BrainyBabe

Click on my name and then "send me a message."

I had surgery w/ Dr. Garcia 12/19/2012 and had a very positive experience. You are in good hands. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or I can be of support in any way.

Top Ten Reasons to "not" have WLS. Great video that addresses the main objections you'll hear from friends/family.

Great! What you do with your body is no one's business. I only told a handful of people and everyone else is just amazed by how good I look. :-)

My goal was to lose 60 lbs and I'm more than halfway there thanks to VSG. This is the best thing I've ever done. I finally feel somewhat in control of my eating habits thanks to this wonderful tool.

OMG! That's kind of sick! Cancer, AIDS, cocaine addictions, etc. are a terrible way to lose weight! When I was little my aunt told me that no guy will ever love me if I'm fat. Great message to send a 6-7 year-old, huh?

We should start a new blog entitled "insensitive comments stupid people make." I've had my share of comments too though I've never been huge. One memorable one is going to buy a cookie in the mall. The pimple-faced teenager behind the counter asked me "do you really think you should be eating that?" Huh? I was stunned. Another time a black guy in a parking lot whispered to me "chubby...I like that!" He meant it as a compliment of course... I've heard the "you have such a pretty face" comment many times. My mother has been the biggest critic of my weight my entire life. She is a fatty-phobe and even led to the demise of a relationship I had with an awesome guy who treated me like a queen...and was a lawyer/judge who did very well. Why didn't she like him? Because he didn't meet *her* weight/attractiveness criteria. Imagine my shock when I visited my mother in Florida two weeks ago. She was so impressed by my weight loss...and all the compliments *her* friends/neighbors were giving her about "how beautiful" her daughter is, etc. that she gave me a monetary gift towards the surgery I had in December. This woman hasn't given me a dime since I was 18 and all of a sudden throws money at me since I conform to her beauty standard. I have such mixed feelings about this that I still haven't cashed the check... Weight issues/addictions are emotional and it's clear that our family members contributed to them. Fortunately we're all adults and can take charge of our lives. Alexis

Make sure you try them on as you lose weight. Since I was *scared* of clothes I missed the window of opportunity for wearing some of them! :-)

I'm wearing my old clothes that didn't remotely fit before. In fact, I have some clothes I bought "for when I lose weight" that still have tags on them. I tried them on last week and found that I can't wear them...but for a different reason... because they're now too big!! It's a shame but I'm definitely *not* complaining. This procedure is literally life-changing...in a positive way!!

I can totally related! I've had many family members and total strangers make inappropriate comments, and my self confidence was on the floor. Since having surgery on 12/19/2012 I've lost 33 lbs and feel great!! Best of all, my mojo has been returning. I'm happier and more flirtatious than I've been in a long time. Once I lose the remaining 27 lbs I will be unstoppable...and somewhat dangerous! This is undoubtedly one of the best decisions I've ever made. Go for it!! XOXO, Alexis

If you weren't nervous there would be something seriously wrong with you. :-o I was a nervous wreck and asked the anesthesiologist to give me something for nerves. He basically knocked me out in my room and my next memory was being back in the room post-op. I don't remember the trip to the O.R, being in recovery, etc, The procedure went smoothly and the worst part of the entire experience was the draiin. My doc always uses a drain but not all do. Does Dr. Kelley? This is major surgery and the only thing you can do is research, ask questions, perform due diligence, etc. Then there's the final component: faith that everything will turn out as you expect. Alexis

TOTALLY WORTH IT!! I'm 5'8.5", weighed 211 on surgery day and now weigh 181.5 a bit over two months out. I feel great and am half-way to goal. This is the best thing I've every done for myself. I'm happy for you.

I was sleeved by Dr. Garcia on 12/19/2012 and am doing great! I love my sleeve and have lost a tad under 30 lbs in two months. I am happy, happy, happy. Dr. G and his team are amazing. You are in good hands.