feedyoureye

It is a big change, but you know, you can still eat good stuff.. just later on, and in smaller amounts... going out will be for the company more, not the food and cigs... and as far a class of wine? Why not. Later on, that is. Your life will be a new normal. You can still kick up your heals, wear that little black dress like you haven't been able to for years, and do it for many more years than if you hadn't done the surgery. Cheers! Your new life is going to be GOOD.

vavavavoom!

I went out last weekend to an art opening, and wore a mini for the first time in 20 years!

Coops. My method for "forgetting everything bad" this weekend was eat anything I want and don't write it down! I had cherry pie with ice creams for dinner one night. Thank goodness for the sleeve...left some on the plate. I was out of town for 3days/2nights.... I guess the eating thing was a bit of an experiment... I am so compulsive about writing food down, and weighing every day... my scale broke and I went off to LA and ate everything I wanted. Came back, got a new scale and just like magic! up 4 pounds above my lowest! I know its mostly water... and I wasn't planing to do it forever... actually kind of relieved to be home and eat more salads and Protein first. I must say I did enjoy the pie and the fries, and the margarita.....Back on track willingly today. The sun is shining, the birds are fighting over the best branch and the cutest girlfriend... spring is nearly here.

We are all adults here. Weigh the facts and act accordingly. Look up "cigar health hazards" get informed and decide from there.

Most likely your breast size will change a LOT after surgery, you might want to reverse the order of your procedures....Look in the "girls gone wild" folder here for breast stories...

Couch surfing.....
During the summer we take bike rides through our local wilderness area, into town. Some great bike trails there...

I did the Kim version of Divas bootcamp for two days, and I lost all the weight I had gained over the holidays. I'm back to my standard eating like before the holidays and am doing fine. It really helped me grab hold of myself and stop the madness quickly. (FYI 4 pounds in two days!)

Congrats to you! Great job.

I swear it happens. I got stuck for six weeks in the 190s (a weight I'd maintained for years previously) and the 160s (a point I'd never been able to get past, even as a teen) but if you hang in there and keep pushing you will get past those rough spots.
It's hard not to freak out but you can get through it.
And my opinion? STOP being scared of carbs! You'll be on a diet forever if you don't learn to incorporate them slowly. It's healthy to eat a variety of foods and learning to overcome your food demons now will help you be successful in the long term. I was much happier and healthier (inside and out) when I stopped being a carb Nazi and started eating a more normal diet. It satisfied my body and my mind...and I still got to goal. Now that I'm here the food demons are vanquished and I feel like a normal person, something I never thought was possible before.
Hang in there. You'll get over this hump eventually.
~Cheri

Toast and butter is a slider for me... I love it, but only eat with or after Protein so I am satisfied with one or two half slices. I imagine if you tweak your diet, you will have better luck with the weight loss. You know, protein first, veggies second and carbs third. Glad you are going in to see your Doc.

She got a wide range of support, I believe it was ALL support, just different styles. Sometimes when a child is heading to touch the hot stove , a loving mom might YELL at the top of her lungs to intervene. Some children will only hear that style when in danger. Not my style, but remarkably, I think this site is pretty much supportive almost all of the time.
...And I don't want to imply anyone is a child here...or a yelling mother... just a communication style example...

Th ebig difference between this method, and those is... statistically, you can keep the weight off with the sleeve. I don't care how fast I lose it... as long as I lose it... then keep it off! Keep up the good work people.

Th ebig difference between this method, and those is... statistically, you can keep the weight off with the sleeve. I don't care how fast I lose it... as long as I lose it... then keep it off! Keep up the good work people.

I am five weeks out tomorrow and have lost 25 pounds. Yesterday I was doing laundry (which sucks because I have a two story house). Anyways, I was running up the stairs to hang up my daughter's clothes in her closet and my stretchy pants fell down to my knees. Small NSV but a NSV nonetheless!!!

I can cross my legs and my jeans fell off today. 5 weeks out and feeling great!!!

Li'ldiva, I thought that was a nice gym too. Isn't it informative to know your body composition? It gives you some place to start with customizing your workout. Mine was 36.9. One thing I did was start taking Creatine... it helps you build muscle mass. I have read studies where it was given to men in senior care homes, and it worked on them... also helps with brain function! Anyway, I started about 10 days ago, and I have gained 2 pounds :^( but have lost inches, so I think it might be working... will see when I go back to the golds in 5 months. I plan on adding some light weights soon too... Wish I had a pool available......

Its always a shock, but I have to say at 58 I'm not dead yet!

Lets be honest here..if you thought it was perfectly fine you wouldn't have asked.
My doc wouldn't operate on anyone who had smoked 30 days before surgery.
Nicotine kills your circulation (hence smokers wrinkles) as well as other problems... other chemical components can cause problems too... Here is one medical paper that talks about it...there are many more listed on google...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1323208
I would say, if you must smoke, wait at least until your stomach heals... over 8 weeks. Please don't take these comments as rude... I think the people here are just looking out for your health and success... I am also an ex-smoker, and sometimes it is said that ex-smokers are the most down on smoking of anyone... I think this might be true!
Abstract
The association between cigarette smoking and delayed wound healing is well recognized in clinical practice, although extensive controlled studies have yet to be performed. The documented effects of the toxic constituents of cigarette smoke--particularly nicotine, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen cyanide--suggest potential mechanisms by which smoking may undermine expeditious wound repair. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor that reduces nutritional blood flow to the skin, resulting in tissue ischemia and impaired healing of injured tissue. Nicotine also increases platelet adhesiveness, raising the risk of thrombotic microvascular occlusion and tissue ischemia. In addition, proliferation of red blood cells, fibroblasts, and macrophages is reduced by nicotine. Carbon monoxide diminishes oxygen transport and metabolism, whereas hydrogen cyanide inhibits the enzyme systems necessary for oxidative metabolism and oxygen transport at the cellular level. Slower healing has been observed clinically in smokers with wounds resulting from trauma, disease, or surgical procedures. The reduced capacity for wound repair is a particular concern in patients undergoing plastic or reconstructive surgery. Compared with nonsmokers, smokers have a higher incidence of unsatisfactory healing after face-lift surgery, as well as a greater degree of complications following breast surgery. Smokers should be advised to stop smoking prior to elective surgery or when recovering from wounds resulting from trauma, disease, or emergent surgery.

I had the noises from the tummy too... sounded like Water sucking down the drain! It almost went away... just now and then a little peep. As far as the sweet thing... I hated sweet in the beginning... but the approach I took was... its medicine right now. Sometimes medicine tastes yuck. The idea early out is not to stress your tummy... not make it work too hard until it starts to heal. To avoid leaks. So keep it liquid and squishy... maybe some chicken stock with a tablespoon of instant potatoes, or I used to make chai tea lates with soy... and added some unflavored whey Protein powder... not too hot or it curdles....I was lactos intolerant for the first 4 months too. I drank some drinks I wouldnt touch with a ten foot pole now! But time went by quickly, and I took my medicine and now I can eat anything I like. Hang in there, the time will fly. Get help for your depression if you need to...keep up the walking and don't forget to enjoy the ride of your life!

I had the noises from the tummy too... sounded like Water sucking down the drain! It almost went away... just now and then a little peep. As far as the sweet thing... I hated sweet in the beginning... but the approach I took was... its medicine right now. Sometimes medicine tastes yuck. The idea early out is not to stress your tummy... not make it work too hard until it starts to heal. To avoid leaks. So keep it liquid and squishy... maybe some chicken stock with a tablespoon of instant potatoes, or I used to make chai tea lates with soy... and added some unflavored whey Protein powder... not too hot or it curdles....I was lactos intolerant for the first 4 months too. I drank some drinks I wouldnt touch with a ten foot pole now! But time went by quickly, and I took my medicine and now I can eat anything I like. Hang in there, the time will fly. Get help for your depression if you need to...keep up the walking and don't forget to enjoy the ride of your life!

I had the noises from the tummy too... sounded like Water sucking down the drain! It almost went away... just now and then a little peep. As far as the sweet thing... I hated sweet in the beginning... but the approach I took was... its medicine right now. Sometimes medicine tastes yuck. The idea early out is not to stress your tummy... not make it work too hard until it starts to heal. To avoid leaks. So keep it liquid and squishy... maybe some chicken stock with a tablespoon of instant potatoes, or I used to make chai tea lates with soy... and added some unflavored whey Protein powder... not too hot or it curdles....I was lactos intolerant for the first 4 months too. I drank some drinks I wouldnt touch with a ten foot pole now! But time went by quickly, and I took my medicine and now I can eat anything I like. Hang in there, the time will fly. Get help for your depression if you need to...keep up the walking and don't forget to enjoy the ride of your life!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3148435/?tool=pmcentrez
Higher EWL for lower BMI patients.

Coops, Photos put 10 pounds on you!
Also, here is something out of the blue... When I was at my one year mark, I decided to measure myself, which I did. But then I took the measuring tape and held it at the high mark on all the points I measure myself just to see how it looked... it was pretty impressive. Im thinking, if you do that too, you will be able to see in a new way how much you have really taken off of the "apple" over the past year+.

Coops, Photos put 10 pounds on you!
Also, here is something out of the blue... When I was at my one year mark, I decided to measure myself, which I did. But then I took the measuring tape and held it at the high mark on all the points I measure myself just to see how it looked... it was pretty impressive. Im thinking, if you do that too, you will be able to see in a new way how much you have really taken off of the "apple" over the past year+.