former_vbg

Thank you. Yes, I am proud of myself. When I get ready for work in the morning, it's almost always a new experience because I am wearing my clothes different. Doing more tucking of blouses, not afraid to show off my figure basically and its just really different.

In dress type slacks, most often it's a size 4- depends on the manufacturer. In dress suits, size 10 petites usually. In jeans, size 4's or 6's. My one year anniversary is this coming Thursday. I had hoped to be at goal by my anniversary but I'm ok with it- I'm very close to goal. I think that if I had the loose skin removed, I would be a size down in everything automatically, but financially, that isn't in the cards right now. Plus, it seems that most surgeons recommend waiting for your weight to stabilize for at least 6 plus months (prefer a year) before doing plastics to be sure you have leveled out where you are going to stay. We'll just see where I'm at then. I've had some people tell me I shouldn't loose anymore weight, but what I have learned by taking a few polls with close personal friends that I know I can trust their answers is that I look like I weigh less than I really do which really has almost always been the case. Imagine hearing, "You're not that big.... when you are 200+". I never really knew if that's what they thought or were just patronizing me. Either way, deep down I knew different. This will put me smack in the middle of the BMI range scale. Not that I hold that as golden, but I am using it as my guide. The plan is that once I reach maintenance, I will plan to monitor my weight in that if I start to exceed 125 or WORST case 130 (I tend to put on weight just by looking at bad food it seems), that I know it's time to get busy and get things under control. I have learned to "listen" to my body and when I did a 10 to 12# regain after my long trip to Europe earlier this Spring, I started having that tighteness in my body knowing my body had taken on extra weight and it didn't feel good. So, I'm hoping I experience the same feeling once I level off at goal and if any weight were to start coming back. I know that getting to goal is only half the battle, but I'm determined to make it work. I've worked too hard to get here. The bottom line in how much you decide to loose is to base it on how you know your body to be and of course suggestions from your Dr. One other thing is that I am finding that over time, my weight is somewhat redistributing. My face is a perfect example. There will be weeks or more where my face looks real gaunt, but then before I know it, it just seems like overnight, it will look more normal- thinner but not gaunt. Our bodies just have to have time to adjust.

WOW!! You know..... I never thought about it that way, you are right. That's pretty cool to think about.Thanks for making that observation! :-)

For years, I have "collected" various size clothes as my weight has yo yo'd over the years. And, as someone who hates shopping, this was just the way I chose to deal with having to wear different size clothes all these years. I literally had about 25' of clothes on hangers down in the basement ranging from sizes 8 to 26. I've had to go through my closet over the past year several times as my weight has gone down, but for some reason it has taken me until now to get the guts to really shed these clothes ONCE and FOREVER! Part of me is a little nervous to let them go for that fear of "what if".... but many of these clothes now are not in style, so its not all bad. Anyhow, I got 8 boxes of clothes, work, casual, etc... shoes and such.... and they are now loaded in the car and I'm off to the Goodwill store shortly. The ironic thing is I'm now wearing smaller clothes than anything I had down in my "basement store". I just can't believe I can wear size 4's!!!

Well, that also depends on what kind of food you are eating. For example, if you are eating lean Protein like chicken, fish, beef, then it will be less than say fruit. It depends on how dense the food is. Some people have difficulty with meat unless it is well tenderized, so keep that in mind too. Just pay attention to your body. Learn to listen to your stomach when you are full, not anything more and stop there. If you think you aren't getting in enough protein, then just try to find softer protein like fish or prepare the protein so it is more tender. Other than that, you should be good.

Sure, I'm 5'3". I'm doing the no carb thing right now and hitting the exercise EXTRA hard to zero in on the final goal. I want to see that 120# so bad I can just taste it!!

Ok, the first part of the week started out not looking so good and then *poof*, it started to start happening for me. Hope next week is just as good. I started spinning class 2x a week and Zuma 2x a week, so I'm sure that's helping. 5# weight loss this week!!! If I make it past my goal, I'm just going to keep working towards my final goal!!! Hard to believe I'm this close. It seems soooo close, yet soooo far away if that makes any sense! Starting Surgery Weight: 271 Current weight: 133 4th July Goal weight: 130 Final Goal weight: 120

Thanks guys, yeah, my car held all it could- so needless to say it was my 1st stop as i went about my errands. It was actually a freeing experience to get rid of those clothes now. And, I sure did get a receipt for my taxes. Wonder what the limit will be on what I can claim- guess i will find out next Spring. LOL

I've been going through the same thing. It's just weird to look at the smaller sizes and go, "no way...." but indeed YES WAY!!!

If you have a way to figure out your body fat composition, that would be most helpful for your body type. For me, I'm 5'3" and I chose 120# based on my PCP (have not been back to my surgeon since a few days after surgery). I want to be in the middle of the BMI range and that does that. It also gives me a little wiggle room so that if my weight fluxuates a little, I have time to correct it before it gets out of hand figuring if I get up to 130#, I know its time to get things in check. Most people think I look thin now, but I know there are still areas in my mid section that have some excess that will go when I get to my final weight. If I were you, I would use the BMI scale as a general guide, but you can always adjust it as you get closer. I would try to pick a goal weight though that gives you a little flexibility for weight fluxuation. Just my opinion though.

Are you having trouble staying under those calories or getting enough? I don't know that I can be much help for specific meal plans, except to offer up since you are ok to be on regular food is to focus on the lean Proteins you like and your new tummy can handle. Like fish, hamburger, chicken, tuna, samon, etc...Integrate that with vegetables, but if you focus on your Protein first, then veggies, there won't be much room for anything else. Try to watch hidden carbs like adding sauces to your food. If you need more flavor, try things like broth, Mrs. Dash, salsa, etc...Salads are ok, if your tummy can handle it, but watch your salad dressing- several are high in carbs and/or calories. Not sure whether you are focusing on carbs or calories or both, but just something to watch. Oh, and just one thing to keep in mind. There is nothing wrong with fruits, but keep in mind their natural sugar content. I noticed that it did cause me more stalls when I ate a fair amount of fruit, so you might just keep that in mind. Personally, I have never counted calories this whole time- only carbs. I have tried to stay under 20 to 30 carbs the whole time and it has worked very well, but my body is VERY carb sensitive- so you have to do what works for you. You may have to experiment a bit to figure that out, it just takes a little time. What may feel good to your tummy may not feel good the next day. Since surgery I have become moderately lactose intolerant, so I have to watch milk based foods really close. For the most part it doesn't bother me because it means chocolate anything really gives me bad diarrhea and cramps. That includes ice cream too. Yeah, I miss it some I guess, but I love being thin more!!! Good luck, I hope that was some help.

That is incredible! Way to go!!!

I don't know how I missed this thread, but what a great idea! I'm 40 years old, single with no children. I have 2 younger brothers (13 and 15 yrs younger than me- same parents). My youngest brother just graduated law school. I'm excited, yet nervous for him due to all of his debt. I have a B.S. in Computer Science, and 2 classes away from finishing my MBA. I am also teaching undergrad college classes. In the next few years, I hope to walk away from corporate America all together and start up an equine therapy facility for handicapped and disadvantaged kids. I absolutely love volunteering and the deep satisfaction I get from helping others! I am also an aspiring writer. I look forward to the day when I can leap out of bed excited to spend my day helping kids discover things about themselves they never knew existed and improve their quality of life at the same time. I also have a small farm where I have my horses, cats and until recenty my dog who passed away. I show Arabians at the National level and love not being the "fattest girl" in the show ring!! I take care of everything on my own, although there are some things I have to hire when I don't have the skill or tools to do it myself. I grew up as an only child for 13 years in a rural area of SW MN on a small hobby farm. I was sort of a tomboy growing up, and that has pretty much carried with me into adult hood. Most people that know me from my "day job" don't recognize me if they see me in my "farm work attire/ hair". I enjoy mowing the pastures on my tractor, fixing fence, fishing, camping, etc. I hate cooking, house cleaning, laundry and all that domestic stuff. I've been close to being married a few times, but it was just never right. No regrets really, but it would be nice to find someone who compliments my life one day. I'm fiercely independent, grew up not being able to depend on anyone else for anything and just learned that if I wanted something done that it would be up to me. It seems guys I meet in "the city' disappear pretty quickly when they realize how much work is involved in taking care of a small farm. The guys I meet in the rural setting I live tend to assume that since I work "in the city" that I can be their sugar momma. Seems to be no happy medium. I plan to maybe try start dating again after I have reached maintenance, so we will see. I have been overweight pretty much all my life. I was what you might call a pudgy child until about the age of maybe 11 or 12 and then the weight started creeping. I remember watching t.v. commercials advertising miracle weight loss drugs and tried desperately to try and figure out how I could get those pills. I never was successful, but I remember so vividly how desperate I felt at that age. The teasing was horrible. I felt like such an outcast, and so it just became a vicious circle. The more depressed I became the more I went to what I felt was my only friend- food. I would sneak food all the time. Eating just to eat. Even though I felt disgusted with myself when I would feel bloated, it was sort of a weird feeling -- maybe like a high. Not really sure how to describe it. I knew it was bad, but I didn't feel like I had any control anymore. By the time I graduated high school, I was somewhere around 200#. My first year of college, my weight skyrocketed another 30#... The next few years are a bit of a blur, but I think by the time I graduated college, I was around 300#. Somehow I was successful in getting my career started, but within the first year, I remember seeing an ad for WLS. There wasn't near the information, support groups, etc available out there that there is now. I had the Vertical Banded Gastroplasty. It was basically the lap band, but instead of using fills, they used a mesh to create a small balloon near the esophagus to create a smaller stomach. I was actually quite successful and lost weight quite easily. It was actually successful, although I missed reaching my goal by about 20# then. It wasn't anyone's fault but my own really. The weight came off quite easily. I got within 20# of my ultimate goal, but I allowed a man I met to get in the way of staying true to myself due to his lifestyle habits of junk food and such. I'm not blaming him, but it did teach me that this time around I am very diligent about not letting anything or ANYONE get in my way. So, I actually did "reasonably" well over the next 7 to 8 years bouncing around between 160 and 180#, lose/ gain, you know the drill. It wasn't until I started working at a job that about sent me over the edge in stress that things started really getting out of control. I put on 30# in one year there working for one of the most insane boss's of my life. I was there 2 years, which was 2 years too long. I never honestly thought having another surgery was an option. I started sinking into more and more of a depression and relying on my "friend" food to get me through each day. It wasn't until a friend who had the lapband surgery a few years ago made the comment that she knew some people who had had more than 1 WLS. So, my research began and I became determined if not obsessed to have another surgery and finally get control over my life once and for all. The day before my sleeve surgery, I weighed 271#, am 5'3 or 5'4" depending on which Dr.'s office you ask. I think I'm 5'3" from what I can determine on my own. Anyhow, I had my first WLS a little more than 14 years ago which was the vertical banded gastroplasty. I'm now 16# away from reaching my final goal, and I feel incredible! I love people commenting how thin I am. I do have lots of loose skin, but considering the alternative of staying fat, I will deal with it. If plastics are ever in the future, that will be great. If not, then I will deal with it. I love riding my horses, love feeling "normal" and I look forward to the next half of my life living healthy!!!

I don't really have anything new to add that hasn't already been said really. But, now that I'm nearly at goal, and people are actually calling me "skinny" (a very odd thing to get used to but I graciously say thank you) and that feeling of being noticed and not blending in with the woodwork if you will is hard to get used to. Like others have said, I intentionally tried not to draw attention to myself because I didn't want people to look at how fat I was. Now that I am wearing size 4 slacks, can tuck in shirts confidently to show off my slimming figure (compression shirt for the loose skin of course), but just today I had 3 people at work say, "Wow, you are really skinny!!". Now, these same people didn't treat me ugly before, but there is a definite difference when out in public how we are treated according to what we weigh. The perception of someone who is overweight is that we are lazy, unmotivated, and some even think "dumb". Part of that is because for those who don't understand the need for the WLS, that we should "just control our portions and not eat unhealthy...." like that's the silver bullet. They just do not understand the issues behind obesity. I had to go see a specialist today (first time I had met him), and we were discussing my risk factors for future blood clots, etc.. His exact words were, "well, since you are so active and thin, you are not in the high risk category....". I about did a double take to see who he was talking to that was "thin". Yes, I know I am looking pretty good right now, but it is an adjustment. I also know that while I was always a confident person before, never had a problem speaking my mind, that I do walk differently, and on some level demonstrate just a bit more degree of confidence. When i speak up at a meeting, I no longer worry whether someone will discount my opinion because I was so fat. To be fair, I didn't do much to dress anymore than the required business casual before. Now, thanks to thrift stores, I have lots of nice dress suits, slacks, etc and I dress quite nicely now. I need to work on my hair, but that's another story. Until my hair loss gets under control, I am quite limited on what I can do short of a wig. Anyhow, I try to take things in stride the best I can. The people that probably upset me the most in these situations is those that didn't want anything to do with me when I was heavy and now want to pretend like they have been my best friend all along. I am civil with them, but certainly don't do anything to encourage anything more than a civil friendship with them.

That's VERY unusual advice IMO. Those box lunches are typically VERY high in sodium and moderate to high in carbs. I would be curious why he is not promoting lean Protein instead of box lunches. That one has me quite baffled!!!

Not sure what your surgeon/ NUT have advised, so by all means follow their plan- but 40 grams of carbs seems awfully high to me just being 4 weeks out. What is your Protein looking like? Are you already on full foods or mashed?

Not wanting to get off topic, but your bougie was a 54? Is that what your surgeon does for all his patients? Just curious. I've never heard of someone having that size for their surgery. How much can you eat at a time? [quote name=WillowsKnot' timestamp=' 1339670821' post='374008] I was sleeved April 16 and I still can not eat hamus, refried beans, beef, any beans other than green beans, no lentils either. They are all too heavy. Chicken is fine if it is dark meat, white meat I can't do. All this and I was sleeved with a 54!!! At your stage fish and cheese were good. I love and do really well with Mexican fresh cheese and cottage cheese. Yogurt and cream soups. Creamy chicken is a total go to food for me. It does get better and I remember feeling like you do now. Hang in there. Hugs.

It's likely Water weight. Did you eat anything salty or high sodium? Your weight will fluxuate a little, just keep the faith and get in your Protein, water and exercise and you will break the stall.

Hey there, Just some thoughts. I'm certain you are eating right, but maybe your body has adjusted to whatever routine you are doing. Depending on what track you are following (calories/ carbs, etc), maybe consider upping a bit? Or, maybe go the other way. You know your body best, but I would try to find a way to shock your metabolism somehow. Your stall will break, have faith. I'm struggling too. Just did my first Zumba class yesterday to help with more calorie burn. It was a blast. I was 2 left feet, but still had fun.

I hear you, my body is VERY carb sensitive too! Way to go for getting back on track- you are almost there! I think my body is really going to fight my last 20#...

Typically the 2nd stage is to have the DS (duodonel switch). While it is possible to have the GP from the sleeve, there are VERY few surgeons in the U.S. qualified to do that procedure. May I ask, have you tried the 5 day pouch test? Google that, and it will tell you what to do. Maybe try going to all liquids for a week, that usually does wonder for tightening the tummy. Did you ever reach your final goal weight? If so, is the 50# what you have gained since then? Maybe you can also post what your routine is looking like. What are you eating? Are you tracking your calories or carbs? Are you exercising? Etc... Then, others can help chime in with advice that might help you.

Hi there, Not sure if you are asking me or not. I am almost strictly eating lean Protein (baked chicken, roast beef, salmon). In the morning I will have an egg with a sprinkling of shredded cheese and a couple tbl spoons of salsa for a little kick. No fruits or anything with sugar. For Snacks, I eat Pepperoni slices. The other thing is that i am now extremely busy with projects outside on my farm and I'm averaging 35,000 to 40,000 steps a day. And, it's usually out in the hot sun, so I'm really burning the calories too which helps. You are doing great, you work out regularly, and I'm sure you are eating right, just hang in there. It is harder the closer we get to goal!!! I am so anxious to get to goal, I can hardly stand it.

Starting Surgery Weight: 271 Current weight: 138 4th July Goal weight: 130 Final Goal weight: 120 Lost 4# this week!!! Yeah! 4th of July here I come! I just realized I can now wear size 4 slacks!! OMG! I don;t think I have ever worn a size 4. I blew right past that number back in junior high!!

Bummer, I was going to say, I hoped you sued the heck out of that guy. I can't imagine how he is still practicing medicine!!! Good luck on the next step of your journey, you certainly have the right attitude, especially w/all that you have been through!

It's not my job to ask someone a million questions. Not to mention, it's none of my business whether you have had therapy or not previously. Believe it or not, there are an AMAZING number of people who do not get therapy in advance of this surgery. I know someone down in TX who was self-pay in Dallas who did practically NO research and went off what her surgeon told her. Didn't go to any seminars, didn't do any of her own research, and to this day doesn't even know hardly anything about the other types of WL surgeries out there. Oh, and btw, she has only lost about 35# since her surgery nearly a year ago. So, again, I'm not going to play million questions to someone. I can't read minds. I'm hear to offer support, give advice when I think it might help and I'm also here for me to get the support I need to finish my journey. I expect to be around after I finish, but my point is- if you are going to look for advice from other people, don't expect them to ask you your history before they give you advice. That's the job of a therapist. We are just people here to support one another. If you don't like the advice, then do not take it- nobody is forcing you.