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Gosh where shall I start? I was given the opportunity to represent my bariatric surgeon and his facility by having an interview and be photographed by photographer Bob Cascerelli. Not sure how to spell his name but sounds something like that. This all transpired on December 4th. I was so nervous I felt like I was rambling on while being interviewed by the hospital media department. They all said I did well and the photos came out good. I beg to differ thou. I have yet to see either one lol. Im praying that I dont look or sound like some ebonic fool. I will keep you posted on that when it becomes available to me. Lets also pray that it does look and I sound decent since all the hospital facility will be seeing this video. If not, all my 15 years of an employee there shall come to a screaming halt! I'll just die of embarrassment!! LOL
 
So Ive been feeling kinda bummed out. When dont I is the question. The month of December seems a bit harder for me, I lost my father December 7th, 2003. It feels like it was just yesterday. I also have those fears of not losing weight and staying a full-figured woman for the rest of my life. I tell ya, my mind is gonna be the end of me!
 
I weighed myself today since I wont have a doctor's follow-up visit until February. I still refuse to get on the scale regularly/routinely and just have myself weighed every 6th of the month. I dont want to obesse with the scale nor do I want to let it dictate my life and mind. The mirror on a daily basis reminds me of my weight and the way I look. The magic number today is 170! It's been four months and Im averaging 6-9 pounds a month of weight loss. Im praying that by May I will be at 125. I was wearing a size 18/20 pants and a 1x blouse. I am currently a size 14 pants (I say the pants are snug but my friends say its still baggy on my ass) and a size large blouse. I can honestly say that I dont see what everyone else sees. I get compliments all the time on the progress Im making yet I cant seem to see it for myself. I guess not only does my body have to adjust to my changing appearance but my mind also has to adjust to the image I see in mirror (still a chubby girl).
 
I am eating the lean cusine dinners, usually under 300 calories,I'll usually have a hard boiled egg and a cup of coffee or I'll have a rice cake in the morning with a triangle of cheese (laughing cow). Actually someone told me today that their intake of protein that may help me is making chorizo (mexican sausage) and a can of pinto beans combined in a pan. Though I did wonder if the chorizo would be to greasy, protein there is alot of to help with the daily requirement. Im eating watermelon, almonds, and yogurts when I have a sweet tooth or need some clutch at that moment. My intake of food is still about 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of food all depending on the food. Im still popping all my vitamins and the intake of water remains the same, about 20oz. Ive noticed that I also feel cold most of the time compared to always feeling warm/hot/personal summers that I would have going on. I have noticed that my hair is thinning out but nothing to cause concern. Im at fault, my intake of protein is not where it should be. My smell and taste buds have not returned to normal and everything smells or tastes different to me still. Ugh!!! Do I regret my surgery? NOT EVEN THE SLIGHTEST! I wont make this blog a long one, kinda feeling emotionally drained today.
 
 

December 4th-170 pounds
Oh and most importantly, here is my December picture. The outfit is actually what I wore for the interview and photoshoot.

Well I have reached the plateau and can not seem toget my weight to move down. HELP what can I do.... I have been walking and tried to not eat as much not that I could eat much anyway. ı am getting frusterated. anyone help please ı wıll greatly apprieciate your ınput... thanks

I'm new to VST, but definitely am ready to share this amazing experience. I decided to have the sleeve in September of 2012. I've gone through 3 months of nutrition, psych evaluation, and an endoscopy. My surgery was approved this past Monday and my surgery date is set for December 20th. Boy I'm nervous. Needed a few forums for some extra motivating support (VST did not let me down!)... I'm from Carson, CA and my surgeon is in Beverly Hills, Dr. Feiz to be exact. It was a smooth, but confusing process. Finally got after 2nd review because AETNA said, even though my BMI is over 40, the photos don't appear to make me look like surgery is needed.. What?? Are you serious right now? Anywho, the small battle is over. The real war starts Dec 20th. Looking forward to my new relationship with VST and I pray this journey is one of peace, fulfillment, and most of all enjoyment!
 
xTia

Last week I lost over -5 lbs and was doing amazing. I felt great and everything was on track for this week. Tuesday morning I stepped on the scale and was still holding steady at my Friday weight. THen I took my son to the movies and decided to partake in some good old buttered popcorn. I didn't eat a lot, but was surprised that I was able to eat as much as I did. Most definitly a slider food. Then to my horror when I woke up on Wednesday morning, the scale should more than a +2 lbs increase! I was in shock. How could introducing one food into my daily routine off set me so much? Was it the salt? The butter? The absorption of the popcorn? I've spent the last 48 hours trying to detox, drink lots of water, make good choices and to my dismay when I got on the scale this morning, discovered I was still up +.8 lbs from last weeks weigh in. While it's not a lot, it's my first actual weight gain since surgery and very sad for me. I work so hard to lose weight that to see a number go up, even slightly brings back fat kid PTSD. I also noticed something interesting, I always gain/slow down dramatically right before my cycle and I am just a couple of days from my cycle which I think might be a major contributor to this situation.
 
When I really started doing my homework this is what I discovered about popcorn:
 
"Ordering a medium popcorn and soda combo from a major national movie theater chain is the equivalent of eating three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter, according to a new study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
 
According to laboratory analysis conducted by the Center for Science and Public Interest (CSPI), the concessions from Regal, the country's biggest movie chain, have 1,160 calories and three days worth - 60 grams - of fat. Regal said that the medium popcorn had 720 calories and the large had 960, but CSPI's tests found those numbers to be understated. A small popcorn at Regal had 670 calories - the same as a Pizza Hut Personal Pepperoni Pan Pizza. Even if you share a small popcorn - it's still about a day's worth of saturated fat per person, according to CSPI." - http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-5704044.html
 
SO needless to say, I'm spending the next week drinking a LOT of water, making good eating choices, taking my vitamins. Not really sure if there is much else I can do but be more observant. I am at my primary goal, but my secondary goal is becoming more and more important to me everyday!!!
 
Height: 5'9
 
Highest (Surgery) Weight: 216
 
1st Primary Goal Weight: 169 (Achieved 11/27)
2nd Optimal Goal Weight: 145
 
Sleeve Journey:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 8/17/12- PreOp/Surgery Day w/Pics Posted in Blog
Week 1 (8/24): 204.8 (-11.2)
Week 2 (8/31): 200.6 (-4.2)
Week 3 (9/7): 196.8 (-3.8)
Week 4 (9/14): 193.5 (-3.3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 9/17/12- 1 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-22.5 lbs)
Week 5 (9/21): 191.6 (-1.9)
Week 6 (9/28): 190.1 (-1.5)
Week 7 (10/5): 187.0 (-3.1)
Week 8 (10/12): 181.9 (-5.1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 10/17/12- 2 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-11.6 lbs)
Week 9 (10/19): 181.4 (-.5)
Week 10 (10/26): 177.9 (-3.5)
Week 11 (11/02): 176.8 (-1.1)
Week 12 (11/09): 174.7 (-2.1)
Week 13 (11/16): 173.3 (-1.4)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 11/17/12- 3 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-8.6 lbs)
Week 14 (11/23): 173.1 (-.2)
Week 15 (11/30): 167.3 (-5.8)
Week 16 (12/7): 168.1 (+.8)

This week I hit goal, and then some. Yesterday, I had an amazing opportunity to host a Medal of Honor recipient at my University and I was extremely excited. But things didn't go exactly to plan for my unoffical coming out party. How did D-Day go for me? Well, there were a lot of casualties... First off, I'm so happy I did my weight loss surgery, for ME, and me alone. Because I really had to put things into perspective. I had ex that said he was coming to the event, and a new guy I've been talking to for the past couple of weeks also RSVP. I was so psyched and really went all out getting ready, turns out NEITHER ONE of them showed up, and I felt quite dissapointed. I wanted to yell "TA DA!" but that opportunity was taken by their empty chairs... I was a little bitter and jaded about it- but then something interesting started to happen... I did a perfect performance with the event. Dozens and dozens of colleagues I hadn't seen in months were flipping out about how great I looked, my director was very pleased with everything, a friend from Ft. Benning did show up and took me too lunch and we walked all over campus chatting for the afternoon. Then I got a last second note that my team water polo end of season dinner was that evening (I missed the first announcement) and I walked in, and everyone gasped...
 
So while my love life might be in the dumps- I think it's safe to say a LOT of people in my life have noticed my weight loss, everyone has been dumb founded and when I saw this pic I posted- I barely recognized myself. I went from the verge of tears that afternoon, to complete peace coming home tin the evening after my team dinner. I know this is my journey, and I know that it's not one event that makes us who we are, it's the little everyday victories like being able to wake up and like what you see in the mirror that matters. And I really am starting to like what I see. And since I'm fairly religious, I will just throw it out there, that when I do meet Mr. Right, it will be on God's time, not mine. So I'm going to pick myself up, brush myself off, be thankful for my opportunities and another day to wake up and like the new me.Thank you all for being on this journey with me. ♥
 
Here is a pic from earlier today, me with medal of honor recipient Colonel Jacobs.
 
 
Height: 5'9
 
Highest (Surgery) Weight: 216
 
1st Primary Goal Weight: 169 (Achieved 11/27)
2nd Optimal Goal Weight: 145
 
Sleeve Journey:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 8/17/12- PreOp/Surgery Day w/Pics Posted in Blog
Week 1 (8/24): 204.8 (-11.2)
Week 2 (8/31): 200.6 (-4.2)
Week 3 (9/7): 196.8 (-3.8)
Week 4 (9/14): 193.5 (-3.3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 9/17/12- 1 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-22.5 lbs)
Week 5 (9/21): 191.6 (-1.9)
Week 6 (9/28): 190.1 (-1.5)
Week 7 (10/5): 187.0 (-3.1)
Week 8 (10/12): 181.9 (-5.1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 10/17/12- 2 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-11.6 lbs)
Week 9 (10/19): 181.4 (-.5)
Week 10 (10/26): 177.9 (-3.5)
Week 11 (11/02): 176.8 (-1.1)
Week 12 (11/09): 174.7 (-2.1)
Week 13 (11/16): 173.3 (-1.4)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 11/17/12- 3 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-8.6 lbs)
Week 14 (11/23): 173.1 (-.2)
Week 15 (11/30): 167.3 (-5.8)

When I weighed in on Wednesday, I was over -2 lbs down this week to 171.0, I worked out and everything was great... then came Thanksgiving. Let's be brutally honest people, I didn't gain weight compared to last Friday's weigh in, I stepped on the scale and saw 173.1 staring back me (I was 173.3 last week), so I consider my first official holiday success even though I only lost -.2 lbs this week. Hands down I'm guilty as sin for grazing all day, nibbling, and snacking away. I wasn't able to eat much at the actual sit down part, but I sure made my mini plate dent through the day. I only had one alcoholic beverage, and I tried to snack on protein (turkey) as much as possible. I've never been able to control myself as much as I have this year. I walked away satisfied, having tasted all the treats, but never getting more than two bites of anything. At first I felt a little guity, but driving home last night I felt victorious. I knew I had only eaten a fraction of what I normally do, and I even somehow managed to completely shy away from taking a ton of left overs home to continue the binge eating as I've done in the past. Double score. So I'll take my lowest weekly weight loss since surgery as a huge step forward. My first major holiday with friends was a success with my sleeve. I lost weight even on Thanksgiving week... and oh, am I ever so Thankful for my sleeve!!!
 
 
Height: 5'9
 
Highest (Surgery) Weight: 216
 
1st Primary Goal Weight: 169
2nd Optimal Goal Weight: 145
 
Sleeve Journey:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 8/17/12- PreOp/Surgery Day w/Pics Posted in Blog
Week 1 (8/24): 204.8 (-11.2)
Week 2 (8/31): 200.6 (-4.2)
Week 3 (9/7): 196.8 (-3.8)
Week 4 (9/14): 193.5 (-3.3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 9/17/12- 1 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-22.5 lbs)
Week 5 (9/21): 191.6 (-1.9)
Week 6 (9/28): 190.1 (-1.5)
Week 7 (10/5): 187.0 (-3.1)
Week 8 (10/12): 181.9 (-5.1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 10/17/12- 2 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-11.6 lbs)
Week 9 (10/19): 181.4 (-.5)
Week 10 (10/26): 177.9 (-3.5)
Week 11 (11/02): 176.8 (-1.1)
Week 12 (11/09): 174.7 (-2.1)
Week 13 (11/16): 173.3 (-1.4)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 11/17/12- 3 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-8.6 lbs)
Week 14 (11/23): 173.1 (-.2)

Sometimes it's hard to see progress until you put pictures side by side. I really haven't seen a difference in the mirror, but I have definitly noticed in my clothes. Pretty much everyone who see's me now see's a difference and can't help to comment. I'm 4 lbs away from my first goal that I set with my doctor to be at the highest healthy weight allowable by my BMI which is 169 lbs (I'm 5'9). I haven't seen the 160's in years, and I'm so thrilled to be so close. My optimal dream weight is actually 145 but I'm nervous that might not be attainable, and really I'm just happy to be in a healthy BMI. I've put in a lot of hard work to get where I am, and I'm kind of taking it easy over the next month, not really swimming but just enjoying the holidays. I have a date with my eleptical in my living room every night, and I'm okay with that. After the first of the year I will definitly surge and try working out hard core again. I'm hoping to see my first goal weight within the next couple of weeks.
 
Height: 5'9
 
Highest (Surgery) Weight: 216
 
1st Primary Goal Weight: 169
2nd Optimal Goal Weight: 145
 
Sleeve Journey:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 8/17/12- PreOp/Surgery Day w/Pics Posted in Blog
Week 1 (8/24): 204.8 (-11.2)
Week 2 (8/31): 200.6 (-4.2)
Week 3 (9/7): 196.8 (-3.8)
Week 4 (9/14): 193.5 (-3.3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 9/17/12- 1 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-22.5 lbs)
Week 5 (9/21): 191.6 (-1.9)
Week 6 (9/28): 190.1 (-1.5)
Week 7 (10/5): 187.0 (-3.1)
Week 8 (10/12): 181.9 (-5.1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 10/17/12- 2 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-11.6 lbs)
Week 9 (10/19): 181.4 (-.5)
Week 10 (10/26): 177.9 (-3.5)
Week 11 (11/02): 176.8 (-1.1)
Week 12 (11/09): 174.7 (-2.1)
Week 13 (11/16): 173.3 (-1.4)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 11/17/12- 3 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-8.6 lbs)

Hello fellow sleevers,
 
I hope this blog finds you all well. I am almost 7 weeks out since my leak was confirmed to have healed. Yay. I should get clearance from my surgeon soon to start going to the gym which I think will help with my over fitness (or more to the point, lack thereof). Generally things continue to improve. I still struggle (some days more than others) with a faintly sick feeling and a gurgling in my tummy. This usually means I am not eating quite enough or regularly enough. The less I eat at a meal, the more frequently I have to eat - and that depends on the day.
 
So this blog is about the stupid things I have done, repeatedly, since going back on normal foods. In no particular order (I decided not to rank my stupidity as these are all, quite frankly, ridiculous) are:
 
Drinking soft drinks (soda): Okay so this is mostly my several attempts to drink soda water. I've had a little lemonade and coke but it's so sweet I only did this a few times before deciding it wasn't worth it. What I have been slower in giving up is soda water (sparkling water). I keep stupidly thinking something would change and it would be okay to drink soda water but I've finally realised (after several uncomfortable and frankly painful experiences) that I should leave it well enough alone. Duh.
 
Eating Bread (of any kind): So being the genius that I am, I decided to try bread. I always feel kinda ill afterwards. And yet I continued to try it. White, multigrain, soft grains, wholemeal, sourdough...always left with the same feeling of discomfort and just generally a bit yuck. Thank goodness I have finally decided to LEAVE IT ALONE.
 
Eggs: Oh little eggies, how I loved you before surgery. I could have eaten half a dozen of you little buggers preferably poached, although I wasn't all that choosy. Now you have turned on me and make me very VERY ill. I no longer try to come to some kind of understanding with you...sometimes when you love something, you must set it free. Bye little eggies...you will be missed.
 
Milk: Another before surgery love. Now, to highlight my stupidity, I need to give a teensy bit of background - I am Lactose Intolerant. Have been for years. And depsite this, I would guzzle a 750mL Iced Coffee three times a day. Yes I'd get the runs. Yes, I'd feel pretty darn sick. But I'd still do it. Post-surgery, I am lucky to be able to have the lactose free milk on my cereal for breakfast. Milk (of any kind) makes me sick. As does icecream which is just wrong. No more yummy iced coffee's or frappe's. Gone for good...
 
Although it is taking me a while to work out what my sleeve needs, I feel I am making progress. It's slow. But I am learning to listen to what my body is telling me.
 
Quick weight update - I am 40 kg down from my surgery weight And this Monday (03.12.12) is offically 3 months since the initial surgery date. I am really happy with my weight loss so far and hope to lose another 5kg before Christmas.
 
Hope this finds you all well, sleevers! Talk soon, Lila

Hi All,
 
I am almost 6 months post-surgery (6/19/12) and have lost 87 lbs. I am now beginning to have trouble finding good low fat high protein foods to eat. I do get weak and light-headed especially when i exercise, so i question my protein intake levels.
 
Just hoping some of you experts had some recipes or good ideas on what to eat.
 
I am not drinking any protein shake just trying to get in by foods. How many of you who are at my stage still drink protein shakes?
 
Thanks for any info?

Kind of a sucky day for me because I was told by my surgeon that the pre-op diet was to begin 1 week prior to surgery.. Get a call yesterday evening, and of course they made a mistake, and it's 2 weeks prior. Needless to say, I had to officially begin this morning on liquids. I wasn't even mentally prepared for this. I had made plans to go have my "last meals" this weekend, as I love pizza and Olive Garden and knew they would probably never taste the same again. They also restricted tea and coffee, but as I arrived to work this morning, I could smell the Keurig brewing and I just couldn't resist. Yes I had a cup of coffee .. Already off to a bad start. I ended up going to buy a 1.5 liter of water so that I can drink to the point of fullness so as to ward off the hunger pains today.. gonna be a long 13 days ahead of me... Sucks

Havn't felt like updating my blog, limbo land can be a lonely desolate place, it is only my Trust in God and my hubby that is keeping me going.
I had a blood test for lupus 2 weeks on monday, don't know how long they will take.
Hoping they will be back on monday so the surgeon can look at them on tues.
Went to my local w l s support group last night, came away really down, even though the speaker was very good.
As i sat waiting for hubby to come and push me, he dropped me off in my wheelchair and had to go park the car, i saw another bunch of new applicants coming out holding their white papers and worried looks on their faces, i can spot them a mile off, and can only wonder how many will get there, and how long it will take them.
This year i had a chateract off my left eye on the 4th jan and it was good to start the new year with much better eyesight, am trying to be positive for the start of 2013, a new stomach and a new me, just got to try and not do too much damage over christmas, will only have to starve to get it off, so better not to overindulge.
Happy Christmas sleevers and sleevers to be, enjoy the build up to Christmas and have a blessed day and a fantastic new you in the new year, lots of love, xx

Hello fellow sleevers.
 
I am now three months out since all of my surgeries, both planned and emergency following my leak.
 
When I was discharged from hospital at the end of October, the leak test had showed the leak had healed but I was always worried that something would happen and it would come back.
 
I had my three month consult with my surgeon today and she said that given my overall improving health, fitness, weight loss etc that she is convinced the leak is totally healed and best of all, she has NEVER heard of someone getting another leak, particularly after three months. Which is the greatest!! It has given me such a confidence boost, and just what I needed!!!
 
The thought of getting sick again and going back to hospital really bothered me. Now, I feel like I am going to be right and my Dr's confirmed it for me. I am just so damn happy!
 
Oh, and I lost another two kilos this week. Now I am in the clear I can start exercising, so I am going to start heading to the gym soon! I hope it will help tone up and let the weight loss continue. Not that losing weight's been an issue so far, but after 40+kg (about 90 pounds so far), I figure it's going to slow down or even stop soon...just seems to be what other's experience.
 
Thanks again to all of those who have supported me and who have sent kind messages on this blog. I really appreciate it!!
 
Cheers, Lila

I weighed myself again today just for the fun of it... NOT a good idea. I gained a pound and now today I want to eat anything and everything.... of course I'm not doing that, but I WANT TO! I'm trying not to get down about "gaining." I hope it disappears and takes some more weight with it!
 
I'm still trying to exercise more, but am having a hard time just making myself do it. I don't know what my problem is... Any recommendations to get my butt in gear?!

I am 2 weeks post-op today. I'm feeling pretty good. I am starting to want to try new foods, but am scared to. I will wait until next week when I see my doctor for my post-op visit.
 
I weighed myself this morning and have lost 14 pounds since surgery. I'm happy with this amount, but of course always wish it was more. A pound a day... can't complain. I also have lost over 5 inches.
 
I have lost a total of 38 pounds since dieting and surgery... I still can't really tell that I've lost any weight other than my face is getting a little thinner and pants are getting a little looser than normal by the end of the day. That part is still so frustrating to me. For crying out loud, I just lost the same amount and my daughter weighs! A whole human being!
 
I'm not going to allow myself to become discouraged. I always remind myself that it took me 24 years to gain the weight, so I need to be patient and know that it won't al fall off overnight. I can't wait until things really start changing though!
 
I can finally pick up my kids. I LOVE it!!! They are the sweetest kids ever! They are my everything!
 
Things with my husband and I have gotten better (although they were never bad). He was so concerned about me going through with the surgery, but very encouraging. He is an excellent cheerleader and has helped to keep me on track a couple times that I wanted to stray. We went for a nice walk this afternoon and it was nice to just be together. I'm VERY blessed to have the most amazing family ever!
 
Life is good.

I'm getting sooo sick of stage 2 food. SO, tonight, I took some of my husbands tomato juice and added some chili powder to it, warmed it up and YUM!!!!!!!! It was a really really nice change. Healthy too! I normally do not like tomato juice, so getting the nutrients from it.
 
I gulped milk accidentally today. Not recommended... OUCH!
 
I am 11 days post op and have lost 14 pounds since surgery (38 total) and have met my first goal! I'm not sure about rewarding myself... I think my reward is that I am losing weight and feeling better!
 
I can tell I'm losing weight in my waist, but my top seems to be staying the same. I'm impatiently waiting to start changing sizes.
 
Today I signed up to become a member of the new Anytime Fitness that is going to open in my town next week. We got a good deal and I can't wait to take full advantage of it! I just hope my excitement doesn't wear off as quick as it has in the past.
 
I found out that the liquid omeperzole they gave me to take can be taken in the pill form. I think it is horribly cruel that they gave my a prescription for the liquid. I do NOT recommend it unless you are having a really hard time swallowing anything. I didn't have any problems and wish I would have known. I could not choke that stuff down. It is the nastiest medicine I've ever tasted in my life! To top it off, you have to "sip" it so it fills your mouth with its grossness about 5 times. I couldn't do it! I was told the Prilosec OTC can in a capsule and if you broke the capsule open it had a pill that was small enough to swallow whole. I got Prilosec OTC and it didn't have a picture on the box so I assumed it was the capsule... it wasn't. I just broke it in half and had no problems at all. Totally love it!!! I threw away the $30 bottle of liquid. Sucked to waste sooo much money, but my tummy needs to be protected!

Spending the whole day at work and zero protein shake! im on full liquids/pureed food, what can I eat that would give me the needed protein for today!?

hey guys! december 6th i will be one month post op. my co worker told me to take a before and after because she can already see the difference lol. i decided to wear the outfit from before surgery. so here it is!! so exciting

i need to get this ALL out before i insane. or i guess to prove that im NOT insane. nor do i have BEHAVIORAL ISSUE. lol i cant believe this. UGH anyways. lets start from September 5th.
September 5th was the last day of my 6 month NUT visits. completed and faxed over to my Surgeons office the same morning.
September 6th. I gave it a day and didnt call them. They received my paperwork but again i never called the Surgeons office because I was told my paperwork was complete and would be given to Kathy our Surgical Coordinator. In my mind i assumed everything was fine due to the fact that the notes in my file say i chose to go with the gastric sleeeve. I had also met with my Surgeon a month before making my final decision and he specifically said lap band would be a waste of time and probably have to be removed a year later due to all complications and issues. (plus i have a 2 year old and all the fills wouldnt be logical with my schedule.)
moving on.....i gave in and called the insurance directly because i was told that i would be submitted. not until the end of the business day did the say that got a call from my Surgeons office questioning authorization code something along those lines.
so i called my surgeons office and spoke with one of his nurses and advised what surgery i wanted and got transferred to voicemail. one of them call me back i think it was on the 10th. One of the nurses called me and said she needed to speak with the Surgeon and she was out of office for one day. they prolonged this all week and then i didnt find out until thursday the 13th that the coordinator ended up back with my chart NOT sure why but basically it had to be inter officed through the carrier to be present for my appointment on the 17th. so again no submittance to insurance.
Monday my appointment with my Surgeon was effective but short. The coordinator DID explain to me that she will not be submitting to insurance until after Monday AND that my Surgeon cannot schedule my pre op or surgery date until approval has been received, I TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD THIS. there was a handwritten note on my flie and my SURGEON took it upon himself to call the Coordinator while we were in our appointment. he fought for the push and understood that its not good practice to get the patients hope up and then be denied for some reason. I called the coordinator to explain to her that i FULLY understood but that My surgeon insisted on calling her. he took it upon himself to question and fight for me. SORRY cant control that
so basically that was that. i was told my chart would go back and it would be submitted the next day. so instead of bugging the coordinator i called my insurance. just to CHECK. ok great no submission. Wednesday i let it pass. didnt call anyone.
Thursday it is now the 20th and i talk to the coordinator. she says shes working half a day and that my file wont get submited. i hvae to wait for friday or Monday. so based on me i called insurance this morning hoping it would be there. THEY then asked me for her phone number. called her and then she called me.
she expressed that she explained these things to be over and over which i understood but i guess lack of communication from the beginning put me in paranoia and reading the forum just made me in the mind set of CALL CALL CALL.
basically my forms just got SUBMITTED TODAY. finally BUT that the entire group at the office has meetings a week and they brought up what if i have behavioral issues. are you serious??? because im anxious about my surgery>>?? because i know your busy but my case has been completed for weeks. because i have a 2 year old and work on a small team at work where our schedules are made waaaaay in advance and i work occassional weekends so its really important to know whats going on. i feel bad and sad that they would think of me this way but i feel like i didnt really do anything worng yeah a little obsessive but all in good reason. i told them that i also need more time to talk to my Surgeon during our appointments because there are things i still want verbal confirmation directly from him. i dont know it makes me feel low but i know in my heart that i DONT have behavioral issues. i was told to deal with the Coordinator only (even tho during this time i was going through an address change and had issues getting my address fixed) it may have seem like i called to check on approval but other things too.
all in all i was told not to raise red flags and if i have anxiety to meet with my dietitian or one of the nurses. sigh. yeah everyone has anxiety im just a working single mom who is anxious to start a new life. sorry but 7 months is gone and im ready. whatever i feel better and now the waiting game really begins.
for whoever reads this or made it to the end seriously am i crazy>???? honestly i know im not AND i see where they are coming from but.....come on.

starting weight 319
weight today 285.1! yessssss. dancing so excited. and i have an hour PT training session tonight. very excited and nervous about it.

I am 22 days post op and although all my incisions have healed there is one (the biggest incision) that has about a centimeter of it that's not completely healed, its red and this morning a saw pus coming out of it, its very small though, how should i treat this? Help!

My breath is absolutely horrible!!! My mom calls it "ketosis breath". It's bad!
I can't wait for the bad breath to go away! I hope it will be soon!!!

Well Fellow Sleevers, I have made it through my first major holiday and have to say I did pretty darn good!!! I was a little worried going into Thanksgiving because it is one of my favorite holidays in which to overeat. I was worried I would be a Grumpy Guss because I couldn't, but you know what...I was able to enjoy all the foods that I normally would! I had turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, rolls, pumpkin pie, etc. I just ate a WHOLE LOT less of it. I didn't feel deprived or anything. All in all I had a wonderful holiday and felt so good that even with the holiday I was still losing weight!!! That is a first for me. I am really looking forward to Christmas now that I know I can get through it successfully!!!

P.S. for those of you following my blog, I'd also like to add that in spite of the typical holiday stress, my anxiety is still steadily improving!!!!

I’ve made my decision. I just got my referral, and I’m signed up for my first seminar with the surgeon in 2 weeks. I’ve been addicted to VST for about a month, and I am a sponge absorbing everyone’s pre and post op stories. God bless the people of VST
 
I’ve had a weight problem all my life it seems, whether real or perceived. I’m tall, and I was always the biggest kid in the class in elementary school. I wasn’t an overweight child really. My older sister had a more petite frame, and I think in some ways just the fact that she was smaller made me identify with being a Big Girl before I ever really was. But when adolescence hit, I did indeed become overweight. I’ve always been hungry. My mom talks about how even as an infant still in the hospital, the nurses would have to bring me in for feeding well ahead of my scheduled feeding time – mom would get a call from the nurse’s station and could hear me shrieking in the back ground. We have discussed recently how interesting it was to have two daughters being raised the same way who had fundamentally different feelings about food.
 
I have a very clear memory of saying to myself at age 15 “If I don’t get control of my weight right now, I never will”. And I never really did, imagine that! I went up and down the next 25+ years! I actually look back at pictures of when I was 15, and think damn I was cute – I don’t look anywhere as big as I felt. I was 5’10” by 8th grade, and I felt that I was huge compared to my classmates. By the time I graduated high school though, I weighed 200 lbs. Still, looking back and comparing to where I am now, I wasn’t so bad off.
Through college I went up and down between 170 and maybe 220. I was a SERIOUS yo-yo dieter. By age 24, out in the professional world and having a failed romantic life, I got tired of being 235 lbs and joined Weight Watchers. And man, I was good at it! I got down to 160. But ya know, I was motivated by a failed romance, a situation in which I felt “if only I wasn’t overweight, I would be desirable”. With age comes wisdom, and I now know that the guy was just a total loser ANYways, I attended WW under the guise of adhering to their program, but in reality I just severely restricted my calories for almost a year. I lost weight, but I wasn’t exercising, so no doubt I harmed my metabolism BIG TIME. I was so successful that WW asked me to work for them as a group leader. I wish I hadn’t. It actually is a really good program; it teaches balanced eating habits and a healthy lifestyle in a very livable way. It works for SO many people long term. It just didn’t stick with me long term. The weight came back, and a bunch more. Same old story that so many of us had lived.
 
Then I discovered diet pills! Hoorah! I was able to go from about 250 to 185, and I lost a bit of my sanity as well – because it is essentially speed. Very bad scene for me. And again, no exercise, just severe caloric restriction. So when I stopped, back came the weight. And the beginnings of other health problems. In my early thirties, I moved to Hawaii. Hit 279. Yikes! Desperate, I went back to diet pills.
 
I got down to 206 and met the man who would become my husband. As we got to know each other, I learned that he actually prefers women who are not stick figure skinny. He told me early on that I was his “dream girl” in mind, spirit, and body. How lucky am I?!? He seems attracted to me no matter what. He loves how I am now, loved how I was then, and has expressed appreciation for photos of me when I was 100 lbs smaller. He loves me no matter what! So I dropped the pills (he never knew about), and the weight crept up. Even as I’ve gained weight, he’s still chased me around like that little cartoon skunk on Looney Tunes, and (lucky me!) he tells me how gorgeous and sexy I am every chance he gets even all these years later. He’s fine with the fact that I will never be ‘petite’. He is, however, extremely athletic, and as the years have gone by and my weight has crept back up he misses me going on hikes and paddle boarding with him. He still thinks I’m sexy-as-hell, but he loses an awful lot of sleep because of my snoring. We both wish I had more energy and confidence. I love him dearly, and I love that he loves my voluptuousness, but he also loves me enough to want me to feel good.
I tried medi-fast. That one was really was bad for me – maybe I lost about 20 lbs, but then I would go crazy with hunger and undo all the good I’d done. Three years after we met, I got to 282. OMG, it sucked. Tired, sick, sleepy – no way to live a good life. Apnea while awake and just watching TV! I contemplated WLS. I shared this with DH, and he encouraged me to research it and committed his support with whatever I chose. What an angel.
 
Well at that time several years ago – RNY and the band were pretty much it, and I didn’t like either choice. I won’t go into my concerns with those 2 procedures here, but I decided if that’s what WLS was, it wasn’t for me. DH has said many MANY times since then how GLAD he was that I didn’t opt for surgery….
 
So I joined <national prepackaged meals diet program>. I lost 40 lbs within a few months. It’s another great program that works for a lot of people. A family member of mine in fact has lost 70 lbs and kept it off! But…..it didn’t stick for me. I’m still going all these years later, but in the last year I’ve gained back 20 of the 40 lbs I had lost. Never even got down anywhere close to goal. I’m just SO been-there-done-that. I get too freaking hungry. I cheat the program. I feel like a huge failure. I comfort those feelings with food. More eating leads to even more hunger because of blood sugar swings, and more feelings of failure. I set myself up for failure with the old “Last Supper Syndrome”, you know the one – where you tell yourself you’ll get back on track tomorrow, so you may as well absolutely make the most of it tonight…and then tomorrow never comes.
 
So here I am today: 260, feeling a fool, kinda half-arsed doing <national prepackaged meals diet program>, exhausted, sore and tired of it all. A month ago, I saw a new doctor (because surely this can all be fixed with the right medication, right?) and he – unsolicited- advocated WLS. I was like “No, I don’t want surgery. My husband wouldn’t want me to have surgery.” So the doctor ordered a battery of tests – you know, all the blood work, fasting and then with the sugar drink. Man that day was hard – afterward I was cold and shakey and had to take a 3 hour snap. Apparently I don’t handle a super-dose of carbs very well!
 
What this doctor had brought up interested me. Over the next month, I again researched WLS. This time, I discovered the sleeve. I devoured every bit of info I could find on it. And….everything that was a turn-off for me about the other WLS options was resolved when it comes to the sleeve. I learned about grehlin, the hunger hormone in the lining of the stomach, and realized that’s what has driven me since birth to be so hungry! The thing is, once you become overweight and then obese, the problems just snowball and your body chemistry gets farther away from normal. I do take responsibility for it having gotten out of control. But I feel validated knowing I had this challenge from the beginning whereas people like my sister, and DH, didn’t. I have discussed all this with DH and we have agreed that he just doesn’t understand what it’s like to have a weight problem.
 
…So when I brought up WLS with DH this time, his immediate reaction was “I’m against it.” At that point I had already fully gotten on board with the idea myself, and was so excited and so hopeful for a healthy life, that when DH shut me down like that, I felt almost as though he had signed my death sentence. I know I’m being dramatic, but I also know many of you reading this will understand where I’m coming from. So I went and researched some more. I found VST – awesome! I’m so grateful for VST! More educated, I approached DH again, and was again shut down. He 1) doesn’t believe my weight is that big of a problem and 2) believes if I just eat less and move more I can overcome this. He seems to think It’s a moral and strength-of-character issue. You all know that line of thinking. But, I’m convinced that if he had been along for the ride with me all of the past 30 some-odd years that I've struggled with this, he would understand better.
 
We enjoy a spectacularly healthy relationship and approach life as a team – this is one thing though, that we don’t come at from the same place. So the problem here is twofold – not only is it something we don’t see eye to eye on, but it is so rare that we don’t see eye to eye, that to not to is additionally disturbing! We do have a relationship of equality too – reading the last paragraph one might not think that. Truth is, I can do what I want, but what I ultimately want is for us to be on the same page with it. I need his support.
 
After Thanksgiving at my parents’ house, we came home and DH said out of the blue “See, if you had WLS, you’d never enjoy Thanksgiving again.” And thus opened a long and detailed discussion about WLS and the sleeve in particular—what it is, what it does, how one lives a sleeved life. And by the end of our conversation, you know what? He said he’ll support me. Woo HOO!
 
So I’ve been to the doctor again for the results of the tests, and I’m prediabetic. If I stay this weight and just get older, I will become diabetic. If I gain weight any time soon, I will become diabetic sooner. My BMI is like 38.5. I’m worried because my insurance says approval is for BMI of >40 or 35+ with comorbidities. The rest of my bloodwork is fine. The doctor is sending me for a sleep test for apnea and feels that will suffice for comorbidity. Pretty sure I have it, but what if I don’t? He's also putting me on (can’t remember the name) the medicine that Type II and prediabetics take to help regulate blood sugar, and it does often cause *some* weight loss.
 
DH asked last night (with a tone that was, to me, antagonistic) “What if, while you’re out for surgery, the doctor decides to also perform liposuction?” And I was like WTF are you talking about? that’s as absurd as him giving me a nose job during WLS! Well, I guess I was a little too vehement in my reply, because he got offended. And adheres to the belief that these two surgeries are absolutely along the same lines. He reiterated that he doesn’t want me to have WLS (although he will support me).
 
I can tell by his relating liposuction to WLS that he *still* REALLY doesn’t understand what this surgery is about. Seriously! He’s a really intelligent guy, my DH. Extremely intelligent, actually. But I thought this was pretty ridiculous. Part of me thinks he really needs to be made aware of how vastly different these two surgeries are, not only on a surgical level, but also in motivation, intent and result. Not to mention -- my surgeon wouldn’t do anything I hadn’t signed off on, even if he was trained in cosmetic surgery and had a lipo wand on hand in case the spirit moved him. (Yes, sarcasm)
 
So, is it necessary to try to educate DH more on this? To make sure he knows this is not a cosmetic/vanity surgery (like when his ex a decade ago got breast implants)? Or would it be advantageous to just let him think it is more along the lines of a boob job or lipo, so that he doesn’t grow overly concerned about the seriousness of WLS and go back to saying he absolutely won’t support it? No, I think it better to be straight forward as we have always been with each other. I so whole-heartedly believe that this is the right thing for me, and that I am an excellent candidate.
 
Thanks to all those sharing their stories. Hope I can pay it forward someday. My blog entries should be of more reasonable length in the future

so on december 18th i go for my last visit. my pcp has to fax over everything to insurance. god i hope i get approved! she says it usually takes a week IF that! im super excited. i go for my lab work on january 4th so im hoping i have my surgery date before then.
 
my surgeon requires a 5 day liquid diet. i wonder why its just five days? i dont even care. thats better than 2 weeks!

so on december 18th i go for my last visit. my pcp has to fax over everything to insurance. god i hope i get approved! she says it usually takes a week IF that! im super excited. i go for my lab work on january 4th so im hoping i have my surgery date before then.
 
my surgeon requires a 5 day liquid diet. i wonder why its just five days? i dont even care. thats better than 2 weeks!