monalyssa33

To comfortably sleep on my stomach, I think it was maybe two weeks. I had to sleep with a body pillow over my belly to discourage my cat from sleeping on me like she would do.

I was a 52C and I'm now a 38/40D (maybe even DD). They do look tubesock-like though too. I was surprised that I didn't lose as much in my boobs. They are still uneven sizes unfortunately.

I've been in a three month stall which sucks and I've fluctuated between 218 and 225 lbs the entire time, but I did my measurements in early August, then did them again a couple days ago and I've lost 10 inches! My size 16 jeans are now too big, so I've been testing whether my mom's size 14 jeans fit, which they now do. I even tried on some size 14 skirts that I bought a month before surgery (which I thought it would be forever for me to actually fit into) and they are nearly a comfortable fit! It's weird to realize that I might for the first time ever, be the smallest person in my family if/when I get to a size 12 or smaller. I also have a date tomorrow night and I haven't been on a date since May 2016 (about 120 lbs ago), so this will be a new thing too.

From my actual first orientation to when I had the surgery it was over 7 years, but from the last orientation until surgery it was about 7 months (July 2016 to February 2017).

The multiple times a day BMs I had pre-surgery were not something I thought I was going to miss, but now that I am at the point where I have to take a stool softener, Miralax and eat a lot of Fiber One each day to stay regular is annoying, but I'll take the occasional need for an enema over being 400 pounds again.

The hospital/surgeon I went to is with the county hospital and since I work for the county, my insurance covered everything except the $125 hospital stay copay. I could have gone somewhere else and paid the out of network price (and in the past when I tried to qualify I went to a different place), but since the county hospital is a Bariatric Center of Excellence just like the other place was, I figured it was a good option for me financially and medically. My surgeon was great though. I felt like I was in good hands.

I believe I am "big-boned" so I think going past a size 10 for me would look odd. I'm in between a 14 and 16 right now and already you can see my ribs sticking out if I wear tighter clothing.

I first started considering WLS in 2009, but I was so far from being ready. I tried again a few years later with similar results and the surgical team kept telling me I was not ready because my life was so hectic (in school full-time, working at a job I hated, and not following through with the pre-op plans), and again maybe two years later. It wasn't until early 2016 that my primary doctor brought it up again as a possible option for me. By that point, I had a steady full-time job, I had finished college, I was no longer depressed and I was motivated. Now that I am 7 months post-op and down 180 pounds (75 pounds since surgery), I have no regrets. I don't even regret not having it earlier. I had it when I was ready and if I had it any sooner, I would have failed. My biggest advice is research your options, if you have any reservations, look into the possible reasons/causes of those reservations and decide if now is the right time or if you just need more guidance/information/etc. to be ready and successful.

@Wumbo My biggest reason is the cost of the medications. I have insurance, but I'd love to not have to spend $50 every month for them if I can be successful without them. I used to be on Haldol for Tourette's and it wasn't until I went off it that I found my tics were worse when I was on the med that was supposed to suppress them.

Before I had the surgery, I would tell some people I met on dating sites and they would tell me, "Oh you don't need it! You're beautiful all ready!" I just wanted to reach through my computer and strangle them. Dude, I didn't have the surgery to be "more beautiful," I had it so I could have my life back, do the things I want to do, and not worry about dying before my 40th birthday.

I had to put my cat to sleep in August. I never thought I would survive losing her because I had her for 17 years, since I was 14. It's been a little over a month and I'm not feeling depressed or even sad. I miss that cat like crazy, but I'm not falling into depression like I thought I would. I think surviving losing her is probably the biggest indicator that I can consider going off my meds and I'll be okay. I think the biggest life lesson I have learned in my depression and weight loss journey is that I can be happy as an obese person. I used to believe that I would only ever be happy if I were thin, but I overcame depression when I was 350 pounds and I was happy. I am a different kind of happy now, but I know that my happiness was never dependent upon a number on a scale.

I don't think having the surgery is taking the easy way out, but I do think it is easier (but also more successful) than losing weight without it. My therapist (who specializes in eating disorders) has told me that just because I've lost the weight quickly doesn't mean I still don't struggle with the same stuff as other people who lose weight without surgery. The success rate of someone losing weight without surgery is so low that I don't understand why anyone would even question someone else's decision to have surgery. ETA: I'm surprised so many people have had negative reactions to telling people about WLS. I told several people at work and I never heard any criticism from coworkers. I really only had one person who was against me having the surgery and I never see her.

That's good to know. I have felt like a failure because I've been stalled so long, but now I need to get back to work on losing more without relying on the sleeve.

We can be awkward weight loss buddies!

I thought I was going to be the person who wore my size 24 jeans through most of my weight loss, but after the first two months, I was getting so frustrated with pulling up my pants or having them fit awkwardly, that I bought smaller sizes from some thrift stores.

I love Old Navy to be honest. I went shopping there with my sister and saw this dress that I absolutely needed but the only sizes were a Large and an XXL. I wanted an XL. My sister talked me into getting the Large and I tried it on at home and it fits perfectly (I should also say that I hate trying on clothes in the stores). I also go to Goodwill quite a bit. I'm lucky that my job doesn't have a strict dress code (I wear jeans most days) so I don't have to buy anything fancy.

I packed a couple of shirts and pants and underwear, but I ended up wearing only the hospital gown the entire time, no underwear too. I also brought my phone, Kindle, two books, my CPAP. I ended up not even touching the books except when I was waiting to be admitted. I wish I brought something to control the bouncing I experienced on my way home in my dad's truck.

I don't chew my food as much as I should. I eat sweets way too often. I'm really bad about taking my calcium supplements. I sometimes have carbonation but not often.

I'm in the exact same boat. I had my surgery February 20th and since early July I have been stuck at 70lbs lost (since surgery). I too have been stress eating and giving into cravings since I had to put my beloved cat to sleep last month. Then I also keep injuring and re-injuring myself every time I exercise. I keep thinking, maybe I'm just supposed to be this weight. I'm about 30 pounds from my amended goal weight and it is seeming impossible to get there.

Hey there! I'm new to this forum. I have been a member at another board, but their anti-carb philosophy made me angry and eventually the black sheep. Anyway, I had the sleeve done in February and since then I've lost nearly 75 lbs. I lost 100 pounds before surgery which I'm glad I was able to do. I'm about 45 pounds away from my goal now. I'm 31 years old, live in Minnesota with my cats and dog. I'm an avid reader and writer which is good since I work in a library. My job requires that I move a lot during the day, so not only has that helped with my loss, my loss has made my job easier. Since surgery, I've been able to take up running again, I've been on an airplane for the first time in 18 years and I was able to ride a bike without the tires flattening because of my weight. I have had no regrets and I'm so grateful to have my life back.

My daily eating is varied. I eat a lot of Greek yogurt, peanut butter, cheese, frozen meals (which I'm usually never able to finish and what is left is almost always is the pasta or rice portion), I make mini pizzas with high fiber flatbreads that I get from Aldi. I also make these Fiber One haystack cookies that I have every night because they help keep me regular. They are just basically a bag of chocolate chips melted with a scoop of peanut butter, then I add a scoop of protein powder and stir in a packet of Fiber One cereal. I put it on a plate and freeze it. They are actually surprisingly good and I look forward to them.

The before picture was from 2014 around my highest of 400. The after was July 2017 at 230 pounds.

I told some people at work, but by the time I actually had surgery, everyone at work knew since I was going to be gone for 4 weeks and I only work with like 25 people. I had no problem telling anyone after surgery though. I had one of my regular patrons know I had surgery just because I had lost so much weight in just a short period of time.

Good luck on your surgery tomorrow! I haven't had a lot of problems with my sleeve the last six months. I was very lucky to have little to no complications after surgery. I wasn't in a ton of pain afterwards and had to get creative in my ways of getting out of bed for the first few days, but I am very grateful to have had it done.

I was sleeved in February at HCMC and live in the western suburbs.