Julie G.

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 Wow I didn't even know it was 3 years for me until OH emailed me and told me! I can't believe it's been that long, but it has been an amazing journey and I wouldn't trade it for the world. 
I've become a more confident, happy, and healthier person. And I love life!! I've met the love of my life, and we just got married on 4-4-10. I was so happy to be a beautiful bride, which wouldn't have been possible without my VSG. I was always worried about finding a husband to love me and being a fat bride, but all my worries vanished after my VSG and I'm thrilled with my results.

I have bounced back 20 pounds from my lowest weight, but I am still happy with where I am at. I am maintaining my current weight, and I know I could lose more if I really tried but I'm not going to kill myself for 20 pounds. Life is much easier with my tool and I would not be where I am today if I didn't have it.

Sorry I haven't been more active on the boards, I've been too busy living life!! I promise to try and post more often 

wedding pic link below!

lh5.ggpht.com/_XsENmYAfrgw/TGenPk97zqI/AAAAAAAADOk/JSmYl_w9s ho/s800/IMG_0864.JPG

Woweeeeee! I almost missed my 2 year VSG anniversary! I can't believe I'm already at the 2 year mark!

I love my life since my VSG and wouldn't trade it for anything. I am still limited as to how much I can eat at a meal, but I have to be careful about grazing and eating too much through out the day. I've bounced back 5 pounds from my lowest weight, which was to be expected. And I'm holdin my current weight of 174 for the last 6 months. I would still like to lose more, maybe 15 pounds, but I'm totally happy with where I am currently at so I'm not going to push myself too hard to lose more weight. I just want to maintain and be healthy and happy as well :)

Currently I'm planning my wedding for April 4, 2010 so I've been pretty busy lately booking venues and photographers and buying stuff at Michaels. It's so exciting!!! I would've never guessed that I would be planning a wedding 2 years from my VSG surgery date. Life is amazing, wonderful, and joyous! My VSG is great!!!

To all you pre-ops, or post-ops who have any questions feel free to ask me. I am an open book and love to talk about my experiences. Good night and Good luck!!!!

4-2-09
Well I am exactly 3 months out today from my plastic surgery, and I'm feeling FANTASTIC! I just got back from Las Vegas from our reunion with Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Sauceda and met so many wonderful people from the OH forums it was great! And it was nice to get all the compliments, and to tell my story to people who are considering getting plastics done. We took a ton of pictures, and I love having my picture taken now with my new body! And for the first time EVER I wore a two piece bathing suit in public! I was still self concious because I've never shown my belly in public, but after a little while I felt more and more comfortable. Another goal checked off the list!

The last time I wrote in hear I was a little discouraged and down because of my open wounds, but now that I'm all healed up and can do any thing I want, I feel GREAT! I love not having all that extra skin, my clothes fit wonderfully, and I feel even more confident than before. I am really happy with my plastics results and would definitely do it again. Anyone who has any questions about my experience, feel free to ask away! I love to talk about my experience and want to help anyone just as others have helped me along my jouney :)

PS if you want to see any of the Vegas pics they are on my Facebook. If you would like to add me as a friend on Facebook send me a message on here and I'll give you the link to my page :)

On January 2, I had my plastic surgery with Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico. The surgery was somewhere around 14 hours!!! I don't remember any of it, but it was a very long and worrying time for my mom and my fiance. They thought the surgery would be somewhere around 12 hours, so they were starting to get worried when it got to be around the 14 hour mark! I had a lower body lift, a breast lift with augmentation, my arms, inner thighs, and a little lipo under my chin. The surgery went well, and I had minimal pain. I think the thing that I hated the most was having to lay in bed and not move. I hate to sit still!! I got out of bed the day after surgery and was able to go to the bathroom on my own. On day 2 out of surgery I was able to move to the hotel and stay there with my mom. It was much more comfy in the hotel, and I didn't feel all cooped up.

While we were there we went on a walk everyday and even went on a tour of the city. I was feeling really good about how well I felt and how well I was getting around. And then 8 days out from surgery my mom noticed the inner thigh incision popped open in one spot. I was so bummed that it opened up :( So we called the Dr. and he said we would wait to see what it does. WELL it opened up even more, so he brought me back to the hospital to sew me back up. I felt better that it was all back together again, but.....then there was the long journey home on 2 airplanes and going through customs in Houston. I got home and the incision looked ok, but a little loose. Well the next day after I was home, it popped open agian!!! I was sooo upset, and bummed, I didn't know what to do. So we called the Dr. and he said we should just let it heal on it's own and not sew it up again, because the wound was too wet (that's why it kept coming open). So I've been home for one week, and during that time I've only been allowed to either lay down or stand up (for short periods of time). I hate having to lay around and not be very active!! It's driving me insane! I feel so lazy and useless. The hardest part about this whole experience, is this part.....the laying around and waiting to get better. I didn't have buyers remorse until I got home, and realized I'd have to lay around for 2 to 3 weeks and couldn't do anything for myself. I can't shower by myself, can't get up and get anything, I can't drive, can't even leave the house! I'm so lucky my mom and my fiance care so much about me to take care of me and wait on me hand and foot. I just feel so useless, and like I'm a bother.  It doesn't help any that I was expecting to be healed enough to start my college classes in a couple days, and that is not going to happen :(

I feel totally fine, with no pain, and I feel very lucky to have the surgery all done with out any major complications. I just wish the thigh incision would hurry up and heal shut! I want to be able to live again!!

If anyone is reading this and thinking "oh, I'm not going to that Dr. because she had a minor complication." Well you shouldn't. Dr. Sauceda is an excellent surgeon, and does beautiful work. It just happens that I have skin that doesn't heal as quickly, and takes extra time to heal shut. This was in no way a fault of Dr. Sauceda. And I would go back to him if I needed any other plastic surgery done. (But I had everything done that I wanted so I don't plan on going back, but who knows! ) If anyone has any questions about Dr. Sauceda or my experience, feel free to ask! Sorry if I sound so down about my situation, but I'm just frustrated at the moment :) I can't wait until I'm all healed up and looking fabulous!

Hello all  So I'm happy to report I'm down exactly 120 pounds today! And on my 1 year surgiversary  This past year has been amazing. My life is wonderful, and I can truthfully say that for the first time in many years. I've stuggled with my weight since I was 7 years old and can remember the first time I was embarrassed by my weight when our entire 2nd grade class had to weigh ourselves 1 by 1 to see what we would weigh on the moon. I wasn't the heaviest in our class but I think I was the second heaviest, and I was absolutely horrified. I think that was about the time I started asking questions about my weight, and was introduced to the dreadful diet. Ever since then I've been on numerous diets, tried tons of pills, read lots of books, and been to the doctor many times only for them to tell me that I'm over the average weight limit for my age and height---no really?!!! I don't need a doctor to tell me that!!

But now my life has changed  It's like a new start, a new begining, and a new lease on life. For the first time I am happy with who I am, and am not embarrassed by my weight. My self confidence has risen to a new level that I've never felt before in my life, and now I am happy enough to date again. And for the first time in my life I'm happy and in Love  I knew that I would never be happy with anyone else in my life if I wasn't happy with myself first, and now that I am happy with myself, I am able to be happy with my sweet boyfriend and am head over heels for him

I guess you could say my VSG has given me a new life, physically and mentally. I am happy with my VSG and my VSG has made me happy  Life is Good!

Sooo, I guess I haven't been faithful with posting a monthly update, but I've been out living life :) I'm down 110 pounds, wearing a size 14 pants, and L to M tops. I'm happy with life :) I've got an awesome boyfriend who is really supportive and happy with my results. I've been thinking about getting plastics early next year, I pretty much knew I would have extra skin after losing over 100 pounds. And the "girls" definitely need a little boost and need to be a little plumper :) 

I'm about 15 to 20 pounds from being in the normal weight range, but if I didn't lose another pound I'd be happy just where I am. As you can tell, I've only lost 10 pounds in 2 months, so my weightloss has definitely slooooowed down. But I knew this was coming, so it's not a big shocker. And if I get plastics I'll probably lose another 10 pounds of extra skin and fat! I would love to wear a swimsuit someday and look hot! I never wanted to be a supermodel or anything, just normal and not be self concious in a swim suit. I guess that's my new goal, to look good in a swim suit :)

I owe my new life and happieness to Dr. Alvarez who made it possible with the VSG he gave me :) I love love love love it!!

Oh, I posted some 10 month comparison pics if anyone is interested :) It's amazing how different I look! I'm totally happy with the new improved me :)

Ok so I missed my 7 month post, but oh well I still have good news! I'm down 100 pounds--wahoooooooo! Happy Happy Joy Joy!

I'm down to a size 18 pants, but they're getting pretty loose, gonna have to buy 16 soon and I've even got some 14's that fit ok. Buying clothes is awesome now, except that sometimes I'll buy stuff and only get to wear it like once before it's too big!

So today was Easter, and it was great! I got all dressed up, went to church, then to brunch, then to dinner, then exchanged easter baskets with my cousin, and met a lot of really friendly and interesting people. It was a great day :)

Guess I'll have to get me one of those century cards now :)

6 months out!!! It totally doesn't seem like it's been 6 months already, I didn't even realize it until a friend of mine told me! I am doing amazing :) I love my tool, my life, myself, and I have a whole new attitude about life. My self esteem is through the roof, and I'm so much happier---I'm a totally new person inside and out. This was the BEST decision I ever made for myself---I mean look at me I'm down 90 pounds since surgery and in onederland! I haven't been in the one hundreds since elementary school! Crazy! Happy Happy Joy Joy!!

I would've never made it this far without my VSG, it's such a great tool, you could say I'm in love with it :) I should get my tool a Valentine's Card, because I love it sooooo much :) Life is AMAZING! I'm such a positive person now, and I meet so many new people because my self esteem is 1000 times higher than it's ever been. I'm not afraid to talk to anyone, or look at anyone in the eye---especially guys. I always had a hard time making eye contact because I was always ashamed of my body, and I thought they must think I look disgusting----BUT now I have no fear :) Well I'm still afraid of heights and the dark--lol but not talking to anyone. 

I'm totally happy with the weight that I'm currently at, but I would be even more ecstatic if I made it to goal, and then plastics are definitely in my future. Been fat too long for my skin to have any bounce back--lol  I pretty much expected to have to get plastics, it's all a part of the process :) Thank you everyone for all your help and support, and most of all to Dr. Alvarez for giving me the tool to happiness :)

Wow, I guess I haven't updated in a few months! oops! Well I have awesome news!! I moved to Arizona and started college on Jan 15th, classes are going well, some are a little more challenging than others, but I know I can do it :) Well for my BIO class we have to do a Diet project, where we track our diet for 4 days and we have to weigh ourselves at the beginning and the end, so I had to go out and buy a scale. Well I tested the scale before I bought it, and it said I weigh 200!! I couldn't believe it! I haven't weight 200 since probably like 6th grade! That just made my day, and everyday since :) And I'm soooo close to onederland!! Wahoooo! Oh and more good news, I'm down to a size 18 pants and 14-16 tops! I feel great! Wonderful! On top of the world! I still need to get into a fitness regimin, and hopefully the last 40 pounds won't be too hard to get off :) Plastics are DEFINITELY in my future! Can't wait for onederland!! Call me Alice--lol :)

Ooops! I missed my 3 Month aniversary! But I have a good excuse, I was on a 2 week vacation and was busy having fun driving from Alaska to California and then over to Arizona. I was checking out schools, to see which one I would like to go to in January. I had a blast! Saw all kinds of neat places, went to Six Flags and rode almost all the rollercoasters--AND FIT IN ALL OF THEM WITH NO PROBLEMS BUCKLING THE SEATBELTS!!! That was one of my list of goals to achieve, I was so thrilled that I fit with no problem!!! I also had a 5.5 hour flight from Phoenix to Anchorage home, in coach, AND I FIT IN THE SEAT JUST GREAT, MY SEATBELT BUCKLED EASILY, AND MY TRAYTABLE CAME ALL THE WAY DOWN WITHOUT TOUCHING MY STOMACH!! Another goal to check off my list--wahooo!!! I am so glad I was able to go on this trip and see all the beautiful states on the west coast--Oregon was especially beautiful with all their fall colors and luscious trees. I took lots of pictures! And my last night in Cali I went to Santa Monica beach and took a bunch of pictures of the sunset on the beach--just gorgeous!! I will post some of the pics here soon :) AND THE BEST THING OF ALL, I GOT HOME AND LEARNED THAT I LOST ANOTHER 10 POUNDS!!! I've NEVER gone on vacation and LOST weight!!! This surgery is just AMAZING!!! As of today I'm down to 237, haven't been at this weight since probably jr. high--CRAZY!! I've also been able to buy clothes in the NORMAL section, granted it's still an XL but I haven't been able to buy an XL in the normal section since probably jr high-- 10 years ago! Only 7 more pounds to go before I'm able to make the limit for horse back riding in Hawaii :) Very Very close to reaching my mini goal :) Thrilled, absolutely thrilled!!!