Pookeyism

I would just be concerned if you would be able to deal with all of the issues the surgery requires you to work on. You have to have time to eat correctly, you will want to have time to focus on this surgery. If you do or cannot, you aren't within the guidelines of a good candidate anyway. Many of us forget that this isn't CAN you get the surgery, it is SHOULD you get it. The head hunger, the need to fight old patterns and not regress onto poor food choices and "comfort foods" - you need to be able to fight the dopomine responses and work on a long, ongoing fight to change your attitude toward food. This may be too much to do that with. For now. Just my opinion from a point of view that I don't want you to loose some weight - I want to to have complete success for the rest of your new life.

Walking and such is not your only option, and you will find shuffling your routines will keep you more interested - or at least less burned out. I would suggest walking or elliptical as a main exercize about 3x week, and seriously consider core training at least 3x also. Core training is the foundation of your balance, and you literally retrain your body. Your posture will change, your ability to react fast and accurately, to stay balanced, hand to eye coordination - all is important and you see improvement with core exercizes - you don't even need weights in the beginning. Focus on planking, squats, raises, etc. One thing I have always done is keep active. I couldn't always control my weight, so I focused on exercize. Just a little FYI on where my suggestions come from. PS - if you burn out on the gym so be it. Get away from the gym, but just keep active. Get a bicycle or something. I have a friend that found she needed obligation to help her move. She now walks dogs as a part time job, and volunteers her services to an animal shelter to walk dogs and play with cats and rabbtits - she couldn't stand the gym but the other she doesn't even see as exercize. I used to do it at home with volunteering to do wilderness tours. If you love what you are doing, it is 100% better than hating the gym. You may not even mind the gym on occasion after that.

We could also attend a support group together.

Yes! We need suggestions! We can do individual things, as well as recurring events. I have been interested in doing this: http://www.houstonarboretum.org/trailtrekkers.asp When you have walked 50 miles you get a tshirt, lol, wooo! Also, if anyone is interested - what better motivation than getting chased by zombies? http://runforyourlives.com/locations/austin-tx/ It is a 5k race in Austin this December - it could be something we train for and then go together. I already have a couple of people going! We could start meeting up and going to a farmer's market or two, to get produce for the week. We could even have a healthy meal afterwards. Just meeting up for stretching and walking would be good too. I have an awesome book that demonstrated very easy ways to get into yoga - I have been doing yoga for 20 years and would be glad to help. We could ride bicycles - I keep an extra bike We could do dance tapes in my backyard. Also, let's stretch our noggins too - we could go to the Rocky Horror Picture Show and do the time warp. We could volunteer somewhere for a day. We could take dance lessons. Hikes, paintball, laser tag. We could go to the beach and have a bonfire and go for a midnight walk.

I believe she is referring to Dr. David Kessler who was Commisioner of the FDA under George H. W, Bush and Clinton, and the author of The End of Overeating, among other things.

That is what I was referring to - hope with this sleeve is not all we have. Your stomach is very similar to your brain in rerouting functions, and how it will react with your brain and other organs. This surgery, like no other, actually removes the stomach. It creates a new stomach. There is overwhelming evidence that we can retrain our taste preferences - our actual desires and preferences for food, but we have to persist past the head hunger, past the phose of wanting for the addictive qualities of the bad fats and hormone laced foods and processed sugars. You have an organ that over the next two years or so will reroute acid production, macro and micro nutrient production, will heal, expand a little, and the neurohormonal qualities will be similar to that of a toddler learning and developing food preferences. Trying the good stuff over and over, leaning towards local veggies and meats. Or your own. I wish us all the absolute best. But when I say it, I mean I hope we all bust our butts to keep this exception rather than the old school rule, and take it for what it is, the very best chance we have.

Thank you. I do not wan to come off like I am preaching, I just felt a need to say it.

I am NOT judging, but I do have a very sincere concern. I would like to start with please "No defensive answers". I am not aiming it at anyone in particular, and have had the conversations that I am referencing across this and other forums, in person, etc. With that said: I see blogs, videos, forum posts, etc that people discuss that they can still have sweets, or fast food is tolerated by their sleeve, or they can drink, etc...but why? We know that the VGS is unique among bariatric surgeries used for WLS, and that there is mounting evidence that you can literally change you eating patterns - your prefernces, you head hunger, your mood-association for food, and there is no dispute that (even thought somewhat not totally understood) it alters not just your hunger, but it alters your body's need for calories, how they are used and applied. With all of this, why go back to the foods that were no good for you to begin with, are inargueably full of the bad fats, the hormones and antibiotic and cruel (horribly cruel, in ways that everyone I know once they ((if they)) let me show them do not eat the mass produced meats afterwards), inhumanely processed foods? You need so little food now, healthy choices are abound, and if you shop locally absolutely no more expensive. You do have time, I bet you do. If I told you you needed to find 30 minutes a day to do something in addition to the exercize that would make your weight loss better, your health better, your body less exposed to bad fats, hormones, antibiotics, meat that was raised in poor health and inhumane conditions, would you? Look at your kids, your husband, etc... if you give back into fast foods, what could you be contributing to their habits, their lifestyles later on? Right now? Again I do not mean to judge, I was really big. It took years to totally get off of fast foods, and I still cannot get my Husband off of them - we are actually in the largest ongoing "issue" we have ever had, in 10 years of mairrage and 13 years of relationship - I will not allow him to eat fast food while he is with me, or bring it into the home. Flat -pffft dont argue - It was super hard to do, but as my waist is shrinking his is expanding, but it had been for years - I can't make him do it all the time, but he will not do it around me. In 2003-2005 I was the biggest I ever was. So large that I stopped getting on the scales at 298 lbs, and I know I was heavier for a while after that. I began to make some choices that over the next six years or so would drop my weight to 272 lbs in 2011. Not alot of weight to loose if you break 40lbs into 5-6 years, until you understand this period there was no yo-yo to speak of. These are permanent choices that led to sustained weight loss. No or extremely little fast food, avoidance of fried food, no regular soda. Increased acivity and mucsle building. No mayonaise, etc. That 40 lbs or so, however, can be the difference in goal in many of my fellow sleevers, and maintenance afterwards. I have only been sleeved 2 weeks, so I cannot say how I will progress, but I know where I have been. I think I am reflecting what I want of myself as I progress back into real foods, I am 2 weeks out and thinking a bit about it. I want each and every person I see here that struggled with the insurance companies, that saved and scrunched a budget, that are making payments or gave up a lot of savings - then went throught the emotions and excitement and concern and stalls and successes and absolutely every damn up and down we have - I want us all to have as much success as we can. I want our legacy to not end at our hips. We are entering a phase with the Sleeve as a recognized weight loss tool, to date the best tool, that when they do the research they need to see real changes, sustained weight loss, personal accountability that leans to better food choices, efficacy for true lifelong results and influincing others. This will be so important in helping the health insurance companies decide to cover the surgery, the mainstream in acknowledging that surgery for many is the only resolution, the mental health community in developing new programs and ways of communicationg with us pre and post surgery. We see a trend, still, to regain a portion of the weight, or only loose so much. I have read alot of blogs, and read alot of data, and I think it has alot to do with the post diet choices for foods, and the lack of creating a new routine with a more active lifestyle. Again not preaching, I swear! I am saying the healthier diets and people who literally changed their preferences of foods, etc. do generally see better results. I do suspect there are those of us that the surgery helps, and then also have undetected issues such as food alergies or metabolic conditions that could lose alot more, and aleviate more conditons if they were extremely careful with their food choices, only introduced one new food at a time, over a several day period, and kept a journal with what, when, etc...Since no one knows for sure who that will be or if that will be them, I think it is a good idea for everyone to start that way - no doctor has told me that, my opinion. I don't have a good summation for what I am trying to say, which does bother me. The best that I can come up with that is this is a gift. We are some of the very few in the first time in the history of this epidemic that have had the opportunity to partake in a weight loss solution - a real solution. We are pioneers in a starship that are taking the leap past the Event Horizon, we are literally a new type of person, and how we react to the opportunity given will in part provide the feedback that doctors will use to help figure out why it is so successful for years to come. They will develop better supplements, better control of co-morbid conditions, and so much more based on information they gather about us. There will always be enough people who didnt follow the suggesions, retained poor habits, but what we need is as many of us as possible to look beyond this as a step, this is your journey, yes. But this is not your beginning or end, it is your Book of Days. It is our society's Book of Motion, of change. We can affect the way society sees obesity and WLS based off our actions - not results - post surgery. When we hear of a WLS patient that went back to fast food and such because they can still have it and just not be fat - that reinforces a sterotype of obese people. It shows no lack of control, and it does, really truly does, make the VGS and other surgeries seem like an easy way out. It is easy to do something exremely hard for awhile, as long as you know there is an end, so that as an arguement does not suffice if we give back into bad habits. In a way I think I am talking to myself here - a pep talk for me in the months and years to come. I did want to get it out, and off my chest. I hope somewhere I inspired just one more person, in even just one small way, somehow.

I will be running a 5k obstacle course in December. A while off but I already have an issue with my right knee, so I want to get as much weight off before I start the actual running part. It is a ZOMBIE 5k!!! I added the links below, if anyone want to join me that would be awesome, and they are going to be in several areas this year. http://runforyourlives.com/ http://runforyourlives.com/locations/austin-tx/

There is already a houston sleevers group here on VST. It might be a good idea to go ahead and use what is here...the more we create groups the more I fear we lose people do to saturation of resources...just an opinion. I was thinking about going something along the lines of activity days rather than a restaraunt. Like putt-putt or paintball or lasertag, or a guided nature walk or something like that...ghost tours, sandcastle contest in Galveston, anything really. OMG! My sister got me an Xbox with kinect for christmas, and as soon as we get the redecorating done I an going to install it. This is so much fun! It is like Wii but nothing to hold and it is very accurate. I already do yoga and it is very fun with it, did boxing and kick boxing too! Dance off to The Black Eyed peas was great! I almost ripped out my stitches, but it was fun! I could have a kinect party!

I agree with Capt Derel, something in your old diet was causing your condition - or a combination. Keep a careful food diary, including copies of labels of foods. introduce foods slowly! Good luck!

NW Houston and yes would LOVE to!

I forgot to mention! I have been off my diabetes meds since the evening of 1/3. I was sleeved 1/4. The only regret is I can't see the look on my Mom's face when I told her. Then again, I am sure she knows... :')

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/benefits-Protein This link provides a good explination, but is far from all inclusive. Hope it helps.

I would have to suggest you to put it off for awhile. It is hard advise to give, knowing how close you are, and how I felt when I was where you are. I lost my Mom on my 1 week post-op date, and can attest that you are not going to want to have to deal with anything extra if you do not have to at all! I am so sorry for your situation. My family experienced a fire when I was 10, and I have had many friends experience loss this way. It will take years to feel completely over it. It is a very stressful event. Deal with it for what it is, then get back to your WLS. God bless!

Do you mean your PCP said try a prescription med first, or try a supplement that he was pushing, and then charged (and made a profit also)? If so to the latter - a non-FDS regulated or approved supplement the same as if it came of an OTC shelf, check with your state, you may have reason to file a complaint, and do so right away. There is an emergeing amount of PCP docs that are starting to push weight loss "solutions" onto their patients. It is wrong and unethical. If you were told to try to take an excessive amount of with an amphetamine, or a drug that you couldnot maintain over a long period of time, you may also have an issue. I know that isnt the thread of the conversation but when I read your quote I thought about it and I have meant to post something on the subject anyway.

peppermint tea - celestial seasoning is an inexpensive brand and forgiving in preparation. bring Water to boil, pour into a ceramic mug, allow to sit about 1 min, the out in 1 te Bg for 8 oz water. allow to sit about 3-4 mnutes. try 3 minutes at first - bitter tea, especially this tea, is either too hot water, too long in steeping, etc. When you remove the bag, do not squeeze the excess into the mug. I find it very refreshing, calming and it settles the stomach. crystal light fruit punch, orange, raspberry and strawberry are good. Also unflavored protien in lightl honey water is good - and not very many carbs, actually!

It isn't kg. I thought about that too, but that would have been a big weight gain. I haven't gained, lol.

If you are having the lap band removed, and there were no serious problems (there are cases where it has created abcesses and such, or fiberous inclusions or the stomach had grown around it), then I would educated-guess that it should not be too much more painful to have both procedures at once. I don't know how the surgery you had went, and of course cannot fortell how your next one will go. They will have to remove the port where you filled the band, and then remove everything through an opening with a trocar inserted, and of course the sleeve will be where they remove your stomach, and I think I read where there is no need to remove it from a different location than where they extract the lapband equipment - You can have the complications of gas and such everyone has with the sleeve. Good question...waiting to hear from those who really know, lol.

The bathroom scale is weighing me in at 120 lbs. Not possible - that would be 110+ lbs in a week. So the scales are broken -Noooo....lol. We are currently at my Hubby's family sheep farm (organic, Kosher, humanitarian award-winning, BTW) in Jonesborough, Tn. I think I will be going up to the sheep scales at the main barn to weigh myself. It is so cold outside! I miss Houston!

Rootman, kinda not appreciated - you edited my comment, did not note that you had, then corrected me on it - you left out the part, in caps, where I said to check with a CPA.

I think I would have liked to have the surgery while I was younger - but I also disagree strongly. Hindsight is 20/20 but ten years ago I think I would not have been ready to feel comfortable with myself, I would have felt like I was giving up. I am just happy to do it now - and now I am in a much more stable place financially, at 28 I would have had to take out loans and accumulated sooo much debt - and then pay it off just to be able to get loans to afford the plastics!

I fly home Friday, so if it hasn't gone away I will definately see the doctor. If it gets worse or develops further, I will see one here. Promise!

it is to the left and just at the ribcage , it doesn't go into the shoulder - it feels hard to pinpont sometimes...felling a bit below the ribs and then later lmost under my lower braline...

Congradulations to your new found chance at health and well-being!