Catgyrl68

Hey everyone! I simply cannot believe how time flies. It seems like yesterday I was still contemplating surgery and going to my first informational meeting. At that time, my biggest goal was to fit back into my size 14 Old Navy jeans I've had for 10 years. Well, I've quite surpassed that. I now wear a size 12 jeans (size 10 in dress pants), and can go as far down as a Medium in blouses. I can't express how wonderful it is to be able to walk into a store and go into the "regular" section. My biggest problem now is that size 10's and 12's are apparently very popular, because I have a hard time finding THOSE now. Here's a pic of me the night before surgery (sorry it's so dark), and me last week. Someone asked me "Where did your booty go?" I told him it's still there, but considerably smaller. As frustrating as you may feel at times... this process really does work!

Oh, my arms are terrible; hence, the sleeves! My tummy is pretty flat, but my upper thighs are saggy and wrinkly. Looks good in clothes, though! LOL

Thank you so much! I wasn't so enamored with the cut the first day, but once I came home and was able to style it MY way, I now love it.

Lemme tell ya - I admit that I am a bit vain when it comes to my appearance. So much so that when my surgeon told me "No makeup... at all", I said, "Yeah, right." I wore the least amount I could get away with because I knew I wouldn't be up to putting any on afterward. Brought t-shirts, shorts (so I didn't flash anyone whilst walking the hallway), all that stuff. Never used one damn thing! I even forgot to bring my hairbrush, so I didn't comb or brush my hair for 2 days; used another hospital gown to cover up my backside, and didn't really even feel like getting up to brush my teeth (and for someone who just got out of 2 years of braces, that was a hard thing to do!). All I wanted to do was sleep, drink Water, and fart (not necessarily in that order - LOL!) I wore home exactly what I wore to the hospital - huge, baggy t-shirt (no bra) and sweatpants (and baseball cap to hide the rat's nest hair). I'm excited for you!! Everything will go smoothly, and you can join us all on the Loser's Bench!

Hi all! Haven't posted here in a while due to numerous family issues going on. I thank God every day that I had this procedure done when I did, because I'd probably never get around to doing it now. Being a part-time care-giver to both parents is exhausting and time-consuming, but I know they'd do it for me if they could. I was 240 lbs. at my initial consult in November 2012; 233 lbs. pre-surgery in January (approximate size 18-20/XXL), and am now down to 170 (size 12/L). I'm about 10-15 pounds away from my goal weight, although to be honest... if my doctor told me that something went horribly wrong with my surgery, and this is all I would be able to lose, I'd be perfectly happy. This was truly a life-changing experience for me. I'd let myself go for so long, and it's nice to actually CARE about what I look like again. I'm even seriously considering an arm lift towards the end of the year (and I said I'd NEVER have another elective surgery for the rest of my life!). Already researching plastic surgeons and planning my 3 weeks off from work. Like many of you, I've also experienced the dreaded hair fallout, and so this past weekend, I sucked it up and chopped my hair off into an oh-so-cute bob and I LOVE IT! It looks so much healthier now. There have been a few tiny bumps in the road along the way, but nothing to ever make me say "Why the hell did I do this?" For the newbies just starting out - it's well worth it!

Soo stoked!! I just wandered into the Overweight neighborhood today - 29.7 BMI, 49 pounds down from 1/18 surgery. It's so nice to see collarbones, cheekbones... hell, ANY bones, for that matter! By the time I reach goal, I may actually get to fit into my goal size of 12 after all. (I won't even fathom a size 10 - I think I completely skipped that size growing up!)

My "sister-from-another-mister", Lisa, suggested I post my 10-week progress pics, too. We had our surgeries on the same day, and are just over 10 weeks out. Please forgive the awful full-body pics to come. They were never meant to be for anyone else's eyes, but when I did this collage, I was astounded by the change. Pre-surgery weight on 1/18/13: 233 Current weight: 191

Girl, you already look smaller than me in your profile pic! I have written down 160 as my goal here, but I think I would be perfectly happy with 170. My doc and I haven't even discussed goal weight yet. Maybe we will at my next visit in May. I know I weighed 148 once... about 20 years ago... for about a week. LOL! I am told that I don't look nearly as heavy as I actually am, which I guess is a good thing.

Yeah, it's a shape of some sort. Round is a shape,right? LOL!

Thanks, Michele!

Nairali- I'm 5'6". I tend to carry my weight everywhere (fortunately?), but mostly in my lower half. I'm destined to remain pear-shaped, which I don't mind so much. Thanks for your kind words!

Thank you, ladies! I was afraid to post my entry into Onederland because I was hovering at around 199.8 for a while, so I didn't want to jinx it. LOL! I'm actually happy that I'm a "slow loser" because I've already gone down from a tight size 18 jeans to a comfy/bit loose size 14, and I can't afford to buy clothes every other week. I also like that my face doesn't look emaciated. My surgeon is pleased with my progress, thus far. food is still tricky for me, but I'm doing my best. Some days steak and other beef are my friends, and other days they don't go down so well. I'm just concentrating on not becoming dehydrated.

Ok, I figured it out. It's called "scroll to the bottom and see ATTACHMENTS!" I just posted a couple of pics. :-)

How on earth do I post a pic? Do I have to upload it to somewhere in my profile first?

Gorgeous, Lisa!!! I just did the same type of collage using Instagram, and I, too, can only now see the difference in myself. You look fantastic!

Can we trade pouches for a week, then? LOL!

I tried filet mignon this past weekend, and could only get a few tiny bites in before I was stuffed. I was eyeing my sister's ribeye, which looked much easier to get down (thinner and better cooked). A couple days ago I got some garlic steak from Blazin' Steaks (not sure if that's only a Hawaii thing, or if they have it on the mainland), and it was DEE-LISH-US!! Cooked to perfection, moist and pre-cut for me (I'm so lazy). I ate some for dinner... some for lunch, and will eat the rest for lunch today. It came with rice and toss salad, neither of which I ate (just stared longingly at it for a while...) Tried a hamburger (minus bun) last night - no go. eggs - same thing. chicken - don't even mention that word to me! That's the one thing I'm pissed about not being able to get down, because pre-surgery, I could eat chicken every single day. Going to try some roast pork with gravy tomorrow for lunch (boss taking us out), and see how that goes. Thankfully, I'm blessed with being able to eat pistachio and macadamia nuts!! Great sources of Protein (especially the pistachio), and very filling.

This Friday will make 7 weeks post-surgery, and this morning I finally entered Onederland! 199.3, to be exact. (Hence, the "just barely" in the title). I'm down 34 pounds; almost halfway to my goal weight. Still having a bit of trouble with the Protein (I either hate the taste, or can't get it down), but I'm not giving up. i ate about 5 bites of steak the other night, and it stayed down just fine, but I was so FULL!! A few papaya enzyme chewable tablets helped it go down a lot easier. Despite the eating difficulties... BEST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE!!

Hey all- Is there anyone here who has "graduated" to swallowable pills (as opposed to chewables)? I know I'm less than 2 months out, but I'm having a horrible time remembering to take my supplements. I tried putting them all in one container with my prescription meds, but they get all mushy after a day or so. They're also SO expensive! So far, I've had no problems swallowing pills (Tylenol, Percocet, etc.), so my doctor's office said if I could find some uncoated ones that I'm able to swallow (even if I have to break them in half), I could use those. However... they didn't give me any suggestions! Thanks!

Thanks, Lisa! Would you mind telling me what brand you use? If you prefer to message me via Inbox, that's fine, too. :-)

My twin!! My sister from another mister! You and I have lost exactly the same amount of weight - 29 pounds. I just had my doctor appointment yesterday, and he said I'm doing very well. I really busted my hump for the past 2 weeks and ended up losing 10 pounds. I asked him if he expected me to lose 5 pounds a week from now on, and he said,"No, you probably won't." I said, "GOOD!" He said his expectations are 2-4 pounds per week, which I am perfectly fine with. He also mentioned one of his patients that lost 50 pounds the first MONTH... then 1 pound the following month! However, he was 400+ pounds to begin with, and also got cocky thinking he could eat bad things. Hang in there - you're doing just great! If you think about it, the slower we lose, the less "gaunt" and saggy we will look.

Basically, my doc told me to just have a shake for Breakfast, eat my lunch and dinner meals, and only snack if I felt I really needed to. He thinks that in my Quest to get all my liquids and Protein in (2 shakes per day, plus food), I was probably taking in more calories than I thought. That's pretty much what I've done since that visit, and it seems to be working. I know that I'm not getting in all the protein, but I'm not going to stress about it. I'm doing the best that I (and my pouch) can. And don't worry - no more shopping for a while. The pants I replaced had to go for reasons other than hanging off me. :-)

Yesterday was the first day since surgery (1/18) that I truly felt ecstatic and overjoyed. Many NSV's to come (kinda long...): 1) Finally found a food I can tolerate, that tastes great, and that I can eat a decent amount of: Chili! I know... I'm a late-bloomer when it comes to chili. 2) My neighbor, who hasn't seen me since the day after surgery, hobbling down my apartment hallway wearing baggy PJ pants and a t-shirt, saw me yesterday wearing yoga pants and a pretty pink (snug) t-shirt and said, "Wow! You're looking great!" 3) My boss came back to work and, in the middle of updating me on what I missed while I was away, said, "Gosh, you're getting skinny!" (We sure do use the term "skinny" loosely, don't we?) 4) But best of all... I went to Macy's and decided to try on some jeans (since the ones I wore to work were falling off me). I normally HAAAAAATE clothes shopping, but felt brave today. Pre-surgery I wore a (tight) size 18, and found some size 16 jeans, and... They fit PERFECTLY! I paired them with a size 1x top (formerly a 2x), and actually jumped up and down in the dressing room with joy! I actually looked cute! And I couldn't believe I could actually wear a skinny jean. I ended up buying 2 pairs of jeans and 3 tops. Those should last me a while. I wanted to post this for those who are also just starting out, like me. I was super discouraged at my 2nd appointment on 2/7. I was in the midst of a stall and was feeling like the procedure wasn't working (3 pounds lost in 2 weeks). I followed doctor's orders, and now I'm down 9 pounds in 10 days. The surgery DOES work - if you work it properly. And the good far outweighs the bad!

Oh my gosh! I am so sorry you went thru all that! I hope is was a one-time thing, and you won't get this every month.

Thanks! I've lost 26 pounds so far. Lower than a lot of others, but I'm happy with it. :-)