I think that sounds better than the alternative :)

That was a weird spot for me forever...I had this lump of fat... then it disappearred. Hang in there your body is still changing...

HW 368

LW 176.4

TW 176.2

Next goal 169

I didn't get to my goal by the time I go to my 18 month checkup  on Thursday.  At least I went in the right direction this week even it was  small amount. 

The DS is a very extreme surgery, if your BMI is very high they would expect you to get the sleeve first, then follow up after some weight loss and get the DS. The DS is not like the RNY at all. It is MUCH more restrictive. Long term the DS has the MOST complications. I caution against it, I feel that only the highest BMIs should get the DS and I do not think it should be done in one operation. My surgeon told me to get the sleeve for the following reasons:

1. I am not diabetic.
2. There is no reason to take on additional surgical risk to loose an additional 10-20%. Surgery is a TOOL and you can loose as much with the VSG as the DS if you WANT too.
3. If you are not successful the DS is always a follow up procedure that is available to you.

Just my opinion, you have to do what is best for YOU and nobody else.

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to have VSG April or May of this year.  I've been reading this forum but not posting much, but I'd like to get to know all of you as I move through this process.

I'm live in California, work full time, and have two kids (10 & 12), I'm married and my husband has his own business, my kids are really active and we are a busy family.  I'm looking forward to being healthier for my family and setting a good example for them, and hope my family receives the benefits of more healthful eating along with a healthier mom.

My dad passed away when he was 50 from a stroke, he had heart disease and was overweight.  I want to get healthy and be around for a long time, which is my motivation.  I also used to love travelling and seeing new things, but as I've gotten heavier air travel has gotten uncomfortable and I feel like my world has closed in quite a bit, I want to get back to being able to do things I want, I want to travel with my family before my kids are grown up.

I'm 41 years old, and am looking forward to all the fun things I will be able to do as I get healthier.  I used to be a competitive swimmer, and I really want to get back to feeling like an athlete and exercising regularly.  I was heavy when I was a little kid (9-14), but then got thinner because of my exercise schedule.  After college, I couldn't exercise as much and started a sedentary job and also had thyroid issues, and my weight got out of control, and I've been heavy for my whole adult life.

I"m nervous about getting through the process, making all the changes I need to make, and being successful.  I'm nervous about making the time I need to take care of myself, prepare healthy food, and exercise, plus keeping up with everything else.  I'm open to making changes to make all of this work, I'm just nervous because I don't know how its all going to happen, but my strategy is to take it one day at a time making good choices and making positive manageable changes, I'm focusing in pre-op on making positive changes in our family routine that will help after surgery.

I'm a perfectionist and I want to remember to be kind to myself through this process, and figure out how to be good enough to make this work without being overwrought about all of the details.

One thing I'm really proud about from the pre- op phase, is that I gave up diet soda 79 days ago.  I drank a lot of diet soda, and have done so since I was in high school.  I have type 2 diabetes, and I think that my diet soda consumption played a big role in that - both because of the role of artificial sweeteners in developing insulin resistance, but also because diet soda drinking with snacking of junk became a habit.  It wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, but I'm surprised that I did it (in my mind it was a harmless treat - but I was wrong) and have stuck with it, and I'm proud that I have.  I never thought I'd stop, and I've never stopped drinking diet soda when trying to loose weight before. 

I've also been experimenting with cooking with the instant pot, which seems like a great way to make high protein meals for the family with minimal effort.  This weekend we did beef stew, and lemon tyme chicken.  And the kids helped prepare the veggies for the stew, which was fun.

So that is a little bit about me!  I'm super anxious for this time to be done so I can be on the other side of surgery, just a while longer now.  I look forward to hearing about how things are going for each of you.