CowgirlJane

I saw a woman eock climber the otherday (indoor fitness climbing). I thought, wow, I want ti be THAT fit. Hasnt become a goal yet... But an idea.

It wasn't until last week that I caught myself in the mirror at the mall and thought it was someone else that I REALLY felt like I am pretty normal looking now. I still see fat when I look at a photo or myself. A friend told me to throw those shoulders back and smile, I still try to hide my bulk and it is not flattering! When I was 300# I knew I was huge, but looking back at photos SHOCKS me. It also shocks others in my family, they have a hard time remembering me so huge either.

I think MOST people have relatively normal recoveries but at the time they are going through it, it feels horrible especially if they were not really prepared for it. I was prepared. i had been banded and had been informed of how the sleeve recovery differed from that so I had no suprises. I woke up naseaus, they gave me even MORE drugs and I was fine. They made me walk, I didn't like it at first, but I was fine I stayed one night and was discharged early the next morning pumped full of fluids, I was fine I was taught how easy it is to get dehydrated so I WORKED at preventing that - I was fine. If I had gotten dehydrated, I would have gone for more IV fluids. When I got home, I discoved that laying on the bed was horrible - my only moment of true pain was engaging ab muscles that were NOT ready. I slept on my big recliner for a week and I was fine. My energy level was LOW. I suspect this is because as hard as I tried to stay hydrated, it really isn't enough, but the best I could do. I just reminded myself it was temporary and got through it just fine. My energy got better daily, but i would say I was 6 weeks out before I felt I was returning to the human race. It was probably 12 weeks out before I started to feel "comfortable" with the whole deal - eating less, complying properly etc. I was pretty much "over" using food as comfort etc so I didn't have the severe emotional struggles that some do... even so, it is a BIG change that can be stressful. (One person I know had some issues and called 911 on herself because she got so out of control emotionally - hard to relate to but a true story). So, because I was prepared for these possibilities, none of it shocked me and none of it made me feel like I might die. I think that although people won't SAY IT the hardest part is actually adjusting to the lack of food and the discomfort with ingesting fluids quickly etc in those early weeks. When you have lost your BFF (food) every little discomfort might feel alot worse then it is. My opinion...

My hubby never tried to undermine, but he was passive/silent on the whole deal. That silence was and IS incredibly hurtful - to lose basically the equivalent of a normal sized woman and never be told "good job" or "you look great" or any of that. I get alot of that positive feedback on my looks and fitness from friends, aquaintances, work colleagues and to be honest complete strangers but it kinda plays with my brain that the man I love the most acts indifferent to it. I got my very first sorta compliment the other day. I mentioned that deep down I never really believed i would get to where i have gotten (and i am not done yet!) and he said "I never doubted it". That my friends is the extent of the moral support i have gotten at home. He only sometimes complains that i am basically not a very good dinner date anymore. Well, if you look at my ticker you can see I am closing in on my goal to lose 150#. You don't need your family and hubby's support... it would be really really nice, but in the end, it is up to each of us as individuals to take full advantage of this tool and make it a success. I am sharing my painful details because i feel I have been very successful at weight loss and have made alot of lifestyle changes. My life is far from perfect and I don't have the loving supportive husband I want. If I can do it, so can others. Hang in there, it can be a rough road but when you are shopping in the "medium" section instead of the plus sizes.... it will be worth it.

You have the entirely wrong impression. Meet some real life people who have had this surgery (I did before going under the knife). Seeing all these hot women who used to be obese - well - they weren't complaining! The vast majority of people have some struggles, but are overall very very very happy with the surgery and results! Honestly, the hardest part is the long term lifestyle changes to ensure that you make your goals and keep the weight off.... the rest is just short term issues. Now, I do think people need to realize that there are REAL risks, bad things do happen.... BUT in my case had I stayed over 50 BMI I was quite certain to become disabled and die to young from obesity. I decided to throw my lot in with the hotties. This fall, my sister in law died in her early 60s - heart failure caused by being 200# overweight. THAT was my future and it makes me sad she didn't find this solution in time.

Okay, I will throw my 2 cents in - first I am glad you finally posted! Wonderful story!!! Way back ... say 18 months ago, I seldom posted to this site and when I did it was the band to sleeve revision one. The reason is that this particular board has a "harsh" tone at times. In the early days, I was more fragile and i just couldn't be the target of some of the "helpful tough love" that floats freely here. There is another online forum that has an entirely gentler social norm and in early days i found alot of support there. I come back to this forum though because it is big and busy, and because I am at the stage where I still get support but hopefully I am also in a position to offer it. I am no longer fragile, I am strong and (mostly) very self confident. People can say whatever and I don't care because nobody REALLY knows me anyway. Mostly, I want to give hope to people who were out of hope. Especially those that failed at the lapband like I did. So, iggy shares her story in a way that is very forceful. Please be aware that there have been horror stories on this forum since forever but but not all are such compelling writers or so strong opinions. The service that sharing these stories is that apparently some people don't realize that removing 85% of their stomachs is potentially dangerous. I don't mean to sound "harsh" myself, but the truth of it appears that some people need it in their face, repeatedly, to believe it. I was not one of those people and my doc gave me a serious dose of reality to consider before surgery (revisions have a much higher risk and excess bleeding risk). I am sensitive and the constant barrage would have put me off and maybe discouraged me from the surgery. I had already talked myself out of the rny for similiar reasons and the sleeve was indeed my last ditch hope. (To be clear my surgery was before Iggys and so of course in no way influenced me - I am talking about all the other people who were sharing at the time) I am glad it didn't get scared off though because I have had a tremendously wonderful awesome amazing out of this world happy first year with the sleeve!!!! I thank God everyday for this, and I am also very thankful for no problems and the tremendous support and encouragement from my doc, my NUT and others too. AFter my nightmare with the band, I know good followup when I see it and that is exactly what I have gotten.

I think it depends alot on how you carry your weight. My inner thighs are the horror zone...lol. I am very close to goal and yet they touch still. I look good in jeans, but nekkid - icky. I have a plastic surgeon consult and intend to ask some very specific questions - like what will take for me to not have my thighs touch!

I have been really enjoying this thread. As someone very close to goal I want to add that there are so many things that seem impossible, that suddenly are just not a big deal when you are thinner. My personal "dream" was to join an equestrian drill team. I love horses and riding but drill is fast and involves wearing spandex..lol. Anyway, now that I am doing it, I am not the fattest woman on the team and while it is fun it is no longer that "impossible" dream. It is just a thing that a normal, reasonably fit woman can do. I am a beginner at this particulat event, but I am pretty good at it. Wow, it makes you feel great. Pole dancing is quite the theme here...lol... I think it is funny in a very great kind of way. I wish all of us the very best at achieving these dreams. It is amazing what is possible once the body is fitter AND the mind recognizes that you don't need to be perfect to be sexy and fun. Trust me, as you get to goal you will start to go through all the typical "insecurities" that we have about our bodies only it will be worse because of loose skin and our history of obesity. There were times when I weighed say 190 that I felt fatter then I did at 290.... crazy, but true. Be prepared for that critical part of the journey, how to love yourself just as you are. Well, if you feel it, feel that confidence, people around you will too! Perfection is not necessary - but a basic level of confidence, fitness (working out DOES pay off sisters!) and self love - well those things will take you a very long ways! Happy New Years and a happy new and better life to all!!

So, I think this takes an entire overhaul of your lifestyle. That doesn't happen overnight and there is always some backsliding, tripping up and do overs. Even so, it is the keeping trying, keeping asking for help and support and being self reflective enough to recognize when you are drifting back to old, bad patterns.... seems to me you are doing that. I have lost weight great with the sleeve, but there were a couple of months where my weight loss was only like 5-6 pounds. I realized I was heading for being one of those people who did "pretty good" but didn't really change. I picked myself up and have been kicking butt since about the Oct timeframe. I now truly believe I will make goal and I think anybody can do the same thing. The thing that i keep reminding myself is that even when I weighed 300# I never gave up - I am bringing that same tenacity for keeping and improving my new fit body!

For me, going back to high Protein and low/moderate carb combined with high intensity exercise energized my losses but more importantly killed my appetite. Unstead of just losing alot i am set to reach goal soon now!

Now, I am near goal and not sure this would have worked before but i believe I found a miracle "cure" - well, it is not a cure but certainly a containment. I bought a pair of those stay up thigh high stockings. I stuffed my inner thigh skin into a nice pair of black ones, and my legs look and feel so nice. The rest of my legs ARE nice, but those inner thighs just ruin it for me. Now, I can imagine now what normal thighs would be like. I bought them for wearing with a dress, but right now I am wearing them under my skinny jeans and love the feel. Just a thought for those of you that really don't like the look of those saggy inner thighs... I got the idea from the lady who works at the Lovers store where I went to procure fun things for a lady to go wild with, but those stockings are the best of the purchases - what a boost! She gave me tips on how to put them on, those lades are EXPERTS! Pantyhose, shapewear or tights do basically the same thing, but don't make me feel sexy the way these do!

I am 48 and I have never been waxed down there either. I don't think that is as much weight as fear related...lol

I agree and understand - I have been obese since childhood and have failed more diets then most people have even heard of! I am very emphatetic about how hard it is . I think it is great that people come on here and have tantrums and jump up and down over their frustrations. WE understand what maybe others don't.... What i DON'T understand is how people can go into this surgery knowing so little and always looking to game it. In my mind, that is different then someone who slips up because it really is hard. I am not judging people, we do all have our own road to travel, but I failed once at weight losss surgery (lapband) and I DON'T intend to fail again. I try to share my experiences so hopefully others can learn from my mistakes. Maybe they need to make their own mistakes... but I am quite familiar with the road to failure and for those that care to pay attention might benefit from that. I am not the only one, there are tons of people on this site who know what it takes to make it work. Always looking for ways to just do what you want to anyway isn't one of them.... and I am not interested in being an enabler to those that hope they can avoid changing their habits and lifestyle while becoming a swimsuit model...lol I try to be positive and supportive but i dont feel the need to lie.

I think that some docs have ridiculously long and strict pre-op liquid diets that are unnecessarily hard and tough to stick to for so long. Post op, I tend to agree with Iggy - this is serious business I am often shocked that some people don't take it a bit more seriously.

This is a short term situation - it gets alot easier. But, this is also the time to really get the weight off. Honestly, does sound like head hunger to me.... At a year out and I just LOVE that I dont' really care about food anymore. It is like the monkey off my back, the dragon is slayed... all that!

If 10 is the worst you can inagine, I would rate natural childbirth an 11 and post sleeve 2, maybe 3. My abs were SORE, so I slept in a recliner. As long as I didn't use ab muscles I had only minor discomfort.

I revised a year ago and LOVE my sleeve! Look for the forum here specifically for band to sleeve revisions - lots of good info and sharing of experiences. Welcome!

I feel a little confused. You are two weeks out - most of us were told to make hydration and recovery a priority the first month. I think setting an expectation that you will lose 30-40# in a month is a formula for disappointment. I lost I think 28# the first month and I feel I have been wildly successful. My BMI also exceeded 50.... if you are smaller, older or just different, you may not lose 28# either. I know there are some men who have posted HUGE losses the first few months, but for women, 40# in a month would be too good to be true. I was still sipping trying to get my Protein down two weeks out. I wasn't counting calories and i sure wasn't expecting those kind of losses. All this starvation talk - while that may be true over the long run; well again, those early weeks are about getting adequate Fluid and protein for healing and not too worried about starvation mode yet.

Okay, you just knew the title of this one was going to bring some specatators. hahaha

I might add that a special person who might see you naked will most likely prefer a little loose skin to the extra weight too. I have been informed that my time at the gym has paid off.

Hey, but my calves ROCK...lol... hard, toned and unblemished. My forearms are pretty good... every where else I can find some weird little loose skin etc. Even my elbows...lol I am paranoid about it and do want to have a TT and perhaps my inner thighs (my horror zone) fixed - but the people around me really tell me that the other isn't that bad I am just hyper sensitive. So, at 48 I have no business in miniskirts or short shorts either so in clothing, I look pretty okay.

Okay, just to be clear - he initiated conversation and gently touched my hair - I wasn't the dirty old woman here...lol. My point really was that when you are noticed by someone that you find interesting, it feels like a compliment. As opposed to recently my friend and i walking down the street being followed by a man who bore a remarkable resemblance to Santa Clause - he was barking at us... who we soon noticed was missing pants (those were boxer shorts, not really shorts!) and was staggering drunk. THAT was NOT a compliment. See the difference? LOL