Helen the Cat

Dear MrsTeacher,
I loved reading your story! And I can SO relate to just where you are! I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I was the only one in my family who was overweight. My Dad would sometimes get a little heavy, but as a (former) Marine, he always had the dicipline to "make it right". He would "bear down" and adjust his eating habits, and before you knew it, he was slim and trim again! I never had this kind of will power or whatever you want to call it. (At one time, I was engaged to a Naval officer, and he wanted me to join up also. I was a nurse and could go in as an officer. But I couldn't meet weight requirement, and eventually we broke up. I think my being unable to join the Navy was a big factor in our breakup!)
I would go to Weight Watchers (my favorite weight loss solution) and lose 40-50 pounds, and get bored, or lose my motivation, or whatever, and quit. Soon I would have gained 50 or 60 pounds back. Before I knew it, I weighed in at 258!
I started investigating weight loss surgeries several years ago, when my cousin had WLS. He is a surgeon and after his surgery, decided to specialize in Weight Loss Surgery.
(Unfortunately our insurance would not cover $0.01 of the cost of WLS, so I ending up going to Mexico also and having the surgery there and paying for it myself. Steve [my cousin] offered to do the surgery for free, but I would still have to cover the anesthsia and hospital charges myself, which he said would run close to $20,000!!! So I knew Mexico was for me.)
He lost all his excess weight and has been very successful about keeping it off. I finally made a decision to do it myself. (This web site has been a huge encouragement to me, helped me make my decision, choose a surgeon, etc.)
I am now almost 9 months post op. I have lost around 100 pounds (depending on the day, some days it is 98 lbs, others it is 101 lbs). I know I look and feel SO much better.
Yesterday my husband and I decided to take my Mom out for Sunday dinner. She is 91 and still very healthy. She plays the organ every Sunday for church, leads Bible study at the local nursing home each week, holds a sing along for the nursing home residents weekly, etc. Very active. I worked all night Saturday night, so couldn't get to her church until it was over. I went in as they were dismissing to let her know we were there. I stopped to say "hello" to several of the members who I remembered from when I was a teenager and attended church there. I actually had one of them ask me for some ID! He didn't believe I was who I said I was! He told me he "knew Kathleen" and she was much heavier than the person standing in front of him! Wow! What a great feeling! I was so thrilled!
I have to say, my WLS was THE BEST decision I have ever made for my health and well being! I am off of my BP medicine, my blood sugar medicine, my cholesterol meds, my anti-inflammatories and my allergy meds (I don't know what is up with that one! Why being fat made my allergies so bad? Who knows?)
So keep telling yourself you are choosing to be healthier and happier. It was THe BEST decision for me! And keep posting so we all know how you are doing! Best wishes for a successful surgery!!!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

I an SO identify with you! I have always loved to shop and it has only gotten worse (better) since I have lost weight. I can't trust myself to go to a mall or store with clothing now, as I am always looking for something new to wear! My husband is APPALED that I love to shop so much and can't stop shopping.
Tell me about the It Works Products. My home email is
nota413@live.com
Thanks!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Thank you for highlighting one of my favorite scriptures. I love 1st Peter 5:7 and try to live it as much as I can. Daiy I pray for strength to make this verse a reality in my life. Thanks for bringing it up today!

Holly,
Thank you for a great post, and lots of great insight for me to "chew" on! I too have been on the weight loss "roller coaster" most of my life. And I too have experienced relatives (in-laws, friends, family, etc) who wouldn't say a word if I was loosing, but were the first to say something when I gained a couple of pounds.
I remember once when I was visiting my in-laws. I was five months pregnant with our third child. My Father-in-Law's sister was visiting. She was a real looker, a knock out for her age (50ish). And had three model perfect looking daughters about my age. I was always so envious of her and her girls. I SO wanted to look that good!
I hadn't seen any of them for a while, and she made a BIG deal out of the fact that I had put on "a few pounds". I didn't know what to say! I mean, I thought everyone in the family knew I was pregnant. We had had a really hard time conceiving the first time, and then when we got pregnant two more times (in the space of two years!) everyone inthe family was talking about how fertile I was, and how "didn't we know what was causing this?" (I'm a labor & delivery nurse, so everyone thought it was SO funny when I kept ending up pregnant every year!)
At that time, I was 5' 7" and a fairly slim 160 pounds. And for Pete's sake, I was five months pregnant. My doctor had already told me he was worried, as I had only gained three pounds with the pregnancy, and he was concerned about the baby not getting the nutrition it needed (in those days we didn't know sex of the baby).
I had been fighting constant nausea throughout the pregnancy, and couldn't eat without throwing up, so I just didn't eat, cause I hate to throw up! And here she is telling me how fat I looked!
I was devastated, and finally just left and went home, crying my eyes out! What really frosted me was no one in my husband's family stood up and said "well, Kathy IS pregnant and has to gain a little to take care of the baby." or something to that effect!
For years I resented everyone associated with that incident! And it ate me up! Everytime I thought about it, I ate something, sometimes a LOT of somethings! I was going to show her (them)!
I finally prayed for the ability to forgive her (and everyone else) for her remarks, and after years of harboring a grudge against her was able to forgive her, for my own sake. (Unfortunately, she was dying by this time, and I couldn't go to her and tell her how hurt I had been and that I had forgiven her.)
What I want to know, is why can't we all just love each other for what we are? Why are we so critical of how each other looks, how much they weigh, what they wear, etc?
Now that I have had WLS, and am fighting the war, I hope successfully, I am trying to remember all the comments that have hurt me, all the looks I received when I was fatter, all the incidents that caused me pain, and am REALLY trying to forgive each and every person involved. I want to be free of the hurt feelings I have carried around for years and years. I feel that when I remember or experience an event that causes me pain about how I look, I tend to think "I'm going to show them..." and I eat to "show them". I want to be free of this hurtful, harmful behaviour!
I want to love and accept each and every person who comes into my life just the way they are! And I want to know that I have done everything within MY power to re-affirm each person's self esteem, thereby re-affirming my own self esteem! And hopefully, as I make progress in my mission, I won't feel the need to turn to food for comfort (or revenge) anymore. I want to be able to stand tall and free and accept myself along with everyone else!

Dear Sandy,
Was so interested to read at the end of your post that your husband was not supportive and didn't think you would go through with your surgery. My husband was also not supportive, but did accompany me to Mexico when I had it done. (Our insurance would not cover the cost, so I cashed in one of my retirement 401Ks to cover the cost.) Since my surgery, Bill and I have had increasing problems. We are both working hard to try and work them out, but some days it seems to me that I too married the wrong man. However after 42 years of marriage, I am not ready to let go of what we have! And I have to say, I love him so much more today that the day we married! I always tell him "I love you more than yesterday, less than tomorrow"!
I too get frustrated and sometimes "Blow up" at him. Then a couple of weeks ago, in the midst of one of our fights, Bill told me he was thinking of suicide! REALLY scared me badly! I thought we were making progress, and then wasn't sure we had changed the situation at all.
Currently we are talking with our family physician about it, and Bill is considering going on an antidepressant. I really feel that since I have lost 100 pounds, he feels threatened, that I might want out of our marriage. He is also about 100 pounds overweight, and I think he feels that I want someone who is slim and trim now. (So NOT the case! But how we feel doesn't always make sense or follow logic!)
I wish I had some "wise words" for you. But all I can say is that I will remember you both in my prayers everyday!
I have to say, that in spite of all the fights, problems, words, etc that we have had since my surgery, it is still THE BEST thing I ever did for myself and my health! I wouldn't go back to weighing 258 pounds for anything!!!
Thinking of you and sending you all my best!!!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear Sandy,
Was so interested to read at the end of your post that your husband was not supportive and didn't think you would go through with your surgery. My husband was also not supportive, but did accompany me to Mexico when I had it done. (Our insurance would not cover the cost, so I cashed in one of my retirement 401Ks to cover the cost.) Since my surgery, Bill and I have had increasing problems. We are both working hard to try and work them out, but some days it seems to me that I too married the wrong man. However after 42 years of marriage, I am not ready to let go of what we have! And I have to say, I love him so much more today that the day we married! I always tell him "I love you more than yesterday, less than tomorrow"!
I too get frustrated and sometimes "Blow up" at him. Then a couple of weeks ago, in the midst of one of our fights, Bill told me he was thinking of suicide! REALLY scared me badly! I thought we were making progress, and then wasn't sure we had changed the situation at all.
Currently we are talking with our family physician about it, and Bill is considering going on an antidepressant. I really feel that since I have lost 100 pounds, he feels threatened, that I might want out of our marriage. He is also about 100 pounds overweight, and I think he feels that I want someone who is slim and trim now. (So NOT the case! But how we feel doesn't always make sense or follow logic!)
I wish I had some "wise words" for you. But all I can say is that I will remember you both in my prayers everyday!
I have to say, that in spite of all the fights, problems, words, etc that we have had since my surgery, it is still THE BEST thing I ever did for myself and my health! I wouldn't go back to weighing 258 pounds for anything!!!
Thinking of you and sending you all my best!!!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear Sandy,
Was so interested to read at the end of your post that your husband was not supportive and didn't think you would go through with your surgery. My husband was also not supportive, but did accompany me to Mexico when I had it done. (Our insurance would not cover the cost, so I cashed in one of my retirement 401Ks to cover the cost.) Since my surgery, Bill and I have had increasing problems. We are both working hard to try and work them out, but some days it seems to me that I too married the wrong man. However after 42 years of marriage, I am not ready to let go of what we have! And I have to say, I love him so much more today that the day we married! I always tell him "I love you more than yesterday, less than tomorrow"!
I too get frustrated and sometimes "Blow up" at him. Then a couple of weeks ago, in the midst of one of our fights, Bill told me he was thinking of suicide! REALLY scared me badly! I thought we were making progress, and then wasn't sure we had changed the situation at all.
Currently we are talking with our family physician about it, and Bill is considering going on an antidepressant. I really feel that since I have lost 100 pounds, he feels threatened, that I might want out of our marriage. He is also about 100 pounds overweight, and I think he feels that I want someone who is slim and trim now. (So NOT the case! But how we feel doesn't always make sense or follow logic!)
I wish I had some "wise words" for you. But all I can say is that I will remember you both in my prayers everyday!
I have to say, that in spite of all the fights, problems, words, etc that we have had since my surgery, it is still THE BEST thing I ever did for myself and my health! I wouldn't go back to weighing 258 pounds for anything!!!
Thinking of you and sending you all my best!!!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear MrsTeacher,
I loved reading your story! And I can SO relate to just where you are! I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I was the only one in my family who was overweight. My Dad would sometimes get a little heavy, but as a (former) Marine, he always had the dicipline to "make it right". He would "bear down" and adjust his eating habits, and before you knew it, he was slim and trim again! I never had this kind of will power or whatever you want to call it. (At one time, I was engaged to a Naval officer, and he wanted me to join up also. I was a nurse and could go in as an officer. But I couldn't meet weight requirement, and eventually we broke up. I think my being unable to join the Navy was a big factor in our breakup!)
I would go to Weight Watchers (my favorite weight loss solution) and lose 40-50 pounds, and get bored, or lose my motivation, or whatever, and quit. Soon I would have gained 50 or 60 pounds back. Before I knew it, I weighed in at 258!
I started investigating weight loss surgeries several years ago, when my cousin had WLS. He is a surgeon and after his surgery, decided to specialize in Weight Loss Surgery.
(Unfortunately our insurance would not cover $0.01 of the cost of WLS, so I ending up going to Mexico also and having the surgery there and paying for it myself. Steve [my cousin] offered to do the surgery for free, but I would still have to cover the anesthsia and hospital charges myself, which he said would run close to $20,000!!! So I knew Mexico was for me.)
He lost all his excess weight and has been very successful about keeping it off. I finally made a decision to do it myself. (This web site has been a huge encouragement to me, helped me make my decision, choose a surgeon, etc.)
I am now almost 9 months post op. I have lost around 100 pounds (depending on the day, some days it is 98 lbs, others it is 101 lbs). I know I look and feel SO much better.
Yesterday my husband and I decided to take my Mom out for Sunday dinner. She is 91 and still very healthy. She plays the organ every Sunday for church, leads Bible study at the local nursing home each week, holds a sing along for the nursing home residents weekly, etc. Very active. I worked all night Saturday night, so couldn't get to her church until it was over. I went in as they were dismissing to let her know we were there. I stopped to say "hello" to several of the members who I remembered from when I was a teenager and attended church there. I actually had one of them ask me for some ID! He didn't believe I was who I said I was! He told me he "knew Kathleen" and she was much heavier than the person standing in front of him! Wow! What a great feeling! I was so thrilled!
I have to say, my WLS was THE BEST decision I have ever made for my health and well being! I am off of my BP medicine, my blood sugar medicine, my cholesterol meds, my anti-inflammatories and my allergy meds (I don't know what is up with that one! Why being fat made my allergies so bad? Who knows?)
So keep telling yourself you are choosing to be healthier and happier. It was THe BEST decision for me! And keep posting so we all know how you are doing! Best wishes for a successful surgery!!!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear MrsTeacher,
I loved reading your story! And I can SO relate to just where you are! I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I was the only one in my family who was overweight. My Dad would sometimes get a little heavy, but as a (former) Marine, he always had the dicipline to "make it right". He would "bear down" and adjust his eating habits, and before you knew it, he was slim and trim again! I never had this kind of will power or whatever you want to call it. (At one time, I was engaged to a Naval officer, and he wanted me to join up also. I was a nurse and could go in as an officer. But I couldn't meet weight requirement, and eventually we broke up. I think my being unable to join the Navy was a big factor in our breakup!)
I would go to Weight Watchers (my favorite weight loss solution) and lose 40-50 pounds, and get bored, or lose my motivation, or whatever, and quit. Soon I would have gained 50 or 60 pounds back. Before I knew it, I weighed in at 258!
I started investigating weight loss surgeries several years ago, when my cousin had WLS. He is a surgeon and after his surgery, decided to specialize in Weight Loss Surgery.
(Unfortunately our insurance would not cover $0.01 of the cost of WLS, so I ending up going to Mexico also and having the surgery there and paying for it myself. Steve [my cousin] offered to do the surgery for free, but I would still have to cover the anesthsia and hospital charges myself, which he said would run close to $20,000!!! So I knew Mexico was for me.)
He lost all his excess weight and has been very successful about keeping it off. I finally made a decision to do it myself. (This web site has been a huge encouragement to me, helped me make my decision, choose a surgeon, etc.)
I am now almost 9 months post op. I have lost around 100 pounds (depending on the day, some days it is 98 lbs, others it is 101 lbs). I know I look and feel SO much better.
Yesterday my husband and I decided to take my Mom out for Sunday dinner. She is 91 and still very healthy. She plays the organ every Sunday for church, leads Bible study at the local nursing home each week, holds a sing along for the nursing home residents weekly, etc. Very active. I worked all night Saturday night, so couldn't get to her church until it was over. I went in as they were dismissing to let her know we were there. I stopped to say "hello" to several of the members who I remembered from when I was a teenager and attended church there. I actually had one of them ask me for some ID! He didn't believe I was who I said I was! He told me he "knew Kathleen" and she was much heavier than the person standing in front of him! Wow! What a great feeling! I was so thrilled!
I have to say, my WLS was THE BEST decision I have ever made for my health and well being! I am off of my BP medicine, my blood sugar medicine, my cholesterol meds, my anti-inflammatories and my allergy meds (I don't know what is up with that one! Why being fat made my allergies so bad? Who knows?)
So keep telling yourself you are choosing to be healthier and happier. It was THe BEST decision for me! And keep posting so we all know how you are doing! Best wishes for a successful surgery!!!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear NaturalRhapody33,
How I wish you lived close to me! I too clean when I am nervous or worried or frustrated, or whatever...... But I like to have someone to do it with! I usually try to corral my daughter or grand daughter to clean with me. We have just finished remodeling our bedroom, and there is plaster dust EVERYWHERE, and I could SO use someone to help me clean! I am at this minute taking a break from washing, dusting, vacumming, EVERYTHING in the house! I am SO exhausted, but feel SO good knowing that soon (well in a couple of days I hope) everything well be clean and spotless here!!
But that is beside the point. I wanted to let you know that you are in my prayers, as I move around the house pushing my vacuum sweeper, singing as I go! Am sending you prayers and love and good thoughts!
I hope everything goes smoothly and without a hitch. Please be sure and post again as soon as you feel up to it, so we all know how you are doing! In the meantime, I will continue to clean "for you"!!!
Love and Hugs and Prayers coming your way!!!!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear MrsTeacher,
I loved reading your story! And I can SO relate to just where you are! I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I was the only one in my family who was overweight. My Dad would sometimes get a little heavy, but as a (former) Marine, he always had the dicipline to "make it right". He would "bear down" and adjust his eating habits, and before you knew it, he was slim and trim again! I never had this kind of will power or whatever you want to call it. (At one time, I was engaged to a Naval officer, and he wanted me to join up also. I was a nurse and could go in as an officer. But I couldn't meet weight requirement, and eventually we broke up. I think my being unable to join the Navy was a big factor in our breakup!)
I would go to Weight Watchers (my favorite weight loss solution) and lose 40-50 pounds, and get bored, or lose my motivation, or whatever, and quit. Soon I would have gained 50 or 60 pounds back. Before I knew it, I weighed in at 258!
I started investigating weight loss surgeries several years ago, when my cousin had WLS. He is a surgeon and after his surgery, decided to specialize in Weight Loss Surgery.
(Unfortunately our insurance would not cover $0.01 of the cost of WLS, so I ending up going to Mexico also and having the surgery there and paying for it myself. Steve [my cousin] offered to do the surgery for free, but I would still have to cover the anesthsia and hospital charges myself, which he said would run close to $20,000!!! So I knew Mexico was for me.)
He lost all his excess weight and has been very successful about keeping it off. I finally made a decision to do it myself. (This web site has been a huge encouragement to me, helped me make my decision, choose a surgeon, etc.)
I am now almost 9 months post op. I have lost around 100 pounds (depending on the day, some days it is 98 lbs, others it is 101 lbs). I know I look and feel SO much better.
Yesterday my husband and I decided to take my Mom out for Sunday dinner. She is 91 and still very healthy. She plays the organ every Sunday for church, leads Bible study at the local nursing home each week, holds a sing along for the nursing home residents weekly, etc. Very active. I worked all night Saturday night, so couldn't get to her church until it was over. I went in as they were dismissing to let her know we were there. I stopped to say "hello" to several of the members who I remembered from when I was a teenager and attended church there. I actually had one of them ask me for some ID! He didn't believe I was who I said I was! He told me he "knew Kathleen" and she was much heavier than the person standing in front of him! Wow! What a great feeling! I was so thrilled!
I have to say, my WLS was THE BEST decision I have ever made for my health and well being! I am off of my BP medicine, my blood sugar medicine, my cholesterol meds, my anti-inflammatories and my allergy meds (I don't know what is up with that one! Why being fat made my allergies so bad? Who knows?)
So keep telling yourself you are choosing to be healthier and happier. It was THe BEST decision for me! And keep posting so we all know how you are doing! Best wishes for a successful surgery!!!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Oh Lyra, We must be twins that were seperated at birth! You describe so perfectly my feelings about food! It has always been my BFF.
Hey! Kathy, are you stressed out? Go whip up a batch of cookies and eat five or 10 of them (after eating at least 5 or 6 raw ones!).
Hey Kathy, are you feeling nervous over something? Why don't you fix a huge meal, invite all your friends/family and pig out on Beef Wellington, Twice Baked Potatoes, Broccoli with cheese sauce, Asparagus with Browned Bitter and Cracker Crumbs, Creme Brulee, and a couple of wines to match each course.
Poor Kathy, did you have a fight with the hubbie, you should make yourself a cheese cake from scratch and eat half of it while sobbing in front of the TV while watching your favorite chick flick. Etc., Etc., Etc.......
And of course the praise and recognition I get from all our friends and family because I am a good cook/baker (or so they say) just makes me feel so much better about myself, until I get on the scale (well pre op anyway).
I have been having a REAL struggle with emotional eating the last couple of weeks, cause my husband and I have been having some problems. in our marriage So I am making horrible choices about what I eat. It is constantly on my mind right now, how soon can I eat again? What can I eat? What am I hungry for? Oh the stress and pressure!
And the thing that I really don't understand is, when I KNOW all this, why I can't get control of it!!!
Of course, I knew all of this pre-op also, and couldn't get control then either! Such a puzzle!
But now at least I can't go too far over the edge, as my sleevie stops me when I get full, and starts to protest LOUDLY (with pain) when I continue to eat after I am full. I just don't want to take any chance of stretching out my pouch/sleeve with overeating and start to gain weight. I have done so well up to now. (Have lost around 100 pounds! Only 8 pounds from goal!) And now the emotional eating thing kicks into high gear! Oh the frustration of it all. I am SO thankful for this board and web site, so I have somewhere to come to read, vent, question, talk, and get answers. Thanks to all for everything!!!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear Diamonds,
What a great lesson! Thanks so much for putting it out there for us all to read. Sometimes I forget that I need to trust HIM, I want to do it all on my own, which I know only leads to failure and dispair! I am claiming that scripture as my own today, and trusting in Him to lead me in His pathways! Thaks again!
Kathy D (alias Helen the Car)

Believe me Teatime, it is a life long struggle! I too was on the road called "Eating Myself to Death". I love to cook and bake, and of course, I love to eat! That is how I got to where I was. I had my procedure almost 8 months ago, and the weight just seemed to melt away after my surgery. Now the weight loss is slowing down, and I am (trying) to come to terms with eating in a correct fashion. I still love to cook and bake, and it is SO hard not to EAT!
I fixed desssert last night (at my husbnad's requst) and ate it myself (he didn't even eat it after I fixed it for him!) and when I got on the scale this morning, I had gained 4, Yep that's right FOUR fricking pounds!!!!! I know that one desset didn't do that, it was a combination of the food choices I made yesterday. So today I have made a decision to get serious about my weight loss.
I HAD lost 100 pounds, now I am only down 96 pounds. The last 15 pounds have been SO slow. I have really struggled. And now I am gaining, so I HAVE to get serious! (I think my 100 pound weight loss lasted all of twenty minutes. I was lucky that I happened to get on the scale during one of those 20 minutes!!!)
I used to drink alcohol on a fairly regular basis. (I don't mean go out and get drunk drink, just a cocktail before dinner, or a glass of wine with or after diner.) But, I have found that alcohol doesn't sit that well with my sleeve. So I have pretty much given up on drinking. ~Good bye margarites that I love, ~ Goodbye chocolate martinis that I crave.~ Goodbye Peach Bellinis that were so much fun at Lunch occasionally!~~~ Goodbye.
And now I am saying goodbye to desserts that I love. Oh how I love to read those receipes for Red Velvet cupcakes with frosting an inch deep! How I love to read a new Beef Stroganoff recipe that is loaded with sour cream and calories. How I love to read (Oh Hell you get the idea!!!)
Instead, I am choosing to be healthy and fit! So, Excuse me, now I have to get up off my butt and go get busy, my treadmill is just around the corner!!!
By the way, Congrats on your weight loss, and thanks for letting me vent! Best of luck on your journey!!! I mean that, good luck. It is a journey, and it can be a life long struggle, But as my Dad used to say, nothing good comes easy!

Slowing down to a few pounds per month, I say it was around 10 months out. That was when I got to around 4-5 Lbs per month. I actually have lost 0 Since december, which is fine. I'm not trying to lose pounds anymore, just tone up.
Everyone's different though, and really depends how quickly you get to about 20 Lbs or less to lose.

I do this also. I'm always thinking about what I can eat for my next meal. I just try to keep it simple. Except today, I picked up some meat lover's pizza and my son will cook them tonight. I usually eat 1 bit with crust and then take the topping off. My other problem is I can find all kinds of junk food in my daughter's room and I start to mindlessly take a bite here and there. I plan and telling them that I am struggling with not eating this. I hope they understand. I need to not be snacking anywhere.

You look FANTASTIC!!! Keep up the great work. I am almost 8 months post op, and have lost alm ost 100 pounds. It is such an exciting journey! Keep going, you are doing great!

Merydia710,
you have made such a smart choice! It is hard for the little ones to "get it"! Even my 7 year old grand daughter can't grasp or understand the whole weight loss thing. I just had my surgery in June of last year, and she saw me on an almost daily basis before and after my surgery, doesn't comprehend or understand the whole thing.
When I make a comment to her mother about how much I have lost, she will say "did you lose weight Grandma? You look the same to me." I am now smaller than her mother (who weighs a normal weight for 5'3") and she still doesn't understand that I used to weight twice as much as her mother. It is just so hard for the younger ones to grasp any of it.
But take heart in the fact that you are on the road to being healthier, and willl still be around to love your daughter when she is an adult. Something that she can not appreciate right now, but surely will when she grows up! My two daughters tell me all the time how happy they are with my weight loss, as they know I will be around a lot longer to bug them, be there for them, etc. now that I am healthier and slimmer!

Sunday evening, the 22nd
Tiffanye,
So glad you posted how you are doing. I have been thinking about you and praying for you these past days. I had to work the last three nights, so haven't had time to check these boards. I work 12 hour shifts (am a Labor & Delivery nurse), and when I work two or three nights in a row, all I have time to do is travel home from work in the morning, shower, sleep, get up, get ready for work, travel to work, work my 12 hours and start all over again! I commute almost two hours to and from work, so I literally don't do ANYTHING I don't have to when I am working several nights in a row.
So glad to hear the pain isn't bad. I didn't find it horrible, and my doctor did not prescribe any narcotic medication AT ALL. I was nervous about that before the surgery, because I am a wimp when it comes to pain, but I didn't think it was all that bad. And once I got rid of the gas, I felt pretty good.
Today my hubbie and I drove to Des Moines (about 2 hours south of where we live) to go out to brunch with some friends. It was icy and snowy, and I am a chicken about driving in bad weather. But we did well. We went to a restaurant where our son is the executive chef. They served a breakfast brunch buffet, and it really tested my will power not to over eat! I feel I was fairly successful though, and came away without being in pain, which happens still if I overeat. So I have to count today as a victory. They had Salmon parfaits, which was flaked smoked salmon on a bed of diced hard boiled egg and either creme frech or sour cream. Was really yummy, and since eggs and salmon are a good source of protein, I didn't feel at all guilty about eating it! And I LOVE salmon!
I imagine you are on liquids now. Soon you will be progressing to mushies and then solids. Take it slow and enjoy the journey. I will keep you in my prayers. Post again soon so we all know how you are doing!
Love and Hugs and Prayers!
Kathy

Thank you Kathy! I am doing well. I'm on day two now and I've had little to no pain other than the gas. Today is worse than yesterday, and I'm just starting to drink water. I've been walking like crazy and the pains jus get worse so
I'm hoping this will pass soon so I can go home tomorrow. Tha k you for your prayers !!!

YAY SIZE 8!! Congrats!! And thank you so much for your kind words!!
I really felt better after reading this.. & Im trying to focus on the end result.. Its only a few hours now and Ill be at the hospital.. Im calm right now so hopefully I can sleep through the night..
Again, thank you..

I always eat before I bake - then i don't have any interest in eating it.
Have you tried going to work out before you go to work?
Congrats on your success! You've done amazingly!

Congratulations on your sleeve! I too had many people tell me I didn't need to have surgery, but I felt in my heart it was the right thing to do for ME. I weighed over 250 and had lost 50-75 pounds multiple times, and never been able to keep it off. I am so happy that I followed through and had the surgery! I am 5 months post op yesterday, and have lost 90 pounds so far. The weight loss has slowed down considerably in the last two months, and I still have another 25-30 pounds that I would like to loose. BUT if I never loose another ounce, I am happy, thrilled and perfectly satisfied with how I look and feel now. I have NEVER been this thin in my life, and I am loving it. I went from a size 26-28 to a 12! My goal is to be in single digit sizes (8; 6; 4? would be wonderful). But if I never loose another ounce, I am happy! Even better than how I look, is how I feel. Most of the time I have loads more energy than I did prior to the surgery. I have been able to go off my cholesterol meds, my high blood pressure meds, my arthritis meds and my allergy meds (I still don't get that one!) and my diuretic. I am left taking only Nexium for acid reflux and a stool softener. I feel great. I swam all summer for exercise and am now starting a walking program since it is to cold to swim. Take heart. You WILL feel better soon! I think we all had some buyer's remorse initially. BUT it get SO much better! You're in my prayers!