CowgirlJane

Well... I was banded at 272... never got under 200#. By the time I was considering revision 10 years later I was over 300. .. so no argument. In fact my sleeve surgeon had done LOTS of bands but in recent years rarely does them.

You had the gastric sleeve. .ie..partial stomach removal AND the lapband remained in? I have not heard of that. It's hard to explain exactly, but I had the lapband for 10 years with very poor results. Sounds crazy but in my mind it wasn't "real" bariatric surgery. Ha. I found such relief when it was gone. Among other things. .no more port! Now my perspective has changed. I feel like my smaller stomach is "normal" and i never felt normal with the band.

Brutal day... worked like 11 hours and then a team dinner at a fattening Italian restaurant. I have discovered that 5# makes my size 4 pants snug and wishing I had 6s. I usually work from home so mingling with the bigwigs mean I need to dig out professional clothes. don't really care..As long as I stay single digit but hate that snug feeling.

If you look at my profile you will see I am opposite. Skinny butt and broad shoulders. I wear size 4 pants, but at least an 8 on top. Genetics. And as far as weight lifting, it's really really hard for a woman to bulk up.. we lack the T ... haha...so lift away .. it is good for you, makes for sexy toned muscles and trust me, you won't accidentally look like a body builder.

Sarah I had reflux after plastics from the compression garments. I did alot of protein drinks instead of food till swelling went down a d garments stretched. Knock on wood... I am fine now but this is a scary long term issue for some sleevers.

I am slimmer now than I was at time of plastics so have more thigh skin ... but he recommended the small lift and I think for me it was a good trade off since my scars are completely unnoticeable. Sometimes I wish my thighs were tight like my arms though

I didn't lose slower with sleeve...much faster actually. It depends on your starting point- I was over 50 BMI at time of revision. It is my opinion that regardless of bougie sized you will be able to eat more quantity and more variety of foods with sleeve. That worked for me because I can eat salads etc and est more normally. I resorted to sliders with band due to pain eating dense Protein. It is important to have realistic expectations. The trade off is that I feel I manage to eat more normally without vomiting or sliming or whatever.

No Florinda, but I read a study that indicates 3-6 years post op... big increase in some people's acid issues.

I can't answer that because I had all at once.... LBL, breast lift/augmentation, arm lift and "small" thigh lift. his prices are pretty much all inclusive, include the time at the clinic, hotel, compression garments etc so it is easy to budget for. If you email him (and other surgeons) you can get quotes for your particular situation

If you would have asked me years ago I would have said I was a binge eater because I could eat so much (basically eat like a man..haha!) but I went to an eating disorders clinic and was thoroughly evaluated and did not meet the clinical definition of a binge eater. The surgery has so far worked for me (will be 3 years out in December and went from super morbidly obese to normal BMI and now maintaining). If I understand binge eating correctly, it is not really about hunger so i would worry that over time the urge to binge may negate surgery benefits. I am certainly not an expert, but have you considered really being diagnosed by a non surgical practice? I would be careful though of doing it through a pschologist associated with a surgeon because you might wind up getting denied based on being "honest". I tried EVERYTHING multiple times - weight watchers, the hormone drops, nutrisystems, talk therapy, hypnosis, etc but i was always still hungry. for me the physical reduction (not elimination by the way!) has helped me learn to manage food. I could not do it was driven to eat 24/7. I do get hungry now, and one of my many "learnings' is to tolerate it... gee.. it is a normal human experience to be hungry before a meal, who knew? Anyway, my hunger is way reduced so it is something i can cope with.

I think it is also important to consider your own personal tradeoffs. I too had an amazing experience with Dr Sauceda and love my results. My boyfriend told me that it is by far the best "boob job" he has ever seen or felt... very natural compared to many. I was scared of having fakey looking boobs, a flat ass and horrible arm scars. My arm scars are amazing (hardly noticably 11 months post op), my boobs have zero scars and like I said get good reviews and my ass isn't half bad for a girl who had a LBL and no butt work. I told Dr S my goal was to look feminine, not boyish, but to look natural. I feel like he achieved my personal goals to a "T". i think I would have gotten "tighter" results if I had been willing to do my work over 3 surgeries by a very good local surgeon where I live - I wasn't. I am pleased to be just DONE with body plastics anyway and honestly look better than I have since I was like 22... I am 50. I am thrilled with my results and frankly can't imagine going through body plastics again. It disrupted my life a great deal (recovery time, emotional adjustment etc). My goal in all this was just to be normal, I am way BETTER than normal (for my age)... haha... so thrilled beyond expectations. Anyway I don't know anything about Brazil, but I just want to share the perspective of not only finding a good, experienced with massive weight loss (we need way more than a mommy makeover ladies!) but also being very aware of the consequences of decisions and tradeoffs. Someday I will get the neck wattle addressed, so always wanting to hear about face work. I am worried about scars of course, but also about numbness. I do NOT want a numb face and don't understand why some face surgeries result in that and some don't.

So, recap. I hit goal of 158 in Feb 2013. Regained 5 last summer and started 5:2 at 163. Got down to 150 in time for plastics. Swelling etc didn't see 150 again until maybe Jan 2014. Accidentally lost 10# this spring and got to 140. This morning 146.5..definitely bouncing up. My 5:2 goal is to get down to 140 again. If i quit drinking wine it would probably happen....

Hey swizz... might not be my biz.. but curious if the "total mess" is life or just weight related? Thinking of you...keep hanging in there! Denise I used to cardiovascular away my anxiety too. But in hindsight it only partially worked. The who med situation sucks but not as bad as anxiety did! Florinda glad you are enjoying your new digs. Are you outdoorsy oriented? Ski? The gray arrives sometime in Oct or Nov and can be a downer so now is the time to be lining up how to make the most of our cloudy but usually mild winters. It is a killer adjustment for some and others love it (no snow to shovel). Georgia, seems like we all did good on 5:2 last summer. How far are you from your goal? M2g...thrilled for your career success. Carve out time for you. I didn't do that well as a career mom and it contributed to my obesity.

I know the bmi charts are flawed but I think that it gives a rough guideline. For example I have never met a person who's bmi was between 25-30 who was too skinny. It's a strange situation for many of us...my BMI is about 23; weighing 140 is very reasonable for. 5'5" tall woman but I have people who think i am too thin and have girlfriends way thinner (one is 117 at same height) but since people are used to it she is not too skinny. The best exercise is the one you will do. The best goal weight, as long as it is somewhere in the healthy ballpark, is one you can maintain.

Oh never mind me I think I am having an extended midlife crisis..ha. I am so motivated to make the lexapro work because the tiny dose controls my anxiety. I dont feel down or blue if my anxiety is in control. So I had a wild weekend. Friday I did company sponsored "day of caring" for United way. 50 of us did habitat restoration which meant digging out invasive plants with a pick or shovel. It was brutally hard work but felt so good. We accomplished so much. One of the volunteer coordinators was so hot and awesome but given the setting...it wasn't really appropriate to ask him if he was single! My arms and shoulders were sore from all that shoveling. Saturday morning I went riding..fun as always. Sat afternoon I did another wine walk with 3 girlfriends..super fun. My niece and her hubby and somepals did it too. My oldest son and his roommates showed up to look at antiques and had appetizers with us. Awkward moment...the boyfriend of an acquaintance got really drunk and was hitting on me. I know he was loaded and that is why but I worry she overheard it. ..sigh. I did reflect that in the last week 2 guys have hit on me, and the volunteer coordinator guy definitely talked to me...might or might not have been flirting. And he was sober even. I didn't feel flattered but I had one of those "wait a minute, celebrate our hotness" moments. Pat on back...we all need to do that More. My son had a school buddy over Sat night - I loved it. Today, Sunday I did a hike with Theo. It was brutally hard for us oldsters but we loved the scenery and had a nice day. He took me out to dinner after. It was nice..and where I am at with him is just backing off and seeing him sometimes but I am going to date others if I ever find the time. I started the day with my young horse double barrel kicking me. Oddly the impact site is okay as I was nearly out of range but I was tossed like a lawn dart. My neck and shoulders hurt from the impact. I wished I could have seen it filmed because I really felt airborne! Yes, I did the brutal hike after that. Loved all the updates! I am not quite ready to restart 5:2 as I have a weird and tough week at work ahead. In a few weeks I am IN. I have been drinking way too much wine....been having a fun summer in spite of my troubles (bettys death and the nightmare that went with it)

When faced with a similar situation I did talk about it in advance. Feedback I got was that I made too big a deal out of it.... Of course I should mention he might be vision impaired as he insisted I didn't need plastics (this was later). After I got plastics he was like "wow... amazing. ..you looked like a million bucks now you look like a billion " ha So I'd mention it but don't get overly negative and self conscious.

I am no expert. . But for me carbs are way more of a problem than calories so i think your plan is solid

Switch surgeons

I am sorry..but it does get better. I know you say it isn't acid related..but I can't help but wonder...

I dunno...don't remember. And THAT is the important point. I went from super morbidly obese to a normal weight and the details no longer matter. Not trying to downplay your concerns but rather offering you the long range view... we all move at a different pace..our own journey. The details are important at the time but the long view is..jus keep working that sleeve and you will get there!

So silent here...going through withdrawal..Haha. Coop, would love to hear about your detox program.

My kindle isn't getting along with the site today...trying again. I went on a work sponsored "day of caring" volunteer work. We did HARD physical labor restoring habitat. One of the experts/leaders of clueless volunteers was HOT. Totally my type physically and I really liked how he interacted with people. Age appropriate too. So I am very conservative in work related settings. He was coordinating volunteers so I guess has similar"limits". We clicked though and worked side by side alot of the day because I am a tough cowgirl and not afraid to sweat. I think he liked me too, but, it didn't seem appropriate to ask for his number and he didn't ask for mine. He came over after the event and talked to me about my car too. No wedding ring but who knows? This is how I want to meet someone though. I HATE online dating. I really can't handle the idea of meeting someone in a bar. Due This isn't the first time I met someone interesting (on the trail or out doing something active) and I just didn't know how to express interest...and would later realize....that was a NICE guy expressing I interest but I don't know how to give him the right signals. Ya know...I just want them to know I would like to find out more...advice? Bikerchick said something about a lifetime of avoiding rejection due to obesity. I think I do the same thing n ow. I think it might be interpreted as aloof. I am told this is also a Seattle thing...guys don't feel like they can ask..outside a bar setting I guess. Anyway how do you tell someone...ask me out allready?? I realize today's situation was difficult due to the work setting, I mean more in general.

I am gonna laugh if your pants fall off. Congratulations and good job!

Truth is that many of us worked 5:2 in a way that is "workable" for us. I don't track or count calories, but on my "fast" days I did try to have long fasting intervals - meaning stop eating 7pm the night before and don't eat till around noon or 1 the "fast day". I am not sure that the longer fasting interval made a difference, but it worked for me and helped me keep overall calories/carbs down. If you feel really uncomfortable - don't do it - have the Protein drink! I think reading up on it and sorta getting the principles or idea of 5:2 and then making it work for your life is the key.

I think it's amazing you have lost half of your excess weight in 2 months! It slows down closer you get to goal...just keep following your program and you will reach goal.