meggiep

I can't believe it myself- the time has just flown...sometimes I wake up and remember all over again! I love my sleeve, it is the best thing I ever did.

Thank you- and ....YOU start your wonderful journey...today!!!!! Hooray!

I totally agree! I had my surgery here in CA with a fabulous surgeon, Dr. John Feng, who has done sleeves for over 10 years. He trained in NY with the man who originated the sleeve. I trusted his experience and skill. However, I would never think that there are not surgeons in every other country of similar experience and skill. I can only ascribe this sort of attitude to ignorance and gently encourage anyone who feels this way to expand their minds to see that we in the US are not actually the center of the universe! In fact, so much of our medical system has to do with fear of lawsuits and monetary influence from the drug companies that I fear we have lost our way just a bit. I can only report that when I asked my surgeon about plication he said that he will never do them. He believes it is a mistake to fold the stomach over , increasing risk of erosion and other complications. He believes ( and I restate this as this is just his opinion!) that this surgery will not be widely adapted and will not be the great thing it sounded to be to me. I was really attracted to it at first myself! Also, re: grehlin- at my last support group meeting it was reported to us that generally grehlin production resumes full force after an average of two years with the RNY but has been reported to be much more long lasting with the sleeve. As one of the lucky ones who is never hungry I cherish this particular side effect and was happy to hear this! I have not been hungry since my surgery date- so whatever choices you all make- I pray the same for you!

I recommend a bariatric Vitamin also as Flinstones don't have enough of the right things for us. The reason we need Vitamins is the small stomach means much less acid, and much less time.surface in the stomach for food so vitamins are not liberated from our food in adequate quantities. I myself use Bariatric Advantage. I get my multi and Iron from them in chewable form. I get my calcium (you need 1000-1500 mg a day taken separately from your iron) from costco and my B12 from Trader Joes. B12 MUST be sublingual as we cannot process B12 in our stomachs anymore- so a chewable or swallowed form will NOT work. I am part of some awesome Facebook pages for sleevers- let me know if you would like to join one or all of them. They provide daily, immediate support.

A wonderful resource about revision is Tiffykins- search for her posts or message her. She is a great advertisement for the benefits of revision to the sleeve.

FORGIVE YOURSELF! You have a lifelong wonderful tool and you need to recognize you will have times when you will indulge. Let go of the guilt, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back on program. Don't waste the energy beating yourself up. I came to this realization a couple of months ago after beating myself up every time I went off program. I finally realized I have no trouble going right back on program after a day or two of carb romping (;-P) and that this is a lifetime tool for a long time- and I wont beat myself up ever again.

Two Megs doing well! I love it!

I was sleeved 5/9/11 and as of today have lost 98 pounds including my 2 week pre-op. I am thrilled! To give a frame of reference- I started at 280 and am 182. I am kicking butt right now to get to my 100 lost- added two zumba classes and two more pool classes so I am now at the gym 10 hours a week and walking 3 miles a day.

I have gotten a minimum of 70 grams of protein since week two and it made no difference- I started losing hair big time around three months out and though it has slowed the average seems to be losing until 8-10 months out and then slow regrowth. I had thin hair already and now it is pathetic. It is so funny- I look at my before photos and though of course I do not miss being that weight I also always notice how much better my hair looked! It does NOT help that I am in the pool five days a week. Oh well, if I go bald at least I will be skinny and bald!

I have eaten carb carbs carbs for three days straight- I loved every bit and I am firmly back on plan today. Recently I got to a new place mentally- I know I will get to goal, I feel good about myself, I work out a LOT, and I also accept I am a human being in a human body, living the human condition and holidays are a time of food traditions and I will happily participate. This is new for me- the other few times I carbed it up since surgery I felt very gulty and beat myself up emotionally. I have never had any problem going right back to my plan though and I shifted only recently to forgiveness and moving forward. One great thing- I just can't eat that way day after day- it feels BAD. That is also new! I was worried the carbs would lead to carb craving but it's the reverse- I feel low energy after and am happy to return to my low carb high Protein ways. We have our new tummies for life- we need to live in harmony with our bodies and our lives and oru wonderful tools can help us do that.

My husband took screen caps from the video I did as I started my pre-op on April 25th at 280 pounds. Then he did one from today with me head tilted almost the same way. I think I suddenly really saw how dramatic this change has been! 28 weeks out tomorrow, 96 pounds down, 24 to go. What a journey! I love my sleeve.

I have someone wanting to learn about the sleeve in the San Diego area and would love to direct them to someone awesome. I went to a seminar about the three surgeries before I did mine and would love to direct them to something similar! WOuld appreciate any recommendations in that area- including La Jolla, etc.

WOOHOO! That's awesome! 6 pounds until I join you- and 26 to goal. We can do it!

5/9/11 (Yay Red Velvet Gang!) Have lost 94 pounds and am thrilled! 25 or so to go.....

This really helps explain stalls and why they happen. Make sure you measure! YOu will find you are still losing inches. http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

Besides having everyone call me "skinny" (which is not true- yet!) one of my faves was at the Y when I was talking to a friend and she said "I have to admit I've been checking out your bod- you look fabulous!" and we both cracked up since that is one of the few places in life that we all see each other naked but you don't exactly check each other out!

I have some of those fears too as I get closer to goal. One thing I know will help me is never to stop weighing. I stopped weighing for 11 years and it was so wrong! I will make sure to stay accountable to myself and will weigh daily. We can do this!

Congratulations!

I am sure Tiffykins will weigh in here (pun intended) as she just has a baby last week! She really wrestled with the weight gain too. Don't worry! Trust your body and DON'T diet! 15-25 pounds is not enough- trust your doctor and go with his/her guidelines. CONGRATULATIONS!

I came to this group because like you, I am in the final stretch! I will be six months out on Wednesday and have lost 92 pounds. I am thrilled! I am about 25 pounds from goal (my surgeon and I are going to decide on my goal on 11/15 but it was 160 when I started, and that is 28 pounds). I find the weioght coming off more slowly now, and also find it harder to stay on task- not that I eat lots of crap but I don't copletely stay rigid with, mostly the low carbs. I over around 40 net carbs most days but sometimes edge up to 60 and then I do not lose. SO I neet a to push to do this! I work out a lot- I walk an hour a day and I do six pool aerobics classes a week. I am adding 2 pool classes to help in this push. I am hoping we can support each other here in getting the job DONE!

I went to Hawaii at about four months. I had TONS of energy and had lost 52 pounds (I started at 280 with 120 to lose). I did take unjury chicken Soup with me as well as nectar Fuzzy Naval to try and help keep me on track. I definitely also let myself have other things like papaya and pineapple as I love them and did not want to feel cheated of the Hawaii experience. I walked and swam a lot. I returned from 2 weeks away the exact same weight but then dropped 7 pounds in my first 5 days home! One of the funny things was that since I was with my family- for a family wedding in a house rented for ten of us- it always seemed to me like they ate constantly! No sooner did it seem that the hours of prep for Breakfast was over than it was time for lunch! I felt freed of that.

I am so jealous, now that I think about it! ;-P I am a size 14/16 so I can't imagine I will ever be an 8 much less a 6! I have 25 or so to go... YOu look like a completely different person in the after pics- I am so happy for you! MWAH MWAH!!!

WOW!!!! Girl I am so excited for you! You did it! Six months- amazing! Can't wait to see the photos! Hope to join you not too long from now if I can get this last 23 off ;-P WOO HOO for Kelly!!!! My Red Velvet girl!

I love this! Seriously- sometimes I just can't do the plan....the head hunger gets me. I will actually do this! Weird as it sounds- I think occasionally it could get the carb monster off your back. Thanks! You are spot on with all of this. Thanks for putting it so well! I will add that since I have been working out since about three weeks out as well as logging religiously on fatsecret.com I find I do not have a lot of loose skin even with my 92 pounds gone. I think working out can really help with this. I have a little bit starting to happen on my stomach and a little on my derriere but my legs are very toned and my bat wings are minimized by the workouts.

In trying to help you and reading what you wrote you said you tried watching what you eat. That leads me to think you have not really done that too much and that means you can really try it to get losing again! I suggest you do some strict food logging and keep your carbs low to jump start your loss. I have kept mine under 40 net carbs for six months and have lost 92 pounds. I wish I were not carb sensitive but I am and that's that! If you have been lucky enough to lose as much as you have without really watching what you eat than you have a lot of leeway to start really watching it, for a while, and lose more. Combined with working out I think you stand a good chance of losing more this way. Keep your water up too. The food logging sites like fatsecret.com and myfitnesspal.com are great and often will show you that you've been eating a lot more, especially carbs, than you thought.