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Fluff, I have to say, you are improving my vocabulary. I have had to look up a word in the dictionary at least twice this week to get the definition. I appreciate you helping me with brain fitness also.

You slacker you. I'll give you until the 12th and you'll be double me. I have my final next week so know that will cut into exercise time.

If you go to your insurance company website, you should be able to look up your benefits and coverage. The coverage provided by my employer clearly states no coverage for plastic surgery except in the case of breast cancer and reconstructive surgery. Good luck and I hope you can get insurance coverage for any procedures.

Farmgirl, Hope you had a good Christmas and hoping that you have a wonderful new year in 2014.

those are really awesome shoes! Fiddle, I hope that the new shoes will cut down on some inflammation I have been experiencing lately. At least they aren't worn down yet so should help with alignment issues. If only having the equipment would make us the athlete. I could be a tennis star, tour de france racer and so many other occupations.

By next year at this time, we'll all be talking about how we are going to maintain goal weight, and possibly what plastic surgery we plan to have.

Emeraldeye, thats my bike I took it to work. I order it because it folds up. January 1st, 8/100 miles done! Plank day 1, 65s! Great way to start off 2014! YES! Now to keep this momentum going! Terry, I plan on riding 1,000 miles between mid-March and the end of October on my road bike all outdoors. I do cold weather riding since I have all the gear, but prefer warmer weather for riding.

cathyem, great work so far on your weight loss. Keep up the good work. michelle68 looking forward to seeing your pics in the future.

Stephg, Perfectly normal to be worried and scared. It is a big step. You can read about it and talk to people but it still isn't real until it's happening to you. I know I thought at times why am I removing 85% of my stomach, will this work for me, etc. If someone wasn't a little nervous before this surgery, I would be a little worried about them. I remember when I got the call to set the date, it became very real and was a combination of excitement and nervousness at the same time. Search the forums for nervous before surgery and you will see you have a lot of company.

Thank you everyone. I feel so much better. I think when you have a picture taken in the same outfit it shows more of a difference. I made sure to not suck in my stomach and promise no photoshop touchups were done.

Butter, do you think you'll be able to swim? I know after I had back surgery, being in the Water helped a lot because the water helped take pressure off my back. I hope you aren't sidelined for too long, but make sure you're healed so you don't do permanent damage that effects your gate or stride.

Five dollars will still buy you a lot of tacos. I think they are on the dollar menu. Just think how many they would feed with our small stomachs if we still ate that type of food. We are all older and wiser now.

Hi irockedthe80s, First welcome to BariatricPal. Congratulations on your visit to your surgeon and your decision to have surgery. There are several members who have had heart burn before or after surgery. I was one of them. I had it from a prolapsed lapband. Since I have had my sleeve surgery, I have had zero heartburn. Another reason could be you have a hiatal hernia. If you do have one, your surgeon will repair it during surgery. Even if your scope does not show a hernia, your doctor will check for one during your surgery. If you have an ulcer, your doctor will prescribe meds to help it heal prior to your surgery. Wait and see what the scope reveals, if anything, before worrying about delays to your surgery. Are you currently on any medicine to prevent heartburn? If not, you might ask your primary care doctor or your bariatric doctor for a prescription. If he prescribes something and it does not give you relief, don't be afraid to ask for something different. Sometimes one prescription does not work as well as another. I had my first surgeon visit and psych eval on the same day also. Good uck

Fiddle, Here is an article with info on Washington State. It also has an article from a doctor about health risks to users. http://kuow.org/topic/marijuana-path-legalization-washington-state Kiap82, the company for whom I work has an office in Denver and when the legalization law passed, some of my coworkers jokingly teased them and they became very upset about it.

I have too. Woo hoo. What a way to start the new year.

Butter, zero calories until the munchies kick in, or so I have read.

I think it will be coming to more and more states. Illinois just made it available for medical use but does not plan to have any state approved providers for a year. In Washington state pot is legal, and believe individuals can purchase it. Fiddle, you live there. Could you please conform. DIdn't feel like googling. Sorry. Making it legal I think will help. Look at what prohibition did for organized crime. People are going to use it regardless that has been proven. Legalization might help lower crime and end some gang violence. It would also be a highly taxed commodity which would generate revenue and reduce state and federal deficits. Not that this is a reason to legalize it nationally. I don't think that if it were legal, the number of people would dramatically increase. If t were legalized there would have to be definitive restrictions about use. I wouldn't want to fly on a plane with a pilot who is under the influence nor would I want any medical procedure performed by a doctor who had recently used it. As you said it could be a train wreck, government involvement can muck up things. They are already involved by prosecuting users and with the cartel wars and gang wars associated with drugs and violence. If legalization would allow some of these funds and resources to be used in a more positive way, then I am for it. Maybe I am looking at through rose colored glasses. Good topic and I'm sure will bring some interesting discussions.

I ran out of time before surgery to have my husband take pictures of me before my surgery, so I had the nurse take a few. The one on the right was taken on 10/25 and on the left was 7 weeks and 1 day later on 12/15

I did mine for today. I am not resting this Friday, but will do so on the 10th and 11th of January. I have a final on the 12th and know I will be hitting the books. This is my last graduate class Now I need to follow it up with a first time pass on my PMP exam in March. Sorry I digress, that is my professional goal for 2014.

I even bought myself new shoes to use when walking. I want to have as much fun when I am working out. Makes me think of my kids when they got new shoes for the school year and were so excited.

Stephg, First, welcome to BariaticPal and congratulations on your upcoming surgery. Yes, i have heard of no pre-op diet. If you search pre-op diets you will see a lot. Here is a link. http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/389-pre-op-post-op-diets/ You will find on this site, that there is such a variety of pre-op and ost-op diets from doctors. The only consistency is that everyone had weight loss surgery. The most important thing you can do is to follow the instructions provided to you by your doctor and nutritionist as far as when you can eat different foods and begin exercising. Good luck to you and welcome.

ReDbeaN, Good luck to you also and everyone who participates.

TP70, I think it is good to "freak out" about gaining weight. It keeps you on your toes and makes you aware of it so you can react sooner to get it back to where you want it. Lynda (a vet) talks about her bounce range and if she is out of that she goes back to basics to get back into it. It is easier to lose 1 to 2 pounds than 10. You have to be realistic about goals and go with what you are comfortable with and not what others think. If you are happy where you are now, then maintain now and then later try to lose more. You can always lose a little more and reevaluate where you are and your comfort level.

What a wonderful way to start the new year. Nice both you and your husband will be on this journey. Bonus, you will probably meet your 2014 health insurance deductible tomorrow so less costs for the remainder of the year. I wish you and your husband well wishes on your surgery and hope both of you have an painless as possible recovery. Good luck.

Since reading other posts it reminded me of all the cook books, diets, pills, and other fads I tried to lose weight. If I had all the $$$ I spent on them, I would have enough to pay for plastics when I get to the end goal. Oh well, sunk costs, but definitely lesson learned. Also as others left behind my stomach, and that is absolutely staying behind.