LilMissDiva Irene

Click on the photo to enlarge them. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 GOOD LUCK!

@@MisforMimi my sleeve worked great, over the years I developed GERD so bad it needed to be revised.

I've had both and yes the VSG does remove hunger. I never felt hunger for the first few years. I did get it back around year 3, but it's gone again since I have revised.

Today is an incredibly important day for me regarding my journey and road to complete health. Body AND mind, and soul. Addiction is a symptom of a deeper rooted problem. We MUST admit we are powerless over them, and that our lives have become unmanageable. Without this admission, true healing can not begin. I am worth it. YOU are worth it.

@@Introvert Yes I do eat half a serving of fresh fruit occasionally. That is the only sugar I eat though. I check the package on everything and anything with 5g or more I don't eat it. I do use artificial sweetners which are Splenda and Truvia.

@@Puppypaws57 Yes!! I do feel so much better all the time. I mean I have my days where I don't feel too good but for the most part I feel so much better than I did when I would eat sugar. The most sugar I eat now is from a few bites of natural fresh fruit and then it's usually not much in one serving. I feel very healthy! Sending you prayers for your strength. ETA: Yes my weight loss is slow but steady. I'm perfectly okay with that. I just notice I an overall better look of health too. And yes I have an obstacle. I live with 2 other people who are very addicted to sugar. There's always stuff around the house but being this far into my count I don't even get tempted, only sometimes and it's usually at big events like birthday parties and everyone is having cake and ice cream and I'm not.

I’ve been on the weight loss and gain rollercoaster more times than I’d like but every time I gain and every time I lose it’s always the same thing. When I gain, my confidence dwindles. When I lose the weight, my confidence skyrockets! Has anyone ever stopped to wonder why this is? Why should the way we feel about ourselves depend on how much we weigh? What does being obese have to do with me loving myself? Lose Weight and Gain Confidence! I know this is going to be a short article in comparison to many of my others but I feel like getting straight to the point with this subject. I’ve been on the weight loss and gain rollercoaster more times than I’d like but every time I gain and every time I lose it’s always the same thing. When I gain, my confidence dwindles. When I lose the weight, my confidence skyrockets! Has anyone ever stopped to wonder why this is? Why should the way we feel about ourselves depend on how much we weigh? What does being obese have to do with me loving myself? In my opinion a lot has to do how we feel when we look in the mirror. We wonder what others see when they also look at us. If we look in the mirror and do not feel physically attractive, naturally we will feel “badly”. We all want to be attractive! Let us not lie about that, please. I enjoy putting on make-up, dressing nice when I go out of the house or when I’m taking pictures for everyone to look at. I surely don’t want to look really large, wearing frumpy clothes or showing all the blemishes (or my freckles) on my face. I also have a moon shaped face and when I’m larger my face accentuates this a lot more. Thus brings us to the flipside. When we lose weight we find that our confidence skyrockets to the moon! All of a sudden we want to take hundreds of photos, put on our faces and smiles, wear nicer and smaller clothes that we didn’t have as an option being larger. We also may go out and do more things with friends and family because the embarrassment of others seeing us at our worst is no longer a barrier. How do you feel about this personally however? Does it make you somewhat uncomfortable feeling good about yourself? Do you still get those voices in your head that leads you away from feeling good? You know the thoughts: “What will people think about me if I’m too happy?” or “Will others think I’m doing too much?” If this is you, I have one thing to say… “Who cares what other people think?” The only person completely responsible for your self-confidence is YOU. So long as you have breath in your lungs then you are worthy of loving yourself. Regardless of what size you wear or what the scale is telling you today. Believe it or not the first and most important step in this entire journey is loving yourself enough to get fit and healthy. Enjoy the journey because once you hit your goal and maintenance, reflection will be all you have left. Remember how difficult it was to get to where you are so that you never slide back. Have a little fun with the new you, dress up a little bit, enjoy new outfits and go out and meet new people. Find things to do other than eating that will keep you active. Stay reflective, and most of all STAY POSITIVE.

@@Puppypaws57 I broke down and realized if I can just get through that first 30 days then maybe the rest will be easier. It's true, once you get past that 30 days it's quite easy. I don't think about sugar unless everyone else is eating it in front of me, but I remember if I do eat it then my streak will be broken. The streak wins every time. The first week is the worst though. That will be the first test to pass, then the next 3 weeks are tough but doable. Good luck if you try it! The counting streak has worked for me like nothing else has.

Hi Everyone! No matter which surgery you had, we can always be proud and happy to share our progress. In the WLS Community we have something called the Transformation Tuesday where everyone will post there starting photo and compare it with their current photos side by side. Come back every Tuesday to share your progress and to view everyone else's! __________________________________________________ Attached is my current progress photo. Not all of you know this but I have been battling complications with my WLS since 2/2008 when I was first banded. I was revised to the VSG in 9/2010 and then again just recently to the Bypass on 7/9/2014. Today I am doing amazing. I think I'm FINALLY healed from everything and the going is good. I'm happy to share that I am only a few pounds from goal and my goal size. It's slow going but I think after so much one just realizes that being better than yesterday is really all that matters. <3

@@Eclectick Hernias do cause reflux many times. I was on 40mg omeprazole in the am, 20mg Ranitidine before bed, cough meds and syrup all day, lozenges. It was a 24 hour deal for me. Thankfully I am 100% now post op. No more medications at all and my reflux is gone. However I did not have a hernia either so that wasn't why I had it. The Bypass really isn't nearly as worrisome as some seem to think. It saved my life.

You might want to start a new thread in the general Bypass section looking for Christian Bypassers.

@@Bandista thanks

@@Eclectick I had to revise because of extremely bad reflux disease.

@@gowalking congratulations!

@@Momof2inIowa very impressive progress! Happy Halloween! And your babies are very cute.

@@*Lexie* drinking plenty of water is a huge factor in losing weight. If you up your water and stay on top of it (especially since you also workout) it will keep your retention at a minimum. Good luck!

How many oz of water are you getting in daily?

Oh yes I have called her that too.

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