Pennie

You are very wise to be thinking about this now. Really - serious applause to you for that. So many people go into WLS thinking that it will be some magic bullet that will not only melt away the pounds but also make them happy/successful/insertanythingelsehere. These are the people that end up unhappy (and possibly posting videos about it on youtube!) My support group leader always likes to remind everyone that sleeve surgery is surgeon on your stomach and not your head. Any life issues you have now will not be resolved just because 85% of your stomach is removed. Most surgeon's offices have a psychologist either on staff or a list of therapists that they refer patients to. You may want to consider meeting with the psych and just discussing your fears and expectations. They are really in a good position to help you work through this because your concerns are VERY common in the bariatric community. I honestly think the fact that you are aware of these issues, and are thinking about them now, speaks volumes. That, in itself, is seriously half the battle. Now, the other half I don't have any specific advice for you other than talking it through with a professional. Our individual psyches are too complicated and unique for any sort of blanket advice I can think of. You are going to do well... I can tell. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming sugery!

Oh, yeah! The incentive spirometer! I forgot about that little torture device. LOL! It does get easier, the further out you are from surgery. I could barely get that ball up when I was just a day out. When I was sent home from the hospital, the instructions were to use it every single hour. I hated it, but I did it. It actually turned out to be really satisfying to see the improvement and be able to quantify it. Congrats on your sleeve!!!

Honestly, the first three days of the pre-op diet were really hard for me. I turned a corner on Day 4 and 5 and it was (relatively) easy from there on out. It's such a huge adjustment - mentally and physically. Take good care of yourself and know that it WILL get easier. I promise! I always say that the pre-op diet was the hardest part of my entire weight loss experience! It's so much easier after you are sleeved and you have that powerful tool to combat hunger. For now, you gotta tough it out without the sleeve. Take it a day at a time (or maybe an hour or even minute at a time if you need to). You will get through this and you'll be sleeved before you know it. Congrats on your upcoming surgery! I hope you love your sleeve as much as I love mine!

It gets better. Believe me. I very much enjoy going out to eat with my family. I usually just ask for a "to go" box at the same time I order my food. When the food arrives, I put a lot of it (ok, most of it!) in the to-go box and eat the sleeve-sized portion on my plate. That way it doesn't look like I'm not eating (if you are self-conscous about that) because your plate is empty when the waiter comes around with the bill. Also, having the small portion on your plate ensure you won't overeat and get a sleeve-ache. It takes time to adjust to the new way of doing things. You'll find little tricks that make you feel comfortable and confident when eating out at resturants. The great thing about the sleeve is that once you are fully healed, you can really eat anything with fear of dumping or food getting "stuck" (which happens with RNY and lap-band patients). I think most sleevers have a it a bit easier at resturants than folks with the RNY or bands. You'll feel healthy normal soon... don't worry. Just be patient with yourself and you will find your own way.

You know what? I told people really early on that "I didn't want to focus on numbers." In reality, I was weighing myself every day... but I didn't want to share the numbers with anyone other than my husband. I didn't want people always asking me how much weight I lost. Some people like this - they feel it helps them to be "accountable" - but I didn't feel a need to be accountable to anyone but myself. So, don't be afraid to put down your foot early and draw some clear boundries. You don't have to share personal information with anyone, and you don't owe ANYONE numbers or a blow-by-blow on how you are doing. Do what feel comfortable for you. The earlier you make these boundries clear, the easier (I think). Congrats on your sleeve!! And for whatever it's worth, I think 20 pounds is absolutely amazing!

That is hilarious!!! That guy had to be so embarassed, but I think it's so sweet that he was "sticking up" for you when he thought your husband with with a younger woman. This is one of the best NSVs I've read in ages! Thanks for sharing!

Did you gain a lot in the hospital? I know I did.... It took me a good week just to get back to my pre-op weight! Also, this may seem counter-intuitive, but if you are dehydrated that you also cause you to retain Water. So try to make sure you are getting your liquids in. Your body has been through a lot! If this continues, and you are worried, why not give your surgeon's office a call?

3 oz of Protein plus some mushy veggie doesn't sound like too much to me, especially give that you are 5 1/2 months out. It sounds like you are doing great! I'm in maintenace now, but I still sometimes go back to liquids if I feel like I'm falling off the wagon. After a couple of days of liquids only, my restriction always seems even tighter! (could be psychological, though... lol!) I HAVE to ask - what is a zombie 5k? Is it as awesome as it sounds?

I was in and out in less than 24 hours, but I didn't have any complications. I was given the option to stay another night if i wanted to, but I also wanted to get home to my babies!! I know it's hard to be away from your little one. But, it is also hard when you are home because you will really want to pick them up - but you can't! A healthy mom is coming soon! Congrats on your sleeve!

Go slowly (and carefully!) but if it feel comfortable to reach, you should be just fine.

Good tips and I'm glad you were able to avoid hairloss. I drank plenty of water, always got my protein in, and took biotin. Still, at 3 months out I started losing hair. A LOT of hair. It fortunately started to slow down at around 6 months out, and a month later was pretty much falling out at a normal rate.

I'm also going to vote for EAS! It's a good price, and it is honestly my favorite RTD shake. It's not too heavy, nice flavor and texture. I get the chocolate.

I agree... at the puree stage, it was still hard to really feel "full". Once I started more solid foods, it was very evident that I couldn't eat much at all! In these early stages, where most of your intake is liquid (or liquidy anyway) it is especially important to measure what you are eating. It would be easy to ingest more calories than intended if Protein shakes tend to not fill you up. Anyway, my feeling of "full" is very different than it was before surgery. It's more like a pressure or an ache even. I know another sleever who says she feels it more in her chest than in her stomach when she gets full. Everyone is different, of course, but with time you will learn your new body cues. Congrats on your new sleeve! Just be sure to take it really slow when it comes to eating!

Yeah! Nice work on breaking the stall! You are doing great - you're husband's jaw will drop, I'm sure.

Sorry about the delay. It can be SO frustrating. Once you make the decision to have the surgery, you want it NOW...er, more like yesterday! Your day will come soon. Just focus on getting as healthy as you can right now. Any pounds you can lose now are pounds that you don't gave to lose after the surgery. Really, you've already started your sleeve journey. Hang in there!!

It took me several days to not have that "hit by a truck" feeling. It took about 2 weeks for me to lose a lingering pain on my right side. Everyone is different, of course. Just focus on sipping Water all day, walk whenever you can, and rest! Every day that passes, you are healing. Just take it day by day, and minute by minute if needed! Congrats on your sleeve! Oh, and your buyers remorse will pass once the pounds start dropping like crazy!

I am considering a neck and arm lift. When I was MO, I had a lot of fat around my neck and in my upper arms. Now I have batwings and a sort of displeasing neckline. I've found lots of info on arm lifts, but not as much on neck lifts. Has anyone here had one or considered one? I have a waddle under my neck, and in profile it looks like my neck starts right under my chin and makes a 45 degree angle for the base of my neck. So instead of being a defined area that looks more like a 90 degree angle, I have this slooping neck. I've always been self conscious about it, and now that I've lost the weight I am even more so. I don't want to do anything to my face, so I don't want a "Face lift" I just want my neck tightened. I wonder how painful and involved it is, where the stiches go, and what the recovery time looks like. I haven't found a surgeon yet, so I wanted to start with asking other patients. Thanks in advance!

That's great!!! And, holy WOW! 140 pounds lost just since Decemeber 2011?? AMAZING! Congratulations!

It might tighten up a little bit with time... and you can add some "good" bulk by building up muscles. But, honestly, I believe surgery is the only way to really remove a lot of extra skin. Or... just wear 3/4 sleeve shirts like I do. (Even in the hot summer - UG!) I am seriously considering having the old bat-wings removed surgically. My arms definitely look better with extra skin than they did with lots of extra fat, but I'm still very self-conscious about them.

Highly unlikely. The sleeve is made from the least stretchy part of the stomach. It is possible to stretch it out a bit over time, at least theorhetically, but it would be pretty minimal. As swelling goes down from surgery, you will have more and more capacity to eat, but this isn't the same as the stomach stretching. Many new sleevers over eat at least once or twice when they are still learning the "new way" of life. Be sure to always measure before eating and you won't have to deal with the pain or nausea that can come with overeating. Lesson learned, I am sure, right?

Wow! Fantastic post! I know I do that too, I still project my "fat girl" thinking onto myself and sometimes onto others too. Losing a massive amount of weight truly messes with your head. I didn't see the show, but I've seen plenty of very confident and beautiful plus sized women (and men). I'm always a bit envious of their confidence. I think the mental side of losing weight is often neglected - at least once you get past "food issues" it seems like surgeons and bariatric teams assume you are good to go. Anyway...Great post, thanks for sharing this. ETA: I just saw the video clip (at the bottom of the link posted above) and I thought it was awesome that the audience really got behind her. I didn't look as good as her when I was of a (likely) similar weight!

Oh my goodness!! Saying prayers for you... And lots of hugs too. (((HUGS)))

It sounds good! Probaby better in maintenance than in weight loss. Have you seen the Arctic Zero (I think that's the name of it). It's sold like a pint of ice cream, but it's very low calories and low carbs and high Protein. I think it's basically like a frozen Protein shake, but the texture is very creamy. It's expensive, but a fun treat.

I love cherry tomatoes with hummus - yum! If you want a crunchy chip, you could use Protein chips. I really like the ranch protein chips you can get a diet direct. I think the brand is Healthwise? I am seriously addicted to those chips. 10 grams of protein per bag and 130 calories. If you want something lower carb, you could make some cheese crisps to dip in the hummus. (You slice cheese thin and then bake until crispy, you can find various "recipes" for this online.) It's fun to experiement with new ways to eat food and keep it healthy.

Yum! If you are really craving hummus, you can have that much earlier than you can have pita chips! Everything tastes so much better after surgery....