gmanbat

I'll have to try that. Seriously, I will try it.

You da lady!!

Not all dads are alike but most don't expect their daughters to suck up pain like a Navy SEAL. I was really amazed at mine while waiting outside her delivery room to only hear her yell about the last 5 minutes before my second granddaughter was born. I would have hollered for hours.

You are not pathetic, you are human. We addict ourselves to things because of needs we have emotionally. Unless we find some other less destructive ways to meet those needs we continue on paths that we are familiar with, however detrimental. Now you have chosen to step off of that old path. You must find fulfillment in life apart from stuffing. For whatever reason we overeat we must find ways to cope with life's challenges. Mine was nerves, and wanting to eat myself into dullness to escape the pain of life, food as a drug. We must face reality and make it a friend and not something to escape. I think I have discovered the root of my over-indulgence in food; frustration with how my life was going. There were dreams I had that were never fulfilled, some that I wrecked by my own stupidity. It created a self-hatred and subsequently a careless attitude about how I took care of myself. By prayer and meditation I have found peace with myself and with God. I no longer despise myself, the dreams that I had were great but other great things happened while I was dreaming. Life happened, love happened, I was blessed and was a blessing. I have finally made myself my friend. I like living in this loose skin.

I will give that a shot! And thanks for the Moe theme. It makes me smile to see the familiar face that occupied so many of my childhood TV hours. ...pick 2.... boink!

I was instructed early on in my life about masking and guilt deferment. Masking: when ripping, stage a loud sneeze or drop something loud at the exact time. Guilt deferment: when you feel it coming on make sure you are close to a suitable scape goat, ( dogs are good for this, they can't deny). After the blast make a disgusted face at the victim and dramatically move away.

Welcome!!! :)

You have beaten the greater part of your enemy. It's on the ropes. Kill it. Go over your battle tactics one at a time, cover all the bases. Water, Protein first, exercise, Vitamins, Fiber, sleep, no browsing, and whatever you use in your fight. Accept no excuses, show no mercy, don't lie to yourself. Your mother passing away is traumatic but sabotaging your body does not honor her. You can take it to the goal and beyond, it is in you. Grab it. Get mad, get mean. Win.

Put on your prom dress and have a dance with him. Try Beautiful....Christina Aguilera..from 2003

I went through all of those things. It was miserable. What got me me through it was hope that things were going to get better. And boy, did it ever! I have a slim body like when I was in my 20's and I am as strong as I was then. I do not in any way feel deprived. I eat what I want to eat, (I just want to eat good). I buy clothes without trying them on. My wife looks at me like I'm a juicy steak. Prepare for some good times. Sometimes you have to drive though the desert to get to the luxury resort.

If you get to the mall be sure to go to Macy's, Dillards, or whatever and go to the rack with your goal size. Pick out some nice stuff and tell them, "I'll be back!"

I had many self-doubts before my operation. I envisioned myself fainting in a supermarket from lack of food and paramedics being called. I contemplated going bonkers with hunger and being super depressed from it. None of that happened. I am not famished, never have been. Far from fainting, this morning I ran up a steep hill, full speed, with 5 pound weights in each hand, 11 times. After that I did 3 sets of push ups and 3 sets of knee bends. Not bad for a 64 year old cancer survivor. My hunger is far less than I worried about. The exercise actually helps in that department, it seems to give me the desire for good food and not too much of it. It is natural to wonder how we are going to do before an event that will try our bravery and resolve. When I face something big I think about the soldiers on D-Day who were being shuttled from ships to the beach to face a wall of bullets that was taking down friends all around them. They ran right into it for love of country and fellow soldier with their hearts beating out of their chest. They were just humans like me but nothing I have ever faced comes close to comparing. We humans are capable of great fortitude if we give ourselves a chance and have faith.

fa·ce·tious [fuh-see-shuhs] Show IPA adjective 1. not meant to be taken seriously or literally: a facetious remark. I knew it was facetious. I like that word although it would have killed me in a spelling bee.

My philosophy from the beginning of my journey has been, train like an athlete for the rest of my life. I have food cravings, mostly protein. My thinking revolves around feeding my muscles, having enough carbs for energy and vitamin nutrition and fiber for health. The garbage food that is presented to me gets little more than a taste. I am building something here, I have sworn off tearing myself down. The sleeve was a gift given to me. It cost me $1000. out of pocket and nearly $40,000 was paid by insurance. It was like I was walking to a goal that was impossible to reach and someone came along and gave me the keys to a Rolls Royce. I would be an idiot to not make the most of this. An alcoholic once told me he used to detox just so alcohol would have a greater effect on him, not to change his life. Get clean, get dirty again. You might hate being fat but that is not enough. You have to hate living and thinking like a fat person. You must hate the process of getting fat. Stay off that train, find the right one!

Before: After: My Debbie, RNY, Nov. 2011. Went from Size 22 to size 4. Went from 235 to 125. Look at that face...beaming with pride...posin' n' stylin'...diggin' that camera! My friends this is such a difference for her. No more feeling bad about herself. She's got energy coming out her ears. This is the gal I married in 1973. Her old sassy snap is back and I'm loving it!

Amy, I have a 20 pound kettlebell that I take on walks with me. It is amazing the different moves you can do with it while walking. I switch hands and move it around my body, lift it overhead, hold it out in front of me, the variations are up to your imagination, any move helps. It makes the walks more fun and puts the legs to the test adjusting for the weight moving around. I also like to make the neighbors stare at me. I started out with a much lighter weight.

Lots of good advice has been given. I channel my emotions to give me motivation to exercise. My strongest ones at the present time are anger and love. Anger: mad the doc who said I would be dead two years ago, mad because I hurt whether I exercise or not, mad at fat, mad about getting old, etc. Love: love God and want to take care of His temple, love my wife and want her to live with a fun guy, love my kids and grandkids and want them to bask in my wisdom for many years ahead , and love myself and want to help me feel good about me. Emotions motivate. Fall in love, get mad,... fight! Josey Wales: Now remember, when things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. 'Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is.

My wife and I have been through this together as well, me with the sleeve, her with RNY. We have both reached goal and are as happy as larks. Here's a thread about us: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/75223-proud-of-my-wife/page__hl__gmanbat#entry764481

My newly slim wife and I went to Busch Gardens and attended a Sha - Na - Na concert there. It was packed so we got separated in our seating. She sat next to an ex- cop from New Jersey who promptly hit on her. I sat next to a little Georgia peach who put the moves on me. Both of the hitters knew we were married and didn't care. We had quite a laugh about it later. The world is full of swamp rats that are devoid of morals. We can't hide ourselves behind fat globule shields because other people have no class. Don't let the ethically challenged dictate your actions. If you love each other strengthen your relationship every chance you get with all the creativity that is within you. Tie those chords of reassurance tight so jealousy gets laughed down when it rears its green head.

Part of this, if it is true, is the "prison syndrome". When freedom suddenly returns, many new options present themselves causing anxiety. In prison choices were more or less pre-determined. Now new power is in your hands, with power comes responsibility. Now you have a slim body and more energy. What are you going to do with it? You can't hide behind the fat bars anymore. You can make changes, some of them drastic. Your relationships, your career, your morals, everything needs to be re-evaluated or reinstated. If you don't have your values in place before you get out you will have to decide what they are once you are free. Can you cope and thrive in freedom and be a blessing to yourself and those around you or will you retreat and find a way to put yourself back into bondage?

If you could modify your thinking and feeling you might be able to solve your problem. You said you don't enoy eating any more. Is it because everything tastes bad or that you can't consume very much of it? I don't cook a whole lot but when I do I am very concerned with the taste because that is basically all I get out of it. I don't get to stuff for extended periods but I can eat slowly and savor great tasting food. I think I love food more now than before. It's because I concentrate on flavors more than quantity and because I know I am not making myself fat and unhealthy with it. I think of gormet competitions that I've seen. The meals are little bitty portions that I used to laugh at. Now they would be about right for me. Make some killer meals that twang your buds! Just eat a "gormet portion".

Yup, it was like that for us for quite a while when we dieted before surgery. I would lose faster than her. But after my prostate cancer treatment I lost the ability to lose weight and ballooned up real good. Weight loss surgery brought us both down to goal, actually at about the same rate! It's the muscle mass that makes the difference. I never yet have been able to get my muscle mass back after hormone treatment, (Lupron), blasted my testosterone all to heck. But what I have is looking more ripped all the time.

I wasn't referring to competing with your wife, I meant competing with any possible other guy that would catch her eye. It is common in nature for the male to strut his stuff to impress the female and beat out the other males so we have to work on our strut.

Way to stare it down! Engaged brain, compulsion conquered! Excellent!

My wife losing weight and getting even more attractive was an extra incentive for me to pour on the effort to increase my hotness quotient. I'm pretty happy with myself, no worries about her. Men, don't sit back and whine like babies, ...compete!