lsereno

Hi all, I just tell others that my doctor and I have decided it's the best option for me. For family members who were concerned, I went into more detail. I even took my mom to a support group and a Dr.s appt with me. And get ready for those that say right after the operation "But I thought you had weight loss surgery?" Really, some people expected me to be skinny right after. I guess they thought the Dr.was going to cut more than 100 lbs of fat off of me. Lynda Lynda

I know it helped me. I did a ton of research before deciding on the sleeve, including average weight lost, complications, healing time, post-op diet, whether my insurance covered it and more I've probably forgotten. Once I selected the operation, I did research on what I needed to do to get the operation through my insurance. Once approved, I followed the pre-op plan like a little robot. Post-op, I followed the plan to goal and then the guidelines for staying at goal. Sure I fall off the wagon, eat what I shouldn't. etc etc. but so far, that's the occasional issue. I knew I needed this operation to lose weight because I tried every other reasonable option and couldn't get any of them to work for me. Once that part clicked, I obsessed about how to make this last chance effort work for me. And I'm still at it at goal. I don't feel confident that I would remain at goal without tracking and accountability. Lynda

Well OK. But after she wrings her self out from the wet winter, remind her we have a balmy Mediterranean climate, with redwood trees and the largest seashore amusement park on the west coast. And two Psycho Donuts shops,

Darn! And here I thought we had won you over to the SF South Bay, what with Laura-Ven, Zenandnow, and me all here and not to mention the Kara's Cupcake Truck. Lynda

My guess is the mad part related to him bringing up that she spent $150 on clothes, which maybe she felt was a necessary purchase since last summer clothes would probably require wearing with a rope to hold up. And she took it like a slap in the face: "it's like he diminished all my hard work" My hubby is a tightwad. He is cheap to the max, but over 30+ years has learned to let me spend as I please. Would i spend more without him? Probably, but a happy medium makes for a long relationship in my book. That and knowing which fights to pick and what to let go of. OP: You probably pissed him off, which caused him to say the first hurtful thing he could think of. Not that he means it or that he is not proud of you. Look to his day to day actions to evaluate whether that is true or not. Lynda Lynda

Is your B12 sublingual? My program guide said it had to be sublingual to be absorbed correctly post-op. Lynda

I use this B12 too. Tastes like a little candy to me. Lynda

Shirataki noodles aren't made from wheat flour and don't have carbs to speak of. I don't care for them, but many people like them. Lynda

Thanks! I walked at least an hour 2-3 days per week and did 1/2 hour of strength training 3 days per week. Early out I mostly stuck to eating pan. You can see by the numbers I slacked at the end. Lynda

How are you guys finding out what your body fat percentage is? I've been thinking of bodpod, http://www.bodpod.com/en/products/body-composition/adult-children-bod-pod-gs/bod-pod. They have one a few miles from my house and testing is $45. Lynda

I'm 57 in a few months and had surgery two years ago. Everyone's skin is different. My highest weight was 260 and I'm now 135. My face and neck have more wrinkles, but nothing says old more than extra pounds in my book. You can click my picture to go to my profile and see before and after pics. My before pics are at a lower weight than my highest weight; I did a good job of hiding from the camera. Some insurances will cover removing excess skin if it hangs down beyond a certain point and even more cover it if it causes rashes or sores. Some people use compression garments to hod extra skin in place. Lynda

My Dr. uses a 40. Most Dr.s today use between a 32 and 40. Here's a blog post I wrote about it: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/blog/2552/entry-6420-what-is-a-bougie-and-how-does-it-affect-my-success/ Lynda

I'm 5'6" and weighed 222 the day before surgery. Here's my weekly loss to goal, which I've been maintaining for 17 months: May 16: 222 June 3: 206 July 4: 197 July 8: 193.7 July 15: 191.6 July 22: 189.5 July 29: 186.3 August 5: 183.6 August 12: 182.9 August 19: 180.7 August 26: 178.0 Sept 2: 175 Sept. 9: 173.1 Sept 16: 169.6 Sept 23: 168.8 Sept 30: 166 Oct 7: 164.4 Oct 14: 163.6 Oct 21: 159.2 Oct 28: 157.9 Nov. 4: 155 Nov. 11: 152.8 Nov. 18: 150.4 Nov. 25: 149.1 Dec. 2: 148.9 Dec. 9: 146.6 Dec. 18: 145.4 (late weigh-in because I was traveling) Dec. 25: 144.2 (late weigh-in because I was traveling) Dec. 30: 142.8 Jan. 6: 142.6 Jan. 13: 141.7 Jan. 20: 138.4 Jan. 27: 138.3 Feb. 3: 138.8 Feb. 10: 139.3 Feb. 17: 138.3 Feb. 24: 137.6 March 2: 136.4 March 9: 137.4 March 16: 135.1 March 25: GOAL! 134.5

Congrats! Lots of vets are following 5:2 to get or return to goal ( not me) but other than that not much different over here. Great to have you back and can't wait to see some cute baby pics.. Kiss her head for me - I love that new baby smell! Lynda

Specifically, they are soy Beans. Edamame is the Japanese name for them. In Japan, they are the bar snack of choice, kinda like pretzels or peanuts here. Lynda

Not sure if you have a Safeway by you, but if you do, they carry vita muffins. Lynda

For me, I count on the Water to flush out the stuff I don't want hanging around. I count it as liver and kidney protection. Lynda