Suzannesh

Hi, I had weight loss surgery when I was 63 and I am now 65 . I have been sleeved of 2 1/2 years. I lost 105 pounds on my journey. So I do know a little about what I am going to say. I have done what you want to do or have already done. So I have been thinking about this. WHY do so many of our friends not say Yay! or I am happy for you? :angry: 1. They know NOTHING about weight loss surgery let alone when we say we are have the "sleeve" done? 2. They have not heard of any positive things about WLS. 3. They are scared for us because we are having some kind of surgery they no nothing about. 4. They think we are having gastric bypass (we know it isn't but they don't) and they have heard nothing but bad thing when it comes to this surgery. Dumping, malnutrition, people gaining weight back again, because they have stretched out their pouch. 5. The are sure we are going to die during the surgery.:thumbs_down: 6. They have never had a weight problem in their life.:censored: 7. They view this as the easy way out--it take more courage to have this surgery than to do nothing at all, but they beleive it is the easy way out. 8. How will you stop losing weight. 9. Is this healthy--they are sure it isn't.:hurt: 10. It cost too much money and you will never keep the weight off and WHY if you are over 60 would you want to do this to yourself? So those are the top ten reason I can think of that the people are thinking all these things. I think if we are willing to talk more about it to them "AFTER" we have had the surgery and explain things to them--I say educate the uneducated friends that we have, they may be more willing to listen. There are so many people that just can't image that we would have surgery to lose weight, so they really have to see with their own eyes that you are OK and healthy and this is working for you. I know you want their support, but honestly sometimes it is just not going to happen. This isn't something that we just woke up one morning and said hey I think I will have someone remove 80% of my stomach and then I will solve all my weight issues. We thought about this for a long time, we did some research, we checked with other people and joined web sites to educated ourselves. So, don't let the uneducated people in your life stop you from doing what you know is right for you. If you had a tooth ache you would go see a dentist to get it fixed--and they would think that is the right thing to do. We have an addiction to food and an emotional connection to food. What is wrong with going and getting the help we need to stop our addiction. This is our tool that we are going to use to accomplish the weight loss with. It isn't a magical cure by any means. It takes time, work and effort on our part to become successful. A little support along the way also helps a heap! Finding the right doctor to trust our life with and one who is highly skilled in the field of WLS is the next step. For me that was Dr. Aceves, and I can't say enough kind words about him and his skills and he GREAT staff and wonderful hospital. I knew at 63 if I was going to take this giant step, it had to be with someone that I trusted and that had done a lot of these with no complications and was a skilled surgeon. So when the next person you talk to rolls their eyes around because you are over 60 and going to have weight loss surgery, please just have some patients with them. The are very UNEDUCATED. We will work at educating them and letting them know that this really isn't about them at all. It is ALL about you and you have earned and deserved the right to have this surgery. You will be making a lifestyle change and not be on a diet any more. You are going to put yourself first, for the first time in a long time. I want you to feel good about what you are doing because it is going to be a life changing event that is going to be so fabulous. Someone is going to call your "skinny" for the first time and you are going to smile and say "yes" I did it. I am here every step of the way to assist, you and help you. I will answer your million questions you may have and help you deal with the emotions that you are feeling. I want you to know that you are doing the right thing by wanting to become healthy and add years to your life. Hugs to you and you go for what you want in life. If not now then WHEN???? Suzanne

Hi, I loved your comments--and we are not sissies at all. We are bright, intellighent, beautiful inside and out and we have NO fears. Congratulations to you and I wish you great success. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, You will have very little pain and it will be controled by pain meds. Yes you will be able to swallow--you won't have the problems that you had with the lapband. This will be like having a normal stomach and you will not have any of the problems or issues that you have had. I am sorry that you had to go through all these things. I have never had a lapband, but all the things I read about them, I knew that wasn't for me. You will need to learn to chew you food up really well the first month and that is about it. I have no idea if you will have acid reflux, not everyone has it, but it is a simple fix and I found that Prilosec was the medication that worked best for me. I didn't have good luck with Nexium and a lot of people don't. If you have any more questions just ask me. I will be here to help in any way I can. Oh yes please tell Dr. Aceves that we talked and tell him I said Hi. He is fabulous! Suzanne

Hi everyone, I remember when I was thinking about having sleeve surgery, I sat back and read all these posts, until I felt comfortable enough to join in and ask my million questions. I had such great support and wonderful people who helped me along my weight loss journey. I always promised I would pay it forward. So I am here 2 1/2 years after my "sleeve" surgery. I had the most amazing experience. I am now 65 years old and thought that maybe I was too old to do this. Boy, was I wrong. I picked Dr. Aceves to do my surgery. That was the best choice I could have ever made. I happend to work with a good friend who had Dr. Aceves for her doctor and had WLS with him. She made me do lots of research and take some time to make up my mind. It took me 6 months to make this choice. What an amazing journey I have had. I started out at 225 pounds and lost a total of 105 pounds. I now weight 120 lbs and have maintained that weight loss. I now know I will always be able to maintain it. I am never on a diet, but made a life style change that will last forever. My goal is to help and support people who are just not qutie sure if they want this surgery, or if they have questions and are scared to ask anyone. I am here to listen to you, talk about your fears and help and support you in any way I can help you. You deserve to have it ALL, and there really is a way. If diet and exercise were all it took, and it worked then some of us would not need to have WLS. Most of us have lost it and gained it back many time in our lives. I believe it took more strength to have this surgery than anything I had ever done. But, I knew it had to be ALL about me and NO one else. I had earned the right to do this for myself. Life is wonderful, and I have NO regrets what so ever. My husband fell in love with me when I was fat and so now he loves me just as much when I am healthy and thin. He has even lost weight because of how we both eat--healthy. I have had great support from him all the way though my weight loss journey. So if you are just sitting there and reading this and not sure what you want to do talk to me. I will be honest and tell you the good and the bad side of all this. It takes work on your part and effort. This is NO mircle cure and you have to have your head in the right place and want this more than you want anything else in life. This is your tool to get to the goal you want. It takes making good food choices, and some exercise on your part too. I used to be the person who "hated" exercise....now I honestly look forward to it 5 or 6 days a week. My choice of exercise is pretty easy, I walk. So please feel free to ask questions, say what you are thinking. There isn't anything that we can't talk about. Take care, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Dr. Aceves :rolleyes:

Hi, No, we just keep getting better as time goes on. It has been 2 1/12 years for me and I feel so GREAT each day. I am healthy, happy, not on all the medication I used to take. I know without a doubt that I will ALWAYS maintain this weight loss and it is so easy to do. It did take making a life style change in how I ate. I evercise more now because it is easy and I feel good. NEVER give up on weight loss. This is the way to go. If you have any questions feel free to ask away. I am like an open book when it comes to WLS and Dr. Aceves--he is the best, Hugs, Suzanne

It is never too late in life to consider having WLS (Weight Loss Surgery). I was 63 years old when I had the surgery. I never had a weight problem until after having two children. And then I seemed to struggle with being overweight for years. I now know all the reason why, I became less active, and ate more than I should have. I have tried most of the diets that you have tried, some with success and most no success. But, I would always manage to gain the weight back because I NEVER changed my lifestyle. My top weight was 235 lbs and I am 5’3” tall. My body hurt, my back ached and I had a pain in my leg that felt like I had a hot poker burning me most of the time. So I must have had a high tolerance for pain. Because I remained fat for many years. I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions. Then she told me about going to Dr. Aceves, MD in Mexicali during the summer. She is a nurse and I really trusted what she was telling me. She directed me to his Web Site and then to the Yahoo Support Group site. I researched WLS (Weight Loss Surgery) for about 6 months before I made a choice. I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite sometime. I read all their postings and was getting a lot of information. Now I have learned that is pretty normal for newbie’s to sit and watch for awhile. Then I was sure I wanted to have WLS and my choice was VGS –referred to as the “Sleeve.” So that is the start of my Weight loss journey. I just didn’t wake up one morning and say “oh in October 2008 I am going to have WLS.” I went through a process of getting here. I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again. If I walked very long my back and leg would hurt. I knew my head was in the right place, when I put myself ahead of everyone else. So many of us are care takers of everyone else and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves. Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends when you tell them that you want to go to Mexico and have weight loss surgery. I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is. But this is about YOU and NO one else. You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this. Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. You also can go and not tell them what you are doing. This is entirely up to you. You can bring a family member or a friend with you too if you feel you want someone to come along with you. Your room will be big enough for them to stay in it. They have some nice sofa’s that your family member or friend can sleep on. I went alone and was just fine. I also went back in April 2009 with a friend of mine who had Weight Loss Surgery after seeing how I was doing. She is at her goal now too, and is just as happy and thrilled as I am with the results. About 5 years ago I met and fell in love with the most wonderful man. I had been single for 18 years. He is an amazing man and loved me for just who I was—overweight. It didn’t matter to him that I was fat. He has been very supportive and encouraging every step of they way. I can’t begin to tell you all the beautiful and wonderful comments that he gave me then and NOW. I had the surgery because I wanted to become healthy and wanted the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Bob. Bob could have cared less if I had this surgery, it was my choice. Bob and I were married May 29, 2010 in Cannon Beach, Oregon on the beach. My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself. food is no longer my driving force. I eat to live not live to eat! When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 65 yr old body! What a thought. When I am eating I now look for the Protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein per day and then my veggies and some fruit each day. I started keeping track on line what I was actually putting in my body so I would have some idea of the number of calories I was eating each day. I started an exercise program which was just walking and to this day I do some kind of exercise at least 5 days a week. It is mostly walking. I was the person who HATED to exercise and now I actually look forward to getting up early and go walking with some of my friends. Bob and I are very active people so we are always doing all kinds of walking. I never imagined what life would be like almost 2 years later. And the new clothes that I have purchased since I am a size 8 or 10 depending on who makes the clothing. I see people who haven’t seen me in sometime almost walk right past me because they don’t recognize me. Then they figure out it is me and want to know how I lost all this weight. I have had them ask me if I have been ill and I always give them a big NO! I am more than happy to educate them about the “Sleeve” weight loss surgery. I am very proud of taking control of my life. There is NO shame in making the choice to have weight loss surgery; it takes more courage to have the surgery than to keep failing at all the diets you have tried. This is not a miracle cure where the weight just melts off you. It takes effort on your part to take this new tool you have been given (a new small stomach that only holds 6 to 8 oz) and eat healthy and exercise, but it is going to work and you will be able to maintain your weight loss because you have changed your lifestyle. I never consider myself on a diet, but that I have made a lifestyle change that is going to add years to my life. I am healthy now for the first time in many years. I am not afraid anymore that I will regain this weight. I know that it will never happen because of my restriction I have with a smaller stomach and my lifestyle change that is so easy to do day in and day out. I NEVER feel deprived when it comes to food. I listen to my head when it “says no more food I am full.” I know that I need to stop eating and it is OK to not clean your plate and it is OK to toss the food out. There are so many things to be thankful for. The first thing I am so thankful for is Dr. Aceves; there aren’t not enough adjectives to describe this wonderful gifted doctor. Dr. Aceves genuinely cares about each patient he takes care of. Dr. Aceves will answer all your questions until you are comfortable with what he is telling you. Dr. Aceves is such a talented surgeon, and if I lived closer he would be my Primary Care Physician. Dr. Aceves is down to earth, very kind, intelligent, and honest with you. You will receive the most wonderful care from Dr. Aceves and his team of doctors and nurses. Dr. Aceves comes into your room several times a day and checks on you after your surgery—where in the US will a doctor do this? Most of the staff speaks excellent English. Almater Hospital is the cleanest hospital I have ever been in. They are cleaning 24-7. The hospitals in the US could take some lessons from this private hospital in Mexicali. I would go back to Dr. Aceves in a heartbeat for anything! I still am shocked when someone calls me skinny—I thought who me skinny—no way? But, it was me they were calling skinny. This is something that you have to learn to get used to hearing. People treat you differently when you are thin. This is so unfair. We are just like everyone else when we are fat and the skinny people just don’t get it. I am so thankful for my great healthy. I only take about ¼ of the medication I used to take when I was fat. That is because I have become so healthy and I make the choice to eat healthy. Now I won’t tell you that I haven’t had and cake, Cookies or ice cream since I had Weight Loss Surgery. I have, but in small tiny amounts and not all the time. My body now craves good healthy protein; fresh veggies fixed how you want them, and a small amount of fruit. You need to watch the types of carbs that you are going to eat and keep track of what you are eating when you first start your journey in weight loss. There are quite a few places on the Internet that you can write down and track what you are eating to make sure you are keeping your calories at about 800 per day. The best part of about this weight loss surgery is that I NEVER feel hungry. Your mind tries to play tricks on you. So you have to stop and have a talk with yourself. Do I really need to eat or do I just want to eat because that is part of my old bad habits? In the past I really ate large amounts of food all in one meal. We also are given large plates of food when we go out to eat. NONE of us need to eat this much food and that is why we got fat and stayed fat. Now I eat small amounts of food, and I am satisfied and feel great. When we go out to dinner now Bob and I share one meal. We as a society also eat too fast—I feel like I used to inhale my food and really not enjoy it. I took large amounts of food and shoveled it in my mouth and inhaled it. Now I take small tiny bites and chew it a lot. Weight Loss Surgery really has changed my entire life and it is all for the better. Weight Loss Surgery is a life changing event. Hold on to your hats because this is going to be the ride of your life. You will NEVER have one regret. You will only wish you would have done this years before. I think it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I am extremely impressed with the entire experience. Dr. Aceves’s patient coordinator Nina has always been very prompt, informative, and courteous with her replies. She is there for any question that you may have. I think this lady works 24 hours a day, because I always received an answer back right away. Nina is awesome and gives you so much support and help before you go and after your surgery too. DO NOT have any fears about going to Mexico, It is VERY safe in Mexicali and they ALL take such great care of you along your Weight Loss journey. I think we all have the wrong idea of what Health Care is like in Mexico, until we go there an experience it ourselves. It is far superior over anything that they have in the United States. I feel so much better and I would like to say I feel 20 years younger. Life is fabulous, and I did this for ME and NO one else. I know I will never be fat again in my life. I thanked Dr. Aceves for what he did for me and he said “I only gave you the tool to achieve your Weight Loss, give yourself the credit for making it work.” I still want to say Dr. Aceves you are the BEST!

Hi, Are you lurking out there reading all these posting by everyone trying to absorb as much information as you can about weight loss surgery. I used to be one of you too. I knew I need and wanted to do something about being fat. I had struggled for 25 or more years trying all the kinds of diets there were—yep you too—I knew it. I had my greatest success with Weight Watchers, and to this day I feel for so many people it is the healthiest way to lose weight. I saw over the year too many people including some of the Weight Watchers group leaders gain the weight back—and me too. I became interested more and more in Weight Loss Surgery the more I lurked around on these boards seeing what people had said. I even thought to myself are these people really real or is someone paying them to write all these stories about their success. I really was fortunate enough to have a very close friends who went to Mexicali, Mexico and had Dr. Aceves do her weight loss surgery. She was an RN and I worked with her, so I knew what integrity she had as a nurse and trusted her judgment. I wasn’t sure this was what I wanted to do yet. So after watching her drop the pounds and become more healthy each day, I started asking her a million different questions. She was great and pointed me in the right direction of making me do some research and see what I came up with and what kind of Weight Loss Surgery did I want for myself? I must have spent 6 months reading everything I could find about weight loss surgery. I knew that I wanted to have the sleeve surgery and I knew without a doubt that Dr. Aceves in Mexicali was the ONLY doctor that I was willing to put my trust in. I also called and talked to the people who worked for him and asked them all kinds of questions. I bet they started referring to me as the “Queen of Questions.” Not really they really are pleased to answer all your questions this is a life changing event that you are about to do. I talked with my husband about doing this and he was so very supportive. He answer to me was “I know you well enough to do that you have done all kinds of reading and research.” He said if this is want you want go for it. Not everyone was supportive of this and I know it was because they really had NO idea of what kind of surgery I wanted to have. I was also 63 when I made this choice. What I want to say for you “newbies, or those lurking out there with just the thought of having weight loss surgery.” It is OK to do just want you are doing. But, don’t wait forever to do something about it. Every day that you live your life unhealthy, fat, uncomfortable in your own body, is a day that you are giving away. STOP giving any more days of your life away. It is time to take control of your life instead of food controlling you. Take back your power, be the person that I know you can become. I know that if you are a “self pay” that is a lot of money to pay to have surgery. It will be the best money that you could ever spend. You are adding years back on your life. You will spend less on food, health care, medications and so many other things. If at 63 I could do this, I know that you can do this too and be very successful. I am very prejudice about Dr. Aveves. He is the best there is when it comes to this kind of surgery, and don’t you want the best you can have when it comes to your health and the rest of your life? I know I sure did. I went alone, I wasn’t scared to go to Mexicali, you are picked up at the airport in San Diego and driven by a very nice man in a van along with a lot of others who are about to change their lives just like you are going to do. They take excellent care of you in full blown hospital with everything that you would ever need. I am here to answer any questions that you may have about having this surgery and Dr. Aceves and his team of talented staff. The care you receive it top rated and better than anything you will ever have in the US. If you are waiting for your insurance to pay for it, they drag it out for 2 years or more and so many of them then tell you NO. So don’t give away another day of your life. Do something for the first time in your life and that is put yourself first! Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, Oh you are sooooo right about this. The last part of my life is some much better than the middle of my life was. I fell in love with a wonderful man, we lived together for 5 year (he loved me when I was fat) and he loves me just as much or more now. We got married a year ago. I am retired and I love life. I want others to know that this is possible for them too! If you want something bad enough you should NEVER give up until you get it. Hugs. :P

Hi, Yes, I have acid reflux and I consider it a great trade off to being fat. I take Prilosec every morning and it is resolved that easy. Here is what I have to say about sitting on the fence. I hear what you are saying. However ever day you don't do something about being overweight is a day that you are giving away of your like. It is time to take control of the weight instead of the weight controlling you. I could never keep it off either. Then I hated myself because I couldn't keep it off and I was always blaming myself for being a failure. You are young and beautiful. Why are you willing to give days of your life away????? It does require a lifestyle change. That is pretty simple once you get going because you are going to love the way the fat comes off--it is pretty easy at first and it really motivates you. I know I will ALWAYS keep the weight off because of the lifestyle changes I have made. I am never deprived of foods--I just eat small amounts of them. It is more about being able to have it and the taste of it vs the amount you eat. Do it now, there is really nothing to fear. I know that is easy for me to say now, but I promise you it is true. You aren't the only person who has had these feeling & fears --trust me everyone of us have been down your road. I am here for you and I am always happy to answer your questions. Ask away. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi, It sounds like you are doing a pretty good thing, just by being able to admit that you have baggage. If you continue to do what you are doing right now that is all you will ever have. It is time to let go of some things. You CAN NOT change the past, but you do have the opportunity to change your future. Don't give your power away to being fat. Claim your power back. If you don't name it you can't claim it. So already knowing that you have issues that relate to your eating are really helpful. The great thing about the sleeves is that you have surgery on your stomach, but it tends to make your brain let go of the past and the stomach and head seem to work well together. Don't get me wrong your "old thinking brain" sometimes tries to tell you that you are starving and not getting enough to eat. That is when you have to kick in and think--gosh my stomach feels full--do I need to eat or do I JUST WANT to eat. The sleeve gives you a restriction (your new tool for success) that gives you a good restriction that will NOT allow you to over eat. I highly suggest that you get rid of any foods that will temp you. If they are not in your house you mostly likely will not eat them. I threw out a lot of junk food before I had this surgery. Some times writing your feelings down in a journal really help. We want someone to hear our feelings and some times the person we want to direct this at are not around, so that is the next best thing. When I was getting a divorce after 22 years of marriage the journal really helped me a lot. I am here if you need someone to vent to or just talk. You are going to be very successful. Hugs to you. Suzanne

Hi Everyone, I know that you may not experience some of these things, but I thought I would share what I did experienced. I hope they will be helpful to anyone who needs them. Sometimes there are things that you may think you are the only one that this is happening to. So I thought I would write about a few things that happened to me along my journey of losing 105 pounds. My first shock was that about 2 months after having sleeve surgery I notice that when I got out of the shower I would find quite a bit of my hair in the drain screen. I thought to myself I already have thin hair what am I going to do if I keep losing more hair? Well, I did and it was difficult to try to spread my already thin hair all over my head. So I started asked question to people on this board. And guess what there were a lot of people who had lost some of their hair after surgery—not that it made me feel a whole lot better, but I wasn’t alone. I learned that this is pretty normal to loose hair with rapid weight loss or some type of surgery. Then my next question was will it grow back?????—they all assured me it would, but when you have thin hair you don’t really don’t like the bald spots on your head. So, my answer was to get 2 really cute wigs close to my own hair color. Hardly anyone knew I had a wig, because it was close to my own hair style. Lots of people on this site had all kinds of theories about how to stop the hair loss and what to do. For me I found that Nioxin Shampoo and Cream rinse worked well. Most good hair salons sell this shampoo or you can order in on line too. I felt I had a much healthier scalp after using it. I am not saying it stopped my hair loss. I am just saying I felt it gave me a healthy scalp for my hair to return. I also take the supplement Biotin. You can find it with the Vitamins and I still take it. It helps with hair and nails. Both of which I need. I don’t think there is any cure for hair loss, but just time. My hair stopped falling about 6 months after the surgery and then I noticed it started coming back in. For me; my hair had fully returned about a year from the surgery. So I wore my wigs for quite awhile—about 6 months. The most unusual part of my hair coming back in was that it was now very curly—and I had pencil straight hair before. I HATED this curly hair, and I had to learn to deal with it. I am about 19 months from surgery and finally my hair isn’t so curly and it has a lot of nice body to it and I enjoy what I have because it is much easier to manage. It feels thicker now too. So don’t panic or get scared if your hair falls out, this is normal. Not everyone will lose hair, but some of us have. My next challenge was constipation. When you eat Protein you tend to have constipation. I tried different products for this and the one I have found that works best for me is Miralax. I buy the store band at costco because it cost less. It works really well for me, and I just mix it in with my Protein Drink every morning and I have NO problems with constipation anymore. Walking also helps with constipation. I was embarrassed to ask people on the board about constipation. I thought I was the only one who was having this issue then I found out a lot of people were having these issues. I also eat Almonds and that seems to help me too. We have talked a little or a lot about “slimming or flemming” In case you missed it, when you first start eating regular food you have to re-learn how to eat again and chew. With you new stomach you will need to take small tiny bites and chew until the food in your mouth is almost liquid like. This is nothing like what you had been doing your entire life. In the past you eat and talk and put big bite in your mouth along with a few chews and then swallowing—this will NO LONGER WORK FOR YOU. This is a very difficult thing to change. So with you new stomach and just having surgery you may experience slimming or flemming. First you will feel like the food is stuck, then it comes back up in a clear liquid –your saliva. It isn’t vomit, so that is why it is called slimming or flemming. It’s a wake up call to slow down you eating and chew, and chew and chew some more. Just go to the bathroom or have a napkin ready for the slimming or flemming. If you try to overeat—which is bad you may experience this too sometimes. For me it was always about not chewing enough. When I am full I know I am, at first I wasn’t sure, but sometimes I just got tired of all the chewing, so I stopped eating. I now get the hiccups or my noise will start to run when I am full. I know that other people have said they experienced this too. For the new people or people who are thinking of having Weight Loss Surgery, I want you to know that I wouldn’t trade one of these things that happened to me for the wonderful new healthy body I now have and how happy I am. It is ALL worth it. It has made me a much better person. I have been where you are starting and I want you to know that this is the last and final thing that you will ever have to go through. If diet and exercise worked for everyone we wouldn’t consider weight loss surgery. If you want to lose the weight it will happen with good eating habits and some exercise. I will not just melt off of you. This is your new tool to allow you to get where you want to do. You have to put some effort yourself. This site is great for support and questions. So jump in and join us. We are all regular people in different stages of weight loss. Hugs Suzanne Sleeved 10/28/08 225 120 125 Start Now Goal

You know for so many years I was always in search of that miracle weight loss cure--you know the magic pill, to just melt the fat off of me. And of course I wanted to be able to eat anything I loved and as much as I want and have the fat just melt off of me-I sure wasn't thinking straight . I wonder how many of you have had those same thoughts, I bet a whole lot of you . Well, in Oct 2008 I found part of what I was looking for. An excellent Doctor names Dr. Aceves from Mexicali Mexico--I know what you are thinking Mexico. He is a very skilled surgeon, who was honest and treated me with such great respect. He said he could help me with WLS by giving me a sleeve, BUT this was NOT any miracle cure--Tee Hee, I told you he was honest. He said it would take a lot of work and effort on my part to make this happen for me and for me to become successful I had to have my head in the right place. I had to eat healthy and exercise would also help me lose faster--he was so right. It is awful that it took me to be 63 years old to finally get my head in the right place. I want some of you younger people to PLEASE learn from my experience and if you are sitting out there on the fence trying to make up your mind about weight loss surgery, this is the time to do it NOW! I was very successful and have lost 105 pounds and have been sleeved for 2 1/2 years now and kept it off. I never feel deprived when it comes to eating, I am NOT on a diet. I have a lifestyle change and WOW if feels good. If you are struggling with your feeling and emotions, and weight I am telling you that Dr. Aceves and his staff are the people to help you through this. I wouldn't think twice about picking up the phone and just talk with he staff. It doesn't cost you any to get the information from them about WLS--I suggest the sleeve and NOT a lapband. Nina his patient coordinator is great to work with--give her a call. I am also here to answer any question you don't want to ask--there are NO wrong questions only the ones you don't ask. It is time for you to put yourself first for the first time in many years and become healthy. You will benefit so much by this. I feel like have have added 20 years on to my life. I feel physically and mentally healthy. How about you, isn't it about time you felt this way too???? I want you to have the best you can in life and the time is now. Hugs, to you. Suzanne

Hi, I always get excited when I hear that someone else is going to be sleeved. This is the tool that so many of us have looked for our entire life or the life when we were fat. It isn't a miracle cure, but it sure gets things going. I am here for you if you have any questions after being sleeved. Remember the 1st month is the hardest to do. Right now you are excited, you will have all kinds of emotional feels when you get home, just contact me and I will help you in any way I can. Hugs, :lol: :rolleyes:

I agree some people are very uncomfortable with talking about this. I usually only explain or educate someone who wants to know how I lost the weight. I always tell everyone this may not be what you want to do, but boy it works well for me and I know I will never regain it back again. Take care and Hugs, Suzanne

I am so happy that everything was a wonderful as I posted it was. I am sorry you missed Ernesto, he is a nice man and makes the ride very enjoyable. I hope that you are doing well., Remember I am here if you have any questions or you are having a difficult time. I will remind you again this 1st month will be the hardest month that you will ever have to do. You can do this it is only 20 some days left to do it. After the first month life gets a lot easier and you will adventure out and eat some different and healthy foods. Don't forget your Protein. The first month it really is difficult to get in all the Water they want you to drink and the protein. I was always just sipping on something then I was up and awake. Take care and congratulations on your new life change adventure you are about to embark on. Suzanne

Hi Ashley, I am excited for you. This is going to be a life changing event in your life. You will never have one regret. You are right you can not educate everyone, but if people see you are dropping the pounds, they will ask you "how" are you doing this. This is your opportunity to start educating them. Some will listen, some will be turned off by your choice. But, those who are turned off at first sometimes come around. The will do what I call the Yo Yo--lose the weight regain the weight. After a little while they will start asking you AGAIN how did you lose the weight? So it take patients to educate our family and friends. But, I feel it is my opportunity to always be willing to tell people what I have done. You are going to be really healthy. Congratulations to your for taking control over your weight and not letting it control you. Hugs, :rolleyes:

Hi, I just wanted to share my story about my 105 weight loss. It was a life changing event for me!! :rolleyes: It is never too late in life to consider having WLS (Weight Loss Surgery). I was 63 years old when I had the surgery. I never had a weight problem until after having two children. And then I seemed to struggle with being overweight for years. I now know all the reason why, I became less active, and ate more than I should have. I have tried most of the diets that you have tried, some with success and most no success. But, I would always manage to gain the weight back because I NEVER changed my lifestyle. My top weight was 235 lbs and I am 5’3” tall. My body hurt, my back ached and I had a pain in my leg that felt like I had a hot poker burning me most of the time. So I must have had a high tolerance for pain. Because I remained fat for many years. I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions. Then she told me about going to Dr. Aceves, MD in Mexicali during the summer. She is a nurse and I really trusted what she was telling me. She directed me to his Web Site and then to the Yahoo Support Group site. I researched WLS (Weight Loss Surgery) for about 6 months before I made a choice. I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite sometime. I read all their postings and was getting a lot of information. Now I have learned that is pretty normal for newbie’s to sit and watch for awhile. Then I was sure I wanted to have WLS and my choice was VGS –referred to as the “Sleeve.” So that is the start of my Weight loss journey. I just didn’t wake up one morning and say “oh in October 2008 I am going to have WLS.” I went through a process of getting here. I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again. If I walked very long my back and leg would hurt. I knew my head was in the right place, when I put myself ahead of everyone else. So many of us are care takers of everyone else and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves. Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends when you tell them that you want to go to Mexico and have weight loss surgery. I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is. But this is about YOU and NO one else. You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this. Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. You also can go and not tell them what you are doing. This is entirely up to you. You can bring a family member or a friend with you too if you feel you want someone to come along with you. Your room will be big enough for them to stay in it. They have some nice sofa’s that your family member or friend can sleep on. I went alone and was just fine. I also went back in April 2009 with a friend of mine who had Weight Loss Surgery after seeing how I was doing. She is at her goal now too, and is just as happy and thrilled as I am with the results. About 5 years ago I met and fell in love with the most wonderful man. I had been single for 18 years. He is an amazing man and loved me for just who I was—overweight. It didn’t matter to him that I was fat. He has been very supportive and encouraging every step of they way. I can’t begin to tell you all the beautiful and wonderful comments that he gave me then and NOW. I had the surgery because I wanted to become healthy and wanted the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Bob. Bob could have cared less if I had this surgery, it was my choice. Bob and I were married May 29, 2010 in Cannon Beach, Oregon on the beach. My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself. food is no longer my driving force. I eat to live not live to eat! When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 65 yr old body! What a thought. When I am eating I now look for the Protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein per day and then my veggies and some fruit each day. I started keeping track on line what I was actually putting in my body so I would have some idea of the number of calories I was eating each day. I started an exercise program which was just walking and to this day I do some kind of exercise at least 5 days a week. It is mostly walking. I was the person who HATED to exercise and now I actually look forward to getting up early and go walking with some of my friends. Bob and I are very active people so we are always doing all kinds of walking. I never imagined what life would be like almost 2 years later. And the new clothes that I have purchased since I am a size 8 or 10 depending on who makes the clothing. I see people who haven’t seen me in sometime almost walk right past me because they don’t recognize me. Then they figure out it is me and want to know how I lost all this weight. I have had them ask me if I have been ill and I always give them a big NO! I am more than happy to educate them about the “Sleeve” weight loss surgery. I am very proud of taking control of my life. There is NO shame in making the choice to have weight loss surgery; it takes more courage to have the surgery than to keep failing at all the diets you have tried. This is not a miracle cure where the weight just melts off you. It takes effort on your part to take this new tool you have been given (a new small stomach that only holds 6 to 8 oz) and eat healthy and exercise, but it is going to work and you will be able to maintain your weight loss because you have changed your lifestyle. I never consider myself on a diet, but that I have made a lifestyle change that is going to add years to my life. I am healthy now for the first time in many years. I am not afraid anymore that I will regain this weight. I know that it will never happen because of my restriction I have with a smaller stomach and my lifestyle change that is so easy to do day in and day out. I NEVER feel deprived when it comes to food. I listen to my head when it “says no more food I am full.” I know that I need to stop eating and it is OK to not clean your plate and it is OK to toss the food out. There are so many things to be thankful for. The first thing I am so thankful for is Dr. Aceves; there aren’t not enough adjectives to describe this wonderful gifted doctor. Dr. Aceves genuinely cares about each patient he takes care of. Dr. Aceves will answer all your questions until you are comfortable with what he is telling you. Dr. Aceves is such a talented surgeon, and if I lived closer he would be my Primary Care Physician. Dr. Aceves is down to earth, very kind, intelligent, and honest with you. You will receive the most wonderful care from Dr. Aceves and his team of doctors and nurses. Dr. Aceves comes into your room several times a day and checks on you after your surgery—where in the US will a doctor do this? Most of the staff speaks excellent English. Almater Hospital is the cleanest hospital I have ever been in. They are cleaning 24-7. The hospitals in the US could take some lessons from this private hospital in Mexicali. I would go back to Dr. Aceves in a heartbeat for anything! I still am shocked when someone calls me skinny—I thought who me skinny—no way? But, it was me they were calling skinny. This is something that you have to learn to get used to hearing. People treat you differently when you are thin. This is so unfair. We are just like everyone else when we are fat and the skinny people just don’t get it. I am so thankful for my great healthy. I only take about ¼ of the medication I used to take when I was fat. That is because I have become so healthy and I make the choice to eat healthy. Now I won’t tell you that I haven’t had and cake, Cookies or ice cream since I had Weight Loss Surgery. I have, but in small tiny amounts and not all the time. My body now craves good healthy protein; fresh veggies fixed how you want them, and a small amount of fruit. You need to watch the types of carbs that you are going to eat and keep track of what you are eating when you first start your journey in weight loss. There are quite a few places on the Internet that you can write down and track what you are eating to make sure you are keeping your calories at about 800 per day. The best part of about this weight loss surgery is that I NEVER feel hungry. Your mind tries to play tricks on you. So you have to stop and have a talk with yourself. Do I really need to eat or do I just want to eat because that is part of my old bad habits? In the past I really ate large amounts of food all in one meal. We also are given large plates of food when we go out to eat. NONE of us need to eat this much food and that is why we got fat and stayed fat. Now I eat small amounts of food, and I am satisfied and feel great. When we go out to dinner now Bob and I share one meal. We as a society also eat too fast—I feel like I used to inhale my food and really not enjoy it. I took large amounts of food and shoveled it in my mouth and inhaled it. Now I take small tiny bites and chew it a lot. Weight Loss Surgery really has changed my entire life and it is all for the better. Weight Loss Surgery is a life changing event. Hold on to your hats because this is going to be the ride of your life. You will NEVER have one regret. You will only wish you would have done this years before. I think it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I am extremely impressed with the entire experience. Dr. Aceves’s patient coordinator Nina has always been very prompt, informative, and courteous with her replies. She is there for any question that you may have. I think this lady works 24 hours a day, because I always received an answer back right away. Nina is awesome and gives you so much support and help before you go and after your surgery too. DO NOT have any fears about going to Mexico, It is VERY safe in Mexicali and they ALL take such great care of you along your Weight Loss journey. I think we all have the wrong idea of what Health Care is like in Mexico, until we go there an experience it ourselves. It is far superior over anything that they have in the United States. I feel so much better and I would like to say I feel 20 years younger. Life is fabulous, and I did this for ME and NO one else. I know I will never be fat again in my life. I thanked Dr. Aceves for what he did for me and he said “I only gave you the tool to achieve your Weight Loss, give yourself the credit for making it work.” I still want to say Dr. Aceves you are the BEST! Suzanne B Eugene, OR Sleeved 10/21/2008 225 120 125 Starting Now Goal Weight Weight

Hi I I have always been posting on Dr. Aceves Yahoo site, but thought I could help others by posting here. I have a little experience with the sleeve and would like to be able answering others questions. You know pay it forward, because I had such great help and support from so many others. I hope you are doing well with your sleeve. I was at Costco today--went to get my Premier Protein--I still drink it every morning. Stay in touch.

Thanks, so much. I just don't want people to give up on life. There is always a way to find your way. I had failed at so many other diets, that I wasn't sure if I wouldn't be "the one that the sleeve wouldn't work on." Boy, I wonder how many of us have said this. We also let our families and friends keep us fat, it is a comfortable world around them and they accept us. It takes more courage to have the WLS than to just stay fat. I hope that if there is someone sitting out there on the fence and they aren't sure what to do that they will see they too can be successful no matter what your age is. It is always about having good health. Hugs :D

I am always glad when what I say helps just one person. That was exactly what I wanted. I wanted to let you know that you are going to have all kinds of feelings and emotions about going ahead with this surgery. This was the best and nicest thing I have ever done for myself. I want you to understand that this had NOTHING to do with anyone in your life. For the first time in your life is should be ALL about you. You have earned and deserve to have what is going to make you healthy and happy and SKINNY! I just love that word. The first time someone called me skinny I looked around and thought are they really talking to me? Yes they were, what a nice feeling. And you will be able to maintain it too because you will make lifestyle changes. You will no longer be on a diet, but you will make the lifestyle changes of eating small amounts of good and 95% of the time they will be healthy. Every now and then you can have something if you want it. I always wanted a cheeseburger :D , and found out that just about 1/4 one was just what I needed, so that is how I eat something, I get what I want just not the whole thing. I share a lot of food with my husband and he has lost weight too. Hang in there and know that I am here for anything you may need or want to talk about. Take care

I can't begin to tell you what a fabulous choice you have made. You will the the best care you could ever find. This is going to be a life changing event for you--all good. I was so scared and heard a lot of things about going to Mexico for surgery--they were all wrong trust me. Then I did my research, and found out Dr. Aceves was listed in the top 5 doctors around the world who did this surgery. He is not only a skilled surgeon, but the most caring, kind, thoughtful and a great sense of humor I have ever encountered. When you see him make sure you tell him that Suzanne said to say Hi. We have become good friends. I am always excited when I know someone is going to him, because I know what a great experience you are going to have. I am here every step of the way with you to answer your question, help you deal with any emotional up's and downs you may have. You will second guess yourself and ask yourself if you are doing the right thing, you will be excited and scared all in the same breath. You will think I am the one person this is not going to work on--that is so wrong. This is the last thing you will ever have to do. It is your tool to allow you to achieve your goal of getting that awful fat off you and becoming healthy and happy and really liking who your are. So hang in there keep me posted OK. Hugs

Hi, no you aren't I have had sleeve surgery and that was when I was 63 and I am 65 now. I was very successful with the surgery and in 14 months I lost 105 pounds. I would love to talk with you and answer and questions you may have about the doctor, what the surgery was like, what I ate and where ever else you might want to know. I had such great support and I feel it is good to be able to give back something to other people. I look forward to hearding from you. Take care,

Hi Everyone, You are NEVER too old to have WLS. I had it when I was 63 and I am now 65. It has changed my entire life. I lost 105 pounds in 14 months. I feel like have have added 20 years on to my life. My poor old body no longer hurts and aches--my back feels great, I no longer have a pain in my leg, and I can do anything I want in life. You have earned the right to do what you want in life when you get to be this age. You took care of everyone else for years, not it is time you put yourself first and took care of you. I remember when I was thinking about having sleeve surgery, I sat back and read all these posts, until I felt comfortable enough to join in and ask my million questions. I had such great support and wonderful people who helped me along my weight loss journey. I always promised I would pay it forward. So I am here 2 1/2 years after my "sleeve" surgery. I had the most amazing experience. I am now 65 years old and thought that maybe I was too old to do this. Boy, was I wrong. I picked Dr. Aceves to do my surgery. That was the best choice I could have ever made. I happend to work with a good friend who had Dr. Aceves for her doctor and had WLS with him. She made me do lots of research and take some time to make up my mind. It took me 6 months to make this choice. What an amazing journey I have had. I started out at 225 pounds and lost a total of 105 pounds. I now weight 120 lbs and have maintained that weight loss. I now know I will always be able to maintain it. I am never on a diet, but made a life style change that will last forever. My goal is to help and support people who are just not qutie sure if they want this surgery, or if they have questions and are scared to ask anyone. I am here to listen to you, talk about your fears and help and support you in any way I can help you. You deserve to have it ALL, and there really is a way. If diet and exercise were all it took, and it worked then some of us would not need to have WLS. Most of us have lost it and gained it back many time in our lives. I believe it took more strength to have this surgery than anything I had ever done. But, I knew it had to be ALL about me and NO one else. I had earned the right to do this for myself. Life is wonderful, and I have NO regrets what so ever. My husband fell in love with me when I was fat and so now he loves me just as much when I am healthy and thin. He has even lost weight because of how we both eat--healthy. I have had great support from him all the way though my weight loss journey. So if you are just sitting there and reading this and not sure what you want to do talk to me. I will be honest and tell you the good and the bad side of all this. It takes work on your part and effort. This is NO mircle cure and you have to have your head in the right place and want this more than you want anything else in life. This is your tool to get to the goal you want. It takes making good food choices, and some exercise on your part too. I used to be the person who "hated" exercise....now I honestly look forward to it 5 or 6 days a week. My choice of exercise is pretty easy, I walk. So please feel free to ask questions, say what you are thinking. There isn't anything that we can't talk about. Take care, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Dr. Aceves :D

Hey, I live in Eugene, and I was sleeved 2 1/2 years ago. I know all the things you are going through and are feeling. I did not have my suregery done here in the US. My insurance was not about to pay for it, and so I knew I was going to be a self pay. I search every where for the best doctor I could find, and I found him. Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico did my surgery. Top of the line hospital and doctor. So, I am here for you, to help you with any question and support you will need. Feel free to ask away. I know allthe emotions that you are feeling, and the fears, and being excited all at the same time. I am going to add you as a friend if you don't mind. I want you to know that you will never be on another diet, this will be a lifestyle change. It work, and it is easy to maintain. I never feel deprived at all. I am going to send you something that I have that tells about my journey with WLS. It is never too late in life to consider having WLS (Weight Loss Surgery). I was 63 years old when I had the surgery. I never had a weight problem until after having two children. And then I seemed to struggle with being overweight for years. I now know all the reason why, I became less active, and ate more than I should have. I have tried most of the diets that you have tried, some with success and most no success. But, I would always manage to gain the weight back because I NEVER changed my lifestyle. My top weight was 235 lbs and I am 5’3” tall. My body hurt, my back ached and I had a pain in my leg that felt like I had a hot poker burning me most of the time. So I must have had a high tolerance for pain. Because I remained fat for many years. I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions. Then she told me about going to Dr. Aceves, MD in Mexicali during the summer. She is a nurse and I really trusted what she was telling me. She directed me to his Web Site and then to the Yahoo Support Group site. I researched WLS (Weight Loss Surgery) for about 6 months before I made a choice. I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite sometime. I read all their postings and was getting a lot of information. Now I have learned that is pretty normal for newbie’s to sit and watch for awhile. Then I was sure I wanted to have WLS and my choice was VGS –referred to as the “Sleeve.” So that is the start of my Weight loss journey. I just didn’t wake up one morning and say “oh in October 2008 I am going to have WLS.” I went through a process of getting here. I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again. If I walked very long my back and leg would hurt. I knew my head was in the right place, when I put myself ahead of everyone else. So many of us are care takers of everyone else and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves. Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends when you tell them that you want to go to Mexico and have weight loss surgery. I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is. But this is about YOU and NO one else. You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this. Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. You also can go and not tell them what you are doing. This is entirely up to you. You can bring a family member or a friend with you too if you feel you want someone to come along with you. Your room will be big enough for them to stay in it. They have some nice sofa’s that your family member or friend can sleep on. I went alone and was just fine. I also went back in April 2009 with a friend of mine who had Weight Loss Surgery after seeing how I was doing. She is at her goal now too, and is just as happy and thrilled as I am with the results. About 5 years ago I met and fell in love with the most wonderful man. I had been single for 18 years. He is an amazing man and loved me for just who I was—overweight. It didn’t matter to him that I was fat. He has been very supportive and encouraging every step of they way. I can’t begin to tell you all the beautiful and wonderful comments that he gave me then and NOW. I had the surgery because I wanted to become healthy and wanted the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Bob. Bob could have cared less if I had this surgery, it was my choice. Bob and I were married May 29, 2010 in Cannon Beach, Oregon on the beach. My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself. food is no longer my driving force. I eat to live not live to eat! When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 65 yr old body! What a thought. When I am eating I now look for the Protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein per day and then my veggies and some fruit each day. I started keeping track on line what I was actually putting in my body so I would have some idea of the number of calories I was eating each day. I started an exercise program which was just walking and to this day I do some kind of exercise at least 5 days a week. It is mostly walking. I was the person who HATED to exercise and now I actually look forward to getting up early and go walking with some of my friends. Bob and I are very active people so we are always doing all kinds of walking. I never imagined what life would be like almost 2 years later. And the new clothes that I have purchased since I am a size 8 or 10 depending on who makes the clothing. I see people who haven’t seen me in sometime almost walk right past me because they don’t recognize me. Then they figure out it is me and want to know how I lost all this weight. I have had them ask me if I have been ill and I always give them a big NO! I am more than happy to educate them about the “Sleeve” weight loss surgery. I am very proud of taking control of my life. There is NO shame in making the choice to have weight loss surgery; it takes more courage to have the surgery than to keep failing at all the diets you have tried. This is not a miracle cure where the weight just melts off you. It takes effort on your part to take this new tool you have been given (a new small stomach that only holds 6 to 8 oz) and eat healthy and exercise, but it is going to work and you will be able to maintain your weight loss because you have changed your lifestyle. I never consider myself on a diet, but that I have made a lifestyle change that is going to add years to my life. I am healthy now for the first time in many years. I am not afraid anymore that I will regain this weight. I know that it will never happen because of my restriction I have with a smaller stomach and my lifestyle change that is so easy to do day in and day out. I NEVER feel deprived when it comes to food. I listen to my head when it “says no more food I am full.” I know that I need to stop eating and it is OK to not clean your plate and it is OK to toss the food out. There are so many things to be thankful for. The first thing I am so thankful for is Dr. Aceves; there aren’t not enough adjectives to describe this wonderful gifted doctor. Dr. Aceves genuinely cares about each patient he takes care of. Dr. Aceves will answer all your questions until you are comfortable with what he is telling you. Dr. Aceves is such a talented surgeon, and if I lived closer he would be my Primary Care Physician. Dr. Aceves is down to earth, very kind, intelligent, and honest with you. You will receive the most wonderful care from Dr. Aceves and his team of doctors and nurses. Dr. Aceves comes into your room several times a day and checks on you after your surgery—where in the US will a doctor do this? Most of the staff speaks excellent English. Almater Hospital is the cleanest hospital I have ever been in. They are cleaning 24-7. The hospitals in the US could take some lessons from this private hospital in Mexicali. I would go back to Dr. Aceves in a heartbeat for anything! I still am shocked when someone calls me skinny—I thought who me skinny—no way? But, it was me they were calling skinny. This is something that you have to learn to get used to hearing. People treat you differently when you are thin. This is so unfair. We are just like everyone else when we are fat and the skinny people just don’t get it. I am so thankful for my great healthy. I only take about ¼ of the medication I used to take when I was fat. That is because I have become so healthy and I make the choice to eat healthy. Now I won’t tell you that I haven’t had and cake, Cookies or ice cream since I had Weight Loss Surgery. I have, but in small tiny amounts and not all the time. My body now craves good healthy protein; fresh veggies fixed how you want them, and a small amount of fruit. You need to watch the types of carbs that you are going to eat and keep track of what you are eating when you first start your journey in weight loss. There are quite a few places on the Internet that you can write down and track what you are eating to make sure you are keeping your calories at about 800 per day. The best part of about this weight loss surgery is that I NEVER feel hungry. Your mind tries to play tricks on you. So you have to stop and have a talk with yourself. Do I really need to eat or do I just want to eat because that is part of my old bad habits? In the past I really ate large amounts of food all in one meal. We also are given large plates of food when we go out to eat. NONE of us need to eat this much food and that is why we got fat and stayed fat. Now I eat small amounts of food, and I am satisfied and feel great. When we go out to dinner now Bob and I share one meal. We as a society also eat too fast—I feel like I used to inhale my food and really not enjoy it. I took large amounts of food and shoveled it in my mouth and inhaled it. Now I take small tiny bites and chew it a lot. Weight Loss Surgery really has changed my entire life and it is all for the better. Weight Loss Surgery is a life changing event. Hold on to your hats because this is going to be the ride of your life. You will NEVER have one regret. You will only wish you would have done this years before. I think it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I am extremely impressed with the entire experience. Dr. Aceves’s patient coordinator Nina has always been very prompt, informative, and courteous with her replies. She is there for any question that you may have. I think this lady works 24 hours a day, because I always received an answer back right away. Nina is awesome and gives you so much support and help before you go and after your surgery too. DO NOT have any fears about going to Mexico, It is VERY safe in Mexicali and they ALL take such great care of you along your Weight Loss journey. I think we all have the wrong idea of what Health Care is like in Mexico, until we go there an experience it ourselves. It is far superior over anything that they have in the United States. I feel so much better and I would like to say I feel 20 years younger. Life is fabulous, and I did this for ME and NO one else. I know I will never be fat again in my life. I thanked Dr. Aceves for what he did for me and he said “I only gave you the tool to achieve your Weight Loss, give yourself the credit for making it work.” I still want to say Dr. Aceves you are the BEST! Suzanne B Eugene, OR Sleeved 10/21/2008 225 120 125 Starting Now Goal Weight Weight