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We took a vacation when I was about six weeks out from surgery. I had absolutely no problems at all. I really didn't worry much about what I ate etc but I did have my protein bars handy. The amazing thing is that I actually lost 3 lbs that week I was on vacation. You can do it easy at 4 - 5 months out. You'll love the difference that you will feel and all the extra energy that you will have. You just won't believe it. Good Luck!!!

WOW, I guess I should put a new pic of me up shouldn't I? There is a big difference for sure.

At first I had the same problem. I made myself a spreadsheet and checked each time I took a vitamin or had protein. Now, I don't have to use the spreadsheet because it is just second nature to me to do what I am to do. However, the spreadsheet really helped me keep it all organized. Good Luck with your surgery. I know that you will be SO SO SO happy that you did it. It has made a world of difference in my life and I couldn't be happier.

I agree you do look amazing. I have been having my picture taken every month on the first day of the month and putting the pictures side by side is amazing. My husband like to take close ups of my face with his phone and it is definitely a very interesting transformation. In fact I didn't even hardly recognize myself with a close up. It is definitely a change.

First of all you will know when you are "full." You just can't take in another bite even if there is just one more bite left on your plate. If you take in that bite you will feel it for the new few minutes. It is just an uncomfortable feeling. Secondly, I started out very slowly on eating foods. I ate cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, refried Beans, tuna salad, Soups, and soft things starting at two weeks. I had no problem getting anything down but I still started out slowly until I felt comfortable eating "real" food. Hope this helps you.

I am 63 years old and had my surgery on June 1st. I had absolutely NO complications. I never missed a beat from the day I came home from the hospital. I get so much more done every day than I ever was able to get done before. I could not possibly be happier with my decision to have the surgery. It was the best thing I have ever done for myself. I must add that I do not have any health problems and I do not take any medications.

I am so glad that you wrote this Krista. I tell everyone I can. I don't feel like I have anything to be ashamed of other than my weight had gotten out of control and that was obvious to everyone who knew me. I told the gals at the Dr's office that I feel like a poster child for the surgery. It has saved my life and given me so much back. I feel like if people know how easy the whole process is they will be more willing to check it out. I agree that it is not for everyone but I also think that it is the solution to so many of my weight concerns. I still have a long way to go but already it has made a major difference in my life. I could not be any happier with my decision to have this surgery. I thank God every day for this opportunity for a new lease on life at my age of 63.

I have given 7 HUGE boxes of very good clothes to my local charity. I document what I give them and they give me a nice receipt for a tax deduction. PLUS, those clothes are used for the needy. I feel very good about donating clothes that I will never wear again. I am totally amazed at how fast I go down in sizes. I still have a second closet about half full of clothes ready to wear. Some still have the price tags on them that I had bought thinking I would get into them "someday." Well, the "someday" has come. This is definitely a fun part of this journey.

Yeh - I am down 110 lbs as of today. It is just hard to believe. This has been the easiest "not a diet" diet that I have ever done in my life. I have had absoluty NO - not even one - complications since I had surgery. I now know when my little tummy is full and I can easily say no more even if my plate is not clean. I have noticed that no one notices if you don't take a lot of food on your plate but I sure thought people noticed when I took a lot of food on my plate. Isn't it amazing? I have learned so much in the last 9 months since I started this journey. It has only been 4 1/2 months since my surgery and it seems like everything has changed for the better in my life. Don't get me wrong - I had a great life before I started this journey but everything has gotten even better. I could not possibly by happier with how things are going. I celebrated my 110 lb loss today by cleaning another big box of clothes out of my closet. My charity is loving me for sure. Everytime I see a grossly overweight person like I was I want to go up to them and tell them that there is such an easy solution but I don't obviously.

Yes, I do feel so much better and I get done in a half day that sometimes took me a week to do (or so my hubby says - LOL) I have so much more energy and don't have to take naps in order to survive the day. I can go shopping for a whole afternoon and not be exhausted. (This isn't too good for the bank account but good for me for sure.) It is just amazing what just 110 lbs can do. I can't wait to see what happens when I lose the next 84 lbs.

I get a hamburger and just eat the meat and I don't eat the bun. That fills me up. I can't imagine eating the bun along with a hamburger even if it is just 1/2 of a bun. Also, I love Wendy's Chili but a small chili fills me to the brim. I never could eat the chili and 1/2 of a burger even if it was a small burger.

We like pork chops (or pork steak) with a can of cream of celery and a can of cream of tomato in the crock pot. My hubby puts the soup on either mashed potatoes or rice. The pork is so tender and very tasty.

I used to be a huge Diet Coke fan. However, now I only drink one about once a month. The drink doesn't get me it is the caffine. I hated Caffine Free DC before but now I have to drink caffine free if I do have one at all. The reason is that if I drink any caffine I am up all night and have more energy than I can possibly handle. I lived on DC for that caffine before for the energy now it is the opposite. Isn't it interesting how our bodies work?

My favorite is Broccoli cheese Soup. When we go out I order it if they have it and Subway has the absolute best Broccoli Cheese Soup that is just the right size for me. It fills me up perfectly. I also like Wendy's small Chili. It is the perfect size too. I have all of a sudden become a "soup" person.

Congratulations!!! I know the feeling. I have had to mourn a little over some of my favorite clothes but I happily welcome my new clothes in smaller sizes. My "new" clothes have been in my second closet just waiting for me. Many have never been worn and still have the tags on them. I do a major clean every month on the first of the month which is the anniversary of my surgery. It is absolutely amazing what a difference just a month makes. Even last month when I only lost 8 lbs I lost big time in inches. The rate I am going, I imagine about Christmas time I am going to be needing gift cards for clothes for Christmas gifts. HA HA

No, you aren't the only one. I have never thrown up or even had the slimes. In fact, I am still not exactly sure what "the slimes" are like. I have felt a restriction a couple of times and I know for sure that I am not going to get one more bite in. However, that restriction is a guideline for me and I am glad to have it there. I can't say enough good things about my sleeve.

I took before pictures and update them each month on the 1st of each month. It is easy because I had my surgery on the 1st. I scrapbook so I have a scrapbook page for each months set of pictures. It is amazing what a difference just a month makes. The one thing I didn't do was take my measurements before I started this journey. I know that would be astounding and I am just a little over half way to goal. Each month on the 1st I clean out my closet too. It is really interesting to find clothes that fit me fine just a month ago and don't fit now. All of a sudden my husband has become very attentive to what I am wearing and if they are too baggy he lets me know it. This journey is so much fun.

As I keep losing weight I have had more and more of a problem with this. If I have a very active day with lots of shopping etc. I have no problem sleeping but some nights I can't go to sleep and sometimes I wake up early and can't go back to sleep. However, this is really strange. I am retired but my husband is not yet. I get up every morning early with him and visit with him before he goes to work. I weigh myself but I don't usually eat or drink anything that early in the morning. IF I go back to bed at 6:30 after he leaves for work and sleep another hour or two I usually weigh at least one pound less when I weigh the second time. This puzzles me but I am not complaining to say the least.

We have found when we go out to eat that ordering just one meal is plenty for the two of us. He has plenty to eat and so do I. Sometimes I just order a couple of items from the side order menu and that is perfect for me. At home, I was so used to cooking for 4 even when there is just two of us so that has been an adjustment for me to try and limit what I am fixing otherwise we eat leftovers for days and days and days. The other day he noticed that I finish eating at the same time he does now. I used to still be eating long after he was finished. He has a regular size plate and I use a small plate. I still fix balanced meals just as I always have but I take a much smaller portion for myself. As for health issues or complications - I have had none so that hasn't even been a worry on his part. I came home from the hospital and never missed a beat. I started fixing meals for him just like I always have the day after I came home. So basically, he has had no adjustments to deal with. However, the grocery bills and the dining out bills are certainly a lot smaller. We do eat at home a lot more now too. I guess because I have more energy to fix good meals. The only other thing I have noticed is that all of a sudden my husband has become VERY aware of the clothes that I am wearing. If he thinks something is too big he wants me to change and put that into a box to donate. He has never been that conscious of the clothes that I was wearing before. Now, each month on the anniversary date of my surgery he wants me to go through my closet and purge items that are now too big. All in all having the sleeve was one of the wisest decisions I have ever made in my life. My only wish is that I could have had it many years ago instead of waiting until I am 63 years old to have the sleeve. Sometimes I wonder how my life would have been different if I would have stepped up to the issue long ago. I believe everything happens for a purpose and in God's timing so I thank God every day for this surgery and my quality of life.

I have absolutely NO regrets. I haven't had any complications from the surgery and I have basically lost my desire to eat so much. I am satisfied with my little helpings and don't feel denied at all. I can eat whatever I want but I too stay away from breads and pastas. I am very comfortable with what I can eat. I couldn't be happier that I made this drastic decision. It has changed my life already so much and I am only half way to goal.

I have been having the same thing happen to me. Last Sunday for church I put on a pair of slacks that I had been "saving" until I knew they would fit me. I came out and my hubby said that someone else could get into them with me. I wore them anyway. So Sunday aft. I went into my second closet to find another pair of slacks to match that top. I had another pair that I had never worn but only to discover they were too big also. I am such a "clothes-a-holic" that I had three huge tubs plus 1/2 of a second closet full of clothes - 95% of which have never ever fit me. On the first day of each month now I go through those tubs and those clothes to try them on to see what fits me and what will be for later. When I started out this venture I kept telling my hubby that I thought I could lose 125 lbs and not have to buy any new clothes. Now I am thinking I will be able to lose even more and not have to buy any clothes. What in the world was I thinking when I bought all those "almost fit me" clothes?

I am 63 years old and had my surgery June 1st. I have had absolutely NO complications. I had 194 lbs to lose. I am not sure what age has to do with it but I see that there are many who are much much younger that have lots of complications. As you can see by my stats I have done very well since the surgery. When I tell people that I can eat anything I want without any problems they just look at me like I am crazy. Then I have to say I can eat anything I want just not as much as I used to eat. Now I am satisfied with just a few bites of something that I normally would eat lots of . A lot of my success I contribute to my attitude. I was so sure that I was doing the right thing that I was determined I was not going to let my surgery cause any problems. I followed the directions from the Center to the T and did not waiver from their recommendations. From the day after my surgery when I came home I never even stayed in bed one day. I was up and going just like I always had been. I have not regretted having my surgery one single minute. Good Luck to you on your surgery. I know you will be so happy with it.

I think I have tried all of the above diets and then some more. 1) Magnets in the ear diet. Every week I had to go in and they would move the magnets around to another part of my ears. 2) Diet Center (lost 100 lbs - then gained 200 lbs back), 3) Weekly shots. But nothing works like the sleeve works. I love my sleeve.

I am 63 years old and had my surgery on June 1st. I had absolutely NO complications. I was up and going the next day after surgery and never missed a beat from that day on. I must say that I had no health problems other than my weight and I think that contributed to my success. My only regret is that I waited so long to take charge of my weight problems and that I spent thousands of dollars trying every gimic there is. I am almost half way to my goal and I have so much more energy. I couldn't possibly be any happier with my sleeve. It really is a wonderful tool.

Very Interesting!!! I am only 2 1/2 months out and I have thought of this very thing. For some reason, I see things differently now. I have noticed that people don't look at my plate of food when I go out to eat. I noticed that no one mentions that I am not eating much - even those that have no idea I have had surgery. I do notice people who are very overweight (like I still am) and want to tell them there is a solution but I don't say anything to anyone unless someone asks me. I want to tell everyone about my surgery and what a difference it has made in my life already even tho I still have a lot to lose. I have had absolutely NO complications so I feel like a crusader for the sleeve. I have to remember that there are those much younger than I am that have not had it as easy as I have. I also have to remember that it took me 10 yrs to decide to do something about my weight. But I am so glad I have taken charge of it now. I couldn't be any happier.