Indigo1991

Kathy I am so happy for you - congratulations on reaching 6-0. It's just a number and you have such a young, dynamic view of life that it's actually a redundant number in relation to you :-) And 2 years at goal ... you are an inspiration, you do everything without fuss but much humour. Your contributions on here are unique and loved by all. They also hit home when needed. Where would we be without you???? So Happy Birthday, I hope you are having a great day and that you have many, many more birthdays to enjoy your rebirth post sleeve.... Big hugs and kisses xxx

Sounds like you are doing really well :-) Puréed foods will get easier, still early days, and then you will be on to soft foods, then normal eating before you know it! Keep doing what you're doing, just ease up on the googling, lol...

Yes, in the early weeks, there is a danger of a leak post surgery and very rarely, slightly further out. But beyond that, never heard that we are at risk forever. I would treat that with a large pinch of salt... I think you are worrying yourself unnecessarily and maybe need to stay away from "research" for a little while? Sorry that docs can't get to the root of your dizziness, that must be pretty tough feeling like that 24/7. How far out are you and how are you doing with your sleeve?

The key to success is never to give up, even when we do things we probably shouldn't. I know that's what I did in the past - wth, I ate that crap so I may as well eat more.... You didn't do that, you ate small amounts and your sleeve did its job, it stopped you eating more. That allowed your brain to catch up and acknowledge what you'd done. Now leave it behind, eat clean going forward and there's no real harm done, just a lesson learned. Onward and upward!

I make myself little chicken casserole pots and use heaps of celery to flavour it. Don't necessarily eat a lot if it but it makes the chicken really tasty. :-)

I am so sorry for you, you have every right to be angry and disappointed. What is your surgeon/nut saying or doing? It may ultimately be an endo thing but are your team helping you get to the bottom of this? I hope they are coming up with suggestions... Doesn't feel right if they have sleeved you and then stepped away. One observation - I have never counted calories as my dietician said that all calories are not the same. So one month out, my focus was on 60g Protein, 64fl oz liquid and moving... are you hitting all the protein/liquids targets? That aside I have nothing to offer other than sympathy and support. To go through being sleeved and have this outcome must be devastating but please don't give up. Someone has the solution, you just have to keep fighting to find it. X

The pre op diet is primarily to shrink your liver. Am not sure exactly what a margarita will do but it's unlikely to be good for your liver the day before surgery. I wouldn't do anything outwith the instructions you've been given if there's the slightest chance it could impact on the op. Best of luck with the surgery, won't be long before you are cleared for alcohol again!

8 months out and I still have to get to grips with salad! With limited space, I don't bother with lettuce which has pretty much no food value - but I understand the need for a good crunch My first meal was actually on holiday in the US - chicken and a little mash. Ate about a third of the chicken breast and a table spoon of the mash but loved the fact I had a plate with food that looked like food not a pile of mush... Whatever you have, I hope you enjoy it!

... and breathe! Hope you feel better for getting that out! You look fantastic and it is great to hear from you 10 years out - a success story, just what I needed to hear :-) Thanks for coming on to the site!

I was terrified. But I kept taking deep breaths and focusing on what was going to happen positively after the surgery because I felt I had run out of road and this was my last chance to be healthy and fit. I couldn't back out as I didn't have a plan B. No regrets. Yes, there has been pain, yes, there have been problems, yes, I have had to deal with staying on track and yes, I did have a day when I thought wtf have I done???!!!! But the good days far outweigh all of that. Life has been transformed. I am now the person I always was inside - now I match on the outside :-)))))

You are not defeated, you've just taken an unexpected blow and it's hurting. So, now that you've shared your disappointment with us, dust yourself down, grit your teeth and get familiar with what you need to do to lose weight between now and then. You can do this... when you do get sleeved, it wont always be easy and you need to be determined to succeed. But it will be worth it... so time to focus on getting to where your nut wants you to be. Chin up, sending you a hug :-) Keep posting as you go, there's lots of support and encouragement on here!

Nate Good to see you back. Best piece of advice? Whatever happens, stay focused, don't give up and keep posting and reading here. There will be someone who's been where you are, no matter what you are experiencing. You can take or leave the advice offered but it is all here. Being sleeved isn't always be easy but if something is worth having, it usually involves hard work :-))))) But it will be life changing for the better.... and you have your whole life ahead, how exciting! Good luck, keep posting!

Good Small butt No longer sweat like a small piggy all year round Wider selection of clothes to buy Bad Sore tailbone from lack of padding on butt Freezing cold all year round Wider selection of clothes to buy The good still outweighs the bad... but lmao at the earlier comment "the ugly... the inside of my thighs" - me too!!!!!

Sorry to hear about this. From the little I know, SI joints take the weight of our upper body when we are upright. So your spine is supported by this area, which is where the connection may come in. Even though I have never had a problem there, my rheumy always checks it when I see him. Weight, wear and tear and ageing are all factors in inflaming the SI joints as is arthritis. So your bloods may give more of a clue as to what's going on in your body to cause this situation. Hope they get to the bottom of this. You are just a youngster to be having this pain and hassle... and especially after all the hard work you've put in post sleeve....

Don't know if it was hitting my target weight but, in a blinding flash today, I suddenly realised I don't have to deal with food the way I have done throughout my life. I can wipe clean the slate from the mistakes of the past and keep eating in this new way. I don't want to be defined any more by what I eat or how I eat - and I now know that I don't have to be. The rest of the world will no longer judge me if I eat a couple of fries or have a biscuit. They will see someone normal sized just eating a bit of food not some fat person eating something they shouldn't. It's ridiculous but I feel it is now truly my choice how I eat today, tomorrow, next year - that's a heck of a lightbulb moment for me. This sounds really stupid when I read that back to myself. But I have never thought of myself as someone who would ever be able to control their eating enough to lose weight. I just didn't believe it. But here I am and I don't ever want to go back... What's been your lightbulb moment?

RJ That took my breath away! A friend? Think what bothered me most was her saying that you aren't taking care of yourself. After what you've been through, if you had been careless with your health, you wouldn't be here!!!! You know the drill for future - smile sweetly and thank her for her "concern" and remind her you are under medical supervision who know what they are doing and who will tell you if you go too far! Then I'd ask her how she's doing since she's looking a bit tired and peaky since you last saw her....

Glad you are getting support, you haven't let anyone down not even yourself. Think it would help us all if we changed the language we use about what we do. That might sound a bit trite but you made a mistake and you will put it right. You haven't failed, there was no exam or test - you did a human thing that you're not happy with. But that doesn't make you a failure. I know that, in the past, I have repeatedly done the wrong thing because after the first mistake I branded myself a failure - and that seemed to give me permission to carry on doing the wrong thing because what did I have to lose??? People can confuse kindness with weakness but they are so wrong. We can be strong and still be kind and forgiving of ourselves if we are to learn and move on. Being kind to yourself will pay off in a way that beating yourself up never will.... Been there, got the scars :-))))) So time to let yourself move forward, I wish you all the best and well done on a fantastic weight loss so far!

It is very hard to explain to people what it's like to wake up in pain every day - and then, post surgery, to find it's gone. Pain in itself is debilitating mentally as well as physically so it is almost miraculous to live a life where it's no longer the first thing you think of on waking. Keep breathing and we will keep everything crossed for you :-))))

I wanted to fit comfortably in an airline seat - I now can with room to spare. Like you, I wanted to wear high heels - on Christmas Day, I wore 5" sparkly heels! And I wanted to go dancing and shake my thang without being stared at - and I have now done that on a few occasions and LOVED it! I am sure you will have many NSVs this year - enjoy every one!

Agree, Alex, realistic goals - and write them down! Goals shouldn't be static (although some will be fixed). For me, the best way to achieve my goals was to review them every month, not to beat myself up over what I hadn't done but to remind myself of what I had done. It is so easy to forget or minimise our achievements, we are all guilty of doing that. Our brains are programmed to go with the negative so it's up to us to keep chipping in with the positive. 2013 was a life changing year for me. I know that because I can read about all my goals -including the ones I had forgotten about - from last January and see them develop or be ticked off as the year went on. I don't have quite so many things on my list this year but I feel optimistic that I can achieve them all...

SandeeD, we have similar stats - I am 5'2" and started at 223 pre-op, 207 on day of surgery (26 April) and hit 140 between Christmas and New Year. However, I am a couple of years older than you As a result of my sleeve, I have lost one of my comorbidities (diabetes) and I have stopped taking a chemo drug for my arthritis (just have one injection a week and we are even discussing that later this month!) and no longer have swelling or pain, my BP is normal, cholesterol good - and a couple of weeks ago, my doc said well done to me for saving my own life... All my risks are now the same as every other non-obese person. So congratulations for taking the big step to head off on this road. I wish you all the best, you should be excited... And I hope it all works out well for you!

You usually tell them the symptoms and they make a diagnosis. Never had an an exam or a test... But not a pleasant thing to have, antibiotics usually clear it up quickly. Hope you feel better soon.

I am so with you on this (as I sit in fleecy pjs and furry slippers in a centrally heated house). I have been living in layers for months - only good thing has been that as it has got colder and I have put on more clothes, I have been getting thinner. So at least this winter I don't resemble the Michelin man, lol!

Cranberry juice should stop the stinging - but you need something from the doc. Drink as much as you can and it will hurt less... Poor you, hope you feel better soon.

Don't panic, your body is just adjusting to the new regime and there is such a thing as the 3 week stall - which you have now experienced! Best advice is to stick with your plan - Protein, sipping and moving - and your weight loss will keep going. It's not necessarily going to be huge amounts on a weekly basis but over a month you will probably lose a good amount. But for now, don't lose hope, you're not failing and you're not going to. Hang in there, there are lots of us who are ahead of you who have been through exactly what you're going through and we succeeded. So you will you :-))))