Desmond Longbottom

I was originally scheduled for an October 1st Sleeving which meant i was prepping way back in September. I have now had more Protein shakes than i could ever have dreamed possible yet still have not had surgery and won't have until November 19th. Either way I am through week 1 of round two of liver shrinking and as I have been saying on the september sleevers page it's not just my liver that is shrinking. I have lost about 25kg or 56lbs give or take. The most exciting part of that is there is a whole 7 inches missing from the biggest part of me..... my waist.... well technically where my bellybutton is... is that where thin people keep their waist?? So I'm going into surgery having already lost 33% of what i need to lose this is brilliant as the less I have to lose after surgery the better the eventual result should be. My eventual (some might say lofty) goal is somewhere about 70kg (154 lb or 11st) which is just under half what I weighed when I started at 156kg (344 lb) and what I weighed when I was about 11 years old circa 1993. Anyway the long story short or as I like to call it "the skinny"is that I'd love to chat to another fine individual getting sleeved on or around the 19th of November. Are you such a fine individual?? Just let your fingers and your broadband internet connection do the walking as I'd be utterly delighted to hear from you. Lotsa love Des Non obese Irish man in waiting!

note to self. Trousers seem to be fraternising with gravity it's looking like they could be meant for each other. Must purchase belt before their carry on leaves you in an embarrassing situation...... smaller boxers may also be in order..... its a wardrobe malfunction nobody wants to endure or see. Regards Des

Well.... How is everyone doing? Just checking in with my first day of round two of liver shrinking. I stayed on it for the most part of the interim since my original surgery date of October first with the exception of the past week where i had a wedding to attend in England. Now however I am back on shakes, fruit, yoghurt, and salad veg.... yahooooo! So lemme see. Whats changed... Due to 3 weeks of liver shrinking in september, and 4 weeks of nearly liver shrinking in October I have lost already to date about 50lbs. I have avoided the scales for about a week and a half now and intend to keep avoiding them for the first week of this fresh stretch of liver shrinking. I don't want to look at the scales and start to admonish myself for the indulgences of the wedding week just past. God dammit I was a fricking Maid of honour and furthermore I have no idea how to convey the male version of that role... "Male" of honour??? Chief Bride's Male??? Bride's male in chief????? Clearly I had earned a break. I didn't go crazy anyway so all is prob still fine, but i flat out refuse to invest my current happiness as detailed below on a three digit figure conjured up by an inanimate object. The best thing about where I am now though is that I can actually see my own progress. I can actually see it..... with my own eyes. I must have been in denial previous to this, yet I just didn't/couldn't/wouldn't see any changes. Of course, clothes were looser and belts needed tightening while old "retired" clothes got put back in rotation, but i still saw the same portly Des looking balefully back at me from the mirror as I brushed my teeth each morning. Fast forward to when I was at a rehearsal last night and we were in a dance studio replete oh horror upon horror with three walls of mirrors. I could not take my eyes off of me (who could like?). The director was delighted as she thought I was taking direction well and keeping my head up as instructed. Honestly we were in that mirror room in August and I was not all that happy with what was on display. Last night was a fortifying and revitalising change. Otherwise things are going smoothly in life. I'd imagine that all you September Sleevers are for the most part over surgery with it's minor complications etc and are moving on with things. I am lime green, positively verdant with envy, but confident that round three will not happen and come November 19th I shall finally be accepted into the fold as a sleever. Faithfully yours Des Non obese person in waiting.

Hi guys. Today is Tuesday and I am due to go to hospital for my operation tomorrow. I live in Ireland and will be traveling to the hospital tomorrow and getting knifed on Thursday morning the first of October. I am having my surgery semi privately. It is paid for by my insurance, but happening in a public hospital. That's how Ireland rolls I'm told. I've been on liver shrinkage for the last three weeks and i've honestly found my groove with it. I am not always hungry and i find it fairly manageable. The only thing i'm having difficulty with is getting in my three Protein shakes every day. I'd say I average around the two mark with occasional third ones. I'm just not hungry after i have my dinner these days..... go fig. I've lost quite a bit of weight during the three weeks of shrinkage. I don't know exactly how much as we don't have a scales at home, but definitely a bit. My friends, family, acquaintances and veritable strangers are all mentioning it to me for the last two weeks. Right now i'm a little scared and the occasional person has said "sure if you can do it now do you really need the surgery?". Honestly that gets to me. While I know the statistics and enough related to weight loss to fill myself a small- medium sized book there is still a side of me that wonders if this is the right choice. I'm fairly certain it is, but the doubts are getting a bit louder and brasher the closer I get to the surgery date. Natural enough really. Either way it's all ahead of me and rather soon to be honest. Last night I was attending a rehearsal for a play. It was happening at a community/sports complex type building. As i was walking in the door a group of youths old enough to know better were congregated outside clearly after some sort of sporting thing. As i walked past there was a chorus of look at the state of him walking in there etc. I'd like to think it wasn't me, but i'm fairly sure it was. I find it hilarious that i can still manage to get myself bullied as a 33 year old man and it literally makes my blood boil that in that moment walking in the door I said to myself "i'll show them in a few months time"... they literally do not matter. These are people who literally have no manners and piss poor parents. I can not however deny that this has steeled my will somewhat yet it vexes me to the bone that it is one of the reasons i am having surgery the day after tomorrow. I'm tired of being stared at. 33 years is enough. I've had enough. I am full. So heres to the changes. I plan to give another update tomorrow. If anybody else is going through this process then feel free to get in touch. I love you all and am so proud of each and every one of you changing your lives for you not for anybody else. See you soon Des x

Well my identity is now confirmed. I am now a september sleever due to have his operation in November. The 19th to be precise. 50 days after i was originally supposed to be operated on. Still it's all good news. How is everyone here recovering? I'd like to say i'm jealous and in some ways i am but had i been sleeved two weeks ago i'd have not been able to go surfing yesterday. In other news weightloss to date is 50lbs. I am delighted with this. Although i think i am weighing myself too often and am gonna put the scales in a mates house so i'm not hopping on the blessed thing every other half hour. So that's the news for now. See you in the next update. Your September sleever having his op in November. Des x

My doc weighed me today. I've lost 16.5 kilos since consulting in august. That's 2 St 7lbs gone. Pre surgery. I'm super excited.

Good afternoon all. So my surgeon got in touch today to apologise for the cancellation. The chances of surgery any time soon are remote. Still on liver shrinking in case things change, but not holding my breath! May end up being a november sleever at this point. It's still gonna happen though so just a matter of waiting Lotsa love Des

Good afternoon all. So my surgeon got in touch today to apologise for the cancellation. The chances of it happening any time soon are remote. Still on liver shrinking in case it happens but not holding my breath! May end up being a november sleever at this point. It's still gonna happen though so just a matter of waiting Lotsa love Des

I have private insurance but i only got a private for the procedure to happen in a public hospital. In ireland it's safer anyway as the public hospitals are much better equipped *Approval

Well my journey has had a detour. Since i am having my surgery in a public hospital it is subject to triage. As an elective procedure it is a bit further down the line as regards importance. My operation was bumped out of the schedule today so i am now officially playing the waiting game yet again. This is not all that bad as the Weather here in ireland is awesome at the moment so i've been going to the beach and having a rollicking good time swimming in the surf. So what's next? No idea. Couldn't say for certain when my surgery will be. Will stay on liver shrinkage for the time being though. Can't harm right? Des Non Obese person in waiting.

Firstly thank you so so much for all the messages of support yesterday after my little heart to heart. It was much appreciated! But there is now some news and it is def a bit of a turn around. Seeing as my surgery is taking place in a public not private hospital they have to take emergencies etc... as priority (completely understandable). This has however, left me without a bed so my surgery has been canceled/postponed. Right now i have no idea when i shall have my operation. Not a big deal. Waited this long so i can wait a bit more. For now though he sun is shining and in Ireland this is not to be wasted. You'll catch me at the beach. Heres to being off the hook for now. Des x Ps. (Def pushing the theoretical limit of what being a September sleever means at this point.)

technically i'm an interloper here in the September sleevers category. My surgery is on October 1st, but as we all know that means the majority of the prep has been September's work. I just posted on the October sleeves section and i think i will paste it in here too as this thread seems to have infinitely more life. The 29th is today @@Reetz8 so hopefully you'll read this before surgery. Best of irish luck to you! May your weight slide off you like hot butter on a griddle and may your recovery be speedy and uneventful. Here follows my October sleever entry . . . Hi guys. Today is Tuesday and I am due to go to hospital for my operation tomorrow. I live in Ireland and will be traveling to the hospital tomorrow and getting knifed on Thursday morning the first of October. I am having my surgery semi privately. It is paid for by my insurance, but happening in a public hospital. That's how Ireland rolls I'm told. I've been on liver shrinkage for the last three weeks and i've honestly found my groove with it. I am not always hungry and i find it fairly manageable. The only thing i'm having difficulty with is getting in my three protein shakes every day. I'd say I average around the two mark with occasional third ones. I'm just not hungry after i have my dinner these days..... go fig. I've lost quite a bit of weight during the three weeks of shrinkage. I don't know exactly how much as we don't have a scales at home, but definitely a bit. My friends, family, acquaintances and veritable strangers are all mentioning it to me for the last two weeks. Right now i'm a little scared and the occasional person has said "sure if you can do it now do you really need the surgery?". Honestly that gets to me. While I know the statistics and enough related to weight loss to fill myself a small- medium sized book there is still a side of me that wonders if this is the right choice. I'm fairly certain it is, but the doubts are getting a bit louder and brasher the closer I get to the surgery date. Natural enough really. Either way it's all ahead of me and rather soon to be honest. Last night I was attending a rehearsal for a play. It was happening at a community/sports complex type building. As I was walking in the door a group of youths old enough to know better were congregated outside clearly after some sort of sporting thing. As i walked past there was a chorus of look at the state of him walking in there etc. I'd like to think it wasn't me, but i'm fairly sure it was. I find it hilarious that i can still manage to get myself bullied as a 33 year old man and it literally makes my blood boil that in that moment walking in the door I said to myself "i'll show them in a few months time"... they literally do not matter. These are people who have no actual manners and what i can only believe are piss poor parents but yet they wriggle and squirm under my skin. I can not however deny that this has steeled my will somewhat yet it vexes me to the bone that it is one of the reasons i am having surgery the day after tomorrow. I'm tired of being stared at. 33 years is enough. I've had enough. I am full. So heres to the changes. I plan to give another update tomorrow. If anybody else is going through this process then feel free to get in touch. I love you all and am so proud of each and every one of you for changing your lives what ever your reasons. See you soon Des x

All this talk about post op is making me feel left out Anybody else gearing up for surgery last few days of Sept start of October? ?

How's everybody that had surgery yesterday doing???

Best of luck. See you on the other side. If you have a near death experience and meet jesus tell him he still owes me for that keg and the hookers! Seriously though. Best of irish luck and I'm looking forward to hearing from you afterwards. Raise your protein shake people and toast to the future!

I think I've lost at least 20 lbs if not more. I'm avoiding the scales cause I just (barely) want to find out at pre surgery weigh in. Honestly as far as numbers go I could care less. I've heard so many people whisper their weight in hushed tones and others proud that "they've been 12 stone all their life" I'm not doing this for numbers. I'm doing this so that I can tie my shoelaces without getting out of breath. So I can fit in an airplane seat beside a stranger and not obsess whether they are gonna be dissing me to their family/friends as the fat bloater in the seat beside em. The reasons are multitude, but I honestly have never cared much about the numbers and hope I never will. Let's cut ourselves free of the bathroom shackle.... sorry i mean scales folks. If we make the right choices and do so consistently then the numbers don't and won't ever matter again. FYI I didn't even weigh myself on first day of liver shrinking. Peace out Des x

Well. I'm on day 10 of liver shrinking. The proverbial half way point. I've been pretty good. Only cheat i had was about 2 kernels of popcorn at the cinema stolen from a mate (i had a tub of blackberries from my allowances and a bottle of sparkling water as my movie snack) and a postage stamp sized piece of potato bread. All in all I have been a good boy so far and can't see myself deviating too much in the next ten days. Still have to try harder with the protein shakes though. Sick to the eye teeth of them now but hey ho. Anybody else gearing for surgery on the 1st of October? I'd love to find a buddy who is getting "knifed" same day as me! To the journey ahead folks and if anybody has just had theirs done and is reading this in a hospital bed then I command you to smile and then take a little walk in my honour. To the future Des x

day 4 of liver shrinking. Going pretty well. the only issue is i have real difficulty bringing myself to consume (eating is a bit of a stretch) all three Protein shakes. my plan is this Breakfast shake Midmorning snack Fruit lunch Shake Mid afternoon Unsweetened fat free natural yoghurt (i call it joy-free yoghurt) dinner (I'm all about dinner lately) is lean protein, 50 grams of carb 150 grams of veggies and 150 grams of salad greens. Evening snack is another flaming shake. All washed down with two whole litres of Water the only thing i am having issue with is the third shake. I can't bring myself to eat it and lose the memory of the nice dinner i had as my most recent meal. How is everybody else doing with their protein supplementing? Is it doing things for you or does it have a long "whey to go"??? Des x

@@ANewMe9/21 sorry that's not very clear. Mine is the same 3 shakes and a few bits and pieces everyday for the three weeks.

@@ANewMe9/21 Mine is the same for three weeks. Yours goes ever more insubstantial as you get closer to surgery?

Day three of liver shrinking and can actually say I'm not really hungry. I could eat a lot right now but I think that's because I know I haven't eaten. I am now so dispondant about food.

@@ANewMe9/21 Delighted to meet you. You are the first person i've interacted with pre op. Incidentally i've finished the nectarine.... It was awesome.

so i m now in day two of liver shrinkage. I'm also wondering how much the rest of me will shrink too. I honestly thought i felt my soul tighten up a bit with the first sip of Protein shake. So here i am anyway. i am on the west coast of Ireland and my surgery date while not necessarily September is on the 1st of October. 5 Days after my 33rd birthday. I am excited right now as it is getting close to mid morning snack time and there is a nectarine on my desk that i'm shortly gonna eat like it's a gift from the fruit goddesses themselves suffice to say it won't be pretty. In other exciting news i managed yesterday fairly easily and I've found that thinking about Protein shakes seriously reduces my hunger (go fig). I'm using Solgar "whey to Go" (i hate puns) is this the bariatric gold standard? The only advice i have is keep drinking that Water folks. Literally felt a headache rinse away earlier. Anyway i'm rambling. Hope you've enjoyed my first post. I'd love to hear from anybody gearing up for surgery in this sort of time frame. I could def do with a buddy or two. Looking forward to hearing from you. Des x