southernsoul

Welcome! I'm in Athens, so we're almost neighbors. I feel ya on the fried chicken, too. I've had about 4-5 bites of that once since surgery & I was OK. I've also tried a bit of country fried steak & that was OK, too. Neither one will be a regular player in my diet anymore, but it was nice to know that I can do OK with it once in a while.

I'm in school as well, but I was able to schedule surgery right before a summer class that was held online instead of face to face, like we usually do. I checked the calendar & MLK's birthday is January 20th, so maybe your school won't have classes that day. If your class is a Monday-Wednesday schedule, you might not have to go back til Wednesday, so check the academic calendar. You might still not be allowed to drive that soon after surgery, but hopefully you could at least be able to show up & sit through class.

BAHAHAHAHAHA....I guess you've got to give the dude points for effort.

When I started planking last month, my back was hurting & I asked my trainer to watch me do it & check my form. He said that I had my butt too high in the air & that lowering it would take the strain off my back. My problem is that I am still pretty big, so in order for my butt to be low enough & my back to be straight, my belly is only an inch or two from the floor. I see what Fiddle is saying about the nekky girl above hyperextending her back, but I still wish there was that much air between the floor & my belly!

Tammie, my surgery was on June 19th, so you will be almost exactly 6 months behind me. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I'm happy to answer questions & share my experience. And as you know, I'm also in school right now. I will be sending you lots of good vibes next week, for sure...If I had to cope with 7 final exams on the preop diet I would likely have stabbed somebody in the neck!

Personally, I wouldn't have worried about a few parsley flakes, but that's just me. If they were dry, the soup will have softened them.

What has changed your mind?

I don't use my unflavored powder as much as the flavored ones, but I've used it to make non-high-Protein foods a better choice. I've put it in mashed sweet potatoes, applesauce, pudding, and yogurt. I used it more often in the first 3 months postop, but I have used it a couple of times recently. You could add it to oatmeal for Breakfast. Also, I think I remember seeing a recipe for muffins or something baked with the unflavored powder.

I first saw my surgeon on Jan 4th & had surgery on June 19th. My insurance company required a 90 day period of NUT & psych appts & supervised diet & clearances & whatever else. But I'm in school full-time right now, so once I registered for my summer classes I knew that June 19th would have to be the day for me. That was the only way I could get it in between classes & after a big family vacay in May. I was done with pretty much all my preop stuff by April, so then I had a long wait until June. I was busy, though, so the time went pretty quickly. January will be here before you know it!

I'm so sorry that's happening right now! I know it must be super stressful to worry that surgery might be cancelled while trying to stay on the preop diet in case it's not. But how awesome that the stress has not caused you to get off track with the diet! I think that's a really great thing you should be proud of. I really hope your toe gets better & surgery isn't cancelled...please keep us posted.

I'm so sorry that the scale isn't moving as much as you expected. I'm almost 6 months out & I remember there was another member who was sleeved about the same time as me who also had very slow loss in the first couple of months. Eventually, her loss ramped up (maybe around 8 weeks or so?) & I think she's done pretty well since then. Hang in there just a little longer!

My postop diet is mainly based on Protein & being low-ish on carbs, but definitely not as low as 30g per day. I'll be 6 months out on the 19th. I eat green vegetables every day & occasionally a higher carb vegetable like squash or sweet potato. I generally stay away from bread, Pasta, & rice, as well as super carby vegetables like corn. I average around 80-100g of protein, and 70-ish grams of carbs (mostly complex & unrefined carbs). I use olive oil a lot, eat regular cheese, & Greek yogurt. I haven't tried oatmeal yet, but if I did I would probably not choose the packaged oatmeal with flavors, because I think those are probably full of sugar. I would cook plain oats & flavor it with some stevia & apple pie spice, and maybe add pecans for extra protein, or even some Protein powder.

I wasn't allowed to drive as long as I was on pain meds (3-4 days), and then was told I had to drive with a pillow under my seatbelt for the first week or so. It protected my stomach from the steering wheel & seatbelt rubbing. The discomfort of getting in & out will depend on what kind of a car you have...I wouldn't have wanted to ride in anything too low. You don't realize how much you use your ab muscles until it hurts to do so, and driving or riding in a car was pretty uncomfortable for me for about 2 full weeks.

So sorry you're going through this! Your fear & anxiety is very understandable and normal, but try not to let it overwhelm you. I doubt they would have tried the glue if there wasn't a really good chance that it will work. Know that we are in your corner & please keep us posted. Good luck!

Ultimately, you are the only person who can truly answer the question of whether or not you really want to do this. But to address your other questions... Would it be better to try to lose the weight on my own? Well, define "better". Better in terms of being more successful? I'm assuming you've lost weight in the past, so how were your results? If you can lose it & keep it off & feel like you're not on a diet all the time, that's wonderful & it would then be a good choice. Better in terms of healthier? In my opinion, yo-yoing up & down is really very unhealthy & destroys our metabolism. Will the sleeve be the tool that helps me maintain a major weight lost when in the past I have always regained every pound I lost with a few years? Maybe. The answer may depend on how willing you are to make the changes you will need to make. We're all different & we all stumble and/or struggle at different points or with different aspects of this process. Reducing the size of your stomach is not the only change you will need to make, far from it. Being sleeved makes it way easier to control portion sizes and minimize any bingeing behaviors, but it's definitely still possible to "eat around" the sleeve. Will the sleeve help free me from my obsession with weight or reinforce it? That's really hard to say. You may still be very focused on the number on the scale, but you also may be happier with what you see. I weigh most days, but sometimes I forget. I never weighed before, except when I had to at the doctor or something. I pay much closer attention to my weight now, but I don't think it's in an unhealthy way. I've definitely heard some folks say they have to restrict themselves to weighing only once a week or so, just so they don't get too focused on it, so maybe that will be the way you are. I'm not quite 6 months out yet, so I can't really speak to the long term. But this was definitely the best choice I could have made. I am still able to enjoy my food, but my portions are no longer out of control. I have the energy & the stamina to exercise regularly & make my body stronger. Seeing the weight come off & feeling the physical improvements has kept me motivated in a way that never happened before. It's definitely a big decision & you are smart to really think it through. This forum is a great place to learn & ask & reflect on how you feel.

Hmmm interesting. Cause when I saw that on FB the only thing I thought was "she looks so happy". No thoughts of your ass entered my mind Luckily, having a ginormous ass does not prevent me from being happy. And it tends to make Tony happy, too.

I'm currently working on a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling & I completely agree with this article. I see this a lot around the WLS forums...people struggling to find meaning and purpose as they go through this process, and also getting caught up and blocked by (sometimes) unanswerable questions. True happiness does not depend on a number on the scale, but on recognizing what is meaningful and valuable to each of us and then surrounding ourselves with it.

I know exactly what you mean, so here's my example from a few weeks ago. Same day, same outfit, but the angle makes all the difference. When I saw the second one my friend took & posted all I could think about was how ginormous my ass still is. I'm pretty sure that even if I lose another 50 or 60 lbs I'll still be carrying enough junk for me & 2 others.

I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling, but you're definitely not alone in that. Instead of thinking of it as "blaming" yourself for where you are, would it help to think of it as simply accepting responsibility? You can certainly accept the responsibility for the choices that brought you to this point, but also you need to accept responsibility for (and celebrate!!) the choices you are making to move yourself to a different & better point. YOU are making those good choices, they are not being forced upon you. You are actively seeking out a better life for yourself & that's a huge and wonderful thing to do. Focus on what you are doing for the positive & forgive yourself for what's in the past. You cannot go back & change the past, you can only move forward from the present moment. I love Bufflehead's ideas for a gradual & constant schedule of steps building up to surgery. To that, I would also add to work closely with a therapist. Psychiatrists often just do general med management & not as much in terms of counseling. Work with a therapist to get yourself into the best head space as possible preop. Good luck to you!

I think my biggest challenge is shying away from change. I do OK with change for the most part, but I don't actively seek it out as much as I probably should. Comfort & complacency is just too damn easy to burrow down into. Changing things up keeps us on our toes & I need to work on embracing it more.

I can't even tell that's a wig!! I would have never guessed if I hadn't already known. Last year my hubs & I dressed up as Paula Deen & Guy Fieri. I bought a Paula Deen-ish wig from this place called Paula Young, which got me on their mailing list. I have been just throwing the catalogs away when they come, but I'll admit I do so much more slowly now. I'm losing a bunch of hair, but wearing it in its natural curly state helps to keep it looking full enough for right now. I think your wig choice is great, though...it looks great & makes you feel better. What's not to like about that?

You're telling me I can't just roll over in bed and try it on the soft soft mattress? Dang! Sure you can...you just have to warn R that you're only interested in planking.

I plank barefooted at home, but my feet have to be on the bare floor...if they're on a rug, they slip. Also, when I first started last month, I was keeping my feet too far apart. I asked my trainer to check my form one day & he said to keep my feet as close together as I can...which of course makes it harder, but more effective.

I have some sag & weird jiggles, too, but I'm trying to accept that as my "dues", I guess. My body has carried me through a lot in the past & it continues to carry me now. I feel so much better & I'm so happy that I can walk & move without pain. I'm working out & getting stronger, too. I'm 49, so I knew going in that my skin would likely not bounce back very well, but I sure do feel better now.

I'm sorry you're having a hard time. I wonder if you could be building lots of muscle & that's why the scale is moving slow? Have you lost inches & sizes? I've had 2-3 week periods where the scale only moves a half pound or so, but I lose inches. But no matter what, 46 lbs is GONE & that's gotta feel good!! Hang in there & try to focus on how much healthier & stronger you are.