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Wow, you captured everything I've been dealing with. I'm going to work on the exact same thing. A lot of mental baggage to get through but once you do it you are much better off. Thanks for the post

I was given the okay for alcohol in moderation after a month. Moderation is the key. If I do drink it should be no more than 1 a day. Honestly though it doesn't sound enjoyable. I'm waiting for a while before I try it.

2 weeks out I was cleared for stomach exercises. I do Yoga for core. It's great.

A woman was fired for being too attractive and just lost her appeal to the state supreme court. Earlier this year a bunch of people in Florida were fired for wearing the color orange to work. You can lose your job for almost anything and that includes not showing up to work for an unapproved absence. I'm glad that doesn't apply to you but unfortunately it does to many of the rest of us. http://www.clickonde...lo/-/index.html http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.1047960

Get better soon. Just reading these posts your attitude seems to be great. You're going to get through this and come out better than ever

What's the hurry? This isn't a race. You don't get bonus points for losing it quickly. Steady weight loss over the next year is all that matters. Don't worry about how much you lose after a couple of weeks or a month. See where you are at 3 months out. If you are a quarter towards your goal at that point then you are fine.

My NUT gave me the okay for alcohol in moderation for Christmas and New Years Eve. Honestly I've made the decision to avoid until the Super Bowl but it's nice to know that she's okay with it if it was something I wanted.

No it isn't illegal in most states. I work in an at will state and can be terminated for any reason except for discrimination as specified by law. Not showing up to work without an approved reason is more than enough to get fired. It's possible that the owners of the firm would be okay with it but it's also possible that they wouldn't. I've seen others let go for a lot less. The Family Medical Leave Act does not apply to an employer with under 50 employees so there is no protection there. With jobs so scarce right now you have to be very careful. No way was I going to take the chance and put my family at risk. There's really nothing to gain by telling and way too much to lose.

I told my family and no one else. I told work I was having a procedure for my heart. Being out for a voluntary surgery would have gotten me fired. Given heart issues I've had in the past this wasn't that far off from the truth. I was out for a week and said that I was on a special diet because of the surgery. No one ever questioned it. It's now almost 7 weeks and everyone is used to looking at a smaller me and doesn't even comment anymore. We all have different situations in life. You have to do whatever works for you. If you like me can't tell without risking something really negative then don't tell. If you'll get support then you are probably better off telling. Only you know what works best in your situation.

I told no one and in 6 weeks no one has asked. I've had a couple of comments but they can see the diet I'm on and just assume it's working.

I've had no problem with ground beef or bison since I was told I could have it at a week out. It has to be at least 96% lean though. I have a butcher near me that does lean ground pork and lamb as well and those have also been part of my diet. I haven't tried anything not ground yet and I'm at 6 weeks out now.

I've eaten smoked salmon for snacks but only for that. A 4 oz meal would be way too much. 1 oz for a snack is okay in my opinion.

If someone has done 500 surgeries on their own it doesn't sound like they're still novices and learning. No matter who does it I would ask about rates and types of complications they've experienced. It's the same issues that you need to be comfortable with no matter who performs the surgery.

It's going to make the pre-op diet that much harder and it's not easy to begin with. Better to slow the car down gradually than to jam on the brakes.

I had the same issues with 4 of the 5. The surgeon told me that my body reacted poorly to the stitches. Since I'm a guy I don't really care about scars but I was worried about infection. The doctors are treating it so it's been okay.

When you get cravings like that it's coming from your head and not your body. Just stop and realize that it's not something your body needs and it's just something your head wants. You won't starve by not eating those things. You can beat this.

My surgeon told me that he will not do the sleeve for anyone with gerd and that he always tells them to get the RNY instead. As for the insurance you should wait and see what happens before freaking out. 40 BMI is the magic number. From my experience it doesn't matter which procedure you chose if you are over 40. Good luck

My doctor is exactly the same. I was on the elliptical 3 days after surgery. I did very light weights not long after. When I saw him at 2 weeks he told me that as long as I listen to my body I could do any type of exercise.

Fitbit has a new cheaper $60 model. That should put it in reach of more people. I've been using one since April. It's great except for the days when you forget to bring it with you.

What did they say at your most recent visit? Did they have you meet with a nutritionist? I've been told to average around 1000 calories gross. There is really no way to know how many calories you burn during a workout. It's different for everyone. All those calculators are just guessing based on an average person. My NUT tells me to ignore what's 'burned' and just focus on the amount that I am eating. Hope that helps.

Start now. Start eating healthy foods. Start daily exercise. Don't worry about how much weight you lose. What's important is that by the time you have your surgery you have a real understanding of what you need to do to make this succeed. The more you can do now the easier it will be for you later.

Not a smart idea. You'll have many Xmas' in the future to enjoy with alcohol. Skipping the drink this year won't hurt you.

After 2 weeks my NUT said coffee was no problem. I've been following her advice ever since.

Just stir them up again if you wait too long. It's not an issue.

I was in a similar situation. A voluntary surgery would cost me my job. We don't have enough here to qualify for FMLA. My employer is well within his rights to fire me from a voluntary surgery. I'm also an accountant and even going on vacation is difficult. I've had enough health issues over the decade that I've been here that no one questioned me when I told them I had to have surgery to help my heart. Technically it's true. I was back to work in a week and there have been no issues. The key is not making a big deal about it. You told your boss more than enough. I'd just leave it at that and not stress about it.