SydneySleever

I had a stroke of luck with the small lunches and co-workers. I told everyone I had gallbladder removed plus a hiatal hernia repair (with the latter being true). As it turns out one of my colleague's husband actually did have the gall bladder removal plus hernia repair. She immediately said "oh you can't eat then, you must have been on liquids for awhile. Are you eating solids yet?" Turns out you can't eat after that! Cha-ching! My alibi confirmed independently!

Sorry, not nearly as interesting as all that! My sister (we're about the same size) and I always joked that we weren't really fat, we just had rotten parts that had swollen up to 80 lbs or so and once they were gone, we'd be normal sized. Well, turns out neither one of us had an 80# uterus or 80# tonsils. In addition, she didn't have an 80# gall bladder, and apparently the portion of my stomach they removed wasn't 80#s either. We're starting to run out of easily-disposed-of organs and still haven't determined the source of that extra 80#s. Curious, huh?

Best wishes to all 3 of you for successful surgeries this week and speedy recoveries!

I had a stroke of luck with the small lunches and co-workers. I told everyone I had gallbladder removed plus a hiatal hernia repair (with the latter being true). As it turns out one of my colleague's husband actually did have the gall bladder removal plus hernia repair. She immediately said "oh you can't eat then, you must have been on liquids for awhile. Are you eating solids yet?" Turns out you can't eat after that! Cha-ching! My alibi confirmed independently!

I had a stroke of luck with the small lunches and co-workers. I told everyone I had gallbladder removed plus a hiatal hernia repair (with the latter being true). As it turns out one of my colleague's husband actually did have the gall bladder removal plus hernia repair. She immediately said "oh you can't eat then, you must have been on liquids for awhile. Are you eating solids yet?" Turns out you can't eat after that! Cha-ching! My alibi confirmed independently!

Sleeved on 5/14....went to work on 5/21.....I was ready to get back to life......

I took off 3 weeks and was so ready to be back into my normal routine. I am a person whom just can’t stand being at home

I took off 3 weeks. The last week I was getting kind of stir crazy. But I took it really slow at work since I'm on my feet a lot. Thankfully my coworkers (mostly) minded their own business and a lot of stuff was a pretty easy adjustment like small lunches, waiting 30 minutes to eat after drinking etc etc.

I was off two and a half weeks also a d was ready to go back!



Sleeved on April 25, 2018
HW: 258
SW: 238
CW: 221
GW: 165

Silly question I know, I half way joking, but I still want to know.

How soon after surgery were you able to eat a taco salad?

(No sour cream or guacamole). Just lean ground beef or turkey, lettuce, Tomato, onion and a pinch of cheddar cheese.

Surgery Date: 01/16/17
HW: 280
CW: 169

Hello. I’m a band to sleeve story. Here is my before and after pics. I was 298. Now 175.

I love your posts! They always show a balance is achievable and that having a healthier choice at BK isn’t some pathway for doom and failure.

Back to work today two and a half weeks post op! I’m pretty sad about returning to work. Mainly because I don’t like work but also because a couple more weeks of focusing on me would have been nice.

How did everyone else cope with going back to work post op?

I am 48 years old. I have been morbidly obese for about 7 years and obese for 20 years. My mother died in 2015 of diabetes and obesity related illnesses which culminated in her dying while I prayed for her in the ER at only 65 years old. My grandmother died in the same hospital of diabetic complications and an amputated foot at only 53 years old. I am a type II diabetic and was in total denial. Was not controlling my glucose levels, was not eating right, not exercising and was developing the SAME issues that my mother experienced. Both of my feet were swollen, discoloured, pressure blisters and red dots all over them from poor circulation and diabetic neuropathy. I had constant pain in my body from sore joints and uncontrolled sugar levels. High blood pressure. No energy and could not stand up more than 5 to 10 minutes max without needing to sit. I was going on job interview after job interview for the last 2 years, qualified and experienced in the positions I was applying for, but not getting the jobs. I started to sense it was my weight - employers whether they will say it or not are concerned that your weight will impede your ability to do work efficiently and if your weight will be a health concern that will result in numerous sick days.
I did not want to end up like my mother and grandmother but I was heading there FAST. I am at the age where my weight was so high, and my hormones so whacky in pre-menopause, that the idea of being able to loose 100 lbs on my own was completely overwhelming to me. I live in a small Caribbean Island and our dollar is lesser than other countries and really did not know how I could afford help. I have not been insured in 12 years because of the diabetes.
I foster dogs for a local animal shelter and I also have 7 recuse dogs. One day the shelter represented came to visit a couple puppies that I had adopted and she took a few photos of me and the dogs. When she sent me the attached photo I cried and cried and cried that night. I always knew I was big but it was like I lived in a strange kind of denial of HOW big I really was. Seeing that photo opened my eyes and I had an 'ah ha' moment and knew that I HAD to do something to change the trajectory of my life, otherwise I would end up in an early death just like the women in my family.
So from the next day I started to change my diet drastically. I began to cut out useless carbs, stop buying my Snacks, cutting down my portion sizes, stop allowing myself to eat the sugar treats whenever I wanted them. I started to see a change in my glucose levels from the next week and until the end of March I was more in control of my sugar levels but weight was not really coming off. In April I started to FEEL better because I had changed my eating habits but knew I needed an intervention to help me get off the kind of lbs I need to loose. So I found great reviews for a bariatric hospital in Mexicali and the cost was SO CHEAP compared to other countries. I started researching and corresponding and booked gastric sleeve surgery the end of May 2018. It was a long journey to get to Mexico from Barbados but I never looked back. I would not recommend the kind of flying I had to do after surgery because its hard on your system (and blood pressure) but I did what I had to do.
I think everyone comes to that 'ah ha' moment when you honestly are just sick and tired of being sick and tired and fed up of not being able to live a full life and being bound to medication. I view the VSG as an intervention and an opportunity to 'reset'. The year or so it will take to loose over 100 lbs will give me the time to learn new habits, get off of insulin, be mobile again to do exercise and LIVE LIFE again. The time for my body to heal from the inflammation, get my heart healthy again and to learn to eat to fuel living and not eat for the sake of comfort.
We have the choice to take control of our future with the KNOWN obstacles that morbid obesity brings. Sure a car could crash into me but that is a different thing to dying from diabetic complications, heart attack and amputations because of weight!
I was in a RUT!!! How my rut looks may be different to yours but the point is that WLS helps with the leverage you need to begin getting out of the rut.
I'm looking forward to my healthier future

I'm so glad that you've decided to take charge of your health. If that picture was the catalyst, then blessings to the photographer! Congrats on your progress so far. You have so much to offer the world, it would have been a shame to have your time cut short!

In addition to short walks on my block (into two near cul-de-sacs), etc., around the two-week mark, I went to big stores like Wal-Mart and Sam's (even Home Goods) etc., grabbed a cart for support, and walked the aisles...without buying anything. I felt that really helped me get my strength back, and also some easy exercise.

Holy WOW! You look amazing! Congrats on your awesome success as you transformed into the "cool" dad! Good luck with that last little bit you've got to go!
p.s. she's a cutie-patootie!

I didn't want to post in the before & after sticky, as I'm not quite yet "after." Still have about 15-20lbs to goal. today's a milestone for me, in that it is 6 months exactly since my surgery. So here's how things are going.
It's hard to believe that just about a year ago I was 400+lbs. My daughter was born in Feb. 2017, and seeing all the pictures of she and I (a very big "I" ) right after birth made me do a lot of soul-searching about the kind of life I wanted to live and raise her with. I didn't want to be the obese dad that she was embarrassed to be seen in public with as she got older. I didn't want to be the dad that couldn't do certain things with her because I was too overweight. I decided to take action.
On May 30th, 2017, I had my first appointment in the required six-month pre-op process, and tipped the scales at 406 lb. I was mortified. While I floated around 350 to 370 for the past decade, this was the first time in my life I had ever been over 400 pounds. Over the next 6 months pre-op diet my insurance required, I would dedicate myself completely to the surgeon's diet and exercise program. I lost 88 lbs during that 6 month pre-op program. Insurance requiring it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me, as it allowed me to implement lifestyle changes well in advance of the physical and mental changes the surgery would bring.
I had the gastric sleeve on December 11th, 2017. It went surprisingly easy. Not really any pain at all, I didn't have any acid reflux, and as I progressed through the food stages, I could really tolerate anything I tried up to the restriction point. I've continued to track all my food via myfitpal, but I do not restrict or limit carbs. I make it a point to focus on Protein first, and then I usually have a small side each of carbs and veggies. At the 6-month Mark, I usually eat about 1400 to 1600 calories per day. I usually end up with about 100 grams of protein, and about 150 to 200 grams of carbs per day.
So the results as of today, 6 months out, are:
- 166.8lbs lost total (88 preop and 78.8 postop).
- 406 beginning / 318 surgery / 239.2 current
- From size 48 pants to 36
- From size 4XLT shirts to Large
- From size 58L suit jacket to 44L
- From high cholesterol, blood pressure, and elevated liver enzymes to all normal ranges
- From sleep apnea to no sleep apnea!
I still have about 15lbs to get to my goal of 225 (I'm 6'3"). Over the past couple of months, I've been really focusing on heavy weight lifting as to not look like a deflated balloon. That has definitely slowed the weight loss, but I expected that to happen as I got near goal. Slow and steady wins the race this point.
Here are some before and current pictures:

I love your posts! They always show a balance is achievable and that having a healthier choice at BK isn’t some pathway for doom and failure.

You’re definitely not the only one. My nutritionist had me make smoothies during the liquid phase and allowed me to had a bit of PB which really helped. My fav was banana, milk and some sugar and salt reduced Peanut Butter.

Just under 6 weeks post op and down around 55lb. Visiting friends in Germany and ended up doing something I’ve not done for a fair while - looking forward to getting back into it 😃

Thanks for posting Creek!
I eat out often out of necessity, and sometimes out of desire. I've certainly had my fair share of fast food since I was sleeved. Life happens, it is impractical for most people to go the rest of their lives without fast food or only eating "clean", whatever that means.
I don't believe in the slippery slope theory. I actually believe the opposite. If I don't occasionally l indulge then I'm at risk of just saying screw this, and would eat whatever I want without any regard to nutritional values. But if I occasionally splurge on something, then I won't feel deprived, and it makes it easier to make healthier choices overall.
Also, like your choice of a veggie burger, I nearly always make healthier choices then I would have made pre WLS. I look up nutritional info. A Taco Bell Loco Taco is 170 cals, and I can only eat half of it, so I get that instead of a Chalupa. Panda Express Mushroom chicken is 220 cals per serving, and I can eat 20% of the serving, as opposed to the Orange Chicken, which is more than double the calories. I LOVE shake Shack burgers, so I order them Protein style, and can eat about half the patty (not opposed to the bun, their patties are just freaking delicious). All of these can easily fit into my day, all the while keeping my calories low.

I love your posts! They always show a balance is achievable and that having a healthier choice at BK isn’t some pathway for doom and failure.

I love your posts! They always show a balance is achievable and that having a healthier choice at BK isn’t some pathway for doom and failure.