LilMissDiva Irene

@Feed that's a very interesting idea! Actually I am having some cukes as we speak - so day 1 and done It's worth 0 points so I'm good to go... :-) @DJ, to be honest I think I was grazing way too much first thing. Not on things that are necessarily bad, however I have made some bad choices in here and there. That's no longer now because I'm logging on Weight Watchers and I'm only allowing myself 24 points per day. That equals to anywhere from 900-1200 calories depending what I'm eating. You get dinged heavily for foods that are high fat and high carb. However they go easy on foods that are high protein and high fiber. :-) It's working!! A few other things I've changed is I bought a DVD from Target, the Leslie Sansone Walk away the pounds. She has a fantastic 2 week diet that is so packed with nutrients and very well balanced. Of course I can't eat the portions she suggests, barely by half. Isn't that amazing I can't even eat a "diet" program??!! I love that!! Well I'm on day 3 today... so far so good. The food is so healthy and delicious and I'm not gonna beat around the bush here - I feel totally incredible. My workouts have been outstanding because my energy level is thru the roof right now. I've gotten back to eating more veggies, fruits and whole grains. In looking at percentages I'd say I'm doing about 50% protein, 25% Fats and 25% Carbs. Not bad... One other thing, I've been "going" really regular too since. It's not small amounts (sorry tmi) and it also makes me feel great!! @Chilo - Big Hugs!!! @coops - Hoorayyy!!!! Gosh, being a slow loser sure puts a big spin on every pound doesn't it?? I'm telling you I was jumping for joy when I saw that this morning!!! Congrats and here's to many more!! Cheers!!

Yay!!! My logging is working!! That and my new balanced diet I guess... LOL I'm down 2 Lbs. and today is an official weigh day! Since surgery I've lost 40.2 Lbs. I hope the logging and eating plan continues. I will just keep on keeping on! Not only that I am officially now into 14/16 instead of a 22/24 when I started my pre-op diet. LG!!

SN................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.....Lbs to Goal Avilda......................275.................187..............177..............10 Brendasgonnalose...335............233..............225..............8 Cherice95405.......248............... 177............ 164..............13 Chilo1.....................216................160...............154..............6 Coops ...................238................191...............177...............14 Cwalker.................250.................180..............170...............10 Daisy......................237.................138.............130...............8 DJackson..............229.................229..............215.............14 HollyW...................259..................233............215..............18 Ibejjo.....................249..................249............229................20 Juliarh...................230..................219..............215...........4 Kimmes................239..................222..............200............22 Kgremmy.............225.................210..............199..............11 Laylasmojo.........242.................180...............170..............10 LeslieH..................212..................212.............199..............13 LilMissDiva...........235..............231.8.............220.............11.8 Mellifrits...............210.................132..............125..............07 Meriteri................240...................187.............170...............17 MichelleLee..........252..................222................199..............23 MINI-Me...............203..................124.6............125..............0 & holding! Mommy2Girls.......275.................240..............228..............12 Moniluv.................190.................190..............178..............12 MRSKOUBIK........317..................283.............267..............16 pattimomof3nj......203.4..............163.2..........155...........8.2 Sailorgirl.................240.................220..............200..........20 Secret Surgery34..........205.........179............165...........14 Sleeve 4 me.........166..................164.............156...............8 Sweatinitout..........245................170..............160...............10 Yolanda240...........236.................203..............170..............33 PlannerGirl………..…327…..……..…..275……..……..255…………..20 mlr777...........200.8...........174.6............160.............14.6 tlang262 - Texas.....240.......240..............230..............10

Yes it is true and possible, however keep in mind - she is a woman and she weighs less (so her metabolism is going to be quite different). It's not going to be as easy to lose as it may have been for you. Regardless, Congratulations for you're really doing amazing!!! Lila, wow - I agree so much with feed's Dr. I follow that same guideline that I will find my successes in more ways than just the scale. I specifically look for NSV's every single day! My weight loss has been much lower than most others around here so that is what I do to keep positive and know I AM doing a good job. Though I do use my scale as a guide on whether I can try harder or not. However I am very content on my losses to date!! I do set mini goals but and I have set dates attached to try to work to get there. It is disappointing though when I don't make them. I just set the bar lower this time, to something I personally know I can do. Good luck to you!!

I am going to work my @$$ off to never be fat again.

So true!! I want to point out the hi-lited too. Since I had the band AND the sleeve I think I can guage that different surgeries can be cheated *but* in different ways. I know Tiffy knows this as well... You really can cheat the band quite easily and yes, the drinking while AND shortly after eating your meals is a huge one. It washes the food in your pouch right straight into your big stomach!! But for the sleeve... this is not possible. The contents you just consumed are already in your stomach. When I do choose to sip during eating (which is not all the time), I have not gotten any hungrier any faster. I do still wait at least 30 minutes after finishing - but - like Tiffy its mostly due out of habit from being banded nearly 3 years. With the sleeve though, it's true - grazing I could see being one of the biggest culprits in weight gain. That and drinking a lot of high calorie/sugar drinks or snacking on a lot of sugary things. My stomach is way too small to be able to gain on sipping during my meals and drinking right after. Especially since I rarely feel true hunger anymore anyway (this could be different for those who do still feel hunger a lot though! - however rare...). The "no drinking rule" just really doesn't fly with *this* particular surgery, IMPO.

I've never seen Dr. Ortiz.

That is great. congratulations on making the most of your sleeve!!!

Okay... now this really is the FIRST time this has ever happened to me so I'm a little distraught over here!! OMG... I'm so discouraged - and I'm ALREADY starting to think about having my ta-ta's re-inflated. It looks weird on me!! I hate it!! Before surgery I was wearing a 40D. I filled them in well, and I had some really cute boobs. Not any more... it's crazy!! In just 2 and a half months I'm wearing a 38C... and it's on it's smallest hook and my girls barely fill out the cups... I'm in such misery. *cry* I've always been proud of the ladies, and my big butt. Sorry, not to be so graphic but it's true. I worry what my hubby thinks even though he says they look fine and I'm beautiful as ever. He's so sweet, but I just don't know... Um, any suggestions? *sigh* Besides wearing 5 bras at the same time like that girl Olivia on Jerseylicious... haha!!!

I remember seeing this on some PS TV show (can't remember which) but there was some boob Dr. and he was pretty amazing. He took some WLS patient lady and her boobs deflated, but they were originally quite large. He was able to reshape them without implants. I've also heard of some PS transplanting fat cells too, so yeah I don't think it'd hurt to look into alternative ideas with your PS.

Hi there maha!! Welcome to VST!! :-) For me personally 1000-1200 calories works for me. I strayed some (not logging food and not knowing wth I was feeding myself all day), but thank goodness I had the good mind to start tracking 100% again and I'm back to a good well balanced diet. I also workout around 2 hours per day - so I'm not hardly worried about thinking or wondering if 1200 calories is too much. That is pretty standard for anyone in weight loss mode and one who does vigorous workouts as a part of a healthy lifestyle. I have also gone back to eating healthy carbs. I eat fruits, veggies, whole grain breads, etc. I can't seem to function on the Protein only diet. I started doing that and it worked well for awhile until I started back up with my workout routines and found that my body does not want to release any weight. So, I'm tweaking my eating plan to incorporate the "good" sugars back in. I have always lost weight doing this, so I do believe it should work for me again. However everything is still in trial and error mode for me right now. I'm barely only 4 months out. I imagine I still need to lose anywhere from 65-85 more pounds... (wow when I say it like that... that sounds fantastic!!!! ). Pretty much you just have to work out different plans until you find the one that burns the fat fastest for you. I've been through enough weight loss attempts to know what works for me best, and that's what I'm doing now. I've only been doing this for a few days, so the jury's still out - BUT - something tells me it will. Good luck!!!

Wow!!! That's some story - however it sure seemed to work out in your favor! All the best in your upcoming days. You will certainly LOVE YOUR SLEEVE!! Be glad it worked out in the end, for I had a band too. Note I said HAD. You also have the absolute right mindset, you will surely lose with the sleeve... and diet (I call it healthy eating) and exercise.

I have been losing my hair for almost a month now. It got pretty bad for a minute and I started to feel a little worried. I started taking Biotin 2500mcg religiously once I realized I was seeing lots of hair in the drain and after brushing. I do not wash my hair every day - as is a golden rule for those of us who have curls. So, that at least helps with the hair not pulling out as much. Anyway I have noticed a slight thinning of my hair. Nothing really bad and for me worrisome, because my hair is naturally very thick and very curly. I have plenty and as long as it doesn't continue to fall out too much (fingers crossed) I should be ok for awhile. I have noticed that something is working - I suspect its the Biotin. I have a bunch of tiny little growths that like to poke out on my head! I have to try to slick them down because they kinda just do what they want... I have also noticed that the hair isn't falling out as much as it did in the very start. So, good!!! I hope that's it - but not to worry it does start growing back at some point. So far mines lasted from about 2.5 months out to start and I'm almost 4 months out now and I have some regrowth (quite a bit actually) already.

I received this email from a friend today. How fitting for this situation: _____________________________________ THE TONGUE CAN BE YOUR WORST ENEMY! Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life. What you speak about, you can bring about. If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job. If you keep saying you can't stand your body, your body can become sick. If you keep saying you can't stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating. If you keep saying you're broke, guess what? You'll always be broke. If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a woman, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you. If you keep saying you can't find a job, you will remain unemployed. If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in you, your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs. If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then you might end up with it. Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love and action. Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve. Watch your Thoughts, they become words. Watch your Words, they become actions. Watch your Actions, they become habits. Watch your Habits, they become character. Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny. The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for. Thought I would share this with you. In the search for Me, I discovered Truth. In the search for Truth, I discovered Love. In the search for Love, I discovered GOD. And in God, I have found Everything. Be Blessed Watch how your circumstances and situations begin to change when you change the way you speak. Pass this on to as many people as you can, so they can change their lives, too. 'Life is like melted butter. ... .once things cool down, it can be reshaped!' "Great minds discuss events. Average minds discuss ideas. Small minds discuss people." _____________________________________ ...so know, it's up to YOU how you will fail or succeed. Certainly not what anyone else thinks. Good luck to you.

Whooooot!!! Congratulations young woman!!!!! You are right to have done this so young - you are on the right track. I think you're being young is helping you to lose as fast as you are!! Good for you, as I'm 37 and I've been so flux with my weight I find it harder and harder every time. It's ok though, this is going to be the LAST time -- FOR ALL OF US!!! I'm super happy for you - and SUPER CONGRATS on getting your workout on... that P90X looks brutal!! Can't wait to try it out myself...

I was charged 11,250.00 -- but that was for him to remove my lap-band as well. I do believe he charges a bit over 9k for just the sleeve alone.

Your Dr. sounds like the smartest man alive to me right now. BTW, I'm in Sacramento (you mention in your sig line your Doc is at UCD Med Ctr)... I wish I'd known about him earlier! I do love Dr. Aceves - but it would have been nice to have someone close by. Anyway, I just wanted to say - I totally agree with him 110%. That is why I'm making my weight goal very loosely. Pretty much when I look in the mirror and say I'm done - and my health charts are good, I'll be done. I only based my "goal" on the highest end of the BMI chart. I personally feel I'm quite close.

SN................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.....Lbs to Goal Avilda......................275.................187..............177..............10 Brendasgonnalose...335............233..............225..............8 Cherice95405.......248............... 177............ 164..............13 Chilo1.....................216................160...............154..............6 Coops ...................238................191...............177...............14 Cwalker.................250.................180..............170...............10 Daisy......................237.................138.............130...............8 DJackson..............229.................229..............215.............14 HollyW...................259..................233............215..............18 Ibejjo.....................249..................249............229................20 Juliarh...................230..................219..............215...........4 Kimmes................239..................222..............200............22 Kgremmy.............225.................210..............199..............11 Laylasmojo.........242.................180...............170..............10 LeslieH..................212..................212.............199..............13 LilMissDiva...........235..............233.8.............220.............13.8 Mellifrits.....210.................132..............125..............07 Meriteri................240...................187.............170...............17 MichelleLee..........252..................222................199..............23 MINI-Me...............203..................124.6............125..............0 & holding! Mommy2Girls.......275.................240..............228..............12 Moniluv.................190.................190..............178..............12 MRSKOUBIK........317..................283.............267..............16 pattimomof3nj......203.4..............163.2..........155...........8.2 Sailorgirl.................240.................220..............200..........20 Secret Surgery34..........205.........179............165...........14 Sleeve 4 me.........166..................165.............156..............9 Sweatinitout..........245................170..............160...............10 Yolanda240...........236.................203..............170..............33 PlannerGirl………..…327…..……..…..275……..……..255…………..20 mlr777...........200.8...........174.6............160.............14.6 tlang262 - Texas.....240.......240..............230..............10