makemyownluck

soda and Pasta aren't going to make you happier... yes, it's an adjustment, but you did this because you wanted a change, sweetie. Try to hang in there and re-learn what food should mean in your life. it should be something that nourishes your body and keeps you healthy - pasta and soda don't do that.
Once you're at goal, you can try to have them "once in a while", but by the time you're in maintenance and you reflect on all the hard work it took to get you there, you may find you don't want them anymore. They're just hanging around in your head trying to sabotage you - be strong!! Good luck!

Was at a party last night, seeing people I hadn't seen in a while. Everyone was so nice about the weight loss, etc. Within about an hour, the women were in the kitchen talking and the men were in the den chilling.
One of the guys is hysterical in general and was talking about when he lost 50 lbs. a few years ago, and the resulting increase. He said, 'And you've lost 100? Dude, I'm surprised you're not poking one of our eyes out with that thing now.' It was so funny.
We all decided that instead of the stereotypical billboard advertising the free surgery talks, they should just point out that a guy's penis will get longer, and they'd have to fight people from crowding in to sign up.
We also thought that there should be two brochures. One for couples that talks about the health benefits, etc. and one just for guys that has the same cover, but all of this other side benefit stuff inside.

lol you can have it but its going to affect you alot easier then before you might get drunk off of just a half a glass if that, they say to try and stay away from it but you can have it, but remember having this surgery is for a life change you need to change the habits you use to have or its not going to be worth the money you spent

As a woman, I can say that I can't want to see penises growing bigger and longer after I start losing weight too!

Thank you!! Mind you, I didn't pick either of these MDs (my insurance did), which makes it a little more difficult, But the new surgeon does happen to be male, and he does have a wayyyy better attitude about surgery and who needs it, so you might be onto something suggesting a male surgeon!! My PCP is male also, and he's never disappointed me. I've never had a female doc before and this might stop me from ever using another female doc again!

Damn you Martin I thought you talking about candy....

Ok so I posted this same thing at MFP - if you saw it there thank you for your response lol. If not then I'm curious what your thoughts are!
Do you find bald men sexy or a turn off? (no you won't hurt my feelings - I'm good with who I am )

I had read that for every 10 pounds lost you gain an inch in length I was looking forward to adding over 10 inches since I lost 105 pounds but you won't believe this but it did not happen. LOL

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!! That's hilarious! Onemanwolfpack, I'm already feeling like the first 20 seconds of that video and I'm only3 weeks out! Good luck!

I agree with MDM, try a male doctor. I know a lot of ladies are shy and think that it is better to have a female doctor....but not necessarily. I had very irregular periods when I was younger. Went from one female GYN to another. One told me YOU ARE FAT, this is how it's going to be. I went to a male doc and told him that my last period was 14 days. He yelled, that's HALF of your life, we gotta do something, and he did. Give the guy docs a try. My prayers are with you.

Thanks for all the encouragment and nice comments everyone! I was gratified today to go into a Lane Bryant and buy a pair of size 28 jeans. It just keeps getting better every day!

YAY! Congrats on the loss, I can't wait to start reaching deep in my closet for clothes I haven't fit into in years!
Years ago, I outgrew any pants you can buy in a store. Being tall, it was hard to find pants that fit anyway, but when I got too heavy to get anything, it was really depressing to have to "special order" my pants.
I'm still pre-op, but I've lost 40+ lbs since November of last year. My pants were all getting too, too big. So I went to my trusty online shop to get some more. I ordered them 2 sizes lower than what I already owned - THEY WERE TOO BIG! I was thrilled. They are size 34, so it's not like I can go brag to people that "Hey, size 34 pants are too big on me now", but it's great to have a forum here where people can congratulate you for the success that IT IS!
Best of luck to you as you continue to lose. I know I can't wait for the NSV of buying pants at an actual store again!

No my day goes like this
Breakfast: 1 cup protien shake with 1/2 cup oatmeal or grits
Morning snack: plain greek yogourt, applesauce, or any sugar free Jello
Lunch: Soup that is not chuncky if it is chunky I puree and I'm not really eating any meat based soups( try tomatoe, cream of potatoe,brocoli and cheese, broth, campbells won ton Soup I have a great variety of soup)
Mid afternoon: 1 cup protien shake and apple sauce or pudding
Dinner: one of my many Soups and a sugar free fruit popsicle or sugar free fudgesicle
If you are hungry after that you may have pudding, applesauce or greek yo
I'm not gonna lie I have had a chip here and a bite of a egg roll my mom had but I'm doing well and as the days go on I'm less hungry. I have a huge lunch box and I fill it with what I need and ice packs and keep it near
I also buy tea bags with great flavors: melon dragon fruit, cranberry pomagranet, pineapple chamomile and I drin them without sugar and I also drink 3 to 4 bottles of Water a day which is less than I normally drink because I love Water. My Protein supplement is body fortress from kroger and it is about $18 for a 2lb tub and it taste great I have strawberry and vanilla...I wish u the best of luck and I'm so looking forward to being a sleever!!!

Its an endoscopy I just had one..my NUT sent my paperwork off today for approval and I started my pre op liquid diet pray for me as I pray for approval for you...can't wait for this life change to the better healthier me...best of luck to u

I had my first visit with Dr. Luu today. I'm sooo much happier with him than with the prior surgeon. He ordered my pre-op tests and now I just have to schedule those. Once they are done, I do a second visit with him and we schedule my surgery.
I'm also happy to report that I've lost more weight - down 39lbs since November 2012. I can actually go buy a scale at the store now!
Another happy milestone, I've already started shrinking out of my clothes. I bought 2 pairs of pants on sale through a catalog and bought them 2 sizes smaller than what I had. I figured if they were too snug, they'd fit soon enough. BUT THEY WERE TOO BIG! I can't believe I'm actually losing weight. Pre-op weight loss, and I swear I'm not even trying that hard!
Anyway, the doctor was really nice and their staff was much better than the last place I went, so I'm really happy with my 2nd opinion. Now comes the fun part of testing and getting final insurance approval.
For the first time since I got the idea to have this surgery in July 2012, I actually feel like I'm GETTING THERE. Can't want to get this over with and get skinny!
Quick question - For pre-op, I have to do an upper GI. Is that a barium swallow xray or an endoscopy? Anyone know?

Hey! At least you have a date for surgery! I have my 1st surgeon visit on 12/6 so I'm really anxious to see what hoops I have to jump and when I can get scheduled!
I haven't discussed a goal weight, but I know I want to be at the 170 mark. Right now, I'm 459. That's 289lbs to lose! I have every confidence that I can do it, though. From where I'm starting, I'd be happy just to be in the 200 range - which is ironic when you see all the people on here who got surgery BECAUSE they were in the 200s.
Better to do something about it now before you have 400lbs to lose, is what I'm thinking. Wish I would have looked into surgery sooner!
Good luck to all of us! <3

Fage is the BEST! Love love love!

FAGE tastes like umm....heaven!!

It took me a while to get used to Greek yogurt. I hated it at first. I still really don't like Chiobani. It's too sour. I love Fage. It's much milder and I can actually eat it plain. So if you don't like one brand you may be surprised if you try another. My all time fave is Oikos honey but its a little too sugary so I don't eat it much (ate it pre op) but it is amazing!

I agree with what Aussiegirl said - panniculectomy if you want kids, abdominoplasty if you don't.
Panniculectomy is just to remove excess skin.
Abdominoplasty removes excess skin and also tightens the abdominal muscles.
Panniculectomy is usually covered by insurance.
Abdominoplasty is usually NOT covered by insurance.
So your insurance saying they will pay for part of it is probably saying they will pay for the fee of a panniculectomy and the extra $ for the abdominoplasty portion is considered cosmetic and would be out of your pocket.
Abdominoplasty will give a better cosmetic result, but you can also tighten your own muscles with exercise.
If you plan to get pregnant, though, I'd hold off on either surgery. Make sure you're going to be at a stable weight before you go under the knife again... cuz recovery time for either one of those surgeries is 6-8 weeks - would you really want to go through that twice because you had kids after the first surgery? Or pay for it twice, for that matter?

I'm pre op and very depressed and stressed - the way I look at it, I CAN'T FEEL ANY WORSE THAN I ALREADY DO! Anything would be an improvement at this point. And, I gotta say, this whole insurance process isn't helping!! I think getting over the insurance woes, the pre-op testing, the night-before-surgery-jitters - I'll be so exhausted that getting the dang operation over with will bring on a flood of relief and it will only get better from there!
You have to have a positive attitude. You WILL get through this. You WILL feel better. You WILL succeed. You WILL be happy.
"Trying" to be or do anything already implies failure. You have to have the will to see the bigger picture, to keep your eye on the prize, and KNOW IT WILL GET BETTER.
I woulda thought an old hippie lady would know that a positive attitude gets you through anything. Stay strong! You've survived this long as a heavy person - that speaks volumes for your capacity to adapt already! Life isn't easy being heavy. But every movement you make will be easier when you lose weight. Just eliminating the depressing effects of pain, pain you may not even recognize because you've had it so long, will change your overall mood.
I know I'll probably have body issues for my whole life. Things I'll want to change or whatever - like most women have. I'm okay with that. I'm not okay with being the biggest person I know. I'm not okay with struggling up my FOUR porch stairs. I'm not okay with cracking ankles and knees at age 32 because my poor legs were not made to sustain this weight. My body is a mess, I don't expect that to change completely by losing weight (if anything, things could get reallll ugly!). But being accepted by society is so important to me. I bully myself harder than anyone, but I'm so fragile to society because I've been ridiculed too many times. I recognize how I'm treated differently, and I know I'm a smart person! I know I have valid, thoughtful opinions. I know I'm a great, funny, talented person - but being severely overweight, no one sees that!
Wow. This reply got really long. Sorry bout that. I need a therapist stat! LOL

December 10th, 2012 (2 years ago) I'd be laying in my recovery room in Mexico after the surgery that would change my life. I'm feeling great and maintaining a good ~190lbs (I still weigh every week). My main concerns now are trying to eat healthier and not drink as much alcohol, as well as deal with situations involving group meals being awkward (work events, dates, etc.)
I'll keep this short, but I just wanted to pop on this board and mention something.

These are normal concerns for any surgery. If you stick to the plan your surgeon sets for you, then you should be successful.
Gastric bypass patients (and sleeve patients) can regain weight. Bypass patients still have their full stomach and the pouch can stretch or reconnect with the remaining part of the stomach, which will allow them to eat more and gain weight. Sleeve patients stay more restricted longer, but don't have the dumping side effect like RNY patients do, so it's easier to start eating things that aren't good for you. All the WLS types have their pros/cons.
Yes, you will probably be on Vitamin supplements for life. Why? Well, with bypass, it's because your intestines are altered, and the portion of the intestine that absorbs nutrients from your food is removed. This is also the part that absorbs fat and calories, so it creates malabsorption for the purpose of weight loss and it is a permanent change to that part of your anatomy. So even if you identify through bloodwork that you have a deficiency and start taking a Multivitamin (or rx) correct it, your body is still set up NOT to absorb those nutrients, which makes it that much more difficult to stay in control of that post-op.
The difference with a sleever is that you're potentially deficient on Vitamins because even if you were on the most perfect, ideal diet plan, you simply can't eat enough of ANYTHING to get enough of those Vitamins in your system. But if you find out you're deficient and start taking vitamins, then your body will still be able to absorb those vitamins in your intestines and you can control it more easily.
With bypass and with sleeve, eventually the time comes where you can tolerate eating more food. So your Vitamin levels can be maintained with diet alone, once you reach a point where you can tolerate a well-balanced diet. But you may still require those vitamins for the long haul. It's not quite as bad as with the bypass, though, as far as the number of vitamins you need - depending on whether or not you are deficient in those vitamins now.
Bottom line is that when you choose WLS, you are committing to long term medical care for your obesity. So you'll need regular bloodwork to make sure everything is where it should be, and you'll have to be in control of what you put in your mouth post-op. These surgeries (none of them) are the "easy way out" or the "quick fix". You have to be committed to doing what your surgeon tells you to do, and committed to sticking with the plan.
Having 80% of your stomach taken out will dramatically reduce the amount you can eat, and should reduce if not eliminate your hunger/cravings. This journey is what you make of it! I totally understand being scared that it won't work or that you'll regain - I have those same thoughts - however I think the best you can do is take the advice of your surgeon/dietitian and stay in control of what you eat. I'm sure your friend who had the bypass and regained did something to cause it. No one just gains weight for no reason. Maybe your friend doesn't want to disclose what they did to gain the weight - but I sincerely doubt they stuck to their plan 100% and still regained. This journey is only your own - I'm actually glad I don't know anyone who has had WLS, because you could drive yourself crazy doubting yourself when you see someone else's failure.
I wish you good luck! Educate yourself as much as you can to make sure this is the option you want to take!