energy though, and I know my brain will eventually catch up! How is everyone else doing? Post pictures, I love to see all the progress!
Hw: 355lbs (1/5/17) size 24/26, 3-4x
Surgery weight: 321lbs(12/11/17)
Cw: 263.5lbs (3/20/18) size 18, 2x

I’m so happy I’m finally at 160!!!!!!! I have been struggling for quite sometime to get the scale to move.
Sleeved 121416
sw 316
cw 160
GOAL - 140

I had my procedure this morning and it all went well and so fast. Only delay was finding a good vein for the ivy and the gas - wow. Otherwise I'm walking and sipping Water every 20 minutes.
Thank you for all support

Hi all, I finally made it to the losers bench! Surgery went well, despite some problems with the hiatal hernia repair. Haven't talked to surgeon directly about that yet. Pain is low. Woke up with shoulder pain from gas, that was expected thanks to everyone accounts. First walk is within the hour. I have been surprised a few times when I wake up and I am sleeved, lo l, so happy it's done!!
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I JUST realized that I have already reduced my BMI enough to get out of the Extreme/Morbid Obesity category. I am now "just" obese. Did I ever think I would Celebrate such a thing? No! But here I am absolutely thrilled about it! My body may not yet "show" what I've done, but it IS making a difference.

Hi all! This community has provided such incredible support for me and I wanted to share what my journey has been like leading up to and day of surgery in hopes that it helps others. I’m 37 y.o., 5’9”, HW 265 SW 253 GW 170.
Leading up to surgery, I did a 2 week liquid diet relying mostly on Premier Protein shakes, Protein2o Water, Bone Broth and Mios favored drops that you put in water. The first 3 days I cheated by eating some eggs, grilled chicken and salad along with the shakes.
My pre-op apt took place at the hospital 6 days prior to surgery. There they gave me a surgical clearance form that I needed to take to my primary care physician. I didn’t know this was a requirement ahead of time and scrambled to get an appointment. Also, during the pre-op apt I disclosed that I often take marijuana edibles to help me sleep. They said that wasn’t an issue but struggled to find the appropriate medicinal term in their system...yes, there was an actual code for cannabidiol.
2 nights before and morning of surgery I was given special soap to shower with. Day of surgery I was instructed to arrive at 730 but wasn’t told actual surgery time. Upon arrival I learned my time was 930 and I was second surgery of the day for my doctor. Actual surgery takes an hour. I was given an IV, Pepcid to help with acid and some other shot in my belly to prevent blood clots.
When I woke up from surgery I was moaning with pain an felt like I was going to throw up. Dry heaved a few times but nothing came out. Nurses were right there and gave me zolfran for nausea and started my morphine drip. I remember it being very painful but it probably passed in 15 min and I fell asleep.
Things were a blur until about 4. Not sure how long it was until I was taken to my room but once there, they checked vitals, drew blood, and put some sort of machine on my calves that pumps air to help circulation and prevent blood clots. At 430 the nurses helped me up to go pee and take my first walk. They had a special container in the bowl to measure my urine. First walk was slow and I did half a lap.
Pain isn’t too bad. As people have said, it feels like I did 1000 sit-ups. Although I am fully taking advantage of the morphine! It doesn’t help with gas pain though, for that you have to walk. It’s 1230am and I just finished my 4th walk. After the first one, walking is easy and it makes me burp which is a good thing. I’m trying to push myself with walking and get all the gas out at the hospital while I have the morphine to help with pain from soreness.
I also have a breathing thing I’m supposed to blow into every hour to help prevent Fluid build up in the lungs and phenomena. I haven’t been as diligent there and surprisingly the nurses don’t remind you. Another tip, ask the nurse for wet, cotton mouth swab. It was a life saver. Worst dry mouth of my life!
Now I’m just waiting for morning where they will have me drink some fluid in front of an X-ray machine to see if there are any leaks. Following that they have me going straight to stage 2 purée and I’ll need to eat/drink something else before I’m discharged. Provided everything goes well, they expect me to go home around 1. I’m going to walk as much as I can throughout the night to get the rest of the air out. Surprisingly, the nurses don’t remind you to walk (my roommate has only been up once) so you have to stay disciplined and lookout for yourself.
Anyway, I know this was suuuuuper long but I hope it helps ease the nerves for some of you anxiety ridden, over-analyzers such as myself. Wish me luck tomorrow! I’m still super anxious

I was pleasantly surprised to be discharged early. My surgeon said I was doing really well so there was no need to keep me in the hospital. For the next 2 weeks or so, I am still going to take Metformin and Losartin (blood pressure.) I will only have Metformin taken away if I have either two consecutive readings under 70 or reduced if two lows happen in one week. My blood sugar readings are actually really good right now without Metformin but they want to see what happens once I introduce Protein Shakes and cream Soups on Thursday. So far, so good - no nausea and the Clear Liquids are going down smoothly. Slow sips. They also gave me this funky breathing aparatus that I am supposed to use several times a day. It measures the volume of air that I am able to draw in - LOL! I am able to peg the indicator. Still, they want me doing it. Despite the small setback this morning of drinking a little too quickly, I feel tired but upbeat.

I’ve made the fathead pizza easily about 20 times in the last couple of years while I was on Keto. Can honestly say this tastes even better than original bread crust and it’s extremely filling. Highly recommend. Haven’t tried it yet after WLS, will wait until at least 6 months to make it again because it is higher in fat.

I'm really looking forward to making this Pizza Crust. I can make totally guiltless pizza!
https://www.ketoconnect.net/recipe/no-carb-pizza/

I do the toppings too! I delivered a Little Caesar’s pizza to my son at practice yesterday and he made me wait like half an hour before he came out and grabbed it... for making me wait he later discovered one of the slices was missing pepperoni and cheese!

I had no pre-op liquid diet. It was all solids and it was just a low calorie meal plan. Good luck [emoji16]

I will definitely have plastics. A Tummy Tuck and breast augmentation/lift at the very least, but maybe more depending on how I look when I'm at goal. I didn't go through this to only look better in clothes, I want to be confident naked as well

I’m struggling a bit to get my food in so today I mixed some unflavored Protein power in with my Decaf coffee with Splenda and non dairy Creamer. It’s water and protein! Winner! The trick is to let the coffee cool to 140 before you can put Protein Powder or it curdles up. I added a scoop then mixed it with a fork. Good luck with your new job when it comes. Fresh starts are amazing

In just 2 days I go to take part in a Bariatric Seminar at Ohio State University- Wexner Medical Center. Those of you who have followed my story know I have not had a smooth journey toward Bariatric Surgery, instead it has had as many knots as a paracord Bracelet. One of the biggest and lumpiest was completely finishing all requirements of a bariatic program (at a Center of Excellence hospital, no less) and then having all 3 surgeons refuse to complete my surgery. The excuse I was given (in my mind) holds about as much Water as a minnie bucket so I refuse to given it credence on this forum today. I will listen to their program and speakers with a calm adult attitude, will see if it meets fully with my future plans and desires. But inside me still lurks a 6-year child crying with a broken heart. She keeps saying "Why does nobody love me? I am a good person, a worthy person. Why does nobody love me?"And the adult me wants to hug her, tell her everything will be alright. But I can't, I can't touch her, I can't reach her. So I will sit quietly, all surrounding me will think I am at peace, but inside there will still be turmoil and many unaswered questions. Please my Barifriends bond with me in this endeavor. I believe this is the right time in my life, I am committed for the right reasons, I understand it will not be an easy way out of a complex situation. But I do want to go forward, I realize there will be a lifetime change in my life. Well I do not know how many additional years of life I will be granted but I plan to live them to the utmost of my abilities. I have prayed I be given this 1 more chance-- for it is my intention to work for my future with every breath of my being. I promise to update my story as it plays out in future days.
Thank you each and everyone!
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Hey guys today is the day in a few I will be under just wanted to keep everyone posted see you guys in a few hr haha. God bless xoxo