Boy has it been ages since I've made a post or even been on here for that matter. In the beginning of my journey I was on here daily researching everything I could before I made my decision to change my life. After surgery I was on here daily getting an immense amount of support and encouragement from all the wonderful people that have joined this site. If you are considering this surgery I can tell you first hand that this was the best decision I have ever made for myself. It wasn't about anyone else but me and what I needed to do to find my self love again. I was happy in all aspects of my life except my weight, it dragged me down all the time and made me so depressed. I yo-yo dieted, went up and down with my weight my entire life and I just couldn't do it anymore. I would always be successful at losing weight but would always gain it all back and more.
I know 200lbs. doesn't sound that bad but it is obese and I saw the future and knew deep down if I didn't make this drastic move I would just keep gaining and gaining. I also wanted to avoid as much excess skin as I could so I said to myself "that's it I am done and I am doing this no matter what". I barely told anyone and to this day still haven't. I think this is our personal choice and our bodies so nobody else should have a say in what we do. The first 6 - 8 months were difficult as far as being able to eat or enjoy food. Nothing really tasted very good and most food I wouldn't even touch, it just grossed me out. Over time I was able to incorporate more foods and actually enjoy them. Now I can eat everything I used to eat just in small quantities. I normally order appetizers at restaurants and it's perfect. I do my best to never overeat because the sickness that comes with that is not worth it. I feel so much more confident and comfortable in my body that I really think this is the size I was intended to be my whole life. I love going shopping for clothes now and being able to be much more choosy about what I buy. The one thing I never expected was to lose weight in my feet. I've heard this usually doesn't happen but I went down a whole shoe size. It's so strange to think that's how big my feet were but I guess they were chubby little suckers. My advice to all of you is do not spend allot of money on new clothes the first year or at least until you hit goal. You will change sizes several times so maybe even shop consignment because it will all be too big before you know it. I was very lucky I lost all of my weight in the first 6 months and just recently I did gain a little back but that is completely normal after 2 years. Everyone also needs to be very aware that stalls are NORMAL, I have seen so many posts about people panicking because they hit a stall. A stall is your body adjusting and it may last 2 days or even a month, just relax and stick to your plan and the weight will start coming off when your body is ready. Now if your eating cookies and cake and you stall, well that's something you need to change or you won't lose weight at all. The Sleeve is an incredible tool and it is just that a tool. You still need to do the work and make good healthy choices. I know how easy it is to slip into the junk food diet and it really is because sweets just slide right down. Now lets face it salad doesn't feel so hot in the beginning so if you can't tolerate foods like that it's best to try yogurts or even better get yourself a Ninja and make yummy protein shakes. There are tons of recipe books out there with really tasty recipes. I'm telling you this because I did make the mistake of doing what I call the slider food diet for a while and believe it or not after all that weight loss my sugars were high in my blood work. So even though we drop the pounds if we don't change our habits our health could still be at risk. I have been working really hard on healthier foods and although it's not always easy I have to tell myself what was the point of surgery if your health is still bad. I'm just being honest and don't want anyone to think that just because you lose the weight it means your health will automatically be better. It's us that has to do the work and always remember that this is a tool not a miracle. All in all my life, attitude and comfort level are so much better and I truly do feel so blessed to have had this surgery with no issues whatsoever. I can't even believe it's been over two years and with no regrets whatsoever. If you are considering this surgery just make sure it's right for you and you have all the facts. You need to know what you will not be able to have pretty much for the rest of your life. You also need to be very aware of the medications you will no longer be able to take. These are all real hard facts and you need to thoroughly educate yourself to have a successful happy sleeved life. Too many times I here people lose it because they no longer can take ibuprophen or other types of meds., or realize they can no longer drink soda or have their six pack of beer. This is why you need to know all the facts. I really do wish all of you the very best of luck whether your thinking about surgery or have already had it, continued success to you all. And a special Thank You to all of you that helped me when I needed you the most, you really did make a positive difference in my life and hold a special place in my heart forever!