chicadarina

I am in France (American expat) but it does not look like there are many in this forum in France....

I worked in cosmetics for four years, and sales people actually get quite a big commission when they sell Strivectin. The girls I worked with and I tried the product- did not really work so well (and we used to joke that it smelled like feet). I've heard a lot of products for stretch mark prevention that have had good results, just nothing that works so well for getting rid of them. Will send updates if I'm able to find something that actually works from my former coworkers....

If anyone is looking for a surgeon in Europe, I recommend my surgeon, Dr. Jose Hobeika at the American Hospital of Paris. For anyone in France, the American Hospital is covered for the most part by a mutuelle if you have one on top of the public health insurance, and you have a private room with good staff. For the expats, most of the staff does speak English (including all of the doctors). If you do not have French health insurance + a mutuelle, it is quite pricy. I've actually found the American Hospital of Paris to be better than any of the American institutions I've been to (and they were able to find and diagnose a hereditary disease I have on my first visit which American doctors had missed for 10 years)....

There's not really a set weight between the sizes, especially as sizes after 12 tend to really vary between vendors. (Plus even within a vendor, depending on a specific cut, you may fit a different size.) Size is also more determined by specific measurements of specific areas. If you are losing the weight all over, but you are a larger size to begin with, it will take longer to hit the specific measurements for the next smaller size. Also, my doctor has said that women of African descent tend to not lose in the hips and thighs as uniformly or as quickly as women of other races (the same can apply to people of Native American descent like myself but it is not as common). So you might see the size going down in tops more quickly than in pants... it just depends on how you lose weight. Remember, it doesn't matter what size you wear as long as you feel good in the clothing.

My story is a bit different than many people's as my weight gain was caused by something that typically causes people to lose weight. I have Addison's disease, which went undiagnosed for nearly 10 years. Addison's disease is sort of the opposite of thyroid disorders that many of my fellow sleevers have suffered... Essentially, people with Addison's don't produce enough cortisol, and this causes them to feel tired all the time. I started suffering from the symptoms around 18, but it did not become full-blown until I hit 20. Because I was tired all the time, I needed a way to stay awake, and resorted to eating in order to keep myself going. That's when the weight started coming. I gained more in particularly stressful periods when I needed more energy. I went from 127 lbs (and working as a promotional model during my freshman year of college) to 175 lbs, where I had leveled out at 23 for a few years. Then I moved to France, and ended up in a very stressful job where I mainly worked from home (less activity, more stress = more eating) and went up to 190. I was finally diagnosed with the Addison's last year, but unfortunately, the medicine (cortisol) inspired an additional weight gain last year that put me up to 230. It has been particularly hard for me in France because there are simply not many overweight people in this country and it is nearly impossible to find plus-sized clothing (I have to go over to London). It also did not help that a company which I had previously worked for in the US (and had an amazing track-record with including several sales awards) flat out refused to hire me because I "did not have the right look". Plus, with last year's rapid weight gain, I couldn't even recognize my own face in the mirror anymore. Nothing was helping to lose the weight either (not 2 hours of gym per day or the strict organic diet I had been following for 3 years)- I was just gaining without stopping. I stopped wanting to meet people or see my friends because I became so ashamed of my weight, and tired of everyone I met asking me when the baby was due. I also started to have a lot of pain in my feet (I have long, thin bones), and could no longer ski or iceskate or even walk long distances. So the doctors decided that sleeve surgery was my only option as diet and exercise alone were not working and because if I kept gaining, I would no longer be able to walk at 30 years old... The decision to do the surgery gave me hope that weightloss was an option for the first time in a long time. I went through with the surgery on 21 March 2011 at the American Hospital of Paris with Dr. Hobieka. I have lost 8 kg (which is almost 18 lbs) in the first 2 weeks, and am now stalled out in week 3. I'm excited to see the results and to get back to 135 (which I have not been since 19). Here's to wishing everyone else luck with their sleeves... :-)