I am scheduled to be sleeved on July 23rd, 2012. I am SO excited, but recently read a bunch of stuff from people who have been sleeved for about 3-6 months on average that worries me. They are all talking about losing about 20-30 pounds total in that 3-6 months after being sleeved and that seems VERY low to me. I am hoping to lose far more than that in 6 months! Am I being too optimistic or are the people I read about just not doing something right? I can lose 20-30 pounds in 6 months without a sleeve and a life altering surgery. Please help - am I doing the right thing to lose weight, right?

It's impossible for any of us to say that those people are or are not doing something right.

Some folks lose more quickly than others. Many on this forum will tell you the first rule, the second rule and all the following rules are:

Do NOT compare yourself to others.

Instead, ask yourself if you can KEEP OFF those 20-30 pounds you would have lost without the help of the sleeve? The answer is usually "No", and has contributed to almost everyone's decision to get sleeved.

Only you can decide if you're doing the right thing. But I bet 99% of the sleevers on this forum will tell you they would do it again in a heartbeat. I would.

And you can see by my ticker that I have lost almost 50 pounds in 13 weeks. So I and many many others have indeed lost more than 30 in 3-6 months.

Good luck!

_{I can see your point. I see from your ticker that you lost a lot of weight in the short two months since your sleeve! Congratulations!! I really hope that I follow in your footsteps. I want my life back and I want to never return to this time in my life. I am so ready to be free!!}

Each person is different. I'm at five months in four days, and I've lost 88 pounds. My wife is a month behind me and she has lost 39 pounds. Women are slower than men, and each person is unique. There are platteaus that all of us fight with, but the weight still comes off in the end.

Well, 3-6 minths is a big gap - I can't recall too many people saying 20 lbs in 6 months...

The sleeve is not a set thing - and on the sleeve - and I am not kidding - don't focus on the weight loss - it is going to happen as long as you focus on the much more important things - dealing with your old habits, insecurities and fears, and figuring out your head hunger and learning new habits, andd eating the way you are supposed to...the weight will drop.

You could lose 30 lbs in 3-6 months, I have probably lost over 500 lbs in my lifetime, when you add it up...here is the question, and separates this from anything you have done before - you are utilizing a procedure that has the ability to HELP you not only lose weight, but keep it off. If you establish new, permanent habits you will be able to forever walk away from your obesity, your co-morbid conditions, etc.

There are so many reasons why different people lose at different rates - some may not lose at a very fast rate, only to finally go off a medication that was holding them back, while others lose so fast they may find their body needs a rest - and it will make you rest.

Make this decision understanding that it is permanent whether or not you achieve you overall goal...be sure you are mentally prepared to be a lesser loser, if it does happen.

There is always going to be a spectrum of results with medical procedures - just focus on doing the best by yourself you can.

Good luck.

Each person is different. I'm at five months in four days, and I've lost 88 pounds. My wife is a month behind me and she has lost 39 pounds. Women are slower than men, and each person is unique. There are platteaus that all of us fight with, but the weight still comes off in the end.

I have lost a little over fifty... five months one week...

You look great at five months, the rest is easy. I hope to get down to 200, which means another 56 pounds to go. I keep working out and break through each plateau.

It also depends how much you need to lose. The closer you get to goal or the lower your BMI, the slower the losss. However, give yourself a full year to meet goal. Your body is adjusting to a new life.

Pookeyism! OMG! I love your new pic! You look more beautiful than before. You are a success! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Love it. XOXOXOXO

Do NOT compare yourself to others.

Instead, ask yourself if you can KEEP OFF those 20-30 pounds you would have lost without the help of the sleeve? The answer is usually "No", and has contributed to almost everyone's decision to get sleeved.

I just had to quote this because it was worth saying again, IMO. This was the biggest reason I made the decision for the sleeve - it's not that I don't know how to lose weight or eat right - it's that I don't know how to stay on that track without the aid of this tool (the sleeve).

I think it's also important to remember that everyone getting sleeved is at a different starting weight, so those of us that are on the heaviest side are going to lose weight pretty quick simply because of BMI.

I think the key is to really remember that it's not the surgery that causes you to lose weight but the changes in your eating habits and the lack of room to overeat.

I lost quit a bit of weight during pre-surgery went from 258 (the day I met with the Doctor on 3/29) to 229 the day of the surgery (last week). My doctor's pre-op low carb diet really worked for me and I did wonder if I should go through with the surgery since I was finally being successful at the weighloss. What I realized is that I need the surgery to have the tool that will always limit the amount of food I can stuff into my mouth at any one time. I don't know about you but for me, in the past, I would hit a plateau on a diet and give up and just go back to my old way of eating... gain the weight back and feel aweful. I wanted a solution that would keep me on this path and frankly I hope to only lose 10 lbs a month - at least that would give my skin a little time to catch up.

Bottom line, there is no magic in losing weight or perfect solution where we go to sleep fat and wake up skinny.... Everything takes hard work and its a hard decision to make but you will know when you have made it for yourself.

I've lost 34 and I'm 3 1/2 weeks out. Of course 15 was preo and 19 post op.

I am 6 months post op and I have lost 84 pounds. I lost about a pound per day for the first month. I also walk at least 3 times per week and do weights 3 times per week. Everyone is different but no matter what kind of surgery you have, you have to follow the program to be successful.

You have to focus on being healthy. That is why we should have the surgery. And the vanity is a nice side effect. You have to remember that people have different metabolism and the more they have to loose the more the will. If you only have 50 lb to meet your goal you are not going to loose as much as someone who has 200 to loose should not compair yourself. That being said I weighed 293 on 1/15 pre surgery weight on 4/15 was 284. Surgery 4/30 today I am 245. I feel great have somuch energy and for the first time I am starting to receive attention from females it feels nice. Only you can make this decision. I am not looking back and would do it again.

Best of luck

I greatly appreciate all of you taking the time to respond. I have learned so much already! That is probably the thing I want to learn the most - how to eat the way I KNOW to eat to stay healthy. I know that the VSG is my tool to ensure that my portions are controlled. I lost 75 lbs on Atkins a few years and felt so good but between the plateau and the skin, I gave up and ate my way back up to my max weight again. I KNOW how to eat and I know now that I will have to eat that way forever to be successful. I am just grateful that I have the ability to have the VSG to keep me moving in the right direction. I can do this!

My wife sent me this video that will be most helpful for you. It not only explains what will happen, but also an actual video of the operation and discussion by the doctors.

http://www.orlive.com/halifaxhealth/videos/weighing-the-options-gastric-sleeve-surgery?view=displayPageNLM