gmanbat

Fantastic! Thanks for all that effort and sharing! Very cool! You look wonderful!

Good for you! Living it up while you're going down! Applause!

You are absolved, Fluff, except now you will have to wait until you are 18 before you get your license.

I had a great deal of trouble getting water in. That little pill cup full of water that they wanted me to put down might as well have been a gallon jug. I just had to work it in a sip at a time. I can drink like horse now.

Wear a white flower, use that as your description, ...don't you guys ever watch old movies? Happy and sad for you, LL. Happy that you've beat the crap out of your obesity problem but sad that it cost you. Consider the lost money part of your co-pay.

I wasn't always a good citizen, I had a time of incarceration when I was a young man. I vividly remember the day of my release. I remember taking a deep breath of free air and tearing up over the realization that the oppressive restrictions were over and that a life of rich possibilities lay before. That moment came again many years later in Wal-Mart. I was trying on jackets and kept putting them back and getting smaller sizes. When I finally found the size that fit me I realized that my fat straight-jacket is really coming off! My goal of health was actually within my grasp! Many of the problems that I had considered to be "just getting old" turned out to be connected to obesity. To me it was the equivalent of going back in time and becoming that free boy who had boundless energy and passion for life. When anyone criticizes VSG they are talking about the hero that broke me out of a torture chamber. No need to expect me to be objective about it.

Pounds no more "fall off" than a baby "pops out". That's my two cents. If it wasn't for that pesky love and empathy thing, having that baby wouldn't have been much of a challenge. If you go for the optimum you will have to work. The trick is to make it a joy. Movement became a great high to me after being locked in a restrictive body. Pumping lungs, fast beating heart, power surging through those expanding muscles, gotta have it!

I always hesitate to post on threads that discuss tracking because I never have tracked. From my bodybuilding days I had a general idea of the Protein content of foods and just added it up in my head. My program emphasizes exercise and calorie counting never was a need for me. However, I am fully supportive of tracking. I would suggest streamlining it to the bare minimum that is effective in helping you maintain fat loss. Life is for living, not one long accountants nightmare. Reminds me of tourists who are constantly taking pictures. How can you really get into the experience of something when all you are doing is reporting on it? You go home, all you have is pictures. Again, I support tracking. I support tracking. I do. Really.

http://www.livinghealthy360.com/index.php/causes-of-orange-stool-color-82065/ Forums yielded stories about nuts and fish/fish oil causing it. You should ask doc. Don't assume that it is something serious, it just is a question that needs the right answer. I once looked down before flushing and saw what I thought was a stool full of blood. I got pretty concerned until I remembered the Harvard beets my wife had fixed which I devoured in abundance .

New is good, we like new around here! Welcome! Don't be afraid to ask questions. This site has a great search feature but it also has a lot of people like myself who don't mind answering the same questions over and over. All the best to you!

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/237747-gmanbat-and-wife-ba-pics/ My wife had RNY and I had the sleeve. These are some B&A pics I posted sometime back. We are slimmer now.

Interesting question. In most of my dreams I am not looking at myself so I can't tell whether I'm fat or not. I do think my self esteem has improved. My most recent dream involved an inadequately clothed Marilyn Monroe who was apparently smitten with me.

Welcome!!!!

I think this new forum was a great idea! It just got started so the numbers of posts are small but I am sure there will lots of posts and threads coming up!!!

Finally a doc that got it right. Coffee does NOT cause dehydration, it just doesn't add anything, the caffeine cancels out the water intake. So don't count it.

What a number for December! Hope all of you folks do well, I'm pulling for you!

Very well said. We've been through the superficial promises to self period. We know this is a commitment to the bone, a marraige not a casual engagement. This is a matter of life and half-life, of freedom or wasting away in a prison of our own making. I feel blessed that I have been born in such a time that medical science has given us a chance for a renewed life. It is a great priviledge to be one that became aware of this possibility and escaped from the maddening loop of endless effort with no results. You will maintain and continue to see your life unfold in brightness. So will I.

I suggest getting your food separated first before laying it on the table or otherwise giving Conan access to it. I was with relatives over Christmas. My niece stopped and got Chinese for 8. I was being my usual restrained self and waited until most everyone got their portions. When it was my turn most was gone except for the General Tsos which was sitting in front of her husband. He was eating right out of the carton and acted suprised that anyone needed any. He made me come over and fish some pieces out while he glared at me. Reminded of a scene out out of 1,000,000 B.C.

Yes, I lost about 40% of my excess after 6 months. Working out was primary in my program along with good nutrition, rest, and Water. You can do it!

Jessie, may I ask...what are your measurements? I mean that in a nice way. No numbers needed. Are you getting smaller measurement-wise? Are your clothes getting too big? The tape tells the story clearer than the scale.

That's the spirit! You sound like me when I started. And, by golly, I made it happen. I also realized the need for support...and got it. I'd bet the farm on you!

I have been on this forum for ages it seems and have seen this question from many different people in different ways. It amazes me how our bodies are virtually alike but respond in such unpredictable and various ways. 10 pounds could mean a lot of different things. Metabolisms must adjust, fat goes down..muscle goes up, and unknown to anyone factors in our mind boggling complex bodies could be the culprit. If you compare yourself with super-fast losers 10 pounds is slow. In your case, given your set of circumstances and your body chemistry it could be ahead of schedule. The preponderance of scientific data would suggest that if you keep doing the right thing for long enough, the excess fat will come off. Even a slow train reaches it's destination.

WLS grants one a relatively rapid acquisition of power. Improved health, strength, attractiveness, all expose the nature of your character. It is similar to winning the lottery, ...what are you going to with all of this new freedom? During my descent from mount obesity I had to consider who and what I really am. All of the identity factors afforded by my fat had to be dumped....no more hiding, no excuses for inactivity, no more feeling unattractive. My body took the back seat, my liberated personality took over. I had to decide what I wanted to be. Lottery winners are notorious for destroying themselves. Too much power and freedom from the stress that defines them leaves them without direction. Now they have the means to drown themselves. The ones that survive have a sense of self that allows them to fight off the excesses...they do what they think is right to do and save themselves from the pitfalls in the realm of what they could do. I suggest you take your reducing time to discover the inner you. Find peace with yourself, make friends with yourself. Liking yourself is the key to many treasure rooms. If you learn to like yourself you will find that others will join you in the feeling.

Any food that finds it's way into my mouth is a goner. Ya can't go back out the same door ya came in.

Good for you! The other day I was doing laundry and for a minute I couldn't tell if the jeans I was looking at were mine or my wife's. We are both much smaller and the clothes seem so tiny. I believe this is the best way to save on laundry detergent!