sashamarie

I wanted to share my story to try and inspire others. I was overweight all my life, but when I hit a high of 250 after graduating law school I knew something had to change. My doctor actually told me that if I didn't take drastic steps I was on the road to early mortality, which prompted me to pay for the surgery myself. I had my surgery six months ago, and now I'm at 188, just 3 pounds from having a BMI of 25. My ultimate goal is 175 pounds (I'm 6 feet tall), so it's an ongoing process, but my progress is still steady. I'm no longer pre-diabetic, my asthma has cleared up, and I can run 2 miles a day. I couldn't climb a flight of stairs six months ago without gasping and reaching for my inhalor; now I live in a 5th floor walk-up. Everything about my life has changed -- I have more energy, feel healthy, and love what I see in the mirror. The everyday joys of weight loss -- stepping on the scale, having my clothes taken in, being complimented by old friends -- keeps me motivated. Thanks to a wonderful support team (the brilliant Dr. Brian Jacob, my health food cooking husband, and a dad taking the weight loss journey with me) I feel I can finish my journey and maintain a healthy weight. If anyone out there is in need of a support system of their own please message me -- I've been through plenty of ups and downs, and I'm always happy to help others through them.

Congratulations on getting your approval, and welcome to the forum! I'm 6 months post-surgery, and 60 pounds lighter. The best advice I can give is to have realistic expectations -- the surgery won't "fix" you, it'll just make it much easier to eat reasonable portions of tasty, healthy foods. Keep lots of variety in your diet, and make smart substitutions (sugar free Jello is great for quelling sweet-tooth cravings!). Don't get discouraged by set-backs or slip-ups, because they will happen. Just wake up every morning excited to have the opportunity to make good choices in your life. I promise, the pain of the surgery will be forgotten fast once you start achieving your goals. If you ever have any questions, or just need a few words of encouragment, please message me -- a good support system is key to making this procedure pay off!

Welcome to the forum, and best of luck on getting approved! I'm 6 months post-surgery, and I have experienced plenty of ups and downs -- but mostly ups, since I'm 60 pounds lighter. If you ever have questions or need some support, message me and I'd be happy to talk. Congratulations on starting this amazing journey!

First of all, congratulations on getting approved, and best of luck with your procedure. Six months ago I was in almost exactly your situation: approved for the surgey with a BMI of 31 and co-morbidities (severe asthma and sleep apnea, chronic back pain, and pre-diabetic). I was very scared the surgery wouldn't help me enough because I also had difficulty exercising, and I thought that would make the post-op regimen ineffective. Boy, was I wrong! I've lost 60 pounds since the operation, and I'm just 5 pounds away from having a BMI of 25. The surgery itself is no fun -- it's laproscopic but not pain-free, so expect a few days of pain and limited mobility. But know that every moment of that pain will be worth it. Once you're on the road to health you'll barely remember the pain of those first days. The secret to making this process work is to start out with the knowledge that the surgery won't "fix" you -- it just gives you that extra bump that allows you to stop eating when you've had enough. The most important thing is to make healthy food choices. Depending on how loose your band is at the beginning you can usually eat anything you want after the first few weeks -- that doesn't mean you should! Make substitutions whenever you can. sugar-free Jello isn't exactly ice cream, but it will satisfy your sweets cravings. Turkey burgers grilled at home are much tastier than McDonald's. Focus on getting lots of lean Protein -- fish and chicken can be prepared countless ways, with lots of delicious low-calorie sauce options. Use variety to keep from getting bored. The exercise issue is very important, but you can start slowly -- try just walking slowly on the treadmill for 30 minutes, and work your way up from there. I promise, the more weight you lose due to eating healthy, the more progress you'll be able to make at the gym. Before the surgery just 20 minutes of walking left me winded, and forget about climbing stairs. Now I live in a 5th floor walk up (which would have killed me at 250 pounds!) and work out at the gym three times a week. The best advice I can give is to Celebrate every victory, no matter how small, and keep moving forward. This won't be a success-only journey; there will be days you gain a little, or can't make it through your work-out. There'll be days when you have a slice of a friend's birthday cake, or go out for cocktails. And that's all OK -- we live in the real world, and if you have unrealistic expectations for yourself you'll just get discouraged and eventually give up on your goals. Every time you take a step back, just resolve to yourself that you'll take two steps forward the next day. Take things day by day, and wake up every morning excited to know you'll be just a little bit healthier by the time the day ends. Best of luck on your journey!