Chimera

Strange that it wont let you simply paste a URL into a reply - selecting the link option above seems poorly designed and it doesn't work.

Hi ladies!

 

Fasting today - trying to get my latte and snack habit under control - as it is waaaay out of hand at the moment. If left to my own devices during a busy and stressful work period (college professor here) I will live on 3 latte's and 1 low fat berry coffee cake a day. Bad!

 

We are going out for turkey dinner tomorrow with family - did the same last year and it was great - no cooking all day, not being surrounded with all the left overs really works for me

 

I need to read the other forums more! I usually only read here, vets, and fitness/exercise so I miss out on the dishy stuff.

 

Cgj - I too like the other shapes for you rather than the bootcut - on What Not to Wear they always go on about how much more flattering bootcut pants are and I simply have to disagree - or its situational. I am short 5'3", and also have short legs - long torso - bootcuts work well when I am actually wearing my boots, then I think I loo kinda cool - but I think they make me look dumpy with other shoes.

 

Vanity sizing - I can shimmy my big rump into a size 2 from Target - pretty fishy to me - the last time I weighed this little was in the 1980's and it was a 12-14 back then lol.

 

Also I wanted to mention a book that I just finished that I really have enjoyed and you guys might like as well -

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Trying to link it from Amazon - just about lost my post and had a heart attack!

Hi you guys!

I am sorry I have not come to the new bariatric pal site (still getting used to it) - I have been very busy with work, family, etc. I did well on my lecture tour to AZ - although the first day I arrived it was like some crazy dessert monster took over my brain and I stopped and had a latte - along with a bun or pastry - a few times that day. At least I got lots of walking in, 20k steps for 3 days according to the fitbit.

My weight has been pretty much the same - shimmying up and down but going no lower. For now I am happy with that. Struggling with fasting days too - 600-650 seems to be the lowest threshold I can keep it at right now. I'll keep working on it.

My thoughts are with you all - I know I don't post often but I try to keep up with everyone - and I send you all love and best wishes even if I don't always say it here - experience with sharing on the web is something I have been burned by in the past - very badly, so I can tend to keep my thoughts to myself.

I have shrunk an inch in height, went down a shoe size, 4 ring sizes...clothing from 3-5x on top with 22 pants to Medium tops and pants anywhere from a 2 to an 8 and I still have a decent amount left I could lose - crazy.

With the height thing I guess maybe I had a fat head or fat platforms lol - everything else was so it makes sense.

My husband had one done prior to surgery, not post. He was not sedated at all - as he had to swallow every 30 seconds, then try his best to suppress his gag reflex for another 30 seconds - as they are taking readings and looking at what is going on in the esophagus. He had a hiatal hernia repaired during the first part of his vsg surgery. I am so sorry for your ongoing issues with this terrible stuff Lisa ....the manometery is not fun - my hubby hated it.

Just wanted to wish you all a good night and sending positive thoughts to those who are having a rough time. I struggle with the same. CGJane - you look fabulous! If you look that good right after surgery I can only imagine how great things will be when you are healed. sleep tight - don't let the bedbugs bite

It is absolutely what you eat - or more importantly do not eat!

Upping the Protein and drastically reducing carbohydrate/glycogen stores it what shrinks it - not weight loss and not Water. Though excellent hydration helps move things along as always.

Rapid weight loss happens to be a nice side effect - as glycogen requires 3 times its weight in Water to process - so for every unit of glycogen burned, 3 units of water come with it. this is why people usually drop at lest 10 lbs in a week on Atkins or other very low carb or no carb protocols.

Livers that are not shrunk prior to surgery with a VLcarb diet are like Foie Gras - spongy and soft and easily damaged when lifted with the retractor to get to your stomach.

Heh - reminds me of the countless Weight Watchers weigh-ins - where I would wear the thinnest of thin clothes even in the dead of winter, no jewelry, shoes and all layers off, no food or Water (thank goodness meetings were in the mornings, don't even what to contemplate what I would do with an evening meeting lol.) and hold my breath repeating the mantra 'angel wings' - which the weigh-in staff always got a kick out of.

You could always bring up the statistics (this is what sealed the deal for my husband and myself - we both had vsg) - if you have a BMI over 40, 100lbs or more to lose your chances of keeping it off for 5+ years is loooooow - something around 2-3%. I am certain all of us are deeply familiar with the diet/exercise losing and gaining rollercoaster. The sleeve as a tool to get our health under control is the best thing we have ever done for ourselves - we are both about 1 year and a half out and are doing great! finally we can manage our weight over the long haul - all of our co-morbidities are gone

Hi guys! Back from our SoCal vacation and woo there was a good portion of food that was sooooo not on my plan (hi Churro's, hi fried Monte Cristo sandwich the size of my head) there was also lots of trotting around - had days of over 30,000 steps and lots of movement according to my fitbit. Got home and the scale was up a bit - felt bloaty and swollen from not enough Water, so I had a fast day yesterday while trying to catch up on work - got on the scale this morning and saw a new low and have claimed it for the ticker Woo for 165. Okay now I gotta get back to work!

Do you think vets should still weigh daily? I am thinking 2 x a month would be ok, to keep an eye on fluctuations. A mirror and sense of body contours with and without clothes on seems to be a good daily sniff test.

I think folks should do what feels best to them - losing the weight that I have so far will not make me any less of an addict than I have always been so I keep on it everyday. I know that if I am not vigilant I can easily end up right where I was where I started. I weigh every morning and adjust accordingly.

Glad to hear the surgery went well! Sending healing thoughts your way. Getting ready to leave at the buttcrack of dawn for all points south (L.A. - Disneyland - meeting up with tons of friends and family - don't know how 5:2 will fare this week - I am thinking of just kicking it up a notch when I get back. Birthday week here I come - happy 19th anniversary of my 30th birthday see you guys in a week!

Hi guys - hope everyone is having a good day so far - rough week around here but the eating has been pretty okay for the most part - I think I have had only one fast day that was at 500 or just under, soo easy to have a tiny nibble and next thing its 600 - 800 - 1400 lol.

Having some computer issues which is mildly irritating, everyone in the house is sick with a head cold including myself and 2/3 of my students- hubby was in the ER last night for another bout of of kidney stone pain that came on suddenly last night out of nowhere, our main family car went in the shop for repairs - this is the same car we were to be driving to SoCal next week for my birthday trip - looks like we might be renting a car - ahh well maybe Disneyland will make us all forget our troubles -that's the idea right?

Glad to hear so many folks returning to beloved creative pursuits - I encourage people in the arts all day long (professor of fine arts here

Eating at 1200 today - fasting tomorrow..Oh and I got a fit bit and aria scale this past week - so far I am really liking it. Have WL support group this weekend at the hospital - hopefully will get to see other vst members there (Fiddleman and his wife Phoenix79, ans Stef attend) hanging in there and have yet to see the scale move below that newest low of 168

What I found interesting is when the last plastic surgeon visited (and gave us free consultation vouchers yay ) and say you want a procedure more extensive than what your insurance will cover is that they will start operating and bill insurance - then once that is complete (say work on ones apron) then they continue the work you pay for on your own.

You should also be at your lowest possible weight goal for 3-6 months -it needs to be stable both for the best long term results as well as complications go down- the plastic surgeons who have presented at my surgeons support groups mention that often a panniculectomy may be covered with lots of documentation of skin breakdown/irritation - but tummy tucks (involving the muscles below), body lifts, etc. generally are not.

Was surfing about and came across this and love it - for any and all of us working with body images issues (which is most likely all of us) this is a beautiful read.

http://dalefavier.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/what-people-really-look-like.html

I have the same thing as you do in the third photo - still have a bit of budge in mine because I am still in losing phase. I do not like it one bit!

GT, Buspar is Buspirone hydrochloride (anti-anxiety) - Bupropion is Wellbutrin (anti-depressant) - what I was prescribed when I quite smoking and my nutritionist says it is also great for helping with one's weight loss. My Klonapin/clonazepam is an anti-anxiety med (taken in very specific situations - i.e. car trips - I have severe PTSD in the passenger seat and will go into orbit without this medication - took me 12 years before I finally got the medication so I could join my own family on holiday vacations.) Sorry for the wall of text - I am using internet explorer - I will go switch to chrome so I can edit...

_{I know the scars from brachioplasty can be significant - and when my own plastics time arrives I will need to see if I want mine done, scars yes but also significant improvement of life by removal of batwings - my thighs/stomach/rump are what are the worst currently. I have a feeling if it were me I would go for it CowgirlJane.}

I don't think those are WL surgery girls - I just posted links because it is so interesting how drastic the change is with so many of them - mind you this is coming from someone who had to lose close to 100 lbs for a lot people to start noticing my own weight loss - when you are reeeally big it seems you have to lose quite a bit to even drop a clothing size. Milestones seem closer with fewer lbs the closer we are to goal I guess.

This has always been a challenge for me as well - I have found that if I make sure I get a lot of liquid in prior to the no drinking 15 mins prior to a meal I am good - I still want to drink but it is not from a feeling of dying of thirst.

Sometimes I do need a bit of liquid while eating, so I will take a sip but I try and be careful with it. I think it is bar none, one of the most challenging aspects of post sleeve life - I am sure there are many of us that feel the same way.

Not drinking with meals is one of the main tenets of post operative care - if you want to take advantage of your WL window of opportunity I would follow my doctors orders...eating healthy wasn't 'my thing' either and that got me to to 318 lbs with a mess of health problems

Looking great Butter! Wishing you a safe and speedy recovery!

M2G I have heard that anywhere from 5 - 10 lbs of skin for every 100 lbs lost is an estimate with body contouring post massive WL. But as with everything, I am sure it is different for everyone.

Wow Butter - that is amazing - it must feel pretty amazing to have that gone, well when you heal up that is. I too want the big badboy of all contouring surgeries - belt lipectomy/lower body lift would be the main one - I know the thighs come up a bit with that - I look like I am wearing leg warmers on my thighs with all the wiggly-jiggly skin.

I too have the weird deflated 'ghost-body' that lies down around the now fitter version underneath - its hard to describe to folks who have not experienced it themselves.

I know I will never look like a young thing who was never an ounce overweight, I am way past that - I think the psychological benefit of having the skin physically removed with be really significant and positive for me. Continually engaging in the rigorous work with our WL surgery, the head, heart, mind work that is an essential component of all of this, not to mention rebuilding our strong muscular selves - for me it will be just one part of this experience.

I am so happy for you guys with this next step in the process - I know I have to train like an Olympian to prepare for my own contouring surgery - which will happen someday and you guys are an inspiration!

I love bacon - I'm in west Seattle cowgirl - I can come over and slap him with bacon if you need any assistance! My 17 year old makes a huuuge mess when she makes bacon and so I get to see it, smell it, AND clean up all the grease - yay me. This is why I keep a secret stash of turkey bacon in the freezer - she doesn't like it and is too lazy to defrost haha.

You are a superstar in training for your plastics - I am so excited for you! I cant wait until I am at that point - still have a ways to go though.

Here are some links - These are not pro-ana btw. Mostly motivational stuff young women are posting.

http://beforeandafterjourneys.tumblr.com/

http://thinspiration-pictures.blogspot.com/2012/12/before-and-after-thinspo.html