AvaFern

Tomorrow will be 1 year. Loving the new me I started off with weight watchers @ 266. The Bariatric center started me out @ 245. I am down 122 pounds. I am now 144 pounds I have 10 more pounds 2 go but I am so happy.LIFE IS FUN AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!

I was sleeved almost a year ago, so I'm not at the same time span as you. Something that really works well for me though is turkey chili. I only started making my own when Panera stopped serving it for the summer, but about once every 2 weeks I make a giant vat of turkey chili, I scoop one big scoop into a quart freezer bag, and I make about 15 meals, which I keep in my freezer. When it's time to cook it, I pull a bag out of the freezer the night before, and by lunchtime it's defrosted. I heat it for about 4 minutes, and it's quite yummy. With the turkey and Beans, it has a ton of Protein, and a serving size is about 150 calories. If you want to feel like you're eating more than you are and you want it to be a little bit fresher than from the freezer, pour a little bit of V8 into the bowl before you microwave it. I eat this almost everyday.

It's unlikely that love will come knocking on your front door. Here is how (at the age of 55) I found love after being thrown out (divorced) a second time. I took a year off from the relationship scene to get my head together and to find out who I was when no one else is telling me what to do, think. eat, or like. I had to find the true me to be able to present myself correctly in the search for love. I got on Craig's list, back before it was a pimp site, and put an ad in the personals. I told it plainly who I was and what I am and what my baggage was. I even mentioned that I was heavy.
I got 93 responses that I had to filter through. I eliminated those that sounded obviously perverted, those that sent below the belt photos, and those that were just out of high school, and those that seemed uncompatable. I reduced the list to ten and started meeting guys in public places before giving out my address and phone. Sure, I dated a couple of frogs, but gentleman number three came across as dignified and gentle and had many similar interests as I had, and he had been thrown away twice, too.
We have been together over eight years and plan on going into our old age together. He is now 64 and I am just around the corner from 63. He never asked me to change anything (not even my weight) and I have never asked him to change anything (not even his smokig). He is very tall and thin. We look like a pencil and and apple when we are together. He has been supportive of my weight loss surgery, and our love has grown stronger.
So, I have said all of that to say this.......to find someone who will love you for who you are, you have to be bold enough to put yourself out there - as you are. If you join a dating site, definitely mention that you are on a doctor supervised weight loss journey. You will likely get someone who is on that journey also or is at least open-minded about folks in our predicament. I don't think you have to be at your goal weight before you start dating. Just go for it.

I was prescribed atenolol once for Migraines and a slightly elevated bp. The dose was tiny, but just enough to keep my bp stable and to ideally make my constant headache go away. The doctor probably prescribed a very small dose that will ensure that your bp stays stable during the surgery. I don't see this as being a great practice, but it's not going to hurt you. Ultimately, it's just a beta blocker, so it's not really for a heart condition as for hypertension and beta blockers are often taken by snipers, surgeons, or other professions for the off-box use of lowering their bp, which tends to make you less jittery. You will be getting far more dangerous drugs after surgery in the form of heavy narcotics and during surgery to knock you out...atenolol is the least of your concerns.
Call your doctor back and tell him that if you not given a full explanation for the reason that the drug was prescribed without requiring any form of expensive appointment you will file a complaint and post a few dozen negative reviews about his practice online. People tend to respond better to honey, but if you've used up all the honey, vinegar can work just as well.

You won't have to eat like you're eating now for the rest of your life. I still enjoy any type of food I want, I just eat it in very small portions. I am fortunate that if I eat more than a few bites of junk food I'm pretty much instantly puking, so I know now that if I want some cake, I can have a few bites, really enjoy it, and then stop eating. I do tend to stay away from pastas because I don't like them enough to justify the massive sickness that ensues when I eat them, but I do occassionally eat desert and the majority of my diet is just like most healthy people, except I eat a lot less of it. Your life really will be normal again and you'll get to be thin and still be able to enjoy food.

I was on normal food by 3 weeks out, I just had to be very careful I chewed it into mush before thinking about swallowing it. Every surgeon has their own preferences and yours just seems to be overly cautious. I've worked in the medical field for a long time, so I'm not the most compliant patient, particularly when I feel like research supports my breaking of the rules. For example, I had my surgery in Sept and I totally ate chocolate and junk food the entire week of Christmas. In January, I cut it all out and I rarely eat anything bad now, but I'm going to do the same thing again next Christmas (mmm Peanut Butter cups). You really have to decide at what point you think you want to take your health into your own hands, research the decision, tell your doctor you're going to do it (they will generally work with you), and then go for it.

I was on normal food by 3 weeks out, I just had to be very careful I chewed it into mush before thinking about swallowing it. Every surgeon has their own preferences and yours just seems to be overly cautious. I've worked in the medical field for a long time, so I'm not the most compliant patient, particularly when I feel like research supports my breaking of the rules. For example, I had my surgery in Sept and I totally ate chocolate and junk food the entire week of Christmas. In January, I cut it all out and I rarely eat anything bad now, but I'm going to do the same thing again next Christmas (mmm Peanut Butter cups). You really have to decide at what point you think you want to take your health into your own hands, research the decision, tell your doctor you're going to do it (they will generally work with you), and then go for it.

I also have a desire to eat food that I shouldn't (lately this would be cheddar chex mix, white cheddar cheez-its, and nutter butters), and there are plenty of days where I eat a few handfulls of all three. The trick is to limit yourself to how much you eat, not to never eat anything bad for you.
For example, I recently had some plastic surgery work done and the first week was long and boring, so I tended to snack more than I usually do. I would have one of the to-go cups of cheezits and one to-go cup of nutter butters throughout the day (which is, yes, 900 calories), but I had no real interest in anything else, so I just had a few days of eating my calories in junk instead of healthier stuff. Now that I'm a little more past that point, I just don't keep the junk in my house and then I can't eat it. Fortunately, I also tend to get pretty much instantly sick if I eat anything more than I should, so that helps things a bit too.
Another example, last night at dinner, I had maybe half of one of those soft pretzel things (125 calories-ish), a bite of a sandwich (maybe 25 calories), and a few chips with salsa. My overall calories for the day was only about 900, but I don't ever feel deprived. If I eat healthily 90% of the time, I can enjoy the times I eat a little unhealthily and the sleeve keeps me from overdoing it.
My best advice would be to keep junk food out of your house, but also enjoy it occassionally and in limited portions. Your sleeve should make you sick if you eat too much, which will discourage repeating that in the future, and it will help you learn to enjoy a few bites of something instead of the entire plate. That, for me, has been the greatest thing ever, because I was never a one oreo girl...I would eat the whole package in one night! Being able to have a few bites of something and being done with it has been the real blessing of the sleeve for me- not having to live a life where all I ever eat is chicken and veggies.
Good luck to you!

Awesome job! My surgery was 9/9/13. I am so far down 89 pounds. The loss does slow down quite a bit near the end, especially when you can't workout. I also do not have a single regret about the surgery and I can look back on how stressed out I was about it this time last year and be grateful that I decided to go for it. Congrats on how well you have done!

I took a week off and it ended up being just fine. I was also in an office job that mostly involved sitting with occassional up and down movement. It wasn't so much being sore, as just being tired, particularly since you can't really eat anything to increase your energy like you would after a type of surgery that doesn't include diet restrictions. With a 4 year old, if you have the time to take off for two weeks, why not go for it and if you feel better early, you can always go back. Either way you're covered. Good luck with surgery!

I change bra size twice...I went from a 38D to a 34DD during the weight loss phase, and I stayed, oddly enough, in the same size sports bra the entire time. I just had an augmentation and lift, and quite amusingly I am at the moment still in exactly the same size bra I was before surgery, just with a much better look.
When I look back at pictures, it seems like I would have changed sizes substantially more than I actually did because the girls were quite large at the begining and quite deflated until my recent surgery, but I suppose it's just how everything is distributed that makes it less of a change that I'd imagine.

How exciting! I am one week post-op on my own surgery. I had a breast lift and augmentation, abdominoplasty, and Lipo to my hips, inner and outer thighs, and lower back. I think I read every possible post about how to be prepared for surgery and the three things that ended up being most valuable to me were:
#1. a nightlight I could reach from my bed without having to move from my sleeping position. I bought one of those LED touch lights that are like $5 for 2 at most stores. You just tap them and they turn on and off. It was the #1 most awesome thing after surgery, because you can't twist at all, you can't really pull yourself up, and in the middle of the night when you're all drugged up and feel awful, it's really nice to slide your hand over to the edge of your nightstand, push the light, and have more than enough light to see, get comfortable again, and then just turn right back off without having to move much. The back has 3M sticky tape, so I just stuck it to the edge of my nightstand and I guess I'll take it off after I'm done- it didn't peel the paint at all.
#2. A clean house and squared away everything. I made sure there was nothing I had to worry about after surgery. All my bills were paid at least a month out (lest something horribel happen and I come home weeks later and have my electric off or something), my house was spotless, and everything was set up to be within easy reach. I also set up a spot in my bed and on my couch so that I would have to move back and forth, which prevents a DVT or PE, but I could be very comfortable in either position.
#3. A fully stocked pantry. I had a friend stay with me for a few days, but if you live alone it's really nice to know that if you feel like garbage you aren't going to starve, lol.
Other than that, it's nice to have gauze and tape, abdominal pads the first day if you're having an abdominoplasty, a lot of pillows, all of your meds close to you and picked up before surgery, antibiotic soap so you can take a shower before and whenever after surgery your doctor lets you shower, and oh, for the shower, a lanyard to hang around your neck to attach your drains to (if you have drains). At least two pair of compression garments so you can toss one in the washer and dryer and not have to wait for it to finish is also a good idea, grippy socks, stool softener (taken before surgery- trust me, lol), Arnica Montana (taken a few days before and after surgery-helps majorly with bruising- I have almost no bruising at all), and Gas-x.
So that wasn't exactly only three things, but of everything I prepared, this was what I really needed and was very happy to have during the last week. The first week will be kind of unpleasant, but I was off pain meds by the 4th day completely and today I cleaned my house and worked a regular work day from home (sat in front of my computer for a few hours, lol) and I feel completely fine. So...when you are miserable right after surgery, don't worry...it only gets better from there.
Best of luck to you!

You look fantastic! I'm one week post-op from plastics, and guess what...you and I have the same bra! Lol, I am literally wearing right now the blue and white one you have in your picture. It was the only cute style I could find that snapped in the front. Awesome job in your transformation- I hope your recovery continues to go well!

I was one of those people that got ridiculously sick after my sleeve surgery, which took 45 minutes of actual anesthesia and then 2 days of IV drugs. Just this week I had a 6 hour plastic surgery procedure, with 6 hours of anesthesia and only one very small dose of IV pain meds, and I did not have any nausea at all. I warned the doctor this time about my awful experience before and I'm fairly sure he added some phenergan into my anesthesia cocktail, but overall I really do feel like it was more the IV pain drugs than the actual anesthesia that made me sick. As soon as I asked that we stop using IV drugs and switch to liquid Advil, my nausea was gone in a few hours.
My advice would be to let your doctor and the anesthesiologist know your concerns and they should be able to work it out to minimize your nausea. Good luck in surgery!

My plastics are scheduled for next week and I opted out of the arm lift temporarily because I am scared of the scar. It seems no matter where they place it, you can see it a little bit. I know it may not be much consolation, but if it's at the back of your arm, it is probably hard for you to see it without using a mirror and turning around to look, right? Look at the beautiful person you are from the front and the side and try to ignore the back part. The only people who are looking at it are behind you, likely not paying any attention to scars on your arms, and all of us have scars...some just more visible than others, so eventually you may just forget it's even there. Also, scars look really bad the first few weeks after surgery....in a few months they should fade considerably and you may not find them to be noticeable at all. Good luck with your recovery!

My plastics are scheduled for next week and I opted out of the arm lift temporarily because I am scared of the scar. It seems no matter where they place it, you can see it a little bit. I know it may not be much consolation, but if it's at the back of your arm, it is probably hard for you to see it without using a mirror and turning around to look, right? Look at the beautiful person you are from the front and the side and try to ignore the back part. The only people who are looking at it are behind you, likely not paying any attention to scars on your arms, and all of us have scars...some just more visible than others, so eventually you may just forget it's even there. Also, scars look really bad the first few weeks after surgery....in a few months they should fade considerably and you may not find them to be noticeable at all. Good luck with your recovery!

I weigh myself once, every morning when I wake up, and write it down in a calendar. I've been doing this for years and I notice the times where my weight really went up were the times when I wasn't weighing every day. It keeps you cognizant of gains a lot more quickly than if you only weigh every once in awhile.

My plastics are scheduled for next week and I opted out of the arm lift temporarily because I am scared of the scar. It seems no matter where they place it, you can see it a little bit. I know it may not be much consolation, but if it's at the back of your arm, it is probably hard for you to see it without using a mirror and turning around to look, right? Look at the beautiful person you are from the front and the side and try to ignore the back part. The only people who are looking at it are behind you, likely not paying any attention to scars on your arms, and all of us have scars...some just more visible than others, so eventually you may just forget it's even there. Also, scars look really bad the first few weeks after surgery....in a few months they should fade considerably and you may not find them to be noticeable at all. Good luck with your recovery!

The scale at the link below is very accurate and it never fluctuates between weigh-ins (outside of when I actually lose weight, lol). It's also cheap. I have an Ironman scale as well, which also works well, but those are substantially more expensive, and they do fluctuate a few ounces when you weigh yourself repeatedly. On a positive note though, for the price, the Ironman scales have a lot of extra information (bone density, metabolism, body fat %, etc) so it's worth the extra cost in the long run.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A8SLH8I/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My plastics are scheduled for next week and I opted out of the arm lift temporarily because I am scared of the scar. It seems no matter where they place it, you can see it a little bit. I know it may not be much consolation, but if it's at the back of your arm, it is probably hard for you to see it without using a mirror and turning around to look, right? Look at the beautiful person you are from the front and the side and try to ignore the back part. The only people who are looking at it are behind you, likely not paying any attention to scars on your arms, and all of us have scars...some just more visible than others, so eventually you may just forget it's even there. Also, scars look really bad the first few weeks after surgery....in a few months they should fade considerably and you may not find them to be noticeable at all. Good luck with your recovery!

Are we resilient in our weight loss journey? Do we know our weaknesses and strengths and fight the urges to give into our old ways? Do we still use food as a form of comfort, celebration, reward, socialization and escape from the feelings we are having at that moment, good or bad! Can we push our way through these deep rooted emotions and become healthy and happy?



Pushing Your Way Through


I have a few Hollyhocks in my garden that just grew there. I did not plant them. I did not take the time to make a place for them so that they would stand out as specimen plants. No tender loving care was bestowed on these flowers to help them become the plants I found stunning and beautiful with their rich outer color of burgundy with soft pink centers. What a delight to find these treasures in my garden. They found their way into my world without so much as a finger lifted on my part. Before this summer I saw Hollyhocks as a simple, common plant. To someone else it is possible that they are the gem of plants. Maybe a reminder of the good old days when things were simple and sweet. My grandmother grew hers around back of the old outhouse on her farm. That is how I remember them.
How did they come into my garden? The seed was most likely transferred in the breeze and made its way to me. Even though I did nothing to help them grow and take root in my garden, I have come to see that they now belong there. They did all the work and I now admire them for their resilience.
When referring to ecological resilience, it is the ability to return to its original state after being disturbed. You see, about nine or ten years ago I pulled every single Hollyhock out of my garden replacing them with other tall flowers. I had not seen any trace of them since. But now there are new ones. They were insistent and settled themselves in among the other plants and kept pushing until they stood tall and bloomed in all their glory.
Resilience has yet another meaning. It is the ability to make realistic plans , being capable of taking the necessary steps to follow through. A positive self-concept and confidence in ones strengths and abilities. Having communication and problem-solving skills. And the ability to manage strong impulses and feelings.
Are we resilient in our weight loss journey? Do we know our weaknesses and strengths and fight the urges to give into our old ways? Do we still use food as a form of comfort, celebration, reward, socialization and escape from the feelings we are having at that moment, good or bad! Can we push our way through these deep rooted emotions and become healthy and happy? Or are we easily stomped out and have little to no strength and will power when it gets difficult. Becoming overwhelmed by other things that can easily crowd out our conviction to reach our goals.
By retraining our brains, finding our trigger points and looking at food in a new light we can win this battle and become successful in our endeavor to feel better and healthier. Having real control. Finally putting dieting in the past and living each day a new. Learning more and more how we can win the war not just the battle of obesity.
The odds are against us, our past experiences of weight loss and regain have made us timorous about our future and our weight management. At those times maybe we were not ready or we denied ourselves food or it was a fad diet of some sort that we had to follow. Whatever it was. That is in the past! Now is the time to see a new and improved you with a brighter future of no weight related health issues. A busier and more fulfilled life ahead of us. If we really want it, it is there for the taking. Weight loss surgery is the tool that will give us the time we need to get help to fix why we became obese in the first place.
No one said it was going to be easy. No wait! Those who have not experienced what it takes mentally, emotionally and physically to be successful might not understand all of it and use the over used quote, ' you are taking the easy way out.' But no matter. It is about us forcing our way through the hard times, the painful times and yes even the good times.
Like the Hollyhocks in my garden that planted themselves there against all probability. We too can push our way through and plant ourselves in the garden of life with a new healthier us with a bright and colorful future ahead of us with the help of one of the weight loss surgeries that are available to us.

I weigh myself once, every morning when I wake up, and write it down in a calendar. I've been doing this for years and I notice the times where my weight really went up were the times when I wasn't weighing every day. It keeps you cognizant of gains a lot more quickly than if you only weigh every once in awhile.

30 years old (although I was 29 at the time of surgery), 5'2, starting weight 237, current weight 150. My surgery was 9/9/13, so I'm almost exactly 11 months out. I still have about 20 pounds to hit my goal.
I also read the stories of other people before surgery, although after surgery I was too focused on my own loss to be overly concerned that someone else might be losing faster than me. I do support the weighing everyday idea because it helps you recognize patterns in your weight loss. For example, I tend to get stuck around the 6's...196, 186, 176, 166, and just most recently 156, but I could go back and look at my weight (which I wrote on a calendar everyday) and see that the stall was normal and it would break in a few weeks, which prevented me from getting frustrated.
Good luck with your procedure!

30 years old (although I was 29 at the time of surgery), 5'2, starting weight 237, current weight 150. My surgery was 9/9/13, so I'm almost exactly 11 months out. I still have about 20 pounds to hit my goal.
I also read the stories of other people before surgery, although after surgery I was too focused on my own loss to be overly concerned that someone else might be losing faster than me. I do support the weighing everyday idea because it helps you recognize patterns in your weight loss. For example, I tend to get stuck around the 6's...196, 186, 176, 166, and just most recently 156, but I could go back and look at my weight (which I wrote on a calendar everyday) and see that the stall was normal and it would break in a few weeks, which prevented me from getting frustrated.
Good luck with your procedure!

I'm sorry you were denied. I was self-pay because I didn't want my insurance to raise my rates and because I wasn't patient enough to wait through the process. I decided to have a consult with the doctor and two weeks later I was in surgery. The doctor I used is in FL and much as I thought he was kind of a jerk of a person, he is an excellent surgeon. I never had a single issue, my scars healed perfectly, and I am complication free. The total cost for my surgery paid in cash was 18K. They also have a financing option. I would say perhaps try calling different areas, especially if you are willing to travel. Also, a lot of people have had great experiences with surgeons in Mexico for about 1/3 the price of what I paid. Something to consider...