CharmingTortoise

All I can tell you is that myself and another coworker that are obese are always warm and the skinny little gals at work are always freezing! They even run the space heaters under the desks during the summer they are so cold. Maybe its just not have the extra insulation anymore?

You are an amazing inspiration! Congratulations, keep up the awesome work!

Congratulations to both of you. May 5th & 6th will be here before you know it!

I guess I think of the surgery as a huge change in my life. Something that I'm sharing with family and close friends. I can't imagine not telling someone that I'm dating. When to tell them, I'm not really sure. I do wonder though if the guys she was dating were really shallow and were worried that she was going to gain weight or if it would just be too much baggage to deal with? There's a whole game show called baggage about the junk we we carry from our past. We've all got it, when you bring it up is always a huge question. When do you tell them that you have a mental illness? When do you tell them that you've got an alcoholic mother? When do you tell them that you've been divorced or have children? I think it's really all a matter of your own preferences. Tell your friend to keep trying. A respectful and worthy man who will appreciate her is out there!

Way to go, that is incredibly awesome!

I'm still pre-op but I got three variety packs of different kinds of Protein powders. That way I can try a lot of different ones to see what I like before I buy a bunch of expensive tubs that I don't end up liking. It took a bit of searching but I finally found a site that sells the complete 14 variety pack of the Syntrax Nectars. http://www.smartbodynutrition.com/syntrax-nectar-protein-14-pack-variety.html I also got a variety pack of unjury. It includes 5 of their flavors and a rubbermaid bottle to shake it up. The thing I liked about Unjury is that it has the chicken Soup flavored. Although, I haven't actually tried it yet, so maybe I won't like it anyway. http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/unjury-protein/unjury-starter-pack/unjury-starter-kit.html Jay Robb makes an egg white Protein powder so I got a variety pack of those as well. Just to see if I liked those better. However, my post surgery instructions specifically state that the protein needs to be an isolate so I'm not really sure if this will qualify or not. http://www.jayrobb.com/protein/egg-protein-samples.asp I have yet to try any of the above but I have tried a few from the health food store and they were just awful! The hemp protein was the most horrific color and taste that I have encountered. They were really chalky and gross. I ended dumping most of them because I couldn't stomach them. I'm hoping the new ones I got are better.

I think you did way better than I would have in this situation. Tell him he's lucky it wasn't something heavier than a napkin Maybe the pressure is just getting to all of you. I'm sure it has to be slightly stressful on him as well, though not near as much as you are feeling. Take the triumph that you didn't give into temptation.

I've never had anyone ask me, yet. However, when my brother-in-law was having it done, I thought that he didn't really look big enough to have it done. Once I saw him after he'd lost the weight though, Holy Cow! I barely recognized him. I wonder if folks just get used to us looking the way we do and don't really "see" us.

I technically passed my psych eval but was told that I needed to re-establish a relationship with my counselor. That was part of my requirements by the behaviorist to address my emotional eating issues. I was also told that my mental state had to be stable for a year before I could have the surgery because I have Bipolar II. So I'm not sure if my case was different because of the known mental issues or if it is standard for people that they see as 'questionable.' Then again, I came into the behaviorist appointment already making positive changes for the surgery like giving up soda, getting 64oz of Water a day, not drinking 15 minutes before/45 minutes after meals, evaluating my eating habits, etc. Maybe it's just like everything in life, YMMV.

I applied for my passport through our local Post Office and it came back in less than two weeks. I didn't expedite the process. I was very impressed!

I know this was sort of an embarrassing thing to share but thank you so much. Might help someone out who ends up with the same problem. Hope your butt gets to feeling better soon

Make sure if you get the canned variety that you get the fat free. Some refried beans are prepared with LARD and you definitely don't want to be putting that in your body. My post surgery sheet (yours may vary) says that you can blend a little bit of salsa in there too

I'm in a tight 18 right now, which I'm excited about, but you've given me hope that a number that low is attainable. I was just hoping for a 12 at this point. Excellent job!!

That is brilliant! I will have to try that after I get sleeved

If you are not afraid of actually seeing the surgery up close and personal, I recommend watching this video on Youtube by Dr. Alvarez . He shows you why that fatty liver is such a hindrance. Be forewarned - this is GRAPHIC surgery footage.

Is there something stopping you from getting your mindset right?

I've heard everything from leaving same day (outpatient) to leaving 3-4 days after surgery. Really seems to vary by doctor and your condition before and after surgery.

Does your subway do soups? They have salads as well. In fact they just came out with a chopped salad. They also have flat breads available but that's not really much better than the bread. Subway is good if you are trying to lower fat but it's still not an optimum choice if you are avoiding carbs. Maybe you could do double meat and not eat all of the bread?

Vacation is a tough point for me as well. Almost every time I have lost weight in the past, Vacation has been the ending point of losing and the starting point of gaining. I am getting sleeved after vacation this year so I am very happy for that. It is so tough to try to stay completely on track when you are on vacation because you don't have all your home tools with you like a food scale, fixing your own meals, etc. I've seen many people who say they manage to lose weight on vacation because they walk a ton to explore their vacation location. I am hoping that is the case in the future for me as well. This year we are going on a cruise to Alaska but we usually vacation in Las Vegas and walk about 5 miles a day. The whole thing really depends on your mindset as you go in to vacation.

I've told a few people. My family and close friends understand that I need to have it done but still worry. They have caused some waffling in my decision making so I definitely understand what you are saying. I think it really comes down to what you are comfortable with. I can't seem to keep my mouth shut so telling people about my life just sort of happens. That being said when I requested the time off from work all I put on the paperwork was that I was having surgery and I was requesting FMLA time off. I have told a few of my coworkers so it's not really a secret. This is one of those personal choice things. I can see it both ways. I have not yet had anyone tell me that I'm taking the "easy way out." When they do, I will just explain how it's a tool. I guess, in the end, I don't really care if they do think I'm taking the easy way out, I have to prevent diabetes, heart and joint problems. I really wouldn't get too worked up about going to Mexico. A lot of people go to Mexico for health care. My Husbands Uncle used to go to mexico for dental care because it was so much cheaper. I mean come on, it's not like it's a third world country using ancient tools. I think people forget that.

Congratulations on holding strong! Thank you for the advice. I will definitely remember that!

I remember seeing a quote that was something like, "never treat yourself with food, you're not a dog!" That kind of stuck with me. I've already treated myself to a new Vera Bradley bag and I'm going to start treating myself to some new undies, which I'm very excited about. I can finally get some "pretty" ones.

Mine's not that huge but it was awesome for me - Fitting in to my size 18 jeans. I was so excited. They are a little tight, but I don't care, I am wearing them. My 20's were starting to fall off me.

Hey all, I had an idea of an analogy for WLS and I just want to k ow whether it's accurate and/or lame. If a person needs to nail something, they don't do it with their hand, they use a hammer. If a person needs to put in a screw, they don't screw it in by hand, they use a screwdriver. So like those examples, WLS is a tool that I'm going to use. I still have to do all the work but the tool makes it easier. Okay, lame? Accurate? Just plain stupid?

I love sparkpeople. I'm kind of dork and I like that you can get points for doing things that you would do anyway, like tracking food, reading articles, exercising, etc. The community is pretty supportive as well.