LUCYCAT

Hello- I am writing a research paper for my Social Psychology class. I am toying with the notion of writing about how society reacts to obese and non-obese people. I had my VSG surgery on August 1st of this year. While I am technically still obese- I have lost nearly 70 pounds since the start of the year. I am now an average weight for my local area. I have noticed a drastic difference in the way people in general treat me. I am looking for volunteers that would be willing to complete a brief questionnaire about your experiences after VSG surgery. No names will be used only facts gathered from the questionnaire. If you are interested in participating please let me know. Thank you

“You have such a pretty face….if only you would lose weight.” I’ve been overweight my entire life. From the time I was a baby until now. My other overweight friends would complain bitterly about being told they had a pretty face, if only they could lose weight. I noticed no one ever told me that. I chalked it up to the fact that I have a rather unusual personality. People as a general rule do not make observations about my appearance. I have thought perhaps a life time of being overweight has made me a bit prickly and intimidating to my fellow humans. I’ve lost 50 pounds since my surgery. 65 since the start of the year. I have discovered the more weight I lose the bigger my nose gets. It is funny; I never noticed the giant Italian snozz that graced my face when I was 260lbs. I have come to the saddened conclusion that people didn’t tell me I had “such a pretty face”….not because of my personality type…but because I really do not have a pretty face. I am honestly not sure which is worse. To be a total “B” that people fear- or to just be not very attractive. The good news is I have bought a pair of size 12 low rise jeans. They are made for someone much younger than me…but I have to admit my butt looks fabulous. Whenever I catch a man looking at me these days…I have this almost overwhelming urge to yell out- “Wait- don’t look at my face!! Look at my butt! Look at my butt!”

Ok- I have emailed everyone a copy of the paper that requested one. If I have missed anyone I am sorry- Just drop me a note and I will send you a copy. Thanks again everyone!! (Oh and she gave me an "A"...and I really really really needed an "A". lol)

Thank everyone so much for helping. I will be sending an email out to all participants that requested a copy of the paper. Thank you again for all of your help.

After a stall that felt like it lasted an eternity- I am actually down 3 whole pounds this week. It has been forever since I have lost 3 pounds in one week. I am thrilled. 187!! I haven’t seen this weight for more than 10 years.

Thank you all for your willingness to participate.

Right before I had my surgery my boyfriend broke up with me. The idea of me losing weight intimidated the life out of him. That was in May of 2011. I had my surgery in August 2011. I have lost 70 pounds. Recently I have been kicking around the idea of getting back on the horse so to speak. I have gone on a few first dates. I have tried to set it up to where we do not eat on these dates. More like a sit and talk and drink coffee date. I honestly have no idea how to explain my decision to a stranger. So far it hasn’t been a problem. To be fair, the guys I have dated so far have been…well let’s just say we haven’t been compatible. I’ve been talking to a new guy lately. I like him. I like him a lot. He is very different from anyone I have ever met. He wants to take me out to dinner. I am nervous about eating in front of him. I thought if I ordered soup maybe it would be okay. But I know from experience that people freak out when they see how little I eat. I dread the idea of his first impression of me. I dread having to explain that I have had VSG. I really like this guy. And to be honest- I am tired of dating. I had pretty much just given up when I met him. He wants to go out next weekend. I am nervous and worried. I like him- I didn’t really like the others.

Gas-X strips helped me greatly right after surgery. I didn't have to worry about trying to swallow a pill. They disolve in your mouth. Good luck-

I am 190 this week. A loss of 2lbs. Well, really only 1 lbs. I just also lost back the pound I had gained. I am having issues with carbs. I haven't done very well as of late. I am having carb and sugar issues. I find that I do not want Protein. I am having a hard time getting back on track. I read somewhere about Chia Seeds. They expand in Water and form a kind of gel. When you drink them they expand in your stomach making you feel more full. I have tried a tablespoon a day this week and they seem to be helping.

I lost nothing. Booooooo! 192 again this week. It makes me sad on the inside. Good to hear everyone else is doing well though.....

Thank you to the additional Volunteers. I will be continuing to collect the survey until the end of Jan 2012. I will send you a copy via email...also there is one attached to this post. Thank you all so much.

OBESITY SURVEY 2.rtf

Thank you all for your willingness to participate. Attached is the obesity survey along with instructions on how to return your completed survey. I will be collecting the survey through the month of January for anyone interested in participating. If you are interested in reading the final paper please indicate you would like to have a copy when you turn in your survey. Thank you all for your help!!

I weighed in this morning at 192. That gives me a gain of 1 pound since last weeks weigh in. I have been on vacation and with the Holiday season..typically I would have gained 10 pounds this week of the year. I will take it as a Christmas miracle that I only gained one. Now...to get back on track for the new year....

Thank you all for your willingness to help. I am 5 months out and I have noticed drastic differences in the way I am treated now vs the way I was treated before. I was curious if anyone else had encountered the same issues. I will be sending out the questionnaires soon. It does not matter to me how far along you are on your journey, I would be glad to include your data in my research and send everyone a copy of the final paper. This is just a small college research paper- but perhaps it will at least be interesting reading given the data will come from people like us. I will not use anyone's name. I also will not include your questionnaire in the final paper that is sent to everyone. If I quote you in the paper- I will give you a fake name. Thanks again for your help...and anyone else that would like to join please let me know.

Hi- whenever I try to join a group I get the following error: VerticalSleeveTalk Message Invalid Link: The security key for this page is invalid Retun to this Group's Home What am I doing wrong?

Hello- I am writing a research paper for my Social Psychology class. I am toying with the notion of writing about how society reacts to obese and non-obese people. I had my VSG surgery on August 1st of this year. While I am technically still obese- I have lost nearly 70 pounds since the start of the year. I am now an average weight for my local area. I have noticed a drastic difference in the way people in general treat me. I am looking for volunteers that would be willing to complete a brief questionnaire about your experiences after VSG surgery. No names will be used only facts gathered from the questionnaire. If you are interested in participating please let me know. Thank you

Wonderful. Thank you for your willingness to participate. I would be happy to send the final paper out to anyone that is interested in reading the end result. At the moment I am collecting names of those that are willing to participate. If the subject generates enough interest, I will follow up with the questionnaire. If it does not generate enough interest- I will let you know as well. Thank you again for your willingness to share your experience.

I weighed in at 191 this morning. That is a loss of 2 pounds for this week. It is the first time I have LOST weight during Christmas week in my entire life. Surgery date 8-1-11 HW 260 SW 245 CW 191 GW 150

I think this is a terrific idea and if you have room for one more I would love to join!!

Oh yeah. It gets much better. My stomach growled and rumbled from the time I was being wheeled from the recovery room until two weeks after my surgery. It would growl so loud that I couldn’t sleep because it wouldn’t stop. I tried some Gas-x strips that dissolve in your mouth. That helped. I also found the more I walked the better I felt. I literally spent the first two weeks after my surgery pacing the floor and sleeping 2 hours at a time. Before I had surgery I had made friends with a woman that had hers done way before me. She was sprawled out on the beach on day 3 talking about how easy the surgery was and how she felt like she hadn’t even had anything done. By my day 3 I told her if I were feeling better- I would kick her butt. I had a bit of buyer’s remorse the first few days. Honestly I struggled the first 5 weeks. I just couldn’t hit those Water and Protein goals. It does get better. It gets so much better. I am 21 weeks out. It has been the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. Hang in there- it will get better.

I weighed in at 193 this morning. That gives me a two pound loss for this week. That is a total of 67lbs since the start of the year, and 52 pounds since surgery. Merry Christmas everybody!

Sooo anybody out there from WV? I would love to swap notes with someone semi-local.

I am so sorry for everything you have been through. Let me start by saying I totally understand. I have been where you are....exactly. My doctor didn't like my surgeon choice. My boyfriend did not support my decision at all- and ended up breaking up with me right before my surgery. I thought I was going to lose my job the year before my surgery. I decided that I wanted VSG in November of 2010. I explained very very patiently my surgeon choice to my doctor. I explained very patiently my decision for Bariatric surgery. And I explained that I needed her support- and if I couldn't get it- I would have to switch doctors. After doing battle with my insurance company and what felt like everyone in the free world....I was approved for my surgery in July 2011. I've been told that my experience actually went rather smooth some people have to do battle for years. I had my surgery August 1st 2011. I was 260lbs in Jan 2011 I was 245 on the day of surgery- and today I am 195. This is the best decision I have ever made in my life. I was on 3 types of Blood pressure medication that occasionally worked. I have not had to take a single pill since surgery. I was 3 points away from being Diabetic- now my blood work is totally normal. I understand what you are going through. I will keep you in my prayers. Hang in there. If you ever need to talk or need extra support feel free to drop me a line. Our stories are so similar it is scary.

I have Dance Central. Love it. I am a terrible dancer...but I suppose that is okay if the point is to burn calories.