CowgirlJane

My blood work was last checked just a few months ago and my vit D is good. I also spend quite a bit of time outdoors - horses and farm work! I get your point though, there are alot of factors that "might" contribute to this. right now sleep, dealing with a person in my private life who gives me stress and exercise are my top theories so i continue to work those aggressively. I also had very sad news from a couple of friends the last week, and while i am trying to not feel the "weight" I kinda do.

Here is what the NUT told me... for a high BMI person who "Failed" with the lapband... they don't want us to lose 100# and still feel like a failure because we didn't get to a set weight. Truth of the matter is - I started at 308, got down to about 190... and screeched to a halt. It took some concentrated effort to get down to the 146-150 range where i currently live. I would have been pretty good maintaining at 190 (compared to 300+!!!) even though I was still quite overweight at 5'5" so, my advice is to be realistic in knowing that you will have to keep working that sleeve to get to your personal goal. You may decide to stop short, but don't consider that a failure, consider a huge improvement over where you started... everything else is icing on the cake. My practice tried to tell me I was good enough at 170 too.... for same reason. They were right, I was pretty good at 170 but i like 150 a lot better and i intend to fight like hell to maintain it. If I bounce back up to 170 at some point, I'll be okay though. So, when the asked me my goal I told them that while I dreamed of getting to a normal BMI, I would consider myself a success if i got under 200# - everyone was satisfied with that answer and were wowed when I got to a normal BMI and have been maintaining it.

Yellowstone was amazing!

Fiddle, I find it interesting that you suffered from a fairly similiar situation as me - the sleep deprivation leading to not feeling 100% the next day. As a woman, it is always said to be my hormones acting up. I assume they didn't try to tell you that it was due to too little estrogen...haha. Anyway, I do wonder if there is a correlation to the massive weight loss? My other theory is that I used to feel miserable but since I felt so physically miserable all the time when i was obese I didn't notice. My standards are much higher now!

Okay, on plastics.... I really think you should have multiple consults. For me the first one was like M2G experience - emotionally devastating. Apparently I was worse off than any of you because I my entry ticket was about 20-25K for doing the first of 3 surgeries! I never found out the total cost but I guessed it to be in the 40-50K ballpark. That was until I found Dr Sauceda where I paid 16K for the works, including actually getting after care by the Doc and real nurses for those first 11 days. So, my point is to get different consults and opinions. I was astounded at how adament each was about which procedures should be done together (or not) - every consult essentially recommended a different combo!!! Local surgeons recommended the long thigh lift and Dr S did a small one on me. That was a tough trade off because my inner thighs still touch, but when I look at photos - I have remarkable improvement without the difficult healing and long scar. I can still revise later to the long lift but for now I am pretty content. They all (including Dr S) gave me somewhat dire predictions - you won't be perfect, but good improvement. That is expectation setting - as a formerly obese person I am not going to have a super model body no matter what. However, I have been to the gym ladies and they have mirrors. My body looks good compared to other women in my age range - and plastics is what helped me get to that. Just for a little shock factor I am including some graphic pix. The befores were taken by Dr S the night before my surgery. The afters were all taken either immediately post op or within the first 2 months. I need someone to shoot more pix of me for my 6 month mark coming up mid april. In spite of the dire predictions, my body truly transformed. Afters, these were mostly taken to reveal status of scars over time.. but you can see the massive improvement. and my breasts look great now, they are a little weird looking immediately post op in the full body picture due to uneven swelling and riding a bit high:

Florinda you aren't the only one with outrageous weight bounces.... and they often take multiple days to come off and I still think it is water I just woke up and can't recall the right word but essentially when your body stores carbs (glycerin?) it picks up a bunch of water too. That is why most of us lost a crazy amount of weight the first month - a good portion of that was water as we radically reduced overall intake we were reducing carbs. I think it is a mistake to get so upset by it as it is part of the process and if you stay eating clean it will come back off in a few days.

I had multiple procedures at once and am so glad I did. It was NOT super painful but recovery was long.

My OPINION you should completely avoid booze during the weight loss phase. Empty calories and not gentle on your baby sleeve. I had a tiny glass of wine at my sis' 40th anniversary party about 4 months post op and it burned...not good. There are more reasons I feel so strongly about this point.... I so strongly advocate making the most of that first year but I had so much to lose (150 plus) maybe I am more radical about it. I am over 2 years out and maintaining since Feb 2013 and I do drink cocktails. I have a vodka with soda.water and muddled limes once a week - a happy hour treat with my dear friend. Usually with food (i know I am breaking all my own rules here). That gives me no problem but be careful... I had a couple of incidents of having multiple drinks and getting really unexpectedly intoxicated withOUT any of the "sick" - I see why sleevers might get addicted to booze. I admit this with some disappointment in myself. On a recent vacation I had 3 (apparently strong) drinks and actually blacked out part of that day. Luckily I was in good hands with dear friends and a designated driver but it scared me. Booze and no food...very very very bad combination for sleevers. Trust me it is a shocker..as a woman who spent much of my life in the 240-300 range I could handle a few drinks no problem..different now. Be careful.

This is a good thread. There is a lot of variation on what program or protocol a particular surgeon uses. I like evidence based medicine ... meaning, they may not KNOW everything (and they surely don't!) but they have a particular reason for each of the things they ask us to do and not do. I decided to sign up for a program and then actually follow it even if it differs from what others on this forum were asked to do by their program. In the couple of years since my VSG, even my practice has changed a few things... they continually refine and improve. I love getting PMs from newbies and I want to support everyone the same way that others support me. I struggle with ones that basically read "what is the secret to your success?" I am tempted to write down the 101 things that worked for ME, but the truth of the matter is it boils down to something much simpler. I picked a surgeon with a very good track record and a very good comprehensive follow up program - and I complied the very best I could and sought out support when I struggled. The details under that almost don't matter... So, back to the original point... ask the WHYs and clarify the WHATs from your program/surgeon/NUT/coordinator or whatever. If you picked a practice that has an outstanding track record of success - that is your best ticket to your own success, not what some invisible online cowgirl or PDxdude told you.

my NUT told me that probiotic would help with weight loss but I never seriously tried it. Wonder if it makes sense to try during maintenance?

All those saltines would make me gain water weight. I have an appointment with a sports medicine doctor next week. I have been waiting forever for my thigh to heal but massage therapist thinks hip flexor might actually be torn. Must be spring...rode again today. This time all by myself and had a great time. I rode my old horse and led the pony along. I had 3 guys that were out walking or running stop to talk to me. I think when I decide to "date" again this might work better than POF etc...haha I haven't done much with pony since before plastics but he was really good.

I did the 3 day breast cancer walk in 2007. I weighed about 250 at the time. A running shoe store had a podiatrist come in once a week for free consultation. I learned that a soft squishy bottom felt good but I needed a much firmer support shoe. I have a very high arch and my foot pronates or rolls out. It made all the difference to get a shoe to address my unique foot made all the difference. .. I walked those 60 miles in 2 two different pair of the shoes i bought there. By the way, being comfy in more fashionable shoes is a huge NSV!

That list covers key things I did to lose the last 40-50....The first 110- 120 or so pounds came off pretty steadily.

Some of you have probably heard about the big landslide in the next county north of Seattle. This is a great photo illustration: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/03/26/us/houses-in-the-path-of-the-washington-mudslide.html?_r=2

The only time it is "nothing" with me is when I am under medical orders to not do anything. I was even like that as on obese person! haha. I need chill pills if anything. Riding all day long 2-3 days in a row is no big deal for me, I think I made a mistake in how I jumped down on Sunday - probably combined with the after effect of skiing is what is causing my knee pain. The thigh thing - that is due to the trainer at the gym and I am having a hard time forgiving. And yes Dorrie, I wonder why I can't be just happy to be alive and have a job and a good family and friends. I AM happy, I think I just keep expecting it to turn into stars and fireworks or something. My own theory is that I don't have the food to "calm me down" anymore and I just haven't found a new balance. Oh well - I really am doing fine, I just want EXCELLENT and I am tired of settling. I think finding the right balance - I "settled" too much in the past and probably not enough in my present. I'll get there.

I have bits of a family tree too. My great grandmother was named pearl and she was full blooded Chickasaw Indian. That is all I really know on my dad's side although they are speculated to be German/Irish/English blend on top of that. My mother's lineage is fairly well known back a few centuries.... they haven't been in America that long... migrated from England in the late 1800s down one branch and from Ireland down another branch. My mom had the fairest skin, the bluest eyes and nearly black hair - a look I associate as being "celtic" looking. I have had a series of bad news shared by friends over the last few days. M's mother has advanced stage 4 cancer T's mother died on Wed after a long illness (alzehiemers) J's mothers cancer is back - now stage 4 My friend K has decided to leave her husband of 30 years. They are raising a granddaughter who is 5 which i think has triggered alot of old hurts at what a selfish guy he is who expects K to do everything while he reclines on the chair every evening. At least he is employed, although she has a more lucrative career. Another couple of friends are my age and very unhappily married, though no kids. If their husbands turn up dead I will be suspicious, if you know what i mean. You know what is sort of depressing to me? I have a really good life and i keep thinking that as I sort of recover from it all - the new body, the separting from my ex etc that I will really FEEL it. Really feel how wonderful it is. As best I can tell, most people (at least women near my age) have some sort of angst / major unhappiness / unsatisfactory element of their lives. I am coming to the conclusion that maybe "this is as good as it gets" which is sorta a bummer. I have always been a grateful person, meaning low expectations and happy when things at least don't suck. I need to "refind" that mindset. I think it is good that my standards are higher now.... but maybe too high. I had a super busy weekend and my knees and leg injury (from trainer at gym) are freaking killing me. I may have overdone it starting with the skiing all day thursday and then riding horses all day sat and sunday. The pain didn't start until Sunday night so I think I jumped off my horse wrong on Sunday and then it cascaded... grrr. HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Further experience has shown me that a poor night's sleep is the number one predictor of mood swings the next day.

Syntrax has tons of flavors and is low carb, but yes, use a whole scoop. Premier Protein are premade, sold at costco. chocolate & strawberry are delicious!

Some ladies get a lift and reduction or just a lift. My boobs nearly disappeared with weight loss but they were still in the right place..Haha..just no breast tissue...all skin. Much better now that Dr Sauceda fixed em!

I have lost about 160 since my revision. I took a ppi to prevent excessive acid the first few months as per surgeon recommendation but have had no problems since. My surgery was Dec 2011 I feel that you do need to be sure not to bring bad habits from the band into your sleeve life. Example there is no reason to vomit with the sleeve. Don't eat to a full sensation. Just absence of hunger. I strongly suggest you research the pros and cons by looking at pub med etc for actual studies.

Ok..He isn't you..This is your choice. I was told I was at my goal at around 175 due to my history at a BMI over 50. Glad I kept going...very happy at 150... 5'5" with large frame

LOVE IT

I believe you and I appreciate you sharing so people can make informed decisions.

I am so sorry this happened to you - you placed your trust in people and they let you down. It does sound very shady or at least very misunderstood... very scary. I am glad you were finally taken care of by a good doctor and had good outcomes. I did plastics in Mexico and I guess the moral of all these stories is that we need to very carefully research including talking to other patients. Many many Mexican surgeons are excellent but the opportunity for misunderstandings and apparently out and out fraud exist. BTW, I had a USA doctor try to defraud me several decades ago. I never did the procedures he said I needed because I was suspicious and got a second opinion who was astounded it had ever been recommended to me. He was eventually arrested and I saw him in the paper over it! scary scary stuff realy.

I really question this... I thought that it was long well known that being skinny helped with longevity. I suspect it depends on the REASONS for being underweight. Being a junkie that never eats versus someone who is naturally thin, stays active etc.