*Dean*

Yep, sorting through the gear this weekend to leave on Tuesday :) When's spring break? Are you off soon?

To me 'bean counters' should be the last ones deciding if people should have surgery!

Yeah, if you find a surgeon that will do it, on your health insurance claim form it doesn't even ask about your weight or any health questions really. If a surgeon says you need it, they cover it.

Aww, thanks Still a lot of work to do though. I really appreciate everyone's help

I think your insurance companies over there might have given you guys this 'am I worthy of VSG' mindset. They seem to want to make you jump so many hurdles and have created categories from what I can tell 'over 40 BMI' or 'over 35 with bad enough co morbidity's' blah I started with a BMI of 41. I assume my struggles over time have been similar or the same as someone with a BMI of 55 or someone with a BMI of 35. The scale of some of the problems might be different, but still the same.

just keep taking lots of little sips. Its all about lots of sipping and lots of small walks at the moment

I've been completely transparent about surgery with everyone who asks 'how have you done it?' If people compliment me on my weight loss I just thank them. I have never had a single negative reaction. Maybe it's luck? I do work in a pretty alpha male environment, not a single unsupportive comment or joke etc. Having said that because I'm so transparent I've had 4 people start their weight loss surgery journey. One (a daughter of a work colleague actually) has had her VSG surgery. I'm pretty happy / proud to have had some input into helping others. I know other threads have degenerated on this topic. I respect everybody's right to maintain their privacy if that's what they want to do. And, like has been discussed people really should not be so nosey to ask or assume. But they do. I'd feel uneasy having a cover story for those times. I have a friend who gave a cover story to her new in-laws. She was worried because they're quite 'healthy and sporty' and didn't want to be judged. The cover story has started to unravel and I guess now she has been judged by them anyway, perhaps (rightly or wrongly) more harshly. Make the decision on this that's best for you. Deano

Milestone for me today. Or I guess I should say kilometrestone ......... I thought I'd share in here ....... metric doesn't mean a lot to everyone outside of our thread! I'm in my 20th week post op and today I hit 40 kgs gone. 15 kgs to go and I'll be at a BMI of 25, which is my goal at the moment. Happy day, Deano

AAaaarrrrrgghhhh I've read this thread, now I NEED one

Congratulations on your achievement. You look amazing. Body dismorphia seems to be a big problem for women. As a husband and a father of daughters it makes me a little sad to be honest. At a time when you should be celebrating and shouting from the highest mountain, you don't get to enjoy properly what you've achieved Being a bloke I can't really offer any advice. I think like a lot of guys I have reverse body dismorphia, where you lose a small amount of weight and think you look totally hot One thing though, with your amazing and quick weight loss, I wonder if there's a bit of perfectionism there too. I struggle with this, place high expectations on myself and can at times be quite black and white in my thinking. Maybe it might be time to say 'job done' in your weightloss journey and focus your attention and talents on other things? All the best. The issue has your attention, so I have no doubt you'll overcome this hurdle Deano

Why do you look like an 'equals' sign?

I have two eggs a couple of times a week for breakfast. I don't have anything with them except maybe a grating of padano sometimes. Relax

You look amazing. (Disclaimer - I'm a guy and I think like a guy) You're right in a group of three girls there's sometimes 'the fat one' but there's almost always 'the hot one'. You're lucky you have supportive long term relationships with them. You've gone from 'the fat one' to 'the hot one' in 7 months. Most girls would be insanely jealous!

Hi Kate. That's an amazing loss. Congratulations. You're already almost half way to goal and your BMI is about to drop below the 'obese' category. You have a lot to be happy about I experienced a flat few weeks. For me it came down to 3 possibilities - 1. Eating so few calories of course I felt flat 2. I've heard fat stores hormones so maybe some of that was being released 3. (and this one was a surprise for me) I found out I was an emotional eater. I now know I ate when I was stressed, worried etc etc. I had times when I wanted to eat in volume (like I used to) but couldn't because of the surgery. 1. and 2. have sorted themselves out. 3 is a work in progress but I'm most of the way there. I've found other, healthier ways to deal with stress and other emotions. We've all heard them before. Exercise has been a big one for me. Talking more as well. I'm well and truly out of that 'flat few weeks' now. All the best, Deano

What's your fitness like now? Can you do a 5k on your ear now? Obviously check with your surgeon, but if your really fit now maybe jogging a 5k wouldn't be too onerous. I wouldn't have been ready to run then. Have a look at this thread - http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/68756-started-couch-to-5k-today-anyone-keen/ It's a bunch of people getting into running pre and post op. Deano

That's awesome. Just keep the walking up as briskly as you can. The fitter you are the better your recovery after surgery. Then you'll be primed to hit c25k after you've recovered from surgery

That's a great tip. Shift work makes training hard. It's like you have to have 4 or 5 routines depending on the shift. I only do night work maybe once a year, so hopefully I won't get derailed next time. Good luck with the running Deano

Hey Bec, welcome. You won't find too many negative comments about VSG here I'm from Bris-vegas as well. On the north side. I think everyone's journey so far has had some stuff the same and some stuff different. Ask away, and I'm sure between us we're likely to have had some exposure to most things. Deano

I'm only 20 weeks out. I don't feel like there's anything I couldn't eat if I choose to eat it. I don't really eat bread or Pasta. I might have a tablespoon of cooked brown rice with some things, I guess for some textural variety.

I know what you mean. It feels good to deal with heath issues from a position of strength!

Thanks mate I had a week of night work and I turn into a grizzly bear for a week!

I agree. There's a big difference between counting calories and restricting yourself. I record on MFP and I place no greater emphasis on calories than Protein or carbs or Vitamins. It's all information. I never feel deprived anymore. I came off a week of night work yesterday and hit 1300 cals for the day, the most calories I have had since being sleeved. I didn't beat myself up or think 'oh my god I've streached my sleeve!' It was obviously what I needed while transitioning back to a more normal routine. Long story short, try and find something that is going to work for you for a lifetime. This isn't a silver bullet and managing our health is something we will always have to do - like everyone else

Green smoothie's rock!

What everyone else said. Until you're on real food I'd just worry about staying hydrated and having a Protein focus. After that I hovered around 600 - 800 for months. I'm 20 weeks out now and sit on around 1000, sometimes more sometimes less - I just listen to my body and what I need. Who would've thought Id be able to do that??

Mate at your age I'd bet money it's just a UTI. I had my first prostate check when I went to a urologist a couple of weeks ago to find out about a vasectomy. I wasn't expecting it, suffice to say I don't even like people wagging their finger in my face!! :blink: