MichiganChic

But back to the original topic - When I first starting coming here, I didn't know how to use the site. I had a lot of clinical knowledge about surgery and statistics, and had great prep from my medical team, but I didn't have a lot of first hand, real life information. I got lots of great information and didn't need to ask those questions, because someone else always did, just like they are now. People usually answer, and you'll get a variety of responses. So, while you can search, it's a little less interactive that way. Some people probably need the interactive support group environment, as opposed to a research type of interaction. As for the ability or inability to enjoy or even realize it's a "journey", I think that comes with time for many people. It takes a long time to really figure out how weight loss works for some people, particularly if they have not been successful. I think most people understand it's not magic or automatic, but no one wants to find that they are the only one it "won't work" for. When you are eating almost nothing compared to what you used to eat and have so far to go and have no history to tell you it will be OK, I think it's normal to get a little worried. In the beginning, I was sure every pound I lost would be the last. I still think that, lol! And one other thing about the "hurry". Once we've made up our minds, we want to see progress. It's human nature to want instant gratification. It's one of the reasons we eat. And quite truthfully, of you are like me, you can put on weight WAY faster than you can lose it. I've found it much easier to be patient at this weight than at 300 pounds. At least I can look and feel pretty good while I'm waiting to finish my "journey". And I say "finish" because that's how I feel. I want to check the box. Goal accomplished. Complete what I set out to do. Then I can start the next "journey". For me, it's easier to handle in smaller doses. So, when I get tired of the daily question about "it's been 2 weeks and I've only lost 20 pounds, I just smile and move on. There's also an abundance of people on here who are new experts, and I just let them take it

Yeah, that's part of who we were, and some of that person is still in there. The things/feelings that drove us to WLS are probably the things that well up once in a while, so I'm not surprised from the emotion that comes with it. The thing for me is that I am the SAME person, and my thin self sort of wonders how/why I let that happen (extreme weight gain), so that's where I struggle. My daughter graduated from high school last week, and we had a big graduation party yesterday. She made big picture collage and she put a few of me on there from before. I had the same sort of reaction you describe looking at a particular picture. It was a family picture from my husbands side, and there I was, looking the absolute best I could look, but huge. Literally huge. I had on a pretty teal colored sweater, and it really stands out in that picture....and it just makes me a little sick to see it. I took up so much space in the picture, literally the same amount of space as 2 people. Now I am half the size I used to be. That picture was one of about 50-60 on a very full board, but somehow I feel like that one 4x6 print dominates the board. That's how I used to feel all the time, that my size made me the negative center of attention. On a more positive note, people came to the party and some that I haven't seen in a year didn't recognize me! People I invited came and walked right past me, lol. So, I try not to dwell on how things used to be, because you can't change the past. It is what it is, and the future is so much brighter. I'm glad it's only a distant memory and I'm not living it everyday any more.

This conversation is killing me! I just can't not chime in a little more. The mask is a long time gold standard in the US, and kind of a "no-brainer". I think the reasons have been outlined why in this thread. For a little more background: Back in the day, florence Nightingale was actually revolutionary, and her studies and data collection birthed hand-washing that remains the number one barrier against infection, and was the precursor to infection control. Today, In the operating room, AORN and APIC have identified best practice that includes wearing of masks. Hospitals and clinics have to meet standards for infection control, and routinely have to pass surveys where they are observed in action. In most hospitals, its the Joint Commission who surveys, and their survey standards are based on CMS requirements and other governing bodies known best practices. If ANYONE entered the OR once the room is prepped for surgery without a mask, you'd get a huge ding - and maybe not pass that survey (I am not an expert on OR standards so I can't say if that would be enough to shut you down, but it might be) I don't know who regulates Mexican ORs. For me, the bottom line is that even if you think there is not enough evidence to say you must wear a mask, I do think there NO evidence to say wearing one would hurt. Given the fact that it's a universally expected standard of care in the United States makes me think it's a good idea.

Congrats to you Georgia. You are always a source in inspiration, and I applaud your well deserved success! Thanks for continuing to be honest about your journey and sharing it with us! Your success show others it can be done!

Sorry about your falls! I know how to gain weight super fast, but falling off a horse was not in my repertoire! Glad you to hear your appetite is returning.

@@swimbikerun, I agree about the one size fits all approach being dangerous. I was taking the recommended calcium supplements early on, and my calcium levels skyrocketed. They had me going to see endocrinologists for parathyroid, but I didn't because I knew it was from 1500 mg of calcium supplements a day. I convinced them (surgeon and PCP) that I should stop taking it and recheck, and now my level is normal. Same with B12.

As a surgery nurse in my earlier career, my opinion is that there is absolutely no way their noses should be exposed. I would not go into an OR knowing that. As for the dressings, they actually could be sterile, but there's no way to know from a video.

@@greensleeve Good for you!

That made me chuckle....and I think your 14 year old nailed it. It is a little like surgically induced anorexia (sort of) and it's a really good idea for some of us I've found my kids do what I teach them, even as young adults. Mine reacted similarly to yours, at first. I taught them we should focus on food, and lots of it. I didn't mean to do that, but it's how I acted. I fostered bad habits under the guise of yo-yo dieting, trying to 'eat healthy', and alternately paying no attention to diet at all. Now my oldest daughter is preparing to have the sleeve, seeing what is possible. I don't focus so much on food, and I LOVE that I don't need to eat so much. It is definitely a shift in thinking. I see my middle daughter struggling with her weight, exercising, doing all the right things, but she is so hungry all the time she is miserable. I'll support her the best I can and my heart breaks for her, but in the back of my mind, I see myself, and I wish she could have a little surgically induced anorexia (sleeve), too.

I've been thinking...bet if I ate liver or brussel sprouts I'd be puking, just like when I was kid and my mom tried to make me eat, thinking it was good for me! (The sprouts, probably, but liver? An organ that catches toxins? Really?) The thought of that makes me stomach twist. Also, what about things some people eat like cow tongue, pig brains, pork feet....uggh! That would all do it, too

Take heart, I've felt like I could eat a lot too, since pretty early on. The most important thing to remember is that just because you can does not mean you should. I think the amount you can consume is different for everyone. And whether you can eat 3 ounces or 6 ounces, it's still up to you what you do with it. Both of those scenarios will allow you to gain weight if you eat high calorie foods and graze. It's a good idea to measure food and try to keep it to whatever your plan calls for at the stage you're at. It was one half cup for me at that stage. I also count(ed) calories.Now, at 15 months out, I can eat more like 6-12 ounces at a time, depending on what it is. I keep my calories around 900-1000/day to lose, and try to follow the Protein first rule. I don't know if you can stretch your sleeve or not. I have tried very hard not to, but I can certainly eat way more now than I could at 5 months, or at one year, but I don't think I did anything to cause that. I'm hoping it levels off, and I think it will. I think it's normal to have an increase in capacity as times goes on in the first couple of years. The important take away is that even with a capacity that seems larger than others, you can still be successful at losing weight. You made a comment that you are starting to choose the wrong foods. You used the word choose, which is key, because it really is ALL about our choices. It's up to us how we handle this gift of the sleeve. Good luck!

I remember in the early days I felt like eating was such a chore it wasn't worth the effort. That was certainly new for me! As time goes on and you continue to heal, you'll begin to enjoy food again. If you are like me, you will REALLY enjoy it But even now, I sometimes find that I don't want what I should have, so I want nothing. Go slow and take your time, and take advantage of this time knowing it is short lived. Eat what you need to for nutrition, and don't worry. shakes are fine for now. I'm 15 months out, and I still have a shake every day for Breakfast. It's a great, easy source of Protein and there is nothing wrong with using them. I know people who never had WLS and they have them, too.

Are you still in the hospital? If so, what did the nurses say? If not, just give your doc a call. It's pretty normal to feel bad when you have 85% of your stomach cut out, especially 12 hours post op. Not sure about vomiting blood, but that's something your surgeon is going to want to know.

My surgeon didn't really pick a goal. The insurance considers WLS a success if you lose 50% of excess weight, and on average, gastric sleeve patients lose about 70% of excess weight. Since I surpassed that at my one year check, I was considered a success. My doc told me I could do whatever I felt comfortable with - continue to lose, or stay there. To determine excess weight, they look at a normal BMI to determine exactly what excess weight is for any individual, so it will be a range. I would love to get to a BMI below 25 since that's considered "normal" but I've also seen charts that are age adjusted. For me, that could be a BMI up to 27. So I stopped stressing that I'm not below 25 BMI, and I just keep plugging along. The weight is very slowly coming off at about 1-2 pounds a month, and I've made peace with that (for the most part). I look normal, wear a size 10, and am smaller than most women my age. I saw a plastic surgeon who told me I'd lose about 15 pounds with surgery, so if I had that, it would put me at a normal BMI. I don't think it's a one size fits all, I think it's a myriad of things we all have to decide for ourselves.

Nothing, ever. Not even once.

I worried about complications, too. I worried for the first 6 weeks post op. I actually did have an infection that took about 7 weeks to heal. It kept healing over and I had to go in and insist they cut it open again a couple of times to allow it to drain - I just kept thinking I was going to get a fistula! Anyway, i'm telling you this not to scare you, but to point out that complications of all types can and do happen, but mostly people recover and do well. When I decided to do the surgery, I took a calculated risk. Now that time is a blur, and I'm so happy I did this. That infection was really pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. I wish you great success, and really, the statistics are good these days and it's much more likely that you will not have any type of complication.

Hi, I'm considering plastics, and looking for recommendations for a good surgeon in SE Michigan or NW Ohio. I need a lot of work done - lower body lift, breast lift with augmentation, butt lift, arms, and thighs. I'd like to find a great surgeon who has demonstrated great results. Anyone care to share your experience?Thanks!

Good for you! Can't wait to see those pics! Who did your plastics? I see you are in my neck of the woods.

You CAN do this. You know what to do! Join us here for lots of encouragement and support. You're not alone

It's both for me. I did learn new habits in the early days, and I try to stick with them. I still have restriction, but not like I did in the early days. I sure wish I did! That made it so much easier. Now I can overeat if I don't watch it. So, I have to rely on those habits to keep things in line. However, I do have enough restriction to keep from going too far overboard. I can't say that there is any rhyme or reason for why or when I'm hungry. Some days I'm just hungrier than others, and I think it's genuine hunger, not head hunger. The other thing I've noticed is that my weight loss stops when I go through periods of hunger, even if I'm 100% on plan. I know dietitians would not believe that, but it's true. I just spent the last 3 months at the same weight, no matter what I did, and it was a real struggle to stay on plan because I was hungry (but I did it). I think the increased hunger is my body trying to make me eat because it is hanging on to every last ounce. Then, all the sudden, for no reason at all, my hunger will decrease, and my weight will start dropping again for no reason at all, because my intake has not changed. This past week, I started losing again.

@@tallysfunny You look great! Our surgeries were around the same time, and has gotten a little harder for me lately, too. I know that regain is a bite away for me. Life just gets in the way sometimes. My advice is to track what you eat, set a limit for yourself whether it's calories or volume, and pay attention to what you put in your mouth. It's so easy for me to slide a few extra calories here or there, and I don't pay attention it, the scale will start going in the wrong direction, And for me, it could be just a few hours, and I can do a LOT of damage in that time. With your hypoglycemia, a controlled diet of balanced protein/healthy carbs in small and frequent meals/snacks would probably really help, too. Whatever you find that works for you, the most important thing is that you've resolved to change it!

We are about the same weight and BMI, and I also feel thin! I've struggled with the number, but people say I look thin, so I'm going with that, lol. It is thin considering where I came from, and I too, feel blessed. I have a lot of nice winter size 10 clothes, because I thought this might be it for me, but in the last week or so the weight seems to be coming off again. I think I'm going to have some plastics done, so I might end up in an 8 or even a 6 (can't even imagine that!) but even if I don't, I'm thrilled. I never thought clothes would be such a big deal to me. I have a new rule - I'm never going to wear another ugly shirt! I am very particular, and look for things that are stylish, fitted, and somewhat unique. Like you said in your original post, everywhere I go, I'm dressed well. I do wear athletic clothes sometimes, and even those are stylish looking! I don't think it's really a vanity thing - I think it's more of a motivator on a daily basis to stay on track. I like the way I look and feel, and don't ever want to lose what I worked so hard to achieve. I have to work hard on a daily basis to keep it, because it could be gone in no time if I let it.

I had great fat clothes, but didn't really love any of them. I paid a lot of money for most of them, and I looked as good as I could, but it wasn't that great. But I love my clothes now. I have a couple of stores that I love and can wear anything in the store and I don't think that's a thrill I'll ever tire of! It's enough motivation to keep me from going off the rails with my diet some days. I didn't realize how much I'd love being thin!

My advice is pay attention to what you are doing and the response your body gives you. Each of us are unique, and while there are overarching rules we all need to follow, our success is as unique as we are. What works for one may not work for another. For me, I attribute my success to tracking what I eat. I have to weigh and measure food. I don't do it as much now as I did at first, but I still do it to get a reality check and make sure my eye sees portion size correctly. I track EVERY bite I eat and and drink. I do not let one thing slip past my lips that I don't log on myfitnesspal. You can consume a lot of calories without realizing it, and I have to constantly fight the urge to graze. Forcing myself to be honest about what I'm consuming really keeps me in line. I've learned that I need very little calories to maintain, and even fewer to lose. Follow your docs plan and pay attention to what works for you.

Hell to the NO, I do not miss being fat. I have loved every pound lost. I was a bit of an oxymoron - I was confident and successful, and I knew my value, but I still had self -loathing because of the limitations imposed by my weight. I felt like I might not be reaching my full potential in so many ways, either because I didn't do things/go places because my weight held me back, or I wouldn't be given opportunities I could actually do because others discriminated against me for my weight. Having said that, I really like the article the OP provided. I tend to agree, being in that body made me a much better person. I am kinder, not judgmental, and more understanding than I ever would have been! I am so grateful for the gift I have, but I do wish I hadn't spent my entire adult life (and the youth of my children's lives) being morbidly obese. But since I can't change that, I think it makes me appreciate what I have so much more, and I know how temper confidence with humility, which is a skill I might not have otherwise had.