Izuri

I'm 25, 5'5.5 and started at 325. On the day of surgery I was 321. I'm down 43 pounds total so far and am a little over 8 weeks out.

Totally normal ! 17 pounds in one week is a TON. Your body needs time to adjust. Sometimes we go through stalls for days, even weeks. My first one lasted 3 weeks. Give your body a little patience =)

I have never really found any boots that fit over my calves, I'm looking forward to them. Congrats!

There are a zillion, but here are some: - Reduced risk of diabetes (Runs in my family) - Reduced risk of numerous other diseases - Being around for my family - Being more active in my family/able to help - Not dying at an early age from obesity related causes - Feeling better about myself - Decreased PCOS complications - Able to try new things without feeling embarrassed - Able to ride roller coasters - Never have to worry about fitting in a booth again - Able to wear any clothes I want - Never having to shop at a plus size store again - No longer being the fattest person in the room - Never huffing and puffing when going up stairs again - Being able to keep up with my friends - Trying physical activities: rock climbing, hiking, bungee jumping - Less heel pain after long work days - Better ability to help my patients with ambulation, etc - Not feel like the first thing I'm judged on in an interview is weight - Feeling confident in the dating scene The list can go on and on =) I'm already feeling a difference in some of these!

Oh gosh, I can't wait for this! What a great NSV, congrats!

You are doing soooo awesome! I love your post op outfit - very cute =) I'm sure clothes shopping is way more fun!

I have heard of people eating it. I never did because it sounded really unappealing. There are many other options if you decide you don't like it.

I had a hard time with this to begin with. Now I set a timer on my phone immediately when I'm done eating. It helps to know exactly when I'll be able to drink again. It also helped to put the drink on another table, not get one until 30 min was up, or just keep it far out of reach. It's difficult sometimes, but you get used to it. I was one of those people who would drink a ton while eating so it was a big adjustment, but it gets better.

It will have to come off eventually! You are soooo close, hang in there!

I just want to echo the other posts - call your surgeon's office. Make sure they know you never saw your bariatric doctor who was supposed to stop by the hospital. Also, it really seems like someone should have come in to explain to you what is going on. I have never had a trip to the ER where the doctor didn't come back and explain/follow-up before discharge. I would ask to see the doctor before letting them discharge you if you do head back to the ER. I hope you feel better!

I have eaten out a couple times. I stick to soups because I'm still in soft foods, but it works well.

It might be easier now that you're a few weeks out and the swelling is probably decreased quite a bit. I hope it goes well!

It was horrible! I took it in a quick shot and it felt like it was a huge mass right below my sternum. VERY painful for a few minutes.

You rock!! Good job not even having a taste! Will be worth it when you see the scale continue down =)

I actually am glad that this thread got posted, even if it was an accident. Most of us have had doubts here and there throughout this process. It's really a great thing to put out how you feel and have the community support you and acknowledge that they felt that way once too. I think there are probably many people pre-op on here that are feeling on and off doubtful and just haven't posted about it. For me, the sleeve is not only about consistent weight loss, but also maintenance. I have read a number of posts from members who are a year or more out who are still doing great and feel restriction. Is it the same amount of restriction as when they started? No. But it's enough to keep them at their goal weight. As for the 500-600 calories a day, it never would have been possible for me without the sleeve. Without the removal of ghrelin I would have been hungry all the time. It's really incredible what power you have over food when it no longer rules your life. The ability to not feel hungry has given me a fighting chance in realizing how I feel before I eat and making healthy choices. I actually eat somewhere around 700-800 and maybe a little more some days if I'm at school for a long time. I work out almost every day now. I am losing weight still and am down about 43 pounds since July. You also need to keep in mind that whatever calories you need to lose weight is a deficit from how much your body needs to maintain. That is why most people on maintenance have added a few hundred calories into their day. I worried about these same things pre-op, but I love my sleeve and given the choice I would go back and do it again in a heartbeat.

NSV is a non-scale victory. So losing pants sizes, fitting into chairs easily, anything that you feel good about that wasn't present/you couldn't do before losing the weight.

This is your body, your decision, and no matter what the naysayers think you have to do what's best for you. It does not matter that xyz didn't work before, that has no bearing on how you will do now. I knew when I decided to tell everyone I'd have some people like that. If I get a reaction I don't like, whatever, I love my sleeve and wouldn't trade it for anything. =)

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. It is awesome that you are putting yourself out there and making everyone aware of this.

I can relate! I was feeling exactly the way you were when my scale stalled for 3 weeks straight. I got sooo frustrated. But the stall broke and now I'm losing again. Hang in there, it will get better with time. Sometimes our bodies are just rearranging things/rebuilding glycogen stores. Butterthebean has a great article in his signature that talks about it if you look him up. For now - focus on the positives. What kind of awesome NSVs have you had so far? Are you measuring? You could still be losing inches. Do your pants fit better?

I haven't had the stomach flu, but I imagine it works the same, you just have less volume to throw up. The one time that I have thrown up I ended up dry heaving at the end. Flu shot is a fantastic idea to get - but it protects against influenza (respiratory) rather than gastroenteritis (stomach). I don't think there's a lot you can do to protect against stomach flu except good handwashing and whatnot.

Not gonna lie, when I saw this thread I thought OOH CLOTHES! And got really excited because I (obviously) have too much fun shopping online for clothes. I'm not sure where to get protein powder and stuff though. I hope you find a good site!

Today is a new day. Start being back on plan 100% now. There's no reason you can't. Make a list of things you think will help and post it somewhere you will see. You can do this! I would not worry so much about the liver issue as long as you get back on board completely from here on. If you are really worried you could put in a quick call to your doctor or mention it to the nurse when you go in the morning of surgery. A lot of other people on here have reported having bad days during pre-op and as long as they got back on track they did fine.

You can see a huge difference! You have obviously lost quite a few inches in your hips/waist and it looks like some from your shoulders/upper body. You look great! If you look at the first to the last picture you have a line around your belly button in the first picture (I have this issue too) but by the last picture you definitely don't. What great progress, keep it up =)

Woohoo! I'll keep my fingers crossed for a quick approval.

I am kind of scared of this. I have a prescription for nuvaring in my refrigerator, but my weight loss already feels slow - I don't think I need to set myself back by starting on it and gaining some back. Has anyone started nuvaring post-op and not had any weight gain/stalling?