Stacy160

Quick post to stay accountable... sitting here still dripping, fresh from a 30-minute run on the treadmill. Yay, this is feeling good, getting back into the swing of things! Plus, the scale read below 172 this morning.... not sure, but I think that's a first.

Soon as you feel up to it!

I could have sworn that I posted here yesterday, but I guess not.... anyway, I did do 30 minutes of running on the treadmill Saturday, and 33 yesterday (not including walking warmup and cool down time). Gonna do it again tomorrow and up the time again.

WOW, how awesome!!

LOVE that! I have grand plans' date=' as always, but I'm right there with ya on the motivation thing. I thought setting mini-goals would help (be under 170 by Thanksgiving--nope--under 160 by Christmas, 158 by New Years... we'll see) but so far, eh. I'm so much closer to the "old" me again, in where my head's at, and so much further away from what was supposed to be the "new" me than I was the first few months out, and I haven't figured out how to get back there yet--I'll have a few days where I think I've got it back, and then the switch flips again. This'll be at least the 3rd holiday challenge that I've joined, and I AM in. I did do 30 minutes (running) on the treadmill yesterday, not including warm-up and cool-down walks, plan on doing at least that today, and 40 minutes tomorrow. I do 13-hour workdays three days a week, leaving home at 6:00am and getting back at 8:00pm, so those days are pretty much out, but the other four, there's no excuse to not do it. Most upper body stuff is out because I have a bad shoulder that's likely surgical, but that doesn't stop me from doing a lot of core stuff and lower body workouts. I keep talking about going to Zumba on Monday and Wednesday nights, but by 5:00 in the evening I'm tired, it's dark, it's cold...reeeeeeeally hard to work up the motivation to go out of the house lol. I'm rambling..... anyway, count me in! It would be good to have this pinned so it doesn't get buried and stays right there in our faces.[/color']

Cool! As far as the ghrelin goes, it is produced in other organs too, but not like it is in the stomach... most of us don't lose our hunger completely, and those who do seem to be the ones who stay on a PPI long-term. But I will say that "hunger" post-sleeve is totally different than it was before. Once in awhile (for me at least) there may be an actual hunger pang, but at maybe 10% of the intensity that it used to be. Most of the time, I just kind of sense that it's time to eat something, kinda feeling more empty than hungry, like the gas tank's running low or something. A lot of people go into VSG thinking they'll never be hungry again, but that's just not the case (although it may seem like it for the first few weeks!), but it just has a whole new definition afterward--and it doesn't rule you, you control it. It's super-cool to be able to do that.

YES, a belt is a definite must.... make it a $7 cheapie from Walmart 'cause you'll be buying another one in a smaller size in a few months. What's also helped me tremendously are those button adjuster thingies -- always want to call it Magic Button but that's not right -- anyway in the commercial they show them being used to make your pants bigger. I use them to make my pant waists SMALLER and they work great! They come in a set of 5-6 I think... silver, brown, black, tan, can't remember what else, for $7-8.00.

My surgeon told me that two of the earliest and most reliable signs were rapid heartbeat and high fever.

Shirts haven't been much of an issue for me (although they're starting to be), mainly 'cause you can wear big, roomy shirts and not look too goofy most of the time. I have bought some new short- and long-sleeved t-shirts though for $3-5 bucks at Walmart. Pants though... yeesh. Salvation Army and Goodwill have become my go-to places! I did buy one new pair of pants fairly early out, and they were big and baggy so fast that I really kinda regretted spending the money on them. Much better to spend $3 and not worry about un-growing them! Also, don't hesitate to pick up a couple of things that are a little too tight... you'll be in them too before you know it, and shortly after that they'll go to your "too big" box (or wherever you throw the stuff you'll never wear again). It's kind of a pain in the butt to sort through the racks in those places, 'cause (at least at the two or three I hit) they arrange things by color but NOT by size, but it's so worth it! And it's so fun when you find something that you love, that's practically brand-new and fits, with a number on the tag you just can't believe. Look forward to it, and have fun with it!

All I had to get was a physical, bloodwork, and EKG, and clearance from my family doctor, all of which were completed in one trip. Actually, she did the blood work for herself before giving clearance... I still had to go to the hospital for pre-admission testing, where they drew more blood. But other than that, that's it! I was a borderline lightweight though (41 bmi), and I'm sure he was probably pretty confident in talking with me that I wasn't mental LOL... he may have required further testing and evaluation if I'd been a heavyweight, had other major medical issues, or raised flags with him, but I can't say for sure. From my initial consult to my surgery was only 12 days. [eta] Oh... and other than the co-pay for the office calls, my insurance covered all of that, so the expense for testing may turn out to not even be an issue for you.

WOO-HOO!! I shouted out loud when I weighed in at less than my hubby for the first time. Isn't it an awesome feeling? Congratulations!!

DAMN, chick.... think you could maybe be just a wee bit more RUDE and obnoxious next time??

Every time I've gone really, really low carb, I get way more muscle spasms, and I've figured out that if I take extra potassium, it calms them right down. Do your muscles feel twitchy? I wonder if you're low on potassium?

Oh, YAY for you!!! I get so excited for the new people, still LOL... we can gush and gush about how wonderful this is but truly, you'll just have to experience it for yourself to believe it. I'll chime in on your questions, too. 1. Some people have a lot of pain, or don't tolerate what they do have well. Sometimes the gas pains are worse than the surgical pain, but you don't read about that very often. I had what I would call very little pain after surgery. For the first few days, it did hurt when moving from lying to sitting, or sitting to standing. My abs were 1,000-situp-type sore, but pain was mostly at the main incision. It was sharp, but not terribly intense... maybe a 5-6/10, but only lasting for a few seconds, totally tolerable. My abs were tight and sore too, like I said, but I never had to take any pain meds after I got home (what I did get in the hospital, they automatically put in my IV). By one week out, I felt completely normal, no soreness or anything. 2. Some people feel what they think is hunger during the early days, but most don't. You'll be fine on liquids, but by the end of that two weeks, you'll be SO bored with them, you'll think a scoop of refried Beans is the most delicious thing you ever ate LOL. 3. Again, you never know until you're there... some people go through a period of regret and others don't. Some get tired of it hurting, some get frustrated that they can't turn to their security blanket of food for comfort. They inevitably come back after a month or so saying how thrilled they are with their sleeve! There's the hormonal thing too. When we lose a lot of fat really fast, all the hormones that the fat was storing are turned loose in your system to wreak havoc on you--some people are seriously affected by it, some aren't. I'm happy to say that I never had a moment's regret or problems with the hormones (except whacking out my cycles, but they were starting to get wacky anyway). You will be SOOO happy you did this, and if you stick around and keep reading the forums, I think you'll be doubly happy not to have gone with the lap band, which you'll see has a very high failure and complication rate (you'll also see dozens of people who HAD bands and ended up revising to a sleeve). My biggest suggestion would be to document everything about yourself right now... not just your weight, but your feelings, how you feel physically (be specific! Can't breathe when you tie your shoes, knees hurt on stairs, etc.), what you hope to get rid of, what you hope to accomplish, and include totally superficial, fun stuff too! And make sure you have lots of pictures of yourself. A lot of people don't, and don't take "before" pics, and regret not having anything to compare to. OH, and measurements... you won't believe how fast those numbers go down!! You really want to be able to remember what pushed you to have the surgery in the first place, because there will be days when you still feel fat, or bloated, or just gross (ALL people have those days, even the scrawny ones!), and you'll feel like you're no different than you were before, and if you can take yourself back and remember the misery you started with, you see how amazing the changes really are. It's good to have that reminder of how far you've come. A year from now, you just won't believe where you are, but trust me -- this thing is awesome!!

First of all, HUGE CONGRATS for losing so much on your own already!! That's an enormous accomplishment all by itself. I'll be anxious to see what they tell you about the Barrett's as well. As far as the GERD goes, I had it bad before surgery, and when the doc got in there he found a hiatal hernia that we didn't know about (although I kind of suspected). That took him 10 minutes to fix, and I have not had one moment of heartburn or acid since, and I'm far from being the only one! So if the Barrett's doesn't prohibit the hernia from being fixed, and I don't know why it would, then hopefully it'll turn out that VSG is exactly the right thing for you. I hope so! Keep us in the loop!

Oooh! Oooh! Kinda related to your post... when you can have eggs, here's something you should try (unless you're doing it already, kinda sounds like you're creative with them!): My son made the BEST eggs for me the other day. Sounds plain until you get to the secret ingredient. He just threw some diced tomatoes in a pan to warm them up, loosely scrambled some eggs over them, threw in a few fresh spinach leaves, and salt & peppered them lightly. His secret ingredient? Basil!! I had NO idea basil could ever be so great in eggs but it adds SO much to them. This is such a geeky thing to get excited about LOL... but I've been craving them ever since... think when he rolls his butt out of bed this morning I'm gonna recruit him to do it again.

I think I'm getting how it works (and I'll NEVER use it), but what I don't get is the point of the whole thing, like... why anyone would need it? Am I missing something?

:lol: OMG! Did you kick him in the butt? Men. They try, but sometimes they just don't get it.

Hmmmmm, hard telling. Some people have it pretty rough for a week or two, others sail right through. I had it very easy and was out shopping on Day 4, but I think with still-sore abs and a drain tube and bulb dangling off the front of me (which you won't necessarily have, but it's a possiblity to think about), I probably would have been a little uncomfortable being on my feet for 3-4 hours holding my arms up. Never know until you try it, though!

I didn't see this thread when it was new, so Hello and Welcome! Congrats on getting your sleeve, sounds like you're doing very well with it. You've found a great forum here, so stick around and let us enjoy your progress with you!

Your chances of getting 160 pounds off are totally, completely, 100% excellent as long as you follow through! We've see people lose well over 200 lbs with the sleeve alone. The trick is, when you get a few months out from surgery, keeping those old bad habits from creeping back in (trust me on this one!) until you're at goal. Once in a great while you'll see someone come back to the boards at 3-4 years out, who has gained back 20 or so pounds, but they generally hold themselves fully accountable and know what they need to do to get it back off, and that's just getting back to the basic plan that let them shed all the weight in the first place. As far as regain goes, I don't have links handy but research shows a LOWER rate of regain with VSG vs. RNY. There appear to be two big reasons for that: First, the stretchy portion of our stomachs is gone, which is where the majority of ghrelin is produced, whereas the RNY pouch is made from the stretchy part, and they don't have any of the remnant stomach removed, so they still have that hormone there making them hungry and possibly compelling them to eat when they don't need to. And, their pouch is stretchy, and can (and does) get bigger over time, to where they can pretty much eat normal-sized meals. Plus, they have the advantage of caloric malabsorption for a year or two, so for awhile they can eat what they want and still lose weight... sounds great, but when that malabsorption comes to and end, many of them have never changed their bad habits. Unfortunately, the nutritional malabsorption is forever. So basically, with your tight little un-stretchy sleeve, you physically will never be able to overeat again (although as with ANY wls, you'll still need to be careful about WHAT you eat)... your chances for long-term success are excellent with the sleeve. I don't know if you're a member at obesityhelp.com, but on the VSG board there, you'll find lots of sleevers who have lost 150-200 lbs or more and are doing great.

People who are used to seeing us BIG are kind of weirded out when we're not so big anymore... even if we're not even at a healthy weight yet. I tell them that, and then ask them if they saw me as a total stranger on the street, would their first thought be that I was too skinny -- or that I looked great -- or even that "She'd look great if she lost 20 pounds..."?? That usually puts things into perspective. That, or telling them that I carry it well, but I still have ___ pounds more to drop before I'm at a medically healthy weight/BMI. Shuts them up quick. [edit] And btw... you're looking great!! And very pretty to boot!

Taking into account ALL wls patients including banders and RNYers, I totally believe that 50% figure. It's sad, but I think VSG will slowly improve the odds for everyone.

With some people, all that matters is how many calories they're taking in. With others, like me, it doesn't matter how low we go with the calories, if we're eating too many carbs. I do OK under 40, great under 20-30, but even if I stay between 600-800 calories, if I go much higher on the carbs, I don't lose. It may just be a matter of trial and error for you (like most of this will be!). As far as "need" ... you don't necessarily need to ingest carbs at all.... the body can convert other nutrients to carbs as needed.

Goal here is still 10 lbs. more than ultimate goal (I think... I'll know for sure when I get closer), but it's the goal for January 1st! SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal LilMissDiva.....247..................247.............226................21 Mini-Me.........203..................133.............125................8 Chilo1..........216...................169.............154................15 Kgremmy.....225................221..............199.................22 (being sleeved 12/14/10) Juliarh.........303.6.................247.............225...............22 Sleeve 4 me 204..................177.............164...............13 lbs.-Goal for start of New Year merieri..........240..................206..............190...............16 DJackson........246...................246...............220..............26 Dansha...........220...................220.............195................25;) Stacy160.........258..................174...............148...............16