He Sleeves Me, He Sleeves Me Not... Houston, TX

I have always been an athletic person, so having an athletic build came with the territory. Not "fat" but defined muscles with curves. That was until about 11th grade. I started hanging out with people who's priorities included indulging in heavy, big meals and little to no exercise. I'm not blaming my habits on anyone, no one forced me to eat and be lazier then usual. My surroundings changed and so did my normal routine.

Once I stopped hanging out with these people I never went back to my "normal" eating. Food became way more important then ever before. I wanted to keep eating more. I still stayed athletic but I was putting more in than my body was using. I started college and made some wonderful friends, we all worked out on a regular basis. I became the girl that was always working out. I'm talking obsessive working out, five days a week, four hours a day. I loved the way working out made me feel. I lost a size or two but mostly toned up but still I was big. Granted, I didn't know I was big, I was a size 12-14 roughly.

When I met my husband I weighed about 180 lbs and still I didn't feel "fat". My BMI was rather high though. I'm 5"7' so I carry my weight very well. I didn't look 180, but I was. I moved states with my husband and we ate out all the time. This wasn't helping my weight gain at all. Bonus little tidbit, I have Hypothyroidism as well and wasn't on any medication. Needless to say, the amount of food I was consuming hadn't changed in several years by this point. After marring my husband we started our family very quickly. We had the most wonderful boy in the world in October 2008. I was over 200 lbs by this point. The 'baby weight' never went away and the bigger my son grew the bigger I grew.

I have tried every diet and exercise you can think of from nutri-system to prescribed pills. I didn't loose weight just maintained whatever weight I was at the time. Every time I tried a diet and couldn't see results, I would stop and the weight would continue to rise. This has gone on for almost 5 years now. I finally decided to do something about the weight. I called True Results in Houston, had my insurance verified and set a consultation. My consult was September 13th. I was weighed which is every plus size persons favorite part (sarcasm). I weighed in at 296 and I couldn't believe I was so FAT!!! "How could this be? I can't be this big. Some must be due to the breakfast I ate..." Yes, all these things ran through my head.

I was disappointed that I let myself get to this point. But, the more I thought the more I came to a realization. I'm not going to let my weight own me anymore. That's why I'm here. So, after a brief freakout, I gathered myself and sat down. "I'm ready for the gastric sleeve surgery. I'm ready for a 'one and done'. Not a ton of maintenance." (the lap-band is great for some just not my cup of tea). I had my blood drawn, EKG, and a physical. Talked about my history with the NP. My insurance is amazing so not to much is needed for approval. My BMI was done and I'm at a 47. I scheduled an EGD for October 15th and I'm waiting on approval from insurance (takes mine about a month) so, it should be here near the time I do my EGD.

My family have been extremely supportive of this decision. It not only impacts me but my son and my husband. My husband has been my rock through this emotion experience, and we are just getting started. I will be updating my page as regularly as I can. I have read many of the reviews on here and youtube and everyone has been so helpful to calm my nerves. I hope I can do the same for someone else.

So, I had a psych evaluation done since my surgeon calls for one. Next is the EGD on the 15th and then a pre-op appointment with my surgeon and a hospital pre-op on the 22nd. Not looking forward to signing a ton a paperwork, but it must be done. I start my 2 week liquid diet the 15th. Feeling nervous, I have the will-power not to eat anything other then what I am allowed to have but I'm still concerned with my head cravings to snack.. Anyone tips and tricks are welcome.. It's getting closer to D DAY.. Quite a bit more butterflies going on then I thought would be. I can finally see a light at the end of this tunnel.. I will keep yall posted. Pictures to come before I start my liquid diet and then update pictures to follow accordingly.

So, as my title stats, I had an EGD done this morning with my Surgeon Dr. Reilly. Its nice to finally meet him. He was super nice and answered my questions ( even the ones that I didn't need to worry about). The EGD went something like this. You get to the office really early in case the surgeon is on time.. Then, I was asked to pee in a cup and get undressed so that I can get in a "see-more-hinny gown" you can keep your underwear and socks on.. Afterward, I had an IV placed in my hand. I waited about 20 minutes and then was shuffled back to the room where I would have my EGD. Upon arrival I was told to roll over on my side ( shoulder under me) and proceeded to take a nap ( anesthesia was admitted). Woke up roughly 20 minutes later in recovery and maybe 20 minutes after I woke up, I was out the door. All in all, not a bad experience. It has been about 5 hours since my EGD. I attempted to nap after I got home but for some reason my body wasn't having it. I have a slight sore throat but that is to be expected. Now I just have to have my pro-op appointment with the surgeon's office ( have to pay) and the hospital on the 22nd.

I'm starting my 2 week diet today. I;m hungrier then I thought I would be for day one. No matter what, I;m not breaking my diet. As my husband says, Its 2 weeks of being hungry and then I will never feel this way again. In the grand scheme of things, 2 weeks isn't that long of my life. Also, since i'm on my pro-op diet that means i;m counting down the days until my procedure on the 30th. Its coming up rather quickly and I couldn't be more excited. Dr. Reilly told me something and I'd never thought about it this way before, "if you can eat 5 bites this year, you should only be eating 5 bites next year." I am wanting to have the best chance for success like everyone, so, I;m going to be monitoring my food intake a little more then i thought I would have been. I would love to get past the honey moon phase and in 5 years still be small. Eating a lot got me here in the first place, and I dang sure don't want to be this size again after all the hard work and effort I have put into this. I'm taking it one day at a time. No sense going crazy over the number of days I have to "DIET". I'm at 298 today and I will be tracking my progress via realself so i'm able to look back and see the results..

So yesterday, October 22nd was my pre-op visit with my surgeon Dr. Reilly. He is such a patient and professional man. He explained my procedure to my husband and I again as well as answered any questions we had. After my visit with him, I needed to do my registration for surgery at the hospital. That took much longer then we expected. I was given my "day of surgery" instructions and "after surgery" instructions. I was told what time to be at the hospital and how to wash p the night before surgery. I was given to folders (1 from Dr. Reilly and the other from the hospital) that I need to go over and make sure I am aware of everything that could happen. I started my 2 week diet on the 15th and when Dr. Reilly's team weighed me yesterday I was down 16 pounds just from the diet alone. I'm excited about that. I weighed in at 283!! Amazing for my since I have tried to loose weight in the past and was very unsuccessful. I still have another week to go on my diet but i'm happy with the progress so far.

Head craving: I'm only getting head cravings for one particular food, Hand Tossed pizza! This only happens when I'm really hungry. If its time for me to eat, and my stomach is grumbling, all I think about is eating a slice. Since I haven't had any pasta or bread during my diet, I know its my head telling me I want it.. I was really ill prepared for the head cravings. I haven't given in, nor do I plan on it. I am ready for my VSG.

So my surgery was Wednesday morning. We had to be at the hospital at 6am and surgery was scheduled for 8:30. I was the first one of the day. Everything went well and I stayed in the ICU from Wednesday following surgery until Friday around 11 am. I would have been able to go home early on Thursday night but I ended up sick and was unable to leave.

So, I have been home about 2 days and i'm not doing as much as I would have thought. I didn't realize the surgery would be so hard on my body. (seems strange to say I know). I guess I was under the assumption that after surgery I would be back to normal in no time. I'm sure I will be moving around and drinking my protein better then ever. But for now, I'm resting between walking and taking my meds. I slept almost the entire night last night. I am sleeping sitting up and its been a struggle not to get a kink in my neck.. Pics to post soon. I have my follow up appointment set for tuesday the 12th. update to come..

Yesterday (Nov. 12th) was my post op visit with my surgeon. Everything is going well. He seemed pleased with the progress thus far. Dr. Reilly took my steri-strips off and said everything is looking very well. So, guess it's time for the fun part. My pre-diet weight was 298, my weight the day of surgery was 983 and my current is 269. Total Loss: 29 pounds! I am on day 14 and can finally eat pureed food. It's really nice to be able to eat my protein and drink my liquid. I've eaten about 1.5 oz of ham and some water. starting to finally keep track of my calories. Didn't think I needed to since I wasn't eating before. I was told I needed to eat no more then 1200 calories a day. Once I get to my goal weight I will need to have no more then 2000 calories to maintain.
Side note: I am still wearing my abdomen band. I feel naked without it.. Not sure how long to wear it?

It has been 48 days since my gastric sleeve! Went to see my surgeon today, for my 8 week post op visit. Everything is wonderful.. I was told that I'm able to eat everything like normal again as long as its healthy and I'm staying at about 4 ounces..No more protein shakes for this girl! For the most part (about 90%) I have cut out all the calories and carbs. I have a ton more energy and do not feel the need to hunt for a seat somewhat regularly . I got the all clear to resume working out and started that today.. I'm starting out with minimal weights and hoping to get into a routine soon.. I'm not wearing my band anymore.. Took it off a couple days after my last post.. The band was fine when I'm moving around, but sitting down was like someone sitting on my diaphragm..

TROUBLE WITH THE SCALE: quick story, my scale (which I have named 'Skinny Mini') and I were in a fight. She was saying things, my weight to be exact, that I was disputing. My scale is the bane of my existence and one of the highlights of my day.. So, we were fighting and not talking.. needless to say, I was at a weight stall for about a week (5-8 days) when I hit my 30 pound weight loss.. Once my scale started moving again, she and I are on much better speaking terms..

First Scare: I swallowed a pretty big gulp of water. It felt as if I had swallowed my fist whole. The pains in my chest were so bad, the exterior of my chest hurt to the touch. I was having a small panic attack. Called my husband and began walking. The pain and the fear went away about 15 minutes later. LESSON LEARNED. I think I can now check that off my bucket list.

I'm adding pics since its been a while. I'm going to be keeping up the good fight and I hope everyone else is as well.

So its been a while since I posted last. My birthday was the 12th and I turned 26! I hit my 65 POUNDS DOWN! I'm so excited that I'm reaching such great results.. I have heard horror stories from people saying there loved ones only lost small amounts of weight and that they didn't change there food habits.. I think this is part of what motovates me to be better and do more.. I can't imagine going through all this hard work and the pre diet and the EGD (etc) just to loose a small amount of weight..

I recently started working out, so we will see how that goes..Hopefully it will tone up my giggly parts..lol

It's been 109 days since surgery (15 weeks 4 days). Im down 2 pants sizes (started at a 22, now an 18 but its baggy) and I recently had to go shop for underwear and bras.. I didn't think about how my body would be changing. Example: needing to go out and buy smaller underwear since my was way to baggy. And my bras being as tight as they can go and still being to big.. I think I still have "FAT BRAIN".. Fat Brian for me is still seeing myself as larger then I am and not being able to really see a difference. Also I still have fat Brain when it comes to eating. Another example: eating a few bites of food and being full, but your brain still sees food on your plate and it keeps telling you to eat.. Im hoping my head and my belly get on the same page soon..

Is anyone else having trouble with smells? Since surgery, certain smells ( garlic, onion, coffee, the occasional raw red meat, seafood restaurants, etc.) that hit my nostrills make me feel sick instantly. Its been the same since I had my surgery. This even happened in the hospital.. I have learned to live with it as much as possible, but I'm wondering if I'm the only one..

So I ended up nursing my little guy back to health on Monday with a small case of food poisoning. Didn't think anything of it, just thought at that point it was a virus he maybe got from a recent birthday party.. Boy was I wrong! I spent the next 2 and 1/2 days suffering.. For most people, I'm sure two days doesn't seem like long but for me, it seemed like an eternity.. Tuesday I woke up with a severe upset tummy which later my body graciously added vomiting to the mix.. I was well beyond dehydrated since I was unable to even keep water down.. I spent most of my day in the bathroom one way or another. I went to bed with a terrible headache and no way of getting relief.. Finally passed out about 3 am. Wednesday was better since the vomiting stopped and I was able to finally get a little liquid in me. I didn't try any funny business with the liquids, stuck to good 'ole Apple Juice. I can say from this experience, dehydration is no joke with a super small tummy.. Still no food at this point but I'm satisifed to at least be holding things down.. Thursday (today), Still keeping liquids down and I added a few (less then 20) bites of something today. I felt nauseous every time a I eaten today (breakfast and a early dinner) but it is staying down.. The ONLY good thing to come out of this is my 8 POUND WEIGHT LOSS!!! So, thanks food poisoning for the little boost in getting down but we are over.. its not me its you! *down 78 pounds!*

Wow, can I just say this year seems to be flying by.. I'm behind on my updates (sorry). Let's see, it's been almost 30 weeks since surgery (7.5 months).. It doesn't fell like its been so long! As of this week I'm down 82 pounds and 3 sizes in my clothes. I started at a size 22 and i am wearing a size 16 pair of jeans! my last post mentioned i had lost 8 pounds due to illness. well i gained that back once i was able to eat and drink again. i felt discouraged when i gained it all back. I really didn't plan on it. But my surgeon mentioned it might happen so even though i didn't like it i knew it was a possibility. Since then i have been rather lazy (hate to admit it ). I am in a funk about working out. Hence the reason the weight is taking forever to come off. Strange realization: Soon i will NO LONGER be shopping at plus size stores! What a strange thought, being that i have been shopping at the same 2 stores for 4 years.. i am assuming the feeling of picking something off the rack at any store will be Wonderful!
Is anyone having cravings for things they shouldn't eat (rhetorical)? I am having a tough time with this and would love to know any tips to stay on track!

Half way there! i have put a decent goal on myself to reach the weight of about 135! This will put me in the middle of my "healthy BMI". So 84 pounds to go! For those of you that read my blog and pray. If you would say a little prayer for me and this adventure i would be grateful! I can't speak for anyone but myself , saying that, if i had the chance to do this all agin i would jump at the chance! i love how this has helped and made me fall in love with life again. I love how far i've come and can't wait to see the final draft..

I woke up earlier then usual today to start a new routine. I will be waking up and working out right off the bat, so as to not have any more excuses.. What brought this on you may ask? Well last night i was trying on clothes and i realized i didn't care for how far along i had come. I was thinking I could be so much farther and a lot more tone.. FYI: for the VSG patients out there, WORK OUT! you will look like a melted candle if you don't.. Work out from day one, it is a ton easier to start off on the right foot then to try and change later.. (rant over)

Now, back to the reason i am writing yall today! I am officially down to the half way point. 83 POUNDS DOWN! only 83 more to go.. It's been 32 weeks (8 months yesterday 6.5.14) and i have dropped from a size 22 to a 16 in my britches and a 20-24 to a 14 in tops (XL).. Biggest change: my attitude on my appearance. I actually like the way I look in things. not everything I might add but most things.. I am no longer looking like a stuffed sausage in a casing 3 sizes to small.. Yay for progress. I am eating differently as well. I eat a ton of protein rich foods over anything else.. i am also willing to be more active since the surgery.. I am determined to NEVER be the person I was.. This is a promise to myself and to my family.. Wives typically set the mood for the home and I want my home to be a place of love and laughter and energy.. Things I was not expecting: to have to get my wedding ring resized.. i know it makes sense when you think about it.. you loose the weight you need smaller things, seems reasonable enough but i didn't realize the weight loos would affect everything from my fingers to the width of my feet.. using less body wash. Again it seems like a "duh" moment but i didn't think about it until i kept pouring the same amount of body wash and having a ton left over..still having a hard time with my brain wanting me to eat more then my stomach can hold but its not as tuff as it was previously. all in all, i am excited at how far i have come and even more excited about where i am going..

I have had a whirl wind experience with this gastric sleeve and the last 11 months! I wouldn't trade this adventure for the world. I am down from a size 22 to a 14 in my britches and I am down from a 22/24 size top to a large! Things have really changed since i started and i'm not finished yet. I have roughly 56 pounds left to loose.. Im excited at how far i have come.. Its not always been easy but its been amazing. I;m truly blessed to have come this far. I am most excited that i can purchase all my clothes from non plus size stores. Finally!!! Pictures to come in the next day or two..