Beadingnurse

I am pretty slim now so I don't get the comments much anymore but when I do I just say that I am a "small eater". When I first had my surgery and obviously WASN'T a small eaters (ha), I said something similar to the other posters..."oh, I have been snacking all day...not really hungry" or "just getting over a bug and don't have much appetite." My co-workers don't know about my surgery and they do know that I have lost a lot of weight so they chalk up my smaller portions to my "diet". Good luck...it will get easier!

Not just yeah sleeve but "yeah you!!" It is a great tool but you have work it and clearly you have!! Congratulations on your fabulous results! :party4:

I am doing the happy dance today because I finally hit a "normal" BMI today and met my physician's weight loss goal! :party4: My goal is about 10 lbs from here so I still have a little further to go. But....I feel amazing and look and feel better than I have in years. Last week was 6 months from surgery and it still seems like a miracle to me as the whole process has been so seamless. I am grateful every day that this weight loss surgery exists and that I was lucky enough to be able to have it. By the way....all of the clothes in my closet are now size 8 or size 6. Amazing!

Thanks everyone and I will have to post before/after photos. First have to take some "afters"!!

I don't think that I had worn a belt since I was in my 30's (I am 57 now) but just a couple of weeks ago I put on a pair of freaking size six pants (a milestone in itself!) with a belt and a tucked in blouse and went out with hubby to run errands. We almost immediately ran into a couple friends and I was bursting with pride at my new waistline! :shades_smile: Now I am ready to go on a shopping spree for belts! No more elastic waists and oversized sweaters! The high heels part has not really been a goal of mine. I am more of a flats or low heel kinds of girl but recently I was in the shoe store and saw the cutest pair of boots with serious heels and I thought...what the heck, try them on....you'd don't have to buy them. They looked so good and were really comfortable so of course I bought them. I have worn them two or three times now so it does have me thinking about looking at other high heels! Congratulations on your decision to have the surgery...you will love the results!

First, call your doc and just let him/her know what you are feeling. I am not sure what is causing your queasy feeling but I would back off of soft foods for awhile and go back to a liquid diet Your diet progression is MUCH faster than mine and faster than what many people on the board report. I was on liquids for a full two weeks and I don't think added much beyond greek yogurt and a little cottage cheese even during the 3rd week...I still took mostly liquids then. You want to give your tummy plenty of time to heal before stressing it with too much solid food. Congratulations on your surgery and for doing so well! You will love your results!

Sarah, Congratulations on your impending surgery! You will be delighted when you start seeing the new you emerge as you lose weight. But...the average weight loss is a very slippery number. My doctor said that "most" people lose and keep off about 75% of the amount they are overweight by. I see very different things on this board but I don't know if that is because the most successful people are posting here and others aren't. Spend a few hours reading the stories and you will see a lot of folks who lose 100% and then some of their goal weight so it is hard to know. The amount of weight loss also depends on several other things....how much was your starting weight, how closely do you adhere to your eating plan, how much exercise will you do. I started off about 200 lbs and the weight loss has been slower (generally) than folks who start off at a higher weight. Not sure but we may all end up with the same results though. My doctor's goal weight for me is 145 lbs and I am just a bit over a pound away from that. My personal goal is 135 lbs and I may or may not get there. I will still be thrilled if 145 is my final number as I feel better than I ever have in my life. I started off wearing size 18-20 and 2x's mostly. Now I am wearing size 6 and size 8 and I love going to the gym. Words I never thought I'd say! My advice is to focus on following your eating plan, increasing your exercise as you can and your body will work its way back down to a good weight for you! It is hard to not obsess over the numbers on the scales but trust in the process. Good luck!

That is a weight regain of the best kind! You look amazing and healthy and look how slender the rest of your body and face looks. Can't wait to see picture of the little one once she has made her grand entrance into the world.

Welcome! You will find that getting the sleeve was likely one of the best decisions of your life...it certainly has been for me. This forum is a great place to ask questions and get support.

I love the spandex capris too...I bought 3 pair of them and I can't believe how tight they make my booty look! I've been running too but just on the treadmill at the gym. The marathons scare me but maybe I will add that soon. My last 2 pairs of pants I bought were a size 6 and I just can't believe that is a real number. I thought the first pair was a fluke (or vanity sizing) but maybe not!

OMG Mina you look fabulous! No wonder you want someone to take you picture every 10 minutes...you deserve it! :shades_smile: Congratulations and thanks for posting pictures!

When the size 8 jeans you took in the dressing room are TOO BIG! (happened yesterday!) OMG....I lived for the day when I could ask the sales woman to bring me a size 6. Which freaking fit and of course I bought!

I was just sleeved in April so am still in the losing phase and I sure hope that I don't gain ANYTHING back! My weight doesn't fluctuate much but then I have had a complete hysterectomy so I don't have the PMS edema that can add Water weight. Generally when the scale shows a drop it is maintained within a couple of ounces. I might go up 2 or 3 ounces but never anything big. I weight every morning despite some of my best intentions to go for awhile without weighing. I am going to be out of town this coming Fri, Sat and Sun and I am already fretting about not having my scale to weight on. I am addicted....

I can honestly say that I don't miss the big portions at all and now look at the volume of what I used to eat in amazement. I have always been a relatively healthy eater but I just ate way too much of everything and I was hungry all of the time. Now I am never hungry and I very satisfied with small quantities of food. My Achilles heel is mindless snacking. I love nuts and it is way to easy to eat 10 or 12 several times a day (calories!). I don't snack much at home but work is a land mine of danger zones so I have to be vigilant to keep from eating between meals and some days I am more successful than others. Good luck on your upcoming surgery and I predict you are going to love your results! I mostly don't even think about it now...the way I eat feels completely normal and I go out to eat with people all of the time who don't know that I have had WLS surgery.

Let's hope your inspiration decides to have WLS and joins us! It is interesting though how people seem to come into our lives at the exact moment we need them...isn't it? Congratulations on your weight loss and getting off of your diabetic medications! I too have now moved into the "normal" range for my blood sugar so I am doing the happy dance. Thanks for sharing your story.

It seems to me like you are doing great! You have lost a significant amount of weight already and you are losing about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs a week. At that rate you WILL get to your goal. My doc said that most people lose all they will lose within a year and a half so you have plenty of time. My weight has come off slowly too but I am just over 4 months out and down almost 50 lbs. I am thrilled even though I have to fight for every lb I lose now. That's okay. We have the tools and the support and we just have to stay the course. You will get there!

I used the liquid Tylenol. I maybe could have taken the capsules but I didn't want to take the chance. Some people swear by Gas-X but I didn't find it helped me much. What I DID like though was a mouth moisturizing spray. It was wonderful to have in the hours after surgery when can't yet have fluids!

The cost of the procedure, what does that include and what your out of pocket costs will be. What is the typical percentage of weight (or however they calculate it) does his/her typical pt lose? Mine for example said his experience was that people generally lose about 75% of the amount they are overweight by. I also asked the doc if there was anything about ME specifically and my medical history that made him have any concerns. (fortunately the answer was no!) Good luck!

Congratulations...I know it feels great!! I am only a few pounds away from being "normal" instead of overweight and I have to say it has been MANY years since I was categorized as being of a normal weight.

Ditto on myfitnesspal! I just got done entering my lunch in it and it only takes seconds. There are probably others but I really like this one.

Be glad you tossed them because shopping is so much fun now even when it is just at Goodwill! . I am buying t-shirts and jeans there since I am just passing through these sizes and it still gives me a thrill to try on something and find it is too big! Good luck with your surgery.

I weighed 200 lbs when I made the doctors appt...197 a few weeks later when I walked in his door. I told myself every year on my birthday that THIS year I would lose 50 lbs. The problem was that I have been telling myself that for 15 years! I had surgery 3 months ago this week and I have already lost over 40 lbs. I feel decades younger and can't believe how much better I feel. I saw the doctor this week and my blood sugar is now in the normal range! If that isn't great enough, I went shopping last week and bought a couple pair of slacks in a size 10. I've been in 12s for a month or so but they are getting too lose. It has only been 3 months! It feels like a miracle to me and eating small meals feels normal. Can you tell I am thrilled?! You have to be sure you are ready and I put off the surgery for over a year because I was sure I could lose the weight on my own. (I didn't) When you get ready we are all here to support you! Good luck.

Congratulations Sheri on your successful surgery! :cheer2: You will LOVE your new sleeve once you have healed. I am just 3 months out and it feels normal now to eat this way. But...until you are healed and especially in this critical new post op period you need to push fluids. Don't worry so much about the Protein drinks for a few days if they are difficult for you to get down. All of us started off with enough energy reserves (fat!) to ensure that we won't develop malnutrition quickly. Keep a drink near you at all times (for now) and take a sip every few minutes. Your new tummy is very swollen and you will be able to tolerate more fluids as it heals but you don't want to get dehydrated and end back up in the hospital. I found I couldn't tolerate really cold drinks so just room temperature Water was best for me and hot tea. The flavored Vitamin waters are good to drink and I also liked warm chicken broth and the unjury brand chicken flavored Protein Drink. Focus on sipping fluids and walking around as much as you can...even if it is just in your house. Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing!

Use a program like myfitnesspal.com to log what you eat and keep track of every bite you take at least initially. What I found was that I was getting more protein than I thought. Every bite of string cheese, greek yogurt and scrambled egg added to my total. I have to break my meals up into 4 or 5 small meals to get it all in but I make my protein goals most days.

Congratulations!!! Isn't the sleeve just the best thing ever? My husband told me yesterday that I am like a Star Trek innovation in that my weight loss seems to have occurred at "warp speed" You might want to go ahead and try on jeans now...you might fit a smaller size than you think!