Any Shorties?

[Catracks 865]

No, I GET this! The laparoscopy was nothing but plastics are really gross surgeries that cost a small fortune and leave hideous scars...after a long, uncomfortable recovery period! I was so sure going in that I would never have plastics done but the reality that for me, it's definitely necessary.

~Cheri

Cheri, I cannot thank you enough for being so open. I really appreciate it. You know, you might get insurance to cover some of your surgery because it seems to be medically necessary in your case.

I have lost half my weight. and it really is just hangy below the navel and what skin is there is a mass of stretch marks from pregnancy and weight gain. There is some on the inner thighs and under my arms, but I think I can get that toned with exercise/weight training.

I have to wait until a stabilize my goal weight for a year. I'll start thinking about it again later.

Thank you and best of luck. You look great!

[mommy794 119]

Exactly better to reach it slower than to never get there. I've dieted off n on for 17 YEARS sooo ya 17 months is a drop in the bucket . I started at 205 now 170 so I have 35-40 to go. It will come no matter how long it takes!!! And the plus side is virtually no chance of gaining back!

Sent from my iPhone using VST

[Lolly2369 18]

I'm 5'2" - started at 225 and am currently around 185 seven weeks post-op. The difference is already amazing' date=' and I still have a while to go (I've set myself a pretty ambitious weight goal). I have no doubt that you'll love your sleeve - it's the best thing I've ever done, period.[/quote']

we have started at the same height and weight next time im on my computer I'm going to add

you as a friend so we can talk sometime in the future. my sleeve is Friday and your post gives me so much hope thanks!

[Lolly2369 18]

I am also 5'2" and 225lbs. I have a pretty ambitious goal also but we can make it.

me too! when is/was surgery? I'm Friday may 11th

[sheri59 1]

I am waiting to have surgery also. I am 5'3" and weigh 324. Can't wait to get started?

[BoBann 42]

I love this thread. It's great to hear all that stats. I hear all of these huge weight stories then realize everyone is a lot taller than me! Great to hear about all the shorties I am 5'2" currently 210 and having surgery May 24th. I can't wait!

[BoBann 42]

What do you ladies mean by ambitious goal?

[Supersweetums 1,164]

I am not quite 5'3". My highest weight was about 260lbs, my surgery weight was 220lbs. I had my surgery November 29, 2010. I now weigh 142-145, I fluctuate alot day to day, and I wear a size 6. I have a lot of skin (2 babies and almost 120lbs gone), so if I had a Tummy Tuck, I would probably lose a few more pounds and wear a smaller size. I would like to get below 140lbs, but right now I am just maintaining. If I actually watched what I ate more and got my butt moving, I could probably get it off!

I love to read everyone's success stories, it is inspirational to me! Thanks for sharing!

[Supersweetums 1,164]

Oh, and if I can make one comment, and please, I am not trying to offend anyone. I think that we need to get away from setting extremely lofty, perhaps even unrealistic weight loss goals. I know we are a little women (under 5'3"), but that doesn't mean we have to weight 115lbs. I am afraid that some people are setting themselves up to be extremly frustrated and disappointed. Of course some people will get there, but some of us will not. What happens if you cannot reach that goal no matter how hard you try. Will you accept it, or will you continue to live a life of beating yourself up for not expercising enough, eating less, trying harder, etc....just like we did when we were at our heaviest. I set my goal so I would be just withing the normal BMI range, and even now I find it so frustrating that I cannot get the last couple of pounds off (my goal was 140lbs, even though I would love to see a 3 in that number for the first time in my life, ever). I would hate to see people struggle and berate themselves if they cannot reach a goal that perhaps is not physically attainable. I am working very hard on trying not to focus on the numbers, and instead focus on the fact that I have lost almost 120lbs all together and can wear a size 6, and even a size 4/5 depending on the clothes. Never in my dreams would I have thought it possible! Hang onto the big picture and this amazing experience and chance to start over and make things better rather than those last 10lbs! I think we would all be much happier (including myself).

[rdoactv 218]

Im 5'0 196lbs. In pretest stage w/ hopes of getting Ins. Approval. Nice to see the success stories and good luck to those newly sleeved and hopefuls.

[moneida 6]

I am 5'0 208 lbs. 1st visit with surgeon on May 16th w/hopes of getting insurance approval as well. It is great to read success stories and hope to be able to share my "short" story with everyone.

[ilikenu 18]

I'm 5'0 and my pre-surgery weight was 206. I was sleeved on April 17, and so far I've lost 17 pounds! I gave up white sugar, white flour, and white potatoes several months before my surgery, so I hope my body isn't too used to healthy eating to notice that I'm trying to lose weight. We'll see.

[Miriam 50]

What do you ladies mean by ambitious goal?

Well, another post above says that maybe we shouldn't set very ambitious goals (e.g., 115 lbs.) so I'm a little embarrassed to even mention my goal, which is more ambitious than that (approx. 105 lbs.). But see, I know that even when I was 115 lbs. (way back at the beginning of high school, but the same height that I am now - 5'2"), I was more than a bit pudgy, even though I was only a size 8 or so. At 140 lbs. or so, I was a size 12, but I have videos and pictures from that time and believe me that I was very noticeably overweight. So maybe now my ambitious goal makes more sense.

Having said that, I know two things which I think are very important for everyone to keep in mind:

1) Even if I never get down beyond 140, I will still be very happy, because it's a heck of a lot better than I ever could have done without the sleeve. (With the most intense diet that I was ever on, I got down to around 155, but only managed to maintain that for a month or so before beginning to regain all the weight plus more). So 105 is certainly not a "make or break" goal for me, just something for me to aim at.

2) I am aware that my weight loss this time around (combined with the exercise I'm doing) is giving my body a very different shape compared to previous weight loss attempts. I seem to be losing more of my stomach (yay! As an apple-shape that's especially imortant.), etc. So I might find out that when I hit 140 or 130 I'm a much smaller size than I anticipated being at that weight. So again, this goal is not carved in stone.

In general, that final weight goal is the only sleeve goal I have that I've expressed in weight. All my other goals are size related (When I go on summer vacation I'll be a size 14-16, when I travel in the winter I'll be a size 6-8, etc.). I find that to be much more useful (and pleasurable!) than weight goals. But when I get to size 6-8, my brain stops working - I literally cannot picture myself that size, let alone smaller. So that's where the weight goal comes into play.

[Miriam 50]

we have started at the same height and weight next time im on my computer I'm going to add

you as a friend so we can talk sometime in the future. my sleeve is Friday and your post gives me so much hope thanks!

Good luck with your surgery! Be prepared for a tough first week or two or even longer (sorry if I'm scaring you - I know that some people sail through it - but I certainly wasn't one of them!), but it DOES get better, and when it does, it's great. Now almost 10 weeks post-op and I seriously cannot believe how amazingly my body has changed in such a short time. And I love the fact that I'm so not into food (most of the time - every so often I find myself looking at recipe after recipe that I know I can't even eat...), at least at the moment. I can't even regret not doing the sleeve earlier since I wasn't at a high enough BMI for my insurance to approve it till recently, but I can certainly say that I don't regret my decision to do it whatsoever!

[erinbaker78 1]

I'm 5'-2", and I was 321 before surgery. It's been almost 9 months since my surgery, and I'm 230. I've been at a plateau the last month or so, and I'm getting frustrated. I still wouldn't change a thing though. My diabetes is gone, and I can do so much more. Love the sleeve!