Newfoundlove

Congrats! I was stuck on 166 pounds for almost two months! Finally broke my stall last week with a 4 pound loss! This was a super long stall and I was starting to get a little bit discouraged. Back on track now though!

No drain, no catheter. Out patient surgery. No issues whatsoever. Every surgeon is different.

SW 253

CW 164

Surgery 5/3/12

Before

After

Started at 240 and now currently 156 only 6-10lbs til I reach goal. I was sleeved August 24' date=' 2012

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I want those shoes! You look great!

This pic taken today - 8 months post-op, 89 pounds down.

I am in love with chantelle bras right now. The prettiest and most supportive I've owned (Nordstroms). I think they were about 88 or so but worth every penny. I had purchased them when I was at my heaviest and loved them so when I lost a chunk and finally had to buy some new ones recently I went ahead and got two of those' date=' one dark, one light, to wear until I need to change again...I'm not sure I'll get much smaller but I think I could go down a bit more. They're great support without being "bullet" shaped. They are underwire, which I prefer, but not uncomfortable. My only complaint about them is that they have a cute label in the back made of metal with their name on it. It's not large...but large enough to set off airport security LOL I forgot about that recently when I had to fly commercial and ended up in the bathroom with a nail clipper to remove the silly things prior to going through security. I'm tired of the full body search LOL[/quote']

The Wacoal brand at Nordstroms are also great. They have the padded shoulder straps, which for me is a must. Sadly, my boobies look like deflated tube socks so a lift for sure is in my future.

Try costco or Sam's Club. At Costco they have slacks that are just $15.99 and jeans (Gloria Vanderbuilt) that are just $19.99.

Hello everyone! Just found this thread so I thought I'd add a positive story.

I was sleeved on May 3. I started the process at 253 and at eight months out today I am at 164.

My surgery was practically effortless. My surgeon is one that does out-patient surgery. I know out-patient is not for everyone, but it was for me. My surgeon is also one of those that doesn't require a liquid pre-op diet (uses low carb instead), and moves you to real food within a month after surgery. I followed all of their guidelines to a T and had absolutely no issues. My recovery was excellent, but I did take two weeks out of the office. The first week, I slept a lot, second week, I worked from home answering emails, etc. on my computer. By week three, I was good to go but would be pretty tired at the end of the day. I remember trying to do some weeding outside after the third week or so -- just bending over to pick up a few weeds made me tired! But I would feel better day after day.

I was pretty sore on my right side where the pouch was removed, and it was slightly painful getting up from a sitting or laying down position. Nothing too terrible and I just powered through it.

I have had no nausea, no acid reflux, no vomiting since day one. On day two, I was already able to drink 24 ounces of water/broth. By the end of the first week, I was able to drink 64 ounces of Fluid. I tolerate all foods (except for Peanut Butter for some reason). I can now get in all my Protein without drinking Protein shakes. I eat fruits and vegetables, but tend to still stay away from bread, rice, Pasta, and potatoes (although I can eat them without a problem).

I exercise two or three times a week - with spinning classes and resistance training. I don't beat myself up if I don't get into the gym as I am so much more active generally now than I was before the surgery. I take the stairs at work. I take my dogs for walks every day. I kayak or go hiking with my family. I MOVE more and it feels great!

I can tell that with the changes that I've made, my metabolism has really sped up, so I am using the food I do eat for fuel - exactly what we are supposed to do!

Over the holidays I went clothes shopping with my mother. She is a small woman, although she used to be large. She developed stomach cancer five years ago and had her entire stomach removed. She has had to learn to eat differently and she lost a ton of weight as well. We had a ball shopping for 'normal' sized clothing. I still have 24 pounds I want to lose as the goal I've set for myself is 140. I'm 5'3" so that feels about right for me and my age. So, I bought mostly tops and dresses as I know I'll lose at least another size or two in my pants. By the way, for gal who is 5'3" or shorter, you may want to check out the Gloria Vanderbilt jeans (Amanda brand) at costco. They are less than $20 and fit really well. They also have some dress slacks for $15.99 that fit us shorties pretty well too.

If anyone were to ask me if I would do this all over again if I had to, and the answer is a definite yes!

Yesterday at my appt with my NUT, we were talking about my experience. She said that she sees more patients who have my experience, than those who have bad experiences. Sticking to the plan, using the sleeve as a tool, has really worked for me and she feels that's pretty much the same with most patients that she has seen. Of course, there are always exceptions, but she said they are few and far between.

So I agree with the OP, that we need to share more positive experiences on here. I hope my post helps someone stay positive!

I got cold for months after the surgery. Sometimes I am still cold but it has pretty much regulated itself out. My doctor told me, however, that many people get cold because the Grelin that was stored in the pouch part of your stomach also regulates your temperature. I believe I've seen posts about that here on the forum before. You might want to do a search and see what others have written about this.

I am seven months out and losing much slower now. I had read on the forum about the honeymoon phase and they aren't kidding. I'm now down to losing a pound every couple of weeks or so, but I'm not exercising right now as I hurt my back in a fall a month ago and am still nursing it back to health. Once your sleeve heals, many don't feel the same restriction that they had in the beginning. That is definitely happening to me. Like you, I plan my meals during the day at work and eat very healthy. One week, I had lots of business meetings later in the day so I didn't do so well in planning my evening meal and snack and didn't eat as well as I should. I actually gained two pounds that week, so I now make sure I have no bad Snacks in the house, and I make sure I know exactly what I am going to eat for dinner and that it is healthy. A previous poster said, the sleeve is just a tool. If you were prone to unhealthy snacking before the surgery, you will be prone to unhealthy snacking after the surgery too. You have to change your mindset and focus on healthy eating all the time and use the sleeve to help with restricting the amount of food you eat.

Just refocus on what you know you need to do and you'll do great! Good luck.

I'm right at 7 months out. I saw my NUT last week and we looked at my food diary. I'm getting between 800 and 900 calories a day and she thought it was perfect. She did say as time went on, I'd be able to consume more calories, and that as long as they are good calories (not sugar, etc) I should be fine.

Yep. That's pretty much me now too. I'll be seven months out in a few days and for the last month, I've started losing slower. Maybe 3-4 pounds a month compared to earlier. I'm still losing though so I'm good with that. Our bodies like to play games with us don't they? It's so strange to me that I can be eating so little and not losing more. My calorie intake is usually between 800 and 900 with carbs around 50 or so, sometimes higher. I'm now kind of struggling with my Water intake. Not getting enough in so I need to work on that. Otherwise all is good. My 6 month blood work was perfect and my surgeon is really pleased with my results so far.

I emptied the Emeprozole (sp?) for about a month, but started taking the chewable vitamins at three weeks with my docs permission. I think it was about three months out that I started taking my fish oil and evening primrose capsules.

I'm 5' 3", sleeved on 5/3. Starting weight 253. Now 171.

I set mine for 850 calories, 80 grams of Protein, and 40 carbs. I'm almost 7 months out. I set the calories for 850 only so I can keep under 1,000. Generally, though I tend to eat between 850 and 900 calories. I don't look too much at the Fat calories right now as I'm not eating high-fat foods generally.

That is awesome. You look so beautiful. Keep up the great work!

Thank you so much!

You look fantastic..you must be so happy:). Really nice pic of you and your son.

Thank you. Yes, I really am happy!

Way to go. You're looking great. When was your surgery date? Mine was May 10.

Thanks for the compliment! My surgery was May 3.

At six months out, my weight loss is starting to slow a little, but I'm still losing and doing all the right things. I screamed a little when I got on the scale this morning as I'm now down 80 pounds. The picture below is from this weekend at a birthday party for my son.

I'm six months out and my usual carb count is around 30g or so, sometimes a little higher. I eat mostly pure Protein, but I also eat yogurt, drink milk, and eat fruit so that's where my carbs come from. I'm still not eating bread or rice, etc., and won't until I get to maintenance. I've tried breads and rice, etc., and I tolerate them just fine, but they are so filling and so I choose protein mostly.

I can eat everything except Peanut Butter. I end up wit the runs! I'm six months out now.

Yes, Benadryl is what they give a lot of patients in the hospital to sleep, but it tends to make me groggy in the morning. For some reason Tylenol PM does not. Good luck!

Have any of you experienced changes in your sleep pattern since surgery? I sleep terribly...can't fall asleep and don't stay asleep well. I'm wondering if I should start taking something for it cuz I'm getting tired LOL

I did at first and went to my doctor. But, I was having other issues too, all connected to peri-menopause, so she put me on a low-dose anti-depressant two weeks after surgery and bam - back to normal, including sleeping. Of course sometimes I don't sleep well because of work stress or some other type of anxiety, but when that happens I take one Tylenol PM and I'm good. I saw on another post that there's something you can buy that has the sleep aid in Tylenol without the Acetominephan, but I can't remember what it is. You might try checking with your doctor first.

I agree with gmanbat - I've never heard of a NUT that is against Protein shakes! That being said, pre-op, she didn't want me doing Protein shakes, instead I was on a very low-carb diet (no more than 40 grams a day). So, I didn't eat yogurt or fruit because of the carb content. My NUT didn't care about calories, only carbs. But, I did eat lots of salads, meats, and cheeses. Stayed away from rice, potatoes, etc. My pre-op diet was for two weeks, but I did three and I lost 14 pounds during that three weeks.

Now, post-op, I do eat fruit. In fact, once I was cleared for it, I added apples, etc., because I was having Constipation which was no fun. I also added in some oatmeal occasionally for Breakfast as that helped the stopped up problem as well.

I'm almost six months out and had some Hair loss starting at four months. Saw the most at five months, but I can already see it growing back in. It really wasn't too bad for me. I started taking Biotin (5000 mg) at 2 months out. I've heard that it works, and that it doesn't work, but it DID really help my nails. They are nice and strong now! I have continued to color my hair every five weeks and I cut it shorter too. I also Shampoo daily - I have too as I have oily hair. It hasn't seemed to harm it at all. I did, however, have quite a thick head of hair to start with, so while I can tell it has thinned out, no one else can. I have also been really religious about getting Protein in. I generally make my 65 grams a day, sometimes higher.