My first post ever, anywhere, and its here!

Telling my story, hoping to find new friends!

I have been overweight my whole life, as was my immediate family. It was a consequence of being raised in a lower-middle class home, where food was purchased based on volume and not nutrition. We all know now as adults quantity is not quality, but it is extremely hard to change those habits.

I have anxiety issues with food, fears of not having enough, fear of wasting, fear of spending too much money on food. I have had periods in my life where I was not sure of I would have enough money at the end of the week to feed my daughter when she was little, let alone myself.

Now here I am, so overweight my joints are deteriorating. Too young for replacements, too old to know better.

I approach each meal now with thought. Why did I pick this? Is it what I want or what I need? How will it be different once I am sleeved? Will I have "head" hunger?

So I ask my fellow members, is it true? Is it true that I will eat 4 shrimp and feel sated? Could I eat just a forkful of cake at my daughters birthday party, and be satisfied?

Will I feel so much more energy that I will be more motivated to do the activities that I can no longer do because of my weight? (I am hoping so)

Any advice appreciated, looking for honest truths so I can manage my expectations. I am in my approval stage.

I cant say we all fill full on four shrimp or one forkful of birthday cake. I can tell you about 1/4 -1/2 cup of food is about it depending on the last time I ate. I am 3 weeks 2 days out -

Energy has fluctuated for me and I was told being hydrated along with getting in the minimum Protein has probably been the culprit. My doctor said to expect being a little more tired than normal even if I kept up with hydration and protein. He said it is your body adjusting (going into shock) over the amount of calorie intake and that it should pass after about month 4 or so.

I do not regret my new sleeve friend at all.

Hi! My name is Trish. And I'll tell you about my experience so far. I've been overweight since college. The freshman 15 was more like the freshman 50. I've lost and gained weight multiple times in my life before I made the choice to get the sleeve. I don't regret the decision. I'd gotten up to 275 pounds and my back and joints ached. When I stood up after sitting for a while, it sounded like a bowl of rice crispies with fresh milk. I snored, VERY loudly, I could exercise, but not for long and not without feeling like I'd die soon.

I had the sleeve on 3/16/15. I'm just slightly 2 months out. I've dropped 44 pounds so far. Instead of coming home from work, cooking dinner and then sitting on the couch and not moving again until it was time for my son to go to sleep but yesterday I came home from work and worked in my yard. Weeded flower beds and shoveled dirt. The other day, I built a container garden to grow vegetables. I don't pop or creak when I get out of bed and instead of taking 5 minutes to loosen up and be able to move, now its a few steps and my hips seem to go back to the right place so I can walk without a limp. I'm actually a member of a gym and I lift weights now.

The first time I had shrimp after surgery, I couldn't finish 4... you'll work up to that. I went on vacation to Mexico and for the first time in a long time, I didn't need a seat belt extender. I look at life differently now and I've tried so many things I might have been scared to do just months ago. I swam with dolphins, I went down multiple flights of stairs to swim in an underground cavern KNOWING I'd have to climb those stairs to get back out. I had two bites of my mother's key lime pie. I took tiny nibbling bites off of the two small forkfuls I had. And was SATISFIED.

You will have head hunger sometimes. And you will have to work to figure out if you're really hungry. My suggestion is to make an eating schedule and stick to it. That way you're eating every 3 - 4 hours and don't have to decide if your hunger is real or not. You're going to suddenly realize you're alive and the more active you become, the more you'll want that feeling to last. You will be tired in the beginning, you will have moments where you might be mad at the world. But it's going to pass. The most important thing is always have your Water. Don't leave home without water.

I wish you nothing but success and hope you'll keep in touch because this is an amazing journey!

Edited May 29, 201511 yr by LaTrisha R. Lake

I'm eleven months out. One cup of food is the most I can eat. Or 3 oz of protein and 1/4-1/2 cup vegetable. I can eat a small piece of cake and obviously some foods are easier to digest than others. Tough meat is still an issue.

I am a little newer than the others but it has been a decision I am thankful for every day. I have also been overweight my entire life. Lost up to 80 pounds a couple times but stalled and gave up. My joints ached, my back ached, there was a lot I couldn't do so my life was limited.

I am 14 days post-op and started this change of eating habits mid January. I am down 52 pounds and already have more energy. I don't ever really feel hunger yet. I am on soft foods so far and I am satisfied with very little.

I am down from a size 32 to a size 22 and that just amazes me.

Keep us posted on how you do. Good luck on this amazing ride!