bilka

I know! That's the feeling my skinny friends were talking about! In my opinion my stomach was too big to notice anything. Now that it's a small delicate thing it has to be relaxed to get food in. I love this! Never before I had problems eating and I now love having them and saying that "I am too stressed to have lunch right now".

It is completely annoying, isn't it? I mean, I come from a place where you can't say no to food at all. People feel offended, even at the restaurant. If I have leftovers they ask all the time if I didn't like it, what was wrong with it and other embarrassing things. Whatever, I guess I just have to live with it. I normally reply that it was delicious but I had a snack one hour earlier and I am still full. This way everyone is happy. About the drinks: I normally pretend to share a drink with hubby if I am out with him. Or, I normally try to get the other people to order a big bottle of water to share (we don't get free water at restaurants here), I put some in my glass and leave it there. The other people can have the rest and I don't look weird without a drink.

I NSVs!!! Congratulations! Isn't it wonderful to wear heels? I always wondered how people could do it, now I know: when you're lighter it isn't a mission impossible!

Yes, it will pass! Think about all the good things you read here about the sleeve. The first days were terrible for all of us, but I barely remember them now! In a couple of weeks you'll be absolutely fine. Welcome to the losers' bench anyway!

I'd say the same as Tiffykins, even though I wasn't allowed to have carbs for awhile... Can't you just leave the dough and eat only the spinach? Or just try a very small bite, chew it like 100 times and see how it goes... If there are no problems then you can have a bit more... I remember throwing up everything at the beginning, I think the dough would have made me embrace the toilet too, but thank goodness we are all different!

it is funny! Good on you, I love buying new, cheap, normal size dresses too!!! You look fantastic in this picture congratulations! And I agree with Coops, whatever, overdressed is always better than underdressed!

Thank you for sharing! I love reading stories from people who are already awhile out. It sounds like it was a wonderful holiday! Best luck to your brother!

That's an amazing weight loss, congratulations!!!

I personally told hubby, mum, sister and a couple of friends. I actually regret telling those couple of friends, because they are now like "You are losing because you had surgery". I am happy I didn't tell more people. I AM working hard to make the sleeve work, I really don't need to tell everyone. I think it's personal, as much as it will be having plastic surgery next year. My life is almost back to normal now, I o out for dinner often I just say that being on a diet I don't want to eat too much and people seem to understand. I don't feel guilty at all because it wasn't an easy way out at all.

Apparently the only sane person in my family is my mother who understands my need to get the help of the sleeve. She IS worried about the surgery obviously and would rather have me doing it here in our city, but she has read and talked about WLS with people. She is not happy but at least she isn't annoying me. My sister... Well, I even opened a topic about her. Not supportive and getting angrier day by day as get I closer to the surgery date. She has already asked a friend to work for me for 4 weeks after the sleeve and she told my mother I won't be able to have my nephews over on Wednesday evening and night, which I normally do, and my mum'll have to look after them. Now I won't say anything, but if I am OK I will clearly go back to work and normal life asap, hopefully earlier than 4 weeks! She is bitter, she hasn't documented herself about the surgery (she is my family doctor, she could easily do that) and she hasn't asked me anything. She pretends it's not gonna happen. Now my hubby. I feel like strangling him. Instead of talking about the sleeve, when I try to, he looks in front of him without saying a word. He kept saying: "what if something goes wrong?", so I asked him to stop. There won't be anything I can do, if something goes wrong, so what's the point of the question? I told him I need his support. I have to tell him almost everyday. But today he did his best: What if you are not happy after the sleeve? What if you don't like yourself then? What if you don't lose weight? Have you thought about that? :confused: SERIOUSLY? Now? Again? We have been talking about it for months! He is a doctor too, so why on earth hasn't he bothered to even look up on the internet what I am going to do? I asked him and he said: "Well, it is a stomach surgery, isn't it?" :mad0: Why can't I have a little support here? I told him it wouldn't be necessary for him to come with to Greece and he said fine he'll save the holidays for some other time. Wouldn't you have insisted at least once if it was your partner? I know I would. I want to be worried about myself, not them. I already plan to tell them that surgery will be like 4 hours after what it really is, so I will have time to get surgery, wake up and tell that surgery was anitcipated and everything went well. Well, IF nothing goes wrong :wink5: Anyway I shouted, told him I NEED some support (in case he didn't get in the last 4 months) and what does he do? He laughs and wants to have sex. I'd rather handwash our linen in the little kitchen sink! Seriously. I am trying to talk and the only thing he seems to be interested is sex. How to explain that that does not help? That is so not the support I am looking for. Sometimes I wish I were a man, life would be so easy. food, beer, sex, work and eventually sport and cars. So easy!

In my opinion when you reply to the invitation you should ask them. If you know his parents/family you could ask them (but from what I understand you aren't that close). Otherwise you just prepare a nice card and give them some money, because when people don't have a list they normally like some cash...

Fantastic! I wish I have saved my skinny clothes too from 15 years ago, I had really nice skirts then. I threw them away when I thought I would never get back to size 10 again. Shame.

Congratulations lash44! Will you try to reach your doctor's goal?

The stall arrived 3 weeks ago. I knew it'd come sometimes around the third month and it did at -25 kgs (or 55 lbs). I wasn't that happy, I wasn't sure what advice I should follow. And I basically didn't do much, apart from increasing my daily water. Today the scale was down 1 kg or 2.2 lbs, not much, but still. You just have to believe it will move again, because it will. And I can actually see amazing advantages coming from my stall: first of all my skin. It was going so fluffy I hated it but in the last three weeks it tightened and now it looks almost OK. People started noticing my weight loss. It's amazing how they didn't notice much while I was losing and now they keep asking me daily how much more I have lost (which is basically nothing!). My hair has a break too I haven't started losing it yet and I honestly hope this stall will avoid the fall. We'll see. Another thing I did is... relax. In the last 10 days I didn't stress over my non-weight loss. I was like "Whatever. At some point the scale will move again" and it did. I relaxed, kept going to the gym but no more often than before, I kept having my 2 days a week without carbs, I just went on with my life. I am really happy now because I feel good and my skin looks much better. I just wanted to share my experience, because it was a positive one even if it involved a stall!

Good job! I love your NSV!

Hello! First of all, I know nothing about the band, but there's a whole section about it here http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/13-band-to-sleeve-revisions/ , I read that many people did it, I am sure you can find answers there! Second... I am so NOT killing myself in the gym. I go to the gym a couple of times a week, sometimes more IF I feel like it. I hate sport, I know it's good for me and that's the only reason why I do it. I am not going to become an athlete! And I am still losing. I had my surgery done in Greece but I live in Italy, so I had no follow up. Luckily I had no problems. My GP made me have some blood tests after surgery and she's keeping an eye on me, so I guess it's good if you talk to yours as well. I had no psychiatric evaluation, obviously, before the sleeve, but since I got back I am seeing a psychologist on a regular base because I want help dealing with sleeve, the changes etc without breaking down, but this is my choice. This is my experience and I hope it can help a little...

I only see I have lost weight when I look at pictures of myself, but I can't see it in the mirror. I am still seeing a psychologist weekly (I want to be helped dealing with the sleeve and the problems I always had with food) and she says that's because it's difficult for everyone to get used to the new self. That it'll take awhile until I can see the changes, because I have always seen a big me and my brain is having trouble seeing the new me. Same reason why most of us still go for the big clothes, when I see size 10 clothes I never believe I can fit in them and always try bigger sizes first, then I go back to size 10. I do it all the time. Give yourself some time. What do people around you say? Do THEY notice your change? They are probably better judges than you right now, listen to them!

It really is amazing! Congratulations!

You already looked nice before, but now you look fantastic!!!

No idea on how to upload pics here, but I saw your pics you can totally tell the difference already! Good job!

Nice!!! You look great, good job!

I am sure they will. I thought my back would never shrink (I had/have two fat rolls that look like wings... Terrible!), but hubby made me notice that they are going down too! It's taking longer than the rest of my body, but it is! Maybe you haven't noticed? Have you taken a photo of them, so you can compare it with other photos you might take every 10/20 lbs you lose? Are you trying with body creams too? There are some that that have cooling effect, with the hot season coming it might help too... (I am using reducing cream on my back as well)

What type of diabetes? I am a type 1 diabetic and so far I have been a complete average loser: 55 lbs in almost 4 months: not a quick loser, not a slow loser either. I do get slightly hungry sometimes and I think that's because of the insulin I have to shoot every day, but it's a very low amount, especially compared to what I used to take before the sleeve, so it isn't too bad. My surgeon nor my diabetologist have mentioned anything about a slower weight loss, but I didn't ask either...