Search the Community

One month ago (yesterday) I was sleeved by Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, MX. I cannot tell you how AWESOME I feel right now. Here's why: I was wearing a size 22W!!!! Today I'm fitting a lot of my 16's and some are Misses. I bought a Suede leather jacket today from Goodwill. It was so nice, and it was size M. OMG... it fit, except it was a tad bit tight at the very bottom where the buttons are. It's ok, I KNOW I'll fit into it really soon. I count the moments! In the mean time I took it to my Green Cleaners who are going to do some minor repairs and restorations. It's actually in very good condition. I am able to do over two miles now in walking and on my treadmill, and I feel so much lighter already. It feels so wonderful! I'm going to start adding in more of my cardio exercises as I'm feeling good and up to it again. I'll just do minor 20-25 minute sessions to start, but I'm at it again! I'm already almost down 20 Lbs since surgery and almost 30 since my pre-op diet. I really couldn't have DREAMED of having better results. My status right now is RIGHT ON!! I'm actually able to eat soft solids pretty well now. I can get my Protein naturally, and eat my Fiber bars good. Things are running quite smoothly for me now! I'm soooo ecstatic, it seems so unreal. Thank you SLEEVE, DR. ACEVES AND HIS AWESOME STAFF, VST AND MOST ESPECIALLY THANKS TO MYSELF FOR BELIEVING IN ME. :-) Here's my best NSV so far though... Hubby's already calling me "skinny". Hahaa! Ok now I know I'm not skinny by any measure of the imagination, but it sure feeellssss good!! :-)

aw scoops! first breathe! it really is going to be ok! first things first....STAY OFF THE SCALE!!!! all it is going to do is make you stress....and the cortizol in stress actually hinders weight loss. second...yu are going to flucuate pounds from day to day. as far as the 6 lbs goes...pre surgery I would gain 10 during that time....its gotten better and better as the months tick by. your total of pounds lost is amazing! it is too early for you to start beating yourslef up continue exercising....and try to start focusing on some NSV's.

Today I went to lunch with my husband, and then afterwords decided to burn some calories shopping :bolt: I bought clothes in the regular section for the first time in. . . . holy cow, since grad school-- at least 10 years? Now, I'm not gonna lie to you all, I bought XL and really the styles that work for me now are the blousy shirts that are not form fitting (they probably fit my form too well right now, is what I'm saying), but still! Whee! I got a Michael Kors shirt in XL for $20 on clearance peeps, and it looks nice on me! That feels so good. You wanna know what's weird though? I felt really self-conscious shopping in the regular section, like other shoppers were staring at me and wondering what I was doing in "their" part of the store. :wink2: No, I didn't actually see anyone doing that but I felt it the entire time I was there. Definitely something psychological I'm going to have to work on.

That is great! I know how excited I was to get off my diebeties meds, then high blood pressure and high cholesteral. It's a great NSV!

Thanks Elfie! Today, so far so good! And c.diff. is a literal and figurative PITA! Wah. HB, great NSVs! woohoo!

I have lost a total of 19 1/2 inches!!! I was so surprised to see the measurements....Yeah for NSV's!!!!

I made it through the day yesterday dragging my saggy butt through. I'm glad I had easy patients and a few open appointments. I went to bed a little early last night and joked with my husband about trying to avoid urges to get up in the middle of the night to shower and do laundry. I do not think there is a cure for some of my dim-wit moments and there is no warning before they happen. I think I have just learned to accept them and move on. It does help that I can laugh at myself. It helped when my long time patients told me how great I'm looking. I've had some great NSV moments lately. On Tuesday I ran into my old neighbor. He lived across the street from me for about 15 years before we built our new house and moved. I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't know who I was for a moment. We stood and talked for a bit. I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he was noticing I looked very different. I told him how much weight I've lost. He said, " OMG, I wasn't going to bring it up unless you did, but I didn't recognize you at first, then I knew who you were." Yesterday I had a very dear long time older patient. I think she is in her late 70s. She told me the weightloss is very attractive on me. It is these little NSVs that really help my spirit stay boosted...... saggy skin and all.

Just had a seriously weird moment whilst grocery shopping. Some guy looked at the stuff in my trolley and asked if I was feeling hungry. I said no I have a teenage son so he replied that he was wondering how I managed to stay so slim! Yes it may have been an NSV but it also felt a bit weird and creepy.

Hi fellow October Bandsters! I was banded last week. Tomorrow will be my graduation to soft foods. I have had my 2 first major NSV this week. On sunday I was able to put my wedding ring on and wear it comfortably. This is the first time in 3 years I have been able to wear it. I also was taken off my insulin yesterday. I know my doctors said that it would happen fast I just didn't think it would be this fast. I wish you all the best of luck and look forward to watching your progress!

Oh Girl, what fun reading your post. You're hilarious. What outstanding progress and soooooo many NSV's. WOW. I am thrilled for you.

I got dressed for work today and realized that my belt, even on the tightest hole, was still too big. I went to the shoemaker during lunch hour and had him put two more holes into the belt, so it should last me a little while longer. The lady who owns the shop was really cute -- she didn't charge me and told me that if I gained weight, then she would charge me. What a great feeling! Of course, I could have gone out and bought a new belt, but I think I enjoyed adding the holes to this one even more. Especially, since it wasn't that long ago that the belt was just barely fitting me on the loosest hole and I was just about ready to move up to the next size. I truly do believe I've been given a second chance at making my life work for me. All the best to all of you out there. Brian

Well, it's a strange one, but I finally tried on some smaller underwear I bought a month ago. Size large -- not XXL (where I started), not even XL, just large! -- boxer briefs now fit like a glove. Not too snug, not too baggy! And my size 42 waist jeans that I bought a month ago because my 48's that I started with were literally falling off me are now pretty baggy. I have some 40's that were hand-me-downs -- they're too long in the inseam -- and even they are starting to fit loosely. I should be in 38's before the end of the year. For me, getting below 40-inch jeans is a HUGE achievement, since I've been in 40+ inch waist jeans for more than 10 years now. Dare I dream that before this process is over, I'll be back in the 36-inch waist jeans I fit into back in high school? That would be 12 inches off my waistline... wow! Incremental progress, but it's all going in the right direction, and I'm starting to get excited about it. I'm feeling positive about my body for the first time in a decade or longer, and it's just going to keep getting better!

You're not crazy, in fact this is probably the best possible way to get ALL of that last 60lb off. I started running at about 30lb down and I could not believe the difference not having that 30lb made to what I could do. I meant to start the couch to 5K and I ran the whole damn way! Well, staggered and shuffled but it wasnt a walk, it was definitely a jog. I was so elated by that NSV, I never looked back. If you start slow, run every second day, do not under any circumstances allow yourself to jump in boots and all so that you burn out or get injured you'll be fine. that was always my problem with exercise, I do love it and I was athletic and I would always start WAY too ambitiously and just not be able to keep going due to sheer exhaustion. Make yourself do it slowly and when you run make yourself run slower than your natural pace (its hard!) - this is how you build up a super aerobic base so that you can work on the fast stuff later. But all you need to run a 10k is a good aerobic base and you can build that pretty darn quickly. Very best of luck!

Congrats! Love hearing the NSVs

Hey all, I am really happy to report that I no longer needed a seat belt extender on recent flight and I was thrilled!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad the pictures are arriving. Memories of a great trip. LauraK - good luck tomorrow. Let us know. Linda - NSV - yippee great health report -- what a difference. Going out to dinner with friends. Protein and vegs. My mantra.

Hi everyone, I'm alive, just been super busy -- so busy at work and then spending time with the family who claim they just miss the heck out of me when I'm gone. DH doesn't work, so I think he really gets super lonely when I'm away. And even little Merry has been clingy --and then there's Aylah. LOL. I feel so popular. Coming home Monday and stopping at Sam's and then dinner and home - didn't get home until close to 8:30 and then unpacking and getting back into the groove of working and the gym and Water aerobics I've been bushed all week. Sorry I haven't been posting much. Arlene, thanks for asking where I am -- nice to be missed here too. I've been thinking all morning about Eva in Argentina and Lori in Maine and hoping they are both having a fabulous time. Lobster sounds so delish yum-- it's been a long time since I've had lobster. Arlene, hope your Jakob does super well at the fair -- as a former 4-Her I wish him juju and the best of luck!!! How old is he? Jewell, you look fabulous!! Great job -- gorgeous gorgeous -- and great NSV at Disney - I felt that way riding the kiddie rides with Aylah at the fair -- and the rest of my family loved making fun of me and telling me those rides were "just the right size for you" -- in truth, they are since I'm short and now small enough to fit on them. LOL. So they thought they were teasing me but in truth, I truly enjoyed that teasing - felt like compliments to me. LOL. I had a wonderful NSV myself this week. My company provides us with a yearly wellness exam where they bring a company in who takes our blood, weighs, measures us and has us fill out detailed questinnaires on line and then they provide us with the results and quarterly check ups. Part of it is they score you from 0-100 on a "healthy" scale -- my score before lapband was 27 -- my score this year -- 90!!!!!!!!! Can you believe that? All my numbers are fabulous -- only problem I have now is one of my kidneys has very low kidney function -- so I need to get that checked out with my kidney specialist -- I had kidney failure a few years ago so I always keep an eye on that. It even said that my risk of heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years is 1% -- isn't that wonderful? Makes me all glowy and proud that I have accomplished so much in just such a short amount of time!! Welcome to our new "man" -- you'll do just great -- just keep checking in here -- would love to have your wife on here as part of our group too -- please let her know we would welcome her with open arms. Nee -- I apologize if I'm remembering your name incorrectly -- but welcome!! And congratulations on all your hard work and success! You are an inspiration to us all. Maybe one day we'll travel over to the UK to meet you in person!!! Happy birthday to John Lennon - unbelievable that he's been gone 30 years --- they did a aging photo of him -- god, maybe he's glad he died young -- he looked exactly like Ben Stein (minus the ear nipples). If you haven't seen Ben Stein recently, check it out - he has ear "nipples" -- trust me. LauraK, how's the new guy? Date night tonight? Hope it's still going well. Are you still running? Laura, sorry your are missing your DH - try to find some enjoyment out of your time alone with Nelson -- pamper yourself a little -- take some bubble baths - read a few good novels -- go to the gym more often -- work on YOU while he's gone - -surprise him when he comes home with a new sexy outfit or new sexy nightie. Dwell on the homecoming rather than the away time. You will both appreciate each other much more after you have this two week of seperation -- it really is good for you. Cheri, hugs on the past week - it was hard -- I can't imagine how tough it was -- I still think of a friend of Katie's who was killed in a stupid car accident when she was 17 so it's been over 10 years ago -- it's just too sudden a loss and too tragic -- our minds have a hard time with that -- I agree with what you said about early deaths -- first time I've heard anyone express it that way but I totally agree with what you said. Apples, hope everything is fine -- when I was in 6th grade I spent the night at a gf's house -- the next morning we were awakened by the sheriff pounding on the door advising that her dad had been killed accidently by a hunter -- he was a construction worker working on Sat. -- I've always been afraid of hunting season ever since -- really is scary when you live out in the country. Our weather's been harvest perfect -- so much different from last year. It's the type of autumn that I love so much -- nice sunny, dry days and crisp, cool nights and mornings - love this weather. Julie, hope you get some relief from the tens unit -- are there other types like Phyl mentioned? Perhaps you could ask about getting one that has the ice and heat -- at least worth a try to ask about it. The wedding is just a few weeks off - the time has flown by so fast. It will all work out well - do you have some friends that can help at the last minute so you can try to stay pain free? Wish I lived closer so I could come help you cook. Phyll, you are fabulous-- loved meeting you -- there were so many of us it was difficult to really have time to talk individually -- but we'll have many many more get togethers in the future. Joyce, thank you so much for the pics -- got mine yesterday they are great-- and the nice note - I enjoyed meeting you and our pool time too. Wish that storm hadn't come up. Darn it. Janet, sorry about the drama at work -- glad you and Andrew had that talk -- it's comforting for him to know that you are there for him -- I know you miss him - I hae the same issues with my step son every time he moves in or out. Didn't he get another dog, or am I remembering incorrectly? If he moves back in will you let him bring the new one? Jodi, glad you made it home safely -- sorry but I kinda agree with Cheri on the grandma/granddaughter treats - except if it was ridiculous -- a little treat is okay but shouldn't be over kill -- I do admire you for trying to teach Dassi about healthy foods. But, your DM absolutely should have taken every single bit of junk food home with her and not left it for you -- too tempting and I'm glad you held her accountable for that, she should never leave the junk around an addict -- would she leave a bottle of booze on the counter if you were a recovering alcoholic? I truly doubt it. Glad you were strong and threw some away. I live with junk food in my house -- my DH and kids buy it and keep it right in the pantry -- but it doesn't tempt me -- don't know why -- just doesn't bother me -- my DH buys Cookies, candy bars, pies, doughnuts, sweet rolls, etc., etc., etc. and I never ever eat even a bite of it I'd reather have a dinner roll smothered with butter -- (a little roll with my butter) now that would be more tempting to me. During that dinner at South Point I wanted those rolls and butter so badly -- was truly in agony over that. LOL. When we go for dinner here I just tell my DH to put them in the chair by him so I can't look at them. Isn't it funny how different our addictions can be? So much the same but yet so different. Also, Jodi, please please tell Jeff how much we appreciated all he did for us last weekend - so nice of him to take such good care of us. He's a very nice man. Hope I'm not forgetting anyone -- not intentional-- need to get moving here -- we are bbqing tonight -- have my chicken marinating and DH and the kids are having burgers. I'm going to make a huge salad to go with it all -- bought great baby spinach and spring greens at Sam's the other night - love to mix them up. Love you all and I've been reading but just no time to post. Will try to do better this week. Tried to download my pics at work and they won't download -- so now I think it's my camera that's the problem -- hopefully I'll figure it out. Bummer. Linda

Greetings! I am a little over three weeks out and can finally wear a belt and tuck in my shirts!!!! This is a whoo hoo moment for me. Also, I took all my smaller sized blouses, sweaters, and skirts to the cleaners this week, and it's like I have a new wardrobe. Plus my hubby told me I'm looking sexy!! Wow! Love my sleeve. I will be fit before I turn fifty. To our good health- Fit

Yahhh awesome NSV! goes to show while you are still losing it might be best to buy cheaper clothes until you hit your stable weight. Must feel great to get into a size 10. Lily

When you get some or all the weight off? I am looking most forward to: 1. not "sizing" up everything to make sure I will fit or not break it due to my weight. Already feel better in a theater seat (nice NSV) 2. shopping in a regular stop department not the plus size section. 3. riding the rides at the amusement parks with my girls and husband. 4-100 oh ya I got a list but these are my favs, anyone else.

I bought two new pairs of jeans two weeks ago at Kohls and they were size 12 but a tiny bit loose, I wore one and put the others up and now two weeks later I am going to have to take those back and get a size 10, I bought one new pair from Target and they were 10's also! havent been a size ten in a long time. I was wearing 14's but had gained 15 pounds in those and stretched em so I am sure I would have needed 16 if I had bought any jeans right before surgery. I am going to post the pre-op pics and my success thus far when I hit the 40 pound loss mark. I am hoping I can lose that 5 pounds in the next two weeks. It is also really awesome because the tummy tuck I had 3 years ago is finally showing! I am excited and pleased...i am almost giddy.

Jessica...congrats on your numerous NSV's. Love hearing the confidence in your posts! Photos please!!!:biggrin: Julie...it got up to 86 here today. I dressed too warm and was about to die by this afternoon. Came home and put shorts on. Still 84.

I had a non-scale victory today! I haven't seen the scale move hardly at all these last two weeks since my first fill...which was making me a little sad....but today, when I went to my closet to find something to wear, I realized that the jeans that I had been wearing were dirty (plus, were SO baggy...I looked like a thug! haha)and didn't have much else to wear b/c I haven't picked up my laundry. I pulled down a pair of jeans that I had tried on a few weeks ago...which I couldn't get up over my butt...and voila....they fit! :frown: I was SOO excited! They are tight (size 14)...but they aren't so tight that they are obscene. They look nice and accentuate my assets I went to get lunch at my friend's Brazilian store...and he saw me and said, "OOOooohh!! You look so SEXYY!" hahaha.... SO cute! He was like, "Ohhh...I can see you have lost some pounds!" hahahahaha.....Oh, man! How cute is that?? Anyway, it has been a good day today! I am feeling good about myself...and can't wait for more of the things that I used to wear to fit! One step at a time, right? :ohmy: AND...compared to the way the beginning of this week started, I am SO thankful that things have turned around! :w00t:

Tiff - I've never been called petite because I'm 5.6 and a half, but in the past week I've been called SKINNY or LITTLE three times!!!!!! I weigh 157.5 as of this morning!!! I've NEVER in my life been called either. I really don't know how to take this....it's really neat, but at the same time, I don't know how to respond, and when I look at myself, that is NOT what I see. This is all new to me. It's definitely a NSV I guess!! Congrats to you.....you are for sure, petite and tiny!!

Good morning ladies. So I was lying in bed the other night and my port felt really weird - almost like it was sideways or something...the next morning, that area felt a bit sore, so I wasn't sure if I had done something - so I called the doc and they had me come in yesterday - it's all fine AND I got a very small fill (.5 cc - this was my 3rd fill since being banded). The doc was very happy with my progress and actually said my weight was fine and I didn't need to lose anymore (which was a nice NSV) - but I'm still aiming to be a normal BMI (which means losing another 14 pounds to put me at the high end of normal). Anyway - I'm hoping this fill will help me lose these last pounds. I will say I guess I haven't really known what restriction felt like because I've never quite had this experience. I can normally drink my water really fast and haven't had to think about the size of my sips or anything - now it seems to be very slow going down and I can't take big gulps - I'm hoping this is just a little swelling or something and that this part eases up because I'm used to drinking a lot and quickly (especially when working out)....I hope everyone has a great weekend.