1. I would have to buy all new clothes including underwear and shoes - twice. Had to get a loan to buy the winter items.

2. People would not recognize me; they sometimes think I am ill.

3. People expecially men would treat me differently - I never knew how to react to an actual flirt.

4. I now care about what I wear each day - I wonder if Lane Bryant and the Avenue miss me?

5. The small things like moving the car seat closer to the steering wheel, crossing my legs with ease, walking up and down stairs without panicing, cutting my hair very very short because I now have a jawline and cheek bones, keeping up with my friends when walking, feeling my hip bones when I lay down, and smiling all the time because I feel so good.

What are your surprise issues?

We should all sell our clothes on eBay plus size cute clothes do well then we can support out new shopping trips!

There is section/community on here called "Clothing Exchange," not sure how it works, but might be worth checking out?

16 more days for me! Scared and excited all at the same time! Kind of scared of being skinny and "normal" in a way - anyone else deal with that?

Looking forward to some of the things you all listed - wish more guys would chime in!

I grabbed a baseball hat out of my closet I haven't worn since I weighted 326 pounds. Now weighing 282 I had to tighten the hat quite a bit. It was a weird but awesome feeling. Also the other day we went to a restaurant and got seated in a booth. Prior to sleeve my tummy fat would hit te edge of the table. Now I didn't touch and had plenty of room. It was a good feeling.

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I have only lost 23 pounds, but the other day I was wearing my Pandora bracelet. I shook my hand real hard and it flew off my hand. I was shocked. The same day I was able to pull my jeans down without unbuttoning or unzipping. They just slipped off over my (smaller) hips! Great feelings!

You will do fine I was scared when I decided it was time to loose the weight. I even went to Mexico all alone to get my sleeve again very scared to go somewhere out of the states where I had never been but I got through it

I have never regretted getting the sleeve done and now I feel so much better at just over 4 1/2 months I had reach my goal and passed it by 5 pounds I started at 280 pounds stopped buying bigger pants at size 46 and my shirt was 2XL I am now wearing a size 30 in waist and a med to large shirt. I am currently at 175

I no longer need to take my blood pressure meds my knees and feet and ankles no longer hurt I feel a lot better now and I have so much more energy

Private e if you want more information

James

@janerose - Being able to sit down in a theater/auditorium seat without either buttock touching the armrests...K

Not sweating all the time & not waking up in the middle of the night with hot flashes!!!! As an obese person I was always sweating wayyyy too much....thankfully all that has gone away since surgery

I love hanging my clothes on a hanger and they NEVER fall off when I move them.

I love crossing my legs.

I love squeezing between two chairs that I didn't think I couln't fit through.

I love clothes now.

I love posting pics on facebook now.

I can't wait for Garage Sale season to start, so much cheaper than goodwill. So many nice neighbor hoods have such nice cloths.

I am an equestrian' date=' I had no idea that the reason I had my stirrups so short before was because of how fat my thighs were. My legs have grown in length, when riding, and I feel more like a normal rider!

No one told me that at my current size - still 15-20# away from goal - many people would consider me pretty good looking....hahaha... it is great! Perfection not required.... progress toward better is my new mindset![/quote']

I used to have horses. Was able to lope, trot or whatever with my bottom glued to the seat. Fast forward a decade and 100 lbs and I've lost my seat. Hard to keep myself steady in the saddle. I am praying once I get back down to a better weight, I regain my seat. I've missed being able to ride well. And yes I know plenty of fat people ride horses. This is just my experience. I get sleeved jan 9 so by the time it's nice weather again I plan on doing lots of riding.

You can also lie and get away with having a thyroid problem that your now on medication for. Those make you drop pounds like CRAZY.

Thanks Becky. That will work too. I am really having trouble with mother in law. I have told her that hubby and I are on really struck diets. I still get a bunch of crap from her. For Christmas - she brought about 50 home made sugar cookies. I sent them to work with my daughter and some with her boyfriend. I get chastised every time I refuse a beer too. I asked her to be a little more supportive and got no comment. Any suggestions on what else I can do to this woman-I mean besides smacking her! Hahaha. Thanks for ANY help.

I am one month post op and already, my shoes are too big... and I didn't know I had curves! I thought I was one continuous curve ( a circle...lol) I also wasn't prepared to NOT feel hungry... that is very different for me... I can't wait till I can ditch these clothes and get a pair of skinny jeans!! LOL

What a wonderful thread. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories and your success. It is truly inspirational to everyone!

I had no idea that people would be so happy for me and supportive of me. It's been amazing!

I had no idea how much I'd missed my waist. I have my hands on my hips all the time now.

I had no idea that walking into Old Navy and being able to buy a pair of jeans IN the store would move me to tears.

I had no idea that my shoes would be too big. It never occurred to me!

I had no idea that I'd want to DO so much!

I'm still pre-op but I'm looking forward to using a regular bathroom stall and not the handicap stall. I swear men design those stalls with the toilet paper dispenser the same level as my hips and the door opening to the inside of the stall. Sure makes it hard on a fat girl.