RJ'S/beginning

Scales are for fish! lol

You already know the things that caused you to gain weight..You are well on your way!
I hate change as well, but when I gained all that weight I changed then too...Now I am going to let the smaller but stronger me out and kick ass!
Go girl go!!!!

Sometimes I think that you get comments both ways....Too big...too small..You can't win ..You have worked so hard.....I would be sensitive as well....It is a lot of work to do this journey...It is not for the faint of heart....
That said...Listen to your wife's opinion and see yourself for who you have become....Amazing difference I think....

I don't know you at all..But I looked at your pics and you don't look older at all...You look healthier for sure.....
Some people think that they are looking out for you and others are just thoughtless.....
I have lost a lot of weight and still have a lot to lose and people are telling me I look sick and I just say thank you.....Who needs enemies when you have these friends and family...LOL
So I know where you are coming from!

Wow....inspiring for sure..The only problem is trying to change everything anyone has ever said to you that was negative about yourself and finding the new you.
I grew up in a family that measured looks and size..I always came out lacking in both....I grew to believe I was worth nothing and was stupid and any other negative thing you can think of....They always brought up my weight and felt better knowing that they were smaller then me..It made them feel powerful...
Now I am letting that person out that was ridiculed so much through out my life...When I was thin or fat did not matter I was not worth much.....
I am interested in seeing what is left inside of me and how I will learn to see myself....Thank you for your post....I have a long way to go to even feel a little of that about myself!!!!

Wow that is a lot of changes..wait until your looks and body start to change and you have trouble keeping up with it all.
I know myself all the changes have been a surprise to me and rewarding as well..esp....the fact that no one recognizes me...love that one.....A whole new world for you outside the sleeve and a whole new world awaits you with the sleeve..
All the best!!!!!!!!!

LOL...yes I learned a lot of medical terms that I could have spent my entire life not ever knowing....I love the post! Well said! It is a reminder of our frailties as humans.....but may we never give up and never lose sight of the successes we have made over our addiction to food!

Will quote from Fifth Element.."What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"...I laugh every time he says that..I really believe it..There are only a small percentage of people in this world that find life a bowl of cherries...Most of us only get to deal with the pits....
You should be very proud of yourself...Not only have you made a good life for your kids..But you are a survivor.....And now you are looking after you...that will make you even stronger....

It's not your issues that are being censored but your swear words....This forum is here to encourage everyone to continue the journey with help and understanding....As I read your post I put all the swear words in their places....You can say everything you need to say without cursing and all will know you mean business.....
Personally I don't care how you write your feelings out but they have rules on this forum and there is no swearing allowed....not even short handed swear words...lol

I went cold turkey off of refined sugar....If you crave sugar it is bad for you...you are actually allergic to it....
What I have done is replaced the sugar with maple syrup, agave or coconut sugar...all natural and no Hexane in any of them..... So far so good...I bake my own things so it is easier to replace the sugary things with healthier choices.....

Karen Congratulations on your easy surgery experience....Not everyone gets to have that for their beginning..I know I was one of those horror stories....10 months out now I am doing better...
The crossed the finished line..Sorry girl you have your work cut out for you...This is where the work begins....The struggles, learning a new way of eating. Dealing with why you had to have this in the first place and why you had a food addiction..
I am glad you have a good support system..
But this is a life long change for you and you will find it hard at times...You did this for the right reasons...We all did...But this is not for the faint at heart...This completely changes the way you view almost everything....
So happy for you girl......onward and upward to the new and improved and healthier you!!!!!!!!!

All this is normal...Big changes ahead for you......Looks to me like you have made the decision ....
Go forward to a better and healthier you.
And all the best!

There are different size stomachs according to your build, height.just the same as if I was 10 feet tall all my organs would be complementing that size......
Amazing how the body works...Can't imagine having a stomach the size of a football if I were 5 feet tall...
The surgeon will decide when he sees you on the table.......

Some people go through a food funeral....I did it and was very happy I did...I ate things that I knew I would never eat again.....That is why it was a funeral....
Everything you said I have felt...2 Years ago I visited my daughter and had to fly...My hubby quietly asked the stewardess for an extension for the belt...she gave him one and looked at me...That is where everything started to go wrong.....She treated me like dirt the entire 5 hours.....I was so uncomfortable in the seat it was unbelievable .....I will never forget the looks on peoples faces when they looked at me......I know they were thinking that I was.....@#$%^&*%^$#$.....
And that was how I felt about myself too......I hate the laughing and finger pointing and the jokes I endured.....
Now 9 months out...I am acceptably fat...No one even notices me anywhere I go..that is exactly how I like it.......
I hope like you in 3 years I will be still on board working with my wonderful tool...And still going forward and loving life....
Thank you so much for your post!

I am by no way an expert but I am under the impression that when falling off the right path there are methods to get back on track. I myself am a newbie so hopefully someone can help shed some light with you. But my facilitator told me that when you hit a rough spot or go on vacation or as life sometimes happen you can always jumpstart the weight loss again by following the preop and post op diet again...I hope that helps. I haven't been thru this yet but can sympathize with you. I couldn't even imagine how upset I would be if I gained weight now or in 2 or even 10 years!!!

Some professionals just do not have a good bed side manner...all he has to do is make sure all is well and the surgeon and the team will look after the rest......I am being sleeved on Nov. 6th...I have had ups and downs over this myself but will go forward as it is my only option for me to get to where I need and want to be......
A lot that happens is how you respond to the surgery yourself......some have an easy time of it...and others don't......being prepared for anything is the key.......
4 hours seems a stretch...my surgeon said he will be in and out in 45 min. I think this guy just wanted to give you the worst possible scenario......4 hours or 45 min....you'll be asleep......you won't know the difference anyway....but you will be on your way....to using the new tool that will help you gain so much freedom.....don't let 1 person frazzle you......you are ready....
I have waited 4 years myself for this and now it is almost here...I don't think I would have been this ready even 2 years ago.......
Remember why your doing this and you will be okay........there is a lot of medicine out there to help with your discomfort and stuff........
Love the comment about the gas issue.........can women even say gas and fart in the same sentence or out loud.......I laughed hard at that...TY Annie!!!!!!

Some professionals just do not have a good bed side manner...all he has to do is make sure all is well and the surgeon and the team will look after the rest......I am being sleeved on Nov. 6th...I have had ups and downs over this myself but will go forward as it is my only option for me to get to where I need and want to be......
A lot that happens is how you respond to the surgery yourself......some have an easy time of it...and others don't......being prepared for anything is the key.......
4 hours seems a stretch...my surgeon said he will be in and out in 45 min. I think this guy just wanted to give you the worst possible scenario......4 hours or 45 min....you'll be asleep......you won't know the difference anyway....but you will be on your way....to using the new tool that will help you gain so much freedom.....don't let 1 person frazzle you......you are ready....
I have waited 4 years myself for this and now it is almost here...I don't think I would have been this ready even 2 years ago.......
Remember why your doing this and you will be okay........there is a lot of medicine out there to help with your discomfort and stuff........
Love the comment about the gas issue.........can women even say gas and fart in the same sentence or out loud.......I laughed hard at that...TY Annie!!!!!!

Not feeling hungry has never happened for me. After surgery of course my appetite was non-existant, but 3 months out I started getting hunger pangs. So I ate. And sometimes they would come often, and again, I ate. It never hindered my weight loss in anyway either. I figured if my body is telling me it's hungry then..chow down, but only on healthy foods. My hunger is sated very easily and I know that's because of the surgery.
As far as the second question - I don't really remember a "magic number" per say, but I did notice is was a lot easier for me to get around, and have more energy 2 months out. Walking up the steps became so much easier and standing on my feet didn't hurt my back as much.
I danced when I put on clothing I wasn't able to fit into for a while. Yep. Dancing is how I celebrate. I did a little jig this morning after I come off the scale. 2 lbs lighter is worth a dance and a shimmy to me... lol
The weight loss has always show in my face first, but this time it's my derrier as well, which I'm soooo happy about. My butt had it's own zip code. Oh, and my hands.. I can actually see veins, bones and tendons which is so cool! I've always wanted slender hands.

I had a pain drip and it was wonderful! I also had a device called "onQ", which has a little catheter that gave numbing medication directly to the incision inside. The worst pain is the gas that gets trapped under the diaphragm--the only way for it to go is to walk, walk, and fart! GasX strips are wonderful! The first week was rough for me, but 10 days post op I was helping a friend paint her new house! Dont let your fear of the physical pain stop you!! It is temporary!! You can do this!!

Have you ever heard of the expression..chew your water.....well it is real..it is taking the ice cold water that you drink and swishing it around in your mouth and moving your jaw up and down until the water mixes well with your saliva.......when it mixes it well your stomach can handle the water better.........it is easier for you to use this way then swallowing as soon as you put it in your mouth....I have just learned about this technique myself and hope that it will work for me too...I love water and gulp it down with total satisfaction.........I know I won't be able to do that after I am sleeved but knowing that I can still put it in my mouth and working it around my mouth might give me some satisfaction...here is to hoping.....

There is only so much room in the sleeve for food....and if you don't fill it with good stuff like protein, water, veggies and fruit.......then you will be sick...The surgery has also removed the chemical in your body that tells you you are hungry even if you are not truly hungry......eating 5 or 6 meals a day will seem like you are eating all the time.....that is at least what I have been told.......pre-surgery myself here...I think that the sleeve makes you more cautious to eat properly and not out of the desire just to eat for what ever reason....I have a problem with pasta and sweets as well....they are my comfort foods........neither of those will help me in my journey to a smaller me....
People say all the time that the surgery changes your likes and dislikes for certain foods......I hope I really hate sugar...lol.......
I also know how easy it is to roller coaster diet..that is how I got to be this big....for once and for all.....I will do this and for all the right reasons......I will be able to use this tool to help me stick to it and not gain it all back and more......
It is all a mind set....we don't like food to go bad...because we were taught that others did not have as much as we did...so eat up..it stays with us....we have to change our thinking and put food in its rightful place...to nurture our bodies ....not our pain, desires and emotions......
I have always controlled what I ate and how much...I will still be in control....for the process of losing all of this.....I still have the power and I plan on using it to help me to continue to grow into a better me....better place and finally put the real power where it belongs.......to eat to live not live to eat.......
I could not do it before..too many issues....wasn't ready........really had to work on a lot of stuff to get here...now I am here and forward ho I say....engage!!!!!!!
Good luck to you....

Hello,
I was on the pre-op diet for 1.5 months. I was good and only ate what they said I could eat and I got rid of 30 lbs. My co-workers wanted to know why I didn't just stay on the pre-op until I lost all the weight that I wanted to. My answer to them was because I wouldn't stay with it. I know me. I love to eat. I'm a chocoholic. I knew that I would only be able to control staying away from sweets for so long. Besides, I'm also an emotional eater and I always gave in to the emotions. I wouldn't stay on protein shakes and chicken broth.
Your breakfast sounds like mine except I ate a whole banana. I could make a pan of Hamburger Helper and eat half of it. People had said 'eat to live not live to eat' but I knew that wasn't me. I didn't live to eat. Wrong. The first day of my pre-op diet was horrible. I was in a panic by the end of the day. I kept telling myself that it wasn't worth going thru this. That was the moment that I realized I was living to eat. from then on it was easier. I prayed often for strength.
My tastes changed after the surgery and that's ok. I won't tempt myself by trying a pastry or a piece of Hershey candy. It's only been two months since my surgery so I want to wait until I know my willpower is strong.
As mentioned above there isn't much room in your sleeve. I was having a very hard time at first getting enough protein down because it wouldn't fit. Then I found the protein shots at Wal-Mart and that solved the problem.
As mentioned above it is a mind-set. Once I made up my mind I was ready to have the sleeve...didn't want the others...I was determined. I don't crave anything yet and I hope I don't. I can sit and watch my friends eat turtle cheesecake and not want any. I love being able to do that. I love being able to walk.
You will know when you are ready to take the step for surgery. I had to try another stab at Weight Watchers and that lasted maybe two weeks. I knew I was ready for this emotionally and physically.
Good luck in your journey. I have found that the people on here are great about answering questions that I have.

There is only so much room in the sleeve for food....and if you don't fill it with good stuff like protein, water, veggies and fruit.......then you will be sick...The surgery has also removed the chemical in your body that tells you you are hungry even if you are not truly hungry......eating 5 or 6 meals a day will seem like you are eating all the time.....that is at least what I have been told.......pre-surgery myself here...I think that the sleeve makes you more cautious to eat properly and not out of the desire just to eat for what ever reason....I have a problem with pasta and sweets as well....they are my comfort foods........neither of those will help me in my journey to a smaller me....
People say all the time that the surgery changes your likes and dislikes for certain foods......I hope I really hate sugar...lol.......
I also know how easy it is to roller coaster diet..that is how I got to be this big....for once and for all.....I will do this and for all the right reasons......I will be able to use this tool to help me stick to it and not gain it all back and more......
It is all a mind set....we don't like food to go bad...because we were taught that others did not have as much as we did...so eat up..it stays with us....we have to change our thinking and put food in its rightful place...to nurture our bodies ....not our pain, desires and emotions......
I have always controlled what I ate and how much...I will still be in control....for the process of losing all of this.....I still have the power and I plan on using it to help me to continue to grow into a better me....better place and finally put the real power where it belongs.......to eat to live not live to eat.......
I could not do it before..too many issues....wasn't ready........really had to work on a lot of stuff to get here...now I am here and forward ho I say....engage!!!!!!!
Good luck to you....

There is only so much room in the sleeve for food....and if you don't fill it with good stuff like protein, water, veggies and fruit.......then you will be sick...The surgery has also removed the chemical in your body that tells you you are hungry even if you are not truly hungry......eating 5 or 6 meals a day will seem like you are eating all the time.....that is at least what I have been told.......pre-surgery myself here...I think that the sleeve makes you more cautious to eat properly and not out of the desire just to eat for what ever reason....I have a problem with pasta and sweets as well....they are my comfort foods........neither of those will help me in my journey to a smaller me....
People say all the time that the surgery changes your likes and dislikes for certain foods......I hope I really hate sugar...lol.......
I also know how easy it is to roller coaster diet..that is how I got to be this big....for once and for all.....I will do this and for all the right reasons......I will be able to use this tool to help me stick to it and not gain it all back and more......
It is all a mind set....we don't like food to go bad...because we were taught that others did not have as much as we did...so eat up..it stays with us....we have to change our thinking and put food in its rightful place...to nurture our bodies ....not our pain, desires and emotions......
I have always controlled what I ate and how much...I will still be in control....for the process of losing all of this.....I still have the power and I plan on using it to help me to continue to grow into a better me....better place and finally put the real power where it belongs.......to eat to live not live to eat.......
I could not do it before..too many issues....wasn't ready........really had to work on a lot of stuff to get here...now I am here and forward ho I say....engage!!!!!!!
Good luck to you....

wow...you let her walk away....just kidding....I know exactly how you feel.......judged by the shell is a pretty demeaning thing.......I had a guy once stop his car in front of my house to watch me garden in my front lawn....he told his wife that he would not even go outside if he looked like me.....and why can't I just lose it.....it made him sick to see me....and yet he stopped his car to watch me.....2 years later he came to my house...he was just a shell of a man...he had gotten very sick and now wanted to ask me to forgive him....I explained to him that what he did would be with me the rest of my life and that he humiliated me.....I asked why he thought he had a right to do that.......he said he never forgot the look on my face when he did that.......he told me that no one understands his illness and it made him more understanding of others....I told him that is good for you..but the damage was done...and that he was in danger of passing on his prejudice to his kids........I am sorry I did not let him off the hook............what these people do is disgusting behavior for human beings.........
Being heavy is not for the faint of heart.................all of us have stories that tear at our hearts....I am just so sorry that you didn't punch her in the face........
People in here know that your a human being and a lovely one at that......don't let them bring you to the point where you don't move forward with your life.........you deserve to be you no matter what others say......feed on what she did in a positive way and move on.....your among friends here...