VSG4aHealthierMe

I have heard ppl mention protein shots. They say they are gritty but not near as bad as the shakes and, my thinking, its alot easier to drink a couple ounces of something mildly gritty than a serving of something extra gritty. That's just me though. I haven't tried anything yet so I am not the best source as far as taste, I just know what I read. Mostly I am posting to say WAY TO GO!!!! 50 pounds in 3 weeks!! Holy crap! At this rate you will be at your goal b4 the end of august lol Kudos! Just stick to what you CAN do for now and do your best at it and try not to worry about what you can't do yet. Think of it this way. If you had knees surgery 3 weeks ago you wouldn't be expecting to run yet, you would have to give it time to heal. The same goes for your tummy. Just hobble along as best as you can and b4 you know it you'll be thinking back on this difficulty as a distant memory

I like the Wii dance games too, I just wish I could get into them more but my knees don't make that very easy. At least it fun though and it gets you sweating

I will check into it again. I didn't call the places just asked a friend if she new what the cheapest place in town was No, not more disciplined just a tightwad lol.

I haven't been for my surgery yet but the last time I went I loved shopping. Everything is so much cheaper comparatively. Made it easy to buy gifts for ppl as well as keep sakes for myself. Granted where I went was in the heart of Mexico so I don't know if things will be more expensive considering TJ and Mexicali are right by the border. Just watch yourself because if you aren't careful some shopkeepers will take advantage of you and try to rip you off!!

Thanks I will try that.

Cheapest place I have found around me is $50/person.

Those are some good ideas and alot would work for me. I have a wii, just not the "fit "accessories. The bolded part could be a problem though. Jumping rope would have to wait until I lost some weight. I have had several ankle and foot injuries lately and they are still in a weakened state and I would hate to re-injure them and be "benched" instead of being able to work out. The push up and mountain climbers I will probably never be able to do. I broke my wrist my senior year and unbeknown to my doc and I it never healed. After my youngest was born it started to pop really hard and hurt like you know what with the tiniest movements. I had to have surgery and have bone crafted from my arm and put in my wrist and a screw put in the bones and graft to hold them together. My wrist hasn't worked right since high school and especially since the surgery. My wrist won't allow a full range of motion and it is very weak Unfortunately, this limits my options I like the idea of hubby training with me, but wouldn't that be difficult considering we would be in completely different places as far as what we need to accomplish? What little fat is on him I insisted on because when we first met he was so skinny his bones stuck out lol.

Thanks

for home use when I can't get out to work out because its too hot or rainy, etc. The cost of a gym is ridiculous when you consider that after a year you have to pay another years membership fee, then another, and another.... its crazy when you can spend less money and get a couple pieces that are yours forever (I am a bit of a grinch when it comes to spending $, can you tell? lol). I know I want to get a electric treadmill, any suggestions on the best one? It needs to have a weight limit of at least 250, preferably 300 since I doubt I will lose 40+ pounds b4 I need to start working out, and an inclining treadmill is on DH's "Christmas list" lol . I was also thinking about maybe an elliptical or a stationary bike but I am not sure how well my knees will do with those but hopefully once I lose some weight my knees won't be quite so vulnerable to injury (anytime I overdo it now my knees hurt for days on end). I do know for sure that we want to get something with resistance/weight training (upper, core and lower body) so that once I lose enough weight (I want to tone up not bulk up) I can use that to tone my body and DH would get alot of use out of it starting day 1- he wants something like a total gym. Any suggestions on the best options? I am thinking 2-3 (possibly 4 if they are small enough or we can fold them up when not being used) pieces of equipment is about all we will be able to fit in our tiny spare room (It currently has a queen size bed in it and VERY little floor space. Something we could fold up and store would be great to save space when its not being used but we can live with it if it doesn't as long as its a good workout (I don't want to be bored stiff the whole time I am working out). So for those of you who like to work out, at the gym or at home, what are your favorites and what do you wish you had never bought? What vids (Jillian micheals, richard simmons, etc) and what types of vids (pilates, cardio, tai bo, etc) would you recommend for one I can really do some exercising?

So....... what? Are they afraid your doing this in an attempt to end your life? Its so bogus!! I have spent most of my life battling depression (ranging from mild to suicidal) so I am fully aware of the ramifications of depression. A person who is suicidal could find easier ways to finish the job and if its not a fear of that then WTH does it matter if your depressed?? Its so bogus!Are they afraid you might actually get, I don't know, HAPPY post-op???? If I were you I would give it a go at trying to change your docs mind and if you can't find another doc. If your ins won't cover now thanks to this doc take matters in your own hands and go to mexico! NOBODY should be able to essentially tell you that you are not happy enough to save your life!

Good luck! Hopefully it will be here quicker than you think!

Wow that's a long stall! CONGRATS on finally pushing through!!!

Yes, I spoke with him. I will not be choosing him however. I don't know what your experience with him has been (considering you plan to go to him I imagine it was much better than mine), but with me he was very rude. He tried to cut me down almost immediately for asking "very specific" questions via e-mail and not "trust that I know what I am doing". Then he proceeded to flat out call me a liar when he asked if I count calories and I said yes and told him my average. He said you can't violate the laws of this and that. He completely rubbed me the wrong way. So unless something major happens I think I will stick with Aceves Good luck, I truly hope he was just having a bad bad when I talked to him.

I don't know if this is the right place but I came to VSGT today to discover I had a message from "nobody" who joined less than 24 hours ago, has no posts, no info about them-nothing. In the message was a link to another message on OH about a "price opportunity" (I am guessing here in the US) with a facility trying to meet an insurance certification requirement offering a limited number of special price VSGs. My first thought was that this was spam and everyone or several ppl got it. My second thought was (if it just came to me) is that someone here wanted to anonymously (for whatever reason ) let me know. I don't know why it would have to be Anon though. Also, I don't know the docs name or the hosp or website of the facility of anything but I am not setting easy with the fact that they (whoever) have not done enough VSGs to already be certified. Furthermore, I am uncomfortable with the fact that since I know none of the above listed identifying info that I can't even look into the doctor. The way I see it I will look into anyone I can afford, just like I did with Mexico doesn't mean I will change my mind but with my family clamoring for me to stay in the states it at least appeases them to know I am looking and if I happen to find a surgeon near by that I can afford and has a good track record and experience all the better. But I don't know if its the fact that it came to me anon or the lack of any identifying info for the facility doing this or both but I am just uneasy about it. Did anyone else get it??

Did you get that from your surgeon? If so, does anyone know if Aceves does that for his patients with longer flights? I just looked it up and I was wrong in my last post, travel time will be a minimum of 6.5 hours and that's a long time to be sitting still just days post-op... What are flight socks?? Off to look them up...

I don't know about the topic starter, but for me the flight will be 5-6 hours w/ about an hours layover. Having flown b4 I know 1 hour is not as long as it seems. It can sometimes take that long to take a potty break and get to the next terminal. I worry I won't be able to walk quick enough and have to stay in a wheel chair (which we will have post-op so that I can be one of the first ones to board so I am not getting knocked around by other passengers while I try to find a seat) and I won't really be able to walk during that time. I am not sure how you can get up and walk around in-flight though. They don't leave a ton of room and its a nightmare just trying to get to the bathroom!

I was wondering about this myself! I am going to Mexico for my sleeve and I wonder about the comfort level on the flight as well as the fact that you are basically stationary for several hours which could encourage blood clots. I hope someone answers as I would like to hear the answer as well.

No more monkey butt??? I am a little scared to see what that even is lol

After my first son was born (via c/section) my stomach was obliterated. I have stretch marks from groin to less than an inch below my TTs and as an additional parting gift he left me with a "fat pouch" (grade 2 pannus) "anchored" at the point of the incision. It has not budged since then. At one point I lost 23 pound and several inches from my waist and still wore the same size pants. One doc said I will likely need a tummy tuck to remove it But other have said that once I lose weight it may snap back. What has been the experience for you all? If you had excess skin to begin with did it snap back or did it have to be removed? I just hate it SOOOOO much. To this date my c/s scar is still raw and painful because of the moisture that is trapped there. I have tried everything to alleviate the moisture but nothing I have tried has worked. I have tried baby powder, absorbent material, deodorant, gold bond powder, etc. Anything I could think of. Has anything worked for any of you (seeing as how I have to put up with this until after I lose the weight and possibly until I get surgery)? Any info would be helpful! Thanks in advance!

I agree with the others. As long as you are in your target zone you will strengthen your heart and get fit as well. To calculate target heart rate: Maximum heart rate: 220 - age = ____ beats/min Target-zone heart rate: Upper limit = Maximum heart rate X 0.85 = ____ beats/min Lower limit = Maximum heart rate X 0.7 = _____ beats/min Target-zone heart rate _____ to _____ beats/min

Great job and congrats!!!

CONGRATS!!!! KUP if you can!

Yippee! You look great!!

Oh, no no, I wasn't saying I AM the only one, I didn't know so I figured I would mention it. Most 20 somethings in my area don't have kids and I tend to fit in more with the older group. That was my only point. I didn't know if any of the 20+ crowd had kids and I didn't want to weigh anyone down as the only one with kids if that was the case. Honestly I don't really know why I mentioned it now that I think about it.... its not like having them will affect me much where this board is concerned. Ack! I need to go to bed lol but I can't sleep.

Yeah, I did (not currently taking it but I should be, but adding that on top of IBS I would never be able to leave the house). I noticed that walmarts brand is worse than others about it. I told a friend that was having the same problem and he noticed a diff too so steer clear of walmarts brand unless you have tried it and do better with it. I went to CVS to get mine. I still had the problem but only about half as bad as with walmarts brand AND I didn't get the "acid poo's" with the CVS brand either. HTH.