CowgirlJane

Please forgive me for being so bitchy but why would anyone with a BMR of 3,000 calories a day need weight loss surgery? If LV were reading I think she might wonder the same thing.

I think time helped my face alot. I have been at goal almost a year and I get alot more comments on how young I look now. I do have some neck wattle but I am lucky it isnt too bad.

Florinda sounds like HE is the confused one. I too would feel bowled over but you know he wasn't the one that brought you hope and all those things you said about him... being with him just helped you find that within. Hang onto THAT and let him just fade away. I took a gun safety and basic shooting class with my friend Mary today. Super fun, learned alot, and we are both good shooting students. Seattle Seahawks are going to the Super bowl!!! The sad freaked out I am sick over it news...My EX plans to live in his car. He made me promise not to tell people we know so I have to carry this burdensome knowledge. I am horrified and mad because he has options. He has reasons for his insanity but does it even matter? Counselor says I am in classic co dependant relationship but without the traditional alcohol addiction. Maybe that is why I feel guilty beyond reason.

Doesn't every woman want to lose another 10-15#? Alot of times we really are talking vanity pounds.... Why do people regain? Maintenance is work, takes focus and sometimes lacks the excitement of losing. So far I have treated maintaining much like losing phase and when I don't -the. pounds creep back.

I also like quest....and don't buy them for that reason....

I just started working with a personal trainer...today he wanted me to run stairs. I said wait a minute sonny...I have NO cartilage left, that isn't a good idea. We are doing massive lunges squats etc and I wonder if I should talk to amedical professional about how to preserve those joints. In hindsight,would you consult with an orthopedics surgeon before injury????

I am a little envious of this problem but not really......like I fight so hard to lose a pound it is easy to wish the weight would just fall off...Haha but a friend of mine has the same problem as you. He is very athletic but if he gets sick or stressed he gets SKINNY and it is no joke - a serious problem. He is 6foot2" and big framed and struggles to stay over 180. What I am dying to know is how this happens to a formerly obese person. I have the obese metabolism (though others need to eat even less than me) and clearly you don't. Next time you see the endocrinologist can you ask how this happens? It contradicts everything I thought I knew about obesity. I am working to build muscle mass to try to boost my burn rate. Problem I have is increasing burn always increases appetite too.

I think that pucker is also called dog ears. I NEVER saw any evidence of shoddy work in Dr Harris photos BTW - so don't take it that way. My meaning is just that other surgeons recommended more aggressive work for me (lower body lift) over Dr Harris Tummy tuck recommendation. I am not an expert, just throwing out there the kind of things to ask about. Alot depends on how much skin you really have - i had a pretty goodly amount and was worried i would have puckers or dog ears. Also, my incisions are smooth and even... I have seen some that don't look that great on the internet so there really is a difference in surgeons. I really hated the idea of the lower body lift but now that i have had it, I am glad I did because my overall profile is so much improved.

Before and after pix....lots of them. Ask about realistic expectations of results, recovery time etc. Ask what is the risk of dog ears (one reason for the lower body lift for me). Ask what is included (ie how long follow ups etc.) Ask if he offers a way to buy complications insurance. Can't get that in Mexico but I would buy it in the USA. I like dr harris but he is a cosmetic not plastic surgeon. Shouldn't make a difference for a tummy tuck, but just be aware. I think you should next schedule with Dr Mary Peters who has an amazing results portfolio but is more costly. She had different recommendations for me than Harris so it was educational to meet both.

While the nuts and a few other things have carbs I have to agree with misty-if I wanted to gain 5# I would start with Pasta,potatoes,bread and fruit. Those are all relatively healthy foods that pack weight on me. Add Peanut Butter, trail mix and a little ice cream for dessert(not healthy but even small quantities does wonders in terms of weight gain) and I would be gaining. Prior to my plastics I often did 4-8hour activities like hiking or riding my horse through the mountains etc. and my"survived the Irish famines genes" kick in and make me hungry and metabolicly efficient. As in,did not make me lose too much weight. I would love to have the bmr testing done but assume it is too costly given I don't really need to know. Good luck at finding a good balance. I commend you for focusing on ideal health and living an active life -this is why we did the surgery!

Only the formerly obese can be so hard on ourselves. In what universe should a woman who used to weigh 250ish feel shame for weighing in the 140s? And like I said by sharing your on going success story, with all its ups and downs, is helpful to the rest of us so I hope you realize you haven't let anyone down. I have been so guilty of all or nothing thinking,like that feeling that gaining 10 might as well be 100# I am really cognizant of that...feeling of shame and despair which of course helped pave the path to a big regain. Hasn't happened yet post sleeve.......but I am vigilant. In early stages successful vets help so much with eating and exercise, but the long haul challenges....that's where the stories and lessons to be learned are really valuable!

So good to see you! Diva I was obese most of my life, I am 49and like high intensity workout too. I know I have knee arthritis and likely more....do you think the high intensity contributed to the issues? I am 2years out, 3 months out from plastics and maintaining below my goal...but definitely feel like it is a delicate hold. I learned something very important from my band failure which is to reach out when things go bad as opposed to hiding in shame like I did. I think it is modeling ideal behavior to say "I regained xx pounds and now I am going to get them off" that's what keeps us from regaining 100#.

I wasn't cleared for swimming,pool,hot tub at 5 weeks.

Pain was not an issue for me...but recovery was a long road that interfered with my life....lol. made me a little crazy! Now, 3months post op I am so glad I did it!!!!!!! When I ride bikes and horses I no longer have skin sitting on my lap. I love showing off, not hiding my arms...I can go on and on....

Yes but don't over do it once you are there

Bruce aka Hottie and i have talked about challenges of meeting people this way. I know darn well that he hasn't found women our age (he is 51) who meet his looks criteria besides me - he runs into the same thing I do - lots of 50 year olds are out of shape etc. However, I also know damn well that the 30 year olds are happy to find a guy like him so for all I know he is chatting someone else up - which is fine - we are in early days. I too could find a 30 year old but it isn't what I want. I believe his reason, it is just the chaos factor that I don't like. So, he recently moved here from alaska and is a union big equip operator. The union doesn't have much work yet so he is doing a "by the hour" for a flakey company and gets jerked around a bit - i totally understand that work comes first. He didn't think he was working at all on Thursday or Friday. He was going to leave for Bend oregon Friday morning and had this Dr appt down there at 4 in the afternoon. Well, he wound up working Thursday and then his dad called and said that the Doc office moved the appointment to 9am so he had to make that 7 hour drive Thursday night. His parents are in their late 80s and I know my mother would have just accepted the changed appointment too - generational thing. I believe the whole story ... what irritated me was that a) second time something like this has happened and in all the confusion he didn't think to tell me once he realized things were going to hell during the day Thursday. So, he texted me first thing today - I really do think he is interested in me - but I just find this caveman communication and logistics skills to be irritating as all hell. I have noticed with people that they are generally on their best behavior in the beginning so I expect it to get worse. I haven't told him to drop dead yet...lol... Remember, I am already jaded...lol... so my ability to give the benefit of the doubt is pretty low right now. As the country western song goes.... "my give a damn is busted" Too bad he is so hot.

High intensity exercise tends to make the scale jump I think your muscles hold water. I am up 2 pounds since starting at the gym. I can actually see the tummy swelling... it's that bad on the water retension. I am back to wearing compression garments in my sleep and I wear those rocking pant liners during the day to put compression on the belly. I love those garments... my thighs look just completely tight in the skinny jeans with those on. It seems there are other "diets" gaining momentum based on the idea that we are not grazers and that we should allow periods of time between eating. I was given the mindset to eat frequently and it is looking like more and more evidence that our internal organs need a freaking break from digestion. I still want to do 5:2 - my point is that right now I am making headway on mood stabilization and that is #1 priority. It has been hard for me to really do a proper fast day and i am not stressing over it. One thing I do is make sure I get at least that 18 hours without food twice a week. I think if NOTHING ELSE that helps. So, I am fairly into this guy Bruce. I have gone on a lot of first dates with no spark, and I felt it with him I guess. He seems to really like me, calls me all the time, texts me all the time but for the SECOND TIME has cancelled on me the last minute. Always a good reason, but pfffff... that is ridiculous. Steven at least had the decency to cancel on me 1-2 days in advance. With this guy - i was supposed to meet him at 5 and I texted him at 4 to let him know i would be heading over soon. Then he calls to tell me this big long multidimensional story that involved him driving to Bend Oregon (where his parents live) overnight for a doctors appointment that got moved to the morning. (Now THAT sounds like a typical Steven story - the man who lives his life in complete chaos.) I didn't tell him to kiss off when we talked yesterday because i wanted to sleep on it, but I am going to tell him to go away. My gut feeling is that he actually has no idea how annoying and rude it is and that he just lives his life this way. i could be wrong, but it seems like it just normal for him to have some "out of control" distraction and I hate that kind of chaos. He is super good looking , looks closer to 40 than 50, is tall and fit and charming and so far has behaved like a real gentleman while still expressing alot of interest in me (ie charming) - and as Denise pointed out to me, maybe has gotten away with this crap due to those attributes. What annoyed me the most is i was working in the office and didn't have gym or riding clothes so basically I couldn't do either of those things either. I haven't gone on any first dates in a bit, have none lined up for the weekend and am giving it a rest. I never did that speed dating, that is up next when i actually feel like going on a date - I figure that will at least be entertaining if nothing else.

I get nauseaous from weirdo stuff so i probably would jump right to the NOW. so, this is all a bit over my head but given that I bought a product similiar to Extend (the Amino Boost from the gym) sounds like I should add the Creatine. When I run out of the Amino Boost I will replace it with the Extend. Even with the extend, you add the Creatine, right? Is this the correct NOW product? They also have capsules but i hate pills even more than powders..haha http://www.amazon.com/NOW-FOODS-CREATINE-POWDER-PURE/dp/B000WSIQEM/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1389974164&sr=1-3&keywords=NOW+Creatine

abby, my advice is to read the Dr S forum over at obesity help and you will hear lots of stories. I was considered a slow healer and went back to work after 6 weeks. If I had fewer procedures and less of a whiner, I probably could have gone back in 4, but i am glad I took the extra time. This is a very personal decision. For me, the hardest thing has been the forced inactivity made me a little crazy. There is more to it then that - it relates to some other things happening in my personal life. The physical recovery is "do-able" and not everyone was so impacted by the life disruption as i was. I am 3 months out now and while I have often said i am not sure I would recommend it - the truth is I CANT IMAGINE going back. I can do planks and pushups without this huge tummy skin hanging down. My arms are amazing. My thighs no longer cause me to cringe in disgust. My breasts I hardly notice, but, I have gotten pretty positive feedback from "others" ha! My tummy is flat flat flat - a friend referred to it as concave even. What a difference in the way clothes fit! My son's girlfriend and other friends of mine told me that even with a leather jacket and jeans on my physical profile changed so much (ie bulk reduction all over due to the skin going away) that they didn't recognize me from the back except my hair. I think you need to think really hard about the benefit and if it is worth it to you - but for me it was the final shedding of the fatsuit. For the first time EVER, I have a nice body that I am very proud of. It motivates me to keep working maintenance.

Denise, he just scored 1000 points in my book that he actually was home alone with you without sticking his hands down your pants uninvited. I am still "scarred" from that weirdo incident in the parking garage - and I really thought he was a cool guy until all that went down. It has made me truly gunshy now. Don't be intimidated by the intellect thing. Intellect is NOT about college degrees. I run into this a little in the opposite way - I am totally into blue collar guys in the sense that many of them are hard working, fit (yes, the hot factor counts alot in my book!) AND smart even without a college degree. The problem is more that sometimes things like grammar and vocabulary are different. It doesn't bother me much, but lets just say it has been noticed when I use $64,000 words if you know what i mean. I avoid correcting pronouncation or misuse of words because who the hell cares. It is more about a person, their character, zest for life, their ability to hold up a conversation etc etc. Do NOT let yourself feel "less than" just because you didn't go to college. Lots of the college educated crowd are out of shape, bored to tears with their inactive lives and live in their heads - so they ain't perfect either! It is sorta like looks - 80% of the battle is self confidence. If you come across all apologetic about your intellect, you are self diminishing which is totally the wrong strategy in my book. I can tell you that I will never ever ever ever date another software engineer. I am so sick of those guys and I WORK i that industry and they are mostly masters level educated. Dull, out of shape and all they ever wanna talk about is work. sheesh.

I doubt insurance will pay for an arm lift. I think you will need many weeks off from heavy lifting to minimize the scarring, but only a surgeon can answer that. My scars are already disappearing quite nicely at about 3 months out. The pain for the arms was minor and my results were very good.

Lower body lift - off work for 3 to 6 weeks depending.... I took six weeks off but i had massive amounts done at once. if you have a physical job, may need the full 6 weeks too.

Drains are a minor irritation in the larger scheme of having massive plastics...trust me on that. I paid in the ballpark of 16K for lower body lift, breast lift/implants, arm lift and "small thigh" lift. Amazing results and that price included 3 days in a clinic and another week at a hotel with daily nurse and doctor visits as well as the garments etc etc. Yes, it was in Mexico. So, for 10K you should be able to get something significant done. I don't think a panni is the right answer for most of us. The lift gives you a fairly tight tummy and includes muscle repair and helps the butt and that extra skin on the backside that hung over the top of my jeans. Is it worth it? Well, I am so thrilled with my results and let me tell you that OTHERS definately notice it but it isn't so easy either. I think for me it was the right decision, but i have only one more year of college to pay for one kiddo and I view this as a big investment in the "new me". I am single, I still look pretty young and I guess I want to have a chance to enjoy clothes and the other things I missed out on as a young woman. I am NEVER going back to obesity after what I have been through. If there was any doubt...well... lets just say I will NEVER regain weight to ruin what for the first time in my whole life a hotbod. That wasn't my primary reason, but it is a good side effect of the surgery. I personally think that each of us has to decide how having plastics will change your life. For many people, it just won't make much difference honestly. I have said it before... money can't buy you love and a hotbod doesn't buy you happy.... you really need to think about what makes it worth it. For me, it is changing how I even see myself, so fundamental shift really.

Okay, I will look into buying Extend as well. I think I can use this as a before and use the extend as an after workout supplement. One some level I think it is crazy I am doing this, but i have not been able to understand how after all the working out I did in 2013, which included strength training, and you can see visible muscles on me that my body fat still measures at 29% on the caliper test. I want to get to about 25%.

Okay, in a few weeks we may need to have a corset modeling photo session...haha. I have to tell you something very funny. At least I thought so. Someone I dated back in December a few times, but hist stressful family visits, holidays, care for a dying mother etc kinda derailed things so I just said "oh well - story of my damn dating life" - emailed me today. Now, we have talked many times since we dated - and all he talks about is himself so I have kind of lost interest. I am empathetic to the aging parent thing, i really am, but... there is more I want to discuss if you know what I mean. I really couldn't understand the main point of his email...lol... but he did mention among other things that I am "fine" and have very pretty eyes and he claimed he could not resist mentioning perfect breasts... HA. Thank you Dr Sauceda.... and this guy hasn't even actually SEEN them...lol. What pleases me the most is that to my eye they are natural and proportionate looking you know what i mean - like I coulda/shoulda been born with em! I am not going to worry about what he was really trying to tell me as I think it was just a bunch of excuses about life being busy - which is cool - but if you don't have time to date me then just leave me be.... Sigh. works sucks today.