My story is like many others here –I am older (63) and after all these years of fighting the fight I made the decision to have the sleeve surgery.

The only goal I have is to be healthy –get off the six meds I was taking. I am only taking two meds now and hope to be off of one more in May.

I know this was the right way to go; I did not want to stop eating the foods that I like, just wanted to eat less of them. I do not count my proteins, carbos, calories at this time – I have changed my eating habits because the “junk food” which once took over my life has no appeal to me; I crave healthy foods – low fat frozen yogurt, not ice cream – have no desire for chocolate or candy now, but eat a few chips on occasion, but no longer a half a bag in a sitting – three chips once or twice a week. I eat small wheat crackers in the morning to ease the sometimes present nausea. I have had a glass or two of wine, drank a couple of beers St. Patrick’s Day, drink of choice at the bar is always vodka on the rocks with lemon; it lasts all night. I can’t do water unless it is loaded with ice cubes, so each morning I get a McDonalds unsweetned ice tea with lemon and drink it all day. I buy a bottle of Diet Pepsi (12 ounce) once a week sip it as needed.

Not your normal sleeve participant – but it is working for me and I see it working this way for a long long time. My Doctor is fine – well he shakes his head a lot. The NUT loves me; she shakes her head a lot also.

I have lost 44lbs to date – down two sizes – my face now has a shape, I feel great and for the first time I am not feeling as though I am giving anything up; yes, it is still a struggle when the stress of life gets to me; there is no shoveling food into my mouth to try to make it better (it never worked) – I don’t like excersing at all – but am trying to wrap my now flabby but smaller arms around it all.

This sleeve has probably bought me a few more good years – and yes, I am now a cheap date !

I'm happy for you! Embrace it - and embrace life! Keep it up!

I absolutely love your post. Talk about inspirational. I think you have the best attitude regarding being sleeved. You get it. You have found what works for you and are living the life. Your life. You are not a slave to food, the scale or opinions.

Congratulations.

I needed to read this today. I have been sleeved for 15 days and I am down 21 pounds. I am happy with my sleeve but It has become a little more difficult to get through the routine every day. Seeing that you have your own approach to this whole new lifestyle is very encouraging to me. I didn't get sleeved to become a size two I just really want to be healthy and stick around as long as possible for my kids! Thanks for keeping it real and showing me that I don't need to be a slave to the scale!

Got to love that unsweetened McDonald's iced tea. Congrats on doing so well! You really are living the lifestyle.

Janerose... you talk a lot of sense! Congrats on such an amazing attitude to life and the new you. You sound full of youth and vigor, and that in itself it an achievement!!

You will do well because you have such a positive attitude... loved reading your post. Thank you! =]

Awesome!!! Made me smile and breath a bit easier!!!! Congrats!!

I love the balance you've found between eating for loss and eating for sanity. As a newly sleeved, headachy, tired, crabby and starving girl still on clears, it gives me alot of hope for my future! LOL

Thank you all for the kind words regarding my post; I have been reading the forum daily for support and ideas.

Yes, I have found my way with the help of everyone here as well as a great support system of family and friends and many years of starving, fad dieting, diet pills (my family doctor gave them to me when I was 14!)

Each one of us must choose the path that will not only get us to our healthy weight; but keep us there for life.

I love your attitude, the whole "i'm gonna do it my way because it works for me". Awesome! I am glad to hear you are doing so well! Ever since my pre-op diet (which was super low carb and high protein) I have never followed my surgeon's "orders" perfectly because they didn't work for me. They don't know it, but after a few weeks of only losing 1 or 2 lbs per week I had a frappuccino... and that week I lost 4 lbs! My nut said "whatever you changed, keep it up!" I laughed hysterically after I got back to my car. But guess what, each week I had a frappuccino and I kept losing good numbers. I never told them but it worked for me. I guess my body just didn't like being "that" low in carbs.

Now that I'm post-op, I do watch my Proteins, but I'll still have a treat here and there... I just don't worry about it! Its working for me and I'm happy about that

Congrats again!!

Happy to hear you found away that works for you! When did you have surgery?

I don't count calories, carbs, Proteins either. I eat what I want, when I want it and it's what works for me. I knew very early on that if I treated this like another diet with counting and restrictions that I would end up on a binge and so I don't deny myself anything and as a result don't desire the bad stuff nearly as often as I used to.

At about six months out I confessed to the nurse that I had been "cheating" the whole time and that's when she told me that I'd discovered the secret to success...to stop being obsessed with food. Good food, bad food, it doesn't matter; if it's all you think about it's still controlling your life.

Kudos to everyone else that's doing what works for them, listening to what their body tells them it needs, and finally Living Life to it's Fullest!!!

Israeljustice - I had my surgery on January 10, 2012.

Good post Janerose.

I am 36 and approached the surgery in a similar way. It was a way to change my life, I followed my post op "diet', ie food stages. However I never went into this with the standard approach. I allow myself to have treats if I want them, which about my body almost never craves anymore, except for the day before and first day of the time of month (TMI sorry), when it is a free for all on the junk food. But I usually find that when i give in an eat things, especially sweet things (my pre-op kryptonite) I usually regret it and feel ill. My craves things that is good for it, it wants veggies, it wants lean Protein sources.

I also put exercise in my regime as soon as permitted and have been working out 2 times a day 5 days a week pretty consistently too.

It was always a lifestyle change not just another way to loose weight.

Working really well for me now....108 pounds gone since Sept.

Good luck with your journey