hey guys my name is courtney and i am new here!

i am around 280 lbs, 20 years old ( nov 10th ) and im 5'5

i have done EVERYTHING from diets to pills, to excersise class. nothing.

im so fed up of being tired and depressed about my body. i want to look FANTASTIC when i graduate college in 2 years ( hopefully lol)

so what would did you to get started?

my mom said im going to go to a information session which is a good start but i want to do this so bad.

any tips? also if you could leave me some tips and information for before or after the surgery that would be awesome

if you also want to become friends and maybe support each other or something just message me, i love talking to new people!

Hi @@Courtneyxo17! My advice would be to Educate yourself as much as possible. If you've already done that then you're off to a great start. For me, my relationship with food was damaging and I had to confront that before continuing. I made small changes to my diet, Gradually over 7 months that resulted in significant weight loss. Because I have made those changes, it has been easier for me to transition to the post op diet And in specific, eating smaller portions. Everyone is different and for me this made a huge impact.

Good luck to you and happy early birthday!

Edited November 7, 201411 yr by VSGPapi

thank you so much! i think im gonna start doing that too little by little

Hi @@Courtneyxo17! My advice would be to Educate yourself as much as possible. If you've already done that then you're off to a great start. For me, my relationship with food was damaging and I had to confront that before continuing. I made small changes to my diet, Gradually over 7 months that resulted in significant weight loss. Because I have made those changes, it has been easier for me to transition to the post op diet And in specific, eating smaller portions. Everyone is different and for me this made a huge impact.

Good luck to you and happy early birthday!

I can really help. I had no issue with the preop diet and even lost 25 Lbs during it. Are you already leaning toward the sleeve?

yeah i think so! did you get the sleeve?

I can really help. I had no issue with the preop diet and even lost 25 Lbs during it. Are you already leaning toward the sleeve?

yeah i think so! did you get the sleeve?

I did, recently. So far so good. When is your informational session?

i have no idea yet!

I did, recently. So far so good. When is your informational session?

Let me know how it goes. There are some online too if you're interested.

Hey @@Courtneyxo17 ... my biggest piece of advice to you is research, research, research. I went into the info session thinking I wanted the lap band and came out completely discouraged from it and deciding to do the sleeve. My surgery is Dec 11th and I'm super excited! Review this site as much as you possibly can. I spend boring nights and mornings at work surfing the pages, especially the recipes

I have received more information from this site and the awesome people on here than from any of the medical sites or even my doctor. It is beyond helpful and everyone here is like a huge family - extremely supportive, loving and encouraging.... but along with that comes the brutal honesty. At first I was upset with how blunt some people got, but then I realized - they are only looking out for you. They don't want you to not have the same information they have or make the same mistakes they did.

If you have ANY questions, post them! Start a new thread or put up a status.... it's how I've gotten through some rough Patches this journey, and how I have connected with some great people on here.

It's such an exciting journey - I wish you all the best and hope you get the surgery you are hoping for <3

thank you so much!!! yeah if i have anymore questions that i think of i will def post about it

congrats on the date on ur surgery! hope all goes well!

Hey @@Courtneyxo17 ... my biggest piece of advice to you is research, research, research. I went into the info session thinking I wanted the lap band and came out completely discouraged from it and deciding to do the sleeve. My surgery is Dec 11th and I'm super excited! Review this site as much as you possibly can. I spend boring nights and mornings at work surfing the pages, especially the recipes

I have received more information from this site and the awesome people on here than from any of the medical sites or even my doctor. It is beyond helpful and everyone here is like a huge family - extremely supportive, loving and encouraging.... but along with that comes the brutal honesty. At first I was upset with how blunt some people got, but then I realized - they are only looking out for you. They don't want you to not have the same information they have or make the same mistakes they did.

If you have ANY questions, post them! Start a new thread or put up a status.... it's how I've gotten through some rough Patches this journey, and how I have connected with some great people on here.

It's such an exciting journey - I wish you all the best and hope you get the surgery you are hoping for <3

I'm 3 weeks post op tomorrow... Do a lot of research, attend the session and ask about everything also before surgery try to get used to some healthy eating habits, it will help and encourage

I'm 25 years old and 5 days post op. My situation was a bit different because I had the lap-band when I was 19 and completely struggled with that until I got my sleeve. The biggest thing is to start healthy eating habits- it will make the process less drastic. also start increasing your Water intake because post op hydration is key. IF you have any questions feel free to ask

Hey Courtney,

I'm Amanda, 22. I just had my gastric sleeve done Dec 11th and I am down 12 lbs (8 days). Before that, I had to do a 3 day liquid diet to shrink my liver and lost 8 for a total of 20 lbs in 11 days. I am now 250 lbs at 5'6. I totally feel ya on wanting to look great for college graduation, I have a semester left woohoo! To get started:

#1 Going to the informational session is right on.

#2 Research and look up statistics. There's tons of info out there.

#3 Realize this is a life-long thing. For example, no carbonated beverages for the rest of your life. (You can on rare occasion, but it isn't a good idea... its very uncomfortable and stretches your stomach over time). So with that, I would say once you know the surgery is what you want to do... start eliminated all carbonated drinks so it is an easier transition.

#4 Realize the way you eat now is not the way you will ever eat again. (Sidenote: my parents both got the sleeve so I saw all this stuff before I got mine.) Take for example a subway foot long sandwich. I used to be able to down those. My mom cant even eat a fourth of a foot long, and my dad is full with a fourth. I haven't been able to try yet because I am only in week two post op. I was an emotional/stress eater and I also ate when I was bored. The transition was fine because I am not hungry like I was be before and when you get full- you just know. Its an uncomfortable feeling.

#5 Get the information from the insurance company on what you have to do to meet the requirements. My insurance company had the option of 3 months of supervised weight loss with a nutritionist and a few other things OR 6 months of weighing in monthly with my primary. With both, you could not gain any weight. I did the 6 months and ended up gaining some weight. I was notified by month 6 that the reason I was gaining was most likely due to my PCOS with insulin resistance and I was pre diabetic. Once I was put on the proper medication, I started losing. But, my insurance denied me because I didn't lose any weight. I ended up doing the three months with the nutritionist and lost weight fine throughout that and then I was approved. So, everyone's insurance company is different, and hopefully your journey to get the sleeve will not be as complicated as mine!

#6 Find a Protein powder you like and try it now. You will need this pre and post op and probably for the rest of your life. You don't have to, but its a great way to get that protein in.

As far as the surgery goes: Realize that it is painful and the first four days for me sucked, but it does get better. Have the staff bring you a small pillow to hold over your stomach when you need to get out of bed or for your car ride home. This is kinda gross, but be prepared for gas both ways. I'm not totally sure what they do but apparently they put air in your stomach for the procedure then afterwards you have that trapped gas. I ended up getting hiccups most likely due to the anesthesia, but man did that hurt. The best thing to help is to lay on your left side (my mom is a nurse and that tip helped a lot). Sorry for another gross fact, but there will also be diarrhea due to all the liquids. It is still like that for me 8 days post op. In general, you will have more gas than when you had your regular stomach. I don't have a clue why, but both my parents agree, unfortunately. Alright, done with the gross stuff!

After surgery you will not be hungry.You will want to sleep a lot, and you won't have much energy. I still have low endurance because I am still healing. For example, I get tired after being out for 2 hours and need to go home and relax or sleep. It'll go away soon though. I shouldn't be out doing a ton anyway while I'm still healing.

Hope this helps! I am so glad I decided to do this surgery as I know it will change/has changed my entire life.

Hi!! I'd say to really "shop around" hospitals if you can... I looked at two hospitals where I live and I opted to one rather than the other because of the support team that the hospital offers, I had to sit through two informational sessions, meet a dietician twice, psychologist twice, and a nutritionalist once, and the surgeon twice before my scheduled surgery. I also had to attend a support group. All this helped a ton, I felt way more prepared before the surgery.

If you haven't already contact your insurance and see if your covered for surgery, and if you have to do a waiting period prior to surgery, it'd suck to go to an appointment and start the process then find out that your insurance requires a 6 month waiting period, or whatever, better to know all about that sooner rather than later.

I'd also suggest.... It helped me out a lot too.... Clean out the pantry and refrigerator... Get rid of anything and everything you will not be able to eat/drink post-op. I did think two weeks prior.

You'll get a list of all the Things not suggested after surgery. But it helps to get used to not having those around to kill the craving /temptation before surgery.