jensjoy28

That is funny...although "majority" in this case may be by land mass and not population ...the funniest to me is Alaska and that one little yellow circle in the middle of the country

I am 5 months out and just had my first pasta the other week. I have had bread as part of sandwiches since about 2 mos. out. I definitely loved carbs pre-surgery, but post-op I don't crave them and, while I don't have any issue with them making me feel uncomfortable, I really just enjoy a few bites as part of what I am eating

CONGRATS!!! Such an exciting milestone...keep up the great work!

I've used straws since day 2...absolutely no issues. Welcome to the first of many differences between surgeons' post-op rules and guidelines. Personally, I think as beneficial as this forum is for swapping stories, tips and experiences your best bet is to a) follow your specific post-op plan and ask your surgeon directly about any questions for why he does/doesn't allow certain things. From what I've gathered about straw use is that there is a concern that you will take in more air than liquid, however, I don't know what the larger concern (beyond discomfort?) is

I think some of these responses come about because we drop weight so quickly...imagine if we gained weight as quickly...it would be equally alarming.......of course, this only accounts for some of the responses...the rest are responding from a whole other cadre of underlying insecurities, jealousy, resentment (some that they are likely not even aware of) that has more to do with them than us...

You are a beautiful woman, and I love your style...tres chic. Congrats! I, too was just about 308 at my highest and am 5'7"...hope I look as good as you do at 191 :-)

Ok, I'll admit it...I had a little judgment for the posters who panicked the first time they had a stall and came to the site posting a) as if they were the first person to stall and immediately looking for a "quick fix" to break the stall........that was until I had my first stall. (It was easy to be smug when the scale was dropping regularly). Then, two weeks ago at 4 mos. post-op, I hopped on the scale for a few consecutive days and the number didn't go down (hmmpf). Then, for a few more days, it went up (whoa, what's the big idea, let's go back to just not going down). This went on for two weeks, and I admit that I experienced many of the same thoughts that others before me had said..."what if this is it?" "What can I do to jump start things?" "Was I too cavalier during the honeymoon phase and now I'm not going to progress as far as I want?", and on, and on, and on. What I take comfort in is that as the thoughts were swirling in my head, I was able to (fairly) effectively counter the negative self-talk and self-doubt and not obsess constantly, and plow forward with my plan. And, true to the experiences of countless others before me, this morning, after two weeks, I have broken the stall and have a new, lower number on MFP...and, like many others, the duration of the stall and the "catalyst" for it to break are mysterious, and in some ways, seemingly paradoxical. So, I will tuck this experience away and try to reference it when this happens again, and hopefully improve on the mental side so I spend even less time with self-doubt...all part of the journey. :-)

Just got back from a 3-day wine tasting trip and it was SOOO nice to actually think I looked good in the pics taken.

Oh, also something that I know is out there are websites where you can try to elicit funds from people to "fund your life". Here is a link to a story that talks about this "Internet phenomenon" http://www.techworld.com.au/article/415094/crowd-funding_site_offers_open_alternative_kickstarter/

Could you get a credit card with a 0% interest period? Then your dr could run a portion on the card (or you could get a cash advance) and then make monthly payments over the 0% period...how about an unsecured, personal loan through a bank or credit union? (that's what I did). As far as creative ways to raise money relatively quickly...not sure I've ever really thought about that, and this is not necessarily a "gem" ...but how about doing a "walk-a-thon" where people would pledge money for ea lap you walked...remember they did those as fundraisers when I was a kid...would guess there are some online resources you could look to for quick templates for how to structure...but that seems to be a way to show your commitment to getting healthy with the chance of raising a little money from a lot of people...or finding a local 5k or 10k and asking for pledges from people based on you completing it.

My surgeon says nearly 80% of his WLS patients have a hiatal hernia. If doing bypass, it isn't necessary to fix, but for VSG it is...however not a big deal in his book..mine didn't show up on upper GI, but I had a "decent size one" when they got in there, think it added about an additional 30 min toy surgery time

Mine was 3 months for any seeds or fruit with membranes (so, if I was going to have grapefruit or orange, I had to cut them so I just for the fruit premiums, like when they serve fruit on a salad in a restaurant) As far as cooked veggies, those were on the soft good portion of my post-op diet, so at 4 weeks