Tiffykins

ebay and craigslist also if you're on facebook, there are tons of local online yardsale groups for our area that are easily accessible and user friendly on Facebook

For the boobs, do you remember what cup size you were before becoming overweight/obese??? I was a 32/34B cup back in junior high. Same weight today, and I'm a 32/34B. Only thing good that being fat gave me was super nice boobs, now of course, they're just skin bags. I hit goal at 6.5 months post-op, was a solid 36/38 large C cup, another 25lbs lost over another 4 months, and about 6-8 months of maintenance gave me these tiny skin bags that I have today. I'm over 2.5 years out, pastey white, can not and do not tan, and every single one of my scars is visible.

My highest recorded weight was 270lbs(morning of my lapband surgery), standing 5'2" short. The day of my revision from band to VSG, I weighed in at 263lbs. My BMI was just shy of 50 when I revised from the band. I did not work out at all for the first 4 months. At 4 months post-op, I started strength training 3-4 days a week, and doing cardio with a primary focus on my ab/core area one day per week via Hip Hop Abs. That only lasted 4 months and then I had gallbladder surgery with an exploratory surgery of my abdominal cavity because I was having random pain. My surgeon removed hoards of scar tissue and adhesions from my liver to colon. I was on restricted activity for 8 long weeks, and since I hate working out, I never got back into exercising formally. I was one of the skinniest, unfit chicks you'd meet. Now after pregnancy weight gain, losing all but 10 pounds of the weight, and now pregnant again, I'm not even attempting to diet/exercise. Unfortunately, my body has been through hell and back in less than 3 years. I have a least another year before I'll be able to get back to where I was before pregnancy. Working out not only helps with weight loss, but it helps with overall heart, mind and bone health.

I delivered Tatum on 30 October, all is well. I gained 35lbs in the pregnancy. Lost 23-25 of those pounds in the first 4-5 weeks after her arrival. Around late -January I decided to jump back on the low carb wagon, working out 5 days a week, and had a miserable 2 pound loss. I wasn't hungry, had my restriction, and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Low and behold, I'm pregnant again. Right now, I'm right at 8 weeks pregnant, and Tatum just turned 4 months old. Least to say, I'm exhausted to a level that can not be defined.

Hey chickee. . . All is well here with Little Miss Tatum, she's a little over 4 months old and I'm 8 weeks pregnant AGAIN ! ! ! Talk about busy, I'm just too damn tired to do much of anything.

I lost 137+ pounds in 10.5 months. I dropped 115lbs in 6.5 months which got me to goal, the rest came off slowly as I was trying to get into maintenance and get my losing to stop.

It does matter to an extent, but the difference between a 36 and a 32 is less than 2mm. Regain stats show for stand alone sleeves, anything over a 40Fr bougies has a higher incidence of regain after the first 3 years. The main part of the equation is choosing a skilled, experienced surgeon who has tons of sleeves under his belt, and has a proven technique. A surgeon can use a 36, but not fully dissect the fundus or cut too far from the pylorus or esophagus and this will determine final sleeve capacity. Of course, we all have unique anatomy so that plays a role as well. Bougie size is just a tiny part of the equation.

I lost half of my hair by volume. It started around 3.5 months, and lasted 3 solid months. I had new growth coming in before the shedding stopped. By 18 months out, my hair had returned to it's lovely, lusterous pre-surgery volume. The only difference is my hair was super wavy, almost curly pre-op, now it's stick straight. Nothing will stop it if it happens, no amount of shampoos, pills, supplements, Protein is going to prevent it. I never took Biotin or any other supplement to "help". I did use Folicure extra care shampoo and all it does is strip your scalp of build up so the new growth can come in. Here's a few articles that explain it: http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/telogen_effluvium.html http://www.obesityaction.org/magazine/ywm22/wlsandhairloss.php (the conclusion from the above article) Conclusion Hair loss can be distressing to bariatric surgery patients and many will try nutrition themselves to see if they can prevent it. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that early hair loss is preventable because it is mostly likely caused by surgery and rapid weight-loss. Later hair loss, however, can be indicative of a nutritional problem, especially Iron deficiency, and may be a clinically useful sign. Educating patients about the potential for hair loss and possible underlying causes can help them to make informed choices and avoid wasting money on gimmicks that may have little real value.

Under no circumstances, could I consume 1400 calories a day at 6 months out. I was barely able to get in 1000-1100 at 8-9 months out, but I could add Snacks with 100 calories to get it up. At a year, the sleeve has typically matured to max capacity, and you can add calories very easily by eating 6-7 times a day, with 150-200 calories per meal. I had to add higher caloric and fat content foods to just get my body to stop losing. My choices were Peanut Butter, avocados, nuts, and cheese. Soft foods that didn't change my portion size, but gave me healthy fats and calories without the carbs. And, I won't lie, my cravings were absurd, and I gave in to every single one of them. I ate hoards of jalapeno cheddar cheetos and Thai food in my pregnancy. Mainly meat and veggies, but I craved candy and stupid red velvet cake. I didn't a lot of junk in the pregnancy, but I ate my fair share. It's a crazy, hormonal, and exhausting ride for sure. I can honestly say that my energy is completely gone with this pregnancy. Make sure you have your labs pulled frequently and that you are supplementing your B12 with a sublingual dosing or injections from your surgeon. B12 and folic acids are essential in pregnancy. And, yes, during pregnancy, my restriction was much more relaxed, but within 2 weeks of delivery, I had my old, pre-pregnancy restriction back It's kind of the same thing we see/read about when women start their periods or are having PMS symptoms and they can eat more and want to eat more. Hormones are a really booger. My hungry also returned full-force in the pregnancy, but disappeared again after giving birth. It's the weirdest thing I ever experienced post-VSG. I still max out with 4-6oz of dense Protein, 1 slice of medium thin crust pizza, 1-1.5 soft taco, I can eat an entire sandwich on thin bread with 1 slice of meat, 1 slice of cheese, but that's because bready type foods are sliders for me. The further out we get, the better the stomach returns to normal functioning of mushing, grinding down food, very little absorption of anything occurs in the stomach, it's main purpose is to prepare food for digestion and absorption of macro and micro nutrients in the intestines. Early out, due to the trauma of being stapled off, the stomach needs time to recover. Transit time is simply the time it takes for food to pass from the stomach to the intestines. It's not hard to hit calorie goals especially with slider foods. Also, adding sauces, condiments(ketchup, salad dressings, sauces, other condiments, steak sauce) ups calories very easily. A few tablespoons of salad dressing can give you a good chunk of calories. I never relied on liquid/drinks for calories. Not to be discouraging, with having just 50lbs to lose, you might lose it slower than someone like me who had 100+ to lose. If you want to hit that goal, I would do everything to really maximize that 6 months, low carbs, muscle building to burn the fat, and really focus on pushing clear fluids.

Just so you know VSG won't complicate the pregnancy. I just delivered a healthy, full term daughter on 30 October. The key to pregnancy post ANY weight loss surgery is the ability to eat enough to support YOUR body and the developing baby. The baby will take from your body what it needs so it's a high priority that you can eat enough nutrients to protect your body, teeth, bones, hair and skin can all be effected by you being under-nourished in a pregnancy. There are several women on obesityhelp on the pregnancy forum who conceive earlier than recommended. Most have normal, healthy pregnancies and babies. I don't know how much weight you have to lose, but remember being pregnant while still obese and overweight can complicate your pregnancy further including pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and an entire slew of other complications for you and the baby. Of course, obese and overweight women give birth to healthy, happy babies every day, but if you are having to pay for IVF, or go through that process, I would hope you would be as close to a normal weight as you can possibly get to prevent as many complications as possible. Depending on your starting weight, goal weight, and 6 month post-op weight, the doctors will guide you with your calorie, Protein, carb intake. You can not under any circumstances remain in ketosis (low carb dieting) while pregnant due to the risk of fetal brain damage. So, one thing to consider is that most of all VSG patients need to eat protein first and have little room for carbs especially the first 6 months, you will have to eat more often to stay out of ketosis and your weight loss could be effected. I gained a total of 35lbs in the pregnancy. I was below goal by 20 pounds, and had been in maintenance for nearly a year. Today, Tatum is 16 weeks old, and I am 7 weeks pregnant again(no it wasn't planned, nor were we being irresponsible). I had lost 25lbs of the 35lbs gained, and had just started low carbing it again to lose the last of my weight. It's been proven that low carb dieting increases fertility. The calorie/carb/protein guideline will be based on your starting weight at the beginning of the pregnancy. You may not gain much at all if you still have weight to lose and your calorie requirements will not as high as say someone like me who was in a normal BMI range and had been in maintenance for a year. My maintenance calorie intake was 1400-1600 calories and for my pregnancy, I was advised to increase it to 1700-1800 calories. I can say without any hesitation that the body is amazing machine. During the last half of the second trimester and the entire 3rd trimester, my restriction went completely lax, I could eat way more food, and then within about 2 weeks of delivery, my restriction was back on full force so hitting those calorie goals were not difficult for me. Best wishes, and if you have specific questions, please feel free to shoot me a message.

I have several friends with daughters who hit me up to get my GS cookie fix. This year, I wrote a nice little check for several boxes of cookies and told her to send them to the food pantry or donate them to another family ! ! ! It's a win win for me. I get to support my friend's daughter and don't have to have those sinful goodies in my house! ! !

Awesome ! ! ! Hope everything goes through. . . I knew Dr. Riley was leaving this year sometime as he was my assisting surgeon on my revision and Dr. Michel told me that Dr. R was leaving as well. It really sucks because I have a friend looking into VSG and she's hitting roadblocks too.

You should be able to get the referral. The issue is going to be getting the psych eval, nutritional consult and follow up covered and that Dr. Riley agrees to take on a patient who is not within a couple of hours. Last I heard is that Eglin is super backed up and Dr. Riley is the only VSG surgeon on Eglin at this time. He assisted Dr. Michel with my revision and is AWESOME. I know of one patient that my surgeon (who is now at MacDill down in Tampa) accepted, but she was only in Panama City which is just 2 hours away from us here at Eglin AFB. She was a revision from band to VSG, and she was able to get the referral through her PCM and Dr. Michel performed her revision.

I must confess that I decided to go off the map from here for a couple of reasons, and didn't give any notice. Mainly, I was getting burned out. Plus, with Tatum's arrival, life has been hectic, and I haven't been up to my normal self. I definitely didn't feel like giving back much to anyone, and admittedly, I was just tired. I felt it better for me to leave & take a break than bring negativity to the forum. All is well, and I promise I will reply to all the messages and comments that have been in my inbox. Tatum is growing and thriving. She's 7 weeks old, I'm doing great and enjoying her completely. I'll share more on the pregnancy after VSG forum later. We're leaving for Texas in a couple of days, and we're busy packing, organizing and getting everything ready for our trip.

I had new growth coming in before the shedding stopped, but the new growth rate is very individualized. Start taking Biotin or other hair/nail/skin supplement. There is nothing you can do to stop the hair loss, but you can help new growth by taking your Multivitamins especially your zinc, vit d, Iron, making sure you stay on top of your Protein. I have extremely thick, coarse hair so no one really knew that I was losing my hair.

So, least to say, this week has been eventful, and I want to thank you all for the messages, good thoughts, prayers, and support sent our way this week. I apologize I haven't replied, it's just been hectic. Sunday, I woke up feeling very exhausted, and feeling lots of pressure in my pelvis and back. I just kept on getting things ready for the week, checking things off the list, and hanging out at the house. I laid down for a nap around 1pm, and woke up at 4pm to lots of pressure, and general cramping, just thinking it was normal Braxton Hicks pains, I didn't reallze I was in full active LABOR. Around, 5pm, we headed to Labor and Delivery just because I started feeling pretty weak. We get there, get hooked up, I'm having major contractions, and they checked me, dilated to 3cm, 50% efaced and already at -1 station. WHEW, I do admit I have a huge pain tolerance, and I never labored with my son so I was pretty oblivious to what all labor entailed. The doctors were amazed that I was tolerating everything so well. But, they knew I couldn't deliver vaginally so the pressure was on to get me prepped. Now, the time crunch begins to get me to the OR. Prepped and ready to go, Csection went off without any issue, my labs looked stellar, and at 9:33pm, Tatum entered this world screaming, kicking, flailing and ready to bring joy into our little world. We just arrived home today, both of us are doing great. I've already lost about 12-13lbs of the weight gained, but I'm retaining fluids, weaning off the prednisone. Breastfeeding has been a great success except my supply is way down, and we're supplementing due to her weight dropping pretty quickly. We're doing 70/30 breast/bottle. It's what is best for both of us. I'm trying ot eat more food since they would like me to hit about 2500-3000 calories a day to support both of us, but as we all know that's pretty touch without eating pure slider foods, and junk. However, I'm doing what is working for both of us, and confident with our choices thus far. She came out rooting around, latched immediately and has made it very easy on me and her. Our nights and days are mixed up, but I've gotten good at napping with her. 30 October 2011, 9:33pm, Weight 7lb 4.9oz 19inch long Perfect in every way. So far, blonde haired, blue -eyed ! ! ! "I'M HERE"

You're probably at that point where your sleeve has matured and you can eat a lot more than you could early out, it happens to all of us. It happened for me around 8-9 months post-VSG, and to this day, I still have the same restriction with dense Proteins and solid, nutrient dense foods. Give me a bag of cheetos and I can eat the entire bag without restriction. The most difficult part of this surgery is making the best decision and changing your food behaviors. It's all about choices, and no matter what your issue is be it emotional eating, stress eating, just eating to eat, or whatever the reason, identifying, and addressing your triggers is going to be the only way you can guarantee success. I have to still make the best choice on what I put in my mouth or I'll gain weight. The sleeve only does so much. I do not know one single, naturally thin woman who is my age that could eat like I did pre-op, or just eat a bunch of craptastic food and NOT gain weight. So, I had to realize that skinny chicks have to watch what and how much they eat as well. They can't just eat crap food all the time and be healthy and skinny. It's just not a reality, and for some reason I think when we have surgery, we expect that the sleeve will keep us on the straight and narrow for life. Sadly, that's just not the case. It's all up to us, our brains and our behaviors/habits to really tackle life post-op, and keep the weight off. Counseling, and a solid support group might serve you well. Also, google the 5 day Pouch test. Even though we do not have a pouch, it can get your back on track. I refuse to do the all liquid aspect of it, but I will completely eliminate carbs and eat no more than 30gr of carbs per day to get back to eating Protein first, and no bullsh*tting my way through it.

We're getting so close, and I was finally able to get my maternity photo shoot done so thought I would share with everyone. Update on the medical stuff super fast; 2 weeks ago I was put on prednisone to help my platelets stabilize. They had dropped down into the 70Ks and normal is 150-400K, the anesthesiologist didn't feel comfortable with my numbers that low to have an epidural or spinal block so the steroid therapy is the only thing that they could give me to get my numbers up. 10 days on the pred and my numbers are up to 121k, still not within normal range, but over the 85k that is needed for the spinal WOOT WOOT. If it weren't for VSG, I would not be able to have this treatment. I thank God every day that VSG was possible because if I would have gone with RNY, I'd be looking at general anesthesia for delivery since steroids would cause major issues with a pouch. We're scheduled for the csection on 1 November. I'm so ready for her to get here. This last Thursday, I was released from the high risk ob because everything is spot on for both of us. Tatum is now weighing 6.5-7lbs, and I'm super uncomfortable. Hanging in there, and trying to stay off my feet. Luckily, I have had zero side effects from the pred other than major hunger, and major irritability. I have officially gained 35lbs, and will probably gain at least 5-7lbs due to the prednisone therapy that I have to stay on until delivery. I gained 5lbs in just a week once I started the pred. But, the doctors are elated with my progress and honestly, I do not care anymore about the weight. I'm just ready for her to get here, and be done being pregnant. Thank you all for your continued support, encouragement and friendship ! ! ! Maternity picture time 10 days from delivery - weight gain to date 35lbs Life is well pretty fantabulous ! ! !

My capacity for dense Proteins have remained the same since about 7-9 months post-op. Now sliders, breads, crackers, pretzels, junk foods, I can eat a lot more of those foods. Liquids go right on through, I can guzzle Water now, if I really gulp down a huge drink, I might burp afterward, or feel a little tightness but for the most part if I swallow liquids, they go in and out. For reference, I can eat; 1 slice of medium pizza of thin crust pizza 1 small fajita with Beans, a little rice, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and about 4 small strips of chicken or steak I can eat 3 inches of a meatball sub from Subway minus the top part of the bread, I can only eat the bottom part of their rolls. Steak 4-5oz depending type of steak and how it is prepared Chicken breast - about 1/2-3/4 depending on what I eat with it I can eat pretty much any type of chips, Cookies, pretzels, crackers without feeling much restriction at all. Chili type consistency stuff is about 3/4-1 cup Yogurt or anything extremely smooth like mashed potatoes give very little restriction as well If I stretch my meal out more than 35-45 minutes, I can eat more. If I eat Protein mixed with other foods, I can eat more. If I eat salad or starchy stuff with my meal, I can fit more in. If I follow the rules all the time, I still have phenomenal restriction at 29 months out. For most social settings, I eat just about the same amounts as my other skinny friends. Of course, social lunches and dinners can last 1.5-2 hours so I can eat quite a bit more.

Look at that tiny waist in the making ! ! ! Keep rockin' your sleeve chickee ! ! !

Many congrats on your success thus far ! ! !

That's over 5 times per day of the carbs I consumed during my losing stage. If you're willing to live the DS lifestyle, the 20-30 vitamins/minerals per day with the DS, then you can move forward, but I wouldn't do it without doing low carb, higher Protein and seeing if your co-morbidities resolve. Also, with the DS being done in the 2nd stage, it's shown to not be as effective with weight loss and co-morbidity resolution. If you haven't already, I'd recommend strolling over to the DS forum on obesityhelp.com and check out dsfacts.com for more information. You'll have to cut carbs significantly if you go DS because even the DS doesn't beat carbs, and then there are the unpleasant side effects if you eat carbs with DS.

Oh, and there's plenty of women who still have weight lose who lose weight until the end. It's NOT out of the ordinary to not gain weight in pregnancy especially after weight loss surgery. I have a very close, personal friend here in real life, she just had a baby, gained a whopping 12 pounds and delivered a healthy, thriving, full term 8lb baby. So, weight gain is NOT inevitable, and you might continue to lose a few pounds here and there. I didn't gain for months into my pregnancy, and here I am 3 days away from delivery with a 35lb gain which is what the doctors predicted and told me to shoot for.