CowgirlJane

I am so empathetic! I think everything you are feeling is normal. Here are my words of encouragement - none of that makes a difference when all your friends start calling you hottie. Also, you are focused on the near term issues ( pain which frankly isn't that bad) and risk of leaks or dying (could happen but MOST people recover just fine even if they had a complication). The real challenge of this journey is the one you are going through - the head/mental/emotional side and that part of the rollercoaster goes on for quite awhile. My advice through all of this - keep your eye on the prize. Learn what you need to learn to ensure you will make your personal goals. Be kind to yourself and realize that you won't be perfect but that doesn't mean you have to fail. You may have ups and downs, but when going through the rough Patches just remember how important this is - to get to a healthy weight where you can fully live your life.

Cold/tingling when laying down - no. Random pain anywhere - yeah. I have had that for years. I ignore it best I can. Signed, Queen of deNILE

Well, here is my perspective... obesity is a metabolic disease. It is more advanced in those of us that were/are high bmi, less advanced in low BMI people. I do think the "calculation" of risk versus benefit is different for a 30 BMI then a 50 BMI, but there is still a benefit for many of the low BMI people too. I am only 5'5" but i have a big strong frame and a good bit of muscle, so even now in the 160s, I look pretty close to normal size. I am smaller then many women my age even though i bet I outweight them. I work out hard and am getting pretty fit. There are petite built women who look quite fat weighing in the 160s and i am going to make the leap that their health is poorer too. I guess the point is that this is an individual journey. Even so, I do think that low BMI people should really think hard about the risks and make sure they really have tried everything. That way if they do have complications, they still know they made the right decision and can keep their spirits going. I luckily did not have complications, but i felt like I was DYING from obesity so I was pretty willing to risk those complications given that I had 100% certainty of early death after a trip through disability....

Low carb - eat protein first and followed by veggies... skip the juice, bread, rice etc etc. Drink plenty of water. Go back to all the sleeve basics.

Band - was not instructed to eat high Protein, no Vitamins. I lost 30 pounds the first month and then a hard fought 40 pounds over the next 11 months. No hair loss. Sleeve - high protein, followed instructions, vitamins etc. I lost 130# in a year. Massive hair loss. Even so, sleeve is sooo much better!

You are still so early out - give things a chance! I don't mean to sound negative, but I think you should consider the statement "I want to have a good time but I can't without food". I didn't get here overnight but my life is so glorious being normal sized, you damn well bet i have a GREAT time without food. Food was like the bad boyfriend who did me wrong.... I am so over it. I eat to live - that's it. It isn't easy, those first few months are tough, but reflect on WHY you did this in the first place. There is no going back, so may as well make it work for you!!!

You are not eating according to the instructions I was given. Protein first, followed by low carb/green veggies. So, I don't know if you are cleared for all foods but I think that the soup, mashed potatoes and fruit juice are all pretty high carb and don't add enough protein. When does your surgeon clear you for deli meat etc? I was able to have non stringy deli meat and cheese pretty early on - certainly by 4 weeks. I could also have ground beef pretty early.

Interesting. As a woman who has lost basically the weight of a whole woman.. I feel stronger now. I can run, I can move, I am in shape - I am woman, hear me roar....lol when I was heavy I felt vulnerable because I just didn't have enough fitness to feel self confident about anything physical. A fall meant going SPLAT etc. Even so, I can understand what you are saying, I have just experienced it almost opposite.

The key is low/moderate carb and focus on Protein and Water. This means no Protein Bars, but probably low carb Protein drinks. Use lettuce instead of bread for sandwiches. Cottage cheese and greek yogurt instead of crackers, rice and Pasta... you get the idea. Eat protien and green vegetables. Essentially, go back to basics. The good news is that eating that way for a relatively short period of time will bring your appetite back in check.

I have done different things over time. I used to do Water aerobics 2x a week plus elliptical and strength training. It was good but if you don't mix it up, you don't continue to progress so I decided to do higher intensity workouts. Lately I have been doing spinning, pilates/yoga and boot camp type classes. Wow - that increase in intensity resulted in fast results but i couldn't have done it without the many months of doing other things getting stronger. The boot camp class is really hard for me - i am clearly at the bottom 20% of the class in terms of ability, but heck, pushups, sprints, circuit training all sorts of stuff really pushes me.

Ladies, I know I know I know how hard this is. I just want to remind you that after losing nearly 140 pounds I have people telling me I look "great" "hot" "skinny" "sexy" and not a one of them has wondered what the hell happened to a good portion of my hair. I get MORE compliments on my hair and I think that is just because i look better overall. Just keep your eye on the prize. There are alot of things to be sad about during this journey, but I think the payoff is oh so worth it.

Emotional time so i realize this is a vent.... But sorry, him eating food does not make him an ass. You have a long road ahead of people eating around you... My surgeon warned me that I can NEVER eat like a normal person or I will regain. Sucks but the sleeve makes it bearable....

Wait till you get closer to goal... normal sized people are very supportive. heavier people keep saying things like "if you lose anymore you will disappear." Seriously? I am 5'5" and weigh int he upper 160s... quite aways from disappearing...

Considering a nationwide tour? Sleevers are everywhere...lol

If I was young and not very overweight I would try everything before any surgery. I don't mean commercial programs, I mean finding serious treatment for obesity. By the time I figured out what that even meant, I was just too far advanced in my obesity disease for it to work. I was 47, weighed over 300# and while yes I was FREAKED out.... I came to see it that I had too big of a stomach, it didn't work right and I needed something drastic to save my life. I got over the freak out factor by acknowledging that I did NOT have a "perfectly fine" stomach. Mine was always hungry and drove me to eat more then I needed or even wanted. The sleeve, for me - Best.decision.ever!!!! Formerly obese, now a having fun as a "normal" woman!

I am not a doctor so can't really make a good guess at what is going on, but i do want to offer you encouragement. None of us got to being over 300# without physical and emotional "issues" with food. You are not a bad person, you are just not on the right path. You are doing the absolute right thing reaching out for help. One comment I would make is that your program seems very rigid. I currently eat low carb because i want to get to goal, but it was not required by my program and my program actually was about teaching us to eat small portions, but eat normal food. Your programs sounds an awful lot like a diet to me..which might be part of the problem? So, how can some of us help you? The sleeve is a tool and there are things we do that influence how well it works. I am doing low carb right now, so even a year out I am having to remind myself to eat and often undereat. Not intentionally, that is just a consequence. This summer I got a little lax with my eating, my losses slowed down and my hunger increased. My body gets simple carbs and it wants more!!!!

I am in my late 40s, lost 130+ pounds over the last year and a really nice looking man hit on me yesterday. He was probably a couple of years younger then me, but in my age range for sure. I had to restrain myself from thanking him and giving him a kiss before sending him on his way... I did restrain myself but it made my day and then some! I was dressed conservatively, but smartly (nice black jeans, a calvin klein fitted jacket (thank you ross for less) and nice boots. It is not that I am dying to be hit on, it is more like I spent the rest of that day feeling really confident - like the way i looked, my demeanor attracted a person I considered desirable - like maybe for the first time in a very long time I am projecting the image of myself I want to project.

He might have misinterpeted the gesture...lol

Okay, can you explain it in someone who is post menapausal?

AS someone near goal, who fears regain more then any "side effect" this is very inspiring! Hoping we all have such great long term success! I have lost almost 140# and I just never ever ever wanna go back!!!!

My hair is my pride and joy so I too was horrified to watch it come out by the fistful. A year post op and I get more complimwnts then ever so remember it is temporary. I feel your sadness though, I really do.

Since when is losing 10# a month slow? Men and very young women lose faster, but for most of us that is a good rate.

ARe you unhappy with your overall weight loss or the fact that you weigh 4 pounds more then you did some other time - on every scale on your house? I don't mean to sound unkind, but maybe taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture would make you feel better. I started with so much to lose - can you imagine I had lost something like 35-40# before ANYBODY noticed that i might have lost a little something? If I had let that get me down, I probably wouldn't be near goal now and wearing cute clothes and all that. Keep your eye on the prize and don't let the little stuff get you down! Don't be a slave to your scale, it is just a tool. I need to weigh daily and accept variation as "normal" but for some people that drives them bonkers. Don't go bonkers, do what works for you!

I got horrible results with the band and alot of pain and suffering. I spent alot of time talking to revisionistas, I met with a doctor who has a lapband herself and cares for many band and sleeve patients. I love my sleeve and hated the band so I guess I can't give alot of personal negatives. Let me tell you what the dirt I hear is though.... My bariatric, non surgeon doc said that the first year, her revision patients did AWESOME. Losing as well as virgin sleevers. Year 2/3 and she is seeing weight regain so she herself is holding back before revising. She is still overweight, I am going to guess she is 30-50 over her ideal and she is accepting that versus the risk of a revision. I was 150# overweight... so a little different situation and she totally agrees that i needed that revision. I am working with her now that I am entering my second year. My surgeon also warned me that the hard part will now begin - more because I was SO overweight, my BMI was over 50. People with my profile have very advanced metabolic issues and I will always be prone to regain. He told me that I can NEVER eat or sit around like a normal person. I am not a normal person - I have the disease of obesity and must remain vigilent. sort of like a type II diabetic who puts it in remission via diet - it will come back the moment you lose your focus. The other long term worry about the sleeve (again this isn't about revisions specifically) is that there is some evidence that reflux increases after year 3. I have had complete relief from the band induced reflux, but am worried about it showing up again later. I drink coffee and eat normally - so currently my tummy is holding up well! So, you dont mention how heavy you are or how motivated you are. I am a whole different level of "git er done" then I was at the time I was banded in 2001. Yes, I had that wretched thing for 10 years.