teacupnosaucer

Sleeved March 22nd, highest weight 227lbs, surgery weight 196, down to 154 now. 4 pounds from my original goal of 150lbs so I'm revising lower. when I was obese 150 seemed so far away and unreachable... and now I'm there in four months! I know I can do more than this now. I'm absolutely loving my life now. I can't believe how much better 2017 has been to me than years before! I have so many new friends, I do so many activities that I'd have never even thought to try. I have a whole closet of cute dresses and lululemon I never could have worn before! tracking has been kind of on and off, but overall I've still been eating healthy, not drinking calories, not eating out as much as I ever used to, trying to avoid bringing tempting junk food into my house. still working on getting enough water in during the day, and making a point of being more consistent about taking my vitamins. I've been really good about keeping up activity though, so that's a win! I have lots and lots to work on, but even so, what a change!

I think part of the issue is all our lives fun HAS been food. I know it was for me! I couldn't do a lot of activities because of my lack of endurance, low self esteem, and body pain, shopping was miserable... why wouldn't I find fun in something I COULD do and find rewarding: eating out, going for drinks, having a big popcorn at the movies? it's true. food isn't as fun anymore. it's not fun to count calories. it's not fun to be protein first all the time. it's not fun to skip soda at the theatre or dessert at dinner or fried anything. but it's fun to play soccer with my husband and go dancing and shopping at the mall with my friends. it's fun to go to the beach with my kids. if I look at my life according to what used to make it worthwhile: all the great stuff I got to eat, then yeah my life kinda sucks now. but the truth is, I have a much fuller life otherwise at this smaller weight and healthier body. I get to do so much! this journey is hard work. it REALLY isn't enjoyable at times. that's when you need to focus on the rewards.

I never never never thought I'd see even this weight again, so it has been pretty amazing!

thank you so much! and hey, our starting weights/heights are super close! I always love meeting my wls twinsies haha.

you will be thankful for them as you continue on your journey, promise! <3

Thank you! Before and after pictures are a great motivator.

My clinic dietician actually scolded me for not eating ENOUGH carbs once I was on solid foods and made it a goal for me to eat whole grain crackers or toast once a day. I try to choose options that also have protein if I can. Follow the advice of your dietician and/or surgeon, as plans vary wildly.

I like the twisted cherry, crystal sky, and roadside lemonade flavors of Nectar. adding some extra citric acid to the roadside lemonade is the best! i do the chocolate truffle, strawberry mousse and vanilla bean torte ones either blended with ice or in smoothies with yogurt and fruit.

I am similar. I don't have blackout compulsive binging, but if I have a bag of Oreos at hand I can and will eat the whole thing. The sleeve has definitely helped me to lose weight by limiting my portions in general, but more importantly I have to make a conscious choice not to bring those trigger foods into my house. Oreos and other bagged cookies can't come into my house. Other people can't buy potato chips for the same reason, etc. Ultimately I'd say post-sleeve that if I had a bag of Oreos here right now... I couldn't eat the whole thing the same way as I used to, but I could DEFINITELY polish off the bag by grazing over the course of a night at a slower pace. Calories are still the same no matter the pace though! So don't count on the sleeve alone to keep you from overeating unhealthy food.

Commit yourself to the changes. Be open to trying new things. Track your food and exercise, even (especially) when you're disappointed with yourself or embarrassed. Make small changes one at a time. Celebrate your accomplishments (and not just the scale ones!). Write lists of your goals, your achievements, etc, so you have them to look at when you need them. Surround yourself with people who help you do your best and support your healthy lifestyle

I feel this too. I've lost more than sixty pounds and have gone from a size 18-20 to a size 10-12 but I still think I look the exact same when I look in the mirror. I pick up clothes and think "there's no way this will fit" and then it does... easily. Part of my problem as well is that when I was at my largest, I didn't SEE myself as big as I was. Like I'd see a photo or catch myself in a mirror and be SHOCKED by my own body. It's a very weird sensation. I don't know when my brain and body will be in sync again.

As obvious as it sounds to say it... go and don't drink. If people are gonna be asses about it, you don't have to tell people you're not drinking, if you don't want. Order something virgin at the bar that looks vaguely alcoholic and sip it. I did that when I was newly pregnant but didn't want people asking questions LOL. Or, alternatively, be open that you're not drinking because you're looking after your health. People should respect that, and if they don't that's on them! You could say you don't want to drink your calories, or say your doctor needs you to be extra careful with your liver, or or or. People quit drinking for plenty of reasons! You don't have to avoid social situations just because you can't have alcohol, though. This is lifelong. Even if you do decide to start drinking alcohol again (which you absolutely can if you want, post sleeve, you just have to be conscious about how much you're drinking and follow your surgeon's directions on when it's safe to have a drink post-op), there will always be other situations where you will not be able to do things the way you used to, or participate the same as others do... eg going out to a restaurant you might have to order a noticeably smaller portion, or say no to the deep fried chicken wings everyone else is having on wing wednesday, etc. We just have to find our own way to participate in these rituals that allows us to maintain connections with people and be a part of social events without compromising our right and our responsibility to care for our bodies.

I'm not a "gym person" so haven't really made that step yet, but I did go from couch potato to getting more active, and honestly, it can be sooooooo intimidating, especially for someone who has been fat, who was teased in PE class, bullied by jocks, yadda yadda yadda... Every new activity I've tried, I've enlisted a friend. Swing dancing classes I found a girlfriend I knew was into vintage fashion. Swimming I go with my mom. Soccer, I go with my husband. Having someone go with you helps you feel less alone and awkward. The other thing I've found helped is just being honest with people about your emotions. Yes the world is full of meathead jerks and judgy types, but it is also filled with people who are kind and supportive and genuinely want to welcome newbies into their world. "I haven't played soccer since high school so I'm a little intimidated but I want to try my best!" earned me a lot of support and encouragement from the rest of the team. "This is my first time ever doing a dance class, I hope I can keep up!" had me commiserating with fellow newbie dancers and getting gentle guidance from more experienced dance partners. And honestly, the more you do it, the easier it gets. And I don't just mean "I've been to three dance classes now so I'm not as scared of going to my fourth dance class" but also "I've been to three dance classes now so when a friend of mine invites me to do a 5k with her I feel up to the challenge because I know I'm capable of trying new things." Overcoming my fears and insecurities has been even more rewarding to me than seeing the number on the scale go down, honestly. I feel like I am really living my life more fully than I did before. You can do this! The fear is real but the rewards are great!

A week out or so, yeah. It doesn't hurt or feel uncomfortable to do it, and it helps me pace my drinking, so I think I'm fine.

I am a big water drinker and more than that... a complete chugger! I am three months out and still can't chug water the way I used to. Sometimes I forget I'm post-op and try to guzzle my water but my stomach quickly reminds me I'm not supposed to be doing that anymore! It's hard, but I still get lots of water in and enjoy it just as much. Just have to consciously remind myself to drink it slowly.

No, you are not stretching your stomach drinking water. Remember at two weeks out your stomach is healing. You will gradually be able to consume more and more as the swelling from your surgery goes down. Once you start eating solids, the restriction will kick in. Promise. For now, keep focusing on staying hydrated. You're doing a good job!

No, I'm sorry, it really won't. In fact, in our program people who binge eat are not approved for surgery whatsoever until they have their binge eating under control first. (I believe one woman in my support group said she needed to be six+ months free of a binging episode before being allowed to sign?) If you are a true compulsive overeater and binger, surgery will NOT fix those compulsions... and you could wind up badly hurting yourself! Of course, I'm talking about true compulsive overeating binging, which is a serious psychological issue and a genuine eating disorder not "I went to a pasta joint and ate SO MUCH BREADSTICKS AND THEN HAD SPAGHETTI!" which of course ain't great for you and often makes you feel like poop on a stick, but isn't the same thing as binge eating disorder either. In the second case surgery will definitely limit your appetite and portion sizes to a given extent. As for the sweets, nope, there's really no guarantee it's going to help with that. My first few weeks out I couldn't stand anything sweet whatsoever, but my sweet tooth is definitely back now! Some people experience dumping syndrome when they eat sweets, which can work as negative reinforcement, but it's not for all sweet foods and it often goes away the farther out from surgery you are. Surgery is an amazingly powerful and life-changing tool, but it has limits. There are some things the surgery can really help with, but other things we must work on and fix ourselves.

I drink a lot of iced herbal teas. I actually also just really like a glass of milk sometimes! I stay away from carbonated drinks because I don't trust myself to have just a little, and I know my Pepsi habit is part of what got me to needing surgery in the first place.

Before, 227lbs in a size 2X coat that was tight on me. 2.5 months post sleeve, finishing off a night of swing dancing in a size L dress in the mid 160s. The difference here isn't just the weight and size, but the fact that old me NEVER would have been doing weekly swing dancing lessons and going to social dances! I'm not only smaller, I have a genuinely better quality of life! Oh and the picture was taken by a new friend of mine who I met through a post-op support group! We do all kinds of activities together that don't revolve around food. I love it!

I know many of the high BMI patients through our program, in order to get down to a surgery-safe weight, will go on a medically supervised diet called optifast. They also are prescribed Saxenda injections. The goal of these programs isn't the "lifelong changes to diet and exercise" piece that they'll ultimately have to incorporate eventually, but straight up "lose as much weight as possible as fast as possible so you can get onto that surgery table safely and continue treatment". Maybe ask about either of those options? A high BMI puts you at high surgical risk, but it hardly seems a fair alternative to just say "welp either magically lose 90 pounds or don't bother" without any of the comprehensive support you need to HELP you lose those 90 lbs. You need this, you know you need this, you DESERVE this chance... now just to find you a program that is willing to help you get there in a safe and realistic way. Does your insurance cover exercise therapists or physio? With your pain levels I do NOT blame you for not exercising, and honestly wouldn't recommend you just jump out and "do it anyway" even if you thought you could. It sounds to me like having a professional guide you with appropriate movement that will not further injure your body would be the best bet. Some bariatric programs are literally just throw you into surgery sink or swim, but other programs are more holistic in their approach. I know ours hooks people up with classes, with a psychologist and therapy, a registered dietician, an exercise therapist, a social worker if need be... Surgery for many people really needs to be one aspect of care, not the be all and end all. It's just a matter of finding a clinic that provides that level of care.

You're going to be okay. You will wake up and feel like you just closed your eyes... and then on top of that you will likely be so high on painkillers you won't know the ceiling from the floor, let alone understand the passage of time LOL! also anaesthesia affects everyone differently, so there's really no predicting what it will be like coming out of it. no matter what happens, you will be in the hands of trained staff who have seen it allllll and will know just how to care for you in that vulnerable time. The first day and a half is a total blur for me. I drifted in and out of consciousness. Not sure what you mean by tube bag though! I had a drain in one of my incision sites (the worst), an IV for fluids and pain medication, but no catheter like some others have. I think overthinking is very normal when it comes to a major surgery