Hi everyone

[Nomore 0]

Hi -

Recent lurker here, just thought I'd post an introduction. I have been reading the posts and have gotten some great information.

I live in the DFW area and am scheduled for sleeve gastrectomy with Dr Nick Nicholson at Forrest Park in December.

I am an ex-bandster but not a band basher. The lap band worked well for me but I was too tight for too long (any bandsters out there reading this take heed - don't be too tight, it will not turn out well). Ultimately my stomach prolapsed up through the band (very painful!) and it was removed in January 2010. I had released about 90lbs but have since acquired 55 of those lbs back

My biggest concerns are not so much about the surgery itself, but making sure that I really learn how to use the tool correctly this time. I chose to go with the sleeve because at the end with the band I was going to extremes of too tight to too loose because I was depending solely on the band for control.

This time I am going to counseling to hopefully get to the source of the issue. I don't really know why I overeat - stress? possibly. Because it tastes good - most definitely!

My starting weight before the band was just over 300lbs in 2005. I lost about 90lbs with the band. Now have gained back to about 260.

I picked my username Nomore because this is it - this will to work, no more jacking around. I just want to be fit and be able to wear non plus sized clothes. I want to eat to live and not give in to cravings but I also don't want to feel guilt for eating something tasty.

Thanks for listening ...err reading!

[Lissa 2,631]

Nomore, Good luck with your sleeve! You will do great and you won't regain the weight because you have the right attitude!

Good luck on your journey!!

[clk 3,519]

You're making a great decision. There are a couple of folks here that used their bands to get started and finished up with the sleeve, and while a number of folks are anti-band (especially those that had awful experiences) you'll find there are a handful that had a decent enough experience but still love their sleeves.

Do as much of the head work as you can beforehand. Ultimately, to be totally successful this is something all of us really need to do. It's an ongoing process, and you'll be in a totally different place in one year. I think that the more you do upfront in discovering why you do things the way you do the easier it is to maintain once the weight is gone. And a lot of us close to, at or beyond goal have to stop and evaluate what we're choosing to eat and why because it's absolutely true what they say - this operation is on our stomachs, not our brains. Whatever causes you to overeat or make poor choices is still going to be there when you're at goal, so know that and work at it and you'll be just fine.

In a way you'll be relying on your sleeve for control but there's a big difference. It's going to remain pretty much the same once you heal - there's no unfill or fill, no good days or bad days. You heal, you eat and you learn your limits. Yeah, you can still choose to eat around your sleeve but I think you'll find it's not as easy as it sounds. Try as I might a binge is still two Cookies for me. Anything else and I'm going to be seriously ill. You'll be able to eat a bit more around one year out but I'm not seeing much more capacity at 16 months than I had at 10 or so.

I'd go into this thinking of it not as a diet or deprivation but a life of moderation. I eat whatever I want...in small portions. And I'm careful to balance my indulgences with healthy eating. There are certain things I can't eat due to lactose intolerance, but I've found substitutes for most of those foods. And I'll be honest - while I sometimes miss eating until I could burst, eating and food in general do not have the power over me they used to have. It's just not the fun experience it used to be, so moderation is a lot easier, especially when I hold myself accountable by logging my food. I think that once you're sleeved and totally healed you'll see what I'm talking about. I'm just not hungry so I don't need to eat all the time and I don't live my life focused around pizza or dessert.

You're going to do just fine. Keep that positive attitude and you can't help but succeed. I wouldn't trade my surgery for anything.

~Cheri

[Oopsseedaisy 90]

I am glad you came out of lurk mode. This site and the members are great support. Everyone is very positive and can answer most of your concerns. I have very supportive family and friends, but they do not understand what I am going through like the people on VST. Welcome and hugs.

[Bypassjourney 88]

I am in the middle of the three month process attending the classes, etc. before we can submit the claim to insurance on 12/22. Therefore, surgery should be scheduled for sometime in late January.

I too have been going to counseling to do my own sort of "pre-op" work so that I can get this figured out once and for all. I have my theories and ideas of why I have this addiction with food. It is for alot of the same reasons as most others. I eat when I am happy, sad, mad, bored, etc. But there is also a reason I hide behind my weight and I want to face that fear head on. Self sabotage is something I struggle with not only with my appearance, but with relationships and other success in my life as well. I am more determined than ever that I am going to break through this life debilitating sabotage once and for all.

Thanks to everyone on this site. Your posts and stories have been so encouraging as I start this journey. Your willingness to share your stories is helping others far more than you may realize.