CowgirlJane

Shell, you are such a beauty - can't help but comment on that! I read both the posts you started and your comment on the b*tch thread. I have so much to say, yet don't really know what to say. This is all food for thought... take what is useful and leave the rest behind. My intention is to be supportive but I remember how tender the heart is at the preop phase too. Amazing success IS possible with any WLS. It really is. research it HARD though. I had the band for 10 years and didn't do well. Frankly, i suffered alot. I am told the band is better now, I can't comment on that, but in 2001 it pretty much resulted in eventual issues and removal for everybody I knew. I thought the reversible thing was good... like all I had to do was lose weight and life would be easy breezy...haha... Queen of DeNile. Others have done well so I am not trying to talk you out of it, but, for a high BMI person ... there are considerations. Again, take it or leave it. The best advice I can give is to consult with more than one surgeon (I found out THEY are very biased too!!!) and go to some support groups. It was very educational to go to support groups of post ops... pretty much everyone therehad bypasss (that surgeon really preferred bypass) and only one other person was awaiting revision from band. I remember thinking how thin she looked, I couldn't imagine why she needed WLS. of course, when you weigh over 300... lots of other people look "thin". I was too chicken to go for the bypass, the band didn't really work for me... so I wound up sleeved. I learned alot from that support group even though they were mostly bypass patients. I had a BMI over 50 when I was revised to the sleeve. Right now, my BMI is about 23... so yes, i lost more than half my body weight. Losing that much weight (168# lost since sleeved - now weigh about 140-145 range) was not always easy but it was really worth it. I had reached the age in life (late 40s) where I was seriously getting concerned about longevity and disabiliy due to my weight. I had reasons to be SUPER motivated. The changes to my looks were just a side benefit. Recently, my 40 year old niece died of a heart attack. She was very very overweight - heavier than I was. It was so sad, she had half a lifetime ahead of her and it was gone in an instant, largely due to her obesity. I advise you to take the time to research, really understand pros and cons of each procedure (trust me, they ALL have negatives) and decide which you think you have the best odds of success. I spent about a year in anguish over the revision decision. It was not pleasant, but i think that painful year of indecision actually helped me when the going got rough post sleeve. Whatever you decide - best of luck. You deserve good health and freedom from obesity. People you know who might be 10, 20, 50# overweight... well... they kinda understand but frankly we are in a little different situation. It is hard to express how enlightening it was to meet with a surgeon who helped me understand the metabolic issue of obesity and just how complex it is. i hope you get that chance too.

corset place is having a big sale. I want something that would look nice under a jacket or something.... I have a quirky sense of style but have to be a bit careful to not get overly sexy looking. I am not a shy dresser.... I at times think I border on tacky but it comes from a lifetime of ugly mom jeans and fleece... ain't gonna do it! Since plastics, I have found that my boobs get more attention than is always appropriate..haha. I don't want them popping out the top so to speak so finding the "right" one is important. I don't really need something to hold my gut in as I am reasonably lump free - though not perfect! Anyway ladies, do some window shopping with me.... I measure about 39-40 breast and around 29-30" waist so I cant figure out what size fits but I emailed them.. Last corset I bought was labelled "medium" but isn't big enough. Well, maybe if I had 3 handmaidens to lace me in... but i don't! Oh, and I am cheap, i am not paying $57 for that awesome steampunk "waist pack" although it would be awesome for going dancing! http://www.corset-story.com/corsets/corset-of-the-day.html

i am doing stress eating - eating when not hungry. I HATE when I do that. I am super stressed out about work right now, but it will get better, getting ready to turn a corner I think. It is weird that when I was feeling horrible before, I stopped eating... i didn't mean to, it was this kind of stress reaction thing. I guess that just tells me i still have major "food issues". i am not binging and not eating junk, but even too much salad and shrimp is too much food, right? I am feeling weird this week. Kiddo is gone so I am alone. I am not really upset about Theo, but he wants to see me and I have lost all desire to see him. I feel that I am being unfair to both of us and stupid to me because he really is still a good prospect (maybe?), that it isn't my real self but rather my messed up self that just turned the "off switch" there. I have been sleeping alot, which while it sounds healthy doesn't seem to be. I have been trying to watch Netflix stuff in the evenings, but i fall asleep. I think I am really stressed and my mind and body just want to shut down for awhile. I am making deals with myself and that is helping... like if I get "X" done at work then I allow myself some energetic behavior. I am not working out and have been so active all summer it hasn't been a problem. I am now just feeling fat, which is stupid. I weigh about 145 this week and i am not fat. Issue is that my meds are completely mucked up and I am managing the best I can. I have tried all sorts of things... seems like taking 1/4 of the smallest dose pill everyday with food is tolerable so far - done it 3 days in a row now. I think now that i am back taking them I expect to calm down and refocus. I am not as bad as I was say a year ago with the anxiety but I got so used to feeling GOOD that I can barely stand feeling any of that weirdly unsettled anxiety feeling. I was feeling so good taking half a pill 4X a week but now when I do that I feel sick. I get an upset stomach, I get a headache and flu-like symptoms for about 3 hours after I take it. Very upsetting because feeling gross everyday messes me up and of course I started missing doses which is what got me to having a weird week. Anyway, I am doing better than i sound, just had a rough couple of days. I don't want to do anything, not even ride my horses since Monday. Well, actually I started feeling bad on Sunday. Kiddo comes home tomorrow after being gone nearly a week. Having him here sort of forces my life to have more structure so that is a good thing. How is everyone? Remind me how I felt so thin for awhile there... i honestly feel absolutely huge. I measured my waist, it is still the same. Why do i feel like I weigh about 300#? I think I am a little bloated and that contributes to it but it makes no sense. I am not like paranoid to be seen in public, nothing like that, more like i just feel stuffed into my clothes - I guess 5# makes a difference ... Good news - before Monday i was just "killing it" getting stuff done around my place.... woo hoo! I know I can get back on that track again.

You do know that people like me who have lost massive weight (I am down about 168#) didn't do it in an organized linear fashion and that stalls are normal... right? Hard to not get discouraged, but follow the plan, trust the process, the weight will come off!

Your tickers are there viewing from the webpage. Unfortunately the app doesn't show ticker or most profile info. This is why newbies want us to type our stories up in threads....I think it's a shame as I spent alot of time reading tickers and profiles preop!

RJ, I just read your post. I also think you are great right where you are but I have a hard time understanding why anyone would think you are anorexic. Sounds like their issues, not yours. I really ignored alot of it. I had the benefit of new friends who never knew me obese. Not a one of them thought I was too skinny. It was only people who were used to seeing me so big.

Ok, people freak out because they simply arent used to seeing you at a normal weight. My sisters were very upset that I was too skinny when I was 150-160 and now that i am 140# they don't think so anymore. All that happened was time. They are used to me know. I felt bonier heavier. That has been weird but I think weight redistribution happens and maybe I just got used to it. It used to freak me out to see ribs on my back but for my build it is normal. I know we poo poo the BMI charts but they really are a good rough guide. If you get below say 20-22 BMI as a mature adult you MIGHT be on the thin side. Even then, being a tad thin is healthy it's more a mattee of do you like it. I personally think too thin makes me look old. The weight I look the best at in my opinion puts my BMI at 23.

OC I am curious about the approval of the sleeve in 2013. ...mine was done in 2011 and I was not aware it was still unapproved. Would love to read up on this.

I was required to be in full body compression for 6 weeks, including legs. I wore them longer. Then as they wore out I switched to very firm support slack liners that went from waist to ankles. Avoid nuts and other salty food. Do put feet up etc. Michigan - At 3 weeks out I was still on very limited activity. Basically still doing nothing. I cannot fathom a LBL without compression garments. They made me feel secure. I wore those pant liners for months post op and I always had more swelling without. I also learned how to do lymphatic massage... never really sure it helped though. Finally, I wonder if excess swelling means you are pushing it too much too soon. Or maybe you just sadly drew the swell hell card. Hang in there.'..Plastics ain't for sissies..people have a hard time understanding that I had minimal pain but alot of suffering during recovery. It's hard.

I think your stats are really good too! It is rugged having so many complications - I am lucky I did not. It hasn't been easy even with NO complications so I really empathize. I do think now is the time to Celebrate the victories and start enjoying the results too!

It is normal. I never got swelling in my calves or feet, but I did get it in the belly. Mine was minor but FELT huge. I wore stage 2 garments on lower body for a long time after it wasn't "required" because I hated that tight feeling and exercise or salty food triggered it.

They have industrial strength hooks that go down the front.... they work really well if you get the right size. Right now I just have a black jacket, but open to other color ideas - this will be a winter "going out" look

I didn't suffer depression post op and I can eat anything fine. What happened to me was after about a year at goal life handed me some challenges. I thought I had good coping strategies but I did go through emotional turmoil. I realized that in the past food and obesity would have numbed me. I think that once you are passed the initial thrill of losing weight that can come up. I still think the sleeve was one of tbe best decisions I have made. Went from 308 to about 140ish. Everything in life is easier now.

oh grammy... she was an idiot. She had recently discovered slowcooking/crockpot cooking and felt it was the answer to all over eating. You have got to be kidding me. i have slow cooked, fast cooked, baked, grilled - you name it, for years - and yet weighed 300#. It is a stereotype that all obese people live off mcdonalds and cheetos.

A valid point is that alot of WLS patients DO regain. That was one of my former PCPs arguments against... and it isn't a lie, it is a plain and simple fact. However, I look at it differently. First, there is much better education and support for people to have long term success now so for those that take advantage of that, they have better tools to prevent regain. Second, even if i regain half of what i lost... which I am determined to NOT let happen, I am still way better off...

Many PCPs don't understand obesity very well. My FORMER PCP was fired after she told me that I just needed to buy better cookbooks to lose weight. Say what?

I have no experience with weight loss drugs. I would be hesitant too. There are ways to accelerate weight loss ( I just typed it up on another thread..haha) ... and also accepting that we all lose at a different rate and speed and that is okay too! Edited to add... I just cut and paste what I typed in another post. Not exactly on topic, but maybe some thoughts for you.... I started at 308, and about 7 months post op my weight loss slowed to a CRAWL. i mean like 2# a month. I still weighed in the 190s and at 5'5" had a ways to go. I found out that for me I had to do a couple of things to get going again. #1 I had to really face the fact that at 190 I was physically pretty comfortable and still had an nice emotionally shielding fat suit. I looked great according to my friends, but in truth, I looked matronly which was safe for me. #2 I came to realize that I needed to go low carb to get the weight off. For me, Protein bars where the number one issue - I was having 1-2 a day and that is ALOT of carbs. I had to stop buying them. #3 I had to change my exercise routine. I was making NO progress spending long times on an eliptical and using the weight machines. I switched to high intensity interval training - using a spinning bike. I went back to losing 10-12# a month and got to my goal of 158# 14 months post op. I have since lost a few more pounds during maintenance and now weigh about 140ish.

I started at 308, and about 7 months post op my weight loss slowed to a CRAWL. i mean like 2# a month. I still weighed in the 190s and at 5'5" had a ways to go. I found out that for me I had to do a couple of things to get going again. #1 I had to really face the fact that at 190 I was physically pretty comfortable and still had an nice emotionally shielding fat suit. I looked great according to my friends, but in truth, I looked matronly which was safe for me. #2 I came to realize that I needed to go low carb to get the weight off. For me, Protein bars where the number one issue - I was having 1-2 a day and that is ALOT of carbs. I had to stop buying them. #3 I had to change my exercise routine. I was making NO progress spending long times on an eliptical and using the weight machines. I switched to high intensity interval training - using a spinning bike. I went back to losing 10-12# a month and got to my goal of 158# 14 months post op. I have since lost a few more pounds during maintenance and now weigh about 140ish.

I have been told to do this, all my bloodwork was done during "normal" consumption. i did find out that certain numbers - like cholesterol, are not accurate if you drank coffee so I do all my blood work completely fasting (except water). This spring I was having some health issues and did blood work when I WAS not fasting and when I was NOT taking Vitamins (weren't agreeing with my tummy). Interesting thing - very low blood sugar for not fasting (78) and my nutrient levels were very good even though i had been off my vitamins for a couple of months. I try to eat healthy and I suspect your body stores most vitamins for awhile. It was a clue though - I wasn't feeling well because I wasn't eating enough. Low blood sugar doesn't feel good. I wasn't eating enough because I didn't feel well. The "cure" was to find ways to force myself to eat. Now, I am back to trying to NOT overeat...haha.... normal! So, my advice is to stay on your normal routine unless your doc tells you otherwise.

I second everything kindle said. I lost 168# - but it didn't happen in a linear fashion. I actually stabilized after losing 150# and considered that goal. Since then I have been maintaining but able to lose a bit more. My initial goal had me just over a normal BMI - now at about 23 BMI. That is astounding to me as a lifetime overweight/obese person - never expected this. Why is your screen name unhappysleever? Since i can't see your stats I don't know your details?

Well, I suffer from a lot of back pain - have for many years. What I notice is that when I first lost weight, I noticed my "bones" - collar bones, seat bones, ribs sticking out etc. It didn't hurt, but seemed sensitive. Now that I have been at goal for awhile and actually weigh a bit less... the "bony-ness" isn't so noticable. I don't know why, but my theory is that when you lose alot of weight, it takes some time for things to sorta... resettle.

This thread breaks my heart too. You know what else? Newbies show up on this forum with screen names that sound like the list of insults we have been sharing. It's not my business so I seldom say anything but I hate the screen names that are some version of piggy, fatty,fatso etc. I notice those names never stay around though....is it because people change their screen name or is it because they leave? I don't know. I ride horses and one of the things I have learned is to think and look where you want to be, your goal.Do NOT think or focus on what you are trying to avoid. Horses are not smart like dogs but intuitive...and they seem to know your mind so if you think about the negative they are much more likely to share that fear or whatever and the bad thing is more likely. If you consistently visualize success they seem to"read" that too. I have learned from it so I do things like have passwords that I type frequently be positive. I would never have a user name that reminds me of a negative. Words matter.

144this morning...woo hop...now if I can just make this a trend! My tummy feels bloated weird. Maybe I need to take those probiotics.

Happy Monday! My scale continues to point out the errors of my ways this summer - too many parties, wine walks and other excuses to consume carbs! I am at 146; want to get back to 140. I know how to do it and I think fall is a great time to do it. The weather will soon really change to miserable and I will hit the exercise bike and 5:2 plan. It is interesting, last summer I also gained 5 pounds and I used 5:2 to get back on track and decided to lose even more! I was dating last summer - I was "seeing" steven casually but dating to try to find a real boyfriend. Dating is fattening. I have been going out once a week with Theo for the last almost 2 months and I reckon that is probably enough to start to see my weight inch upward. I am setting 140 as my return to goal, but I would really like that to be my upper end of the bounce, so landing in the upper 130s would be fantastic. It may not be realistic given that I have a pretty good appetitie these days. Even if I stay right where I am, it's good. I do notice dismorphia like sometimes I feel "fat" at this weight. Fatter than I felt when I weighed 10-15# heavier... interesting.... How is everyone doing?

Well, I am single first off. I do understand your point. There are alot of reasons that people lose interest in intimacy and I completely understand your feeling of wanting more out of life! I am not sure if you are asking for advice, but if this is really the central issue in your marriage, I strongly suggest counseling, or whatever it takes to fix it. The grass is not greener. Being single has many advantages, but does not guarantee by any stretch that you will connect with a cool person that you enjoy. In fact, it is work, people our age have alot of baggage etc. In truth, people are so afraid of being hurt/.disappointed or whatever - it is often difficult. It is like so many have lost that optimism and willingness to risk hurt... again. I speak to my own experiences, but I also know a couple of other singles in my age range and the issue is universal - finding someone you WANT to be with that is actually open to a meaningful relationship without freaking out on you. I am not putting that just on the guys - the women are the same way - everyone is so afraid of "being wrong again" Anyway, stay married if you can, that is my advice!