Bubbletoes

I was sleeved on May 20th and other than my 9 day stall, I've done well having lost 37 lbs as of this morning. I know this sounds terrible, but I've lost so much in my face that I'm beginning to look like a Shar Pei! I'm thrilled with my weight loss, but the wrinkles not so much! Previously all the fat on my face really filled in those grooves. It's the new me! ????

Yep, I made that first goal in a long line of goals I've made for myself! I've lost 50 pounds! I'm not quite halfway there, but I already feel amazing and I'm so happy that I finally did this. I had my sleeve on May 20th and it's been all downhill since then. ????

I'm 5 months out and can eat anything I desire. That being said, I don't eat bread, pasta, potatoes, rice or many carbs because I'm a type 1 diabetic. I eat my protein first, then green veggies and for a treat every so often I'll have fruit. I've been able to cut my insulin use to 1/4 of what I used to take and although it's difficult at times, I try to keep my carbs below 20 grams a day. It's all worth it! I'm down 5 sizes and feel 20 years younger. I'm not at goal yet, but I'm getting there slowly but surely. I made it through Halloween without even a nibble of chocolate so I have no doubt I can sail through this coming holiday season. I'm a month shy of my 65th birthday and now instead of always wondering if I'll live through another month, I'm looking forward to the years ahead of me!

I'm 5 months out and I can eat pretty much anything I want, but in smaller amounts. I will be traveling across the US in 3 days (yay!) for a long visit with friends and relatives. I have no worries to bother me; not even the old one: "will I be able to buckle my seat belt on the planes without asking for an extender?" Answer: I will have lots of room to spare! Nothing stops me now from going out and enjoying my new found life! I'll be 65 next month but I feel (and now look) much younger. I made my plane reservation for this trip last March, two months before my sleeve surgery. I knew I'd be smaller but didn't dare to dream I'd be smaller than I've been in 45 years! Go! Enjoy!

Yep, I still have one premiere protein drink for lunch almost every day. It really helps reach my daily protein goal. Nice going, Toler!

I had my four month follow up visit with my surgeon this morning and he was pleased with my 65.5 lb weight loss (me, too!). My blood pressure is way down, I'm on just a tiny fraction of the insulin I used to be on (I'm type 1 so I'll always have to use insulin), and I feel amazing. I'm not losing hair (yet!) and my back and joint pain rarely bothers me anymore. This is the best thing I've ever done for myself. He said I should be at HIS goal for me by the end of the year, but my goal is way beyond his. He said I was looking good! Yay! Now I just have to figure out how to rev up my metabolism a bit more to burn the rest of this ugly fat off of my real body that has been hiding underneath all these years. ????

You did it! Don't let all the usual bumps in the road get you down. If you take everything one day at a time or even a week at a time you will be surprised at how quickly you get into your "new" routine and how much better you will feel. I'm already down four-five sizes and it's been just under four months. Even better, I haven't felt this good for years! I wish the same for you.

Good luck for an easy surgery tomorrow and a quick recovery, Toler! You won't regret it! (Well you might for a split second or two but you'll get over that quickly!). You have a lot of good vibes behind you.

I had a tissue fibrin seal applied to my staple line and have encountered no problems. It is highly rated with no known suture leaks, but it does cost more than a suture reinforcement of other means.

I eat sushi every so often. I'm 3.5 months out and tried it at about 6 weeks out without a problem. I take off excess rice and can still only eat 1-2 pieces of a special size roll. I ate sushi all the time before my sleeve and wondered how I could ever live without it. Now it's a not so often treat and I'm good with that.

I now cook in a completely different way than I used to, so I don't really need a cookbook anymore. Gone are the days of casseroles, pasta based dishes and other combination food meals. Now I cook everything separately and it works out well for both my husband and me. I cook most of our meat in my George Foreman grill and have discovered how delicious adding herbs and spices to marinades or directly on meat can be. (I only grill enough pieces of meat that will be eaten at that meal.) I've had that grill for years and rarely used it. Now it has a permanent place on my kitchen counter. I steam most veggies or roast them in the oven with garlic and a little olive oil. I usually make my husband a starch of some kind such as a baked potato or rice, noodles with a sauce or something like that. He will eat leftovers the next day, but if I freeze the rice and later reheat, he has no clue that has been done. I never make dessert since we are both diabetic. We consider fruit, cheese and nuts our treats, along with occasional SF pudding cups, jello, Popsicles and fudgesicles. (Healthy Choice Fudgesicles are good!). I have chosen not to eat any type of bread, pasta, etc, but I make sure my hubby gets what he likes because he is a healthy weight. It's all about priorities and sticking with them. If he wants an Italian dish with pasta, cheese, garlic bread etc, he will order that type of dish when we go out to eat. I will order something that's healthy for me. It has worked out well. By cooking more simple meals, we eat better, we have fewer leftovers and my time I spend in the kitchen has dwindled which I love. I do love to cook, but it got me in trouble so this solution works for me.

Since starting this new eating lifestyle, I've noticed that I waste a lot less food. BS (before sleeve) the little dribs and drabs of leftover food after a meal went directly into the disposal. Now they go into snack size baggies because it's usually enough for a WLS meal! Even though my healthy weight husband eats the same as always, my grocery bill has been cut in half! I love it!

I was sleeved on May 20th and am down 61 lbs, but my weight loss is really slowing down. I've got to change my exercising habits. I started using elastics and am doing weight training along with the aerobics stuff. Hope that revs me up!

When I lost 50 lbs I got a few "you've lost weight" comments and they felt good. I work from home but go in to the office for occasional meetings. One particular woman goes overboard, though, and just goes on and on about how wonderful I look now and isn't it amazing how great I look and generally just gushes on and on. She had no idea I had WLS. All that wild gushing made me VERY uncomfortable and I would rather not hear a word than endure that. It makes me feel like I was quite a grotesque sight before losing weight! Be careful what you wish for. ????

That's exactly what happened to me! It was weird to get that approval letter after I was home from surgery for a week.

I took off three weeks but could've easily gone back at two. I also went back on a Thursday so I only had to work for two days before I was off again for the weekend. That worked out well. I'm probably older (64) than the average sleever here, and I'm a type 1 diabetic so I had a lot of fatigue and foggy brain days to get over. It also took me a while to adjust my insulin and blood sugar to my new eating habits, but after 3 months, I'm glad I took the time I needed to adjust which made going back to work easy. I'm feeling good, losing slowly but steadily and I do not regret doing this for a second! Those first few hard weeks will quickly become a blip on your past life with a new life yet to be enjoyed ahead of you.

Congrats, Toler! This has been a long time coming for you! Don't be nervous! After that first postoperative week, you'll love your new life! I never once regretted doing this.

Medical Coder (ICD-9-cm, ICD-10) for 34 years. I'm hoping to retire next year

Wow! You are looking great!

I started at a 46DDD and now wear a 40 or 42 DD depending on the brand. I love that I'm going down in band and cup size! My blouses fit me so much better now and I don't look as if I'll topple over at any time from being so top heavy.

I love Fairlife milk and that's the only kind I buy now. You get extra protein and a longer shelf life. It tastes great (I buy non-fat). What's not to like?

I don't eat any bread or pasta, but I'll have a bite of mashed potatoes (just one bite!) and a little of the rice if we go out for sushi. I found these very thin whole grain rye crackers when I want a little crunch with my tuna or chicken salad, but only eat a couple once a week or so. I ate Cheerios once but it filled me up fast and I'd rather use my tummy room for good old protein until I'm much closer to goal. 74 lbs to go!

I posted this in the "sixties" forum but wanted to be wedged in between all these young beauties! Everyone looks amazing! I still have a long way to go, but I'm working this sleeve for all its worth. I started at 276 and was sleeved on May 20. Two and a half months later I'm at 225 so I'm 51 lbs down (after an infuriating 3 week stall). I'm 64 and now I don't feel a day over 61. ????

Another DM1 problem is that I'm a very slow healer. I have 6 incisions and only two are completely healed after almost 2.5 months.

I'm a type 1 diabetic (42 years now) and was out of control most of the time. I had a sleeve and hiatal hernia repair on May 20. Before surgery and my pre-surgery diet, I was taking 60 units of Lantus a day and between 10-15 units of novolog before each meal depending on what I ate. More if I was really hogging it up. Now I take 10 units of Lantus a day and around 2-3 units of novolog before meals. I feel so much better and I just had my best A1c ever at 6.1. (Not perfect, but excellent for me) This surgery and my new way of eating has certainly saved my life. Today I reached 50 pounds lost and I can't begin to tell you how much my life has changed.