questions from an almost sleever

hello guys. 

i've been reading your experiences and they are all a great help.

i have a few questions i hope you can answer.

what is the mental transition like? you're use to living life overweight and now in just a matter of months, you're not. are you humbled? are you a little vein? what responses do you get from people? are you faced with a bunch of speculations about where your weight loss comes from? are you ridiculed for  having surgery?

does the absence of the gehrlin (sp?) really help your appetite? are you hungry a lot because you can only eat a little?

how is handling scarring? like can you eve wear a bikini without all the scars?

and the infamous loose skin. ive seen people with it and ive seen people without it. does working out make a difference wiht loose skin?

what is the mental transition like? you're use to living life overweight and now in just a matter of months, you're not. are you humbled? are you a little vein? what responses do you get from people? are you faced with a bunch of speculations about where your weight loss comes from? are you ridiculed for  having surgery?  I would say that it is difficult to make the mental shift to thinner. Until recently, I saw myself as fat when I looked in the mirror, even after 55 lbs lost. I get very positive responses from people. I have not been ridiculed and I have been open about having surgery when people notice. I am very humbled and grateful that I am feeling so fantastic, full of energy and free of my former health problems.

does the absence of the gehrlin (sp?) really help your appetite? are you hungry a lot because you can only eat a little? My appetite really is much less now. There are times when I still get head hunger and have to fight through it. Other times I have to remind myself to eat so I can get the protein in. I try to undereat my sleeve capacity so I am not full but I am not hungry, just satisfied. The surgery really is an amazing tool that works if you work it correctly.

how is handling scarring? like can you eve wear a bikini without all the scars? My scars are four 1/2 inch pink lines now and then one additional one hidden in belly button. I am not bothered by them. I cannot wear a bikini anyway because loose skin is more of an issue than the scars. They do lighten considerably and you can massage them with vitamin E, aloe or something similar after they are healed.

and the infamous loose skin. ive seen people with it and ive seen people without it. does working out make a difference wiht loose skin? Working out has not prevented loose skin for me. I don't know whether it has minimized it because I don't know what it would be like if I did not work out. I do not exercise like a fanatic or an athlete, so there you go! I think the skin issue has more to do with the total weight loss, how long you were that heavy and genetics.

thanks alot. what's head hunger?

its interesting you see yourself as fat. when i look through sites at before and after pictures, people look great but they still take "fat" pictures and dress "fat" a lot. what I mean by that is they still wear either big clothes or clothes covering their mid section and the picture poses and the energy from the pictures i get is like people still aren't comfortable with themselves yet. i think this is part of why i ask about the mental aspect. dont get me wrong, i do see a lot of people who not only look it but you can tell they  FEEL fabulous. 

what is the mental transition like? you're use to living life overweight and now in just a matter of months, you're not. are you humbled? are you a little vein? what responses do you get from people? are you faced with a bunch of speculations about where your weight loss comes from? are you ridiculed for having surgery?

another poster just posted something about "fat girl" mentality and this was my response I copied and pasted...

I am almost a year out also and I totally still see myself fat...at 4'10", from 226lbs to 129lbs, size 18/20 to a size 5/6, I feel like the same exact person. I know technically my current clothing size shows that I am smaller, but in my head, I still consider myself plus size. When I look in the mirror, I know i look slimmer, but the hanging skin and my small stomach fold that I still have still makes me consider myself big. I still think/feel the same way. I make conscious decisions and great effort to eat healthier b/c at my foundation and core, I am who I have always been, a big girl that likes good food and snacking. I don't know if this will ever change. Is it safe for me to consider myself a normal skinny person at some point? Or am I safer to live in caution and perseverance for the rest of my life to continue on towards goal and maintenance? And then being on MyFitnessPal everyday is now making me consumed with logging calories each day so I wind up thinking/planning meals and I feel like all I do is think about food---and it feels like only fat people ALWAYS think about food and are consumed with food so that's another reason why in my head, I feel like a fat person. Do skinny people always think about food? When I talk about how "big" I am, people look at me crazy, telling me I am too small and always calling me "so tiny"...I want to get down to 115lbs (im about 14bs away) Weird, huh?

I have never been ridiculed and actually like giving advice of healthy eating choices when people ask me...but I remain very humbled...I'm still "FAT!" LOL

does the absence of the gehrlin (sp?) really help your appetite? are you hungry a lot because you can only eat a little?

I never lost my hunger...not sure if the doc skipped over my ghrelin but yea, although I get full fast, I'm always hungry and thinking about what I will eat later. I think about food more now than before surgery.

how is handling scarring? like can you eve wear a bikini without all the scars?

If i point my scars out to you, you will see them. But they are very small and healed up great. I'd never be self conscious about trying to cover them up. They don't stick out like sore thumb.

and the infamous loose skin. ive seen people with it and ive seen people without it. does working out make a difference wiht loose skin?

I worked out in the beginning, but I got lazy after a few months. I have loose skin and I'm sure I would be more toned right now had I adhered to a normal cardio/resistance training regiment. When I see the skin, it makes me feel like I'm still plus size. But I guess that as long as I can still fit my size 5 jeans from Forever 21, and my spanks hide any visibility of a stomach pouch, I'm comfortable in my skin. It's not a big enough issue that my insurance would cover it and I surely could save up my money for a house over another surgery for skin removal...

what is the mental transition like? you're use to living life overweight and now in just a matter of months, you're not. are you humbled? are you a little vein? what responses do you get from people? are you faced with a bunch of speculations about where your weight loss comes from? are you ridiculed for having surgery? The mental transition for me has been easy.  This whole journey has me so focused.  It's hard to explain.  It's like a light switch went from off to on.  I've been on every since surgery.  Making wise food choices and exercising at least 4 days a week.  I've gotten only positive responses from people.  People who don't know I've had surgery always ask what my secret is.  I tell them I've had surgery and I've changed by attitude towards food. 

does the absence of the gehrlin (sp?) really help your appetite? are you hungry a lot because you can only eat a little? Yes.  I hardly ever feel hungry like I did pre-op.  However, I eat more frequently now then I did pre-op.  Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack & then dinner.  It's the amount and quality of food that I'm eating that has made a difference.  Also, head hunger is when you mind tells you it's time to eat instead of your stomach.  Your body gets to used to eating at certain times of day.  After surgery, it's important to listen to your body instead of you head when you decide to eat.  Just because it's noon, doesn't mean you have to eat.

how is handling scarring? like can you eve wear a bikini without all the scars? My scars are almost unnoticeable.  I have a total of five.  I guess I'm lucky because my hair covers most of them.  I don't typically wear a bikini but would have no problem if I did. :)

and the infamous loose skin. ive seen people with it and ive seen people without it. does working out make a difference wiht loose skin? I've started to notice a little loose skin but I was expecting that.  I do some machine weights but cannot tell if that is helping or not.  I really think it depends on how much weight you have to lose and your age. 

great replies guys. im taking it all in.