William A. Graber, MD

Hello all! I am currently on the journey to loving myself - hence the title. I have been heavy most of my life, and I sure we have all been there, that's why we are looking for improvement. My main struggle was my love for food, and a devil of a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome , or PCOS, and borderline Type 2 Diabetes. All my life I was heavier than most, and I thought exercising and sports would help. I played sports all through school, and worked out daily. But, my love for food seemed to overpower me sometimes. I went through an awful relationship- verbal, mental, and physical abuse, and I used food as a coping method sometimes, well most. I now am in the most supportive and wonderful relationship I have had and I finally am starting to be happy again. But, with all this extra weight and my health problems, it's time to take my life back. I am currently at my heaviest I have ever been - 266lbs at 5'6", a BMI of 43. Last week I went to the doctors for back pain. Growing up I have had larger breasts than most, a whopping 42E. I went in inquiring about a breast reduction. But, with the conversation that was talked about with my primary physician, he suggested I look into Sleeve gastrectomy. After doing some research I have decided to go forth with a consultation with Dr Graber, Syracuse's Gastroenterologist. I am excited and very happy to finally be doing something for myself. Cannot wait to get this started, especially with having the best support system a girl could ask for! :) Current weight : 266 lbs Goal weight : 146 lbs Height : 5' 7" BMI : 43 Shirts : 2x - 3x Pants : 18 / 20 or 3x Bras : 42 E / DDD

I'm going in to this with the thought that a RNY will help me with my type 1 diabetes. I've been a T1D for 25 of my 28 years on earth. My BMI fluctuates between 35.2 to 34.8. I have my first insurance weigh in next week. I'm hoping this procedure with the lifestyle change will improve my insulin use. Updated on 26 Jun 2017: I managed to keep my BMI above 35. I feel odd focusing on not losing weight for 6 months. Knowing that many people who undergo this procedure are much more overweight than I am is the cause of this feeling. However the reason I want to do this so badly is much more than just weight loss. I've been a type 1 diabetic for 25 years. I spent from the ages of 3 to 13 on shots then at 13 going on 14 I got my first insulin pump. That year I started to gain weight which I wasn't able to when on shots. While on shots my A1Cs were north of 10! They went much better in the early going on the pump either, but they gradually got better. I'm now at a 7.4 A1C. Since my earliest days on the insulin pump my insulin usage has increased. Even when my blood sugars & my A1Cs improved, more insulin was added to my daily regimen. I'm at a point now in my diabetic life where I'm entering a vicious cycle. I'm on an enormous amount of insulin which causes me to make weight loss very difficult & being overweight means I need more insulin to compensate. Basically I'm a type 1 diabetic at risk of becoming a type 2 diabetic as well. My hope is that RNY gastric bypass will eventually get me to a point where I won't need over 120 units of insulin a day to maintain good numbers. Updated on 7 Oct 2017: I’m almost there. My RNY is scheduled for 11/20/17. I still have work to do to get to that point. I still have to make weight at my last insurance weigh in at the end of this month. I have to keep my blood sugar in check till surgery. Starting next week I have plenty of doctor appointments every week. I’m a little nervous about what eating will be like after the surgery & what my recovery will be like. I’m also excited for the future & being close to finally getting to the starting line (I don’t consider all of the red tape & weigh ins as part of the actual process). Updated on 26 Oct 2017: I’m only weeks away from my RNY. So far I got cleared via the endoscopy & I did my last weight check in. I have to get approval from my endocrinologist on the 2nd, the psych on the 6th, & my primary care provider on the 10th. Updated on 26 Oct 2017: I added some photos. Updated on 3 Nov 2017: My biggest hurdle in this process heading towards my RNY has been cleared. Yesterday I got the 2nd best a1c I’ve ever had in my 26 years of being a T1D. My endocrinologist also said that the Medtronic 670g pump would be a huge benefit to me in my recovery process. Hopefully my insurance will cover it. I have my psych evaluation on Monday & my pcp for approval on Friday. The doubts & questions are slowly starting to creep in, but nothing that has really caused me to rethink my decision to get this procedure done. I’ve also had to start thinking about what to say when people ask me about what surgery I’m undergoing. I’ve been thinking about using “gallstones & hiatal hernia”. Updated on 7 Nov 2017: Yesterday was supposed to be my psych evaluation, but due to some epic miss-information I missed the appointment. Months ago I was given my first of what would later amount to 3 itineraries of mandatory medical appointments. In the first one, I got my psych evaluation scheduled. A month or so after that I got a second itinerary that didn't include a psych evaluation on it. I figured no big deal I had that already scheduled for 11/6. The initial appointment notice didn't mention a doctor's name, just the hospital. Last week I received a voicemail from the hospital reminding me of my appointment. Once again no names mention as to who I was seeing. That same night, I received a letter from my surgeon's office with a doctor's name on it, but it said that needed to call this doctor to schedule the appointment. So I called the surgeon's office to see why I had to call to schedule an appointment despite already having been called with a reminder for said appointment. It turns out that they took the initial psych evaluation out of my schedule & didn't contact the psych office about doing so. So yesterday the day I'm supposed to actually get this evaluation over with, I go to the hospital for the appointment, I stop into the surgeons second office just to ask for where my appointment is located. They tell me that it's with the doctor I got the 3 itinerary about, which is not in the hospital. So I go to the doctor they told me to & it turns out he wasn't the right person. In fact, he doesn't even take my insurance. So I call the surgeon's office back & they guess that it could've been with another doctor who's name was never given to me by either the hospital or surgeon's office. So I call them & they are the right doctor, but I missed my appointment running around to the wrong doctor. The correct doctor wouldn't be able to reschedule me until January. Furious, I call back the surgeon's office to ask them to get me in somewhere asap as I'm two weeks away from surgery & I'm required to do this evaluation by my insurance. They said that they will call me once they had it confirmed & that it could be a few days just to get an appointment. That was all yesterday! Today I called the surgeon's office to see if they got me an appointment. They said that they hadn't yet & that it could take a few more days. Knowing the psych office they were contacting, I decided to them myself. It turns out that an appointment was already scheduled for me next week. I have no clue what the staff in my surgeon's front office are up to, but it almost shook me right out of doing this procedure with them. I'm not sure how long & why they would have me wait just to hear about an appointment, but it appears that they had booked one for me. At least my aunt & I have the same surgeon. So knowing that my aunt is alive & doing great certainly helped to keep me from bailing. Updated on 16 Nov 2017: Tomorrow is my last day before my 3 day pre-op liquid diet! Lots of things are running through my head it this point. Thing like: am I actually ready for thing? What will recovery be like? How will my diabetes react to the dramatic changes post surgery? At the same time, I’m very excited to start a truly new chapter in my life!! Updated on 19 Nov 2017: It’s the night before my surgery. It feels surreal. My whole journey started last February when I began researching gastric bypass & T1D. I’m more nervous about life after the procedure than I am about the actual procedure. I’m packing up everything I’ll need. Although the surgery is in my hometown I’m recovering with my mom an hour away, since she took the time off to do so. My surgery check in got bumped up from 12:30pm to 8am after I asked someone in my surgeon’s office want to do about low blood sugar due to my NPO starting 12 hours from check in & possibly 16 hours from surgery. I have couple of phone calls to make before I get brought in for surgery in order to get the ball rolling on my new insulin pump. I’m hoping to get a decent night of sleep tonight, but I probably won’t. Updated on 25 Nov 2017: I had my surgery on Monday & it went well. I actually felt pretty good once the initial bloat from the surgery settled. I was the king of the world on Tuesday. I had no problems getting out of bed or drinking water, then something happened. Later in the day on Tuesday, I went to the bathroom to move my bowels. I was a little surprised that I had to go, but didn’t give it more thought than that. When I went it was all blood, in fact it was only blood. I felt lightheaded & called for a nurse. When she came over, I started to get the my bed, but instead passed out. I was later given a CT scan after waking up & it revealed that there was blood in my colon. I have since spent from Tuesday night to now (Saturday) in ICU. I’ve been hooked up to heart, oxygen, & blood pressure monitors 24 hours a day. I’ve had “bloody stools” since Tuesday, but they are starting to slow down. I was NPO from Tuesday to Friday afternoon. I’m handling liquids well. I’m hoping to be released from the hospital by Sunday. My surgeon, Dr. January Hill, has been phenomenal throughout all of this. If I could have her as my PCP, I would do it in a heartbeat!!! Updated on 2 Dec 2017: I’ve been home for almost a week. I’ve been feeling good. My insulin pump basal rate has been reduced from 86units a day to 36units a day & I still find my self going low. I haven’t had a bloody stool since last Friday while I’m the hospital. I’ve been walking around my block a few times a week. I find myself tiring out quickly, but I figure that is to be expected. I have no problems getting my liquids in. My biggest qualm right now is it takes my eyes longer to adjust to light & when I wake up from sleep it takes a minute or so to sort of “unscramble”. I follow up with my surgeon’s office on Monday. My weight is down from 215lbs from the summer to 195lbs as of today. I also no longer have to take metformin which has been amazing not having to deal with the literally shitty side effects. My sleep since leaving the hospital has gotten much better since I can sleep on my side & stomach. The surgical glue is starting to crumble & I have to avoid picking at it. All in all things are going well. The results I was hoping for happened faster than I thought they would. Updated on 13 Dec 2017: Starting weight: 215 Current weight: 186 I’ve been feeling good post surgery (although as I write this I have a cold). I have no problems getting in my water requirements. Only one instance of food dumping. The situation was I had a low blood sugar, which I treated with apple juice and sugar free pudding. A hour and a half later I was still low, so I treated it the same as before except with more juice. 30 minutes later, I was on the toilet. Lesson learned. From that point on I have been using glucose tabs for low blood sugars and they have worked fine with no problems. All in all this has been a great decision to undergo the gastric bypass. Updated on 21 Dec 2017: It’s been 1 month since I under went my RNY Gastric Bypass. To be honest, I’ve very little difficulties since my extended stay in the hospital. My main goal of this process was to bring down my insulin usage & get better control of my blood sugars. Today was my one month follow up with my doctor. The breakdown is as follows: Summer weight: 215 Current weight: 182 A1c prior to surgery: 7.6 A1c today: 5.8 Average daily insulin usage prior to surgery: 120units Average daily insulin usage as of today: 52units The doctor said that I have low iron. Which isn’t a surprise due to my low blood levels post surgery. Yesterday, I was able to comfortably wear a pair of pants that I haven’t been able to in years. This has definitely been one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Updated on 28 Dec 2017: I’m experiencing my first weight loss stall. I’m stuck at about 180-181lbs. I’m not super worried & I’m far from panicking. I joined a gym this week & soon I’ll start slowly working out. At this point my biggest concern is handling a workout while balancing my blood sugars. My numbers have been still good, but I’m fighting with my carbs to insulin ratio. Updated on 18 Jan 2018: It’s been almost two months since I had my RNY. I got over my stall a week ago with help from exercise, tweaks to my diet, & natural metabolism boosters. My two biggest challenges at this point is figuring out what my meal insulin sensitivity is & not drinking liquids during our around meals. I find that I miss being able to drink while eating. Sometimes I’ll get something to eat & something to diet only to end up letting the drink sit there while fighting the urge to drink it. Outside of eating, I have no trouble getting in my 64 oz of fluid a day. My basal rates haven’t needed any adjusting in over a month. Updated on 31 Jan 2018: Here are some “after” photos. At this point I’m at 174lbs. Updated on 6 Feb 2018: I met with my endocrinologist for the first time since undergoing my RNY. She was incredibly impressed with how my diabetes has been. My a1c was 6.5 & I weighed in at 176 weighing jeans & sweaters, so I’m guessing that I’m about 170-173. My endo decided that I needed to reduce my basal rates from 39.6 units a day to 36 units a day. But ... that’s not all..... I FINALLY GOT THE MEDTRONIC 670G INSULIN PUMP!!! I started wearing it today. I’m not using the auto mode (the mode which automatically corrects your blood sugars every 5 minutes) yet. You have to wear the pump & sensor for about two weeks for the algorithms to pick up your body’s natural blood sugar flow. So in two weeks I’ll be ale to use the 670g to its fullest capabilities. With even tighter control over my T1D, I’ll be able to lose weight even easier! Updated on 8 Feb 2018: I’ve decided that when people who I’m not close with ask me about how I lost weight, my response will be “Tide Pods”. I’m not ashamed of having the surgery or afraid of judgment. I just think that telling people my Tide Pods diet is my weight loss secret is hilarious! Updated on 5 Mar 2018: I just recently hit the big 50lbs loss marker! The horrendous weather has helped since I’ve had to shovel often just so that I can go to he gym. Haven’t had any issues with dumping, eating, or getting in my liquids. I have been busy getting used to my Medtronic 670g insulin pump. It’s an amazing machine, but I’m still figuring it out. The photos are from just before I hit the 50lbs loss mark.

I have my consult and informational seminar on sep 17. I weigh 217 lbs and am only five feet tall. I have been about ten-fifteen lbs overweight since I was a teenager but the past 7 years I have been continuing to gain weight at an alarming rate. I want children but I know it isn't healthy having a bmi of 42. Updated on 27 Aug 2015: Updated on 15 Sep 2015: I have my informational seminar and appointment with the surgeon tomorrow. I am excited to get the process started! It sucks that I have to wait 6 months before my insurance will approve it which means I need 6 months of weigh ins which sep 25 will be my third. Seems excessive! Anyone else have to jump hoops to get this covered? Anyway to get around it? Lol i just wanna get this done with, or at least get it going and on the books! I am excited to hear what the Dr. has to say. The seminar is from 8-9:30 then my appt with the Dr. is at ten and they said it could take up to three hours!! Not sure why or what exactly will go on. I work overnight so the timing is not the best as that is my usual sleeping time. Oh well!! I am excited to hear what things I will have to do like, lose weight before hand, do a special diet, etc. Updated on 17 Sep 2015: Well I had my initial consult and I left feeling less than stellar. The informational seminar was ok but I don't think I learned much to be honest. I have been researching for a few months and I am also a nurse so learned about bariatric surgeries in school. I did a test for H. Pylori which was negative. I met with the scheduling coordinator who was nice and explained a lot of how things will go until the surgery. The doctor was... I dunno. Had an odd affect/bed side manner I guess? He was not very forthcoming with info and didn't really understand my question about getting pregnant after the surgery but I think there was a communication/cultural barrier somewhat. He also was completely offensive when I said I was a psych nurse and also said that I wanted the sleeve vs the RNY. I said this because people I know have had more issues with the RNY and my research seems to suggest the sleeve is less extreme. He then laughed and said well it is taking out an organ, no wonder you work where you do. So I guess that just left me with a bad feeling. He ordered an upper endoscopy and a stress test because I have GERD and palpitations. It just seems like their practice was trying to sell the RNY vs the sleeve. He said because my BMI is lower it should be ok but they prefer RNY because patients lose more weight, but I don't have 100's to lose and people are very satisfied with the sleeve. I don't want to go against medical advice obviously. It seemed like they just assumed that I was having the surgery, not really a discussion. I just ex Updated on 20 Sep 2015: So I guess I didn't realize that GERD can get worse, and will most likely not go away, if you get the sleeve. So now I understand why the surgeon was pushing a bit more for the bypass. So now I am confused. I also have IBS so I am not sure how the bypass would work with that, if it would make it worse or not. I have heard horror stories about the bypass and I don't like the dumping syndrome (ibs is bad enough!!) or the malabsorption parts. But I don't want issues with GERD forever either as there are long term side effects to either dealing with it or from taking meds. Ugh. So now I don't know which surgery I should have! Either way the surgeon said I should lose about the same amount of weight due to my lower bmi. Ugh. Help!! Lol Updated on 23 Nov 2015: Hi all. Thought I would update you but nothing new to really report! I have my 4 month weigh in tomorrow ( I have to do 6 for insurance) and I have been maintaining each month which they say is good but I started nutrisystem last month. I figured it would be my last chance to attempt a lifestyle change without the surgery, plus I figure if I lose some weight before surgery that can't hurt! I have to stay at 204 or above though or my insurance won't cover it, go figure. Last week I was down 5 lbs( overall, not in one week) but I have been bad again this last week and am only down a lb as of today!! It does work if you stick to the plan but I guess that is my problem! I am going to try my best to stick with it but we have two vacations planned in the next month plus the holidays so I am hoping to get back to that minus five and stay there for the new year.. Not too lofty of a goal! I have decided to stick with the sleeve. I really researched and thought about the bypass but it just isn't for me. I am pretty sure I have a hiatel hernia that contributes to my gerd too. Plus, when I eat right and smaller amounts I very rarely have gerd symptoms so I believe losing weight and eating less, as well as a possible hernia repair, will be good enough. The bypass complications regarding malnutrition literally scare me. Seems too extreme. Ok that's all for tonight we will see how my weigh in goes tomorrow!! Not well I suspect lol :( Updated on 8 Dec 2015: My surgery is scheduled for 2/26! I called the office to see if they had started to schedule my other appts like my endoscopy yet and they ended up scheduling my surgery! I asked to wait for the new year for the endoscopy so it can go towards my yearly out of pocket max which is $1000 so I am not paying that plus $1000 for the surgery. Wish it was sooner but I am sure the next 2.5 months will go fast. Updated on 10 Jan 2016: Hello all. Finally have all my appts set starting over the next two weeks or so. I see the nutritionist and surgeon, endoscopy, psych eval, stress test, pcp and pre admission testing. Gonna be busy but I want it to come quicker!! Haha hope everyone is doing well! Updated on 15 Feb 2016: Got the call today that I was approved!! Woohoo!! Still scheduled for 2/26. I start my three day clear liquid diet next tuesday. Until then I am on a food farewell tour lol.. I meet with my pcp in the morning and have a gastric emptying test on wed since my endoscopy said I have gastroparesis. My surgeon says he doesn't want to do the sleeve if I have GP which I don't understand because that appears to be a treatment for it! I am also concerned that I will have issues with GERD because he said he only maybe will repair my hernia even though it is medium sized!! I don't want the bypass now or ever! I guess he is gonna call me or I will meet with him again prior to surgery. I am definitely getting anxious but excited too! Updated on 25 Feb 2016: I have to be at the hospital at 530 am yuck! I work 3-11 so I usually get up around noon lol My gastric emptying test came back normal so I am definitely getting the sleeve. I also questioned them about the hiatal hernia again and they said if he sees it, it will be repaired. On my endoscopy report it said it was medium sized so I am sure he will see it. I was worried if he didn't repair I would have really bad GERD and I don't want a revision to rny bc he wouldn't repair a hernia. I have been on a three day clear liquid diet and it sucks! I am really hungry and very sick of jello lol just need to finish some hw, do some laundry, clean the bathrooms and pack and it will be bedtime! Gonna add some more before photos so I can compare later on. I am now 224 lbs today (yes I have gained since joining here) and I am 5 feet tall. BMI is 43.7. Updated on 19 Mar 2016: I was sleeved 2/26 so today (well yesterday technically I am just still awake lol) I am three weeks out. I am at 208.8 so have lost 18.6 lbs since my three day clear liquid diet starting before surgery. I lost very quickly the first two weeks or so and it has since started to slow which is normal. I have never lost almost 19 lbs in 3.5 weeks before so I am happy! I was in a lot of pain for the first few days or so. For some reason my surgeon does not prescribe pain meds in the hospital let alone at home. After they gave me toradol once he agreed to give me oxy in the hospital which was a God send. They don't give us zofran at home either. My IV infiltrated (a nurse tripped over it....) and so I was without an iv for quite some time (they had to get vascular access to put one in as they tried four times and failed) so I pretty much went home kind of dehydrated. I was in the hospital for two nights. I walked a bit and only had water and diluted apple juice. Two days after I came home I felt awful. In pain and nauseous. Went to the surgeon's and they progressed me to week 2 (oatmeal, mashed potatoes, yogurt) which helped a lot. I had a bad reaction to the celebrate vitamins. Horrible headtburn and diarrhea within ten min. The unjury protein shake made me very gassy. I also developed thrush, a heat rash under my breasts from not being able to wear a bra, an allergic reaction to the glue (very itchy!!!) and then they sent me for three bags of fluid. That was week one lol I was definitely regretting my decision! Week two I felt tired but I was in less pain and by day ten getting in my 64 oz of fluid. Then I got my period lmao life just ain't easy!! I was wondering why I was craving chocolate!! I have felt hungry since surgery but not like before. Feeling full is different too. I am good with eating slow (over 20 min) so that helps. I have not felt sick to my stomach since 6 days out. Everything I have tried sits pretty well. I have been trying to get out and walk daily but the weather has turned cold and yucky again. I don't go back to work for three more weeks but I am in grad school so that and mario kart 8 on the wii u keep me busy ???? haha! My mom was with me for a week and I was grateful! After about ten-14 days I started feeling a lot better. I even found vitamins that only make me somewhat sick lol have never had luck with them. So I am taking only one daily instead of two and will see what my labs that they took today look like. Tbh they don't have official recommendations for sleevers just the band or rny. We do not have malabsorption so I don't get why we need double vitamins like a rny. So I guess we will see what my labs are like. I do take the b12 and I will start the calcium with d next week as instructed. I was low on d before surgery (I took a d vit and was a normal level) so I wouldn't skip that. I started my week 4 diet today which is way different than most others but it means I can have some softer fruits and veggies, soft pastas like mac n cheese, and eggs any style like egg salad. I have felt more satisfied today thankfully. I guess oatmeal and yogurt just don't stay with you as much. Plus I can eat up to half a cup now. Although I only ate about 1/3 cup at a time today before I was full. Kinda cool but sometimes I wanna eat more even though I am full which is just part of my old bad habits. So overall doing great!! Updated on 31 Mar 2016: On Friday I will be five weeks out from surgery. I feel great. Had my 4 week check up last Friday and all my labs are good except iron was a little low. So I guess I will start taking my second vitamin.. Lol it makes my stomach upset unless I take it with food and it's separated from my first one. I am at 204.4 lbs as of today so weight loss has definitely slowed. I was 203.6 yesterday so I need to stop weighing everyday. I know it is normal to fluctuate but it is annoying to see it stay the same or bounce up and down. I go back to work in about a week. I am down 20.5 inches as of my one month visit too. I think that is all to report. No new foods for another week or so. Then I can try meat yay!!! Lol getting a bit bored with my vegetarian diet semi mushy diet. Updated on 12 May 2016: Just a quickie but I am doing well. No problems with any foods really. Sweets taste disgusting now so cake, ice cream, chocolate etc. i am done with! And that is ok. I didn't expect it though. I am down 35.8 lbs as of yesterday. I was down 36.2 on Tuesday but it is normal for weight to fluctuate plus it is shark week lol i eat about 600-700 calories most days but anywhere between400's to 900's. Sticking to the rules pretty well. I even tried pizza last week and I took a few bites of the crust but mostly had the cheese. I don't crave foods like I used to except when I pms lol down at least one jeans size 16/18 to 14) and my shirts and scrubs are getting too big. Even my bras are too big! I did have some fries tonight and they made me extremely full even though I had like ten. Very odd. I only eat 3-4 times a day so even though my Dr and nut don't say I have to count carbs or protein I do. I usually get in the 40's for both but sometimes as high as in the 60's. I have my next follow up in two weeks. I hope my labs are normal I have been very diligent about my vitamins. I think that is it! Lol Updated on 30 Aug 2016: Hello everyone. As of 8/26 I was 6 months out. As of yesterday I weighed 162.2 lbs and have lost 65.2 lbs. i just had my 6 month visit with the Dr and they say I am doing as well or better than even bypass patients! My labs are perfect. I keep up with my vitamins. I get my 64 oz fluid in 95% of the time and always 48 oz minimum. I eat under 1000 calories per my Dr. a day and can be anywhere from 600-900's. I eat 3-4x a day and still eat around a half cup max. I usually still measure unless it is something I know how much I can eat or have measured a lot previously. I try to exercise as much as I can. Some weeks are better than others. Even if it is walking outside it is better than nothing. I am feeling frustrated because I feel like nothing fits. It is either too big or too small. My stomach/gut is still huge so I imagine I will need a tummy tuck. My boobs are less full and starting to sag a little. My back hurts more. Daily. I need a reduction. But I plan on having kids so that will be a while. Just feeling kind of down lately. Wish my stomach wasn't such an issue. I could wear smaller shirts and jeans. None of my rings fit. I wish I was a normal weight already. It is frustrating to see the scale go down slower or not at all or fluctuate sometimes. I am pmsing if you can't tell lol so overall doing well. No complications. My hair was coming out horribly starting around the last time I posted but the last 2-3 weeks it is slowing down a lot thankfully. I had to switch around taking my multivitamin because a few times I took it after eating and went to bed and then I woke up choking on acid. I take my calcium chew before bed and have not had anymore issues. No GERD issues really other then I tried not taking my pepcid and my stomach burned all day and I felt hungry all the time. So I have continued to take that but nbd at all. Bowels are good lol less IBS now that I eat a lot / no grease. Sweets still taste gross. So doing well overall. :) Updated on 28 Sep 2016: Seemed to hit a couple week stall this month. I guess that is normal. Was bouncing up and down the same lb or 2 for two or so weeks. Didn't matter what I ate either! Down 71.8 lbs as of today :) Feeling good but it is tough having such a big belly still :( I guess it is just how I carry weight - a "B" belly. Getting closer to my Dr's goal of 144. A healthy bmi is 127.6 which is my ultimate goal. In a size ten jeans! 8 is my goal and what I was in in 2007. Can't wait to be overweight instead of obese! 2.8 lbs to go! Updated on 2 Dec 2016: Down 80.8 lbs as of Wed. 9 months out on Nov 26. Weight loss has really slowed. I weigh 146.6 lbs. I have been up and down the same 1.5 lbs the past 2-3 weeks. Frustrating! Still eating right and exercise as much as I can. Gonna try being stricter on carbs. Still eating under 1000 calories a day. Usually in 800's but I see in my tracker last week or so I was in 900's so trying to get back to 750-850. I added some new pictures. Have a few consults lined up with plastic surgeons. My upper belly bothers me a bit :( I would definitely be a medium shirt without it. Wondering if I can get lipo. I probably need a tummy tuck but I plan on having kids soonish. In a 36 DDD now vs a tight 42 DDD. Gonna need my boobs done too. They are ok but I have lost volume in the upper part and I am used to having great [RS bleep] lmao. Even at 129 in 2007 I was a tight 36 DD (as in I should have worn DDD lol) as well as when I was 12 and not ocerweight. So I am surprised with the weight loss that I lost some of the fullness because their size wasn't weight related. My back hurts a lot more now. Not sure why. Dr's goal is 144 my personal is 127.6. (Normal bmi) I really wanted to reach that by one yr (feb 26) so we could start trying to get pregnant but I doubt that will happen by then. I just bought size 8 jeans and some size 6 jeggings which are just tight jeans lol weird how I weigh more than I did in 2007 but my pants are smaller now. My fingers are smaller than ever. All my old rings that stopped fitting bc they were too small... are too big now. Grr. One is a size 4.75 lol I have child hands :( Had to buy new scrubs again. Weight loss is expensive!! Lol In a large shirt, 6/8 jeans, medium panty, 36 DDD bra, medium scrub top and in between xs and s scrub pants. Oddly enough unlike other pants that are usually tight around my belly these xs scrubs are just a little snug around my thighs. Odd. Nighty pants are s-m. I am no longer obese. Hit that mark shortly after that last post. Doing well overall. Updated on 6 Apr 2017: Wow! I did not realize I did not post at my one year mark! I have since had a complete "mommy makeover" - extended tummy tuck with muscle repair, breast reduction, lift and small implant and lipo to my hips, flanks ans upper back roll. Still recovering from thaf and a slow recovery it is! Starting to feel better. I am 1.8 lbs from a normal weight! I have gone from 138/139 where I had been for a month or two before surgery to 129.4 yesterday! The last ten days I have lost about ten lbs! I think I was just swollen and it has come off but yay!!! In the 120's! Nothing new to report with my sleeve. Labs look good. Still following the rules 99% of the time. Focusing on protein first, eating over 20 min only, drinking enough water, limiting sugar and carbs, exercising etc. although I have not since this surgery but for the first time in my life I want to! Haha. Extremeky grateful and satisfied with the sleeve. Best decision I have ever made!!! Updated on 6 Apr 2017: