Randgalt

I am 6 months out. I made sure I followed doctor's orders regarding food progression, Vitamins, Protein, liquids. A little tough at first, but keep your eye on the prize! After 4 months, I could eat what I wanted in much, much smaller quantities. I didn't vomit once. Got uncomfortable with some foods, so I waited to try again. Everyone is different. I had 60 lbs to lose and am now at goal. I love buying all new clothes. I smile when I look at myself in a mirror. I love my sleeve. Well worth what I had to give up-- Stuffing myself because I had no self control. Good luck with your surgery!

I got a good laugh out of that

Hi everyone! Well so far I've lost 22 lbs! I haven't bought any clothes and all my clothes fits me loose. Today I decided to drop off my 90 lbs german shepherd at my mom in laws... Well as I walk out my door he gets away from me and darts it down the street!!! He starts to head towards these two boys down the street!! I start chasing and my shorts end up half way down my a$$!! Ha! Running and holding my shorts up is not easy! So I reach him as he is trying to jump on the boys and lick them on their faces. Thankfully no one got hurt!
Omg! I need new clothes but I don't want to buy any as it may be a waste of money.
Just wanted to share!
input welcome sleevers!!!

Hey everyone! Sorry my post is a little late, it's been a busy month. Even though I'm not losing any more, I continue to post updates because I know when I was starting out, that's what go me through rough Patches and I loved seeing before and afters. I just got back from Vegas on the 29th and still picking up all my clothes that I got while shopping, lol. I have to say it was the best Vegas trip ever. My mom and I always go and use to just stick to shoes and purses but it was so nice this year to go and be able to clothes shop as well. Wow, I feel like a normal human being for the first time in my life.
As for an update on my weight loss itself, I am now hanging in a range between 150-153. I found that this is where my body wanted to stop. My goal was 160 but my body just kept losing and I guess it's now happy where it is at. I have had quite a few people tell me that your body knows where it is happy and will stop there. I started at 308lbs and am down to 152lbs roughly for a weight loss of 156lbs, so I pretty much lost a me! LOL!
Shopping is my new addiction, an expensive one but I think I have finally gotten a closet of clothes that fits my new body and have given away all my old clothes. I started at a size 26 pants and am now in a 8 and my tops use to be 3x/4x and am now in a medium in most tops.
Like I tell everyone, this is the best thing that I have ever done for myself. If you are just starting on your journey, trust in your sleeve and treat it right and it will be good to you. For those of you that are a few months out, keep going, while you think today is great, tomorrow and the days to come will even be better, especially when you get to goal. Thanks to everyone here for your constant love and support and words of encouragement!

Ready for this? 120lbs!!!! Holy moly
It all has happened so quick and life is amazing and getting better each and every day!
Have also helped 4 people in getting the surgery as well with one bypass thrown in there.
Best decision and now I can say that I can start living life now!
: )

My goal was set by my doctor. He asked asked me what weight I thought would be good for me and he took 10 lbs from that. Also he wanted me to have a normal BMI.

Hi everyone. It has been awhile since I posted. I will be 7 weeks out on Monday. I thought I would post my first before and after pic. I'm down 42 pounds as of today. I can't wait to post when I'm down another 42 pounds!

Good luck to you. I, too, am glad to have found this forum and am happy that the VSG seems to be the perfect compromise between a Lap Band and Gastric Bypass. I look forward to your journey continuing.

The NO coffee "rule" just does NOT make sense to me, same with the NO SODA or NO STRAWS or NO CHEWING GUM "rules". Everything in moderation and you should be OK.
I personally drink 3 or 4 cups of Decaf most work days. I have never slept well and caffeine just makes it worse, but I still enjoy a good cup of decaf joe with a dash of non dairy Creamer and artificial sweetener in it. I also use straws, chew sugar free gum and drink diet sodas regularly and have lost and kept off 170 pounds.
If you have issues with it then DON'T, if you can handle then DO IT IN MODERATION. It is after all typically a bunch of "little issues" that got us into this mess of obesity after all - e.g. "What's wrong another cookie? They're small . . ." . A cup of regular or decaf is fine, loading it up with Creamers, syrups, sugars or other stuff? Maybe it's time to stop.
There is NOTHING inherent about the sleeve that prohibits coffee consumption.

So... being that this is The Man's Room, I figured I reach to the fellas and ask a question that I kind of already know the answer to. But for those who have had the sleeve.... Was it a noticeable difference in the attention you received from the opposite sex after you've lost the weight from the sleeve? If you have seen a difference, do you consider those folks superficial and don't give them the time of day? I mean are you not the same person on the inside? I bring this up because I recently told a female friend of mine that I was going to have the surgery, she was very supportive, but then she also made a statement like.... "You're going to have women all over you". Now....even as a big guy... I've never had a problem dating women... However I thought to myself... What would make her assume that I don't have women all over me right now? I mean... I am not the type of dude that thrives off how many women they can attract.... but the comment my friend made did get me to thinking.... Hmmm... So I thought I reach out to my experienced fellas out the in the VST world.
Is there a noticable difference in attention from the opposite sex after you get sleeved and have lost weight?
Fellas feel free to chime in.....
Ladies... if you're peeking into the The Man's room...you might as well join the conversation....

As you can see the difference between a 32 & 36 is minimal.

I fit in the booth at a restaurant where I never fit before
I dropped something in my car today by my feet and was able to reach it
My tight pants are becoming lose
I was able to play street hockey with my husband for a few minutes... And run to get the ball... Granted I sucked at it but it's something that would have made me run out of breath before
I feel like I may want to join a local sports team one day
I was able to watch my husband eat pizza and not be too jealous...
My confidence is up
A guy at work today said I'm looking sleek!!!
I ate half a banana and got full
And for a scale victory... I'm under 300!!!

Thanks so much for sharing. I am already convinced that I am getting the sleeve, but these type of stories certainly help to solidify my decision just that much more.
Congrats to you!!!

I have gum, just dont swallow it- I can honestly say there is nothing I crave or miss because I am able to eat what I want within reason of course. I dont deprive myself of anything... ALL thanks to the wonderful sleeve...

I had my surgery on July 13, 2010 and it truly was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It was not an easy one for me to make. I was a widowed dad of three young kids - ages 15, 10 and 9 at the time - and I was really worried about the risks of having the surgery. Ultimately, I came to realize that the staying fat was a far greater risk to my health and put my kids at a much greater risk of being orphaned. IN the end, I did it for them as much as I did it for myself.
Today, two years later, I have lost 120 pounds and have maintained that weight loss pretty consistently (I fluctuate within a 2-3 pound range).
In the past two years, I have gone from:
a size 54 suit to a 44 regular
18 1/2 or 19 inch neck to a 16
XXL Shirt to a M
Size 44 pants to a 34.
I no longer need mediciation for high blood pressure or high cholesterol and I no longer need my c-pap machine for sleep apnea. My back and knee pain have also all but vanished.
Most importantly, I am engaged to a wonderful woman and we plan to get married next summer. I met her just a few months after my surgery and she has been very supportive.
So, I am here to tell all of you who are considering this surgery to do your homework, find a practice where you feel supported and comfortable, but do not be afraid to go for it. If your experience is anything like mine, you will never regret it.
All the best to you,
Brian

To be fair every doctor is different. I would ask your nutritionist. My dr says that it is a myth that it stretches out your stomach. He said the theory makes no so sence. That if you get built up air you will burp it out...naturally. Although he did say if you drink pop you have a good chance of getting addicted again and for some it causes horrible gas pain. So he advices his patients to stay away because as he says if you were addicted to it before the sleeve chances r you will get addicted after..why take the chance.
If you look through the threads you will see some people on here drink pop everyday and do just fine and have for year or more. I ess craving a sprite so bad that I got a sprite zero and swooshed it around my mouth for awhile then spit it out...I was afraid I would swollow it and have horrible gas. That made me stop craving it. Also my nutrtionist said if you crave it so bad you can't take it then keep a can of diet whatever and keep it in the fridge. Just sip every couple hours. Lots of her clients do that. But like I said your doc knows what is best for you so if yours says no I would go by him.
PS...6 weeks we were told we could drink pop.

Dr. Lavin is a part of the group of doctors that I decided to go with. I know several people that have used him. I have heard nothing but positive things about him.

Hello folks,
I can't tell you how much I appreciate this forum. Without this forum, I can't imagine that I'd be embarking on this surgery.
As a child, I was normal weight. However, many members of my extended family were overweight with some having diabetes. In my early 20s I started gaining weight and have never stopped. As I approach 50 I'm obese, have very high blood sugar (and will definitely become Type 2 Diabetic), high cholesterol, severe sleep apnea, etc. I've done Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Phentermine, exercise, Pritikin, and a lot more.
A few years ago I looked into the Lap Band and decided against it. The post-band lifestyle and complications were more than I was willing to live with. Gastric Bypass was too severe and not really appropriate for someone with my BMI. A few months ago I found out about VSG and it appears to be the answer to my dreams. My problem has always been binge eating - once I start I can't stop. VSG seems to be the tool that can help me stop.
After a lot of investigation I'm pretty sure I'll be going with Dr. Lavin in Louisiana. I'm self pay and he is much cheaper than the doctors in California where I live. Also, he seems to be very highly rated.
Anyway - I'm in the very early stages and I'll keep those interested posted via this thread.
-Jordan

Just thougth I'd post a picture update. I started at 260 lbs and am now down to 209 with a goal weight of 160. I'm halfway there! Surgery was 4/20/12 and has saved my life. I was wearing a size 20-22 and am now comfortably a 16. I can fit into a 14 but they're tight!

The truth will set you free!!! I tell the truth! I have been overweight since I was 5!

I have been an open book about surgery and I even made a Facebook status about surgery. It was my decision and I am proud of the fact that I had enough guts to do something for myself for a change. I expected some people to be negative but I have been pleasantly surprised. Everyone that I have discussed it with has been positive, encouraging, and even excited about my journey. Some people have been wanting to know more about the surgery but never knew how to access the resources until they asked me. Some didn't discuss it or look into it out of fear because all they have heard have been horror stories. I feel blessed to be able to share my experience and educate others on WLS.
It is a personal decision about who you want to tell but when I made my mind up to tell co-workers and everyone else I decided that if I received any negative comments it was because that person wasn't educated enough on the whole process or was truly just worried about me having surgery.

It has been 90 days and I have lost 42 pounds since surgery and 65 pounds overall. It's not as fast as I had expected but I have decided that for me, slow and steady will win the race! I am so glad that I took this step in making myself a healthier me!

You should check Dr. Paul Cirangle in San Francisco. One of the best in the country with over 5000 surgeries. www.lapsf.com

This seems interesting. I will be curious to here more about this procedure as it seems fairly new and long term effects are still not known. I understand lapband isn't for everyone so I hope that you can find a prcedure you are comfortable with and have great success with it Just fyi, I lost all of and then some of my extra weight with almost no exercise, eating what I want, and having only experienced actual physical hunger a dozen times in a year and a half. I can eat anything I want, I may not be able to eat more that a few bites of steak, or bread, but that's all I need to satisfy me. I wish you the best in whatever route you choose!