I have to vent...it's so aggravating when people get this surgery and then complain that its been 2 days and they didn't lose 100 pounds. Maybe we all have different expectations, but I can't believe people who have just had the surgey and are upset they only lost a "few pounds". This isn't a cure all, miracle...it's hard work and it takes time. I didn't gain 140 pounds in a night....and I am not going to wake up in recovery 140 pounds lighter. I am very happy with my success...but I think I have to leave this forum as there is way too much negativity and I am only about positive things now. Sorry...just so frustrated reading these posts.

I am still pre-op (approved, just waiting on a date), but my goal going into this is to lose 2-3 pounds a week after the initial drop. I am guessing I will lose 5-10 pounds on the pre-op diet and then another 5-10 in the liquids stage. After that, I will be thrilled with 2-3 pounds a week. It has taken me four weeks to drop 2 pounds without the sleeve. Plus, the slower weight loss will help with skin firmness according to my doc. As of today I have 80 pounds to lose to reach my goal if 130. I fully expect it to take a year to lose it all. I hope I have set realistic expectations for myself, but only time will tell.

It is important to remember that everyone's feelings associated with this surgery and its individual results are real for each person who posts and while others may view it as negative posts I think it is more helpful to our VST friends to acknowledge their feelings and not disparage them because you personally feel more hopeful about your own success then some others do!

I agree. I'm willing to guess that there are quite a few sleevers who' date=' pre-op, might have been a bit like me. I'm an all-or-nothin' girl when it comes to trying to lose weight, which is one of the reasons I've never been successful long-term. What I mean by that is, for example, when I was on Weight Watchers (for the third or fourth time), if the scale didn't go down as fast as I thought it should, I got so frustrated that I'd lapse back into bad habits. If it wasn't going perfectly, I felt like a failure. Maybe some of the people who vent their frustrations are worried that the scale is starting to tell them they're going to fail AGAIN.

It's hard to be patient when you're afraid. It's hard to be patient when you're worried that whatever weight doesn't fall off in 12 or 18 months is never going to come off (that's an exaggeration, but it's based on the truth that our "optimum window" of weight loss is 1-2 years).

Lots of us have fear before the surgery, and as we all know, sleeving doesn't fix our headspace, only our bellyspace.

We all need to be more patient with ourselves--and with one another.[/quote']

I agree with you. And I'm one of the smaller ones. I'm at 190. I have 60 pounds to lose as of now. I was sleeved on may 15th. I'm still young and I want to be skinny again after having kids. I did the sleeve to be skinny...and if the scale doesn't go down I freak out bcuz I'm scared. I've tried 100 diets and wasted tons of money. Starting on Soups on my second week put me at a stall. I had to get off the carbs just like any other diet. This is a huge challenge for me but I'm in it to win it.

It seems to me that lately being on this board is a waste of my time... sad to say because this used to be such a great place to meet people, talk about issues and feel like I was with "my people".

It's a lot of negativity lately - people dissatisfied with their weight loss - ANY loss should be a point of pride for us!!! And if it's not negativity about some aspect of this surgery, it's newbies who really don't seem to know what they are getting/have gotten themselves into. I seem to just answer the same questions over and over again, get no support for myself, and then come back in a couple of days only to see the exact same questions posted by different newbies. I mean, can't you READ the forum so you're not just repeating the same stuff over and over? And it honestly shocks me how little research people have done on this for themselves.

That said, I keep coming back, hoping to see something that will help me or at least entertain.

^ It was like that for me on Obesityhelp too. That is why I moved over here.

Well, I have been reading even longer and I guess the questions have ALL been asked. Somehow when each person asks it - it seems unique and like the first time to them.

I let the not quite so new newbies answer those questions - and they are enthusiatic to do so because they have only seen the question 10 times, not 1,000 yet. LOL

I try to reserve my efforts for situations that i think I can add value to. People who were high BMI and really wondering if this can work. People who failed with the band and are afraid of failing again. I was in their shoes and appreciated that people "like me" took the time to answer MY fears - even though i was the millionth person to articulate those same fears.

But as far as "oh my god the sleeve doesn't work because I have only lost 95 pounds in 3 months" - I have never been able to relate to those posts and just don't read em.

Note to all of us: Must. Learn. Patience.

Note to self: Must. Master. Moderation.

I swear to god, the first time I read your last line I thought it said Must. Master. Masturbation..dirty!!!

I won't lie, I rarely open the posts about people complaining about why they haven't lost 100 pounds in a month. It makes me want to punch kittens!!!

I swear to god, the first time I read your last line I thought it said Must. Master. Masturbation..dirty!!!

I won't lie, I rarely open the posts about people complaining about why they haven't lost 100 pounds in a month. It makes me want to punch kittens!!!

LMAO!! Well, yeah, that too!

I very much agree with you! I'm a newbie and granted love reading the success stories, but realistically everyone is different. I know some people will probably disagree with me, but I could care less about the scale. I want to be healthy!!! I want to be able to walk without being short of breath, and play outside with my daughter. As long as i am fit, and healthy that's all that really matters. I know it's hard work but with this tool I can accomplish some realistic goals