TES

I'm so very sorry for your loss of the family patriarch. It sounds like he had a great run, was much-loved, and that he will be very, very missed. I know you are overwhelmed and have a lot to do, but the only things I can think of that might help are to try some hot tea and make sure you get in plenty of Water, because it's hard to overeat when you are drinking enough. And maybe some physical activity will help you feel better emotionally, even if you only have time for a short walk. Take good care. Hope the coming days are filled with the love of family and sharing of some wonderful memories.
With heartfelt sympathy,
-TES

And that is why I am such an advocate for plastics + Lipo to finish off our journeys, it isn't cosmetic surgery, it's reconstructive and just putting us on an even playing field with the NFs (Never Fats)

Nicole,
I am so sorry for your loss.. He sounds like he was a great man. I know that losing someone that has always been the strong presence in our lives is devastating. My grandparents were my everything. I never thought I would survive the day of losing my Nana & Vovô.
We are going to have days like this, and sometimes we will turn to a comfort that's not the best for us (food) you are human and hurting.
Forgive your eating the last two days. But know that it was a temporary misstep and it will not fill the hole left. Only time and healing will do that.
Try to be ok with your grief, know that it is a healthy thing to feel and you do not need food to dull it.
Once again I am so sorry,
Laura

I know it seems counterintuitive, but when we have been obese (BMI of 30 or greater), it actually lowers bone mineral density and puts us at a higher risk for osteoporosis. This wasn't always what was believed but it's what more recent studies are showing. I only know this bc I'm a medical editor and was just working on an article on this topic--I was shocked!
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/721071

I am on Day 4 out of 10 of my all-liquid pre-op diet, and have not cheated once, thought about it, or will. This may sound harsh, but if you can't follow pre-op instructions, how can you expect yourself to adhere to the lifestyle changes you have to make for the rest of your life? What my doctor says goes, no questions asked, and I know I'm setting myself up for success. Plus, every day I succeed on this diet by not cheating, it gives me the confidence I'll need for post-surgery challenges.

At first when I read this I thought you meant you had this stuff 1 week post-op. You'll be grateful if you stick to your plan pre-op because you'll have that much less to lose after surgery, but what you had wasn't so bad. Just make sure you are very, very faithful to your post-op diet, because in that case it can be literally life and death.

When my husband and I go out to eat, my husband always asks where do you want to eat? My answer is I don't care where we eat but we need to eat somewhere that I can have a little bit of something off your plate. Also, if we don't go to a place where I can eat off his plate, I have a thermal bag that stays in the car and I pack a gallon size bag of ice before we leave home. I live in TX so it doesn't take long for food to spoil in the hot car in the summer so I put my to go container in the thermal bag with the ice.

I was discussing this very subject with my husband this afternoon. I am 8 weeks post-op and I am rarely hungry. I basically eat because I know I am suppose to. When I do get excited about eating something or going out to eat, I get full so fast that eating is over before I start to enjoy it. But saying all of this, I am proud that the surgery is doing what it is suppose to do for me. I have been at a stall for about a month and want to see the scale move again but all in all I am happy with my decision.

I just got around to reading this thread and I want to thank you for posting that website link!! I look in the mirror and sometimes do not recognize myself. 123# less. But for some reason I still think I am still out of proportion. Now I know I am not!! The 5'9" 190 girls all look great. And that's me, too!! How exciting!! I sometimes wonder when my best will be good enough? We are so hard on ourselves.

Bah! I'm not fooled. You started out just under 300 and now your around or just under 190! That's 100 pounds! Whether all of that came before or after surgery really doesn't matter, you still get credit (I'm taking credit for every pound of loss that I've managed to hang onto)! That's a big deal! And, I have to point out (with no criticism or malice) that the shirt in your before pick was a bit snug, so if you're wearing the same size shirt to the gym (and let's face it, big girls and "used to be big girls" tend to prefer roomier tops to camoflauge all of our perceived flaws... I assume that's not just me), so I wouldn't imagine it would look foolishly large (although it's entirely possible that it could be, but you can't see it and your workout partners might not tell you). My next point is this: I'm 5'8" I weighed 349 at my heaviest. I just donated a workout shirt that I wore at that weight almost more because I have better stuff now than it's too big. I can still wear it without it looking "foolishly large". So, that's a span of about 80 pounds that I was able to reasonably wear the same shirt.
You have come a really long way, give yourself credit for that. So you're 25 pounds up, (25, not 100) after a really traumatic period in your life. It happens to most of us at some point or other. I had lost 115 pounds between 2009 and 2011 and then my mother in law was in ICU for 2 weeks, so we spent every night in the hospital since we were out of towners and didn't have to work. Every day, we went to a greasy spoon for Breakfast (in Oklahoma, so their baseline for plentiful healthy food choices is pretty darn low, not that it really would have mattered). I gained a little more than a pound a day that trip and never got my motivation back after that until I decided it was time for surgery. It's unbelievably hard to make good food and fitness choices when you're exhausted and under pressure and stress. You've lost it before, you can do it again! Might take a little more planning and dedication this time, but you sure as heck can do it! After reading your info on your profile page, though, I would consider investigating any health issues that might be interfering with your efforts to lose weight. Standard culprits: sleep disorders, depression, pain, thyroid, insulin resistance/diabetes/PCOS, medication interactions and side effects. I don't even know how many things could interfere, it feels like it's a never-ending list. For me, my biggest barriers were a sleep disorder, pain (let's face it, it hurts like hell to weigh over 300pounds, and that's a major motivator to keep your butt velcro'd to the couch!), and depression (dysthymia, really - pretty minor, but still a pretty significant factor in my lack of motivation to exercise and make good food choices). After I really started getting into my health issues, as minor as they were, I learned that I actually wasn't lazy! I truly thought I was a lazy person because I never wanted to do anything, but it turns out that I was exhausted from an undiagnosed sleep disorder. Now that I'm dealing with that, and have found an antidepressant that seems to be more effective (and to be honest, I'm still not certain that the dysthymia diagnosis wasn't actually misdiagnosed symptoms of my sleep disorder, but I'm sticking with my med while I move through the weight loss phase and into maintenance before I start testing coming off of it).
Anyway, I digress... I just want to urge you to go easy on yourself and take care of yourself. It sounds like you've been doing everything you can think of to keep moving toward your goal. You are working hard and deserve success, you will find the right combination. Best of luck to you as you keep working hard. I wish you all the success and support you could hope for! (and I apologize for my diarrhea of the fingertips... I just started on a stimulant... I think I took it too late in the day or I probably should have just forced myself to bed, like, 6 hours ago. Tomorrow should be fun...)

You and me both! Yes I look fat but I may not be as disgustingly fat as I think I am. It's always nice to see those instead of stick thin, airbrushed models anyway.

Congratulations on your weight loss. Can you try to eat smaller amounts of more calorie-dense foods...even something like milkshakes or ice cream?
How tall are you? I don't like that the BMI charts don't consider how big-boned someone is. If you have a large frame, underweight for you may be a at a higher weight than what the chart says.

Congratulations on your weight loss. Can you try to eat smaller amounts of more calorie-dense foods...even something like milkshakes or ice cream?
How tall are you? I don't like that the BMI charts don't consider how big-boned someone is. If you have a large frame, underweight for you may be a at a higher weight than what the chart says.

It's easy to find non-GMO tofu--you can get it at pretty much any grocery store. Asian markets also sell homemade tofu or you can make it yourself.

OMG you look awesome! Wearing a 2 piece?? Whoa that's huge.

Not many pounds to some but this feels great to me....from a size 18-10 so far. On vacation now and trying to keep up the physical activities (bike riding) but love the progress so far

Sent from my iPad using VST

Many people will continue to be confused about Protein and how to obtain enough on high nutrient green foods. That is because we have been taught from early on that the best sources only come animal sources. (the same meat that is injected with hormones and feed other rendered carcasses which make us sick, toxic, and fat) The FDA been teaching us this for year. The food and Drug Administration wants us to eat unhealthy pre packaged food in nice labels and pretty packaged with tantalizing commercial and We listen to this. The FDA feed us their Food and sell us their Drugs. Can you see the connection? We make the meat and dairy industry rich, then we become FAT AND SICK. Then Big Pharma can make money off of us because we are half dead.
http://www.drfuhrman.com/faq/question.aspx?sid=16&qindex=9
This web site will show how much Protein is in green vegetables. These food will make us slim and healthy for LIFE!

I am so happy for everyone!!! Congratulations.

New pic after Kettlebell training

Surgery date 1/21/13 down 108 pounds at 6 months 6 more pounds to goal but that 6 I might turn in to a 15 ..

I have not posted any before and after pictures... so here are some for ya. I've now officially lost 102 lbs and I had my surgery 12/12/12.

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Today I joined the losers bench. Praying to God that I have no complications and soon I will post my after

Down 101 lbs, surgery date 1/16/13.