I came to the realization this morning while driving to work that if I was on a typical diet that I would have 1,000 times by now. From the night on my pre-op diet when I came home to my husband who had made Spaghetti and Meatballs for the himself and the kids to the 4th of July BBQ this weekend where there was homemade macaroni salad and every grilled/bbq'd meat known to mankind and lots of icy boozy drinks available. I would have quit - I would reached for that plate and loded it up and eaten myself into a comfort food coma each and every time. My sleeve is doing it's job and I must give myself some kudos to sticking to the recommended foods list - but my sleeve is training me on portion sizes (post VSG sizes too - tabelspoons instead of cups) and keeping me honest. I am so glad that I made the decision to get my sleeve. The first few days were tough and I have had dreams about eating food (my subconscious just doesn't understand why I am not eating like I used too!), but as I sit here wearing a new pair of pants that I bought in October and got home only to figure that I had gone up another size and was too regretful to return them (they were the largest size Lee makes in that style 24W), I am pleased with both myself and the outcome of my sleeve.

This is what I thought I was buying when I selfpaid for my sleeve and it is working as expected - sometimes slower then I want - but it is working and I will take slow and steady any day over "I will just start again on Monday!"

Wow, that sounds familiar! Sounds like you did great on a tempting food day.

hmmmmm....macaroni salad.........

okay, now that i'm back to reality, i agree. hang in there! i would have done the same. then i would have come home and cried to my hubs because all of my friends and family look healthy and well, and i would have been squeezed into some 22-24 capri pants that were tight in the waist but hung off my butt, because that's the size i needed for my waist; and some t-shirt that i had already worn a million times to other things....then i would have hated myself for not being comfortable talking to anyone because i felt so bad about how i looked, and i would have felt badly for ignoring hub's family members, because even though i like them all, i had ZERO self esteem and was always on the defense.

then i would have spent the night reading one of the million diet books i have on my shelf and deciding that 'Monday, i'm going to start'...and boosted myself up all weekend, only for Monday to come and me to keep eating...

You guys are really hitting the nail on the head for me. mi75, that sounds like me in a nutshell. PLUS I would've stood up most of the time because I couldn't fit into the plastic chairs they would've have sitting all around. Yet I would've taken advantage of of the BBQ chicken, the macaroni salad (drool), and a 6-pack, because after all, it is a celebration and I can just start again on Monday.

Today I was feeling a little sorry for myself and my new sleeve (restriction). All the stories that people were telling around the Water cooler about their fantastic weekends - and the only thing I think I really listened to was about the food they were making... Thanks snohogal for pulling me out of that funk. This *is* why I did this. This *is* why I pushed forward with wls. Because I would've quit 1,000 times by now.

Congrats on the weightloss so far - you are doing so well - and what a great perspective

YUP hitting the nail for me too! I feel EXACTLY the same way. Congrats to you and all of us for keeping ourselves healthy and on the losers bench!! Woo Hoo!

Great post. My only regret is that I didn't start sooner. Exercise is easy for me (I truly love it) but I have never been able to control my eating. I

I can really see myself in these comments. I laughed at the comment about not sitting in the plastic chairs. I was always afraid the chair would collapse with me in it. One time when I sat in one of those chairs I went to get up & the chair got up with me. Very embarrassing.

hmmmmm....macaroni salad.........

okay, now that i'm back to reality, i agree. hang in there! i would have done the same. then i would have come home and cried to my hubs because all of my friends and family look healthy and well, and i would have been squeezed into some 22-24 capri pants that were tight in the waist but hung off my butt, because that's the size i needed for my waist; and some t-shirt that i had already worn a million times to other things....then i would have hated myself for not being comfortable talking to anyone because i felt so bad about how i looked, and i would have felt badly for ignoring hub's family members, because even though i like them all, i had ZERO self esteem and was always on the defense.

then i would have spent the night reading one of the million diet books i have on my shelf and deciding that 'Monday, i'm going to start'...and boosted myself up all weekend, only for Monday to come and me to keep eating...

That sounds so familiar - buying clothes that hung off my butt and legs cuz I had to have them actually fit my thick waist. The last few yrs I just invested in maternity jeans and shorts from ebay (cuz I was too embarrassed to do it in person, not being pregnant and all) cuz 1. They make them to fit a large belly and a smaller butt/legs 2. They're actually pretty trendy, unlike the WOMENS section at Walmart.

They were the first things that made its way into a box and given away a long, long time ago. Thought for sure when I got down to a single digit, I'd still have the same problem - hafta buy larger sizes to fit my waist. But even tho I still have sticks for legs, my waist actually is about normal for my butt and legs (size 8). Now if the top part of me was normal for the bottom half, that'd be great. I'm still wearing an XL on top.

Thanx for the memories...

I hear you about the chairs. The chair at the lab where I go for blood work is shaped in such a fashion that my butt gets suctioned into it. I have to break the seal, like I am opening a vacuum packed ass to get out. It is really embarrassing, and painful!