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GORGEOUS!!! Even before the weight loss!!!

When do you meet with the surgeon again, the hospital I'm having surgery at you can't gain over ten pounds so I'm always watching what I eat trying my best not to gain, if your next appointment is a few weeks away that gives you enough time to come down some, your almost there think positive......duh I just saw you go on the 16th that's more than enough time to loose a few before you see them sweetie don't be worried

Today I went shopping to get some new clothing items because well my old (new) stuff is to big I am changing sizes every 2 months big chester cat grin. I was able to buy bras and panties from Victoria secret ( may I recommend the bombshell bra my boobs need a lot of work due to my weight loss but the bombshell bra restores the look my fat used to give them at least in the bra and under my clothes) . Shopping at black house white market, shopping in the regular size cloths stores no more plus or women sizes for me. Walking into "normal" size stores and knowing I fit there and sales people trying to dress me and offer me outfits to tray supposed to the look I swore i used to get like why the hell are you here. Certainly not my reality 100 lbs ago. I leave these stores with my purchases on such a high as I say to myself HOLY Bleep I can wear this my hard work and my band really is showing off. I call my sister or best friend to sure my NSVs I can't believe they want to share clothes with me and that we can swap clothes if need be ( truth be told Im a little smaller than my best friend and maybe the same size of my sister this has never happened in my life.) I have m ore workout clothes in my laundry then my regular clothes I plan my schedule around my gym time people in the gym looking up to me and making me their role model WTH !! But its true I am working my A$$ off in the gym literally lol I packed for vacation and my suitcase looks empty but I have more clothes then I will need but it looks less then previous vacations because my clothes are half the size.!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know these are feelings all of you on here can relate to but I need to share because no one in my life can relate. I booked ziplinning and safari tours and proudly checked the YES box when they asked if i was under 250 lbs. I actually took a snap shot of the screen and almost cried when that happened. I wanted to scream Im under 200 LBS Im in onderland dear cruise line I can do all ur excursions now what lol Can't wait to get on that rock climbing wall and see the gym schedule. . Instead of worrying about what Snacks i will need to pack just incase. I am happily packing my gym clothes sneakers,Protein powder ,Protein Bars, shaker bottle and Water bottle having my trainer give me workouts to do while I am there need to get my exercise in!!! I know cruises can be a food orgy but the cruise line will not go broke because of me this year Unless when I win big in the casino. So excited to go one vacation as a healthy skinner me !!!! I don't know what I more excited about finally going on vacation and unplugging from the world and enjoying fun in islands or the fact I know I will fit in the seats on the plane and no activity will I have to pass on because I am afraid I am to big or the fact I am to big. I am finally a "normal healthy size"!!! That is what the band gave me a life I never knew I was missing out on. I was happy when I was fat but I wasn't healthy now my healthier life style has introduced me to a whole new happier lifestyle I am sure you understand what I mean. Thanks for letting me share/brag whatever. The band is an awesome tool when you work it and dam it I am working it lol

This is going to interesting for me when I go back into the work force. I have been on disability because of my knees. I am having the WLS surgery sometime in December so with knee surgery following its unpredictable when I'll return to work. If I go past the one year mark I would have to re-apply at my job if there is any thing. If I return before the one year mark they have to have something in my department. With this weight loss upon me I should not have problems going back because I think I will feel better about myself with confidence. One thing at a time and I will worry about this when the time comes. Now it's all about me

I got a fill this past Thursday. It seems to have a little more, but I'm finding I still feel I'm not feeling satisfied and I eat a bit more and don't feel full at all. But like I said, I feel a bit better. My doctor was still pleased cause I still lost in that month. She said I'm being too hard on myself! She's probably right! ???? I tend to get hard on myself more than I should! I'm glad I did this though. I've lost 30 lbs since my surgery, so that makes me happy. I do feel better and healthier already and I don't want to go back to the way I felt again. I'm seeing an eating disorder psychologist. She's more about anorexia and bulimia, so I'm here first bariatric client. But she did tell me, if I want results I have to realize that to obtain that I cannot use old habits for new change. I honestly allow some things I shouldn't have, but it's more of a small bite. I realize I'm not perfect and if I do well, I eat a tablespoon of sugar free ice cream. I eat it slow and let the little licks totally melt before I swallow to savor, to make it seem longer and have more of a lasting feeling. My psychologist also reminded me, I'm not perfect, but I don't want to live in those chains anymore. I'm 43 and this weight has robbed so much of my life! I've got to learn to give up one or the other and bei mg overweight has caused depression and loss of joy. I don't want wrong choices to run me anymore

Hi, I am so upset & discouraged!!! I was banded October 2013... I lost 50# the first 6 mths and had several over fills & then under fills. I have gained probably all weight because the food that goes easy is chocolate, chips, icecream. I had my last fill 1 mth ago & still can eat a whole hamburger & slice pizza. I want some guidence spoke y.to nutritionist then back to bad habits with no restrictions. Please looking for help if anyone has had support and advice. Many Thanks, mel

I'm sure the surgeon knows what they are doing! I'm still pre-op, I have my 6th weight in today, YAY!!! So, sorry I have no post-op advice. I expect it will be like a month to a month and a half, so maybe I can get some advice from you! Good luck.

TLDR: I am getting closer to surgery and can't seem to stop my RECENT daily habit of binging drive-thru fast food, which I do when I get anxiety about something. I hope someone can help. Full disclosure: I am about 2 months pre-op. The only thing I have remaining before my bari office submits my file to insurance is my last nutritionist meeting. I knew the psych eval was going to be a big deal, so I decided super honest with the psychologist. He cleared me for surgery, providing I get established with a mental health counselor and resolve my binging before surgery. I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and PTSD (I also have severe obstructive sleep apnea and PCOS). I have now been seeing a counselor for a few weeks. Also, the counseling center's doctor prescribed me Prozac, which hasn't kicked in yet as I've been taking it for less than 2 weeks. My counselor has told me that her office (or the insurance?? idk) doesn't allow her to provide counseling on the symptom of binge-eating, but rather the childhood trauma behind it. I understand why that's important, but I can't wait to resolve my feelings about the trauma (could potentially take years!) to stop binge-eating and get WLS. I will continue counseling beyond my surgery date, but for now I also want to do what I have to to get the surgery! I talked to my bari office's APRN and nutritionist, and they said they have a list of eating disorder-specialist psychologists I could see, but I have Medicaid, and it's very hard to find any doctor outside of basic community health clinics who accepts Medicaid. They also said maybe the Prozac and regular counseling will help and that I won't need the specialists. I have a book that I think could help me, called the DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) Solution for Emotional Eating (recommended by other WLS patients who have my same surgeon). But for some reason I can't get myself to actually read it. I have some kind of mental block about it. I am willing to hold off on my surgery until I resolve this, but I really would like it to resolve in the next month or so, considering that just a couple of months ago I was not having this fast food issue. Not to this degree, anyway. Plus, eating fast food every day is expensive, and I have gained 6 lbs, which I must lose before submitting to insurance. I have little coping strategies for when I get anxious and want to go get fast food, but I keep ignoring them. 😕 Would appreciate any help at all! I'm getting desperate.

Thank you for sharing your story! It is hard sometimes to put all of our personal experiences out there for the world to read. You will be happy you have made this decision. All though we differ in life one experiences the pain of living the "big life" is the same. I been big all my life and struggled with weight. And let me tell you this has been one of the most freeing things I have ever done. I no longer struggle with food. Your little tummy will have built in portion control. That in itself is awesome. It is difficult to over eat. You will not be comfortable and it is not worth it. It is so worth it doing this surgery and I would do it again tomorrow if I needed to. The freedom that it brings is life changing. No more guilt or shame regarding food... WOW I never thought I would see that day. Best wishes to you! Tina

Hello all, I was sleeved on 9/9/15 so far so good. I have lost about 43 lbs and feel great. The cons: I have been trouble getting my Water in, cannot take my Multivitamin (makes me so nauseous), also I have been eating (for the most part) the same food (I.e. chicken, eggs yogurt, nuts) The pros: I love nuts eat them everyday, I am able to get my Protein in but 2 oz at a time, and I can't believe that I lost weight this fast my mind is still trying to catch up Just wondering what everyone else is going though and if you have any advice. Thank you!

Sleeve of Steel! It's exciting to see a post from you! Your posts were a big boost to my willpower and confidence when I first had the surgery. I was always on the forum when I started out, and have only recently come back to see what is new. I'm currently 16 months out. I was given a healthy weight range from 115-125 (for my height), and have managed to stay within that so far. Just like you, I have some days where I can eat loads, and other days where I really feel the restriction. I still weigh my foods, and limit meals to 4 or 5 ounces, depending on the food. I don't count calories as much, but I make sure to get in a minimum of 60 Proteins, and aim for 1000-1500 calories a day. I stopped tracking on fatsecret, and mostly track everything in my head. It's like second-nature now. I've recently started introducing more healthy fats and carbs into my diet, and have found a new love for non-processed, natural foods. I feel much more normal with the surgery than I did without, interestingly enough. Ms. Skinniness, I've found myself grazing and taking in more sugar, as well!! I have to catch myself every so often, and remind myself to keep busy if I'm bored, or eat a proper meal if my body is telling me it's hungry. I eat every 2.5 to 3 hours, to keep from grazing. This sleeve has not only helped me stay healthy, but also everyone around me! They try to follow my habits, and ask me for nutrition ideas. It's so surreal. I feel blessed! I was asked to write a patient testimonial for my doctor's website, which was super exciting! http://www.oliakcenter.com/sleeve-gastrectomy/testimonials/ (I'm at the very bottom)

Wow, there are some really insightful responses to this- I am so glad I posted about this topic! It's amazing what issues you can unearth when you undergo a change like this. I think without the outlet of being able to over eat, a lot of us have to adjust quite a bit. I can really identify with you Supersweetums- you set yourself up with expectations of how things will improve, and even if you tell yourself weight loss is not a "fix everything", it's extremely difficult to truly understand that in a deep manner. Also, interesting stuff: ghrelin may play a role protecting us against stress induced depression, from Wikipedia: " Stress-induced depression The hormone might help defend against symptoms of stress-induced depression and anxiety.[39] To test whether ghrelin could regulate depressive symptoms brought on by chronic stress, the researchers subjected mice to daily bouts of social stress, using a standard laboratory technique that induces stress by exposing normal mice to very aggressive “bully” mice. Such animals have been shown to be good models for studying depression in humans. The researchers stressed both wild-type mice and altered mice that were unable to respond to ghrelin. They found that, after experiencing stress, both types of mice had significantly elevated levels of ghrelin that persisted at least four weeks after their last defeat encounter. The altered mice, however, displayed significantly greater social avoidance than their wild-type counterparts, indicating an exacerbation of depression-like symptoms. They also ate less than the wild-type mice.[40]"

GG, it's a bit like the girl who spends all the time focusing on the wedding then wakes up the day after to find herself married and with no idea of what to do next! I arrived at goal, having spent a lifetime trying to get here and now that I am (in a fairly short time), I'm not quite sure what to do next, lol! But I intend to get on with life and living it to the max. It is the same life yet everything has changed, but only because I am different. I am still me but I feel like I am now in colour, not black and white.... Am sure that sounds mad but I hope you understand! So while I will keep taking my Vitamins, drinking my fluids, eating Protein first and exercising, it will be an important part of my life not my sole focus. I am not living in fear of regaining because I will never forget what I have done to get here - I feel quietly confident that I am in control of my eating in a way I haven't been before. And it is quite a feeling.... I said in another post that I also feel at peace with myself for the first time in my life. I have stopped beating myself up for all my shortcomings and know now that I can cope with whatever life throws at me without self-medicating with food. Might not always get it right, but my rising confidence tells me that's ok! There will be bumps in the road but I won't let them throw me off track. With this new perspective has come a less emotional view of food. I can't explain it but I haven't reverted back to using food as either a reward or a punishment. The only reason I can think for that is that I am happy with myself and I also have new good habits. And I now have achieved something that I don't want to lose - being "normal" feels great. Walking into a shop and buying a small size is crazy!!! Life is full of possibilities now that my weight isn't number 1 on my list of priorities. It won't ever be out of my top 5 - but love, family, friends and living life to the full now sit firmly above it :-)))))

Kathy Thanks for the good wishes - and you are right about it being a bit of an anti-climax. I am thrilled skinny - literally! - to be at this weight. But I have spent a lifetime trying everything to lose weight, with nothing ever working so I think I am a bit stunned to here. But my sleeve and me have got along and got on with the job in hand - and it was a success. And, yes, the hard work continues, this is just the end of the beginning Thanks for your support and encouragement fro the start. Appreciate it... X

I feel like your NUT should have stressed the weight loss more than just making you feel bad at your last appointment. That said, I totally agree with Hop, low car, low fat, high protein shakes and meals with lots of water will hopefully get you there.

They tracked my weight the first two months and there wasn’t a change. Then Covid happened and my weight went up and down, mostly up. Each month there was a new focus - increasing protein, increasing water, smaller bites, not drinking with meals, no snacking, etc. The weight goal didn’t come up till this last meeting. There was talk of losing weight before the surgery but I thought that was more related to the liquid diet and not a requirement. I am going to try the 2 protein shakes + high protein meal. Based on what I was recently doing (1 shake + high protein meal) this should help. The problem is when I go off the plan my weight jumps right back up.

Keddycat75, I was given a run around similar to what you described. The process of getting a surgery date was different than what I was told in the beginning. My insurance approval came the second week of August. The bariatric clinic then had to send the paperwork to the hospital to see how I could fit into their surgery schedule. My particular hospital only did WLS on Tuesday mornings and early afternoon, so I knew it was going to be another long wait. In the meantime, they had me see the bariatric doctor again since so much time had passed while waiting to get a surgery date. While at that appointment (second week of September), the bariatric doctor asked if I wanted to take someone else's date that just cancelled. I said, "Hell yeah" and he put in a request for me to have the date. This was just a request, so I had to wait another week for the request to be accepted. At that time, I got a letter in the mail to complete a four hour hospital/surgery orientation the third week of September. During this orientation, they handed out papers everyone had to sign giving the hospital permission for blood transfusions and to accept the fact that we could die during surgery. Each person had their surgery date written at the top of these papers. Mine was October 6th, which was 11 days away at the time. This meant that I had to start my pre op diet at that very moment. I considered going through a fast food drive through on the way home since I knew I would never get to do it again. I didn't. Therefore, the wait time between insurance approval and getting a surgery date was about 5 weeks. If I didn't get the cancellation, I would have waited a week longer. The whole process from first appointment/consultation until the actual surgery was 9 1/2 months. And yes, it felt like an eternity. My advice would be to take this waiting time as a great opportunity to reduce your weight so that you don't have as much to lose after surgery. If it seems like the clinic is taking forever, just keep calling and nag. They actually forgot to mail off my insurance clearance papers until I called and asked. So, don't feel bad about nagging.

Glad you asked . Makes me worry less!!! HW 312, pre-op (RNY) 255, current weight 202.4

I'm so sorry your dr. Made u feel this way!!!! Gaining 10lbs from April to June isn't horrible!!!don't beat up yourself about it... You are Human and things happen... Besides this time next week you'll be embarking on the new you so try to focus on that... Try your very best not to let anything or anyone bring you down!!! I'm sending positive vibes your way!!!! Good luck!!! Your bariatric family has your back!!!!

I know how you feel I had same problem I gained 20 PDs I'm so disgusted with my self for gaining got a doctors appt for next wk to get a fill so hopefully I can get bk on track good luck to you as well

Hello Sleever People! I had my surgery January 25, 2010 with Dr. Aceves in Mexico and have never once looked back. I was on this board pretty much 24/7 pre-op and for a long time post op and one of the things that I desperately wished for more of was feedback from people that were "long term" sleevers. We seem to be few and far between and I swore I would provide regular updates... fail!!! And I apologize to any of you that, like me, wish for more of the "big picture" - no pun intended! It's true that we simply get on with life after surgery and before we know it, life has been blowing by and suddenly it's been some fantastic years gone by - you'll see, trust me! So, the long and short of my sleeve experience has been incredible – there truly are no words to describe one of the absolute best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. I started at 254 and lost exactly 100 pounds well before the end of the year. I ate low carb and drank Protein shakes forever it seemed. About a year and change after surgery, after maintaining a size 4/6 154# for months, I started gaining – eeekk!!! – I attributed this primarily to nursing school (which I started the same week of my vsg and have since finished and am now working in an ER – whole nuther story!) and grazing all day. Cashews are the devils work, btw!! I was scared and worried but stopped gaining after slowly putting back on 20 pounds. I’ve lost five of that since, am now in a size 8/10 and have been holding there for some time. I truly eat what I want within reason. I’m in a good place mentally and physically. I have been at this weight for over a year now. I 100% BELIEVE THAT EXERCISE IS CRUCIAL TO YOUR SUCCESS LONG TERM!!!!! So commit to it, the sleeve, while a fantastic tool, WILL NOT solve all of your problems if you aren’t prepared to take care of yourself and having the sleeve makes it easy!! Like any “diet” or whatever, the long term is the trick; you will be able to eat A LOT more as time goes on yet nothing like before. You WILL be able to eat enough and often enough to gain weight if you are not aware. But it’s different. I would have easily gained that 100# back by now, that I know. So, for me, to compensate for eating so-so, I bicycle competitively and long-distance; average 50 miles every other day at about 19mph. I have a group that I ride with but do it often on my own too. Burns a gajillion calories. I guess the bottom line is that your life is going to be absolutely incredible post-op BUT, you will always have to be aware of what’s going in and out. The story about the woman who gained all her weight back cuz she would order an xl pizza and work on it all day? I can see that!! Yikes! But, you know what? Don’t buy the stupid pizza!! Easy!! I wish you all the very best and please feel free to contact me to vent, ask questions, whatever, I’m happy to help and happy to be here for you. richcoast@yahoo.com Carol

You stick with it! I don't know about you but my emotional eating was usually in response to something someone had said or done to me. No one would believe that but it's what I did even though my eating only hurt me not them. So now, I choose not to let anyone have that power over me and you need to be strong and do the same. This is about you - and if there are folks who can't accept your weight loss, you need to ask yourself if they are actually friends and whether they deserve to be in your life... Well done on your weight loss to date and your positive attitude. Hope you gave a successful and happy 2014 !

Hello: Does anyone have knowledge of the Great Lakes Weight Loss Center? I've found their website and contacted them - since it's closer and we have a bunch of relatives over there. It's located in Harper Professional Bldg. in Detroit & Rochester Hills Bldg in Rochester Hills, MI The price is $10700. I've scheduled for Dr. K in October... this place says I could be scheduled within 2-3 wks from now. Please let me know if you are able to provide any feedback. I'll keep checking to see if I can find it here. Thanks in advance, will post this in another forum as well.

Does Ketosis mean your dropping weight quickly?

I have fiddled around for the past year with nary a pound lost. I got serious again about three weeks ago and started to pay attention to what I'm eating and eating according to the band rules....guess what..the weight has started coming off. Not as fast as I'd like it but at least it is going in the right direction.