GreenEyes604

Good morning, We have created a group on Facebook called “VSG Mentors – Paying It Forward. We are a small group of both male and females who all met here on Bariatric Pal and had our surgeries in December 2014. We have supported each other through our journey, and have now decided to share our ups and downs with others who are just beginning their journey. Our group is a Facebook “Secret” group which means that no one other than the people in the group can see your posts, and no one can even find the group if they were to do a search. This way you are guaranteed to be complete concealed from anyone not in the group. So, if you are looking for a small group to join of caring people who have already been through what you are about to experience, please send me a private message, along with your email address, and I will send you an invitation to our secret group. Michelle Missy Jasper aka GreenEyes604

Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH... Currently living in Silver Spring, MD

@@bellabloom I'm going to say to you the exact same thing that my very best friend in the entire world told me when I was in an absolutely horrible relationship with my ex-husband #2. She would say to me, "Michelle, I'm not going to tell you what you SHOULD or NEED to do, but what I'm going to do is give you all the information that you need to make an intelligent decision on your own, and when you have had enough, you will do something about it, and not a minute before". Truer words have never been spoken. Everyone can give you advise on what you need to do, but NO ONE knows what you are dealing with. The only thing they know is what they have gone through, and what they have experienced, and what they did about it. I'm not saying that some situations are not pretty much the same, but how each and everyone of us deals with them is a different story. From reading all of your posts it may not be clear to you yet, but it is very clear to me that you already know what you need to do. Putting it into action will be the toughest part. But trust me when I say to you that no matter what ANYONE says to you, you will not do anything about it until you have had ENOUGH, and only you will know when that time comes. I too knew a very long time before I actually did something about it that I need to get out of that relationship. But for me walking away from the relationship would cause me to label myself as a failure, and I didn't want that. The day finally came, just as my best friend had told me, I had endured ENOUGH, and I told him he had to get out and I wanted a divorce that day! My suggestion at this point to you is to reread everything that you have posted, and then give yourself the same advise that you would give your best friend, your daughter, or anyone else that you loved and cared about. If you are honest with yourself, you already know what your decision needs to be, and the action you need to take. You just haven't reached the point yet where you have HAD ENOUGH! I pray that you come to a decision that you can live with and is good for you and your children. Just remember this... Is the situation that you are currently in, the one that you want your children to grow up in and believe and replicate, believing that it is how 2 people that love and care about each other are supposed to behave.

I don't smoke but I do know that my surgeon would not operate on anyone that had smoked 6 months prior to surgery. She also required a nicotine and blood test just prior to surgery. She told me that she has actually refused to do surgery on a couple of her patients the day of surgery because they tested positive. I would definitely be sure to discuss this with your surgeon. I'm sure you wouldn't want to find out that they wouldn't operate the day of your surgery. I can't even imagine what that would be like. Best of luck to you along this journey!

Much love and thanks to everyone for the kind words. It's been a challenge, but its definitely worth it. Believe it or not, I'm still in the "losing" stage. I'm very anxious for my body to stabilize so that I can move comfortably into the maintenance phase. You too will get there! Just remember that the race isn't give to the swift, but to those that endure to the end.

I am officially 9 months into my post op journey, and if you would have told me this time last year that I would be down from a size 20 to a size 6, I would have laughed in your face. For everyone who is struggling with this decision, or is losing weight at a slow pace, keep your head up and let your new sleeve work for you. Don't over think things. If you slip up or fall down, pick yourself up, brush your shoulders off, and keep on truckin'. I will not lie and say that this journey is easy, because it is very, very, hard. But believe me, if you work with your sleeve, and let your sleeve work for you, you too will find yourself in complete awe of where you'll be 9 months out from your surgery. I wish everyone true happiness and success in their journeys, and if you are fortunate enough to find people here in the forums that will be as honest and upfront with you as some of those people that I have encountered have been with me, I promise your journey will be made just a little bit easier. Thank you @@Alex Brecher for creating a forum for all of us to share, encourage, and uplift each other along this path.

@@deedee19625 I began my journey weighing 250 exactly. As of today I weight 139. So that's a total of 111 lbs. I've actually lost a whole entire person. It's really deep when you think about it.

@Imblakes One of the things that you have to remember is that you are going to go through multiple stalls. I have been through probably 3-4 stalls, and during each one of those times I will go up and down 2-3 pounds for a couple of weeks. I would eventually move past the stall and begin losing again. The main things for me are to be sure to get in your recommended Protein levels everyday, and make sure that you keep your Fluid levels high. When you come upon one of your stalls, change something about your intake. My doctor told me to increase my carbs a little. This will lightly shock your system into a change and you will start losing again once you decrease your carb intake again. I wish you all the best on your journey.

@@nilamji I know exactly how you feel. Just remember you're going to have your ups and downs there is no doubt about that. But as long as you get back up and remember the bad moments only last for a season, you will definitely make it through.

@ Thank you so much, I truly appreciate the kind words.

WOW... this is really interesting how many people are close to the same height and weight, but wear completely different sizes. Currently... Height: 5'4" Weight: 149 Pants: Size 8 on the verge of size 6 (never in a million years would I have ever believed I'd be that small again) Shirts: Medium

@@crussell Good morning and welcome! The most important thing to keep your energy up is to stay hydrated and get in as much Protein as you can. Dehydration is not your friend, and from personal experience it will sap every bit of energy that you have. SIP, SIP, SIP! Best wishes on your journey.

@@Sara51692 WOW... that's actually what a frozen banana looks like out of a Ninja? Did you add anything else to it when you blended it, or did you just throw the banana in there?

@@Jay05 I am 6-months post op and I didn't tell anyone, family or friends (except for my 24 year old daughter who lives with me). To me this is a very personal life decision and quite frankly I didn't care or want to hear what anyone else had to say about it. I made this decision and did this for me, not for anyone else. I had no desire to put myself on display for anyone to make absurd and stupid comments based on how THEY felt I was doing. I didn't tell anyone, and if I had to do it all over again, I still wouldn't tell anyone. But that's just my humble opinion. Some people who embark on this journey need the encouragement and validation that they are doing a good job from the outside world. I didn't need or want that.

I totally agree with @@wascott I am 6-months post op and I don't drink Protein shakes anymore, but that is a waste of protein because your body can't absorb that much in a 1 hour period, and the carbs are way too high for one serving.

@@LipstickLady What an absolute turd! I can just imagine that he is one of those loud obnoxious guys that no one wants to be around. If there is no avoiding this guy going forward, I would certainly pull him to the side the next time I saw him, and politely (I know that's hard for you... LOL j/k) explain to him how inappropriate his comment was, and that going forward it would be very much appreciated if he could refrain from making any future comments like that. If he is any kind of a man he will feel bad about his actions and how he made you feel. Maybe it will also make him think twice before opening his fat trap again! Love you "J"!!! You are and will always continue to be my inspiration!

I will be 6-months post op tomorrow, and when I first started I had to really pay attention to the time between eating and drinking. Now it comes pretty naturally for me. I eat and then instinctively wait a while before drinking anything.

<----- leaving with @@LipstickLady

@@Kindle I am so sorry to hear about your best friend. It breaks my heart that you have to deal with their passing in such a horrific manner. I'll say a very special prayer for you tonight, and I sincerely hope that you will find some inner peace very soon! BIG HUGS!!!

I've noticed a tremendous difference since my surgery. I was always, always hot! I would have the window open in the wintertime. Not anymore... since my surgery I sleep in pants and a long sleeve night shirt. I am always cold!

I'm really sorry to hear that you're having such a difficult time right now. 3 weeks out is still very, very early in the game. Yes, things will change, and yes, things will get better. My first suggestion would be to speak with your surgeon and express your concerns about being hungry. If you have one, you should also speak with your nutritionist. They hopefully can guide you into a much healthier eating pattern. If seeing other people eating is really affecting you, then you may have to remove yourself from where they are eating until you can get your situation under control. Hopefully you have a team of medical professionals that you can turn to. Whatever you do, don't try to do this yourself. Express what you are feeling and what you are dealing with to them. That's what they are there for. Wishing you the best of luck on this very difficult journey.

I had my surgery on December 12, 2014 and I couldn't stand Protein shakes after my surgery. I forced myself to drink them during my first month post-op, but once I started eating real food, I stopped drinking them completely. I too struggle with getting protein in on a daily basis, but I just do the best I can.

I think it is very important to reward yourself when you reach and realize victories along your weight loss journey. I will never forget the feeling when I jumped from size 16 to size 12. I refused to buy a bunch of new clothes until I had lost a considerable amount of weight, so the first time I did go shopping for some clothes that would fit me better, I had dropped 2 full sizes. I rewarded myself by buying every color pants that they had in my new size. I'm now in that stage again where I refuse to buy more clothes until a bit more weight is gone. Maybe this time I'll jump down to a size 8 which would be my goal size! Oh and by the way.... the hoodie is adorable!

Why do so many feel like they have to "explain" to someone that you've had WLS? Because we no longer eat like a pig at meals? Because we have some saggy skin? I am 55 years young, and do not feel like I need to reveal everything that I've done prior to meeting someone, or my entire medical history to someone that I might be dating. So what that you eat very small meals, so what that your skin isn't as tight as it was when you were a teenager. If this were a procedure that I was thinking about while in a relationship with someone, then yes it would be something that I would want to discuss with them. But when someone comes into your life post surgery, in my opinion all my personal information is on an "as needed to know" basis, and just like many other things in my past, this is something you don't need to know. Now if you're the type of person that feels that someone you're dating needs to know everything about you in order to know the "real" you, then you'll have to figure out when you tell someone just as you would with anything else that occurred in your past.

What's the carbs on them?