Am I the only one that has these moments of "don't get your hopes up!". I am super excited, but I keep wondering if there are people that go through with this and then it actually doesn't work. Or that like SO many I know with RNY, I'll gain it back. It's probably because I've been big for so long that I can't remember what it feels like to be small. I just keep wondering these things and thinking that those people probably wouldn't be on here telling us about it! I just don't want to be THAT person that isn't successful with this tool.

Well I was thinking why would we think it WOULD work?

Everything else we tried didn't work, right? Today I was cleaning out old books bc I have to give up a bookshelf. I passed along probably 12 to 15 textbooks about losing weight. South Beach, NO Sugar NO FLour, Geneen Roth books When food Is Love, etc. etc. Some things worked for a while, most I never even tried, but I sure did spend a lot of money on any new thing that might help. I was so desperate.

So is it possible that we actually have a solution with the sleeve????? It seems so unlikely, right?

I was thinking why would you NOT think it is a hoax. Just sayin...

But I will say this, knowing very little about RNY or other surgeries, this is the best solution I've ever found. I freaked out last week bc I had a small loss of 2 lbs and then turned and gained 5 lbs. That has never happened to me since surgery, like every day I was gaining a lb. There was definitely that momentary panic like crap, how could I be gaining?? Is it over?. But I made some minor adjustments, part of it eating MORE meals and lowering my salt intake and increasing fluids and I already lost 3 of it and am back to where I was before I lost the 2 lbs.

My diet has very naturally changed, and I believe permanently changed, in that my preferences have changed and the volume is restricted. I get more fluids now than I ever did, and I think I just don't take my lil tummy so much for granted. I worry this lil thing is all I have so I better take care of it. And you might also find when that fatty tummy part is cut out your preferences for fatty, greasy or sweet foods changes. My 12 year old son (who is overweight) asked me recently to PLEASE stop buying the junk food b/c I will often buy it, have a bite and be like BLAH and leave it for everyone else to finish. This is true of ding dongs, twinkies, potato chips, chocolate, pastries, donuts, pancakes, and fried foods. I felt bad when he said that bc it was true and I did stop. It sounds good sometimes to buy junk food so I'll buy some, but I often don't like it when I taste it. Just the other day I made my husband PROMISE to not let me order fried seafood any more because I sit down to order and sometimes think I want fried seafood but then when it comes I just immediately realize I only want steamed/baked/broiled seafood. The weird part is that my head is still geting a grip on this (it is getting there), but my stomach knows what it likes and sticks to it. You eat sweets, you feel kinda quesy or just not quite right. Not like you are going to puke, but just like ugh I wish I'd eaten something else. You eat fried food, like my shrimp, you realize you could only eat 3 or 4 shrimp and a few bites of salad or potato and you realize if you get grilled shrimp then maybe you can eat more shrimp and you want that instead.

But it is so hard to believe. At this point I think I found the solution for me, and I'm not even exercising much and I don't count anything. Other people have had better results bc they are more diligent, among other reasons.

And not only looking better...I was just thinking today how much I have accomplished at home and work in the last few months. It is really adding up. There are some HUGE projects at work I've needed to do for years and never did it, and some other things that I couldn't do myself but needed to coordinate others to do it. And one by one I am knocking them out all in just a few months. At home for the first time I remember since 1988, my house is (almost) totally organized and this is with 2 kids in tow and a husband (we are all messy, but now I am ahead of them). A lot of this is just physically having more energy to do the big projects that have gotten out of hand. I still get tired, but it takes a lot more to tire me out. Today So II was looking at heavy cleaning like my tile grout and baseboards and wanting to start scrubbing them on a schedule until I get it all done. I would never have considered that before, but now it is bugging me a lot that it makes my house look dirty.

I know it is hard to believe, but I think the sleeve is good. You MIGHT NOT be TWIGGY when you are done, although some people around here lose it all and are very lean, but you will probably lose most of your excess weight. I still have a bit of a muffin top, and I'm still considered overweight and not normal weight ( I also still have a lot of my boobs). And I have new hair coming in curly which is a totally fun bonus.. It is a trade off!!. But even though I'm still overweight I'm not morbidly obese or even obese and it beats the HELL out of 220 lbs let me tell you. I was so miserable, so self conscious, and much less productive in every way.

I hope long term it proves to be good not only in keeping weight off but in maintaining good health.

I wish you the best and I hope this brings comfort to you. It is my true experience.

You're not alone in your thoughts. This is my fear as well. You read all these amazing success stories and wonder if it will really work for you? All I know for sure, is that I have dieted myself into obesity, so I know I need to do something different. Besides, we will never succeed unless we try, right?

Oh, and I've been overweight since I was 4, so I can understand that part too....not sure which is worse, having never known thin, or knowing it and becoming obese?

It won't work unless YOU WORK IT. I haven't had my surgery yet, but from what I have read it is all about your attitude, commitment, and resolve. This isn't some magic pill that is going to just take weight off for you. It will probably be harder and more of an emotional/physical journey than ANY diet you have ever "tried".

If you don't work it.....you likely will fail. It is all up to you and how you respond to the challenge. I think you can do it and we all believe in you!

I know EXACTLY how you feel. I have been getting so upset about it too. But something that makes me feel better is that you look at the requirements for this surgery, and one of them is having tried and failed before. And still you see a good success rate among all the patients. Plus, this one is different than RNY because it gets rid of most of the ghrelin factor, bonus!

It's good to have these concerns in the back of your mind. It keeps you from being over-confident. It keeps you vigilent. But don't let it take up space in the fore-front of your mind or you might become over fearful and self-defeating.

You will be fine. Don't believe it, know it. You will take good care of yourself because you want to. You're ready to.

I'm not afraid it won't work but I do understand your feelings as I have seen folks who have had some type of weight loss surgery, been successful and only for them to gain it back within a few years. I am going into this with a positive attitude that I am changing MY life for ME. It's my turn to put myself first. Don't get me wrong. I have a spouse and children, work full time, volunteer but this is totally for ME and not about anyone else. I am very much looking forward to my new self. Agree with the comments below as well. We need to work it for ourselves and be confident in our decision. All the best to you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dogzz109 is so right. I have done my research and lived through my mom getting tshe RNY 9 years ago. She now runs multiple WLS support groups. The surgery is an excellent tool to help us lose weight but it is just a tool. If I drink lots of milkshakes and eat junk after surgery I will gain the weight back. We still have to make better food choices even after surgery. Surgery makes the weight loss easier but there are still lifestyle changes that need to be made. Also, if you do start gaining, you can use your tool to help get the weight off again.

Oh, and my mom has maintained over a 300 pound weight loss. You can too!

Well I was thinking why would we think it WOULD work?

Everything else we tried didn't work, right? Today I was cleaning out old books bc I have to give up a bookshelf. I passed along probably 12 to 15 textbooks about losing weight. South Beach, NO Sugar NO FLour, Geneen Roth books When food Is Love, etc. etc. Some things worked for a while, most I never even tried, but I sure did spend a lot of money on any new thing that might help. I was so desperate.

So is it possible that we actually have a solution with the sleeve????? It seems so unlikely, right?

I was thinking why would you NOT think it is a hoax. Just sayin...

But I will say this, knowing very little about RNY or other surgeries, this is the best solution I've ever found. I freaked out last week bc I had a small loss of 2 lbs and then turned and gained 5 lbs. That has never happened to me since surgery, like every day I was gaining a lb. There was definitely that momentary panic like crap, how could I be gaining?? Is it over?. But I made some minor adjustments, part of it eating MORE meals and lowering my salt intake and increasing fluids and I already lost 3 of it and am back to where I was before I lost the 2 lbs.

My diet has very naturally changed, and I believe permanently changed, in that my preferences have changed and the volume is restricted. I get more fluids now than I ever did, and I think I just don't take my lil tummy so much for granted. I worry this lil thing is all I have so I better take care of it. And you might also find when that fatty tummy part is cut out your preferences for fatty, greasy or sweet foods changes. My 12 year old son (who is overweight) asked me recently to PLEASE stop buying the junk food b/c I will often buy it, have a bite and be like BLAH and leave it for everyone else to finish. This is true of ding dongs, twinkies, potato chips, chocolate, pastries, donuts, pancakes, and fried foods. I felt bad when he said that bc it was true and I did stop. It sounds good sometimes to buy junk food so I'll buy some, but I often don't like it when I taste it. Just the other day I made my husband PROMISE to not let me order fried seafood any more because I sit down to order and sometimes think I want fried seafood but then when it comes I just immediately realize I only want steamed/baked/broiled seafood. The weird part is that my head is still geting a grip on this (it is getting there), but my stomach knows what it likes and sticks to it. You eat sweets, you feel kinda quesy or just not quite right. Not like you are going to puke, but just like ugh I wish I'd eaten something else. You eat fried food, like my shrimp, you realize you could only eat 3 or 4 shrimp and a few bites of salad or potato and you realize if you get grilled shrimp then maybe you can eat more shrimp and you want that instead.

But it is so hard to believe. At this point I think I found the solution for me, and I'm not even exercising much and I don't count anything. Other people have had better results bc they are more diligent, among other reasons.

And not only looking better...I was just thinking today how much I have accomplished at home and work in the last few months. It is really adding up. There are some HUGE projects at work I've needed to do for years and never did it, and some other things that I couldn't do myself but needed to coordinate others to do it. And one by one I am knocking them out all in just a few months. At home for the first time I remember since 1988, my house is (almost) totally organized and this is with 2 kids in tow and a husband (we are all messy, but now I am ahead of them). A lot of this is just physically having more energy to do the big projects that have gotten out of hand. I still get tired, but it takes a lot more to tire me out. Today So II was looking at heavy cleaning like my tile grout and baseboards and wanting to start scrubbing them on a schedule until I get it all done. I would never have considered that before, but now it is bugging me a lot that it makes my house look dirty.

I know it is hard to believe, but I think the sleeve is good. You MIGHT NOT be TWIGGY when you are done, although some people around here lose it all and are very lean, but you will probably lose most of your excess weight. I still have a bit of a muffin top, and I'm still considered overweight and not normal weight ( I also still have a lot of my boobs). And I have new hair coming in curly which is a totally fun bonus.. It is a trade off!!. But even though I'm still overweight I'm not morbidly obese or even obese and it beats the HELL out of 220 lbs let me tell you. I was so miserable, so self conscious, and much less productive in every way.

I hope long term it proves to be good not only in keeping weight off but in maintaining good health.

I wish you the best and I hope this brings comfort to you. It is my true experience.

Thank you SO much for sharing this. I cried when you were talking about your kids and the Snacks and having the energy to do the things you want to at home. I can relate to both of those things so much. While I am 100% doing this for me, I am so hopeful for the impact that it will have on my family. I think the part where you described that first small gain was exactly what I was talking about. I am just anticipating that " Oh No....I can't gain this back!" moment and just need to be prepared for it and not freak out. I'm just so thankful that we can all communicate on here and know better what to expect. I can't imagine having hit the "three week stall" not knowing that it's common. Now I think I'll be able to be better prepared emotionally. Thanks again for listening and sharing.

Thanks you guys for the support. I DO believe I can do this and am SO excited and ready.... just have those scary moments mixed in every now and then. I don't really worry about downing milkshakes or anything like that (b/c thats just not me now). I'm just not the best at counting every carb/calorie/protein right now and it just worries me b/c I want so badly to be a 'super star sleever'!

I really appreciate all of you and can't wait to share in this journey together. Only 22 more days to go!

Well first of all don't fail before you suceed. This is very much a good tool for losing weight but you have to stick with the program. YOu have to say deep inside you that this is going to work. You yourself have to take that first step into the unkown. You have to not let the feeling of you can't do it get in the way of doing what is best for your health..There are a lot of what if's in life you can't give in to that. If you want this for your health then you will do it..There is no failure only success.. Keep your eyes fixed on the goal and take your life back!!!

Before my surgery people would ask are you afraid of surgery, funny enough I wasn't, I was most afraid it wouldn't work. I am 7 weeks out now and it is working, I'm 33 pounds down!