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Here in NE FL it is a little cooler this AM due to Hurricane Sandy blowing by. So I broke out the dreaded jeans from last winter. You know, the ones that were to tight by the time the holidays came around and the ones that didn't stretch...the ones that if I bent down with them buttoned to tie my shoe I felt like I was going to pass out.... Well guess what, I can bend over and tie my shoe, breath in them and they are actually a little big...And I have to wear a belt to keep them up... 30 lbs down in 2 months since surgery....YEAH ME!!!!!!!

OK, so I'm on my 5th day of my pre-op L.Q. diet, and so far so good I guess. Gets a little tiring only being able to have a few different things to drink/eat everyday. Someday's it's harder than others, like when my hubby is making himself something to eat, and the smell of it fills the house! Everywhere you look there is adds for food, on TV, and the Internet. I miss the crunchy stuff most. On another note, I have lost 5 pounds so far since I started the L.Q. diet, so counting that, and what I lost on my 6 month diet (I had to do for my insurance to approve me), I have lost a total of 52 pounds! It feels great, and I went from a tight size 26 woman's to a comfortable 20/22 woman's so far. I have also lost several inches all over my body! I can't wait to get my sleeve in just 10 more days! I can't wait to be an "average" size again! It's been over 25 years since I haven't been a PLUS size gal! I hope all you other pre-op sleever's are doing well on your L.Q. Diet too!

Today I could not stop smiling I am so HAPPY I got the sleeve done!! I know that I get frustrated when the scale does not move. But the truth is, I am still losing. I went from wearing a size 28W to a 22W WHAT A JOY!!!! I am going to stay away from the blasted scale and LIVE LIFE AGAIN!! I went to an event today. I walked in the room and for the first time, I did not scan the room to see if I was the biggest on there. I walked in, took a seat and didn't worry about my butt not fitting in it. or worst, breaking it. The last time i went, I stood the entire time, fearing that I was going to embarrass myself.... I AM FREE!!!!

Ok so week 1 is over and I have been feeling pretty darn good since I came home. I haven't had any crazy problems, knock on wood, or anything so that makes me happy.I have been walking and getting out on little adventures (a.k.a. stores) but I do find that after about an hour I get super tired and lose my energy and have to go relax and sit down. I know it's cause of the lack of calories and protein and stuff but I do not enjoy it. I have been having trouble getting my proteins in which is common. I can't really stomach the shakes anymore, which I still try to get down, and I can't really eat enough to get any good amount of protein so basically I have to relay on the shakes and do my best to drink them as much as I can. Sooo the exciting part, I lost 20 pounds since I got home from the hospital which was 1 week. I wasn't going to weigh myself until I went to the doctors for my 2 week checkup but I couldn't wait any longer so I weighed myself. Amazing and soooo excited. Well that's abot it. Until next week, taw taw!

Hi all..New to this site. Let me introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth and I am 48 years old. Been married for 30 years (in April) I am a night L&D nurse. Have struggled with my weight all my life..I know just like most of us have LOL! Today is the beginning of week 2 post op for me. I have my sleeve placed on 8/29/12. I was in the hospital for 2 very long nights. It started of as a early day getting to the hospital at 0530, surgery start time was 0730. Met with my surgeon and my anesthesia guys that I was fortunate to pick ( I am a nurse at the hospital). So I know I was in good hands. Being a nurse does have it advantages but in my case I was really nervouse because I know just a little to much about what goes on LOL. Anyway, I was given Versed before going to the OR..It is a med used to relax you, which I needed. Only remember being in the OR for maybe 3 minutes and the rest is a blank... Woke up in recovery with only a quick second of feeling nauseous and that was it. I was in recovery for about 5 hours while they tried to get the previous patient out of my room hehe Why would anyone like to stay longer than they have too? Moved to my room and did really well. My doctor does not believe in his patients being in pain and gave me meds round the clock and then extra was available if needed. After day one I had to do a swallow study and I passed thank heavens..My mouth was as dry as a desert. Started off with 1 oz of water for 4 hours, then 2 oz for 4 hours then I could drink as much as I could tolerate...I have to say that first sip of water was the best water I have ever tasted.. Been doing really well the first week. Kind of tired from no rest at the hospital ; / Still sore but getting better by the day. Have had no problems with nausea or vomiting. I do have to say that yesterday I had a weird experience. I took my dog to training for the first time since surgery. I was there for maybe 10 minutes and all of a sudden I got the worst stomach pain, broke into a cold sweat and had to leave. I didnlt know if I was going to be sick or worse...the other end...TMI? Barely made it home and since I have been kind of queazy. had some SF pudding last night and I tolerated it well..This AM I am feeling the same, just kind of queazy, crampy like... I am so looking forward to eating a soft diet, I go back to work next Wed night. I want to start eating a little before going back to work to make sure I tolerate it OK.. Looking forward to getting to know everyone and sharing their VGS journey with them... Much love, Elizabeth

After several years (about 10 years) of being overweight I have decided to do something for myself. I was involved in a bad car accident in 2001 and in that accident a lot of things happened that contributed in my weight gain. In the accident my mother and aunt were killed (and I was the one driving), I suffered a badly broken arm (humerus) and head injury that left me with a seizure disorder. For 3-4 years after the accident they struggled trying to find medications to control the seizures, I was dealing emotionally with the loss of my mom and aunt and the guilt of being the one driving and then I was told I wasn't able to work anymore. I wasn't allowed to drive so I never got out of the house. Plus, I was afraid to go anywhere because I was afraid of having a seizure in front of people. So my life became very restricted. I never left the house, and I found comfort in food. Since the accident I have gained around 100 pounds. My seizures are now pretty much under control. I have been working a few days a month and have started getting out with my friends and family again. The problem now is I hate that I am overweight! People judge by what they see without knowing everything that is going on. I know when people see me there are people who think I'm lazy and if I really wanted to lose weight I would do something about it. This is why only a few people, who are close to me, even know about my surgery. I have tried diet after diet and I fail every time. I do great in the beginning and then something happens and I just quit losing. I have worked with personal trainers, dietitian, and my doctors and I have them puzzled too. I have tracked my exercise and my food. I have tried to do everything right and then I fail. I have been so frustrated and have decided I need help. So, in August I went to my first informational meeting for the lap band surgery. When I was there they went over all the different procedures that are available, the Band, the sleeve, and the bypass. When I left I had decided the band wasn't a choice for me and that I would choose the sleeve. The doctors basically said the sleeve wasn’t very successful and that the sleeve was a much better choice. I had a visit with the surgeon and he told me all the ins and outs of the surgery and what to expect afterwards. I had my cardiology clearance, my phych clearance and then I had to see the nutritionist. Andrea was great and she basically told me about my current diet and what would change. Then we had a group meeting where they went more in detail about EXACTALLY what we should and shouldn’t eat, portion sizes, what will happen with each surgery, etc. I guess after all these meetings and really spending time researching each type of surgery I got really scared. With the sleeve they actually remove the majority of your stomach. WOW!!! That is permanent ....they can't put it back. Also, Andrea said that in the future if you need a feeding tube (for whatever reason) they would be unable to do one if you have had the sleeve. (She gave the example of being in a car accident and breaking your jaw and having to have your mouth wired shut and not being able to eat.) That hit me like a TON of bricks. The bypass forms a pouch and they reroute the intestines which changes your absorption. This means I might not be able to absorb my seizure meds correctly and I could be back to the drawing board trying to find a combination that would keep my seizures under control. So, after long consideration I just have a bad feeling about the sleeve and bypass so even though my doc's don’t care for the results of the band I believe this is the right choice for me. I know weight loss will be slower, and I know the complications that could happen but in my mind they are a lot less than the other two choices. I am now waiting for the Sleep clearance (had the sleep study just waiting to be 30 days on C-Pap will see doc next week.) and then they will schedule my surgery. My biggest fear about all this is that somehow I will fail again. I have support from my family and my friends but I have failed so many times before I just can't imagine being successful. I am only 43, I’m too young to have the medical problems I have that are cause by being overweight. I have high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, feet, ankle and knee problems and low self-esteem. All these can be changed by having this surgery. I know this is the thing I need to do to and this is the First Steps, reaching out to people who know what I am struggling with. People who don’t judge someone by their weight and people who want to help other be successful. I am glad I found this site and I look forward to sharing with you my next steps of success. Thanks EVERYONE!

Had a good week not just in terms of weight loss but more so emotionally. I am just really found myself admiring myself, loving the newfound me this week. I even had to check myself not to be looking in the mirror so much. I bought a dress pre-surgery that I loved but it was also only $8 so that made me love it even more...Well, it was an an "XL" and even still was pretty tight but I put on my spanx and made it work. (I had to walk with my legs squeezed because you could hear the spanx rubbing together. I had the leg kind on). Well, I wore this same dress on Wednesday and oh what a differnece. I wish I would have taken a picture now. But the dress was so much longer, dragging the floor even since it had less to go around. Those spanx that used to hold everything tight were actually too lose and so I put on another pair that I had outgrown...First no swishing as my legs dont overlap as they did...Still touch but no overlap...My stomach look as if it is was not there and the dress just flowed from me...Not snug in the least bit. In fact, I think I had my last wear in it because it will be too big by the time I put it back in the wear cycle. My sleeve buddy posted in our FB support forum, how so many of her milestones are marked by her remembrance of her weight and as I got to thinking about I have several of those moments too...Weight really had taken over my own being...Funny thing is I am still marking milestones but its not marking them with a new look as my weight goes down. I go home to visit my family back in Arkansas and it will be the first any have seen of me since having surgery. I am both nervous and excited about their reaction. I think a lil more nervous then excited. I is my motivation to really work hard and maintain a straight line with diet compliance so that I can see 180lbs by Nov 19th. Pretty lofty goal but I know really think I can make it happen with "Two-A-Day" workouts...I love the Insanity workout which I do in the morning and then in the evening 4 days a week I will get my run on. And speaking of running, I committed myself to a running a half marathon on June 1, 2013. Keeping a goal such as this in front of me keeps me motivated to stay on the grind, particularly during the winter months when it becomes easy to get lazy with a warm blanket and hot chocolate. HW 232 & SW 227 (VSG 08/17/12 & 5'8) LW 196.2 CW 193.6 [Total Weight Loss 38.4] GW 155