ILKrista

Thank you all for your advice. I'm happy to say that I've allowed myself to believe that there really might be a man out there who can like me for me & not to immediately reject anyone who I find attractive. In fact, I've been dating a very nice man (who I met online) for the past 6 weeks. He knows all about my surgery (which was another fear... how to tell them I used to be morbidly obese & had this crazy surgery. lol). In fact, he himself has a weight problem and can understand the struggle. He is giving the diet and exercise route another try, but has the surgery in the back of his mind, thanks to me. We are using eachother as motivation to get to the gym & be healthy. The hardest thing for me is to realize that people are actually starting to see me & not just the fat girl they never used to be able to look beyond. Amazing how much this surgery can change things! Krista

Yes, yes & YES! I was eating anything and everything because I felt like I would never be able to enjoy it again. Instead of just a few 'last suppers' I had months of them! I gained about 12 pounds... then I went in for one of my pre-op visits & the doctor told me I had to lose it & be below the starting weight or he wouldn't do the surgery. I buckled down & made it happen. Don't feel guilty, but do stop the eating! I promise you will be able to have all the same foods, just in controlled portions & maybe not as often as you were used to. The sleeve will be there to keep you in control. Good luck!

This doesn't sound normal. Have you been checked for strictures or anything like that? Your doctor should be working with you on this because this doesn't sound like a normal sleeve experience to me.

So, I saw the doctor last week for my 3 month check-in. I was told that I can no longer count walking as exercise... I need to be jogging or doing something else that gets my heart rate to about 140 and keeps it there for 20-30 minutes. So, I've decided to try to do one of these Couch Potato to 5K programs. I'm aiming to be able to run a 5K by the end of August. Does anyone else want to give this a shot and help keep each other motivated online?

Forensikchic- I feel your pain. One of my friends/coworkers was fairly supportive in the beginning (she drove me to the hospital the day of my surgery!). But as I started losing weight, she started making little jabs & comments about her not wanting me to get smaller than her & how she had clothes from when she was fat that she could pass on to me & I might eventually fit into them. The best was when I came in on a high having finally hit the 100 lb lost mark & she told me that she couldn't believe it because you really couldn't tell a difference. (The next day I brought in a before and after picture & practically shoved in her face because I know d*mn well 100 lbs makes a big difference!). Let's see, when we both were wearing size 14s, she hurried to tell me that I still looked WAY bigger than her because I was so much shorter. The day she found out that I weighed less than her (by 20 lbs) you would have thought the world was ending. At first, I really let these constant comments sting. But the truth is, I know I am doing what I need to & I am going to succeed... what she does with her life is her business & I really don't have the energy to worry about it. I have tried several times to point out to her that this is not a competition! There is no reason we both can't lose & look fab. I use the negative energy she sends my way as fuel when I am at the gym working out. And at this point, I have basically ended the friend aspect of our relationship & only see her when at work. Don't let someone make you doubt yourself or feel bad. Everyone loses at different weights & you have a tool to make your weightloss successful for the long term. And if the comments really start to get to you, just directly ask her if she is meaning to be rude or if she doesn't reallize what she is saying. Bullies turn & run when confronted directly & this coworker of yours definately sounds like a bully. Hugs. Krista

I'm the opposite. When I stop losing weight, it is because my carbs have gotten too high. I go back to the original high Protein, low-cal, pre-surgery diet I was on & that usually kicks the weightloss back into action. Krista

It is hard to offer suggestions without knowing more of what you are eating, how many calories you are getting, etc. Is it possible that you are not eating enough calories and/or Protein a day? I think many of us have hit stalls... I know I had my worst month yet & actually gained back a couple pounds. I decided to 'reset' myself & am doing the 2 week, all Protein shake my doctor put me on prior to surgery. I'm hoping this will help to kick-start the weight loss again & break my carb addiction. If your nutritionist isn't helping, I would consider finding a new one. They work for you & should be offering suggestions! Krista

LOL. I think I have replaced my entire wardrobe at least 5 times now... I'm addicted to Goodwill & thrift shops! I like to go in and try stuff on & I usually buy at least 1-2 items that are the next size down. Every weekend I try those clothes on & I am so freakin' excited when they finally fit comfortably enough to be worn in public. Used to hate shopping & now I'm a clothes horse!

In the beginning, it took about 40 pounds to drop a clothing size. Now, it is about 15 pounds. I've heard that as you get closer to goal, even a drop of 5-10 pounds can be a clothing size. Don't get discouraged! I tell people that I'm doing a marathon, not a race with this weightloss. It is a long road, but I know it will be worth it for all of us!

I just bought a cookbook called 300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes: Healthy Dinners that are Ready When You Are by Dana Carpender. So far everything I've made has been good! You might want to see if your library can get it for you before you buy it... LOL, I'm a librarian, so I have encourage people to do this before they spend money on something they may not like.

LOL- I had the complete opposite problem since surgery. I'm lucky to have a bm every 7-10 days unless I take milk of magnesium or a laxative. It varies from person to person & I'm still hoping that once I'm in maintenance & can increase the level of grains, it will balance out. Even if it never does, I would much rather deal with this issue than the multitude of physical & emotional problems that went with being morbidly obese.

I share with everyone. Not that I'm going up to strangers and announcing it, but if someone asks how I lost the weight, I tell them I started eating high protien/low carb, I jog a couple miles a day & I had weightloss surgery. Most people have been supportive... and the rare person has made an ugly/ignorant comment. I think the worst I heard was when someone said that it didn't seem fair that insurance should pay for a surgery when my weight was my own fault... my response was that I hope she felt the same way for people who smoked & ended up with lung cancer. Otherwise, a few people have accused me of taking the easy way out... In my mind, I just give them a one finger salute. ;-D. For me, I couldn't take the stress of trying to keep such a big secret. But it is a very individual choice.

Welcome to a New World! Because I deserve Happiness! Courage to change!

I had one. They put it in after I was knocked out & took it out before I woke up. However, it gave me the worst UTI ever! I actually considered that far more painful & irritating that the surgery. I constantly felt the need to pee, but never could & worst was I would keep contracting the stomach muscles to try to force it, which hurt like hell because of the incisions. I would talk to your doctor before hand & see if there are other options.

So, I'm wanting to go on some sort of birth control. However, my surgeon tells me the pill is out. It isn't effectively absorbed with part of my stomach gone... This seems strange to me because it seems like I've read about a lot of you all using that as birth control. So, she is putting me on the patch. I'm not thrilled with this. When I quit smoking & tried to use a patch it really irritated my skin. I'm curious if anyone has any experience using the patch or the pill? I've even been thinking about an IUD, but the idea of implanting something freaks me out a little. Krista

I think that no matter what medical procedure you ever have, someone will have a horror story to go with it. Getting your gallbladder out? I'm sure someone can tell you a story about someone who almost died, someone who can barely function with it gone, etc. Weightloss surgery is no different. There are risks... don't kid yourself about that. You have to decide if the risks are worth the potential rewards. I'd bet 99% of us who have had the surgery would say YES. Keep researching, be comfortable with what you are going to do. Good luck to you.

NiseeG- That's awesome! I only wish I had saved more of my old clothes so I could be so excited when I fit into them again. But as you say... they would be out of style now. I think I would still wear them just because I could! Krista

Ten years ago when I was in college, I bought a nice brown wool coat, size large. Even then it was about 4-5 inches away from closing in the front, but it was my goal to wear it. Well, over the 10 years, I got bigger & bigger & it got packed away and forgotten about. Last week while at a friends house, his dog ate the zipper off my fall coat. When I got home, I went looking for a different coat to wear and uncovered the long forgotten coat from college. So excited to put it on & discover that it FITS perfectly! I still can't believe it. The scale may not always be moving, but these things can really make my day. Krista

Doctors are not going to recommend you having a beer... it is a lot of calories & carbs & doesn't do a thing for you nutritionally. That being said, I have a couple beers a month. It takes me about 3 hours to drink a pint because I don't want to have my stomach full of gas. I just returned from a trip to Ireland where I had at least a half a pint of Irish cider a day... not recommended, but enjoyed. Doctor vary on whether beer is okay. I have had no problems, but you have to realize that it will slow weightloss if it becomes a regular thing. Krista

Thank you! That's my diva look. lol. Good luck with your surgery & feel free to message me if you have any questions! I remember how overwhelmed I felt about it all during most of the process. Krista

See my signature for the exact amounts, but I lost about 10 pounds a month the first 6 months & it has slowed a bit since. Krista

Before surgery I told family, friends and coworkers. After surgery, I get asked a lot about my weightloss because I work with the public & seem the same families very regularly. I tell everyone who asks how I lost the weight that I had this surgery (and eat high Protein & hit the gym). I hope that it helps someone else, the way a coworker being open helped me. Krista

Hey Ali, Don't get down on yourself. I completely understand where you are coming from. I'm also eight months out. Months 6 & 7 the weightloss slowed way down because I had slowly slipped into eating way more carbs than I should have been. I then went on a vacation where I kind of went hog-wild with the beer & chocolate. I wanted to enjoy myself, but at the same time, I could feel that crazy urge to eat crap overtaking me, just like it used to do pre-sleeve. That freaked me out! I hadn't actually gained back any weight, but I felt like I was at the cross-roads where I either made a choice to succeed or to just say I'm okay with where I'm at, and not lose that last 35 pounds. The day I got back from vacation, I decided to do the Atkins induction phase (super-low carb it) for 2 weeks, just to get myself back on track. I dropped 5 pounds the first week. I'm into the second week & I no longer have the urge to eat the crap foods I was slipping back into. I feel back in control & like the weightloss journey is not over. I'm certain I'm going to lose the last 30 pounds. YOU CAN DO IT! Just refocus yourself. We are running a marathon here & are about 3/4 of the way through. Don't give up on yourself now! Krista

Hard to really say exactly, but my timeline went something like this: July 2010- Approached Primary Care dr about the surgery & got a referral. August 2010- Met with surgeons office & began 3 month supervised diet for insurance. During this time period, I also had the psych eval, labs, & sleep test done. I was hoping for a November surgery. No problems with insurance approval. September 2010- Found out my work would not let off work in November because my boss was going to be on maternity leave from early December- mid February. (I am second in command, so to speak & they were afraid she could have the baby early). December 2010- Met with surgeon's office again. I had gained 10 + pounds due to quitting smoking & depression over the delay in surgery. Told to lose it or no surgery for me in late February. January-February 2011- Worked my *ss off to lose that weight. February 23, 2011- Had my surgery. Although I was upset at the time about the delay in surgery. I read the boards on this site every day & felt that it actually helped me understand what the realities of my new life would be & just how committed I would need to be to be successful. I hope this helps a bit. Krista