Hi everyone I'm Tiffany. My knee dr. mentioned wls to me 2 years ago to help relieve some of the pain my access weight is causing but I didnt think much of it. I found this site when I was researching tummy tucks since I have a family history of large round tummies that drop to your knees as you get older. I can't have that I'm just too young and fabulous! :)) Well I had a tummy tuck consult and the dr. told me the results would not be great until I lost a lot of weight. After learning of the sleeve and reading tons of reviews I knew it was what I wanted and needed. I just don't have another diet left in me! I know you guys can relate. I started with my seminar in November and I was approved 2 weeks ago. My surgery date is MAY 25TH!!!! Updated on 2 May 2016: I'm in the process of getting my lists together for things I will need at the hospital and for the first few days when I get home. Please feel free to post the items you guys found most useful. Also, I am lactose intolerant so I'm seeking lactose free protein shakes. Know of any good ones? I have the pre-surgery jitters at this point but I am choosing to focus on the positive. I have had 4 babies and a tubal ligation so I'm not new to being the patient. Lol! Updated on 2 May 2016: Updated on 6 May 2016: I wake up in the middle of the night thinking 'no, I can't go through with it' then I get up in the morning and my 2x's are too tight and small and I think 'yes I can'. I know I can over think things to the nth power and make myself unreasonably anxious. Is anyone else experiencing this? I so want to lose weight, be healthy, and have a better chance at keeping it off. I know I will have to continue to cast down my fears. Updated on 11 May 2016: It's becoming really real. In just 2 short weeks I will be sleeved for life. I'm ready as can be and the rest I know I have to take it as it comes. I can't wait to experience losing 20, 40, 60 pounds it just sounds so unreal! This is truly a Blessing. My husband has become more comfortable with idea as well and had been encouraging me. I appreciate having his support as well as the support of the real self family. Updated on 11 May 2016: Updated on 11 May 2016: Updated on 16 May 2016: Hi RS! I wish I knew some people locally who had the sleeve. I haven't shared my wls intentions with many people but I suppose if I do I would find more people who have had it. We have a wls group meeting in my area but it's 30 mins away so I have not attended one yet. But I do plan to start going to them since I want to meet local sleevers. 9 more days till I am sleeved! Updated on 18 May 2016: I have been having a lot of fear about being put under. But when I think about it, I had no fear what so ever about being put under for my first ever surgery which was an elective surgery of a different type. So I decided to think of the sleeve surgery as if I'm getting my gallbladder removed (I'm not really) and that took so much of the fear away. I just keep telling myself that in a few days I'm getting my gallbladder removed, no biggie. Lol! Updated on 21 May 2016: I've had so many food funerals it's ridiculous! I don't have a formal pre-op diet from my Dr. But I'm putting myself on one come Monday:)) I have had way too many bags of ruffles sour cream and cheddar chips this week..smh. Updated on 23 May 2016: I am excited like a kid on Christmas Day! I did not sleep much last night. I started myself on a liquid diet and here at work it is going well. It's only for 2 days pre-op so I have to continue to do right after work when I get home. I can definitely see why it is possible to lose so much during this liquid diet. I'm in the bathroom every 30 mins! It will be here and overwith before I know it! At this point I'm looking forward to returning to work (early) with everything fitting just a little bit nicer. My plan is to weigh myself just once a month starting the day my Dr. Weighs me. I don't want to go down the road of having the scale drive me crazy. I'm actually more concerned about changing to a healthy diet and the way things fit me. Also some other NSVs. I will see you all on the sleeved side!! Updated on 27 May 2016: Hi RS! I had my surgery on Wednesday 5/25. Surgery went well, I had no nausea, so I went home Thursday. We had a 40 min ride home and it sucked, especially since I get motion sickness really easily. I felt nauseous when I got home and of course the pain from the gas pressure so I slept for almost 16 hours. It is true that the pain gets better everyday and walking helps a lot. I didn't walk much in the hospital because it made me lightheaded and that was a mistake. I'm using the gas x which helps but I guess this too will take time. Drinking is easy, I don't know when I'm full since I can keep going without a problem and I already have so much pressure in my stomach. I feel full all the time. There is a lot of weird feelings in my stomach but for me they are not painful they are just different. Well I'm going to take a little nap RS. TTYL. Updated on 29 May 2016: Yeah...the first days after surgery are not great. I am 4 days post op and the pain in a couple of my incisions are causing me to have to take Tylenol. I even put on a loose fitting girdle just so that my stomach doesn't jiggle around and hurt so bad, it actually helps with the pain. I was told not bend over, but that has also been challenging, I feel like I'm constantly dropping things or having to bend to put footies on. The gas is starting to release so that dept. is getting better. I will be adding my stats after my first Dr follow up and weigh in on June 2nd. Updated on 2 Jun 2016: Hi RS! Today I had my first post op appointment everything is going great! Stats: HW: 272 SW: 258 CW: 248 I've lost 24 pounds since my highest weight ever in 1/1/2016. Yay! I can see some subtle differences and it feels great! Today is also the first day of my puréed stage and I'm not going to lie, I was scared to eat solid food. I ate tuna with light mayo, very slowly and my stomach did some weird things and after every single bite I needed to burp. But it was so good and all well. I'm mostly excited about sprucing up these protein shakes with bananas and peanut butter and stuff. Yum! Updated on 8 Jun 2016: Hi RS! Today I am 2 weeks post op. The first week dragged the 2nd week was not so bad. I am still having pain in my large incision when I put pressure on it getting out of the car or bending without protecting it. Also, I have sort of a knot behind the big one. The dr stated that it could just be the way my body is healing and to use hot and cold compresses. She is not concerned with it being a clot or infected. I just have to be patient with my body while it heals. I'm not weighing weekly, I read somewhere that when you focus on results you don't really make changes but when you focus on making changes you see results. So for me weighing myself too often means focusing on results. I feel great besides the incision I feel back to normal. I can drink liquid now I don't have to sip slowly anymore, I'm starting my 2nd week of puréed food tomorrow and so far I have not puréed anything I have been eating cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, creamy soups, mashed potatoes, and my meats cod, tuna, and chicken tenderloin I just add a little fat free Italian dressing and chew the heck out of them. The chicken and cod are still a little too dry so 2 or 3 bites and I'm done. I have also eaten popcorn and I'm not proud because I realize how serious of a vice it is for me, and not just popcorn Garret's Chicago style Cheese and Carmel mix! I only had a little (compared to eating the entire bag) each time but I know it could hurt my weight loss. I threw the rest out this morning I cannot risk having it in the house any longer. Last thing my husband and I went for a walk with my daughter riding her bike and it was not a fast pace but my knee has been killing me ever since. I'm not sleeping well at all because of the knee pain. I guess walking will have to wait a little longer. Be well guys, I have to get to work. Updated on 16 Jun 2016: A week ago I reported that I had incision pain and knee pain. Well the incision pain only comes now if I wear jeans or put pressure on the incision and the knot has gotten smaller. My knee stopped bothering me so I'm hoping the weight loss is removing the pressure from my knees because I feels great to have relief from that pain. But now my right side hurts above my hip and it radiates down to my hip. This has gone on over a week! I'm popping Tylenol left and right and I cannot sit in my desk chair it's too painful. The Dr thinks is muscular not an infection but we will run tests when I go see them in a week and a half. On to more positive news :) my clothes are starting to fit better and that gives me a confidence boost already! I walked through Walmart with leggings and a t shirt last night and I did not feel like a cow. I was so tempted to weigh myself today but then I thought about the "3 week stall" and decided against it. I am pretty excited about the possibility of getting on the scale and being out of the 240s! I'm starting "soft food" on Friday however I have basically been on soft food since day 8 because I could not bring myself to purée meat. But I'm excited that I can now have crackers with my tuna and I have started having green beans. I just have to stay away from the chips! I miss crunchy salty stuff so much that I have eaten a couple of my husband and daughter's chips here and there. I have not vomited since my first day home but sometimes when my sleeve (whom I affectionately named "Stella" lol!) is empty I feel a little nauseous. I tried eating a turkey stick today and felt like I could bring it back up. I didn't but I think the grease is too much. Which is an awesome thing. Because I used to LOVE greasy foods. I ordered Genepro protein powder it is 30 grams of protein in 1 tablespoon! I love it! I put it in coffee it yogurt and I have no trouble getting my protein for the day. My focus is on increasing my water everyday. I started this journey wearing 2X - 3X t-shirts but for my family reunion 4 weeks from now I ordered a Large. I have no idea if it will fit me but it is my first goal and serves as a reason for me to exercise and follow the diet plan. Now I just have to figure out what exercise is not going to flare my knee up again. Take care real selfers! Updated on 29 Jun 2016: Hi RS! As the title states I am 5 weeks post surgery today. Stats: HW: 272.3 SW: 258.4 CW: 237.6 For a total weight loss of 20.8 since surgery. I feel good, I am more energetic and have been experimenting with yoga and sitting exercises that don't engage my knees. It gets very frustrating that I'm not able to simply walk without excruciating pain. The goal is to move my move so that is what I'll do. Im in the last few days of the soft eating phase and I will be moving on to regular eating this weekend. Honestly I still don't know what to eat! I want to use this time figure out how I want to eat for the rest of my life I suppose I will have to gather recipes and start cooking again. I have come to the realization that my scale is way off and I need a new one. Also, I have to weigh myself more frequently than once per month. Although I would love to have a surprisingly fantastic smaller number every time I step on the scale, I do need to check in to see where I am more often. The scale can help with accountability and let me know when something I'm doing is hurting me or maybe help me determine if I'm building muscle. Any suggestions on a good scale to purchase is appreciated. Eating is still going well, I can tell that fish and chicken go down easier. I have added more fruit to my diet. It doesn't seem to be enough to help the constipation but when it gets bad I take milk of magnesia and that works for me. I can tolerate almost anything so I have to be very careful what I put in my mouth, that's where the struggle comes in for me. I have not dealt with much head hunger yet so I'm happy about that. But I do want to eat salty crunchy chips and popcorn when I see them. I have to discontinue using the Genepro protein which has 30mg in one tablespoon because I think it is causing a dull pain in my chest. I usually feel it for a second soon after consuming the protein. Drinking is easier I find that water is more difficult than protein shakes. I can down a shake in 30-45 mins now and it used to take an hour and a half. Im here to tell you eating and drinking gets easier weeks after surgery. What I find most difficult is having to wait 30 mins after eating to drink. That is uncomfortable at times especially if you have eaten too fast. I still cannot say if the surgery was worth it, I'm hoping to start dropping weight more rapidly at this point. But I absolutely do not regret having the surgery at all! Updated on 6 Jul 2016: 6 weeks already! Stats: SW: 258.4 CW: 234.6 I am so happy about my 3lbs weight loss this week after the 4th of July holiday celebrations. I must say I didn't do too bad. The worst I had was a small piece of cake. It is still a struggle trying to find tasty and interesting things to eat. I am a foodie and I love variety and trying everything so I get bored with baked chicken very fast. I did try a new shrimp and asparagus recipe it was very delicious. I want to eat something interesting and flavorful everyday. Lol! The recipe can be found here: http://bzfd.it/28Wcwc9 I am learning a lot about Stella the sleeve. Thicker drinks such as protein shakes and milk I can guzzle with no problem but water I have to take a bit slower. I can feel the water hit the bottom of my sleeve and it is uncomfortable. I'm trying to eat more protein and use less supplements because of the weird chest pains and the nasty taste it leaves in my mouth. But I do not like protein bars. Yuck! I'd rather eat nuts and nut bars. Stella also does not like egg yolk they make me gag, only egg whites for me. I've been slacking on my water these days too so my goal is to get that up because it's the most important component to weight loss. My clothes are starting to fit loosely, I guess I have to lose 30 pounds to go down a size. I have pulled some 18s out of my closet and they fit so I am excited about that. I was in 20/22. Well that's all I have for now. Later RS! Updated on 13 Jul 2016: Hey RS! I made 7 weeks post op today. Stats: SW: 258.4 CW: 229 Down 30 pounds since surgery. I'm loving my sleeve! I can now say that this surgery was worth it. I'm so glad I was Blessed with this surgery! I had a couple of NSVs recently. I can now polish my toenails without fear of suffocating myself because of the fat rolls. Lol. I can stand for a long period of time. Stand without leaning on something or shifting my weight back and forth from the left side to the right side because it was so difficult to hold my body up. TMI but sex gets better and better. I'm learning so much about myself. I'm enjoying this process and weekly losses. I'm craving carbs and sugar a lot more these days. I know those can cause me to spiral so I'm being very careful to limit them. I'm not having as many protein shakes Im mostly having egg whites with cheese (I love McDonald's egg whites and cheddar), Greek yogurt, P3 protein packs, almonds, and roast or chicken for dinner. I keep it simple since it's easier for me to meal prep that way. When I look at myself it's hard at times to see the changes. Throughout this week I have been thinking 'what if this surgery does not work for me.' Could I be that one? Especially since my family knows I had the surgery and they are watching me like hawks to see if I am successful. It's added pressure and I should have just kept my surgery to myself but I was so excited about having it that I ran my mouth. Now I just have to use that as motivation to succeed. I got into old size 16 shorts and a skirt this week although they were tight, they look decent. I was in a 22/20. Later RS! Updated on 28 Jul 2016: Stats SW: 258.4 CW: 224.2 Height: 5'-3" I feel good! I'm so thankful for this surgery! I feel more confident already I can just imagine how I'm going to feel when I fit into normal sizes! I'm down at least one size and now I can (really) fit everything in my closet. I had one person at work mention my weight loss so it is starting to be noticeable to others. When she asked me how I'm losing the weight I told her about the surgery. But I don't think I will tell others, I don't feel the need to. I went on vacation and ate at several restaurants. I split the meals with my daughter each time which worked well because of the huge portions. Even though I could only get 5 or 6 bites down I still over ate, I'm definitely over going out to eat. I had my first dumping episode after eating a mcdonalds mcflurry. The episode was pretty mild, I felt a little jittery and had stomach cramps followed by diarrhea and then it was over. After that I won't be eating very much ice cream anymore. Which is a good thing because It has always been one of my vices. I'm just excited to be on this journey I'm learning how to lead a healthy lifestyle and taking it one day at a time. Updated on 28 Jul 2016: Updated on 7 Sep 2016: Hi RS. I've finally decided to post an update. I have been hesitant because I'm feeling like a failure right now. But it is a journey and there are highs and lows along the way. Stats: HW: 272 SW: 258 CW: 226 I have been stalled for a month and half and it sucks. I hope that I didn't go through this surgery just to stop losing weight after only 2 months! I've seen stories where people claimed to have lost just 30-40 lbs. then the weight loss stopped completely just months after surgery. I keep my calories around 1000 per day per my PA and I get my protein in with no problems. I know that not getting enough water is a problem and I am trying hard to get more water in. Also I'm limited to chair exercise which I have increased. I'm determined to make this tool work for me and to make it to my goal of 140 lbs. so I'm weighing frequently and trying to figure out what's working and what's not working. I did notice that the scale went down a smidge when I stopped drinking the premier protein shake daily. I have been using more powder protein instead. I think I will also try to cut my calories back to around 800 per day by eliminating snacks and increase the Metamucil to keep things moving. I really hope this is just a very long stall and this "tool" still works. Updated on 26 Sep 2016: I'm down 50lbs from my highest recorded weight in January!! At 4 months post I have increased my exercise and water, and the scale is starting to move again. My knee is much better I can walk for longer periods of time with minimal pain and it is a great feeling. I'm happy I decided to have the surgery, I'm still trying to learn what helps to get my body in burn mode and what does not. I will not give up! HW: 272 SW: 258 CW: 221 Updated on 3 Nov 2016: Hi RS! HW: 272 SW: 258 CW: 214 I'm 5 months post-op and I feel good. Because of my sleeve...I can jog again! I have not been able to even speed walk with my knee pain but that is mostly gone now. I'm not where I want to be but I know I never want to go back to where I was. I'm still taking all my vitamins daily and aiming for at least 60 grams of protein per day through food. I drink just 1-2 protein shakes a week. At 5 months I still feel that food is a big part of my life, since I can only eat a little bit I want that little bit to be delicious. So I find that I spend a lot of time thinking about and planning meals. I still love candy too and I have been indulging in the Halloween candy more than I want to. I also find that with the cold weather it is very difficult for me to drink water. New NSVs are: my wide calf boots are too big, shoe boots are now comfortable, I'm out of plus sizes, and my cheek bones are on fleek! Lol. I'm thankful for my sleeve because without it I had no control. I'm determined to reach an ultimate goal weight of 140 and live my life there. Happy losing RS! Updated on 1 Dec 2016: One half a year has past since my surgery. Unbelievable! Stats HW: 272 SW: 258 CW: 206 GW: 140-150 I realized that before surgery I used to always say "I'm tired". I was carrying an additional 66 pound sack of potatoes with every move I made; getting in and out of the car, up and down stairs, walking, bathing...hell yeah I was tired! My greatest NSV thus far is having energy to do the things I used to procrastinate about. I do stuff like clean the walls and baseboards without a thought and put up all my Christmas decorations with no break. Crossing my legs is pretty great too. Did I say I LOVE my sleeve! Lol. It has been scary getting rid of all my clothes and jackets, etc...but at the same time I never want to be forced to wear plus sized anything again. I didn't buy anything for a whole year before surgery so I use that to justify shopping all the time. I wear a large top and 14-16 pants. In the past 6 months there have been ups and downs. Most of the downs come from stepping on the scale. That damn thing can bring on a spiraling depression, then turn around and put you on cloud nine. All in all this has been an amazing experience and I would recommend it to anyone. I also recommend taking lots of full body before and during pictures, they are valuable in this journey. I have a friend, son, and daughter in law who will be having surgery next year. I'm so excited for them!
