Tiffykins

Wooohooo look at you chickee ! ! ! You look great, and you'll be at goal before you know it.

I would tell them. You don't have to tell them that you are going to Mexico. But, you'll want a medical professional to help with the aftercare labs, and to be at least informed in the event you do need them. My PCP knew nothing about VSG. Well, least to say now, he is pretty well-versed, and I feel confident with him pulling my labs in between visits to my surgeon. I also had low blood pressure that is related to my weight loss so I had to go to him for those diagnostics.

We were on the road for 12 hours all day yesterday. It was a blast because the kiddo and me really know how to roadtrip. We missed traditional Easter celebration, but vacation was great.

KIND OF HAPPY with your results??? ! ! ! You look amazing, and I'm so proud of your success. . . You're so close to goal, and I'm sure you are feeling fabulous.

Here is a study out of UCLA: http://mann.bol.ucla.edu/files/Diets_don%27t_work.pdf It's a huge article (14 pages) on clinical studies of diet and exercise programs/intervention and the results are that most people gain all their lost weight back and then some.

It took me almost 4 months to eat more than 3ounces of food. It just takes time. I'm 10 months out and truly eat anything and everything I want in smaller portions. I literally just ate a Velveeta Shells and cheese Easy Mac microwave thing of mac-n-cheese. It took me 40 minutes to eat it, but I had zero issues eating it all. It's a 68grams serving. I don't know how that converts to cups/ounces by volume. For me to questimate or eyeball it, I would say about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of shells and cheese. It does get better. It gets much easier. I stayed on mushies/soft solids much longer because it was easier for me to get my Protein in via tuna/chicken salad, greek yogurt, and cheeses. I could only get 2oz of dense protein down until I was past 3 months post op then I get in about 3ounces. I wouldn't say that 2 months is too early to have those expectations. I wanted to eat more solid food that early as well, but my body didn't want it. So, I just scaled back and stayed with other stuff that I knew would work. Something definitely clicked around the 6-7 month post op as I've had more food choices and have been able to get in more volume per meal. I'm still stuck at about 4-5 ounces of dense protein per meal, but at least I can have a few bites of salad or veggies with that portioned meal. It does get better, I promise.

I've had a slew of comments recently from "loved ones". The most profound one was from my mother and brother stating "You're looking like an Ethiopian child". NICE Others have been "if you lose anymore weight, you'll look like a bobblehead doll", "really, you looked better fat at least your wrinkles were plumped out." "you can totally tell that you aren't naturally thin" "you aren't taking care of yourself because no one can eat 1500 calories and look as good as you do" " you're probably starving yourself or throwing up to stay skinny because you're scared of getting fat" Yeppers those are the worse ones I can think of right now. I simply tell them that I appreciate their backhanded compliments, and when they become a licensed medical doctor, and bariatric specialist then they can comment on my health. Until then, they can shut the F up and go on about their day. I still grab XL top even though I wear a small to medium. I did it today at Old Navy, and the saleslady just laughed at me and said "umm try a medium in that dress". I did and surprisingly it fit perfectly. I went from 270 to 127-130 on any given day and I'm only 5'2". I'm trying like crazy to maintain as I do not want to lose anymore weight not because of the comments, but because it's where I'm comfortable in my own skin. I have told everyone that my medical team from my PCM to my surgeon monitors my labs carefully, and I'm feeling great. Their comments still hurt, and even really make me just want to keep myself hidden from them because I don't want to hear the craptastic comments. I don't have any great advice because I let them say their 2cents, and chalk it up to just that about 2cents worth of crap.

Thank you bunches. I lost 80 the first 4 months then it took me about 3 months to lose 53 more pounds until I hit goal at the end of December . My goal was 150. I have since dropped below that to 127-130 on any given day. I didn't keep a tally of my monthly loss. I never had a true stall and saw the scale drop every week with the exception of when I got really close to goal and I didn't lose anything for about 10 days then weight fell off of me again.

Okay, this may be a little TMI for some, so here's the warning: DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE, OR GET OFFENDED, OR WHINE A BUNCH. We're adults, sex is a normal part of our lives, and this is just my own personal experience. Sex post weight loss is pretty fabulous. Positions obviously now have a new meaning bc they are easier to get into. Also, I felt more at ease with my husband even though that man made love to me regardless of my fat. He never once mentioned my weight, my size, my inability to get into freaky, fun positions, he never once complained nor mentioned anything negative about our sex life pre-op. I will be 100% honest with you and everyone else here. Now that I've lost all my weight, having sex with my naturally thin, lean, muscular husband can be somewhat challenging. My huge boobs that being fat gave me are now just skin and little bit of breast tissue. I lay back, they fall over to my underarm area. Therefore, causing major sternum bumping in missionary position. This hasn't posed any problems perse but it's not always comfortable. I still have a little tummy fat roll that likes to make these "not so" cute noises, that took some time to getting used to, and for me to not be embarrassed when it did happen. Also, my butt seems to have disappeared completely therefore I'm quite boney in the rear area. Hip bones are torture devices, but now that I can manipulate my body with ease, it's not so bad. Overall, sex is pretty amazing. I feel closer to my husband, I'm not hiding under the sheets, I'm demanding the lights be turned off, it's very enjoyable even if some adjustments have to be made to avoid injury. It's a new world. I could give more specifics, but I'll refrain because it could be too graphic for some. If you want any other specifics, or have any questions, please feel free to contact me via the Private message system. I will say this, my private parts lost weight as well. Things are boney in that area, it looks different, it's not something that I focused on when I was fat. Because, well, I couldn't see all that well without the assistance of a mirror. But, my husband has even commented on how it has changed. It's not disgusting or gross, it's a good change, and it's kind of cool to be honest.

Okay, after much thought and discussion, I think we've figured out what's going on. Date: April 3, 2010 Time: Noon Place: NorthPark Mall Directions/Map: NorthPark Center - The Premier Shopping and Dining Center in Dallas Let's all plan to meet at the Dillard's main entrance that faces US75. For those that have sent me a message, I will send a message with my cell phone for contact. Also, if you plan on attending let me know so we can get a general head count on who all is attending. There are plenty of restaurants, shops, coffee places, and shopping to enjoy. NorthPark Center - The Premier Shopping and Dining Center in Dallas I honestly can not wait to meet everyone. Unfortunately, I can not remember everyone's usernames that are from the Dallas area, so if anyone knows someone on this forum, please contact them and pass this information along to them. There is also a movie theater if we wanna catch a flick.

Restriction is just what we say when talk about being full faster than we were pre-op or how much our stomachs can hold. Restriction is different for everyone, and it changes as the months go by. I can eat 3 times as much today than I could at 3-4 months out, but I still can not consume more than 1500 calories a day, and that's with grazing, and trying to maintain my current loss. With the band, good restriction only happens once you get a decent fill level in your band and you get to what is considered the "sweet spot". Restriction with the sleeve is immediate. There is no fills, unfills, maintenance. It just happens because of how the surgery performed. Slimies/Foamies are pretty much what happens when you eat too fast, or do not chew your food well enough and then swallow. Digestion starts in the mouth with chewing. Early out, you'll want to eat slow, chew very well, and pace yourself. The best way to explain the slimes is think about a time when you got really nauseated and you knew that you were going to throw up. Your mouth overproduces saliva, and that's what I consider the slimes. Foamies kind of happen if you eat to fast and something needs to come up, again overproduction of saliva happens then you may regurgitate that bite. 5 day pouch test is commonly used to get back on track if you are having a stall due to eating too calories or carbs. Many patients use it to get the carbs out of their bodies since for some patients eating carbs causes them to crave more carbs. I've been lucky and haven't dealt with that phenom. I know a lot of RNY and band patients use the 5 day pouch test to break a stall. Essentially, it's just 5 days of pure Protein and liquids. I've never done it, and probably never will bc I do not tolerate Protein drinks. Also, we do not have a pouch like RNY/band patients. Our stomach functions normally post-op, it's just smaller. So, when you read about the 5 day pouch test, it's geared more towards RNY patients. But, it VSG patients use it as well to get back on track. Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test Hope this helps, and if you have any other questions, post away, we'll help as much as we can.

Many congrats to you both. I hope you are both doing well, and can't wait to hear of your experience, and progress ! ! !

Hi Scorch, and welcome. I really can't answer the medical loan part, or the time off from work as I didn't return to my job post-op. As for the hair loss, it's pretty inevitable for most patients. I lost half of my hair. Luckily, I had super thick, coarse hair and no one really knew me before surgery so no one suspected anything. My hair loss started around 3.5 months post-op and lasted for 3 solid months. There isn't anything you can really do or take that will stop the loss, but you can help regrowth even pre-op. I used Folicure Extra care shampoo, and I had new growth coming in long before the loss stopped. I now look like a chia pet, but hey, at least it's growing back. Also, some patients take Biotin. I bought a bottle, but rarely took it. I just had to keep reminding myself that it is just temporary, and hair grows back.

Kathy, I hope you are doing well. As a band to sleeve patient, I honestly feel like I had a better understanding of eating, and drinking post-op. I had my fair share of issues, but I never dealt with head hunger, or real hunger for that matter post-sleeve. I feel like I had the learning curve pretty much beat because of the band experience. Best wishes for a smooth recovery, and post when you are able.

It took me months to get rid of my clothes, and you know what, I held onto 3-4 of my old bras. I assure everyone that I will never again wear those, but I can't bring myself to get rid of them. I also kept one shirt that I wore under a blazer/jacket at my insurance job, but now it looks like a dress on me. Well, I can't get rid of it either. I don't know why, but it's in there. I finally sucked it up one day, and took a bunch of my business clothes to the woman's shelter here, and some of the other stuff to Goodwill, and our church mission store. I took 8/39 gallon lawn and leaf bags in all. I cried when I dropped them off. My wardrobe was a huge part of me, literally. I prided myself on looking good regardless of what size I was wearing. Anyways, it was the best feeling in the world having that empty closet, and then the shopping that has since commenced to restock the closet.

My husband was deployed during my revision, and during the first 4 months of my journey. I dropped 80lbs during that 4 months, and YES, he was more jealous and possessive when he first came home. He stuck to me like glue. One day we were out shopping, a higher ranking guy, walked up to me, politely (not flirty) said 'hi there, how are you?' I replied back with 'fine thank you and yourself'. My husband was a few feet away, and he marched over, slid his arm around my waist and kissed my forehead. The guy walked off, I looked up to my husband and said " you need to quit hiking your leg on my thigh ". I nipped it in the bud quickly. I don't tolerate other people's insecurities to drown me. I told him that he just needed to accept that men are going to find me attractive just like they did when I was fat. He just didn't believe that other men hit on me back then. John's been home since October 1, and he's finally figured it out that I'm not going to leave him. We talked through a lot of stuff. Communication is vital, and pure honesty. I have found that since losing weight I'm slightly less tolerant of b.s. I didn't tolerate, or let people walk all over me just bc I was fat. It's only gotten worse since I don't have the fat to hide behind. My husband was definitely worried when I got below his own weight (170). But, he's loosened up quite a bit. Our marriage is actually stronger because of my surgery. I'm more active, more open sexually, more intimate, more loving, more confident (I was pretty confident pre-op it just got better post-WLS), I have more energy to go and do things. We eat better meals, our sex life is well pretty phenomenal, we're closer emotionally because this journey is definitely emotional. If no one has warned you, the hormone flux post-op can be pretty horrific. I swear I had horrible PMS, crankiness, irritable, almost irrational mood swings during the weight loss. So, don't be surprised if you find yourself crying one minute then laughing the next. Or, if you are super moody, and upset, it's pretty normal, most of us go through it. I think talking about everything is way better than arguing about the little things. If your marriage is strong, and y'all can communicate openly, you should be able to work through the many different emotions and thoughts that will come during your WLS journey.

I haven't really had to give up any foods. I choose to not eat the skin of pickles or cucumbers because a few months ago, I ate them, and then burped them up hours later. It was kind of gross, and icky, and I'm all for not doing something again once I get utterly disgusted. I eat tortillas like a champ. I can eat a small taco size tortilla with meat, cheese and a little salsa. I couldn't eat a lot of things within the first 3-6 months post-op. Something changed at 6 months, I found more and more foods that once bothered me really worked great. I still avoid corn, but I didn't eat a lot of it before the sleeve therefore I don't feel like I'm missing anything. Nothing has given me issues recently except baked pork chops. They went down great, but kind of sat in my sleeve like a brick for a couple of hours. We don't most pork products so I won't be missing them at all. This last week while out of state, I ate so much stuff that I had problems with in the past. Least to say, while on vacation, I gained 4 pounds. It'll fall off again now that I'm home so I'm not concerned with the gain. Try things again in a few weeks because most people find that they can have anything they want, it just takes time.

It was really great to see everyone. Linda's little one wasn't feeling well that morning so didn't get to hang out for very long. But, Anna, Kermit, Me, Avilda, and TexasT along with one of my friends Shayna enjoyed walking around the mall, talking excess skin, tummy tucks, boob jobs, and the like. Me and Anna are huggers, it's just who we are. We shopped, ate, had good conversation, and I had total "duh" moment and neglected to take pictures. I'll blame it on my enormous hangover from my night before partying out with friends. But, overall, we had a great time, and it was fabulous to put real faces with the posts.

Ohh I have the saggy skin syndrome on my inner thighs, my butt is non-existant regardless of how many lunges and squats I endure, the butt is a lost cause. I have loose skin on my upper arms, my boobs are totally wrecked without the assistance of a good push up bra, but, I, like you, wouldn't change any of it to be feeling as good as I do today. I could probably tone up my arms and thighs more, but just keep working out with the weights, and remember it takes about a year or two for the skin to bounce back once we hit goal. You've done wonderfully as well, and so glad to see you posting back on the board.