SuperDave

I went to Dr. David Podkameni at the Banner Gateway Weight Loss Center in Mesa/Gilbert. (US60 and Higley Rd.) They have a great program there, and Dr. Pod is awesome. For the record, he has performed 2 other surgeries on me, in addition to the Sleeve. I have 100% confidence in his abilities. I have also worked with Dr. Chen at this location, and he is a fantastic doctor as well. I believe Banner has another weight loss location somewhere in the west valley. That might be closer to you if you are actually in Phoenix. Send me a message if you have any questions. I would be happy to answer them for you!

Miss: The occasional pig-out. Like eating a giant porterhouse or a whole sub or a huge platter of chicken wings. Don't miss: The feelings of guilt and the gastrointestinal issues that went along with eating the way I used to. Mostly I miss the big meals when I am in social situations where everyone else is eating. But I wouldn't go back. Truly having control over food is a far more satisfying feeling than being able to eat a few dozen chicken wings.

It's been about 3 1/2 years since I decided I had to make changes in my life. I hit 450 pounds and realized I was no longer in control. I dieted on my own for the first 2 years, and did okay. I lost about 120 pounds by simply eating less and walking. Eventually that was no longer enough and I stopped losing, so I started a bariatric program. I had 6 months of supervised weight loss, and having the accountability made me work harder. I lost another 30 pounds in those 6 months. My goal was to be under 300 by my surgery date, November 10, 2014. When I weighed in at the hospital that morning, I was 299.9. Just barely there, but I did it! This week is my 1 year surgery anniversary. When I weighed this morning I was 189.9. Another 110 pounds gone. So to Celebrate, I'm posting a before and after picture. The first one is from 2011. I'm not quite at my highest weight there, but as I'm sure many of you can understand, there aren't a lot of pictures of me to choose from. I always avoided having them taken. The second one was taken this morning. Not a great picture, but you get the idea! And 260 pounds later:

I started drinking decaf right after surgery. Never had a problem. Of course I was only drinking a couple ounces, because it took too long to drink and would get cold.

I did have some problems for a few months after surgery. I either used chewables or crushed everything and mixed it with hot sauce (Tabasco) to cover the taste.

HA! That made me laugh. It's an awesome feeling, isn't it? And the best part is there are so many more great moments to come!

I think using this site is how they are educating themselves. I find the lack of information that many are given appalling, but I would rather that they get the needed info here than not get it at all.

Congrats! It feels good knocking things off the list, doesn't it?

Just say no, unless of course they are paying you for using you in their advertising.

Has your wife been dieting with you? When the body burns fat it can cause bad breath. Hey, maybe it is your breath you are smelling! Anyway, to answer your question, I have not noticed any change to my wife's odor or to my sense of smell in general.

You look amazing! Congrats on your success!

You always make me laugh out loud! Thank you. It is nice to know someone besides myself appreciates my sense of humor!

I weigh myself once a week, Monday morning, before I get in the shower. That's my official number. It used to drive me crazy when I weighed myself daily, since I would go up and down for seemingly no reason. Of course, it gets a little awkward at the doctor when I strip completely naked before stepping on the scale...

That's funny. They only made me commit to 5 years. We'll see!

If this is true, you have had an amazingly annoyance free life! I'm jealous! As for your problem, I haven't had any notification issues on my laptop or tablet, so I have no help to offer. Good luck though!

I had my post surgery what the hell have I done to myself this is stupid moment as well, which I'm pretty sure happens to almost everyone. One year later, any negative thoughts about this whole process are distant memories. My only regret is not doing it sooner. The pain will go away. You will learn to control food, instead of letting it control you. You will look back at this in a year and wonder how you ever doubted. It will happen. You have got this!

I checked out of the hospital 8 pounds heavier than I went in. Give it a few days. You will lose it quickly! Congrats on a successful surgery!

That is awesome! I had this same realization a few months ago, and it still blows my mind. Congrats on your success!

Pickles are great! I started eating them again at the soft food stage, whenever that was, (or is for you). Pickles and cheese are one of my go to Snacks. Super low carb and they go together great!

It is awful at times, but remember that this is a sign that you are burning fat. For the first 6 moths or so, whenever I would stall my breath would get better. Then I would wake up one morning with that awful taste in my mouth and it actually made me happy because I knew the stall was over and I was going to start losing again. Embrace your bad breath! It should be a t-shirt slogan! (And like the others said, use breath spray. It helps a lot!)

Because you are NOT yo-yo dieting. This is not any other diet you have been on. You had major surgery. Your body has to have time to heal and adjust to the change. Look at it like this. I'm in Arizona. If I drive 300 miles east I'll be in New Mexico, if I drive 300 miles west I'll be in California. Either way I drove 300 miles, but I ended up in very different places. You simply cannot compare the two. You have to get out of the mindset that this is like any other diet you have tried. It is not. All of those diets failed. This one will not. Relax. Follow your plan. It will work!

@@Babbs You should try edamame spaghetti. I was a Pasta person too, and I have also done the zucchini thing and spaghetti squash, but this stuff is pasta! (Okay, it's almost pasta! ) I put an Amazon link below, but I get it at costco for nearly half the Amazon price. http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Edamame-Spaghetti-lbs-907g/dp/B00TCUM7X2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447608092&sr=8-1&keywords=edamame+spaghetti&pebp=1447608095665&perid=0XM3FAF3M6G055HZDGXF Sorry to interrupt, please return to the original topic. I just get excited about sharing the pasta love!

Ordering off the kids menu. I felt really silly doing it the first time, but then I realized sometimes you get a toy! Hell yeah!

Relax. People react differently to the sleeve. Some lose faster than others. You are no longer yo-yo dieting, so stop comparing your sleeve to that nonsense. Follow your plan. It works. If you are already freaking out about "only" losing 12 pounds, which is GREAT by the way, you are going to go absolutely crazy when a stall hits. So relax, follow your plan, it will work. (Yes, I already said that, I felt like you needed to hear it again!)

I am a fan of bras. (Backs slowly out of room.)