TheCurvyJones

Two months out. I eat normally. Just...... pace yourself. You will fill up before you know it and then be overfull and THAT is miserable.

NO unders. No catheter either. My surgeon didn't go below the belly button. I didn't shave or anything either... I wasn't trying to date him.

Sounds YUMMY!

LW: 228.8 CW: 226.4 Challenge goal: 215 Lbs to go 11.4

Hi. Welcome to my quest. I turned 38 on March 25th at a whopping 273 lbs-- the heaviest I have ever been on my birthday. I dieted down to about 243 by June 1.... and then bounced between 243 and 238 ever since. As of this moment I am sure I am over 250. I have been fat since my teens, so a very long time. I have been as low as 218, but I haven't seen that number since the end of 2007. I haven't been under 200 lbs since I was in high school. On top of that, I am legally blind and I wear very thick glasses. I am awkward, shy, and painfully introverted. A fun night in is a bowl of popcorn and a good book or all my internet buddies. I know nothing about makeup and most days I don't give a crap what I look like. I don't date at all. Men aren't interested in me even if I wanted to date, so that makes it easy to just not care. I am scheduled for Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy on December 21, 2012. I've told myself that I have a bit over a year to get my act together and be 'fahn'-- not pretty, not 'okay if you're looking at her from far away', not 'well the fat one has a pretty face', not 'would be so pretty if she was thin'-- FAHN. It's a word that my friends and I use when we mean more than pretty, more than beautiful, more than hot, more than sexy. FAHN. By 40. I will be there. Since I have a bit of time before my surgery and I am ANXIOUS about it, I need a project to distract me. I am going through things I want to do to make changes and one of those things is my face. Well, the skin on it. I have facial hair, I have melasma (dark brown patch on my cheek), I have stubby eyelashes, I don't wear makeup and I don't really give a second thought to what my brows look like. Tangentially my hair is frequently just in a ponytail. I don't do anything to it and rarely have the desire to. So to distract myself I am working a bit on my appearance while I prep for life changing surgery. I have ordered a Clarisonic Mia and I'll be tracking it in Nov to see if things improve on my face. I am also looking to get a scrip for Vaniqua so that I can start stunting the growth of hair. Drinking more water to make sure my skin stays clear, once I get it there. And in general starting to care about myself and my appearance. My dad was recently in town and preached to me about loving myself. I'm trying, dad. Working on it. A few befores. May I never be this fat again. I'm the one in orange/ the one in the long dress w/blue sweater

The Die Hard sequel was kind of weak. If you like crazy driving and things blowing up though, it's entertaining. I saw it Opening Night and did NOT have popcorn at the theater. Tempted, but I had just had dinner (a little too much dinner) so I decided not to press my luck. The only thing about popcorn that concerns me is the salt. it was one of my fave Snacks and I am not forbidden any foods at this point. Last weekend I bought and popped a small bag. Took me a couple of days to finish it. Zero issues. And I haven't had another. I satisfied the craving.

My Nine week/ two month upadate! HW: 273 SW: 250 Month 1: 232 LW: 228 CW: 226 Total Loss: 46lbs Loss since surgery: 24lbs Loss this week: 2lbs (i deleted all the .4 and .8 and I might stop tracking them… I really don’t care about partial numbers that much)

Was really 4-6 weeks that I felt I had a lot of energy and was 'myself'. It gets better and better. I didn't have any post op pain and have had no food intolerances or anything so it was really just an issue of having energy and stamina. That really does take a while to come back.

This makes me feel better! I'm like.....why am I losing so slowly! Ah well!!!

Today is my 2 month surgiversary! :confetti: 12/21- 250lbs 1/21- 232.8 (-17.2) 2/21- 226.4 (-6.4) 23.6 lbs total loss.I’d be pissed if I wasn't looking so small right now. Definitely more inches than lbs lost. I did measure myself a month or so ago, and I only really care about my Hips, Waist and chest so here are those: C: 38- 35 (-3) W: 36.8-34.8 (-2) H: 50.9-49.0 (-1.9) I set my next goal at I think 215 by St Patrick’s Day. Not sure if I’ll make that but Ima try.

I've never used mine. I just box up half or 3/4ths of what I am eating or don't order it.

As you get further out, you'll be able to eat more food because the swelling will have reduced in your sleeve. You're discovering your true capacity and now you get the chance to set your daily caloric intake. Measure your food, eat if you're hungry, get something in every few hours. My sleeve throws a fit if I don't toss some food down there once in awhile. We're not made to go hours and hours without eating. Also make sure you're on a PPI (acid inhibitor). Many times new sleevers feel 'hunger' when it's really acid over production. The feeling is about the same.. Rumbling and grumbling and generally making a lot of noise. Your calorie level is fine, especially if it's WORKING.

Used it twice. It was annoying to me.

That's tonight! Check it out if you can! http://www.facebook.com/ObesityChat

So when we landed in San Antonio and Rosie arrived with the patients that had just been sleeved and were staying there for the night before flying back, my Sleeve Buddy and I were watching everyone as they checked in and went to their rooms. Everyone was all animated and smiling and chatting. Couldn't tell which were the patients and which were the companions. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows and thought..........okay this isn't gonna be so bad. Then one of the patients came back down to reassure us that everything was going to be great, she wasn't in ANY pain, and she felt great. That meant the WORLD... so nice of her! The countdown will go pretty quickly. Get ready!!!! If you have any questions about Dr A, Eagle Pass, Piedgras Negras or anything, let me know, I'd be happy to answer them!

I think I had a brief moment of WHAT DID I DO TO MYSELF!? But I was so excited and so busy post op that it passed quickly. Now I'm completely happy I did it.

Bren, they basically turn to mush in the stomach so you can fit in more. It's not that you won't get full, it's that you'll be able to eat MORE of them because they 'slide' right through the sleeve. Foods like ice cream, etc are essentially liquid anyway, which empties quickly. MOre dense foods like meat and fibrous veggies "stick around" and need time to digest, which keeps you full longer.

My surgeon's response to this question: Sleeve stretching is known with time. The sleeve will never ever stretch out to the original size though. But the larger the original sleeve (larger bougie used in surgery) and if funds of the stomach is left behind you will have a tendency to stretch out your sleeve. Nowadays most surgeons use bougies between 32-36 which reduces this risk. The surgical technique is important to make sure the sleeve is done correctly and removing the part of the stomach called funds (which also reduces the Ghrelin hormone). Now, patients with sleeves will notice that the restriction is amazing at the first few weeks at that is mainly due to the swollen tissue of the stomach because of the recent surgery. It is not your real capacity. As the swollen tissues comes down your stomach will have more "space" to hold food but still a fraction of what you used to eat prior to surgery. The etiology of the bypass patient who regains weight is or stretches the pouch is quite different since RNY patients have an anastomosis that will distend with time along with the small intestine that will enlarge in diameter giving more capacity to the patient. Since the sleeve lacks all these issues you just need to focus on healthy food and make the most of the weight loss specially the first 12 to 18 months. And here is the vid he shot on this subject back in January: So, yes like the previous poster, you will be able to eat a 'normal' sized meal eventually. However, your sleeve should never stretch the point it was before. Nor will it stretch like an RNY pouch, requiring revision like stomaphyx or other techniques. For the record, Dr Alvarez typically uses a loose 32 French Bougie. With this size I have incredible restriction at 8 weeks but my sleeve is not so small as to be intolerant or particularly picky. Recovery has been really easy for me.

99.9% of surgeons recommend waiting a year to get pregnant. I don't get clearance at 5 weeks. Not at all.

I am in! CW: 228 GW: 215 lbs to lose 13-- lofty goal, we will see if I make it.

Am in for the next challenge!

oops I meant to post in this challenge thread. There are two Valentine's Day challenges. I'm all confused. Anywayz. I hit my VDay goal on Saturday... trying to see if I can beat it by the official end of the challenge.

Yep, his pain management philosophy is that you should not be in any pain. Ask him about it when you get to his office. He numbs from the inside, and you'll get paid meds on discharge. Not a big deal whatsoever.

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