Parker's Dad

I see a lot of people adding vanilla flavors and syrups. I add vanilla protein powder to things that don't lend to the chocolate. You get your vanilla flavor and extra protein at the same time so win win...

I hate moobs!

I think Bean pretty much nailed this one. There are a few things that make this situation very stressful. Money issues suck and will strain even the best of relationships. A big focus would be getting out of anyones house. I could not live with my parents or my girlfriends parents. If I want to walk around my house in my underwear I can lol. Not really kidding there, everyone needs their own space. The weed and the religious parents scenario do not work at all. If you can live with the weed use then that's fine. It's just not gonna work in that situation. As far as him thinking you are gonna leave.... I think that is almost always gonna be a natural thought like it or not. I don't know anything about his past relationships but maybe that has been an issue, maybe not. It has been for me. My exwife was a "religious" person, her mom, etc. She starts a new job and starts listening to people and doing things she shouldn't have been. Needless to say one thing lead to another and that was a done deal. Now I come from that better for it. Lesson learned. Now I don't trust anyone fully and never will. Take that into consideration. Now it was not right of him to cheat. There is no real valid reason for that and it is one thing that I personally can't and won't tolerate for myself. If you can get past that, more power to you. Now the very last thing that I would even think about pushing the issue on right now is kids. With the living arrangements, money, and insecurity right now, the last thing you need to do is throw a baby into the mix. This is just my opinion but I have seen things play out with different couples several times and this is kind of how it goes. Good luck with whatever you do.

Congrats and that does make you feel pretty good. Just want to say that women do not have to be little or tiny to be beautiful. Some of the most beautiful women I have ever seen or met are not those little skinny women. I like a full figured woman who is confident and comfortable in her own skin. It really is attractive. Hard to put into words without sounding like a weirdo but there is truth to it lol!

There are several great thoughts on here for you think about and all true. I have not gotten thru to surgery yet but I have this rationalized for myself. Take this for what it's worth, it's just my thoughts on it and that's all. I know I can loose weight. I have done it before. I then get a little lazy and lax up and when I do this I gain some back. I have managed to keep the great majority of it off since I really started trying but there is going to come a day when that stops. There will be a day when my body says "no, I am done, this is where you are like it or not!" and is gonna make silly faces and dirty comments at me. I have no co morbidities at this time and I don't want any. I am however set up perfectly for a nice little dose of diabetes. I have seen what that crap can do, and I don't want anything to do with it. EVER. I also have a 15 month old little boy right now and I am gonna be around to see him grow up and pitch a few major league games lol! The point of that is that I am gonna be doing this for me and him. Noone else. I know people lose at different rates and some have more issues than others. I accept that. I also know that in my mind I can lose weight and when I have this tool that helps even more, I know I will not fail. I don't really intend on going around telling the world I had surgery but it's gonna come up. I will tell the ones that matter ahead of time and I will address the others as I see fit when that time arrises. I don't find myself accountable to anyone but me and that's kinda how I like it. My whole point is that you are doing this for you, for your reasons, and it is your decision to make. There are things that you will have to work thru and figure out for yourself. You will lose weight unless you make stupid decisions. You can do it and you will be fine and you don't worry about what others say. I know that is easiers said than done but you have to wrap your mind around why you want to do this in the first place and hold onto that regardless of whatever noise you get from others. You can do it.

That is amazing!! That just goes to show you that with a little help (the sleeve), a bit of work, and a whole lot of determination that you can drop a lot of weight. Congrats to him and good luch with your upcoming surgery as well. I am still in a holding pattern waiting now. I come here everyday to get info and read of success stories to keep motivated to get thru to get this thing done!!

I go to thinking about it and I didn't mean to jack your thread. I just didn't think it was worth starting a new one just for that post. Carry on...

I love doing things like that. When I want something sweet they are quick and easy to make and not that bad really without the crust. If you like Peanut Butter and/or chocolate try this one... Cool whip lite/fat free whatever it is Cream cheese fat free Natural peanut butter or I guess you could use the PB2 stuff if you want. Chocolate Protein powder. Make sure the cool whip is thawed. Nuke the cream cheese just long enough to soften up and be blended with mixer. Mix those two first. Mix in the pb then the Protein Powder. You can add as much of the PB or choco powder as to taste but you may have to add a touch of milk if you're adding a lot of the protein. You can just chill it in the fridge for a while or freeze it in the freezer and it makes a great ice cream or custard type thing. I don't do a whole lot of sweets and when I do eat them I much rather prefer to have something "good homemade" as opposed to store bought junk. I wouldn't give you a dollar for a truck load of Little Debbie stuff. Therefore I experiment with a few basic things that I usually keep on hand at home and try to make them as nutritious as I can. Lots of other variables you can use. If you like orange try this one. Cool whip Cream cheese. Can of mandarin oranges vanilla protein powder. Mix the cool whip and cream cheese well first of course. Add in your oranges and mix again then add the vanilla protein powder. If you don't drain the oranges first you probably won't have to add any extra liquid at all for the protein powder. You can vary this as well with other fruits and even add sugar free pudding mix or Jello mix to accomodate what fruit flavors you like. Enjoy.

It's a little different. I don't have a problem with it but you will just have to try it for yourself and decide. I have had the raspberry, orange, and apple melon and they were all pretty good. Not great but OK for what they are. The aftermath is a little odd, kinda like licking on blacktop lol! It just kinda leaves a weird feeling in your mouth. I think it's the sweetener.

Congrats! It sounds like you are doing awesome. It's good to hear of people doing well. You read the horror stories of some people and I cringe to think of what could happen when my time comes. I somehow manage to always find the turd in the punch bowl... I do have one question and I am not pointing fingers and saying you are doing anything wrong but it just caught my attention when I read your post, so please don't take offense. How are you getting that much water in that quickly?? If I read it correctly, you said 20 oz in 20 minutes?? That just sounded like a lot to me going by what I have read from others posting on their fluids. I know everyone is different so it may not be a problem. Just wandering... Congrats again and keep up the good work!

Looking good! I love to see people in the places I want to go. I am working on getting thru the process now and come here to get ideas and even more motivation. I then go home and wrestle around my own little 15 month old boy and that just makes me even more determined. Congrats on the loss and keep it up!

Some weeks I weigh three days in a row when at work. We have a really nice big digital scale. I always weigh in the same clothes and shoes etc. I only do it to see if what I am doing is working and I keep the routine the same in regards to doing this. I try to keep fluids in mind and whether or not a bm. I love seeing the pound a day drops for a couple days. To be honest, I don't even get down when I don't see it drop for a day or two because I have somehow fixed my brain to say "hey you dropped 4-5 lbs last week so the body is adjusting again, it's all good." It may sound weird but I don't think about it too much because I know I am losing and there will be days when it may not show. I don't weigh too often at home as all I have is a fairly cheap digital I got at wal mart. When I do weigh at home, it's always just in undies or the birthday suit so it's always less. I try not to change up my routine too much in regards to Water intake or diet too much but there are days here and there when it just doesn't work out like I wish but it's OK and I just go about my business and keep on doing what I am doing. The only day that I really put a good bit of thought into it is on my "official" weigh day. I do this on Wednesdays on the good scale at work and look at the whole picture over the course of the week and the weeks before. Am I still losing?? Yes. Am I on average? Yes. Am I above or below average?? Determine above/below, look at what I may have done or not done, make a mental note and try to make adjustments if needed. It may sound weird but it works for me and has made things a lot easier....

Awesome!

I just wanted to throw this tid bit of thought in on this subject. This is not directed at the OP or anything but just a thought so.... I think that a lot of us don't really like looking at old overweight pictures. I have always been overweight so I was used to it. I look at them and to me it's my "normal" but I don't really like or truly hate what I see. Make sense?? I mean I wish I had not been overweight but it is what it is. I will never ever have the normal mentality of a person that has been skinny their whole life. As I said, I have always been overweight and looking back and thinking about it now, that has made me the person that I am today. I understand how things are and how people are and I have learned that the ones that love and accept me now for for me are people that are not that shallow or whatever. I know what is important and I know what it's like to be judged and I know where I want to go now and for the right reasons. I guess what I am trying to say is that we need to realize that we should never forget where we came from and what we learned along the way. We should never forget that we for the most part are the same person we always were but just less of it in mass. I look forward to being able to go thru with surgery and getting where I need to be for myself and my boy and the future. But with that thought in mind, I also will never forget who I was and what I have learned and the people that never saw me as just some overweight person that they wanted nothing to do with. I hope that made sense. I know it was kind of rambling but just a thought that I wanted to toss out there...

Hi Gwynne, I am pre surgery at this time. It's really not that acidic. Orange juice is much worse for me honestly. I mix two teaspoons (10 ml) measured in a 20 oz bottle of Water so it's pretty diluted. A friend of mine is sleeved and I told him about it because he wanted to stop taking the omeprazole. He said it only took him about three days to fully adjust when he made the switch. Ofcourse I will give you the disclaimer "please consult your physician" lol! It's not for everyone but it's really not bad to me. The girlfriend says I'm disgusting for drinking it but oh well. It really seems to help me and I was very skeptical.

I have heard different stories about the psych eval too. I believe that it is important too but way more important with some patients compared to others. Some psychs are just doing these because they are required by insurance and they are getting paid. Others really do care and listen to the patient in order to help ID any potential serious issues that may have detremental effects on the patient's outcome. I see this stuff in the workplace all the time. I have not been thru mine yet but to be honest I am not really that concerned about it. I know why I want to do this and I know myself better than anyone and don't mind admitting that. Hope that didn't sound cocky but it's true. With the time and money invested in the whole process, I would much rather have someone ask my questions and talk with me for a bit of time rather than say "oh yeah that sounds good, good luck and see ya later." I know it's all perspective and all but think about it in terms of what might actually help you. They see people doing this surgery all the time and I am sure that they see definite patterns to people and pick up on it. They may see something in someone that they have seen before and be able to help someone else with the same triggers or issues. It's kind of a peace of mind really that someone actually takes the time to listen...

Yeah something like that.... A man can dream right?? lol

This is very true. A friend of mine is a little over a year out and has lost a lot of weight. His wife was supportive according to him. She was a little chunky at the time too. She is truly built kinda big, very hippy and just kinda thick. You know what I mean, do not mean that to sounds mean. Since his surgery, she has started eating better and in turn lost about 40 pounds and you can tell. Like he told me, I am a leader and she is a follower. He meant that is a positive way in that when things changes for him she saw and followed suit. I have been really watching my diet as well and have lost over twenty pounds. My girlfriend has kinda got on with me as well so I think that it just goes hand in hand that if you are doing the right thing that those around you will see and be a lot more apt to do it as well.

See, it makes ya smile just thinking about it!! LOL. We have to laugh about stuff sometimes.

I was not really sure where to put this or how to title it so it shall start here. I remember reading somewhere about people using organic apple cider vinegar. One of the main reasons was for a PPI. I have also talked to a couple people that use it regularly and say that it seems to work as a metabolism booster as well. A friend of mine uses it everyday and said that when he started using it that he dropped about 15 pounds and didn't change anything else. This was a couple years ago when I first saw him drinking this stuff. So I get the idea that I am gonna try it. Now I am not a big white vinegar fan so I am thinking this is gonna be really nasty but I was gonna try it anyway. I have a high tolerance for drinks so why not. I went to GNC a couple weeks ago and find the stuff I am looking for. I got the Bragg brand organic apple cider vinegar. It was on sale, buy one get one 50% off. If you buy this stuff make sure it's the raw unfiltered stuff. You want to see the stuff settled to the bottom. You want to see the floaties settled out, that is the good stuff that makes it work from what I have gathered. So what I have been doing in taking a bottle of Water and just pouring out some of it. I add in the vinegar, usually two tablespoons full and a tablespoon full of raw natural honey. shake well to mix the honey. You can add some sort of artificial sweetener if you want but it really doesn't need it. You can also add ginger and/or cinnamon. Both of those have some metabolic properties as well. So I have been using this stuff for a couple weeks now and I can honestly say that I can tell a difference in appetite. If I start feeling a little hungry and really don't wanna eat this stuff really seems to make a big difference. I am not sure if it's just the vinegar or getting in some water but I am leaning towards the vinegar as straight water has not seemed to have that noticable affect before. The apple cider vinegar also has a lot of other health benefits. I wish I could find the link but I can't even remember where I saw it.

I was just doing some math in my head and came up with.... Never mind. TMI...

The way I have it figured by the time I lose 120 pounds and do some manscaping I will be looking into a new profession!! LOL!

I just wanted to throw out another option for the pizzas. Unless you eat absolutely no bread at all try the Brownberry brand pockets. They have about the same amount of carbs as their sandwich thins. The ones I got were Italian herb. I added some sauce, provolone and mozz, and grilled chicken marinated in Italian dressing, and pepperoni. Throw in some extra garlic powder and crushed red pepper..... Probably the best calzone I have ever eaten and I made it right here at home.

Good Morning, The potassium citrate is prescription unfortunately but any good urologist/nephrologist knows about it and would most likely prescribe it. I tried a couple different things from an old family practice MD to no avail until a PA friend of mine consulted the urologist. Pretty good shape ever since. The 24 hour urine is more of a pain in the butt than anything. The CT scan scan gives an approximate size of the stones. Passing them depends a lot on size and their formation, whether they are smooth or jagged. Neither one is fun but smooth is much better. I am not sure if he has a reason to believe you would have bladder cancer but with the blood and UTIs that can be related greatly to the stones. Don't get too concerned about that at this point. Hard not to though so I hope you don't take that comment the wrong way. Those stones can do a lot of stuff. I woke up one morning and could barely move because my back was so tender. It felft like I had been beaten in the back with a baseball bat. A DR visit revealed a kidney infection caused by, yes the stones. Bloody urine, some pain but very very very tender, kinda like you really over did a workout or something. It was fine just sitting still but moving or stretching was aweful. A round of tetracycline, percocet, and a lot whisky fixed that up! Oh and stay out of the sun with the tetracycline or any related antibiotic that gives that sun exposure warning. I can honestly say that without a doubt that was the worst sunburn I have ever had in my life. Ever. I felt like 10000 needles poking me from my elbows down, the back of my neck, and my shoulders. Good luck and I hope everything turns out well for you. I know those things are no fun. Dave.

I am pre sleeve at this point and have heard the same. I have had them for years. I finally found meds that help me. I have had them alanyzed and are Calcium stones ( almost all are anyway for everyone). Ask your DR about potassium citrate. Not potassium chloride but potassium citrate. It helps to increase the acidity of your urine. I also take HCTZ for the stones as well but that probably is not an option as you need to keep any and all extra Fluid you can get. Don't let anybody tell you to drink cranberry juice. That is bunk! I drank enough that I should have earned stock in Ocean Spray. Depending on size, the stent may be enough to dialate that ureter to allow them to pass. With other issues going on there, they may not blast them. Good luck. They are a real pain to deal with....