Suzannesh

Hi, It is amazing what water does for our body. I know after I read all those things, I thought to myself I had better make more of an effort to drink MORE water. I think I am feeling better. I have also been walking about 5 miles everyday for the past few days too so the water is just an important for me now as it ever was. Keep drinking your water. I put mine in a nice double walled tumbler with a lit and a straw. I put lots of ice and sometimes Crystal Light in it and I am drinking more water that last few days. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Yes, drinking enough water has helped me learn a lot about hunger. I was also tired and had NO energy for a short period of time, and I found out I was dehydrated when I first started my journey. I also learned that mu postssium was low after they ran a blood panel and so I take meds for that. So it was a very simple fix for me. Water is an amazing thing and does so many great things for our body. I have learned to carry a tumbler around with a lid on it and I am forever sipping water. I use Crystal Light for a different taste and 0 calories. I am glad you enjoyed what I wrote. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, I don't have craving, probably because I indulge in good foods on special occasions--like today Easter. I don't over eat, but I have a small amount of something that I am looking forward too and that satisfies my needs. So I never feel deprived. Carvings are driven by you mind, not actual hunger--remember I have talked about "head hunger" and that is just what a craving is too--head hunger. Craving are NOT caused by actual hunger. One way to get around a craving is call a friend and talk for awhile, or go for a walk or do something to take your mind off the craving. Distract you brain away from what it is trying to tell you. Your brain will try to sabotage you when it thinks it can. You have to be in control of what you are eating and THINKING. Hugs, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi, Check this site out. You should get a lot of good information from it about going to Tujuana, Mexico. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_1168.html I would be a little careful about going there, but that is only from some of the things that I have read. Hugs and good luck, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, When did we first start to disconnect from who we really are? When did we give the first piece of ourselves away? It just happens, sometimes so subtly that we don’t even notice that we are not the person that we really want to be. Ask yourself a few of these questions: Who am I? Am I living as the person I want to be? What have I really been doing with my life? Am I happy living the life I am living now? What brings me joy? What do I need to do to be at a healthy weight and for my body to feel healthy? When you compromise your dreams and your values for someone else’s, you give your power away. The more you have sacrificed you authenticity, the more disempowered you will feel. We have all gained weight for a million different reasons. Now it is time for you to take back the control and start your life changing journey to being slender and healthy. Do not settle for less than what you know you deserve in your life. Don’t be scared to ask for what you want and need from others when it comes to their support. Do NOT expect all of them to support you or understand your need to have WLS. Make choices based on what you believe, and not what other believe or think. This is ALL about YOU and no one else. It is time to seize that vision of being a slender and a healthy person that you want to be, and can be. There is NO embarrassment in having weight loss surgery—it takes more courage to have it than it does to sit there and endure being fat one more day. This is your answer to a permanent weight loss. I had a sleeve aka VSG in Oct 2008 and lost 105—and have maintained my weight loss for over 3 years now. Dr. Aceves was my doctor and he and his staff is amazing—in my book he is the VERY BEST there is when it comes to WLS. If you are ready to have weight loss surgery or are thinking about it, I am here to talk with you and support you in any way I can. I want you to be success and do something that is going to change your life for the better. Hugs, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008

Hi Everyone What are you doing with your moments of your life? All it takes is a few moments to figure out if what you are doing is working for you. I used to say, I can lose this weight on my own. I had moments where I thought about weight loss surgery, but it wasn't something "I" needed. Weight Loss Surgery was the easy way out. Then after spending years and years of losing the weight and getting fat AGAIN and again--to many times to count. Also older I got the more my body hurt—like my back and right leg. I started to educate myself and started looking at what weight loss surgery was and all the kinds that were available. Well, to make a long story short, I did have WLS and I had the VSG aka "sleeve." I had a disease and it is called OBESITY—you have it too. If diet and exercise worked for EVERYONE we would have a lot less fat people in this world. Stop putting yourself down for being fat and not being able to lose the weight and keep it off forever. Right now today is the day for you to seize "your moment" and realize that having weight loss surgery will WORK for you. Weight Loss surgery will require effort and work on your part. It requires you to make a lifestyle change forever and it allows you to maintain your permanent weight loss. Weight loss surgery is the ONLY way that has ever worked for me and allowed me to maintain this 105 pound weight loss. I know it takes a lot of courage to do this, but be the person you want to be and do this to save your own life. It is time to educate yourself and move forward to doing something that will change your life forever. This is a life changing event, that you will never regret. After all my research (about 6 month) my choice was the VSG and I picked Dr. Aceves, because he is the most highly qualified weight loss surgeon that I could find. I highly recommend him. He is also one of the easiest doctors I have ever had the pleasure of being around. He is caring, kind, and above all honest. His entire staff is the very same way. This is about your success and your health. It is NOT a time to price shop—you get what you pay for. You want the very best you can have. If you have any questions please feel free to ask away. I am always here to talk about any of this for you. I know that many of you are sitting out there reading these posts trying to make up your mind—should I do this or should I try it one more time—YES this is the answer you are looking for. It is time to take control of your life and do yourself a favor and make a choice to save your life. Hugs, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi, I will say that 99% of my close family was very supportive of me having WLS. But not all my friends. So I chose the people who were close to me and told them and educated some about what "sleeve surgery" was so they understood it was safe and going to work. I even educated my own PCP who was 100% for me having the surgery and even in Mexico--she checked out the doctor in Mexico for me and said he heard nothing but rave reviews of his work. I had already been checking out the doctor for 6 months before I went to see my PCP. Pick and chose who you want to tell. Remember some people will try to sabotage you because they want you to remain fat with them. Remember this is always about YOU and NO one else. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Gee, I am thrilled that you laughed and you now know that all your feelings and emotions are so very normal. It is a BIG step to take and so easy to 2nd guess your good judgement. You are going to do just fine. I want you to know that the 1st month after surgery is very hard. The hardest you will ever have to do, but it is only 30 days. I have some things I will send you that I have written about the 1st month. My personal E-mail is Suzannesh@aol.com. Send me an E-mail and I will send then out to you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, How many more days of YOUR life are you willing to give away being fat? Each day you sit there trying to make up your mind about if you should or shouldn’t have weight loss surgery is another day gone of your life. I know it isn’t something that you just wake up and say “oh today I am going to schedule my weight loss surgery.” The quality of your life is NOT what you want for yourself. You do deserve to have the very best life you can. If a doctor said to you that you were going to die if you don’t have surgery to have your appendix out you wouldn’t think twice about having surgery to have your appendix out because the doctor told you to have it. You have a disease that is called obesity and you and I both know that you can die from that. Some of you have said “I should be able to do this on my own” why should I have weight loss surgery? Gee, if you could do this on your own you would have already done it. You have a disease and your need the “tool” to allow you to conquer losing the weight and keeping it off forever. You will be able to maintain your weight loss forever by making the lifestyle changes that will allow you to lose the weight. I never think I am on a diet, I never feel deprived. I eat healthy and I have a desert now and them—just not every day. When I eat a cookie, or cake or pie, I eat a very small amount—for me just tasting it works for me. The foods I eat are always in small amounts because I have a restriction—a new small stomach that does not hold a lot of food. It holds between 6 to 8 oz. but enough to meet all my needs—this is my new tool. So instead of sitting there trying to make you mind up because I am sure you have been thinking about this for some time, STOP giving another day of your life away and start the process. I was a self-pay person. There was NO way my insurance was ever going to pay for it. I researched for about 6 months and my choice was Dr. Aceves. He was the most highly qualified Doctor that I found. He and his staff have more experience than any doctor I found while I was looking. Dr. Aceves’s hospital— is not a clinic, but a full hospital and it is so extremely clean and I have never been treated as well as I was treated. Please care and love yourself enough to want better for yourself. You have a skinny person inside you screaming to come out—let that skinny person out and have the surgery. If you have any question or just want to talk, send me an E-mail. I am here to help you in any way I can. Suzanne Sleeved 10/28/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi, You are an amazing lady if you have waited this long. I am so happy and excited for you and your success that you are going to have. I am here if you need anything or have any questions. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Smart woman, for taking control of your own life. You will never have a regret. I wish you nothing but success and great happiness. If you need anything or someone to bounce things off of or have a question, I am always here for you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, That is great news. Just remember the closer you get to the date of surgery, you have all kinds of feeling and emotions. This is VERY normal and it scared me to death. Just keep coming back here and talking to us for support. I am always here for you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Courtney, PLease do, I know how important it is to have someone to talk with and get support from. I had two really wonderful ladies who helped me when I was having problems. You can alway reach me here or my personal E-mail and my E-mail address is Suzannesh@aol.com I am always reading my E-mail Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I learned the hard way. I figured out that no one was ever going to understand why I was having WLS. Some may feel jealous that you are having it, so they put you down. If diet and exercise worked for EVERYONE we would NOT have any fat people in this world. You have a disease and it is called obesity. You need surgery to correct this. And you are doing all the right things. I know you are trying to be honest and share what you are doing. Wait until after you have had the surgery and have lost some weight and they see you are alive, well and healthy then tell them about what you have done. This is ALL about YOU and NO ONE else. You do not owe them an explanation. Do what is going to be the best thing for YOU and NO one Else. You have the support of so many people here on this board. We know where you are coming from, we have had the same feelings. Hang in there and know that we support you and understand you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Oh boy do I know the feeling of being scared. Hate to tell you this, you are so very normal. Most all of us had a bag full of emotions and feelings just like you. We were excite, scared, happy, 2nd guessing if this was right for us, couldn't wait to have it done. What is the world am I doing, is this the right thing to do. I am just want it over so I can get this weight off, maybe I can do it without the WLS. There see I told you this is normal to feel all these feelings and emotions at the same time. Hold on it will get better after you have had the surgery. I NEVER have regretted having my surgery. I bet you are feeling all these things plus a whole lot more. It is OK, this is normal. It is the fear of the unknown. You are going to be just fine. You biggest regret was why didn't you do it sooner. I am always right here if you need to talk. I read my E-mails 2 and 3 times a day. Just ask your questions and I will be honest and answer you right back. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I think you did all the right things. Congratulations to you and good luck with you surgery on April 4th. Remember I am here if you have any questions or just want to talk. I have quite a bit of experience with all of this after 3 1/2 years. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, If you do not have your head in the right place then weight loss surgery is going to be a battle or struggle for you. I have a saying. "To have a good and healthy body you MUST have your brain in the right place" It is hard to become successful at weight loss unless you really are ready to have this surgery and follow the directions that your doctor gives you. This is a lifestyle change! You have to take back the control over food and NO longer let food control your every thought. This is NOT your miracle cure, you have to put effort and work into becoming success. I wish you great success. I am always here if you have a bad day or just need to talk about anything. Hugs, Suzanne

I loved your "Amen" comment. Glad that what I said worked for you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi Everyone, Spring is right around the corner. How is everyone doing? We are all at different stages in our Weight Loss Journey. Some have had the surgery and are just starting the journey. Some are almost at goal—yeah that is a great feeling, and some of us have already lost our weight and are trying to maintain that weight loss. It is possible to maintain the weight loss, but you need to keep doing what you have been doing for the most part. I have heard some people say they have lost the weight and now have regained some of it back. That is a hard thing to face if you have lost it and now allowed yourself to regain some of it. As we go along we have found out that we can eat a little more than in the 1st few months. You must remain diligent in eating small amounts of food. Try not to graze and if you are gazing make it veggies. You need to still watch the amount of carbs that you are eating and a must for me is to exercise. The more I exercise the easier it is to keep the weight off. Remember it really is about drinking a lot of Water still too—water fills you up and you should hydrate yourself. It is all about calories in calories out. I had someone ask me how to reset our metabolism? I am not sure you and reset it—it is what it is for the most part. How about rev it up. Eat good Protein and consider going back to when you first started this weight loss journey. Eat small amounts of healthy food. And don’t forget we still need to chew our food a lot. We CAN NOT go back to our OLD habits of thinking we can eat junk food and sit and never exercise. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that we have to maintain the current lifestyle that we have. I am not saying you can’t have a special treat now and then. But, you can NOT have that treat every day. Learn to make some sugar free things and learn some low carb recipes for Cookies or whatever it is that you like. For me making different meals helps because I do not get so bored. I eat a lot of different salads for lunch and I put protein and veggies and some fresh fruit all together in a salad. Learn the difference between do I just want to eat or do I need to eat? Stop eating when you know you are full—it is OK to leave food on your plate and toss it out. It is good to throw food out. GET over always saving the food that is a bad habit that I used to have. If you have any question please feel free to ask me. I really want people to do that we all can be successful Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi Lynda, Wow 1 pound away. You go girl. It feels good to reach your goal. You will find your set point that will maintain your weight. Even after I reached my goal I always kept weighing myself to make sure I was saying at the weight I wanted. I would go up or down 3 to 5 pounds sometimes, so I always keep tabs by getting on the scales every morning. That is just my comfort zone for me. I hope you are enjoying all the things that weight loss has brought you. Hugs to you, Suzanne

Hi, Boy you get it, and yes we have to be reminded or keep talking to ourselves that this is a lifestyle change. Something that we honestly can do day after day for the rest of our life. I like how I feel and look now, so that motivates me a lot. :wub: Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I am glad that you enjoyed it. I know that I try to always be a positive person. I want others to know that we all have had our up's and down's along our weight loss journey. It is a very do able thing. Hugs to you, Suzanne

Hi, What are you waiting for? If you are someone who is sitting on this board and you are reading ALL the postings and not saying anything—this is quite normal. I did that for a few months too. I was trying to figure a few things out about weight loss surgery. Having WLS is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make. What I learned once I started asking questions was; there is an enormous amount of helpful people on this board that helped me along the way and answers my hundreds of questions I had. You can NEVER ask too many questions OK. Two of them were my mentors and I received incredible amount of support from them and I am so blessed and thankful for their help. OK here is my challenge for you “newbies” Please don’t give another day of your life away being fat and unhealthy. Start asking questions. Start the process of educating yourself and maybe set a date to have WLS. I had sleeve weight loss surgery 3 ½ years ago by Dr. Aceves and lost 105 pounds and have kept it off. Nina Dr. Aceves's Patient Coordinator is fabulous and will help you set a date and answer so many of your questions about the cost. I have extreme amount of experience and I am more than willing to answer any and all of your questions. So get off the fence and start asking things that you are curious about. Hugs, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

Hi there, Almost anyone who has decided they want to shed some pounds would like it to happen fast. If you are one of the many people trying to figure out how to lose weight quick, the first thing you should think of is what motivates you to stick with a diet or new eating plan? The easiest and fastest way to lose weight is not just finding a great diet or exercise plan but finding a way to stick to it. Weight Loss Surgery was my answer for me along with eating healthy and exercise and being motivated. Here are a few goals you might use to motivate yourself. Some might seem silly and frivolous, but all are important to someone who has been overweight for a long time and remembers how it was to feel skinny or "normal" weight. Here is a list of things that I have heard other people and myself say about what motivated us to want to have WLS and lose the weight and keep it off forever. These things are all possible and can come true when you have Weight Loss Surgery. I had the “Sleeve” surgery with Dr. Aceves 3 ½ years ago and have maintained my 105 pound weight loss. I am sure you will recognize some of the things that motivated many of us to have weight loss surgery. It is your turn now to join us. I am here to answer any and all of your questions if you aren’t sure that it is for you. 1. Become more in shape and be able to participate in sports and outdoor activities. 2. Want to look good in that black strapless dress or that new bathing suit. 3. Being able to shop for clothes at all "normal size people" stores in the mall rather than the specialized "large size" stores or online. 4. Have more energy and stop feeling tired and run down all the time due to being overweight. Be able to go for long walks or jogging without feeling exhausted. Have enough energy to keep up with the kids. 5. Have more choices of fun and fashionable clothes. Large-size clothes are sometimes a little frumpy. 6. Show up at the class reunion looking the same size as you did in high school or college. Maybe even smaller! 7. Go horseback riding and not feel like you are too big to ride. 8. Go to the local Water parks with your kids and not feel embarrassed. 9. Being able to sit down and not feel rolls of fat overflowing the sides of your jeans. 10. Being able to walk without your thighs rubbing together. 11. To be able to play sports or coach my kids in sports. 12. To actually like what my body looks like and not hide it on layers of clothes. 13. To become healthy and not be on the medications that I am on. 14. To have self-confidence and feel good about myself around people in a social gathering. 15. To feel loved by my husband again, and not feel ashamed of the weight I have gained. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, I would NOT use Slimfast. You are going to have to learn to read the lables on things that you are eating or drinking. Slimfast is loaded with carbs, the one thing you do NOT NEED. Look at the sugar that are in things too. Most Protein drinks are NOT created equal. For the 1st 10 days I honestly could not find anything that I liked that tasted good. You are going to have to do what is best for you. The 2nd 10 days I could use what I use for a Portien Drink. I buy Premier Protein Drink at costco. I love the taste and it is 30 grams of protein in each drink box. Very low sugar I think 1 gram and low in carbs too. Hugs, Suzanne