COsleeveDude

Don't buy a treadmill. Anything worth buying will cost you at least $1,500 new, and then you have to maintain them. Go with a recumbent exercise bike or an elliptical if you're going to exercise at home. I would really recommend working out at a gym if you can. It is probably cheaper overall because decent home equipment is expensive. And the gym fights the number one exercise killer: boredom. Exercising consistently requires changes in routine to keep your mind and body from getting bored. Good luck.

The dented scars don't heal the same as raised scars, from what I've heard. For example, the surface treatment like ScarAway or Mederma won't help because they work by flattening raised scars. If it doesn't fill in some by itself you'll probably have to see a plastic surgeon if you want it "fixed." But, the scars overall get a lot better as time goes by. Even only 3+ months out my scars are starting to fade some. I got a massage the other day and the masseuse said she thought after a year the scars wouldn't be noticeable.

I think the advice against gum chewing is a bit overstated for sleevers. A lot of the advice gets carried over from RNY. Chewing gum is definitely better than eating your hands. Manage the risk and chew some gum if you need to.

Sorry to hear about your friends. Did the smoker smoke before the surgery? I smoked years ago, but I haven't had any cravings for cigarettes for a long time. I think I would rather be fat than smoke. And I did put on about 30+ pounds when I quit smoking. My biggest "common" concern would be alcohol, but not necessarily because of addiction or alcoholism. It is easy to start going out more once you drop a few pounds because you feel more social and feel/are more attractive. Alcohol can add a lot of calories, and drinking can lead to other things like overeating, poor food choices, smoking, DUIs, sleeping with ugly people, etc.

One of the fringe benefits for men. I do enjoy breasts, but not my own. The double standards we apply to ourselves...

You can see them if you really want to. The before pic in my profile.

Get your mind out of the gutter. How many chicken breasts is everyone able to eat in one setting? One? Two? More?

At six weeks you're past the timeframe most doctors seem to give for lifting restrictions (usually between 4-6 weeks). You probably just overdid it with the lifting.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but couldn't a heating pad promote infection and/or slower healing? Maybe I'm in the minority here, but take the painkillers while you have the excuse.

It's a balancing act. you just don't want to use one with too much sugar or too many carbs. You might want to start off with the low-cal and see how much you get in. If you need more Protein or calories to get to your goals you can always switch it up. Now I drink straight protein. Once you get a few months out you will probably be looking for the most protein with the last calories and carbs. Good luck.

Bide your time until you recover and then consider a change once you've had time to think things through. My philosophy is that life is too short to waste the good years in your 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond with people who take more than they give. Good luck.

Good luck.

Mmm baby. Here's a taste: http://www.hulu.com/watch/4184

Don't knock it until you try it.

Slept like crap without using the pain meds (for sleep, not pain) for the first few nights. I think sleeping sitting up would've been worse than lying down, but everyone is different.

I started lifting a little over two months ago, and my weight loss has definitely slowed way down since then. I am eating a few more calories and a lot more Protein. But, I lifted when I was younger for football, so my guess is that I am still losing fat while putting on more of the muscle I used to have. My pants size is still shrinking, for example, and I can already see a big different in the size and definition of my muscles. I would recommend not focusing on total weight loss or rate of weight loss as much as calorie intake, protein intake, physical fitness, how your clothes fit, and how you look naked. To me, the weight is just a number. I would rather be in shape and have some more muscle than weigh less. If you weigh less but have no tone, size or strength, to me, what's the point? But that's just my view. My next step is to go and get a body mass measurement (Bod Pod or DEXA), and then follow it up in 6 months to 1 year to see how my approach is working. Good luck.

You can find a lot of low-carb whey proteins at GNC. This is one I've used before, it's affordable and tastes decent. Only 3g carbs, 1g sugar per serving. http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3267268

Lifting weights. Decaf coffee. Sex. Hamburgling.

I would rather pee my pants.

Looks like research shows both work for type 2 diabetes, but bypass may give you an increased chance of better results. Gastric bypass vs sleeve gastrectomy for type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial. http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/21339423 RESULTS: Of the 60 patients enrolled, all completed the 12-month follow-up. Remission of T2DM was achieved by 28 (93%) in the gastric bypass group and 14 (47%) in the sleeve gastrectomy group (P = .02). Participants assigned to gastric bypass had lost more weight, achieved a lower waist circumference, and had lower glucose, HbA(1c), and blood lipid levels than the sleeve gastrectomy group. No serious complications occurred in either group.

That's actually a pretty slick move by your surgeon, one less scar to see. I wonder if tattooing to cover up scars will become popular. My surgeon put one of my five holes in my belly button. I was pretty impressed with that, looks like it was the biggest one.

I would rethink your request, especially with as much weight as you have to lose. To be honest, I wish I felt a little more restricted than I am. My surgeon used a 36F bougie, which is in the standard "range," which for most seems to be anywhere from 32-40F. My hunger is definitely greatly decreased, as is my capacity, but I am able to eat more in one sitting than I would like. So I still have to employ some willpower when I am feeling a little more hungry. I have a longer torso, so maybe I have a longer stomach. In any case, I wouldn't want to face another surgery down the road. Good luck.

I use the GNC Mega Men Sport: http://www.gnc.com/p...oductId=4033437. I used them before surgery, and all of my pre-surgery blood tests for Vitamins and minerals were good, so I figured why change? Seems to be working out, as my one and three-month post-surgery blood tests all came back good as well. The one thing for men to note is that the Mega Men don't contain Iron, so men will need to purchase an iron supplement to go along with them. I do the GNC Gentlesorb Iron capsules: http://www.gnc.com/p...oductId=3719245 There's also a GNC brand for women. This version contains iron, some others in the product line don't: http://www.gnc.com/p...oductId=4033452

My surgeon told me it's something like 10% need a second operation to remove the gallbladder. Which is why they don't remove it automatically during WLS, 9 out of 10 will be fine.

You can deduct medical expenses, but only if they meet the IRS guidelines and exceed a certain percentage of your income: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc502.html: Topic 502 - Medical and Dental Expenses If, for a taxable year, you itemize your deductions on Form 1040, Schedule A, you may be able to deduct expenses you paid that year for medical and dental care for yourself, your spouse, and your dependents. You may deduct only the amount by which your total medical care expenses for the year exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. For years beginning after December 31, 2012, you may deduct only the amount by which your total medical expenses exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income. You figure the amount you are allowed to deduct on Form 1040, Schedule A. IRS Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses, contains additional information on medical expenses including who will qualify as your dependent for purposes of the deduction and how you figure and report the deduction on your return. Medical care expenses include payments for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or payments for treatments affecting any structure or function of the body. Medical care expenses include the insurance premiums you paid for policies that cover medical care or for a qualified long-term care insurance policy covering qualified long-term care services. If you are an employee, medical expenses do not include that portion of your premiums paid by your employer under its sponsored group accident or health policy or qualified long-term care insurance policy. Further, medical expenses do not include the premiums that you paid under your employer-sponsored policy under a premium conversion policy; for example, a federal employee, participating in the premium conversion program of the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program, may not include the premiums paid for the policy as a medical expense. If you are self-employed and have a net profit for the year, you may be able to deduct (as an adjustment to income) the premiums you paid on a health insurance policy covering medical care including a qualified long-term care insurance policy covering medical care including a qualified long-term care insurance policy for yourself and your spouse and dependents. You cannot take this deduction for any month in which you were eligible to participate in any subsidized health plan maintained by your employer, your former employer, your spouse's employer, or your former spouse's employer. If you do not claim 100% of you self-employed health insurance deduction, you can include the remaining premiums with your other medical expenses as an itemized deduction on Form 1040, Schedule A. You may not deduct insurance premiums paid by an employer-sponsored health insurance plan (cafeteria plan) unless the premiums are included in Box 1 of your Form W-2. Deductible medical expenses may include but are not limited to: Payments of fees to doctors, dentists, surgeons, chiropractors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and nontraditional medical practitioners Payments for in-patient hospital care or nursing home services, including the cost of meals and lodging charged by the hospital or nursing home Payments for acupuncture treatments or inpatient treatment at a center for alcohol or drug addiction, for participation in a smoking-cessation program and for drugs to alleviate nicotine withdrawal that require a prescription Payments to participate in a weight-loss program for a specific disease or diseases, including obesity, diagnosed by a physician but not ordinarily, payments for diet food items or the payment of health club dues Payments for insulin and payments for drugs that require a prescription Payments for admission and transportation to a medical conference relating to a chronic disease that you, your spouse, or your dependents have (if the costs are primarily for and essential to medical care necessitated medical care). However, you may not deduct the costs for meals and lodging while attending the medical conference Payments for false teeth, reading or prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, hearing aids, crutches, wheelchairs, and for guide dogs for the blind or deaf Payments for transportation primarily for and essential to medical care that qualify as medical expenses, such as, payments of the actual fare for a taxi, bus, train, or ambulance or for medical transportation by personal car, the amount of your actual out-of-pocket expenses such as for gas and oil, or the amount of the standard mileage rate for medical expenses, plus the cost of tolls and parking fees You may not deduct funeral or burial expenses, over-the-counter medicines, toothpaste, toiletries, cosmetics, a trip or program for the general improvement of your health, or most cosmetic surgery. You may not deduct amounts paid for nicotine gum and nicotine Patches, which do not require a prescription You can only include the medical expenses you paid during the year. Your total deductible medical expenses for the year must be reduced by any reimbursement of deductible medical expenses. It makes no difference if you receive the reimbursement or if it is paid directly to the doctor, hospital, or other medical provider. See Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses, for additional information. IRS Publications may be downloaded from the IRS.gov website, www.irs.gov, or ordered by calling 800–829–3676.