MichiganChic

Wow. You can't make that shit up. I think you showed marvelous restraint. Your response really left no room for one from her. What did her face look like when you said that? You have to tell us how she is the next time you see her! I hope she's properly ashamed, but I sort of doubt it.

Congratulations on your healthy BMI! I had to chuckle a little when I read that. I still find myself thinking "I should try that" every time I see a weight loss commercial or see a show about how to lose weight, or read some new fabulous weight loss method in a magazine. I get excited for a minute to see there is new research on obesity drugs. Then, after a second, I realize that I don't need to do that anymore. I am still thrilled with that realization, every time it happens, but it kind of surprises me at how it's ingrained! I just shift to knowing that I've found a way to be thin, and I have to keep doing that, and it's working for me. I think over time my mind will adjust as this lifestyle becomes more ingrained than the old.

I see you've only had six posts, so I'd suggest you do a search, and you'll see the responses others receive for this type of comment/question. I think it's easy to get so focused on our weight, and expect to lose several pounds a day, that we lose sight of reality. It happens to the best of us. Think about the loss of those 14 pounds as just the beginning. That is 14 pounds that are gone, and never coming back. You'll soon see that this is wonderful. Keep up the good work.

Stick around long enough, or search deep enough, and you'll find plenty of stories of people eating hamburgers at two days post op, chewing and spitting, or eating around their sleeves. I think one of the reasons you see more posts of model patients is because we are the ones who are determined to make the changes required, accept the limitations, and do the hard work needed, and because of our commitment, so we come here for support. People who can't or won't do that most likely are not going to keep coming to a community of people who are. As for your list, it's a good one. Many of the items on it probably true for most of us. I am sorry that you are hungry and craving food. Have you been able to determine the difference between true hunger and just wanting food? It's hard to tell, especially at first. I spent my whole life not really knowing the difference, but since the sleeve, I've learned there is a subtle difference. I always find myself hungry at the end of the work day, and I want to eat everything that's not nailed down when I get home. I really have to fight against that. It's from years of habit and a way of dealing with work stress. It's not pleasant at all, and to my brain and body, it feels like hunger, but I resist the urge to feed it. It's when my will power is necessary. If I can find a pleasant distraction, or get a little exercise, I find that hunger actually lifts. It took me a long time after surgery to finally figure out the difference. I am happy for you that you are happy you had the surgery! I bet you'll be one of the ones coming here, determined to succeed. It's so worth all the work we have to do!

@@HappygoSusan I know what you are talking about! I also live in fear of regain, and have to proactively prevent it every day. We all know how easy it would be, and the realization that's it is actually possible is terrorizing to me, at least. I'm also at the two year mark, and we know statistically this is when regain starts - another scary factoid! I always have been, and still am a stress eater. The difference is now I know it, I feel the difference between wanting to eat for stress and wanting to eat for hunger, and often I can control the stress eating by exercise and distraction. That's when good ole will power actually can help me. So, you have your fitbit and the knowledge of what it takes to be thin from that past two years of experience. You obviously also have the drive to maintain it, and I think a healthy fear of regain. You also have us for support. When you think of all that, compared to what you had before surgery, you can see you still have all the tools to continue your success. You got this.

Check this article out: https://www.yahoo.com/style/10-reasons-2014-was-major-for-plus-size-105447540238.html Seriously, it's no wonder we are all on BP and in our daily lives with the inability to determine a good weight for ourselves, or determine if we meet society's weight standards, or even decide if we look good. While I thought it was a great article that and it's about time there is more options for plus size clothing than ever before, I was struck by the fact that CK is passing off a thin, size 10 girl as and "inbetweener" or plus size. Absurd! When this is in the media and it's what we have to compare ourselves to, it adds the already prevalent body issues obese women have. It's easy to say "don't compare yourself to that", and even though the most concrete and logical thinker knows that, it still sends the message that pervades society about women should look like. And labeling healthy, thin people as "inbetween" or "plus size" when in fact they are thin infuriates me. I've fought hard to get to what I think is a normal size, and maintain a healthy weight, and if I took this sort of thing at face value, I'd be certifiable. Good thing I'm almost in a size 8 and a small/medium; maybe I can avoid keeping the label I've had all my life - fat. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Discuss.

Congratulations on your three year mark, and your continued success! You're a great inspiration to us all, and so we applaud you! I'm interested in the fact that your NUT said you are eating too much quantity. Did she say what is too much quantity? I think that my capacity is higher than I'd like, and I know I can eat about a cup or more of food, depending on what it is. The dietitian in my doc's office said that at a year, a cup is pretty normal, and OK.The trick is to not graze. I also noticed when I was doing 5:2 that restriction returned pretty quick. I'm two years out, and I am really hoping the capacity doesn't continue to increase! Do you think yours increased from a year ago? Either way, you obviously know what you need to do succeed. I'm impressed that you are proactive and allow someone to analyze your eating habits in order to continue your success. Even though we all "know" what to do if we've been successful, I think an objective second party can be helpful. Here's to the next 12 months of continued success!

Thought I'd bump this thread to the top. It's been two years since we had our sleeves, and I'm wondering if anyone is still around? How are you all doing? I'm doing great, and still so happy I had the sleeve! Down 165 pounds from my highest weight, but still have a few to go. Not sure if I'll ever make it, but not that worried about it anymore. Maybe I'll work the last few off in 2015.

I agree, getting it all done at once is a bonus! This recover is so much easier that LBL and arms, but I still can't imagine adding any more misery to that first assault, lol! I am already thinking about my face, too! Actually, not my face so much as my neck. I don't mink looking my age, but I sure hate looking older, and I think my neck makes me look older. I just don't want to mess with my face too much. I'm debating on trying the laser, or maybe just going for a neck lift. The girls in my docs office were telling me about a procedure that she does in her office and only involves the neck..... I swore I wouldn't get sucked into the vortex of plastics, but seems like one thing leads to another! I find myself thinking - just one more tweak - as if I were decorating my house or something! But your face looks great to me. What are you thinking about?

In Michigan, I paid around 24K for all of it. My insurance paid an additional 3-4K, as it covered the panni. I went to a reputable surgeon about an hour from my home. I had another consult about 30 minutes in the other direction from my home and in another state, and the costs were about the same, but without the legs.I chose my particular surgeon because she didn't think doing the legs would be a problem at all, and the other guy said there was no way he could do them. Since they are now done and look much better, I think she was right! I seriously considered going to Mexico, but decided against it because the travel is just so far, I couldn't fathom it. I felt like I would need to stay 2-3 weeks and didn't want to be away from home that long. I've seen some great results, though. The costs really depend on the part of the country you go to, and they vary greatly from physician to physician.

My young, ulta-cool daughter is something of a hipster. It's cool, and something to aspire to She dragged me to yoga. I, on the other hand, aspire to be basic! And yet I like yoga!

Thank you! I did have the sewing of the abs - I've been calling abdominoplasty. And it really hurts. Mine were separated pretty wide, probably from pregnancy, she said. I'm sure morbid obesity didn't help any! Why are you not going to have that done?

Two years out, and still cold. Not quite as bad as when I was losing. Even in the middle of summer when everyone else is sweating and miserable, I'm not! I love that part. I don't love freezing in Michigan winters, though! I have a lot of warm clothes and blankets. This type of cold is almost painful, and I don't expect it to ever go away totally.

@@AvaFern congratulations to you on your recent plastics! Don't you just love your arms? I refer them as my "freakishly thin arms" even though there is nothing freakish about them. They were fat my entire life, and then super flabby and still fat, so this seems so foreign to me. I love the way they fit in clothes. The scars were a great trade off for me. My fingers swelled up like stuffed sausages, too. you couldn't see any veins or bones in my hands, and the skin was shiny. I thought the arms hurt worse than the abdonimoplasty at first, because they were just so tight. I had my butt done with the abdominoplasty, and it's way way better than it was. Looks great in clothes, but nothing is ever going to be as good as that belly, lol! I'm with you, I want to feel like it's all one body and have it match. I think that it does for the most part. I also have to remember that I'm 52 and weighed over 300 pounds for years. That's a lot to recover from, so all of this is just icing on the proverbial cake

@@hadouni what's an ab plication? I didn't love the drains from my abdominplasty at all! I have them now in my groin (and they are inserted all the way into my knees!) but they don't bother me that much. Kind of dreading having them removed, though! Yeah, I gotta say, my belly looks phenomenal. She did such a great job, I can't believe it! I can post a pic of that. This was at about 4 weeks post op, so still swollen. You are no doubt going to love it! Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

@@CowgirlJane my thighs were just AWFUL. I had really uneven, droopy skin, terrible cellulite, and puddles of fat and skin around my knees. I can see that I still have some cellulite, but it's a million times better. I don't anticipate it improving with time. Even with the swelling, though, they already look so much better. Pretty even, and fairly lump free The long scars are worth it to me. You could see all those puddles of fat and skin through my clothes, even with shapewear. And that was really miserable in summer months. I could never wear slim pants because my knees looked square in them, lol! I've seen your pics, and I think your thighs look great. I don't think I would have gotten the long scar if I were you, either. I never took any pics, but I'm going to get them from my doc, and post them here along with the "finished' product at some point. And I agree, recovery is slow from plastics. I can't imagine having everything done at once!

I am very happy with the results, and I'm glad I did it, and I'd do it again. However, only you know if you can handle the risks. It's a very personal decision that no one else can answer for us, because while the risk is low, if you get a complication, you have it 100%.

I can see it! Congrats! Cute daughter, too.

No weight loss in 2ish weeks post-op is most likely due to fluid retention. Having your stomach cut out causes inflammation and our bodies respond by hanging on to water. It will start to come off. Once it does, it might be slow, or it might be fast. We are all individuals, but one thing for sure, it will come off. Your body just can't hang on to weight when you are taking in so few calories. Deep breath.

@@mmckaskle Your question is vague and I don't know how to answer it. What does falling off the bandwagon mean? What are you ordering that you think is wrong? What are you eating? You're almost 2 months out, so I assume you've had some success. What have you been doing so far? Do you have surgical team you can turn to? Give a little more specifics so people can respond with something that might help.

@RJ'S/beginning First, you belong here on BP. You are a wonderful host, and you bring a different perspective. All that you have been through makes you uniquely qualified to discuss the painful complications you've had that others would benefit from hearing. If I were going through something like that, I would come to sites like this and look for someone like you, because I would want to know that there is hope. You offer that people. Second, you are a success, and no one can take that away from you, and most certainly not with words. One thing I've learned about the medical community, is that they tend to be single minded in approach, and their single mind is focused around their specialty. If you had back pain and you went to a surgeon, he'd want to operate. If you went to a pain specialist, he'd want to inject you. If you went to a psychiatrist, he'd want to treat you with imagery. If you went to a GP, he'd try to manage it with pain meds. If you went to a sports medicine, he'd try to treat you with physical therapy. All of that's a little simplistic, but you get the picture. I wonder if you aren't focusing too much on his words? Just because he is calling you a survivor, it doesn't take away the fact that you are also successful, does it? It's just semantics, and in truth, he's right. You've survived A LOT, and are still dealing with that outcome. And I think surviving all that you have speaks to your wonderful spirit! I think you should be proud that you survived AND succeeded! He's just simply looking at it from his perspective, and that is treating the reactive hypoglycemia. I do hope he can figure out how to make that happen soon, so you can feel better an move on with the wonderful life you have successfully created for yourself!

As the other said, everyone loses at a different rate. As long as we are doing what we are supposed to, which includes a calorie restriction (varies by program) then we are doing all we can. I hate it when I see people's physician's chastising for not losing fast enough. I think sometimes it is because they have to report those stats to maintain their center of excellence or something, though I don't know that for sure. Sometimes our bodies do what they want, when they want. As I lost weight, there was no rhyme or reason to why some months I would lose 15 pounds, and other months I'd lose 8. On average, over time, I lost about 10 pounds a month, which is 2-3 pounds a week. As long as that scale is going in the right direction, we are successful!

The heavier you are, the more it takes to be noticeable to others, and the more it takes to go down clothing sizes. I lost about 50-60 pounds before anyone really noticed. I could tell almost right away, because I was looking for it. Yet, that same brain could never, and still really can't used to the change. It's the strangest thing - on one hand I can see that I'm thin, and on the other hand, I think I must be seeing it wrong. It's almost like somewhere in my mind I think it's too good to be true. Once you hit a certain point, people will start noticing and you'll need new clothes more often than you can even believe. It's a good problem to have

That's a great success story, congratulations! Update your ticker, and keep up the good work!

Good for you! Glad you got your drains out and are doing well! Can't wait to see your pics