So Cal Kurt

Congrats to another IE (that's inland empire for you non CA peeps) sleever. You will do fine. The throat was the worse thing for me. They finally hit me with some spray that took care of it. Have them get you up and walking as soon as they can, really helps the gas. wishing you a speedy recovery.

Another way to quell my peanut butter jones!. I am going to have to whip up a batch this coming weekend. I crave peanut butter all of the time.

In May of 1981, I graduated from MCRD Parris Island, SC at 187lbs. Today, May 31 2011, 30 years later, I stepped on the scale and was the exact same weight. I have chased that number ever since. I stuggled my entire enlistment to maintain the maximum allowable weight for my height (197 lbs). I have not at this weight since shortly after that time. I might not be as green or as mean as I was at 19 but I am just as lean. (perhaps leaner) It feels really good. This was a personal goal that I had set at the onset of my journey. Anything lower from here on out is a new low weight as an adult.

Welcome. You have a life changing opportunity in front of you. This forum is a great resource and offers lots of support to everyone. I wish you all the best.

Congrats and welcome Chuck. Your life is changing for the better. Enjoy the ride!

I think they end up lighting the hill on fire half of the time. When my wife, Rhonda, worked at Riverside community hospital, we would all sit out with lawn chairs on the parking structure and watch them. Really pretty show.

I would assume that you have no co-morbidities. I have lost and re-gained hundreds of pounds over my lifetime. The sleeve is a tool that I need to control my appetite, nothing more. I am 49 years old and If I could have had this done almost 20 years ago when I was 320 lbs, I would have saved myself a lot pf problems and really would have been able to fully enjoy my 30s and 40s. I had probably lost 200lbs during that time, re-gaining all but 20. I was down to as low as 229 but it always crept back/ Once the Diabetes set in, I was unable to lose much at all. In the beginning of last year I at 300lbs, asked my primary care physician if he thought weight loss surgery might be an answer. He told me he would not only approve of it, he would recommend it for me. In March of 2010, I attended the informational seminar, was set on getting the lap band or nothing. My surgeon talked about the sleeve and the great results he was getting, I decided to do it. I got through all of the pre surgery hurdles quickly and was approved the first week of May. I am 2 weeks shy of a year post op. I have zero and I mean zero regrets about having the surgery, It saved my life, got me off of the 5 mediations I was taking daily. My co morbidities are gone. It is not a magic bullet, it is mentally hard to re-learn a lifetime of bad habits. It was so worth it for me. Whatever you decide, you have to do what you feel most comfortable with. Trust your gut. You might be able to lose the weight and keep it off by strictly diet and exercise. Good luck, you are facing a tough decision.

I try to donate blood as often as I can. In October of 2009, I tried to donate and was turned away. They took my BP and it was in the 165/125 range. I had never had High Blood pressure and was advised to see my Dr ASAP. I did, he put me on medication, I was able to keep it in the 140/90 range still a little high. Had to have my meds changed due to a persistent cough. Got that taken care of but the little guy in my pants wasn't as happy as he should be. It was at that Dr visit I asked about WLS. My doctor said he not only thought it was a good idea but recommended it. Needles to say every time I have my BP taken now it is in the 117/73 range no more meds. If it wasn't for blood donation, I quite possibly would have had a stroke or heart attack and not be here today.

I am almost a year out, feel cold a lot more but the man parts work better and last longer than ever. Once your body weight goes down, there will be more testoreone per lb of you so you should see the estrogen levels become overtaken. I have also noticed i am a lot hairier on my legs arms and chest ( now i need to figure out how to make it work for my head) Also, stay away from soy based protein and stick to whey based protein. Soy tends to elevate estrogen as well.

The first time I tried Greek yogurt, I decided it wasn't for me. I have since found that I like the ones with fruit mixed in. The 2 best in my opinion are the Chobani and the Dannon. Give them a try. They are fat free and even with the added carbs of the fruit. they still come in at the 130 cal range per serving.

The pain from hard surfaces passes quicker than you think. I don't know why but I want to say after it started, after a month or so I never noticed it again It was the first thing I noticed. As far as the motorcycle seat, I have had bikes in the past that my tail bone ached after a few hours. I don't know what you ride but Corbin makes seats for most any street bike and Mustang makes seats for Harleys and metric cruisers. My 08 Harley is the first bike I hadn't had to change the seat on, I am good for 900+ miles a day. After 100 lb loss, I have noticed 2 things, first is my windshield is now 2 inches too tall, cuts right into my line of vision and my bike is a hell of a lot quicker off of the line.

I agree with YB, I think you need to up your calories. Your body might be getting into a starvation mode and slowing your metabolism. Also, what is your activity level? I see you are only 5 weeks out but if you aren't, I would try walking at least 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. When you are cleared for full exercise, bump it up a little. The exercise both burns calories and increases your metabolism. For me, the only thing that breaks stalls is increased exercise, increased protein and making sure i get all of my fluids in.

Good luck today. You will do great. We will all be waiting for you on the post op side. Remember to walk walk walk after. It really speeds up the recovery.

Vanity, thy name is woman! (I know it is a misquote of Shakespeare). I am guilty of it too. My daughter bought me some T-shirts for my birthday last month, Got me the mediums because, "I know you don't like your shirts loose". OK, so I like my arms to bulge out of the sleeves a little. Is that a bad thing?

People tell me I look a lot younger. I am 49 and most people think I am in my late 30s. Maybe they are blowing smoke up my butt. I had a lot of saggy skin on my neck after losing the fist 65 so quickly, it has pretty much snapped back. I was expecting to be a wrinkled saggy mess but I am pleasantly surprised. I think everyone is different. I have lost 110 lbs to date, no saggy belly either.

To add what JG said, the zero carb is 50g per serving and a serving is 2 scoops. when you look at the number of servings in the jar, double it.(50 g of protein is a bit much at one time) I am really fond of the strawberry. I almost always blend it with LF milk and ice. great tasting.I also have the chocolate and vanilla. I am not really a vanilla fan but it is a great base to mix with fruit and stuff.

I am also trying to get into running. Made my first attempt about 2 weeks ago. Felt like my legs were going to explode, had to walk after maybe 3/4 of a mile. was really sore for 3 days. I do cardio hard a few times a week and am in what I feel too good of shape to have to walk in 3/4 of a mile and then agan a few times more. I posted on FB about my frustration and a couple of my friends that were runners posted back that I needed to get some good shoes. I took their advice found out I was what is called a supinator, had the wrong shoes and was making my alignment worse. I found the right pair of shoes, made my second attempt on Saturday, I was shocked. I set a mental point of how far I wanted to go before walking. I had a 2.4 mile course laid out, didn't have to walk once, did it sub 10 minute mile in like 23 minutes. I was shocked. My point is if you haven't, make sure you have the right shoes for whatever your running style is. I also have no real muscle pain today even after using a whole new muscle group. A little soreness in the obliques but that is it. I am planning on bumping it up to 3 miles on Tuesday. Haven't run 3 miles since my last marine corps PFT in 1984. I am pretty sure I did the 3 mile in 24 minutes. I will be happy for 30 minutes now . Short term goal might be a 10K by the fall, Long term a half marathon next spring.

I have a bad caffeine habit. I was back on coffee at a 4 weeks. They just said no high calorie coffee drinks. It's 4:45 am, on my way out the door for work, coffee is a must.

Sorry to hear about the BF. The whole sleeve process is a really hard thing to go through by yourself (I mean without others who have been where you are). It could be you left the escape hatch open and he just wanted an excuse to leave. Hopefully that isn't the case and you can work through it. Seems pretty trivial looking in from the outside. Would he be jealous if you were going to a support group twice a month? This surgery is so life changing and so hard mentally (at least for me) you need people there for support that really understand what you are going through. I saw someone else say that he should get an account and find out for himself, I think that is a really good idea. This surgery affects everyone close to you, not just you, you might need to let him know that.

You are doing it for exactly the right reasons. Improving and even rstoring your health is the best reason. I know first hand how hard diabetes is to control. It used to consume my life worrying about it and controlling it. BTW, the # 2 thing is probably from metformin if you are taking that. A common side effect. I don't miss that at all. Good luck on your Journey!

go to lilyslim.com to make the ticker. Then do a copy and paste of the URL to your profile.

This may be a silly question but are you on BP or other meds that might make you feel sluggish? You might need to have them adjusted. Just a thought. BTW, I never ever want to work out before I go. The feeling I have after is the only thing that gets me there.

I needed more than the liquid diet and talked to my nutritionist and she let me go to pureed in 9 days and then to soft foods I think around 3 weeks out. I asked first however. Just being able to have cream of wheat and scrambled eggs made all of the difference. Talk to your nutritionist, that is why they are there. Following the program will become your new normalcy. The physical healing is the easy part, the mental game took me months. The good news it does get easier as the months roll on.

Congrats on taking this step and doing the most important thing of all, controlling your diabetes. Even though I wasn't on insulin, My diabetes was progressing rapidly and the next step was the needle. I am 49 years old, 11 months post op and I am sure that by the time I hit your age I would have been in the exact same place with my diabetes. You should see an unbelievable improvement and possibly be able to reverse the it totally. To me, that was the main reason to have the surgery. Although vanity has set in, I really didn't care about my appearance before surgery and it wasn't an issue. I have been drug free (was taking a cocktail of metformin, glyburide and actos) twice a day. My blood sugar wasn't close to being under control. My A1C was 7.4 and my morning glucose readings were averaging in the 160's -180s and I would only take it if I knew I had a good day the day before. The last diabetic drug I took was a shot of insulin in the hospital on June 9 of last year. My last A1c was 5.6 in November and My doctor didn't even order one when I went for labs in march. He said it wasn't necessary and just did the standard fasting glucose. It came back at 81. His exact words were that I was no longer diabetic nor even at risk for developing diabetes or pre-diabetes. I never in my life thought I would hear those words. Stay focused and follow your dietitian and surgeon's plans, get as much exercise as you can fit in and stay positive. You will have ups and downs, expect it to be mentally hard as well. Lean on people from this forums like this one, they are a great source of support. Being that you are here pre-surgery, you are way ahead of the game. Good luck on what should be an amazing journey towards restoring your health.

Unfortunately, stalls are part of the process. It is really hard to stay focused and not let them get you down. I don't think that there is anyone that hasn't had a stall or even a gain along the way. Keep your protein up, try to stick to the diet plan as far enough total calories) even if it seems like you are eating too much and try to exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. I found that if I deviated from any of those 3 things, I would stall and had even gained.