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The first 2 weeks were the hardest for me ...but u will get thru it and see ur weight loss an know its worth it...when u get discouraged or frustrated sign in their are so many postitive stories... The new you is on its way..

Your profile photos are amazing. I know how you feel though, at least a little. My 3 month date is Thursday. The first month I lost twenty pounds, the second month I squeaked by with 20 more pounds. This month my "goal" was to get twenty pounds again. As of this morning I am at 14.5 for month three. So close and yet so far. But the truth is I am still doing really well. I am to the point where even if I only lose 14.5 for the next couple months I will be in onederland by summer and that's amazing. You've already done a fantastic job and you can get there. Sounds like you are doing it the right way with exercise and all, I would wonder if you aren't getting smaller, even though you aren't seeing a change in the scale. In month 2 I lost about 12 inches from top to bottom. I am pretty sure that number will be higher this month eventhough the scale hasn't moved as much. There is a reason we Celebrate NSVs as well as weight loss. Take care of yourself and enjoy/relish the rest so you are ready to get back at it when you feel better. pam

Proud Grammy Wow another BC survivor! YAH! I thought I might be the only one. Now I don't feel nutty for thinking about this. I have Kaiser Permanente Insurance they cover weight loss surgery, as long as you have 2 of the co morbitites and your BMI is 35 or over. Lucky me! My mother was over 300 pounds when she passed and I can never remeber her not being over weight. She always told me my day would come and I would be fat too. : ( I managed to stay at a decent weight until I hit 45. Then it's been a losing battle ever since. I really packed on the pounds after my bilateral mastectomies and reconstruction. I wasn't allowed to do anything active for 5 months. Thank you helping me get my perspective right. CA reacurrance down 50% when not obese.......NO BRAINER!

@@Jennifer I am from Columbia, South Carolina and my surgery is scheduled for October 15th with Dr. Heider at Center for weight loss at Lake Norman. Dr. Heider is great to work with and his staff is top notch. I am self-pay also and have found them very easy to deal with and very supportive so far. Worst part is the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Otherwise, great so far.

Just some advice from me, I was losing my hair really bad too. I still am and I am 6 months out. Use biotin. I take the pills I swallow and also the ones that disolve under the tongue. I also use the Garnier Fall Fight shampoo conditioner and also the spray. The most important part of it though is the protein. My doctor says to make sure to get 75+ grams of protein per day, I am staying close to 100grams. If you are doing all of this, then the hair loss should be minimal. There will be some, but not to the point of balding. Good luck with all of this. It is so sad to see your hair coming out. I cried. If you do all of the above you should be fine. It should slow down at about a year out. There are a lot of hormonal things going on right now. Once your body starts normalizing all this will go away. Hope this helps

I get in 76 by late afternoon and that doesn't count what I get for dinner....I am soooo worried about hair that I make myself get my protein!

7 days after surgery I still had a drain, find out if you will have a drain and for how long. I spent 5 days in the hospital and I know some people came home in one day. I had my drain taken out day 13. I took naps daily for the first 2 weeks. I'm 49 and I have Lupus but I also lost 70 pounds pre-surgery and I had a leg up on the weight loss. I have heard stories of women crying during dinner because they couldn't eat what everyone else is eating. Realize that your eating is going to be seriously different. From clears, full liquid, pureed, soft & regular. If you have been working on behavior modification pre-surgery that will probably be a piece of case for you, but for many people they really get depressed after surgery. Around day 9 it seems everything is much more emotional than before surgery. I would love to be a foster mom, mys on is 22 years old and I think what you are doing is wonderful. With that being said, you will have people say to you, oh yeah, no problem I did this that and the other after surgery. No two people are alike and you have no clue how you are going to be until after surgery. If you go into surgery with the right frame of mind and you are an upbeat and positive person, you will most likely do better, but complications do happen, people respond differently to different things. If these girls have been through a whole lot of stress prior, it could be hard on them, but if you have help for the first week they are there, and you can control your emotions when it comes to food and you don't have food mourning in front of them, you could do it. I think being a foster mom is a wonderful thing, and I wish you the best of luck and I'm not trying to scare you, I want you to be as informed as you can be. Again best of luck and I am looking forward to hearing good news after your surgery.

I am a slow loser myself. I've only lost about 34 pounds since my surgery on March 15. Everybody is different. My piece of advice is don't weigh yourself everyday. I don't even weigh myself once a week any more. I only do it when I go to the doctor's office. As I go about every six weeks I see the dramatic loss and it makes me feel much better. Also, don't fret about the amount. Think of it this way: at least you've lost weight! Every pound is a victory.

Hello! I am working on getting medical records submitted to my surgeon's office for review. Once received they will let me know what my chances are of getting approved then the pre-op testing will be scheduled. My concern (fear) is the requirement of my insurance company. I meet most of the requirements for approval, however, I've been told that BCBS of WY is very strict as they also require 5 years of medical supervised weight loss. Is this unheard of?!? I've been dieting since I was 8 years old so it's what I'he known. I never asked a doctor for permission each time I went on a diet. Sometimes the insurance companies will accept records from companies such as Weight Watchers. I've followed this program many times however only from experience and not through a membership. I'm worried about my chances with such a strict requirement of 5 years. What are your thoughts or experiences?

I had surgery mid March and just this week I have noticed more hair loss. I had been waiting for it! I have shortish curly hair but my hair texture has always been fine. Will be interesting to see how the next few months plays out. I found this an interesting read even though it isn't specifically about weight loss surgery. https://www.hairguard.com/hair-loss-after-surgery-recovery/

Hey, I want to start by saying I completely understand how you feel. I also have long, 3b and 3c curly hair. It was extremely difficult to watch it fall out in excess. My excess shedding started at 2 months and has returned to normal shedding at 6 months. I did notice it. I promise you it will stop eventually. I know that in those moments it doesn't seem like it will. I can assure you that it will. The best thing you can do it take your vitamins. I also recommend doing a deep condition twice a month and a protein treatment twice a month (depending on your hair's porosity). The great thing about curly hair is that you can hide it based on what products you put in your hair and how you style it. For example, use products that are lightweight, use less product in your hair, you can use a pick to get more volume, ect. Let me know if you want more tips I love taking care of my curly hair and I have done a lot of research about it.

I didn't get any comments until I hit around the 50 pound mark. I'm now down 80 pounds and get many more comments. Of course, I'm still way too big but I'm doing great and am proud of what I have done so far. And I FEEL great!!! But, yeah, it was a little disturbing that nobody noticed such a big weight loss! Once I started buying new clothes, that made it more obvious. Especially now that I'm out of the plus sizes. The regular sizes leg width is smaller so my legs now look thinner. And, they actually are thinner which really helps--I'm starting to find my "chicken legs" that I used to have and am excited about it! lol

Hey everyone, I am 4 days into my two week Optifast diet an have been told twice today that I have bad breath even though I just brushed my teeth. I know ketosis can cause this , but my question is when does it stop ? The idea is to be in ketosis for most of the weight loss phase, right ? So does that mean as long as I am eating low carb I will have an offensive odor coming from my mouth? I have tried mouth wash, gum, brushing teeth and mints . They briefly and barely help. Any tips or hope on when this will stop would be so greatly appreciated! I know it's a small price to pay to be healthy , but yuck !

Hello all I'm just beginning my journey. The first step through kaiser nor. Cal I have to take an introduction to weight loss surgery class, which isn't scheduled until Sept 9th. I'm just wondering if anyone else has any experience going through kaiser for the sleeve how long did it take from your initial inquire until you had your surgery?

Well, I am down 35 lbs. from 1 week liquid diet to toady my 4 weeks post-op. I believe this is called the Honeymoon period. I am glad for the loss, but I don't think I want to lose this much next month also. That would make me more than half way to my goal weight loss in 2 months. I am expecting to stall out a bit or gain a bit once I start my soft solids on July 1st. Is this what most experienced sleevers experienced? When did your honeymoon period end, and why do you think it ended?

Painful? I was in pain when I woke up but got much better after a coupledoses of fentanyl (I believe that's what they gave me in the hospital) the rest of that day I was regretting my decision,( at home) when the pain meds weren't in effect. The next day I was a lot better, still uncomfortable, butmuch better. Third day I only took the meds once and then that was it, still sore, but I did not need meds. Everyone has a different pain threshold. The weight loss rate is what you make of it. It will be faster if you have more to lose, but you need to eat right to make it work. Don't think you don't need to watch yourself. If you can't exercise right away, some people don't and still lose, but I would definitely start when you can. As for steak, well it depends. Some people can't eat it, some people can. I have barely any fill and I can eat whatever I want. As for having it removed, it usually is not removed unless there are complications. It's supposed to last, also there is a risk you'll regain the weight.

hello MzPecanbrown, wow thats awesome you lost so much weight. I had vertical sleeve surgery on july 16th in california. I moved recently to raleigh , nc. I have lost 30 lbs since surgery. it is stalled for now. I dont see any weight loss. Also i am worried about what kind of workout i should be doing. I was wondering if you could give me info about weight loss management centers for weight loss surgery patients that would specifically know how to handle patients like me. Thank you in advance

I feel your pain. I was sleeved last Monday due to an overwhelming amount of scar tissue and adhesions from a previous surgery. Last Monday started off great. I was ready and as prepared as I could be at this point. Then came Tuesday. My kidneys are failing due to too much potassium and my heart rate is through the roof. They keep pumping fluids (6 extra liters) trying to jump start my kidneys and gave me some Kayexelate for the potassium. My heart rate is still going crazy and i'm exhausted. Finally, after labs every 4 hours and having no viable veins left they decided to give me 2 units of blood. One of which ended up in my arm not my vein. I'm a black and blue mess and have trouble with not getting out of breath too often. sleeping is complicated as every position hurts. like I don't know what. I feel like such a failure for not bouncing back, but I'm at a loss for my next steps as my dr. isn't concerned. I get it's normal be patient. Anyways thanks for letting me deflate a bit and good luck with your continuing journey.

Hello everyone I was wondering about online trainer programs because i have come to realize that with my weight loss journey i need professional help of some sort because what i am dong on my own is sporadic and really not getting the job done i do not know what is going on with me i work out for 3 days straight then i stop for three days its just not right for a young man who wants to lose weight really bad just cant cut the mustard in my heart i want to get the job done but my head always make an excuse things are really boring for me when i work out.I believe dealing with a professional would really help and give me some motivation cause right know thats my biggest hurdle. So do you guys know of any online programs were you deal with a professional trainer who writes up a custom program to help you reach your goals thats good for you and caters to your abilitys cause i need a change of some sort.Has anyone ever done something like this. Thanks Brandon

I imagine it would be, but once I get that surgery date, I think I can just hide out when others are eating as much as possible. Do you think you felt really hungry or was it the smells and desire to have solid food I wonder.... I audit medical records so I mainly just sit and read all day. Shouldn't be a problem unless I am incredibly ill. Kudos on your weight loss so far... that must feel sooooo good! I've lost about 35 lbs on my own in preparation for this... I've always been able to lose when I really tried but could never keep it off because eventually the hunger got the better of me. (You can only feel like you are starving yourself so long). I bet it feels so good to be seeing the weight fall so quickly!

Congratulations on your weight loss so far! -From another February 2012 sleever!

Hey all! Wanted to hop on here and give you all an update. Today I am at 282, that's 28 lbs down in 3 weeks whoo hooo! Still not supposed to do any strength training until 6 weeks just stick to my walking, but I can swim before then if my incisions are all healed up. The pain I've been having is cause by scar tissue supposedly... so hopefully that will keep getting better. Also I'm supposed to go see my regular doc and get a script for Celebrex to try for my ongoing back pain. I hope that helps!! Overall I am feeling great about the surgery and where I'm headed. Really looking forward to being fully on solid foods and having my pick of anything I want to eat (I get bored so easily with the same stuff over and over.) I miss feeling full... but that's one of those things I have to just get used to.:huh0: As for Ian, his 1 week appt was today and he is down 16 pounds. He started some select soft foods a few days early also. They don't give sleeve guidelines very well at our place, they just group us with bypass, so we get HUNGRY. So he started on those and I started my full soft diet a week early (with permission). I think that has slowed our initial weight loss results slightly but in the long run who cares, it's all coming off baby! Whoo hooo! Ian has been walking for 3 days now. As for me I have been walking 2 1/2 weeks now and I'm up to 1 hour & 3 miles now!!! Had to take a break today due to blisters on the bottoms of my feet but we still walked all over the hospital for our appointments.... not to mention, the elevators were down, so we hiked up SIX FLIGHTS of stairs to our nutrition class!!!!!:001_tt2: For me it was hard even with walking so much lately, but for poor Ian just a week out it took all of his energy! We napped when we got home though and we are good as new:thumbup:

I, too, have attended my weight loss seminar. I have an appointment with Dr. Bruce Jones of Jonesboro, AR on Wed., Oct. 26th. If all goes well--after my two weeks on liquid diet---I will hopefully have my surgery either Wed before Thanksgiving or the Wed. after. I am super excited. I got out some old pictures of me at 19 and oh how I would like to be that size again(AND I WILL). My husband and one of my best friends from work went with me to the seminar. My husband is supporting me 100%. He has always been very supporting even with my size. I hope to retire a much healthier person and be ready to travel---because we love to travel!!

22 lbs in 5 weeks in awesome. Nothing to be concerned about at all. You don't say how long you've been at your plateau? Can't be very long? It's not really a plateau until it's a month long. There are so many things that affect your weight. TOM, sodium intake, carb intake, anxiety, stress, meds all can make your body hold excess fluids. Most of us find that we can go a week or two with no weight loss and then over a few days we drop 3-5 lbs. It's mostly water retention most likely? tmf

I think that this is so subjective, how do we know that we all felt the same way before??? Let me TRY to describe my personal experience, I am not describing the immediate post-op, but more the longer term (so far) experience: - Band, with fill in it - I often still felt "hunger" it was just pain that told me that I had enough to eat. I found that to be miserable. I don't know how much of it was "head hunger" but I will tell you that what I feel with the sleeve is sooo different and so much less frustrating. This experience made me crazy and drove me more toward slider foods. - Band removed - about a week after the band came out, I started becoming unbelievably, bottomless pit kind of hungry. I had a drive to eat that was so hard for me to control as I was consumed by the need to eat. I hadn't had any fill in my band for years, so I was surprised that having it removed made such a difference. i was trying so hard to not overeat and I never "stuffed" myself to the point of pain, but i felt like I was constantly hungry and eating didn't relieve it. This experience made me 100% sure that I needed to have the sleeve surgery because something is broken in my stomach to brain connection! -Post sleeve - I generally have an absence of hunger. I do get hungry at times, but it is not the old "I am gonna die if I don't eat". I don't have that all consuming drive to eat anymore, I feel that I have more of a normal hunger response. I get hungry if I haven't eaten in a while, and often feel that I need a bit more if I have had very high activity. I have only eaten to the point of pain/vomiting perhaps 2-3 times since my surgery so that has not been a big problem for me. Basically, I feel like I can eat small portions, but eat pretty normal foods. When I eat, I try to stop at the point of "no longer hungry". SO FAR, I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE WHOLE "I AM IN PAIN BUT I AM STILL HUNGRY LIKE I FELT WITH THE BAND. I do sometimes still have head hunger, especially evenings. That is that desire to eat even when I am not really hungry. I often want snacky food so lately my solution has been the 100 calorie microwave popcorn. I sometimes have a Protein drink which fills me up, but doesn't really address my desire to snack. I wish I had a magic solution for that, but so far I am managing it by having my 4th meal (snack) after dinner. I am concerned about this in the long haul and it is an issue that I somehow need to wrestle with better. I am happy with my weight loss, so I must be doing okay, but i fear that this will eventually imped my losses and maintenance.