New Here With 200+ To Lose

[SrHogan 6]

I an just starting my journey to the sleeve! I currently weight (& and this is big for me to actually announce it my husband doesn't even know how much) 393. I am 5'5. When I look up my ideal weight for my age and height it is apparently about 140lbs. Which means I need to lose 253 lbs! I know I have a larger frame and frankly I don't know that I would look good at that weight the goal weight I have set for myself though is between 150-175 ( pretty big range but that could change once I see how I look smaller, I can't even picture myself smaller) so even with meeting the 175 I still have 218 to lose! I am currently 27 years old. I have been reading a lot of other member posts and must say it is VERY encouraging! I so can not wait to get this ball rolling! I do have a question for those who have lost a lot of weight, how bad is the excess skin, and is there anyway to make it less of an issue. I know the surgeon said if you were younger is wasn't as big if an issue because your skin has more elastic. Can't wait till when I can say I'm post op and a loser ( haha wow never thought I'd look forward to being called a loser lol)

[GoalWeight175 0]

Welcome. I, too, have a lot to lose. I'm two months out (sleeved Oct. 7) and down 43 pounds. Do you have a surgery date scheduled?

[SrHogan 6]

No I do not have a surgery date yet. At this point I am literally at the starting line of my weight loss marathon just waiting for the gun to go off to start! I am waiting for the baratric program to get back to me after they call insurance to confirm that I have the coverage and find out why my requirements are. I have already called my insurance company and know that I have the coverage and know how much they cover and what my requirements are. I'm hoping after the start of the new year I will have my first appt!

[GoalWeight175 0]

Good luck to you. Go to the support group meetings. That's something I wish I'd done before surgery. I've been to two since surgery and have found them really helpful.

[Denise's New Life 43]

Hello,

it can be done. I have lost 204 pds . 156 since April and 50 before surgery. I am at my first stall for the past 2 weeks and it has been 8 months since my surgery. Keep your eye on the prize.

Denise

[augustkiwi 18]

WELCOME!! you are NOT alone. i have 191 pounds to lose and im in the 2nd month of this marathon....my insurance requires 6 months supervised diet so i have 4 more to go woohoo! its it exciting to know u are about to become a LOSER! i used to hate people calling me that in grade school or losing at a game or track meet in high school but now as an adult i want to lose big LOL. good luck and there is such a great support system here!

[300PoundsDown 101]

Good luck!! I can't speak to the excess skin b/c I'm still losing. I know you're going to do great!

[SrHogan 6]

My insurance also requires a 6 month diet but I'm hoping that the diet I was doing with my pcp before I checked into the surgery will count towards insurance requirements, if so then the only requirement other then EKG and tests like that is the mental evaluation. However I'm still looking at having to wait till June because of having help with my daughter and myself. My husband thankfully is being very supportive and other then him I am only telling my mother and my best friend who is also attempting to get surgery!

[augustkiwi 18]

thats so great! definitely ask if your pcp diet will count towards it! at first i only told my boyfriend, family and best friend but i told myself that everyone i know knows im overweight so why not tell them how im going to get rid of it its all a matter of preference and some prefer to keep it to themselves and i completely understand. besides this is for you and your health i havent met with the heart doctor yet but im calling my bariatric coordinator to see if thats next..the psychological eval was a breeze..in and out in less than an hour lol but i personally think i want to regularly see her so that i can get some issues of my chest and see if there was an underlying issue behind it all ya know.. anyway enough about me! LOL good luck to you and your best friend too! its always great to have someone close go thru it with you

[DebiC 181]

Congratulations on getting this under control while you are still young!! I was only about 100lb overweight at your age. I let it go (surgery was not a viable option for me back then) and then gradually it inched up to where at the time of surgery (I am now 56) to where I need to lose over 300 lbs!! I will be happy at this point to lose 200!

There are many here who need to lose over 200 lbs-even some who like me who need to lose 300 and a couple who have already lost over 250!

When the time comes you'll find a way to deal with the excess skin. I'm so excited you are doing this before you miss out like I did for over 30 years.

Good Luck. I wish the sleeve had been available 30 years ago. My whole life would have been different!

[SrHogan 6]

I am so looking forward to this. I mean I alway remember being heavy but I was never this heavy till after the birth if my daughter 5 yrs ago. It then started packing on and I just recently found out that that was because I have PCOS so that in addition to my thyroid issues I needed something extra other then just diet and exercise. Thankfully other then they thyroid and pcos (& of course the weight) I am healthy! Friday can't get here soon enough( that's when I'm supposed to hear back from the baratric program) a first scheduled appt ointment would be the best Christmas ever!

[thinoneday 445]

First off, welcome to the forum. . . loose skin is/will always be an issue with folks who have a lot to lose (hope that sentence didn't offend anyone) . I have lost about 150+ lbs and have the flappy loose skin, but am not willing to have plastics. So i make due. . . but your still really young, your skin may co-operate and skrink, if not, and you can afford it, there is plastics. . . good luck and once again WELCOME!!!!

PS: sometimes being called a "loser" is a good, if not, a great thing!

[circa 333]

I'm looking forward to having the "loose skin problem" cuz its one hell of a lot better than the extra fat-can't-do-anything problem I have now. I know I'll have loose skin - I had it before I gained all this weight. I've always had flabby arms - I broke my forearms and had no upper body strength. I am willing and WILL have plastic surgery. I don't mind scars - I see them as reminders from a lesson learned. I don't want to wear a bikini, I want to be healthy again and feel good about myself. If I have a scar to remind me of all the hell I've been through, then so be it. It'll match all the other ones. The one on my right breast reminds me to do my self exams. They're my battle scars - I've survived a lot and I'm going to survive this. I have about 200 lbs to lose to be at my "ideal weight" but ideal is relative. I'll be happy with losing about 160-180 lbs. You're not alone here. We've all got a number we're fighting against. I think I'm going to stop fighting the number and start searching for the feeling. The feeling of being healthy. It doesn't have to equal a number.

[SrHogan 6]

I am totally with you about fighting the number. I told my friend I think I wanna focus more on being heathly and I will be over the moon when my husband can pick me up ( without getting hurt) or when he is able to put his arms around me and his hands touch

[Tif 2.0 141]

I know how you feel. I am 5'6 and I've lost 27 lbs so far during my 6 month MSWL. I still have 2 weeks until my last appt before it can all be submitted to my insurance.

I started at 319 and I want to get to a normal BMI which for my height is 144. Ideally if I could get to 135, that would be AWESOME, but I really do have a big bone structure. To get to 135 would be 184 lbs lost. That would be the best.

We can do this. It's a long road ahead and it begins with the first step. Congrats on taking this step.