Paul11011

Hi Paul,

Just want to give you a shout out. That's quite a loss in your ticker. Congrats on getting to goal!

Lynda

Hi Lynda,

Thank you. Now the real challenge begins...the rest of life. Thanks for saying HI.

In addition to boredom, stress is the other "event" that really gets me looking in the fridge. I guess the 30+ years of bad habits and emotional eating don't disappear in 2 1/2 years of "doing the right things". It is the reality for me that I'm going to have to learn how to deal better with life changes and challenges instead of looking to food for the quick pick me up and entertainment. I thought this was supposed to be the easy way out? LOL.

Yep, I did. And was not happy with it. I began at 496lbs and am 5'10". I never imagined I would ever come close to 250, let alone where I am now. I was very fortunate and was down to 200lb at one year post op. I became so fixated on getting to a "normal" BMI, which for me would be 174lbs, that I just kept doing the things I had been to lose. I got down to 177. Woo Hoo me, right? Nope. I felt like crap, my joints hurt when jarred (like jumping down from a ladder) and I did not like how I looked, my face was way too thin for my comfort. My body fat was less than 9% which, per my DR was too low. So for the first time in my life I made a conscientious decision to gain weight. (How crazy is that!) I am now living my life in the weight range between 185 and 195 with a body fat between 12-14%. I feel great, look relatively good and can do all the activities at the level I want at this weight range. Can one lose too much? I believe they can. I do think that each individual needs to make the determination of their ideal weight range is based on their lifestyle and it should not be based on charts or what is "normal".

What a trooper! Oh...gum.

Nope, you have that, not-gonna-be-a-fat-girl-going-to-get-through-this feeling. Hang in there, I see ONEland in your near future.

Thanks for sharing this with us Cowgirl. You have a great perspective on what you want out of life and realize you deserve to be happy. Enjoy your dating experiences and remember they are the one lucky to be with you.

I am a big advocate of weighing once a week as near to the same time of day as possible. Say like every Monday morning before my shower . I believe that weekly gives a good understanding of where your weight is trending, either up or down. If it is going in the direction you want, presumably down, then it is affirmation that what you're doing is working. If it is not going down then it provides an opportunity to reevaluate what you're doing and change if needed. And keep in mind if the scale does not go down and you're doing the right things, that's fine, even expected. But by having a quantitative measurement weekly you provide yourself with the information you need to make informed decisions. Personally I feel weighing daily is too likely to cause one to ride emotional ups and downs with the slightest change from day to day. I would never advocate for someone never weighing, maybe at the greatest interval once a month.

Point of order. I love this thread!

Can we have a moment of silence to mourn the loss of CowgirlJanes boobs?

How amazing Paul!!! I bet you were roommates at one time with her husband! You are looking great!!!!

Thanks Carol. You're doing pretty amazing yourself! Glad to see that everything is going well for you.

I get the chewable Bariatric fusion Vitamins from my surgeon's office. 4 a day and my bloodwork has been great. I had surgery Nov 12th and now taking Biotin as my hair is thinner but not bad.

Hi Carol! I thought I knew you. We have a friend in common. Well I consider her a friend, you might be more inclined to call her your daughter.

I've lost 4 pants size and went up bra cups. I see my surgeon tomorrow and will defiantly find out why??

If he is able to isolate an answer, make sure you write it down, because the secret to gaining breast size while losing weight would be a millionaire maker.

Thanks for all of the replies. Great suggestions!

I have a couple of events coming up that are social mixers for my new job. I have never been much of a drinker and especially after surgery. Pre surgery I would have a beer or two at such events. Now, post surgery, I'm concerned about the carbonation and not tolerating beer well. Same story with mixed drinks.

So fellow sleevers, when you do have a drink what has worked out best for you?

Don't worry Paul. I like small breasts

LOL.....see what I get for trying to make a gender absurd example. Though I can sympathize with the ladies when they talk about tube socks and tennis balls. I've wandered into TMI land huh............lol

I'm confused as to why anyone would have any objection to having a closed forum available. With in a smaller group (closed forum) there is a greater chance that people will be more open and honest, especially about some of the more delicate topics having to do with WLS.

IE: If I want to talk about the emotional difficulty I'm experiencing due to my decreased breast size and lowered self esteem, I would be much more likely to do that knowing that not everyone on VST would be reading my more intimate feelings.

Additionally one would always have the option of posting where ever they felt like, either closed or open.

You know Paul, everytime i read your stats I am astounded. going from a 70 BMI to a 27 is freaking amazing. Just amazing.

Is there a good closed FB "veterans" group that keeps posts private? Most all of my friends know that i had surgery, but i don't want WLS support to spill into the rest of my FB world!!!

Thanks buddy.

My local surgical support group has a closed Facebook page and it's great. Patients are able to get on that page and talk about their issues without concern about their other friends seeing all the WLS info. No reason another group could not be created. If there is enough interest, I would be willing to administer a closed WLS vets Facebook group.

I am very happy with the idea of a veterans forum. The primary reason I am excited about it is that we are now experiencing challenges that are more out of the realm of experiences during the first year. For me it's more relationship issues and concerns about falling into old habits and emotional eating. During the first year to 18 months I know I was just getting a handle on the mechanics of how to live life on this side of surgery

How do we define a vet? It equates to the old adage how do we know porn......it's hard to describe but we know it when we see it. A vet is definitely not defined by the number of posts, time away from surgery is a much better guideline. I also think that a component of being a vet is having a thicker skin. I know as a vet that I'm going to see some thing posted that I don't agree with.(and yes I might even post a few that will piss people off). My hope is that I will have enough experience and be able to handle confrontational issues with tact and the ability to convey my view point.

As a closing note I really like the idea of a closed group. It's one of my favorite things about Facebook.< /p>

WHOOOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Not everyone gets stitches....I didn't. I had steri strips...and my incisions were completely closed by day five. I had sex at about a week out....and it was great. Heck I gave birth, had my va jay jay stitched up from the v to the a and still had sex less then 3 weeks after that. All those dissolvable stitches were gone by then even.

Try it...if it hurts then don't do it....if it doesn't.....yeah you! Lol

*Giving a standing ovation* Now there's a team player!

I was able to hold off until I was out of the recovery room. Never thought I would make it that long.

Contact your surgeon for the answer. There are differences in all individuals that could come into the answer.

Here you go....

Well played my friend, well played!

This thread is worthless without pics....teee heee hee. Sorry ladies, I could not resist.

I have made it a habit of stopping 15 minutes before and waiting 45 minutes after, regardless of what consistency of food I'm eating. Stick to this, it's a key to success long term.

No regrets at all, best decision I have ever made.