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My Mom said "a daughter of mine doesn't need to have WLS". I explained to her that because of my diabetes that I NEED to do it. I took her with me to my meetings with the surgeon. After a bit she was able to understand that it was best. Now I am off my diabetic meds and 80 lbs down, so it more accepted by all who were not supportive. You know I have said to her and others that were against it...until you are in MY shoes with MY medical problems then you have NOTHING to say about it...I NOT asking for your approval...just letting you know what I"LL being doing to TAKE CARE of myself. If they support you great, if they don't you have ALL OF US...like how many of us are there???? BIG HUG from me to you.

When I went to the free seminar to learn about the different options, I learned how safe the sleeve is. Dr. Brathwaite said I was at a higher risk of dying from a complication due to being obese than from the surgery. He is right. I was borderline diabetic before my surgery on June 11, 2012. Now, 54 pounds lighter, all of my blood work came back perfect!! I don't think there is a single person who would consider having wls that hasn't tried every diet out there already. Bottom line, you need to do what is best for you and not let other people make you feel bad for your decision. Good luck!

Thanks so much for your support and birthday wishes! Whenever I have a free minute ( which is slim these days with a 3 yr old & a 1 1/2 year old LOL) I'm online reading, researching, and watching peoples journeys with VSG. I thought about taking them to a seminar but then I asked myself "What for? For them to embarrass me with their ignorant comments and remarks??" If they aren't going to support me then so be it. I have all the support I need from my husband and my children.

I can sooooo relate with your weight stall issue. I've been going through the same thing myself. My WLS was in early July. I lost 25 lbs in the 3 months prior to surgery and only 5 lbs during the pre-op diet stage. 2 weeks after surgery I lost an additional 15 lbs. Then HALT! NADA! ZILCH! NOTHING! for 5 weeks... OH MY GOD! What happened... Why did I stop losing! I figured this was some kind of joke someone was playing on me or something. I also know that I'm consuming way fewer calories than the recommended daily allowance. So why was I not losing? What I came to the conclusion was that there was more going on that needed to be addresses. So like the detective I am, I did some research. I found that the reason for the stall is what they call "starvation mode". It's when your body is in diet mode for a long period of time and your body has adjusted to the new levels of nutrition you are consuming. It's like your body is hanging on to every ounce because it thinks you need to keep it. I also found that because I am consuming so much protein, I also am not getting in the fruits and vegies as much as I like to. So here's what I did: I started adding a vegie/fruit smoothie every day to my diet. These smoothies can be incorporated with nuts to give you extra protein as well. Because they are a smoothie, the whole vegies and fruits will go through your stomach very easy without upsetting because it is all liquid. It not only helped "move things along", but it gave me a lot more balance. I also increased my calories by 100-200 calories a day. (I know... not easy after your stomach has been shrunk to the size of your fist). But if you add an extra snack in... it helps. Instead of 3 meals/snacks... I increased to 4 meals/snacks... Less time in between meals, so my body does not recognize that I'm 'starving' for food. Another thing I've done is started logging my food and liquid intake on a calorie/nutrition website that calculates your nutrition values. I use My Fitness Pal. The calculator logs calories, protein, fats and carbs. That way you can tell each day if you are getting the recommended nutrition you need to stay healthy and still loose. If you get too few calories for too many days in a row, the calcualtor will let you know you can be in danger of 'starvation mode' which will possibly inhibit your weight loss. I've started losing again (3 lbs) so now I'm no longer trying to through my scale through the bathroom window. Sooo, if I go through a stall again, (and I know it will happen), I know that all I have to do is change up my diet and kick start it with fluctuating my daily calorie intake and change one or tow of my diet choices by either eating a bit more, or more often or drinking more fluids, or eating more vegies or something that will change the routine. Anyway... hope this helps.

Great visuals with that blog! LOL. I usually dance around in the kitchen or laundry room - how boring is that!

How sad your walking path happens to be in "unhappy, stuck-up land". Holy smokes, people either need to learn how to relax, or they need to learn what actual HAPPY people look like. I say keep walking in the morning if that's when you want to do it. They will either 1) get used to you and follow suit....thus making the walk more enjoyable, or 2) take their sour-puss, stuck up, unhappy, RUDE selves back home and walk when you're not. I say don't give up for ANYONE....it's a free country and you have every right to express your happiness any way you please. Especially after the success you've had and how hard you're working to continue the outstanding progress! Dance on, sista!! I say add some ABBA and some Freddy Murcury and see how they like that!

Whoo Hoo! Congrats! I can't wait for that feeling! And to see that scale read one hundred and SOMETHING! It's really cool you're feeling so good after a week...

The best way I heard it explained was that you will notice but no one else will. You will see extra loss in the shower or when you brush it. Yes it is gross. I hated it. I am a year out now and the regrowth is about 4 inches long. I have long hair and if I look I can see the 4 inch pieces mixed within the long hair. Dont scare yourself to much.

I was really worried about hair loss (I'm still pre-op), but now I'm embracing the possibility. I plan on getting a really cool, modern hair cut & color - something along the lines of Ellen Degeneres. I've had long hair all my life, I used it to cover my fat face/neck/double chin. So if I lose this 100 lbs, I will gladly give up my hair! I watched my sister lose all of her hair to cancer, and I really learned alot from her courage and sense of humor. Losing your hair is not the worst thing that can happen to you.

Mine started falling out about 3 months out and just recently stopped at about 6 months out. My doctor suggested taking extra Biotin and Zinc in addition to multivitamins. He also said to make sure to get in all of the necessary daily protein because nutrition has a lot to do with it. I had really thick hair and it has noticably thinned out but at least with time and the right vitamins the hair loss has stopped! According to my hair dresser, who also had the sleeve done, it does grow back after a while.