dawnr

thank for the kind words. This has been a great ride and I know it is not easy but everyone who really wants this will find it just as worth while and successful as I have. Keep working at it and remember it is worth so much more than just seeing the numbers on the scale go down.

I agree if everyone is concentrating on when they can eat all the ice cream cake etc it isnt very helpful...There are some things we all need to try to eleminate from our diets. It doesn't mean we can never have them but they should not be a focus for us any longer. We need help with eating thw right things and being supportive with motivation etc. Keep in touch if you want to work on this together. Congradulations on your progress and keep up the good work.

Count me in too I am 10 pounds from my first goal and am determined to reach that before my 1st year anniversary in August 2012. I have been on a major stall but I take the blame for it as I have not been good at recording my intake. I know when I watch my intake carefully I have success. Okay so as of right this very minute I am going back to basics and watching everything and keeping track of my progress. I am sending my best to everyone and know we can do this together.

Please Please Please do more research before you make your final decision. The things you are referring to are extremely rare and if you look at the percentages you will find that the odds are very much in your favor. Malnutrition is very rare and mostly because people do not follow the program. Losing your hair can be a side effect but it comes right back. I never lost any of mine, so it doesn't neccesarily happen to everyone. My daughter lost some of her hair but she didn't find it to be any big deal. I really think your doctor is not very well informed on the surgery and only knows minimal facts. My doctor didn't know enough about this when I first approached him and he admitted he didn't know much and told me he thought I should go talk to a doctor that knew the information so that I would be better informed. I think that is what any good doctor should tell you. I know you are scared but don't make your decision on fear, You should be more afraid of what your weight can do to you in the long run. Good luck and please let us know what you decide once you get more information.

Hi I am 4'10" and am 8 months post op. I have lost 40 lbs and have 10 more to go to get to the surgeon's goal; 20 to get to my personal goal. I agree being short means you do lose slower. My doctor said this is normal for someone my size. I am always wanting the weight to come off faster but I look at where I was 8 months ago and I know how far I've come, so I don't get upset, I am just anxious to reach my goal. I know if I hadn't had this surgery, I would most likely be even heavier than I was before, and my health could not take that. I have sleep apnea, high blood pressure, arthritis in my knees and spinal stenosis problems ( I had spinal surgery in 2008) and was heading for diabeties and various other co morbid condtions. Thank God for my sleeve it is my lifesaver. I love this site and look forward to continuing to follow everyone's progress..Keep up the great work you are all doing.

my prayers for you and your family at this difficult time. Keep working on your good food choices. It is always harder when you have emotional things going on but sounds like you are in control so a great big Congradulations to you for doing so well. I will continue to keep you all in my prayers and keep in touch with us to let us know how things are going. You are not alone we are all here for you

I haven't had much alcohol since my surgery I don't have any craving for it and I used to love a Margarita with Mexican food but since my sleeve I really don't have any desire for it. I did try to have a glass of wine and it didn't set well. I got terrible indigestion and only a few sips and I was feeling the effects of it right away. My husband says I am a cheap date now...LOL My doctor said that he advises all his patients that want to have a drink to do it the first time at home since the alcohol will affect you very quickly. He was right. I was never a big drinker and now I tend to just stick with water with lemon even when we go out. Everyone is different so try it slowly and see what you think.

Don't berate yourself This is going to work, you did the best thing you could do for yourself. This is not like the fad diets and all the up and downs that come with them. Just read all the testemonials right here on this site and you will see it works. Everyone here had their own doubts and concerns but we are all finding great success. The best thing you can do is follow your doctor's orders and have lots of self confidence. Congradulations and Keep up the good work.

congradulations. I am glad all went well and you are home and feeling good. Keep in touch. don't forget to drink all your water and take your time. Wishing yolu all the best.

I agree with what everyone has said...I will ad one thing about your doctor. He is obligated to advise you of your health and give you the information as acurately as possible. He does not have to agree with the surgury but he has an obligation to give you all the facts. IF he is threatening you will not being your doctor if you go against his advice then he is not doing you any justice. A good doctor would never put you in such a position You have a 21 year history with him but that does not make him irreplaceable. You need to concider finding a doctor who will be supportive of your best interest. Being overweight in itself is not healthy and is not in your best interest. Again I agree with the other sleevers when they tell you to get all your facts and make an informed decision, Only you can make this decision but please make the decision based on facts and not on fear. Fear is always with us in things we haven't experienced, Facing the fear is usually not so bad. Best of luck and keep us informed.

I am so sorry to hear of your situation but can tell you as everyone else has said that it will get better. I wish you didn't have to go thru this and that all would be going great right now but sometimes we have to deal with bad things to get to the good ones. I pray that you are better very soon. Keep us all informed everyone here is supporting you.

I am 4'10" and my weight was 179.5 just prior to surgery...I lost 5lbs before the surgery and since then have lost 35.9 lbs. I am working to get to my goal of 50 lbs. It is slower for me since I didn't have a huge amount of weight to lose but this has been one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I feel so much better both physicallys and emotionally. I can tell you from my experience that this is great. Let me know how you are doing. Congradulations on your upcoming journey

I have been drinking Water as my primary source of Fluid even before my surgery but now find I need a little something more flavorful. A friend gave me an idea for a pretty tasty drink and thought I would share it. mix: 32 oz. of water 4 oz of orange juice 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract (more if you like it stronger) two packets of stevia (more if you want it sweeter) mix and refrigerate or pour over ice It has a flavor like a creamsicle or orange julius. the only thing that has any calories or sugar is the orange juice and that is very minimal. Also try the Crystal Light Mojito and Margarita mix...It is tasty and no calories. I don't drink pop or juices so this is a great treat and makes getting your daily water intake more enjoyable.

I am not a soda drinker, so it wasn't a problem but drinking plain Water gets boring too I put a recipe out last night and will repeat it here. It is a drink idea a friend gave to me. The flavor of this is similar to a cream sicle or an orange julius... 32 oz water 4 oz orange juice 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or more to taste) 2 packets stevia, or whatever sweetener you like mix and refrigerate or pour over ice I would think you could use a couple spoons of regular sugar if you can't tolerate artifical sweetener. I would be such a small amount of sugar that is wouldn't be much in calories.

We are big mexican food eaters and I have been trying very hard to watch the carbs...This sounds like it will be a great way to "enjoy my cake and eat it too" Thanks for the idea.

I am from Dacono and would love to get together with other Colorado sleevers. I had my surgery in August of 2011. Still working on reaching my goal and trying to keep my positive outlook even when the scale doesn't seem to move. It would be great to share the ups and downs of this journey with someone local.

I agree with what you are saying I felt the same way as I didn't have any problems either and still aren't having any difficulty eating. I am 7 months since my surgery and feel like I am still eating like I had before surgery only in smaller portions. I do find some things don't agree with me as well and give me heartburn but that is the only effect I feel. Keep up the good work.

Hi I was sleeved August 9th and feel like I finally got my life back. I am 59 and have two grown girls and 7 grandchildren. I have a very supportive husband and a life that I love. Gaining the weight was easy..losing it is a hard job but with my sleeve I know I am able to do it. I am so glad to have this web site to turn to for support.

hang in there...I agree with everyone else's views. I have done the stall thing and the frustration on losing also and found that I was not eating enough calories and was also grazing even though I didn't think I was. I started tracking every bite I put in my mouth and realized I was indeed grazing. Even just a little bit of something between normal eating times can defeat the losing. Exercise is great and will give you a lot of benefits. Take your messurements and remember that the results are not just those on the scale. I am 7 months out and I also have to keep in mind this is a life time change of eating habits. This is a tool not a miracle cure. It takes work but it is worth every bit of it. You will do great, just keep doing your exercise and eat good things. Keep us informed and remember you have a lot of wonderful support here.

you've got my vote....Let us know how it goes. Good Luck.

my prayers are with her.

Each doctor has different ways of preparing you for your surgery..no matter what way your doctor chooses you will be just fine. Congradulations to all of you on your upcoming surgery. come back and let us know how you are doing with your journey.This is a great new life you are beginning.

congradulations I have been sleeved since 8/2011. After years of failing at every diet known to mankind this was my last choice and I am happy as can be that I did it. Sounds like you have a very smart wife...Congradulations on your blood sugar too. Keep up the great work.

I will try using my clay pot this week using one of the pot roast ideas and let you know how it turns out.

thanks for the alert I will send mine back This is the first I have heard about it so I went to the website and sure enough there was the notice.