Santiago Draco

Exactly.

Just wanted to post a quick update on my progress. Aside from feeling like I just became 20 years younger.... I've lost a ton and am still losing. On July 7 of 2015 I was 320 lbs, I'm 208 today. Waist size went from a 56 to a 40 (and 40 is a tad large). To say the least I'm feeling wonderful and life is great. Overall I've had zero complications. My Diabetes type II is gone completely, blood pressure went from 145/90 to 115/60 ish. Cholesterol is great, feel fantastic and pretty much all the "getting older" body pains have just about disappeared. The best analogy I can come up with for people is that your body is like a machine. If it's clogged up with gunk (fat) it's going to operate poorly, have low power and break down more often. Keep it well maintained and it will perform properly. Before the surgery I had trouble riding my bike (and mountain biking was out of the question), walking was painful and simply moving around hurt (and forget getting up and down from the floor without something for support). Now I ride my bike anywhere and sprint on it like a kid (at least it feels so to me!) and no longer need the AC at 68 at night to not sweat and in general I don't sweat at all unless I'm exerting myself. This is the best thing I've done for myself since I can remember and I highly recommend the sleeve for anyone struggling with obesity. It's a new lease on life. Cheers.

Sorry for the late reply DRene. I had no complications, thankfully. It's been an amazingly smooth process from start to now. However I was careful to follow doctors directions and not push beyond eating what was recommended. That said I also advanced to more solid foods fairly quickly. I drink lots of Water (use a 40oz hydroflask insulated bottle) with Vitamin drink mixes (ecodrink, zipfizz and true orange/lemon/grapefruit/etc) so I am getting plenty of nutrients. Haven't had any sugar/candy/pasta/bread since I started. It's been easy. I use healthier foods for "snacks" (but not much snacking). Just kept with it and so far it's been completely life changing. As for complications I can't predict what you will see but hope it is smooth for you. Good luck!

It's difficult to help without info. What do you weigh now? What was your starting weight? What does your doctor say? What is your BMI? If you NEED to lose more weight (ie you aren't at your target weight already and are still "obese") then I would think there are things you can do to lose more weight and if you are not losing now then you are likely not really doing them. You say you are working out and dieting. Again I refer back to the questions above. Assuming the weight is not all muscle and no fat... then likely you are eating too many calories and not exercising hard enough. That's what it boils down to. Assuming there isn't some other issue. I've stabilized at about 20 more lbs than I'd ultimately like to lose and I know why, it's because I've bumped up my caloric intake more than I should (more than necessary to continue losing that is). If I want to lose more quickly I need to consume less and burn more. You can't argue with science Another question, how has your diet changed? Are you consuming "liquid calories" like fruit juices, sugary drinks? Sugary Desserts? Are you focusing on low carbs and high Protein?

Great job! I just hit the 100lb lost mark today so I know how you feel! 5 months 2 weeks for me. What a great ride

Good point and point taken Aw

/shrug if that is the case and isn't going to change then nothing I or anyone else says to be supportive or offer advice is going to help. That said I hope that others do find the advice useful.

It is amazing how much we change with loss. I'm about the same time out from my surgery as you now and I can wear clothes I haven't fit in in years! So glad I kept all of them Congrats! It only get's better from here.

Looking good! What's your number? /wink /wink

This is normal. As other's have stated be sure you are taking your pain meds and take your time. You are only one day out of surgery! Also I don't think you need to be pushing the walking at 1 day out. Take it easy. Walking is good but not excessively. This is not a race. The liquid pain med is 4 hours, don't skip. You won't be on anything soft (other than broth and jello) for a week or so. Again take your time. Make sure to drink your broth and Water. Slowly, it's going to take a bit to get your system to settle down. Also make sure you are taking your antacid med daily as proscribed. The first week can be rough, you will get through it.

Why do you guys (and gals) listen to people who have 1) no experience with or 2) no knowledge of weight loss surgery other than what their fearful minds tell them? You know they are speaking from ignorance and the fear of the unknown. Their opinions have no worth and should be disregarded as the meaningless drivel it is. I hope I am not coming across as being mean or anything like that but I see so many here who are listening too much to the opinions of those who don't know rather than listening to those that do. Their opinions in this case are meaningless! YOU know the reasons for having the surgery and the results. You know what science and qualified expert information shows and that is all that matters. There are a lot of people out there, some who care and some who don't, who will speak their minds either out of baseless fear or simple transference of their own emotional problems. The facts are clear. The benefits of having the surgery, considering the risks, FAR outweigh benefits of not having it. The risks of not having the surgery are significant as we all know. Diabetes, heart disease, greatly reduced enjoyment of life and all it has to offer. Anyway apologies for the rant. I just think everyone should listen to truth not fiction and know you did the right thing and YOUR life (and those closest to you) will be better because of it. That is the only thing that matters.

1 day here through BCBS of MA.

A couple of thoughts. First, what are your measurements? Height? Waist? If you are "regaining weight" then your waistline should show it. If it's not then it's likely muscle mass. Are you stronger? Have you tracked your improvements in strength? Stamina? Speed? All of these things are indicators of increased muscle mass. We all know muscle is denser than fat. Lastly I went on a 2 hour hike up hills and with step climbs in places. I only burned about 1500 calories according to my best guess using various tools. How long are you working out? I doubt an hour in the gym will come close to that. Also they are telling you you are "burning 2100 calories just resting". Hmm, I'd question a reliable source. Look into a sports doctor, someone who has the REAL tools to measure these things, not the marketing driven tool in a gym. No offense

Guidance is one thing ridicule another. Far too much ridicule and grandstanding in this thread for my taste. As for the OP's suggestion it sounds reasonable in moderation. My surgeon said one thing to me that will stick with me until the day I die: "Don't drink your calories". That's the only real risk I see in an approach like this is if the drink is high calorie and doesn't fill you up.

I thought about this and whether I should or not and realized that the only reason I wouldn't was because I would be trying to hide that I didn't do this on my own. It didn't take me long to realize that this wasn't a healthy way, for me, to deal with the change. I would rather not live the deception that I did this on willpower alone because I feel the potential negatives down the road would be greater than any potential negatives by telling. The response from friends and acquaintances I've told have been overwhelmingly positive. I've not had anyone say "you shouldn't have done that" or "so you didn't have the willpower to do it on your own huh?" These kinds of things are personal choices of course but my feeling is this isn't about whether they have the right to know or not but rather how you feel about having the surgery. My opinion? Become a WLS/Sleeve ambassador. I've had several conversations with relatives already, one who had previously cancelled her approved surgery because of the negativity of others, but is now working on a new approval to move forward. This could save her life where the negatives of others stopping her from having it could have killer her a lot earlier. Just my 2c.

I would never do the band. Of course now I don't have to. Had a friend who did, nothing but problems. This is for life. I opted for sleeve because it's highly successful, has the least amount of post-surgery issues and just plain works.

What I find interesting about this post is how many of you have significant others who are overweight, many significantly. Guess what! There is a way to help them. It's called Gastric Sleeve surgery and... they can do it too! Kind of meant in a humorous way but the reality is that if your significant other is also (or was also) obese then it could be unlikely they will change... it's hard after a lifetime of bad choices and learned habits. I think that men often see weight loss surgery as a cop out, a signpost that reads "I'm weak". I felt that way. I wanted to do this on my own and when the surgery was suggested by my knee surgeon I told him exactly that. His response was it's a tool and how has wanting to do it on your own been going for you at 50? I'm a convert. I think if a person can do this on their own excellent. If not, well, here we are. Good luck all with your journey and keep those relationships strong.

. I will have to try this!! Great idea!! Oh, and I forgot to add... add ice to this to keep it super cold and put it in a vacuum insulated container. I use a 24 oz thermos, works great and stays ice cold for way longer than I'd need to drink it.

Shoppedude, tell us about your drinking habits after surgery? When and how much?

Sounds tasty, but maybe a bit much At least it's sugar free! I improve my shakes by adding 8oz of milk to a Pure Protein shake (chocolate) plus one scoop of chocolate whey protein and one squirt of sugar free Torani chocolate syrup. I drink this over the course of an hour or so to spread the protein load over time. The body can only absorb so much protein. I don't do this every day. This generally counts as a "brunch" for me and I'll add in something light at lunch but not much.

Don't get mad, get even. Once you are able to drive take your son, just your son, out for ice cream and pizza. Just for him. You stick to your diet! Tell your hubby you are going for something else but want to take your son with you. When you get home tell hubby what you did and ask how his dinner was. Bring home a box of your creamsicles too. Just the creamsicles. Make a point of laying them on the counter while he's watching

A couple of other thoughts come to mind after reading other comments here. First, keeping the goal in mind can help. I am not sure about you but I know that I felt pretty terrible at 320. I'm 50 years old and I felt it! I'm now 265 and I can tell you that even now with at least 50 more to go that the 55 I have lost is HUGE improvement! I feel absolutely great and I can't imagine going from how I feel now, and what I can do now, back to what I was before the start of this. Ever felt like crying because you feel like you've failed? How about crying because you've been so successful? When you achieve a goal you'll want to cry tears of joy rather than tears of sadness. Secondly as Foley mentioned tracking can be a big help. It's useful to see the "success" of your choices, both in physical results AND in the days that you stay within your goal parameters. I know for me that when I see that I kept my protein high and my calories low for the day I feel like I've accomplished something. It's a good feeling. If you don't track it's easy to fall into old habits as you 1) can't tell if you've really done well and 2) it's easy to fall out of parameters as the mind can be quite capable of ignoring things it wants to ignore Tracking helps both motivate and keep us honest with ourselves. I find the motivation part very effective. Seeing a correlation between weight loss and nutritional targets is a good thing. One last thing. I know for many being overweight and our own self image can be pretty negative at times. It's easy to just feel like we aren't worth it or "what's the point". Remember that a those feelings are self imposed. Don't focus on what you think you will get from others by losing weight, or whether or not you think you are worthy (or will be) in the eyes of others... focus on how good you will feel in general after this process. Being healthy and able to do things that you couldn't do before (like buying clothes that "thin people buy") will feel fantastic! Let me give you an example. I have a mountain bike that has been sitting for years. I rode this thing last like, jeese, 15 years ago! I just bought a new hitch for my car and a bike rack. Why? Because I can ride the bike again! I've been out camping twice, by myself with my two dogs and was climbing hills to get to the lake to swim! Had you asked me 2 months ago if I could do that I would have said no way. Anyway sorry for the long winded reply but I just wanted to share how I have felt and what helps motivate me. Just remember that the sleeve is a tool that will help and all you have to do is give it a little assistance. From a practical perspective remember a couple things that I keep in mind: 1) don't drink your calories and 2) keep that protein high and carbs low Good luck!

I started losing weight on July 15th and I'm 50 down now. I totally hear you about seats.... before I could not fit comfortably in most restaurant booths and would either 1) verify the table moved or 2) take a table. Now with just 50 down I can sit in any booth and have room! Looking forward to the next 50 to drop

Congrats!

My advice is develop a habit of eating healthy replacement foods. Want ice cream? Eat a sugar free Popsicle. Need a snack? Have beef or turkey Jerky, or a beef stick or string cheese. For a bread substitute I eat low carb tortillias. About 3 carbs per, 10+ Fiber and they taste great. Just had a 4 oz tuna salad wrap and I loved it.