SKCUNNINGHAM

What a wonderful success! Congratulations! Great way to ROCK YOUR SLEEVE. From your sleeve to mine - let it send the message through the ether that my sleeve won't like cake either. I haven't tried it yet - I am waiting until I hit goal. Best of luck on your continued LIFE AS A SKINNY PERSON

Congratulations! You are drop-dead gorgeous! Not only should you be modelling to promote your surgeon, you should be a model, period. With your looks and smile, you could sell many things. Best of luck with your continued success.

MustangAli - we are sleeve sisters, too. I just celebrated my 8th month. I agree with all of the above posts - it is never too late to start again. And, all of the above posts are right on and give good advice. The thing I would like to add is a way to get some help with the criticism you are giving yourself. I recommend hypnosis. It is the best way to "reprogram" your head to change long held beiefs about yourself. Your issues now aren't weight - they are some old tapes about yourself that you are playinging. Those are as hard to get rid of (or harder) than all the other bad habits we have had to change. If you find a trained hypnotist and tell him/her what your situation is, they can tailor a hypnosis session to address your issues. If the hypnotist is willing, he/she could make a hypnosis CD to have you listen to on your own to further reinforce your new "self-talk". I believe in hypnosis - and for a trained engineer - that was quite a leap. I have used hypnosis and was impressed with the changes it made in me. If you can't find a hypnostist - let me know - I know several and would help you out. Best of luck to you. Sharon

I am 8 months post sleeve, 99 pounds lost. I started out almost the same weight as you the day of surgery. Here are my monthly totals : 13 2 week preop diet; 18.5 Month 1; 12 Month 2; 11.5 Month 3; 12 Month 4; 10 Month 5; 7 Month 6 (sprained ankle and was in a boot cast for a month - no exercise); 9 Month 7; 6 Month 8

I have an opportunity to take early retirement with my company at the end of this year (I will be 55). In am considering all my options. If I try to get insurance on the open market, will I be insurable? Or, do insurance companies automatically deny post-VSG patients that want INDIVIDUAL coverage (not group)? I have the option now for insurance either through the company's retirement option or through COBRA, but I am looking ahead over the next 10 years until I reach 65. I wouldn't bet the company will be in existence in 10 years, so my insurance will probably go "poof" at some point. If I jump back into another corporate job, I could get insured with them, but the job market is tough for 55 year olds. My next job will likely be a contract (no benifits) one. If anyone has any experience with this, let me know. Thanks.

You look wonderful! Best of luck for your delivery.

I did contingency planning for a living for about 10 years - I guess i really am an INTJ!

Wow! Congratulations on 3 years of success, and on having your wonderful vacation. You are truly an inspiration to me. Best of luck in the future!

We had really high winds yesterday in Dallas. I stepped out of my car and a big gust of wind caught me. It made be back up two steps! Now, a gust of wind can't really blow a 154 pound person "away", but it moved me back some. That would have never happened 99 pounds ago! Also, I have jury duty on Monday. They don't have enough chairs there, and my husband told me to take one our our folding "chairs in a bag" to sit on. I smiled when he said it, and he asked what I was smiling for. I told him I realized I could sit in one of those "chairs in a bag" and not worry about having it collapse under me. He gave me a big hug - we both celebrated it. And, today, I went to my PCP. She took me off the last of my blood pressure meds! NO MORE BLOOD PRESSURE PILLS!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! (that is a 21 gun salute). Congratulations on hitting goal! I hope to be joining you soon. Are you going to post before and after pics?

Even if you never liked meat before, now that you are sleeved, your tastes may be changing. There are easy sources of Protein that are fast to prepare - salmon, shrimp, scallops, omelets to name a few. There are easy dishes for the crockpot, too. If you must eat in the evening, limit yourself to things that won't negatively impact your eating plan. Keep raw sugar snap peas on hand (I keep a bag of them in my fridge). If you are dying to crunch on something, have them. And, I always have SF popsicles on hand, too. Good luck.

I'm sorry your home life is so stressful and non-supportive. My recommendation - focus on what you have to do for YOU to be successfull. Tell her you are there for her if she wants your help (which she obviously doesn't at this point). Don't let her sway you from your course. Good luck.

You are not alone. As you lose those fat cells that made up your 100 pound loss, the estrogen that was stored in the fat cells is released into your bloodstream. Hello mood swings! It was like being in the worst of puberty again for me. I cycled between happy, sad, and ANGRY! Thankfully, the side effects tapered off after a while. The hormones effect different people differently. I am in my fifties and have had a hysterectomy - so it didn't cause changes in my monthly cycle. Younger women's cycles frequency changes - either comes more often, or stays longer, or a combo of the two. Don't have any magic answers to make them go away. Just wanted you to know you aren't alone. Good luck and congratulations on the 100 pound loss!

Just keep focused on doing what you know is good for you, and Celebrate your successes. Don't let a bunch of jealous women affect how you feel. Congratulations on your results! We here on the forum know how hard it is to effect real change in your life. Way to go!

Looking good, young man! You have ROCKED your sleeve.

You are doing great! My surgery date was 2/22 so I am almost 8 months out. I have lost 99 pounds as of today - but that includes the 12 pounds I lost on the 2 week preop diet. We all lose at different rates, so don't drive yourself crazy comparing yourself to others. Focus on all the good stuff that has happened to you. Continue to practice the good habits that got you to where you are: eating sufficient Protein, eating protein first, drinking your fluids, not drinking when you eat, exercising, and staying away from slider foods. This isn't a race to see who loses weight the fastest - if this WERE a contest - the race I would want to win is who stays at goal weight the LONGEST. I know it's going to take a while to get to goal - but as long as I am moving in that direction - I am OK with the pace. Be good to yourself - and good luck with the rest of the journey.

Yes, yes, a 100 times yes. I am down 99 pounds in almost 8 months. I am off of all cholesterol meds, 75% of blood pressure meds, cured of sleep apnea, and my joints don't hurt like they used to. My doctor is not saying things to me like "when you have a heart attack" anymore. I have a good chance of living to see my grandchildren grow up and maybe live to retirement. I am enjoying life a lot more than 8 months ago.

I applaud your desire to get control of your problem with your weight at such a young age. . It sounds like you definitely have problems with how you relate to food - and since your father is/was obese also, there may be food issues in your family dynamics. Have you thought about working with a counselor and focusing on changing your behaviors? Finding out why you have been dieting and gain and losing since age 9? The sleeve is a great tool for helping obese people lose weight - but for those of us with significant problems with how we relate to food - it isn't the magic wand that solves all of our problems. We also have to find out why we abused food, and find other ways to cope when food is no longer there as our emotional crutch. I am not trying to talk you out of pursuing the sleeve - I just think there are other things you could focus on, that if you get in control, might make the sleeve not necessary. Good Luck.

Kind of a long story - Six years ago I was in a car wreck that totalled my car. I severely damaged the ligaments in my right ankle - all three that attach the foot to the ankle. I am left with an ankle that rolls over on me with the slightest provocation. For the past six years I have slowly been adapting my life to dealing with my ankle. I gave up wearing any shoes except tennis shoes with my custom orthotics. Even flat womens shoes make my ankle ache by the end of the day. I normally wear some kind of ankle brace every day - depending on what I am planning on doing. I have about every kind on the market. Driving any distance makes it ache (I commute two hours each way to work). I have sprained my ankle at least once a year (sometimes more) since the original injury and it takes a month or two to get back to my "normal". I have a low level of pain all the time. Imagine a radio playing static at a low volume in the background 24 hours a day. I can mentally block the pain, but it is always there. Over the years, I have done less and less physical things that might cause me to sprain my ankle. While I was morbidly obese, I had a fear I would sprain my ankle and do major damage (broken bones, etc) to other parts of my body when I did it. So seven months ago I was sleeved. I am approaching my goal and feeling great. Two months ago I sprained my ankle, stepping off of a step while cleaning a closet getting rid of "fat" clothes. No more Zumba (I always wore a brace and was REALLY careful there). One month in a boot cast, one month is a stabilizer and now I am in physical therapy. The good news, I have strong ankle muscles that compensate somewhat for the shot tendons. The bad news? I have NO STABILITY in the muscles. I can not stand on my right foot with the left foot off the ground and stay balanced. Without strength and stability I am doomed to repeating the same situation that I have been. Now that I am a normal weight, I could have a harvest graft tendon surgery to rebuild my tendons in the ankle.(There really was no point in going down this path before.) Have a great surgeon who has been taking care of my foot and ankle for 20+ years that has successful history with the surgery. The downside is, the surgery is not easy. It is three months not putting any weight on the foot. That means crutches or one of those rolling gadgets, no driving, and working remotely after the initial recovery. Then three months in a boot cast, then a long bout of physical therapy. After a year, you are as recovered as you will be. I know at some point, I will likely have to have this surgery. There are insurance reasons that are encouraging me to have it this year or next at the latest. (in 2013, I will have a $10,000 deductible) My questions are, has anyone on this site had their ankle tendons rebuilt? Any good news on functionality afterwards? Also, I want to have a tummy tuck. What about having it while recovering from ankle surgery (or under the same anasthesia - the same day) and doing both recoveries at the same time? I'm looking for opinions here - I welcome comments.

Once when I was thin and a gym-rat, I had a personal trainer I worked out with for a year. He was young, buff and in incredible shape. (I found looking at eye-candy motivated me to exercise.) Anyway, he had plantar fasciitis. If he can get it, I think it could happen to anyone. Although like all musclo-skeletal issues, it probably will get better if a heavy person who has it loses weight.

You look wonderful - THIN, BEAUTIFUL, YOUNG, and HAPPY! Congratulations! *CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP* (that's a standing ovation)

Great job! And, your pants will fall off - I recommend buying an assortment of belts. I was home one day in some jeans that had gotten baggy and didn't bother with a belt. I stretched up to get something off of a high shelf (I'm short) and my jeans fell totally to the floor! Glad I wasn't entertaining company at the time. You are on a fun journey! The good stuff is already happening. Have fun.

Those things will certianly help. I also take Biotin, and wash with Nioxin shampoo. I still have some hair loss, but I have a crop of new growth (I'm at 7 months). Good luck!

First of all, give yourself a break and focus on healing. You have had amazing success losing weight. If your body needs to stay at 210 -213 until you get over your injury, I would try not to stress on it. Delay making any decisions on where you want to end up for your goal weight until you are feeling back 100% are are able to exercise at your normal level. I think your body is resisting losing while it is injured. And, you may have hit a weight that your body perceives as a natural set point for you. Those are hard to get past (in my opinion). I am sort of in the same boat - I damaged the ligaments in my right ankle over two months ago. I had a boot cast for a month, then an akle stabilizer for a month, and tomorrow it is back to the ortho for anotther reveiw. I am doing PT now 2-3 times per week. I can start now using my elliptical, but no Zumba. I could probably swim (like you) if I can find a spot to do that. I am 21 pounds from where my ultimate goal is. I am trying not to get super stressed about the dramatic slowing of my weight loss - and it is now bouncing around a 2 pound range. I'm not unhappy with my current size, but do want to get to my goal. Rootman, I really admire what you have done - how about not decing if ithis is the end of your journey - just think of it as a place on the journey you might stay for awhile?