Lissa_S

Thanks so much I am glad that you have found my posts useful!!! I know that I used to be addicted to this site and I still read every post (as they come in an email alert) but because I haven't installed the app on my phone since the site changed, I don't respond as much as I used to! I will definitely be keeping an eye on the site but from tomorrow I will be maintaining "radio silence" as I am moving and getting internet connected might take a week or two. But I will be back online Just watch this space!! Best wishes to you all! Cheers, Liss

Hi Misty! I will absolutely get in touch when I am in Brissie next. I would love to catch up!! Cheers, Liss

Hi everyone, Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. It has been ridiculously busy here. So many changes!! For those of you who don't know me, here are my stats: Starting weight - 173kg Date of surgery - 4.9.12 Months since surgery - 21 months Current weight - 76kg Surgeons Goal weight - 93kg Goal weight - 69kg Height - 175cm Exercise - I have this ongoing issue with exercise. I do really well for a while and then it all falls in a heap. But I wonder if that isn't normal I make sure that I do my weight training and basic yoga exercises (about 20 minutes) every day but I had been running but that has fallen by the wayside recently. food - I am going to be really honest. I do not make awesome choices every time. I try to make good choices most of the time but to be honest some days are better than others. I worry about this sometimes but again, when I think about my friends who are normal weight, they do the right thing most of the time and have little "splurges". It is funny, but I get really concerned by eating foods that used to be a problem for and tend to try to avoid them at all costs. My main weakness is flake chocolate. It has been forever. I can't eat much (one small piece at a time) but I have some pretty much every day. I am still losing weight which is great. I probably would lose more faster at this stage if I exercised more and skipped the chocolate but I am not really all that worried about that. It is more that I get concerned I will fall back into bad habits. I wonder if this is something other sleevers experience? I wonder if I fear that it is all too good to be true and it will go back to the way it was before. It's been almost two years but I still live with this concern. I admit that I weigh myself every day (I know, probably not healthy). I don't make food decisions based on the scale but if I have several days in a row, I look closely at my food journal to see if there is a pattern that I should be concerned about. The flip side to this is that I still forget to eat lol. You would think I had learned by now, but I almost passed out at work today. It was not just that I hadn't eaten yet today but the fact that I haven't been eating properly for several days. I have been stressed and busy (explanation a little further along) and I just haven't been hungry. Plus I have mostly been eating steamed veggies this week because they don't seem to cause me any nausea, like other foods have been. Anyway, I know it was my own fault what happened today but it was a good wake up call that I have to take better care of myself. So the reason for the stress and excitement is that I got a new job promotion, this time back in QLD working in Toowoomba and I move on WEDNESDAY!! It is so exciting and I am very pleased but it has been very busy on this end getting things ready both at work and at home. Finally, the other exciting news is that I am going on a holiday to Fiji in July. Before the surgery I would never have gone but now I am so excited about looking for a wardrobe to wear whilst I am away and I am already thinking about where else I would like to go in the future!! I think that is the thing that the sleeve has done for me - the barriers that I have put on myself most of my adult life are now gone. I have to challenge my "old" thinking and try new things and it is thrilling, exciting. I am so pleased that I had the sleeve, even though it was a sucky beginning to things, but my life is so much better now, I still find it hard to believe! So for those of you new sleevers - congratulations and welcome. I found the first few weeks incredibly hard but it will get better. For those of you on the forum who are thinking about it, know that we often talk about the difficulties on here but we often forget about the triumphs and it can give a skewed perception of life post-sleeve. I can't tell you how much better my life is now - and it is worth every second of difficulty to get here. For those of you that are interested, here is a current photo and a before shot Wishing you all the best and looking forward to catching up with you soon!!! Best wishes, Lissa

Hi - My leak was apparent within 12 hours (to me) but it took 48 hours for the nurses to call the surgeon about it. I was septic and things got pretty grim, pretty quick. That being said, once they worked out what was going on, they took really good care of me. And now I feel amazing Honestly, I think I am the only Aussie on here who has had a leak though - guys do you know anyone else? All the best! Cheers, Liss

Hi there GoldnGirl. I think what you are describing sounds very similar to how I felt about things prior to my surgery. Speaking as someone who had a less than pleasant experience initially, yes things can go wrong however there is excellent care for you if that is the case and there is life after a leak! And it can be amazing!!! So, don't worry that you feel this way - I bet many people did too before the surgery. Just know that it absolutely gets better from here!! All the best, Liss

Hello fellow Sleevers! Long time no see...or type I am sorry I have been so quiet but I have been keeping up with the posts via email (mostly at work lol) and it sounds like things are going well. Welcome to all of the new sleevers! and those about to hit the "losers bench". It's an amazing journey, difficult and challenging but absolutely worth it! A quick update - I started at 173kg, I now weigh 78kg I am 176cm tall. I was sleeved in September 2012 on the Gold Coast. I had a leak. I had many subsequent surgeries and a 10 week ICU/ Surgical Ward admission to Tweed Hospital and was discharged towards the end of November 2012. I hadn't lost much weight during this period as they had me fed via drip during this time at 1800 CAL per day. I am now about 18 months post surgery and had a meeting with my surgeon, the first one since my discharge from hospital in November 2012. It was hilarious She absolutely didn't recognise me. I wasn't aware but in the appointment, she was expecting me to have lost about 70% of the excess weight (which would have put me at about 100kg or so still), so to say she was surprised was an understatement It was nice to hear her tell me that I don't need (medically) to lose any more weight now. She knows I would like to lose another 10 kg (I always seem to have another 10 kg to lose lol - but this time I will stick with this goal!!). She is happy as long as my blood tests show I am healthy for me to lose the additional weight. She has even offered to do a "no gap" tummy tuck thingy for me in 12 months should I want it. Now given my leak, I am a bit reluctant to go under the knife unless I have to but I will see how I feel in 12 months. I am actually going to be in Sydney for a conference on 29th and 30th of April and was hoping that perhaps some of the Sydney sleevers might want to meet? The conference is in the CBD and it would be lovely to go out for dinner and meet up with you guys! I had the great pleasure of meeting Sue and Susan on my last trip and it would be so lovely to see you both again and anyone else who can make it! I hope you are all well and can't wait to talk with you (hopefully in person) soon! Cheers, Liss PS Here are my before and after shots That is me in the white dress...

Hi all, Sorry it has been a while since I have been online - I have kept up via email alerts though and you are all doing so amazingly well! Bec you look stunning! Congrats! The look on your face in that photo is evidence enough of the positive benefits of the sleeve - you look so happy! To all the new sleevers - welcome and good luck. This is an incredible decision that you have made. It is not an easy one (although people - usually those who would have no freaking clue- will tell you otherwise), but though it is tough, it is worthwhile. I have been pondering things lately, following a comment from my mother about missing the "old me" in some ways. Don't get me wrong, this is not a mother rant. My mum is great - both my parents are and I am so lucky to have them. But when I asked what she missed, she said that the old Lissa was "kinder". I pondered this a little and went back to her, to clarify. She said that I was more easy going before, less "firey" - generally seemed kinder. When I thought about what this might look like in my behaviour, I realised that what other people in my life viewed as kindness, I have viewed as being a "doormat" - the person people could shit on (sorry for the language) and I would take it. I think I took it because of my weight and that although I knew I didn't deserve it, somehow I could be the "bigger" (ha ha) person and let it happen. I don't think that the people around me saw that the toll of me taking such constant derision, scorn and often plain bad behaviour was the steady erosion of my self esteem which I no doubt (in part) used food to self-sooth. So, the comment from my Mum could have sent me into a bit of a tail spin. But honestly, I am kind of happy that I am no longer considered the person it is okay to dump crap on, that if you treat me poorly, I might react to that. That I feel that I am worthy of respect and dignity and that it doesn't come second to someone else's. I suppose the reframe here is that despite some sadness over the new perception of my personality as being "less kind", I know that one of the things I secretly wanted for myself was to feel that I could stick up for myself when I noticed I was being treated poorly. As a final caveat to this, can I also say that I am not running around in towering rages or throwing things at people. It is more that I am now assertive with people in my life, both close family and acquaintances and I now have an expectation of being treated in a way commensurate with my self-worth. Another nice side benny of the "sleeve". So how are things going for me weight wise? Well, I have been slowly losing since Christmas, or maintaining at about 78kg. I would like to lose another 10kg before I see my surgeon at the end of March. To that end, I am doing the Michelle Bridges 12WBT (Running program) with a friend. I am not following the food guide as I can not possibly eat that much food in a day but I am doing the exercise portion of it. I have substituted a sandwich at lunch with steamed carrot and broccoli though and trying to have fish for dinner most nights with either corn or peas. I still find that I can only eat about 1/2 a cup in a sitting so I have to prioritise things a bit. I am also trialling having half a banana for brekky with good results so far, as I think I needed the potassium. I am running four days a week and doing ballet two days, so on running days, in the afternoon I have some BBQ Shapes (in the little packets the kids have for school lunches) as I find it's good to have some carbs on the days that I run. I am averaging about 500-600 calories on running days and about 400 on non- running days. This has dropped a bit because I am just having veggies for lunch. I am quite enjoying it though and think I feel better for increasing my veggie intake and decreasing the white bread I was eating God, I love bread! Doesn't do much for me though, sadly. Since starting the new diet and exercise last week I have lost another 1.8kg so I hope that I can drop the last 10kg in the next 8 weeks. The exciting part though has been I bought and can actually wear a size 10 dress! A size 10!!!! I have been a 12-14 in most things for a while but it was very exciting to get the size 10 the other day. I will get someone to take a photo of me and I will pop it up I have to admit, I have realised lately that I feel like a bit of a fraud at times when I think about my weight loss. Not a fraud in terms of losing the weight, but I guess in talking about buying clothes in sizes 10, 12, 14. For so many years I just couldn't even imagine it, though it was my dream. Now I get that little bit of a panic that perhaps it is all too good to be true and I might go back to being big. It's silly but it is a fear that I live with all of the time. Funny how the head stuff, even 18 months post op, is still the hardest thing to cope with Stupid brain!! Anyway I have bored you all enough Hope you're all going well and I look forward to hearing from you all soon. Cheers, Liss

Hi all Sorry again that I've been off the boards for a while. I can't get the app to work properly on my phone (probably me and not the app really - I have the silicon death at the moment) so I get the email alerts but can't respond. However I lost the bulk of my weight in the first 12 months, with the first 6 it was coming off like you wouldn't believe I have about 5-8kg to go but I am not sweating it too much around the number. I am just pleased that I am in a healthy weight range - ish. lol. My BMI is 25-pooint-something which is as close to a healthy BMI as I've seen in almost 20 years, so I am going to call it My biggest struggle continues to be exercising regularly. After my holidays its dropped right back off and as a consequence, I have been feeling sluggish and yuck. The scales also tell me that I have put on 400g but I am not sweating that too much as I know that can just be a bit of Fluid retention. But I will keep an eye on it. I bought a puppy though last weekend. He is gorgeous, a Bison Frise - he is so small he looks like a toy But he is gorgeous and I love him. I will start to take him on little walks which I hope will help promote my health kick. I have motivation to drop the last 8 kg though - have my follow up appointment with the surgeon on the 12th of March so wanna drop these last kg so I can go and say - this is what 100kg less looks like Vain I know but I really REALLY wanna do that!!! Anyway, I had better get moving - just dropped in to say Hi Cheers, Liss

Hi all, I am looking for some help and advice. It's my mother's 60th birthday and I had wanted to take her to the Michael Buble concert (as it's on her birthday which is May 13) but I can't get tickets So I am looking for other options. I would like to take her to Brisbane or the Gold Coast which she really loves as a get away. I am looking for suggestions on things to do on the day to spoil her and a really really nice restaurant for dinner. I am also looking for suggestions on where to stay to spoil her as well - so would appreciate any ideas that you might have in any of these regards!! Thanks in advance for your suggestions!! Cheers, Liss BTW - Mum is an "indoorsy" type of person, so anything strenuous or outdoorsy wouldn't probably work

Hi Misty - I have been at the surgeon's goal for quite a while but they had set it quite high, so I am now hovering between 79-80 kg still. I would like to lose about another 7-10 kg yet so I am really happy to keep losing. I can see a ticker on the bottom of my posts but its interesting it's not coming up on yours! Weird!! I must have set it to private or something silly. I sent you a PM on FB Misty too as I couldn't add you as a friend Don't know why...it's also a bit weird. I seem to have the "silicon death" at the moment lol. Hope you're well! I love your new photo's - you look amazing. Your face is teeny tiny!! Cheers, Liss That's great Lissa! I don't see a ticker on your post but I think you are already past your goal, right? Are you happy to keep losing?

Congrats Bec - that is amazing!!!

Hi all, I am sorry I've been absent - I had a lovely Christmas Holiday on the Coast It was packed full of fun things like going to movie world and plenty of shopping. Lots and lots of shopping! I went on long runs along the beach and did lots of incidental exercise. As a consequence, I lost another 2.5kg while I was away - I should go on holidays more often lol! Wishing you all a great New Year and I am looking forward to a great 2014. Cheers, Liss

Hi everyone Hope you are all getting ready for Christmas! I went to the races over the weekend and had an amazing time It was the first time that I have been out that I felt (1) Normal and (2) pretty It was such a great day! Lots of fun, compliments and a few cute guy's were met I am looking forward to 2014 that's for sure! So as promised here are photo's from the day - had a few with friends who are cool with me posting here...have a great Christmas all and I look forward to catching up with you in the New Year! I will add the before shot so you can see the difference Cheers, Liss

Hi there first, I apologise for jumping into this thread - I was posting in haste and didn't realise it was supposed to be for November sleevers I really only posted when I saw this because I had so much to lose and was always keen to see if anyone had lost as much as I had to lose. So to answer your question, yep, I exercise quite regularly. I never used to of course and it wasn't until I was about 6 months out that I really got stuck in. I started with weights and a yoga dvd. I did "Yogalosophy" and think it's amazing. I still love it After doing this for a few months, I started the Couch to 5K running app. I love to run now I still do weights regularly though as I feel I need it. I also started adult ballet too which I adore which gives me an ass kicking every time but totally worth it. I can't dance mind you but the fitness it requires of you really pushes you to do more! And it works your core strength which was crucial for me. Since posting I went to the races and thought that a before and after photo might be good. Please be kind as I still have the last 20 to go All the best! Cheers, Liss

I have lost 195 pounds - I was sleeved in September 2012. I have about 20 pounds to go SW - 173kg (I think this is about 385 pounds) Current Weight - 81kg (About 180 pounds so I think this is 195 pounds lost) Goal Weight - 73kg (About 20 pounds to go) Cheers, Liss

So....work Christmas party is tonight. I have been finding lately that all of the good Christmas food is playing havoc with my tummy - dumping syndrome ahoy! So, I got a bit cheeky and sent around an email offering to have the party at my place - so I get to cook all of the food I have made spinach and ricotta cannelloni with beetroot and spinach salad. Since it is Christmas I also made a chocolate Mousse layer cake (thanks Adriano Zumbo) but I don't have to eat that lol - I never eat dessert when we all go out anyway so they won't think it's odd. Fingers crossed they will like my healthy (and delicious I am sure lol) version of Christmas Party food Hope you're all coping well with the festive season! I am stoked that my weight is still dropping - dropped another kg this morning but I won't "call it" on the ticker until I've maintained it a few days lol...I've been deceived before Cheers, Liss

SydneySusan - I am sorry to hear about your health problems. It must be very difficult to have more stuff after all you have been through, but you are obviously a survivor and you will find your way through this too. As Misty said, reach out to those around you and know we are also here for you even if it is just for someone to listen And holy crap batman, you look a-freaking-mazing! Cheers, Liss

Congrats - what an amazing effort! You must feel great - and the compliments are awesome too!! Get used to it - I still find it weird when people say I look nice and I really had to learn how to accept a compliment gracefully

It does sound fun, Kelli! I have a floral Diana Ferrari dress and shoes, with a little cardi (to cover my problem arms lol). I will take a photo and post it on Saturday I have a hair appointment etc so I am going to glam it up - we are all even wearing fascinators lol. It seems like it's a big deal out here - I guess we don't have too many chances to get dressed up! Not so sure about the blind date but it will be nice to just meet some new people and I am just interested in having a good time right now and enjoying my life Sounds like fun Lissa. What will you wear?

OMG Sue - you look amazing!!!! You both do!! What a stunner! I am off to the races on Saturday - a friend has set me up on a blind date so we will see how that goes Will post some photo's With any luck I will look half as amazing as Sue does!! Cheers, Liss

Hello fellow sleevers Happy Holidays!! I am so into Christmas this year! I honestly couldn't imagine being here, this happy and healthy a year ago. It was all so rough back then! So it is simply amazing to me that things are going well, I am feeling great and a special little Christmas miracle is that the weight started moving again after very slow losses over the past 5 weeks. Some of the things that I have come to realise is that, given half an opportunity, I fall back into old habits. Surprisingly, I am not talking just about food, but it is a symptom of the "Too Busy For Me" syndrome from which I suffer. To explain, I basically am really good at putting everything and everyone else before me. To my detriment, I seem to, at time, actively try to find things to put before myself in an act of what, could appear to the casual observer, to be a sort of martyrdom, or self-flagellation. Not that I am consciously doing this of course, but I seem to find things or reasons not to be able to do things that will ultimately help me by filling my day and time with things for others or with "non-me" priorities. For example, I work really long and crazy hours, I care for my nephew and I volunteer with a local charity. All this stuff keeps my busy without putting additional pressure on myself by offering (often unnecessarily) to do more, to help people out (even when I know that I could use a hand) and to always know that I can sacrifice the "me" time, I had squirrelled away. The consequence is that I get that lovely feeling from being able to do everything and helping other people out (my personal kryptonite) but it's at the expense often of my overall health. I usually sacrifice exercise and taking time during the day to eat (not conscious this one, but often a consequence of my distraction) which makes me feel lethargic and just generally less well. I am also often caught in the trap of "all or nothing" thinking, whereby if I can't go on my usual 5km run then why run at all??? I find that my thinking begins to support the "Too Busy For Me" schemas and I stop problem solving and accept that "there's nothing I can do about the fact it's now too dark to exercise!" What nonsense!!! I have weights, exercise DVD's and a long corridor in my house that I can run sprints at any time of the day or night!! See back into old thinking and old behaviours before you know it! This translates into poor food choices, actually through restriction, although that is unintentional. I tend to forget to eat for long, long periods until my body gets jack of it and reminds me (usually by feeling headachy or dizzy weak) that I haven't eaten. And of course, I then struggle to choke down a few bites of anything. Mostly it's something light because again, I am usually on the run, like a corn cake or a few nuts. When I get really into the "Too Busy for Me" stuff, I find that the only time I eat all day is at dinner, and due to the restriction my little tummy rebels at putting anything down there, so I might be lucky to eat 1/4 cup of food. So the reason I am posting this incredibly long (but I hope not incredibly boring) post, is to one, invite you to think about falling back into old habits that aren't necessarily food specific but "food adjacent" behaviours that contributed to your health issues pre-sleeve and if you would like to, post a response with your own experiences or maladaptive thinking patterns in relation to your own health. Cheers, Liss

Hi Kelli - sounds like the job is amazing although, there are little traps you will have to work out I guess my reflection on your post was that, wow, isn't it great that you're aware now of managing the weight and are dealing with a small weight gain of 2kg instead of just letting it go and go until voila, you have a "problem" again. I think that is the amazing thing about your post - acknowledging the pitfalls and looking for solutions. I think having a chat to other's on the veteran forum is a good idea - but even just doing an analysis of how the situation has developed (as you've done with buffet/ banquet type situations) and putting plans in place to manage that. Everyone has a "fix" to manage their weight - bariatric and non-bariatric people . What I think is great is how you're addressing it now to make a minor adjustment before you have to really hit the panic stations. It might even resolve itself by simply being more conscious that this is a trap for you - it is amazing how much you can adjust your behaviour by simply being aware and making better choices consistently than making amazing efforts over short periods (i.e. dieting lol). You're so close to goal, you must be able to "taste" it - sorry probably a bad pun Anyway Kelli, I think you're doing brilliantly and thank you for sharing your struggles! I know, as a sleever who's out a little over a year, that these are the things that are going to be problematic for me at some point too Cheers, Liss

Hi everyone, Sorry I have been a bit absent recently. Work has been really busy and my iPhone app was glitchy so I deleted it (and still haven't gotten around to reinstalling it lol). I have been reading your posts through my email though! Misty - I hope you have an amazing time away on your work trip! It sounds amazing! You're doing so well, particularly with your exercise. I admit that I have been incredibly slack with exercise for the past month or so. It seems that it is easy still to allow myself excuses not to exercise. The irony is that although I continue to lose weight, I don't feel as well as I have done. Which is really annoying, mostly that I have allowed myself to fall back into the old habits. It's silly and I must do something about it I know...As a "sleever"" that is 15 months post op, I find that it is these things now that are the problem. Weight wise, as you can see from my ticker, I am getting close to goal. I finally bought new scales (WW digital one's) for home. I had been using the scales at the hospital where I work, but honestly, I was weighing on the carpet on scales given to us by a rep so I should have known they would be out. And they were - by about 3kg. Which was a bummer but it really doesn't matter, as since I got the new scales, I have dropped 3 kg which is my biggest recorded weight loss in a month since August so I am pretty happy about that - particularly given that my exercise routine had dropped right off. I was probably pretty lucky there. So, my stats are: Starting weight: 173kg Current weight: 84kg Goal weight: 73-75kg Height: 175cm or 5'9" Clothes size: tops/skirts/ dresses are 12-14, bottoms are 14-16. Hope everyone is going well! Cheers, Liss

Sorry the post above was for Ditdee - the quote thingy didn't work

Hi there and welcome to the forum Congrats on your surgery - it's close now. With regards to the worry that it won't be like that for you, I had a similar fear prior to surgery. I was so worried - what if it didn't work for me? This was really the last chance (or so I felt) to lose weight and to literally save my life. The weight was slowly killing me. Oh, I had no other issues - yet. But I was 173kg and 33 years old. How much longer until my body started displaying those issues? I don't get hungry still - and I am 15 months on. Actually that is not a fair comment - I think I get hungry now but I experience that hunger in such a different way. Before the surgery, hunger was a painful thing, lurking waiting to pounce. It was a horrible experience so I fed it and fed it so I wouldn't experience it. The thing was, because I did this, I was never really hungry or rarely was. I had little tolerance for dealing with this feeling. Now I experience hunger as a physical sign my body requires fuel. I usually feel a little weak or shakey - that is when I know it is time to eat something. Whilst I enjoy food (that first bite is always my favourite), I don't really crave anything. I usually make food choices that will make me feel better - which I know is fruit and veggies and low fat meats. It is amazing how much your food choices change after the surgery with not a lot of conscious effort. Your body will let you know (pretty quickly) what it can and can't tolerate. Honestly it was the best move I made and I am so glad I had my sleeve. All the best and please feel free to ask any questions you may have - particularly just after surgery! Nothing is taboo or off limits here and everyone is lovely! Cheers, Liss