jintycb

Hello dearest Queen. Lovely to see a post from you. You were my greatest inspiration when I was a newbie and I devoured your book with great gusto so that I could have a hint of what my weight loss journey could be like. It should be required reading for all the newly sleeved as it is just simple common sense from front cover to back. Oh yes, and humour, which always makes things that much more enjoyable. I'm now in the maintaining camp having had my surgery 18 months ago at the age of 58. I reckon that the really hard work starts once the main bulk has left your frame and the maintenance has to become part of every day life. It's hard sometimes. Worth it though. I walk 6-7 miles with my dogs every day, loving every step of it. I do two ballet classes every week with a teacher who taught me when I was a professional dancer. Although I take it a lot easier and don't have the ability (or the suppleness or strength) to get my legs up around my ears I can quite happily move my normal weight body around the moves. The thought of even trying to do that with all the pre-sleeve excess weight just doesn't bear thinking about! I couldn't have done it. As far as I'm concerned, it's never too late to start an active life so bariatric surgery in later life is one of the most wonderful options open to those of us who wake up one day and find, to our horror, that all those random extra ounces that were slowly creeping onto our frames have turned into serious poundage!

Run? Now I do many things but running is not one of them! Never mind after surgery-just let's say never!!! Now, many other kinds of exercise, yes. After surgery I immediately went back to dog walking, only a couple of miles a day to start with but gradually increasing distance and length of walks. I swam as soon as I could get back in the water which was as soon as I got my stitches out. I was back at ballet classes after ten months but it was only vanity that made me put it off for so long as I really couldn't cope with looking at my still lumpy bits in the mirrors that surround you in a dance studio! Oh yes, and the fact that I hadn't done class for 35 years. I now walk 6-7miles every day with my dogs and do at least two ballet classes a week. I feel wonderful!

Just had a look at my PMs and the creep has disappeared. Thanks for the advice. Thought a bit of simple shaming would help which is why I posted his moniker. Sad git must have been a bit desperate to hit on this old dame! Hey ho, ain't life odd![emoji6]

As I haven't been using this site as much recently I may have been missing notifications about changes in contacting those in charge! I left a post a couple of days ago and I have immediately been contacted by a complete (male) newby who is requesting my email address or social website address. Very creepy. My antenna is on alert as I find this very odd and want to have him looked into, just incase he does this to anyone else who is not as long in the tooth and sceptical as me. Answers gratefully accepted.

Mdsraju49 is the guy who is asking for my details

Hiya Dub, nothing to do with weight, just that as you know, I'm a fellow Oct 2015 sleever. Thought you'd like a quick pic of our pups Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Girl, I don't yell at people nor would I call anyone a moron whether they deserve it or not. Well, in my honest opinion you bloody well should. I hardly need to explain my reasoning to anyone on this site with half a brain! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

In our house it's going to be roast beef for Christmas Day. Neither of us (husband and I) are great turkey fans so we shall have some beautiful, if expensive Aberdeen Angus rib roast. I'll do all the trimmings-Yorkshire puddings, cauliflower and broccoli cheese, roast parsnips, roast spuds etc but I will be sticking with the meat and cheese sauce free veg whilst my naturally slender other half attacks the full monty. For the rest of the day and for Boxing Day I shall just do exactly as I did last year when I was two months post sleeve. A little bit of everything so that I didn't feel left out. It worked well for me. I shall also still be dragging the dogs out for their usual five mile walk every morning of the holiday. I may however, have to indulge, just a little, in a few Haribro jelly babies. A girl can't turn into a saint after all!!! Merry Christmas to you all x Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank heavens for threads like this one. I'm right on board. Bloody carbs! The invention of the Devil. They are so easy to eat and to be honest I find them very yummy!!! However, my new wardrobe and accompanying new found confidence are worth more than a a dollop of those horrors. I am 15 months out from my sleeve surgery and for the first time I've been complacent and a couple of lbs have crept on. Back to basics for me so no more dipping into the Christmas chocolates that are there for guests. I now have a mountain of oranges and clementines to satisfy my sweet tooth. I'm also upping my Water intake which had slipped a bit. Reading these posts has given me the required kick up my arse that I needed. Thank you guys x Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

4 in the morning here in the U.K. and I'm drinking tea as I'm wide awake. Having just read your posts I'm completely incapable of even thinking about counting sheep to get back to sleep! Thank heavens for having some funny, demented losers! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Get you Ms RosieCheeks-Jimmy Choo's. I have to agree with the feet losing weight though. I've lost a bit from my trotters but the biggest difference is the circumference of my calves. I'm getting into boots that have been relegated to the back of the cupboard for years. Loving it. Mind you, it has saved my neck when my nearest and dearest (Mr 'We're on an economy drive') spied a new pair of boots. I used the 'these old things' line. Of course the excuse works EVERY time as there is no way that a mere man can remember exactly what his woman's footwear looks like from season to season! I am a complete shoeholic so I have to have viable excuses at the ready! Oh the NSVs, especially the ones that keep your addictions flowing! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Chilly morning here in UK. Sitting in bed with first cuppa of the day with one large ginger cat and two small dogs draped over me. As warm as toast with my animal comforters. Lovely.............don't want to get up!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm 60. Had VSG surgery a year ago and now walk at least 5 miles a day and I'm back doing 2-3 ballet classes per week with the teacher who taught me when I was a professional dancer 30 years ago. I feel WONDERFUL. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Well, what a devastating, delectable, delightful mental image I have of my WLS pals over there in the US. I'm surprised that you haven't got your knitting needles out and getting woolly hats and scarves churned out to keep you going throughout the cold months! Toughen up you lot-try living here in the U.K.!! Global warming has yet to manifest itself here and those of us who originally hail from north of the border in Scotland have genes pre-programmed to deal with the cold and the damp! OK, I do admit that I was the one last year who was knitting woolly hats, piling a few extra layers on and surrounding myself with husband, three dogs and two cats in bed. No idea what it's going to be like this year as we have had the mildest Autumn possible. Will keep you posted. As for slutty dressing girls (well boys too if that's your penchant).........YAY!!!! It's fun, fun and more fun. I bought over the knee boots about six months after my VSG and they were too tight around the calf. Yesterday, a year after surgery, they slipped up my legs beautifully. I also buy a great US brand of jeans NYJ (Not Your Daughter's Jeans) whenever I see them in a sale as they are expensive over here. They are great moral boosters and they are cut to make your bum look great. I might have hit the age of 60 in September but that isn't going to stop my fun. Nor for that matter will the cold when it hits us! The following pic was taken 8 months after surgery as I was just getting back into the swing of slutty styling. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

With you there all of you have posted and who have helped me through my first year post op with your wit, wisdom and common sense. If I were a pre-op newby I think that I might just have cottoned on to the fact (by reading the posts in the Vets forum) that they, the vets, weren't seeking advice from pre-op, recently post op or just those who were considering gastric surgery. It doesn't matter how much you have read, Googled, talked to others or gathered by mental osmosis and here say, until you have lived with the sleeve or whatever in place, you have no real idea of what really goes on. I didn't. I would no more have tried to advise the vets with my self awarded degree in WLS than fly to the moon. I would have regarded myself as an arrogant eedgit, which is probably how the vets would have seen me-and quite rightly too. I remember being told by a teacher once that when you are lucky enough to be in the company of those who are wiser than you, then keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. I transpose this sage advice to the digital age to keep your eyes (and brain) on the text and your fingers off the keypad. These are only my opinions and I may well be typing a crock of shite but I'll lay money on the fact that some of the vets give me a thumbs up! I now rest my case - until something else gets my typing digits dancing! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

OK hers' the thing. I reached my first year surgery anniversary yesterday. I'm a very happy sleeper. Nearly at goal weight (last bit is soooo hard to shift), my hair didn't fall out, didn't take Vitamins, I exercise as befits my age (60) by walking five miles per day and doing two ballet classes per week (even though my right hip was replaced two years ago) plus swimming at least half a mile twice weekly. I DO NOT eat processed food of any description...............well, ummmmmm, wellllllll.......OK maybe the odd Coke (normal or diet) and heaven forbid, through a straw!!!!! Yum! I have it as a treat and love every slurp of it. I have yet to blow myself up. Shortly after my surgery I noticed a post on this site recommending a book called 'The Diet Myth' which I bought on Amazon. Having read it and learned a lot that debunks previous received 'wisdom' about diet, I have continued to read other publications which I have found enormously helpful in my understanding of how this old corpse of mine functions. The one thing that all the books are in agreement about is the fact that whatever form of artificial sweetener you use, it will stimulate insulin production in exactly the same way as sugar. So, to satiate my sweet tooth, I just occasionally indulge that tooth by having honey, (even that cannot be called completely natural as it has been through mechanical processes to extract the golden liquid from it's waxy home). I also use raw, unprocessed sugars when I do need to sweeten something when honey just won't cut it. My other nutritional helper at the moment is kefir, both the milk and Water versions. I make my own and have even got my sceptical husband drinking both every day. Personally, I am feeling the benefits and I haven't gained weight since starting to drink the stuff (a couple of months now) and the natural carbonation in it hasn't upset my sleeve. I make a smoothie to various recipes with the milk kefir every morning and I love it. Lots of good things in it which I can't be arsed to list here as I'm sure anyone who is interested can Google it. So, the long and the short of it, as a junior, apprentice vet I did as I was told immediately post op but I decided that a bit of self education would do me no harm. More importantly, I read all the threads and posts that the vets were involved with and I learned from them and their wealth of experience. There was plenty of absolute balderdash spouted by pre-op and post op newbies which I (wisely it appears) chose to ignore in my early days. Stick with the vets and take their advice. After all, how many of them are walking around back at, or on their way back, to their original weights? If you read their posts you will discover that not only have they had surgery but they have also used their brains, followed their own advice and kept the lard off. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I shall be thinking of you on the 31st. I can still remember how excited I was this time last year (I was lucky that I wasn't one bit nervous) and d'you know, the excitement is still there. I'm still on my journey as my goal weight is still 14lbs away. Every ounce that I lose still thrills me. Good Luck for your surgery day and for the roller coaster of a wonderful ride that you are in for. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's a very rainy Saturday here in the U.K. and I am being so lazy. I'm loving every minute of my laziness too. I deserve it. I've earned it-no question! I have walked five miles every day this week, completed two 75 minute ballet classes and have had a couple of half mile swims. I've also completed most of my daily domestic chores, plus found time to gossip with friends and look after my husband and organise him. This time last year I could have managed the domestic side of the deal but the long walks? Forget it. The most the dogs got was a couple of miles a day if they were lucky. A dawdle round the local park was their lot. As for a ballet class........out of the question. I could no more have struggled into a leotard and tights and indulged in anything vaguely balletic than explore Mars. I could swim but that was because the Water was holding me up and as we know, fat is fairly buoyant. I had plenty of THAT! In June 2015 I went to a reunion of ballet dancers who I worked with when I was 20 years old. I was aware that I was overweight but the photos that were taken that day showed just how large I was, especially in comparison to my still slim and fit contemporaries. I was mortified and more than a little embarrassed. That did it. I had to do something and do it fast. For the sake of my health and my vanity I knew that drastic measures were required. I set to, with the help of my friend Google and researched myself into a stupor. I found out about all the bariatric surgery options available to me. I knew that every other diet and fitness regime had failed partly due to the fact that I loved my food and had a capacious appetite. I had to be able to physically limit my food intake capacity whilst I re-trained my body and more importantly, my brain, in regards to what I should be eating. The VSG appeared to be the answer to my prayers. I knew that I couldn't afford to have the surgery here in the UK and that I wasn't quite large enough to have the surgery through our NHS system so I looked further afield. I contacted a few places abroad, visited their representatives in London, made my decision (ECFS in Belgium) and set everything in motion. Nearly a year ago, I set off, with my husband with me, for a few days that have changed my life. I had no second thoughts, no qualms, no fear. Just the certainty that the path that I was taking was the right one for me and my health. I had a final meal the night before my surgery and basically had a food funeral. I indulged myself to the maximum. Then, from the required time, I obediently stopped eating! The surgery was the easy bit. It was the hours through the night after it that were awful. I hurt. I could NOT get comfortable no matter what position I struggled into. Eventually, at about 4am I discovered a way of propping myself up that enabled me to sleep. I still felt like death warmed up but at least I could get some shut eye. I could also forget about the tube that was shoved down my nose and throat which made me want to gag! The uncomfortable period didn't last for long and by midday, having had all the relevant tests and been seen by my consultant, the day after my surgery I was back in the hotel, sipping water and being nursed by my very attentive and brilliantly patient husband. He had some apple juice standing by for when I could manage something a bit more interesting than plain water. I managed it that night. The following day, I was able to get out of bed, shower, dress and re-join the human race. I had a visit from the senior nursing consultant who told me that I was free to go out into the town. Yippee-maybe some shopping and spoiling perhaps? Off we went, and although we had plenty of stops for apple juice and tea breaks we had a great mooch round the shops. I felt great. No pain at all. All that was left to do was to return home the next day but not before I explored the beautiful town of Lisle for hours before getting onto the Eurostar train to return to the UK. That was the start of my journey. I have now lost 70lbs with 14 still to go until I get to the goal (120lbs) that I have set myself. My BMI has gone from 36 to 23.7. I feel amazing. I made a promise to a friend that I would start doing ballet classes once I had lost the majority of my weight and on my 60th birthday three weeks ago I went back to class for the first time in 25 years. Ouch. I suffered. If I go for a swim immediately afterwards though, I have discovered that my muscles don't seize up. Result! I am loving it. I had forgotten the sheer joy of dancing. I had also forgotten just what was involved in using my core muscles to do even the most basic of moves. However, muscle memory appears to hang around for a long time and I am loving the feeling of using bits of my body that have long been dormant. I cannot lie and say that I do not get completely knackered. I do, but it is a good feeling. I know what my physical goals are and now that I am not carting around the weight I reckon I can achieve them. I ain't going to be dancing Swan Lake any time soon but my two year old (replaced) right hip and arthritic left knee are coping pretty well all things considered. If I can get to this point I reckon anyone can. Believe in yourself, reach for your dreams. Grab life by its balls and LIVE it. Oh, and get plenty of Protein and water and don't sweat the stall stuff. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Congratulations. You look awesome. Bet you've had great fun launching your large clothes out of your wardrobe to make room for lovely normal sized stuff! I'm nearly a year out from surgery and I have loved the journey so far. It's been a huge learning curve but the results are worth every minute of the mental and physical effort for the mental and physical results. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Carrying around those eight average sized new born babies around with me everywhere I went. Yay! The mental picture is enough to remind me where I have come from and not want to go back there! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was back on my morning cup of coffee the week after my surgery. I always start the day with a couple of cups of tea and then I have a large coffee to keep me company on the first part of my morning dog walk. Call me stubborn, stupid-whatever-but I'm now nearly a year sleeved and have had no problems from drinking (full caffeine) coffee or tea whatsoever. I also have my free coffee that I get with my loyalty card every time I go to my fave supermarket. I might be a rebel in this case but I've not had any problems. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Go ahead. You have my express permission! I did post in the Gastric Sleeve, Tell your gastric sleeve story forum. Should I have looked for the War and Peace thread? If that's the case could you tell me where to find it on this sight? Sigh................ Ah, just checked out the miserable troll. Three posts, newbie and pre op. It'll learn if it stays around and doesn't piss people off!!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi there. I'll leave you a personal message with my email and cell number so that when you get to the UK you can contact me so that I can explain our cultural cuisine anomalies if you feel the need! Where are you going to be for your stay over here? Just being nosy!!!! Safe journey. X Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Try International Bariatric Pal local chapters. Will have another snoop now......... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Too old my foot! I had my sleeve surgery last year when I was 59. I was 60 a couple of weeks ago and I am loving every second of my journey. I have lost 68lbs and my BMI has gone from 36 to 24. I walk five miles a day with my dogs. I'm back doing ballet classes having not danced professionally for 25 years and I feel great! A girl is never too old to enjoy life, wear fun clothes and shoes and behave like a much younger version of herself. I intend growing older disgracefully!!!!!! Tell your mum to go for it. It is SO worth it! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App