teshadb

Well a couple things that are great lastly that I have come to notice. First I saw a mint color pea coat that I just had to have. Right now I am a large top sometimes a medium depending on the style. Wonder s why large wasn't fitting! Tried Xlarge and it fit but then I realized I was in the junior section! XL in juniors cloths, I'll take it. I couldn't ever where junior before. Then I also started to notice at work, when I sit in my chair neither side of my thighs touch the arms of the chair!! It's amazing!!!! No more fat cutting into the arms of chairs what a feeling????

Thank you!

See just got married oct 20th ????

I promise you it gets better! I felt like I was slowly killing myself. So weak, so fatigued. Almost passed out from just walking to the fridge or showering a couple times. I had diarrhea for what seemed to be forever. Couldn't get water in. But you do what you can and day by day it gets better. 4-5 weeks was a big turning point for me. Hang in there. You will feel normal again.

mmm turkey and cheese roll for lunch with a side of zesty honey mustard! I have never like just eating protein in my life. But now that I actually feel full on it, it's all I want!!... Most of the time. I love the sleeve. It's saved me in so many ways.????????????????

April 2014 220 Wedding day Oct 2014 168

Looking back at those pics is eye opening

Me trying on wedding dresses April 2014 at 231lbs, 5'2. Me on my wedding day oct 2014, 168lb

I am down 61lbs, I have about 40 to go until I hit my goal. I have slowed a lot. I suck!!!!! At getting water in. I hope I hit goal.

I had MVP with the band and they were a hell no once in a lifetime for surgery. Then thankfully and miraculously my insurance at work changed to Empire Blue I thought I was a shoe in. I had high Bmi still PCOS blah blah blah. Nope they still denied me. Tried to say I didn't do what I was suppose to after the band. Which was NOT TRUE. The doctor then tried to get approval for me by talking to the insurance company. Again denied. So I went on to prove them wrong! I dug back into my bank account showing all the months of weight watchers I did, all the orders of medifast I made, receipts of all the workout equipment I bought. Proof of me paying out of pocket for band adjustments when I didn't have insurance. Took pics of my workout equipment in my basement and wrote my letter stating all the issues and struggles I have had with my weight all my life and with the band and I was APROVED AND IT SAID ON THE LETTER IT WAS MEDICALLY NECESSARY!!! Don't give up send in everything you can when you appeal if it gets to that, circle underline highlight and give dates if you can. Good luck to you.

I am 4 months out and love food again. It didn't happen right away. In fact a May love it more than before because I was always mad at what food did to me. Now that I am losing I enjoy ALL foods but choose the good ones a majority of the time now.

My before and after of dinner tonight. The salmon was 4 oz I ate 3oz. I had 2 asparagus spears ( I have a hard time with asparagus, very fibrous). Half of a spoonful of mashed potatos. And yes I took a small price of bread and butter but had no room. It's a mental thing for me to have it there. But I fill up on protein first then I don't want it. :-)

You are going to do great! It's major surgery, so be patient with your body. Stay hydrated first over anything else the first couple weeks home. I wish you all the best. Soon you will be on the losing side with the rest of us :-)

I would do the sleeve if I was you. No malabsorption issues. But that's just my opinion you do what u feel comfortable with. I took omeperzole prior to surgery and still take it. No big deal. I'm used to it now.

This is the best thing I could have done for myself. I had the band in 09 and had nothing but issues until I decided to revise to the sleeve. I had to fight the insurance for it but I won! My PCOS is resolving ( i want kids) ... Big reason for having the surgery. I can stand for longer periods of time without my knees and hips hurting. I walk faster, I don't need naps, stairs are easier. I'm not out of breathe walking to my car from the store or my job. I can eat like a skinny person and feel full. I can eat a salad for the first time and be full and not need something else with it. It's freedom. I wouldn't change a thing except doing it back in 2009 if it was an option back then. Good luck to you.

I weighed 216 the day of my surgery on May 8th. 4 mos out I am 175. Down 41 lbs since surgery and down 56 from preop. I hope to be at goal in a year but I'm ok with it if it takes longer. I have 45-49 more to go depending on how I feel. I stopped my period the day before surgery but they put me on heparin while in the hospital an guess why that started it back up again because it's a blood thinner. It sucked but I survived I had diarrhea my period and nausea for awhile. The nausea went away after a couple days. Protein Shakes are a must in the beginning cuz you can't eat much. I liked muscle milk with some PB2 blended in it. It was like a chocolate Peanut Butter shake. Then once in awhile I will have the Premier Protein. I order it from amazon because I don't have any place that carries it close by. I do get hungry but it is a different kind of hunger. It more like gurgling and bubbles reminding me it's time. It's not a ravaging hunger where u want to rip somebody's face off if you don't eat soon. Lol. I feel more in control now than ever before over the hunger. It's not like before so I don't give in to bad things to feel satisfied. I know I will be satisfied now with a small salad, nuts, or a piece of fruit. Where before that would not have cut it. If you do what your told you will hit goal. But don't compare yourself to others. We all lose differently.

i stalled for a month then darted losing again weight loss is not over if we do what we are suppose to do. I am learning patience.

My nsvs are ..... 1. My legs don't rub together as much anymore 2. I enjoy where a dress for the first time in my life 3. I fit into a size 14 for the first time since middle school 4. I feel smaller 5. Stairs are easier 6. I can stand for long periods without my knees and hips hurting 7. I get a regular period (tmi) but a big deal for someone who wants kids 8. I am not the fat friend for the 1 st time in my life 9. People at work who don't see me that often notice the weight loss and want to know my secret lol 10. Bought my first Victoria's Secret bra 11. The feeling of satisfaction with eating a small salad and not needing anything else with it to feel full. 12. Freedom Many more but those are it for now.

I was one of the 10%. I was in the hospital 8 days 5 longer than I was suppose to be. I got an infection somehow somewhere still don't know what from. I had a temp, white blood count was high, Fluid in my longs had trouble taking deep breathes which is what they want you to constantly try to do. Went in for a second surgery to look for a leak and didn't have one. They put in drains and got on antibiotics and I started to get better. It was rough the first 3 weeks of recovery. My body went through something traumatic. Low calories trouble drinking, diarrhea, extreme weakness. I did not ever end up back in the ER. I took it day by day and realized that first week or so liquid is the most important thing. My dr even told me that he didn't care about the protein or the Vitamins he cared about hydration first which was very true. I was faint a few times. But I focused on the fluids over food. Then eventually around week 4 it got a lot better and I was back to work week 4. I have never tracked anything. I refuse to live that way. I do however consciously make the right choices knowing in my head what is high carb versus more protein. I limit my carbs just by making good choices. Now that I can have a salad or a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts and be full and satisfied, making the choices are much easier now. Before I would never be satisfied on just that. Now I am so I actually want it. It's amazing. After eating the same things or getting in a routine you know what u should and shouldn't have or how much so I mentally keep the numbers in check. I refuse right now to write it down. And so far just making the right choices is working. I am 4 months out today and I have consistently lost every week with the exception of a stall for 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. But that's ok. I'm down 42 since may 8th and 57 all together since I started my journey. Good luck to you. Even with my complication I have no regrets. It's a risk but a risk I was willing and ready to take to feel better. The recovery is only temporary everyday gets a ill easy and u feel a little better. Then one day you wake up and feel 100% back to normal except u eat a lot less now. And somehow you have energy again. It's a blessing and a freedom I can't describe until you go through it yourself.

I saw that you debated between the band and bypass. I had the band it was horrible. Now I have the sleeve and it's the best thing I ever did. Why are you choosing bypass and not the sleeve?

I am a meat lover in general. I always have cooked turkey bacon to grab to go for breakfast or to have as a snack. My fiancé cooks most of the meals and he makes things for me to freeze and be able to eat especially cuz he travels a lot. He makes me homemade meatballs that are amazing. Shepard pie, I eat tuna on a half thin everything bagel with cheddar and lettuce and cucs so delicious. I eat over medium eggs a lot for breakfast with some cheddar on top. I eat a lot of rotisserie chicken then make chicken salad with mayo cumin pecans and apples so yummy!!

I forgot to say my biggest challenge and surprise. The biggest challenge is trying to be patient with my stalls. I am just so afraid the scale will not go down anymore I have been stuck for almost a month. The biggest surprise is how normal I feel almost 4 months out now. Also how much energy I have at times is astounding considering I needed naps everyday prior to surgey.

I was a band to sleeve revision on May 8th. My start weight was 231 when I started the whole process. I was 216 day of surgery. I am now 176. So down 40lbs since may 8th and 55 all together. I feel great, I have a ton of energy. I don't have cravings like before. I did just find out that I am iron deficient so I going to have to take pills for a bit but that's ok. I haven't been able to get in a lot of green veggies and red meat yet.

I am a band to sleeve revision and it's the best thing I ever did. The band gave me nothing but problems. I couldn't eat healthy food if I tried everything got stuck and I was always vomiting. I had the band in 2009 and I did the adjustments faithfully to try to find the sweet spot but it never worked. I started getting horrible esophagus and or chest pain this past year and it was completely related to the band because I have had the band out and the sleeve I have had no pain at all like that. I had to fight my insurance company to have the revision I was denied twice and had to do an appeal letter. Thank god it got approved. I have lost 40lbs since may 8th 53lbs all together. The band never helped me lose a significant amount of weight like the sleeve. Plus the hunger is drastically less. The craving a are easier to control I feel in control for once over food. I can eat a salad for the first time in my life and be full and satisfied. I beyond happy with it and wish it was an option when I had got the band because I would have done the sleeve in the first place. Good luck to you!

I didn't have to do optifast. With the band back in 2009 they made me do medifast for 4 weeks. This time I could do my own thing as long as I lost the 10%. And I did the liquid diet for one day prior to surgery