Natalie B

This sounds great, I would love to do this!

This sounds great, I would love to do this!

This sounds great, I would love to do this!

Well folks I have gotten down to 321 ,still no surgery date, they guarantee I will have one on or before July 16th. I feel like the perpetual bridesmaid on here, now the wedding of me to my surgery is ahead in the distance. Just don't let it get stopped now!😛🏣😷

I am 4’11” and started with BMI about 61 I think. It’s about 51 now. I was 301 at consult. Have lost 46 lbs since March and hoping for July surgery date. Just waiting on insurance now. It seemed so daunting at first when I realized I had passed 300lbs but now I’m trying to see it as I just get to have bigger success. My goal weight is somewhere around 120 so that would be a 60% total body weight loss, or 180 lbs. I have high hopes and am looking forward! I’m excited to be 255 now and hope to lose a few more lbs before surgery.

Hi! Just found this thread today! I am 5 days post-op. Had VSG on 7/3. My highest weight was before I actually even saw the surgeon for the first consult - 362. (April, 2018) On my first consult, I was at 351. Day of surgery- 323. And today 5 days out I have been bouncing between 312 and 314. but I am super excited about where I am headed and the bounce up to 314 might be because I started purees yesterday. Tough day yesterday, I stuck to my guns and didn't eat anything, but I had a surprise Birthday Party for my hubby.....and good thing nothing there sounded good to eat! I took my greek yogurt and Protein Shake with me to be prepared

I do! I think you can add by email? Mine is nbedillion07@gmail.com

I do! I think you can add by email? Mine is nbedillion07@gmail.com

Maybe start off with light hand weights and try some seated exercises? There's some good examples and youtube videos out there of exercises you can do and of course walk what you can. I'm sure your stamina will increase and pain will decrease as you lose weight.

I do! I think you can add by email? Mine is nbedillion07@gmail.com

Hey guys sorry I’ve not checked in these past few days I’ll make sure to go back a few posts but my final with my surgeon is 7/18/18 which means I could be as early as the last. Week of July or as late as the second week of August guys it’s happening it’s really happening Lort help me so I don’t have every food funeral known to man kind woman kind alien kind

I am going to approach this from the side of management, as I have 18 direct reports and I deal with leave and other time off requests all the time. We have policies and regulations to follow, but my overall responsibility in approving leave is to make sure I have sufficient staff on hand to do the work for which my team is responsible. This isn't always easy, because not all of my staff does the same type of work on the same project(s). When it comes to vacation/annual/comp time and time off awards, I will approve all requests for as long as I feel comfortable with the staffing level. I do not process sick leave requests in this manner, however! People get sick. People have babies. Sometimes there is a death in the family and short-notice bereavement leave is required. If I cannot accommodate these types of requests, then shame on me as a manager, because I made no allowance for them when I was approving vacation requests. I never have, and I never will ask any employee to give up vacation or sick leave to accommodate another employee. If an employee needs an extended absence and has medical certification to back it up, it gets approved. I make no judgments about the necessity of the medical treatment.

I continue to be inspired by all of you ladies!
Happy to report that I bought several tops in a size 18-20 tonight! All of the tops I have been wearing are a 26-28 and they were suddenly looking sloppy and falling off my shoulders. I thought I would be a 22-24 and was excited to realize I am an 18-20!

Congratulations!

Woot woot!
It is exciting!!

I am August 20th!

I am August 20th!

I’ve only told close family. For me I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to tell colleagues. Will they help me in achieving my goals? Not likely. Do I value their opinions on health issues? Nope. Do they need to know? Absolutely not. Will it make it hard to work with them if they say something offensive? Absolutely. I like to keep things simple, so I kept work out of it.

Greetings Gals!

I started at 350lb, Surgery weight was ~325lb, Tummy Tuck was at ~195 and my one year mark in February has kept me at about 175lb. 13 months after my surgery, I had to get gall bladder removed because I was having ugly gall bladder attacks and they found several stones. They attributed it to severe weight loss in small amount of time. Also, for those at the beginning, my best advice is to not allow yourself to get discouraged with stalls because oooooh my, how I loathed them! Just stick with the magic number 6 and don't consume more than 6g of sugar in any sitting or with any beverages. Stay Focused. Be Grateful Everyday. Appreciate your wonderful body at every stage,

Hi everyone! I started the process in February and my SW was 343. I am down to 314. My surgery is scheduled for August 20th. I have all my pre op testing done except one more blood draw and 3 more visits with the nutritionist.

Yesterday I took off my shirt, left on my jeans and belt and stepped in front of the mirror half naked for the first time in a long time. Although I've come across quite a few women that haven't scarred, my incisions are a dark brown, darker than my skin. I can see them without my glasses. All of the places where my stomach was full and round have started to ripple where the fat is gone and skin is there. I stared at my grandmother's breasts when I was younger, thinking thank god that isn't me. My breasts are slack in their cups. My arms don't look like they have floaty devices on under my shirt, but if I hold my arms out I hear Bette Midler singing Wind Beneath My Wings. For some reason, I thought I'd feel different.
I thought I'd have loose skin, but not like this. I thought I might lose hair, but not this thin up top. I thought I'd go down clothing sizes, but not mismatched (shirt size down, waist down, Buns and thighs and golden girdle stagnate). For some reason, I thought I'd be the person in the videos or online forums or tv and when I wasn't (which was yesterday) I was dreadfully sad.
I looked at my body and saw all of the same things that I saw before, if not worse. But what magnified it was having interactions with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. Specifically, old flames. To them I have done a drastic change, I am literally the same weight now that I was in high school, only the weight isn't focused in my midsection so I am more curvaceous. And it's a mixed bag of nuts when it comes to compliments or being asked out, because for some psycho crazy reason I find compliments or being asked out as an insult. Every week I go outside I am hit on. Before the surgery my male admires were as numbered as fruit stands in the middle of the salt flats. I literally say no to men (even if I find them attractive) out of some weird vindictive thing. Then I get home and eat Peanut Butter (then feel bad about eating Peanut Butter and then start counting the calories, breaking out a calculator and making sure I don't go over my fat for the day). Next thing I know, I'm at home watching Bridget Jones Diary, jealous that Bridget at least had a fling. Also kind of jealous because she could drink vodka without dying.
Then it dawned on me. I had reverted entirely to my old way of living. Being ashamed of my body, not exercising, not feeling like I was good enough for men, feeling sorry for myself, and getting stuck in a resentment for a life that has already gone by. Not focusing on the life that is still moving forward. So, I called my old male friend and we met up.
I know men shouldn't validate me...but men do validate me. And when he saw me and I saw him and he gave me that look, it made me feel a certain kind of way. And I told him everything, literally down to the wind beneath my wings, and he listened. And he said, "So."
And I was confused. I asked him so what.
He said, "So. Who cares?"
I thought that was awfully mean.
Then he added, "No one cares about what you see when you see yourself in the mirror. All that matters is what they see on the outside. I don't even mean just your body though. I mean, like, people can see what kind of person you are. You know the reason why I wanted to be your friend?"
I thought it was because I was funny and nerdy and he was too (which now he is hot).
He said he wanted to be my friend because he thought I was attractive but was too afraid to ask me out. So, he approached me as a friend. And he said what made him like me the most was how I was with other people. When he was around me, he said that everything else would disappear when I laughed. He said my voice was soft. The way I touched his arm all playful made him mush in the knees. He said he knew I was overweight, knew I was frumpy, but for some reason none of that bothered him because it didn't matter. He says attraction is attraction just as confidence is confidence. He says some people just have it and I have it, I just choose to ignore it because I listen to everyone else but myself (as I listened to him).
And I thought about it...I must've had confidence. Enough confidence to have half my stomach chopped off. I must've had enough confidence to take off my shirt and look in the mirror. I must've had confidence to know when to put the peanut butter down. I was confident enough to turn someone down, confident that I didn't need to be validated by a man (even though, I repeat, this is still a contradiction). I'm confident enough to learn to be more confident?
I just wanted to say confidence one more time. Such a confident word, that is.
I'm not perfect. I shouldn't strive to be imperfect. I should work towards being confident and not content. I'm still working on these things, you know.
Anyone else struggling?

Hi all, joining the party. When I was 21 I found myself at 305 and it freaked me out, and I went on a severe diet. I dropped 112 pounds in a year, but after I met my husband and quit smoking I was back up to 305. And then marriage added another 72! My highest was 377 in 2011. From 2011-2017 I was able to get down to 315, but I kept bouncing back and forth from 335 to 315. When I decided to start the sleeve journey I was 333. On my surgery day, 4/27/18, I was 303, and nearly 4 weeks post op I am 278.
I question my choice constantly. I am discouraged by the 3 week stall, I miss food, I hate the nausea and the heartburn and all the pills. I am super tired. I know a lot of people regret their sleeve the first month. I just hope to get out of this funk soon.
Here is my progress.

Hi everyone! I started the process in February and my SW was 343. I am down to 314. My surgery is scheduled for August 20th. I have all my pre op testing done except one more blood draw and 3 more visits with the nutritionist.

First and foremost, I am sorry about the delay. I had something similar happen to me where they said may 7th, which then got bumped to may 14th. Although I had a much longer warning time, but it still sucks having to wait.
Second, I actually took my surgeon's advice and put my scale away. The scale is never kind to me. I always feel like I've lost more than I actually do, and get discouraged. My team believes scales reinforce the wrong aspect of the surgery. Their motto is: "The numbers on a scale shouldn't define whether or not we succeed, its how we feel that should define our success." Even my nutritionist wouldn't set an amount or goal weight, although according to the charts I should be 135 (I think I'd look terrible that low). Instead we set milestones. Such as I want to shop in regular stores, or I want to be able to do a 5k without feeling like my heart is going to straight up beat out of my chest!
Putting the scale away is not for everyone though. That's what I've decided to do, but again do what makes you happy and what you think will help ease you!

My surgery is at noon tomorrow (although I’ve been told that my surgeon likes to move things up when possible which I experienced with my EGD) and I am SO excited! I’ve got to go finish some shopping today, finish packing my overnight bag and then do the Hibicleans showers. sleep tonight and then it’s time for my VSG!
The only part I’m dreading is the pain and nausea after surgery. Perhaps I’ll get more nervous as the day rolls on but for now I could just jump up and down with happiness!
HW: 311
CW: 257
SW: We’ll see on May 10!
First goal weight: 191 lbs
Second goal weight: 159 lbs
Goal weight: 142 lbs
5’6” 34 yo female in NC