ILKrista

You might also check on obesity help. They have a very large forum devoted to plastic surgery. There is also a website called "Make Me Heal" devoted to plastic surgery.

So I am 15 months out & lately I have been feeling like a failure. I have gone from 260 (Jan 2011) to 142 (now)... but the last month & a half I have been doing terrible. Before I was running 3-4 times a week & really sticking to the high protein, low-carb diet. After an unpleasant break up with my boyfriend, the running stopped & I have been eating crap (M&Ms, doughnuts, etc) I feel gross, bloated & fat. I've even been avoiding this site because I feel guilty about it. I am about 20 pounds from my goal & I consider it a miracle that I haven't gained 10 pounds with all the junk I've consumed. I've decided I need to do the Atkins induction for a couple weeks to get myself back on track. It really makes me realize that like any addiction, I will have to fight not to revert to old habits & fall off the wagon, so to speak. I know that I can do this. I just need to dig in & find that inner strength.

I gained about 15 when I quit smoking. I saw my doctor about a month and a half before the scheduled surgery... his attitude was that he was glad that I quit smoking, but that was no excuse for gaining weight. I had to take it back off if he was going to do the surgery. I spent the month & half really strictly dieting to get it off so I could have my surgery. I would suggest you talk to your doctor now & see what his response is. That way you still have time to loose the weight if you have to. Good luck!

I am definately saving for plastics & right now Mexico is looking like my best option. The cost really varies by doctor & I would suggest you research & find one who specializes in massive weight loss patients. The one I am most seriously considering is Dr. Sauceda in Monterey, MX. http://www.medicaltourism.com.mx/mtad.html If you go to the Obesity Help website, there is also an extensive forum dedicated to him (and plastic surgery in general) & you can get a look at his before & afters and talk to others who have lost 100+ pounds & had him for plastic surgery. I'm still about a year from being able to afford anything, but I'm already doing a bunch of research on doctors.

As open as I have been about telling people I have the sleeve, I lied by butt off and told them that I was physically unable to eat breads & sweets... it would make me vomit. No one offers me anything anymore. LOL.

When I was traveling for a couple weeks, I bought some of those kids with tuna, crackers, mayo all in a little box with a spoon for mixing etc. You could always skip the crackers to keep carbs really low. I also had apples/bananas with peanut butter. String Cheese. Slim Jims. It isn't an idea diet, but for a week or so, you could probably make do.

If I were you, I would look at the part of this forum that is dedicated to people who had the band & have now had to switch to the sleeve because of complications. Show your wife this. I initially thought that I wanted the band because it seemed less drastic. But research convinced me the sleeve was the better way to go... The long-term complication rate for the band was too high for me.

I was putting together a digital photo album from a trip I took to Ireland in October. I started to get frustrated because my friend had taken this great picture, but some skinny woman was standing in the middle of it, ruining the shot. I looked at the picture at least five times before I realized the skinny woman ruining my picture was ME! LOL.

Check at your library... mine had 5-6 on the topic.

I was told that statistically, 20% of people who have WLS will gain back what they lost within the first 5 years... but that means 80% keep it off! With just diet & exercise 99% gain back what they lost and only 1% keeps it off. Yes, WLS is not 100%, but the odds of success are so much better! Some people have to dwell on the negatives.

Here's a link to my before's & almost there's: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/gallery/member/3897-ilkrista/ I'm still 10-15 pounds from my ultimate goal. At the heaviest, I was a size 24-26, XXXL tops. Now I am a size 8-10, M tops.

Well, I don't consider myself a huge drinker, but I do go out at least a couple times a month for drinks. What I've experienced is that carbonated drinks take me a long time to finish otherwise I feel uncomfortable from the extra gas or I end up burping all night... not fun. If I do shots or drink a strong drink quickly, I will get drunk fast. There seems to be no kinda-tipsy for me anymore. I'm either sober or wasted. My advice is to start slow & see what works for you. If you are going to drink a lot, have a trusted friend with you to watch out for you because it may affect you differently than it did before the surgery. I've learned to make a drink last me the entire night unless I plan to crash at someone's house that night.

My stretchmarks have become the bane of my existence. They didn't look so bad when I was heavy, but now that I'm close to goal, everywhere there are stretchmarks (thighs, stomach, boobs, & arms) the skin is sooo saggy. Saggy like my 85 year old grandma saggy. So depressing. I'm now saving for some plastic surgery to pull the skin tight. I don't care about the stretchmarks... it's the saggy skin that's making me crazy!

I bought a goal little black dress right after I had my surgery. It was a size 8 (I started as a size 26 and even as a fifth grader I was a 14), so it seemed like the biggest dream goal ever. I wore it for Valentines day, almost a year after my surgery. It may be the only time I ever wear it since I really don't have a lot of places to wear that type of dress, and I'm still losing, so I'm not sure it will be my final size. But for me, the cost ($40) was worth it for that moment of putting it on and seeing it finally fit. I don't think there is anything wrong with buying a goal outfit... just don't go crazy and buy a goal wardrobe. lol.

I swear by Goodwill. I think I've re-bought my wardrobe about 6 times & I could have never afforded it without Goodwill. You will probably be dropping to a new size ever 4-6 weeks, so I don't think investing in new, high quality clothes would make much sense until you are around your goal weight.