Aussiegirl

This is such an interesting conversation. Why lie? What is a lie? I have generally, with most people immediately in my life (family, close to moderate friends, work collegues) I have been honest with, they all know about the surgery. If I run into people in the street, ie my mum said something to a lady in a store about me loosing 150 pounds, and she was life how. The surgery was not something i wanted to get into, so I said watching my food and exercise, both true, I worked my butt off, but obviously the sleeve helps with the food. I have been dating and occasionally some guy will notice the small amount of food i consume and ask about it. I was initially honest about loosing the weight, but then the guys were never to be seen again...so now I just say I eat very little, do the whole 6 small meals a day...also not entirely a lie just not the whole story. When one sticks around long enough I will be honest with them about t he whole thing... But really everyone is different, I judge who I tell what based on how I am feeling and how well I know the person. Just my 2c.

I love the idea of the Vet forum and was excited to see it. You see most people move away from the forum after the surgerversary etc, but the journey we all started still continues. Some of us are still trying to loose, some are trying to maintain, some are moving onto the emotional/ life changes that now happen. These are different to what people are concerned about when we are first sleeved. I dont post much on the normal boards anymore, pretty much here and the aussie section but check almost every day. I hope this forum may help people continue to come and realise that there is still more to be learnt.

AngieP and KelBel, I believe it is quite common to feel exhaustion on the 3rd week, YOu are usually going back to work and doing more, but still eatting very little. Best I can say is give yourself time to recover, drink Water, dont rush back into life full force. If you can try consume some more Protein. Liss, definitely!! From recollection the "capacity" of my stomach felt like it changed. At around 6 months and then around 11 months. It has been pretty stable since then. It still is tempormental at times but it probably was before I just never knew it, now I am more aware. I would say now on a good day I can consume around 1500 cals easily, on a bad day (ie stressful days,, party days etc) it can go over 2000, mainly cause of grazing.

It sucks Well it does at the moment. Seems like I finally got to a place where I like myself, like what I see in the mirror, but cant seem to find anyone that is worth my time or wants to take the time to get to know me. Nowadays most guys I meet just want to sleep with me, getting kinda disheartening that that is all they are looking, seems I could be a freaky stalker or a mass murderer and t hey dont care . An I am not interested if that is all you care about. This is not a reflection of all guys, but definitely the guys that classify themselves as available that I am meeting. Hopefully someone will prove me wrong, til then I guess I will just have fun with my new body lol

Also got good news today....my ankle is no longer broken!! Bye bye moon boot and hello sexy winter boots lol BTW Welcome to Kazbah and Aussie!!

Hi MiniMe, I hope your doctor is able to help you. I have had gallbladder pain and it can be like the symptoms you are experiencing, however when it was my gallbladder they generally lasted longer. I have not had any recurrences since they took my gall bladder out. I have also had the pain when I have eatten more than I should, or combined with Fluid, especially early on this happened a few times, cause the difference in eatting enough and too much was less than half a teaspoon. The eatting too much was pretty always followed by the slimies. When both of t hese occured the only thing I could do was wait it out, lay down and just breathe through it, I know it is not remotely nice. But either way the doctor is the best person to give advice, i presume they will send you for gall scans.

Sarah, good on you for getting back in touch with the gym. I hope they can find a trainer that will be able to work with you. My original trainer was really good at helping me with my head as well as the physical part. I did have a huge weight loss, some days I still dont comprehend that I lost the equivalent of an overage person, but getting off track. I did work really hard, especially in the first year. I would work out an average of 2 times a day 5-6 times a week. It somehow seems easy to say but it really wasnt. However I would try and make atleast one of the work outs part of my life (for example I have a 5 km commute from home to work, I would walk/run this ..which strangely ended up being about the same time it took me to do the commute on public transport in the end). I would take my lunch break and use that to work out. I also had people who I would work out with, a work out buddy can not be underestimated. I agree with what the others have said about food. My sleeve is now quite large, they do "grow" over time (ie swelling goes down, stretches slightly etc), however I can still feel alot of restriction and will never finish a meal again. No matter what you are eatting, focus on the sleeve rules, Protein first, some Proteins are richer than others and I think this varies for most, for me I can not finish a boiled egg but can eat a chicken leg and then a little of the thigh), then on veggies and carbs last. Most of embrace and Celebrate the loss, we all lose at different stages, but keep an eye on the goal. And sweets, yes I still get the darn head crazies for them, tho eatting them really doesnt do much for me. I dont get the sickness I used to get from them but dont really need them...however as Lila has also noted, feel the need to still buy copiouos amounts of them (the head is a weird ole place)

Oh Bella I wish I had 3 guys wish my happy valentines day, 2 of them are gay. 1 is straight just not available. How about you? Maybe next year I will have a true valentines.

You know what I find hilarious (in a weird way), people used to tell me off for eatting junk food (cake, chocolate, chips etc)...those same people now encourage me to have some...

Me too Welcome Carolyn!!

Hi All, I am home again...grounded to Australia for a little while now. Sara, I agree it was a pretty crappy way for the trainer to behave. I would not let him slow you down, really the only person who can get you down is you. I would suggest working one on one with a trainer, where ever financially possible. They are able to see where you are at, and work you the best way to get fitter and more capable. My trainer that I had initially was great at working with me and also a support, but finding the right one is the key. Kazza, as most the others have said, trust your sleeve and work at the pace. Staying hydrated is the key at first. Even with mushies only a t-spoon more than you capacity and it aint pretty ( i am sure we have all experienced it). Seth, Angie, KelBel, good luck with the recovery I am suer you will rock it Lila, way to go! Respect! An update from me. Had a good time gallavanting around New Orleans and New York, even with a broken ankle (which was not easy but can only imagine how hard it would have been if I was my previous weight). Got into a very small mardi gras costume (see below) which I could never have imagined wearing and feeling comfortable in. Met some amazing new people and reconnected with some of my really good friends. Tommorow will be my 16 month surgervisary. Time really does fly when you are having fun. I have been suprised recently by how much I can now consume in one sitting. I guess it is definitely a new definition of normal tho. For example, yesterday I was able to finish a rich piece of chocolate cake (in 2 sittings), I am able to finish most a sandwhich (not eatting the crust), half a burger, i even ate a whole McDonalds cheeseburger (which feels like a alot now right? Before a Big Mac, Fries and a coke wouldnt fill me up). I am not saying that I am always making the right choices but I am also well aware of the bad choices if that make sense. Despite not being able to really work out for the last 6 weeks and eatting what i would say is badly I have not breached my weight barrier. While i monitor my weight and what I eat now, it does not define me or my journey. I will try and loose the last 5kgs that are still here after the sexy boot comes of. For now I look forward moving on with my life, where weight does not define me. I am looking forward to finding love, family....not necesarily in any order...long story there

I would love to join the 5km especially as I will need to learn to run again after the break.. I was going to do the Mothers day Classic this year, the 8 km run but won't be healed by then. Look forward to seeing how you go....I will be following behind soon

Great to hear you are doing well Kelbel Nessa and pupphat, Congrats you are doing great Lila, good luck with the interview, I am sure you will do great with your new confidence. Confidence is one of the great changes that this surgery and weight loss bring. I am doing things now that I would never have had the confidence to do before. Have been in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, broken ankle and all. Met some great new people and am generally more open to everything now. I wore an outfit today that no way in hell I would have been able to before....and I can say I felt hot in it...one more day in this city and then off to New York for a couple of days.

Good luck KelBel and Angiep !!!!

I was sleeved by Dr David Joseph and can not say enough good things about him. He is professional and friendly and his work is so clean, ie cuts/scars etc

Bella, I am a bit slow to respond but I am another single Aussie. Hoping to change that soon, have a guy in my building I think I am having some flirtation with, we had breakfast last weekend and lunch the week before. Fingers crossed

37 and... Never really been able to be truly in love with anyone or let them love me (outside my family)....but now prospects are looking good at the moment Pre-surgery I had never.. - Really loved any of my clothes - Liked looking at myself - Zip lined - White Water rafted - Had skiinny sex Now...they be done..only the love thing left and as I said prospects are good

Meggs, the simple answer is it feels like a alot. Tho I believe now it has become all relevant to what I was eatting prior and also initially post op. Today for example I had 2 small sliders (awesome gourmet ones of fresh crab and shrimp..anyway I digress) at a lunch function with a glass of champagne and felt full. However can eat half a packet of Oreos and not feel full (dont recommend this at any stage but lets just say sometimes the TOM is just too much to handle). There is a topic in the veterans board that has some peoples examples. But for me now (at 17 months) it all just feels like normal eatting, I rarely notice my capacity as such.

Dean, I have no idea, not sure if it is the water on the staples or something. In my case everything should be well and healed over those things and I still sometimes get that weird feeling with cold water... It does come alot less often nowadays...but the sleeve can be a temperamental mistress at times lol

CowgirlJane, congrats, it is hard to get to the place where we are happy with our bodies. I relate to your struggle completely. I too had a goal of a BMI around 27, not under 25. I always wanted to more Marilyn than some stick model. I am somewhat around there at the moment, I go up and down a few pounds either way. I still have moments when I walk into a normal size store and feel like a fraud and that nothing is going to fit me, then am surprised when the largest size is too big. I had a moment like yours this morning, I was in my gym with my trainer and looked at my legs and actually said god, my legs are so thin...and toned. Like you, I may or may not loose the last few pounds, I have a weight I will stay under, but I am happy with how I look clothed atleast...and am getting used to the extra male attention, being single I welcome it lol

Lila I hear ya! I still do that, feel stressed and then go to the supermarket and buy all this junk food that I actually dont want to eat but still feel like I have to buy. I notice I buy chocolate even tho I get very little enjoyment out of eatting it anymore. Most days I buy it and then give it away....tho there are days I eat it. I admit to being an emotional eatter, and having the ankle injury has meant I havent been able to get out and walk and run like I have been over the last few months...guess the mind is always the last thing to be fixed. Atleast in 2 days I will be off to New Orleans, the only thing to worry about over there is drinking too many hurricanes...cause all the fried food does nothing for me. Travelling should also help me get in a better headspace, broken ankle and all Sconatsam, that is normal. I noticed it especially with Water, it sat really heavy in the stomach. If I put some low sugar cordial in it, went down so much easier.

We have a kellogs made product down here that as the high in fibre content, called Special K Advantage

I am 17months post op and a normal day will look something like this: B - 1 cup of high fibre Cereal and 2-3 teaspoons of greek yoghurt L - about 2/3 a sandwhich with some Protein and salad on it (also recently found bagel thins and can eat a whole one with the toppings) D - Protein, usually about a palm size piece (depending on the protein, or equivilent of 1 chicken drumstick) with some veggies or salad with dressing I dont snack too much but when I do it is rarely good of late. However when I am good it looks like crackers or fruit pieces/fruit cups I drink Water, green tea and usually have a diet soda once a day. This all seems very normal nowadays.