LilMissDiva Irene

I'm wishing you well and a very speedy recovery!!! *BIG HUGS*

I'm so saddened to hear you are going through this... unfortunately these sorts of things are very common side effects post surgery. Everyone will really learn what their Marriages/Partnerships are made of. Your happiness and respect are equally as important as your significant others. I really hope you two can work things out. Sometimes you just need a little time to figure out the new you, and as it sounds, the future new her too. GL.

Cheating with Veggies? I'm sure you'll be ok! Of course still seek advice from your surgeon though... but something tells me you don't have much to worry about.

Awww Cludgie!! Don't distress you've done magnificent. Keep your head and spirits up... because no one can take your accomplishments away from you... not even "you". One thing I've learned over the course of this is, everyone that compliments you or tells you you're doing fabulous or asks you in a crazy way if you're planning to lose more are doing it because they mean it. It's the truth. Have a great time on the last 10 or so Lbs! Enjoy the ride.

Started 42D... ended up 34B/C - happily today I am a 34 F!!! Everything is fixable.. even if it's just by buying amazing bras. Maidenform makes a really great lifting and Full Filling bra - can "pump you up" about 2 cup sizes if that's your thing.

Hellooo!! You know, goal is in the eye of the beholder. I know for a fact I'm done, I have bones protruding in places I didnt even know existed. But according to the BMI charts I still need to lose 20 ish pounds. Um... no. I do plan to see my PCP very soon to get the final Dr.s OKay to stop, though I seriously doubt she'd think I still have more to lose. I'm perfectly healthy and happy in all aspects of my being now! Someone just TRY to stop me!!

Hi I'm Irene and I have 27 Lbs to my ultimate goal. I'm finding that in the last few months my weight loss has really trailed off. I have to really workout hard and eat so perfectly just to post a 6 Lbs loss for the entire month. It stinks!! However, that said I am extremely happy with my results so far. I was a size 24W/2X on surgery day and today I'm wearing 10-12's and size M tops. I can even wear some smalls if they allow the room in the bust area and arms (darned extra skin!!) I would like to make my final goal to be in sizes 4-6 bottoms and around 165 Lbs. My tops will probably just end up in mostly S which is fine. My target area is pretty much my booty and thighs anyway. Not hating my top!! Anyway, I thought I'd start this social group because the wind down to GOAL can be very tough to lose for the majority of us. Join in, let us know how far you've come and how much more you want to go. WELCOME!!!

My pre op diet I lost 9 lbs, then around another 16 in the first whole month. I think 11 was the first 2 weeks. All the best!!

Hi there! Well, I really wasn't needing a cane so I'll just tell you what I was doing but caution you to do anything besides what you Dr's suggest I wouldn't want you to further damage your knees of course. I've always power walked even at 330 lbs... which I think might have added to the wear down of both my knees over time. At around 230 Lbs I believe that was when I decided to take jogging for a spin. It wasn't easy and I definitely listened to my body. If my knees didn't feel good I stopped immediately. Right now I'm 179 lbs and can jog quite easily without any knee pain at all. I'm not even using my Aleve ever unless its for my TOM... which for me is a BIG DEAL!!! I was using it almost daily before, for all my pains, especially in the knee and even my back. I never have any back pain anymore ever. I don't remember when I was able to actually get down on my knees, but I do still get back up carefully balancing myself. I take great precautions with my knees. I really am trying to save them as best I can. I'd like to put off the knee surgeries for a decade if I can!!! All the best to you!!! I really hope with the weight loss it will help eventually!

Awww thank you!

You look great!! Healthy!! To answer your question: Only you know that answer. No one here, and no one else can tell you what is right for your body. I'm stopping short of the (IMO - not for me) BMI charts. I'm fine, I'm healthy and I'm happy. I won't live my life being unhappy anymore - and losing 20 more Lbs or whatever isn't going to do that. I MYSELF make the rules on my happiness... not some red, yellow and green chart some guy made a decade ago. I'll leave that to Bell Peppers... yeah, I like those. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Patrice... first let me say I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, as well as your daughters. Big big ((((hugs))))!!!!! I've always felt a kinship with you and I feel very sad to hear about all of this. I want to tell you this - and I have to emphasize it, so forgive me. YOU!!! ARE!!! NOT!!! ALONE!!! Girl, do you have any idea how much I've struggled for the past decade with my weight? My first WLS was a total, miserable, EPIC FAIL!!! I was also over 300 Lbs at one point... and with the lap band got myself all the way down to 227 Lbs. Yes, I still remember the exact weight because when I started going back up that number started being illuminated in my head like a GIANT NEON SIGN! Well all that is over and done with, but not before gaining nearly every pound back that I'd lost with my band. I got back up to within 2 Lbs of my surgery weight. Sooo sad!!! I had to fix it though. Me and no one else. I did revise to the sleeve and I made a huge promise to myself that I WON'T do that again! I had to get myself together the best way I knew how, and that's exactly what I did. That said, if it weren't for the sleeve I don't care how many promises I've made to myself... I'd still be fat today. You my friend have such a WONDERFUL tool inside you. Use it!!! Look at it this way, if you didn't have your sleeve - how much weight do you think you could have gained in your time of grief? And yes, it's ok to grieve for the man who you have your precious child with. But... you said so yourself, he died from a preventable disease. Don't let that be you... your daughter has no one else now. She's counting on you to use that tool you have and get back to being healthy and being the Mom she deserves. Your future husband deserves you to be the best Wife you can be. YOU DESERVE to be the best of any woman you can be!!! It's time to start really considering all the reason TO GET BACK ON TRACK rather than any reasons to keep going down the road you are going. I say all of this out of nothing but wanting the best for you! Because THAT is what YOU deserve. Things to do: Get back to the gym. Starting now... eat the sleever way. Protein first, veggies second. 60g Protein per day and no less than 64 oz fluids per day. Never forget ALL the reasons YOU SHOULD keep doing #1 and #2. I'm here for you. I can't say I know what you're going through, but I sincerely sympathize. I care!!! But I also want you to succeed, because I KNOW YOU CAN! Question is, don't you? I hope so.

Thanks Kelly! Hi everyone, here are the Social Groups for California: SoCal: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/groups/show/2-socal-vsg-support-group/ NorCal: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/groups/show/3-norcal-vsg-support-group/

Will do!! :

Well I've tried several time to get dates settled in, but nothing worked out. I have some things coming up in the next few months but after I might make up a set schedule. All are welcome to attend, and would love it if anyone showed! More info to come at a later date. Most likely I'll make it in the Vacaville area or around there, so it's not too far from our Bay Area friends!

Either way, I wish you well on your journey! Keep us updated!

Well that sounds good! Your surgeon sounds great. Yes, its true band to sleeve revisions risk for leaks does increase by about 2-3%. I was very lucky in my revision that my only complication was some pretty bad nausea (vomited as well but only once) and my pain was pretty bad. Tiffykins did experience a leak with her revision from band to sleeve. But today, she is BETTER than OK!! Really I haven't heard many other revision stories here that were note worthy. It is my hope that everything will turn out fine, which I'm sure everything will. Like you said, even though the complication risk is elevated, it's still single digits. Its very normal though to feel a little worry while going through this. I was NOT immune to that! But, I was so ready to do it!!!