Richard Foor

I tend not to respond to these arguments when they repeatedly occur but just this once I would like to point out that a lot of the time the comments just keep escalating and getting ruder all the time so what I believe started as a different style of giving advice has escalated to an all out argument where everyone is calling everyone else names when they don't even really know each other. Till its all said in done almost everyone ends up breaking the forum rules. Also it should be noted that the moderators dont read every thread so if you think they should get involved you probably should report it to them so they can make a judgment on where it all went wrong. Just my observation not taking sides either way.

You can get Bariatric Times as an App. I have it on my iPad. I read it each month and understand some of it. It's quite interesting thanks for this Misty.

Yep. Mut usually earlier. This is a "call the MD' moment. Allergic reactions can get serious!

Today was the day. Surgery at 10:00 am. and apparently all went well. Now I'm sipping a Protein drink and liquid Tylenol alternately.
I hope all my 9/16 sleeve buddies are doing great!

I think a lot of these drinking rules are still based on results from the other weight loss surgeries. I believe that is why there is so much variation from the Dr.s, that being said I don't think that with the sleeve it needs to be as long before eating because the bottom of the stomach is still intact in it's designed form and as such liquid should drain out relatively quickly and therefore not effect your eating. But of course I always say you should follow the guidelines set for you by your Dr. but you could always talk to them about it if you have problems with the rule, I bet there is a lot of wiggle room in the rule. Good Luck.

That video on YouTube is about gastric bypass patients who do not have a pyloric valve. They have a small stoma. With VSG our pyloric valve is still intact.

I eat cottage cheese all the time.

Ok, granted, it is 299.4, but I am so taking it! I haven't weighed less since 2007! Yeehaw!
Though not sleeved yet, I have been on a 1500 calorie diet, eating relatively healthy most days and working out every day. I am on my way. Two more classes, one today and one next Monday, and then my case will be submitted to the insurance for approval. Fingers crossed on that one.
And though I was only going to count the weight on the scale on Friday, I was too excited! I am now doing the gopher dance from "CaddyShack." "I'm all right, don't nobody worry about me...."

Went to my nine month follow up today, surgery was December 10, 2012 with a presurgery weight of 379, weight today is 226.5. In waist size went from a tight 54 waist to a 36 waist. Shirt size from 4XL to Large and sometimes even a medium. Anyhow now for what everyone always wants to see the picture.

Went to my nine month follow up today, surgery was December 10, 2012 with a presurgery weight of 379, weight today is 226.5. In waist size went from a tight 54 waist to a 36 waist. Shirt size from 4XL to Large and sometimes even a medium. Anyhow now for what everyone always wants to see the picture.

Went to my nine month follow up today, surgery was December 10, 2012 with a presurgery weight of 379, weight today is 226.5. In waist size went from a tight 54 waist to a 36 waist. Shirt size from 4XL to Large and sometimes even a medium. Anyhow now for what everyone always wants to see the picture.

Went to my nine month follow up today, surgery was December 10, 2012 with a presurgery weight of 379, weight today is 226.5. In waist size went from a tight 54 waist to a 36 waist. Shirt size from 4XL to Large and sometimes even a medium. Anyhow now for what everyone always wants to see the picture.

Went to my nine month follow up today, surgery was December 10, 2012 with a presurgery weight of 379, weight today is 226.5. In waist size went from a tight 54 waist to a 36 waist. Shirt size from 4XL to Large and sometimes even a medium. Anyhow now for what everyone always wants to see the picture.

I subscribe to Dr. Sharma’s blog where he is currently talking about weight regain and all the reasons it happens. Today’s topic happened to be about Mental Health and regain. To quote him:

We found substantial evidence for the role of mental health factors both in failure to lose adequate amounts of weight or to regain any weight lost.
Out of the sixteen studies included in the review, all studies that examined this factor, implicated uncontrolled mental health issues as an important cause of weight regain.
These included, binge eating disorder, depression and addictive behaviours (alcohol and drug use)…… Overall, patients with two or more psychiatric conditions were approximately six times more likely to either lose no further weight or regain weight than patients without psychiatric problems. Of course this sent me searching for Eating disorder screens and this is the one I took. NEDA. Thankfully I didn’t have one, but if you do, the news is not all doom and gloom. To quote him again,

Interestingly, one study found that completion rates of behavioural modification therapy increased to 91% when performed post-operatively, compared to 14 % when done pre-operatively. So if you’re sleeved and struggling, get thee to a shrink and maximize your chances for success.
Link to the study abstract HERE
Happy Monday to one and all!

Alright, I decided to post a couple of NSV's that go through the warped mind of a paramedic, hopefully you all hearing how us warped individuals that save lives everyday think won't frighten anyone, lol.
Most recent one was the other day I respond on a lift assist the classic I've fallen and can't get up, get to the house and as frequently is the case all the doors are locked, the patient is in the house and yells for us to break down the door, now I have been running on the ambulance for 23 yrs and am currently a Supervisor so don't do as much direct field work as I used to, so it's probably been at least 10 yrs since the last time I broke down a door and for the last couple years I usually call for fire department or let the police do it because I didn't have the energy and or strength to break them in anymore, but this time I figure all this time in the gym i'll just go ahead and do it. So I hit the door with my shoulder and bust right through, actually almost fell going through because it was so much easier then in the past, afterwards I look and had actually split the door jam down the middle. The 20 something kid that was my partner that day looks at me and says nice job, and then laughs and says but you don't need to look so happy about busting down someone's door.
On another recent shift got dispatched for an unconscious person in a vehicle, get to the scene and the fire department already busted the car window and got the doors open, but there all standing there looking at the patient trying to figure out how they should get him out of the vehicle. In the past I usually have just stood back and told the firemen how to extricate the patient, but this time I walk right up reach in grab the patient under the arms and tell my partner to grab the legs and pull the guy out and then realize I forgot to make sure the litter was ready first so now i'm stuck just holding this patient in the air while the fireman get the litter set.
The rescue coats we wear for protection at vehicle accidents and fires are very expensive, in excess of like 500 dollars for just the coat and they have to fit right or they actually go from being protective to being dangerous, but due to the cost it never goes well when you tell the manager that you outgrew your rescue coat and you need a new one, if your lucky the timing works out that they can find someone else it will fit that needs one but obviously the bigger you are the less likely of that. Well anyhow the other day I take my Rescue coat into the manager's office and say I have to turn this back in because I can't wear it anymore, it's a size 4x and I now need a size large, the manager looks at me and says good job, go ahead a call and order yourself a brand new one.
And of course the strangest thing a paramedic thinks and I believe this one is true of many other medical professionals is that paramedics are constantly looking at peoples veins, it is actually almost subconscious, can't be helped, when your trained to start right away looking for a good IV access point right away so you can get it established quickly you just start looking at peoples veins in everyday situations. Yes that means if you know any paramedics and have spent anytime with them even just talking they probably already have identified most of your major arm and neck veins and determined wear they would like to stick needles in you. Anyhow it's funny as I keep losing weight I keep finding myself staring at my own arm veins constantly thinking how easy it would be to start several large bore IV's on myself.
OK, that's all for now, hope you can all get some enjoyment out of my disturbed thinking.

Ok, I'll admit it...I had a little judgment for the posters who panicked the first time they had a stall and came to the site posting a) as if they were the first person to stall and immediately looking for a "quick fix" to break the stall........that was until I had my first stall. (It was easy to be smug when the scale was dropping regularly).
Then, two weeks ago at 4 mos. post-op, I hopped on the scale for a few consecutive days and the number didn't go down (hmmpf). Then, for a few more days, it went up (whoa, what's the big idea, let's go back to just not going down). This went on for two weeks, and I admit that I experienced many of the same thoughts that others before me had said..."what if this is it?" "What can I do to jump start things?" "Was I too cavalier during the honeymoon phase and now I'm not going to progress as far as I want?", and on, and on, and on.
What I take comfort in is that as the thoughts were swirling in my head, I was able to (fairly) effectively counter the negative self-talk and self-doubt and not obsess constantly, and plow forward with my plan. And, true to the experiences of countless others before me, this morning, after two weeks, I have broken the stall and have a new, lower number on MFP...and, like many others, the duration of the stall and the "catalyst" for it to break are mysterious, and in some ways, seemingly paradoxical. So, I will tuck this experience away and try to reference it when this happens again, and hopefully improve on the mental side so I spend even less time with self-doubt...all part of the journey. :-)

Went to my nine month follow up today, surgery was December 10, 2012 with a presurgery weight of 379, weight today is 226.5. In waist size went from a tight 54 waist to a 36 waist. Shirt size from 4XL to Large and sometimes even a medium. Anyhow now for what everyone always wants to see the picture.

Tickers are the little charts on the bottom of peoples posts that show there progress. They are only visible on the website not on the apps.
TT is a Tummy Tuck.< /p>

The product that they are talking about is a little different then the cheap Protein Shots that are found all over the place anymore, these are using Actinase Protein Complex which is a hydrolyzed combination of whey isolate, casseine isolate, and collagen isolate. The information I have seen on actniase looks pretty good, but if anyone knows anything more about please share. Here are some links of what I have found.
http://www.protica.com/
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Versatility-of-Actinase-Protein-Complex&id=19019
I may have to try some of this just to see what it is like.

My theory on all things in life is that it is not the mistakes we make that define us but the way we recover from those mistakes. I think it was a very strong step for you to post your mistake on the internet for all to see your mistakes and your dedication to do your best to fix it, especially knowing there will always be people who will try to judge you but your own opinion is the most important one. Sounds like you already know what you are doing wrong, now you just need to find the solution that works for you. Not everyone is created the same so the same solutions don't work for everyone. I will say that as you are getting further out you may need to consider increasing your daily calorie intake to find what makes you satisfied but continues your weight loss at the pace you are looking for. I personally recently increased my daily calories from around 900 to around 1200 and also doubled my daily Protein from 70 to 140, as a result my weight loss actually sped up. It is also important to realize if you are exercising a lot you may actually need some carbohydrates, try finding the best quality carbs you can. No matter what try not to let yourself get discouraged, remember why you started your journey and use that same motivation to help get you back on track. Good Luck.

I have used the proti a, Protein Shots since being on my pre surgery diet. They are thicker than Jello but taste pretty good. They are a great source to get you Protein in. Good luck..

Height 5'5"
Starting weight 379
Current Weight 226
Loss 153
Surgery Date 12/10/12 9 months ago

I believe that exercise has been very important in my success, I go to the gym at least 3 days a week usualy 4 or 5, when there I do 30 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of strength training. Building muscle is essential to burning fat.

I don't have any real suggestion on what to eat (sorry). But I can say that I eat food now (post op) that I thought was completely disgusting before.
Preop I tried Greek yogurt, and after 1 bite I threw the container out. And I NEVER EVER thought in a BILLION years that I'd ever eat cottage cheese. I was wrong. My post-op tastes buds love it.
So, I'd suggest to go ahead and try things you may not think you like with an open mind.
Good luck!!!

Beachlover, your message is a gift to the poster in question. Very generous of you, and I hope she appreciates it. She's got quite off lightly here, but try that attitude on in some places and it will cost her friends, respect and opportunities.