lsereno

Thank you! I was going to wait till I got to goal, but seeing my pics in a Facebook timeline and reading posts about whether surgery risks were worth it changed my mind. I truly didn't realize how very different I looked till I saw my pics from several years all in one place. The biggest part of my story to me is how many years and how hard I struggled to lose weight before deciding to have the operation. As others have said, for me it wasn't the easy way, it was the only way! Lynda

Congrats! Thanks so much for sharing. I love to see people at goal. It gives me hope that I will get there too! Lynda

Hi all, This is my first attempt at sharing pics, other than my profile pic. I'm not a goal yet, but I'm getting close. Just wanted to provide a little motivation for those who are contemplating surgery or muddling through those first few weeks after. This pics show my struggle to lose weight before surgery, and the amazing transformation I've enjoyed post-surgery. Best wishes to all on the loser's bench in 2012! Lynda

I ate low fat ham lunchmeat from costco, Greek Yogurt mixed with splenda to sweeten it, Anderson Split Pea Soup, and Protein drinks mixed with soy milk or the unjury chicken protein. It took awhile for things to taste good and go down well again. I could only eat one ounce of protein for a while. It took time to get to two ounces and now I can usually fit three ounces, but not always. Be sure to get your liquids in and eat protein first! It's a process, but well worth it if you ask me! At 7 months out from surgery, I'm just 9 teeny pounds from my personal goal of 135, which will put me at a BMI of 21.8. I'm small boned and prefer a long, lean look so I went for a lower BMI. Lynda

I'm so sorry your dear friend has had such a serious complication. When you are weighing your options, please consider the health risks and life imitations of being overweight. For me, those risks and limitations far outweighed the risks of surgery. I was very afraid when I went to surgery, but not too afraid to follow through with it. One thing that helped me was to read people's stories. Most people with complications have overcame them and gone on to succeed. And the majority of people sail through without complications. I'm seven months out and the only issue I've had is that I'm now lactose intolerant. I can deal with that! Best wishes to you on your weight loss journey and healing wishes for your friend. Lynda

Reach my goal weight and maintain (within a 5 lb. window either side) throughout the year. Continue my exercise program. Do not succumb to alcohol addiction now that I can't eat as much. Lynda

Are you drinking at least 64 oz of Water a day? I am hungry and my weight loss stalls if I don't get at least 64 oz. of fluids every day. Are you eating Protein first at every meal? With 1200 calories per day, you should be able to get at least 60 grams of protein in food alone without the Protein Drink. For example, 6 oz. of beef has 42 grams of protein and 6 oz. of chicken breast has 60 grams of protein, according to about.com, http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/highproteinfood.htm. If I don't eat protein first, I am hungry after meals. Are you exercising? My weight loss sped up after I returned to a full exercise regimen after surgery. My program recommends at least 5 days per week. I walk fast for 45 minutes at a time twice a week, do strength training with a personal trainer once per week, and take two group exercise classes (body pump and cardio sculpt). Are you taking Iron? I felt tired till I started taking an iron supplement a couple of times per week. Those are my ideas. Hope they help. Lynda

Thanks Forensikchic! I'm in! My goal for Valentine's Day is based on losing another about 1.25 lbs. per week and arriving at GOAL one year after I began the pre-op diet and nine months post-surgery. I weight every day but I only log my weight on Fridays (except for the final challenge date) to keep myself sane. My Valentine's Goal also includes reaching the following goals: 144: This was my Christmas goal and I've lost 110 lbs. (32 pre-op and 78 post op). 9 lbs. to my final goal!!! 142: I've lost 80 lbs. post-op 140: Fivelbs. to my final goal!!! 139: My number starts with 13. I haven't weighed this since the early-90s. 135: GOOOAAAL! Lynda Valentine's Day Goal: SW-144.2.............CW-144.2..............Goal-135 Dec. 25: 144.2 Dec. 30: Jan. 6: Jan. 13: Jan. 20: Jan. 27: Feb. 3: Feb. 10: Valentine's Day:

Congrats Raine! What a great Christmas present. And I think it's a good idea to wait a little before having surgery to remove extra skin. My understanding is that some of it disappears on its own during the first year at goal weight. Lynda

I take the calcium with Breakfast and dinner and then have the Iron just before I go to bed. Lynda

I think that applies to RNY only. I know my program allows them but if I take them I also have to take prilosec or the generic version, omeprazole. Lynda

I had extra drinks (I can have 1-2 per week now that I'm more than 6 months post-op and doing well), sweets, and a little fried food (chips and the fried green Beans at PF Changs). I tried to get my Protein and Fluid in each day, which limits how bad I can be. And I can't drink or eat sweets like I did pre-op, so that slows me down too. On Christmas, I had the foods I traditionally eat. Just a lot less of them. For Breakfast, I had a sweet roll, a sausage link, and a tangerine for breakfast. For lunch, I had lowfat cheese sticks, another sausage link, and whole grain crackers. For dinner I had smoked sturgeon mixed with low-fat mayo, more whole wheat crackers, and another tangerine. During the day, I ate nuts (in the shell, so it takes longer to eat them) and three pieces of Sees candy. Today, the day after Christmas, I am back on track. Even on track I have an occasional cheat, but I whooped it up in Vegas and on Christmas Day. Here's to a happy, healthy, and successful 2012 to all my fellow VSGers! Cheating is not failure. Failure is when you never climb back on the wagon! Lynda

I drank one ounce every 15 minutes while I was up. I watched the clock and used a measuring cup as my pitcher and a shot glass or a one-ounce medicine cup as my drinking cup. It took the whole 15 minutes to finish the ounce because I had to take small sips, but breaking it down and measuring it helped me get in my 64 oz. every day until I could take bigger sips. Lynda

Any doctor can order the blood work. Kaiser has a cheat sheet for General Practitioners that details what should be checked: http://www.permanent...r/pdf/63284.pdf Some stuff in the sheet applies to other surgeries, but most info applies to sleeve. Lynda

I strongly recommend starting Iron and taking all other supplements your program recommends. I am about one month ahead of you and I got my full energy back between months 4 and 5. I actually have more energy now that pre-surgery. No suprise since I not dragging around an extra 100 lbs. everywhere I go! I take Ferrimin 150 a couple of times a week. It has a stool softener built in, which is helpful with iron. And the type of iron it contains is absorbed more easily than the type that is is most iron supplements. Lynda

I buy at Target and Walmart, with the occasional find at Ross or TJ Maxx. I buy the jeans with stretch at Target and get them very tight. At first, I don't dry them in the dryer, as the become looser, I dry them in the dryer to get a better fit for a little longer. Once they get baggy even when the first come out of the dryer, I buy a couple more pairs. I usually find them for about $15 per pair, so it's not a major investment. I buy a couple of sweaters and several t-shirts at Walmart or Target and layer stuff up. I can get quite a few looks out of stuff with scarves, jewelry, and just mixing sweaters, t-shirts, and jeans. I don't dress up much and nomally I would keep one dress up outfit but I haven't been doing that because there is no sense in buying one in each size. I figure if I need a dress up outfit, I 'll just run out and buy one that fits right then. Lynda

Yes, I'm ready for a new challenge goal! Valentine's Day is 7 weeks away. I am hoping that's my last challenge goal and I get to GOAL by Valentine's Day. I started my pre-op diet on Feb. 15, so it will be a perfect time to get to GOAL: one year from pre-op diet to goal! Lynda