pquinn181

Sillyolme, no one is bullying you! And you have been giving medical advice to EVERYONE on this forum! Most of us have done a LOT of research before taking the step to have weight loss surgery. Like Smily I am paying my doctor for his years of experience with hundreds of patients. I'm Positive he and his staff have more education and experience in the weight loss surgery field than you do! I know you mean well, but your advice doesn't always agree with what our doctors and their staff recommend. I plan to follow my doctor's instructions to the letter. If someone wants your advice maybe you could private message each other.

Worms, I hate worms.

Lol - my stomach has been growling for two and a half years! I don't know what he's saying but he has a lot to say on the subject!

I had that fear too! Every time I had to up my food from 1 oz to 2 etc, I panicked !!! I thought if I ate more I would gain weight.. What I didn't realize was that when I tried to starve myself by not eating more I would stall out.. When I would finally give in and eat what I was supposed to be eating my body would start to loose again! It was more of a head thing for me!

I met my husband at a bowling alley. I was there with friends, and he was there with co-workers. I told one of my male friends not to sit next to me, I didn't want the good looking guy to think I was taken. LOL Turns out my guy friend had worked with the guys I pointed to, and walked over to talk to them. I wanted to crawl under the table, as my bff has no brain to mouth filter (why we are besties) and I had no clue what he was saying. He pointed my direction, and I lifted the drink menu over my face like I was soooooo interested in the beer specials. What he was actually doing was showing them where were were sitting. When they finished their "team building exercise" several of them joined us on our lane for the next few hours of bowling, drinking and just a general good time. 3 of those guys asked for my number, only one was interested the other 2 were planning on telling him I had asked them to pass the # on to him. He called me a few days later and we started seeing each other for odd dates, I worked nights and he did daytime retail management, so time was limited. This was in Feb of 2000, I got hurt at work in late April, and he very kindly offered to come and sleep on the sofa and help take care of me. When I returned to work 6 weeks later, I asked if he was leaving or if he wanted a key. He took the key, and a few weeks later told me that we needed to talk. I thought for sure he was moving out and breaking up with me. He told me that he had never seen me wear jewelry so he didn't know my taste, he got down on one knee and proposed. We were married that Oct, in a bowling Alley (where else?) and have been together for 14 years this year. He's not a knight in shining armor, but he's also not a retard in a tin foil hat either. He is the father of my only child, my best friend, and the one person that I never have to doubt when it comes to having my back. Like Forest Gump says "we are like peas and carrots" he has always dated bigger girls, so I was a little worried when I started getting thinner. Just a few weeks ago he told me that I look amazing, and he is proud of my weight loss, and the fact that I did this to get healthy for myself, and our family.
I said all of that to say this, I had planned to get a few beers and bowl a few games with my friends that night and met my future husband. I wasn't looking for anyone and he just dropped into my life. Sometimes the dating sites, looking too hard makes you walk past the one that you should have seen. Best of luck to those getting back into the dating scene.

You will find someone who loves you for you. When the right one comes along it won't matter where you are in your journey. When it's right, it's right. Be patient. And in the meantime you'll get to figure out who you REALLY are inside! Many of us are hiding behind our weight. We find new confidence, self assurance, and self discovery! When you love yourself others see you differently and will love you too. Each pound lost allows a little more of that special person to shine through... :-)

Nancy: take a moment, right now, and picture yourself 6 months post op. You would have lost a significant amount of weight. You can bend over and tie your shoes. There's a spring in your step as you walk over to the garbage pail with your bi-pap machine. Think of how vibrant you'll be. How much healthier. How much happier.
Now, take a moment and think of yourself right now. How do you feel? Do you feel old and haggard. Right now?
You're not that old, hon. And only you know if you can "do it on your own" over a longer period of time. But… something bought you here. Something triggered you to start this process for WLS. Something is motivating you to take your efforts to the next level. Reflect on those motivations. And then repeat the exercise above.
Be well…

Yes, we should all be able to post our opinion; however, we should not be telling people that their doctor, nurse or nutritionist is giving them the wrong info. We need to follow our doctor's instructions. Enough said.

That's almost 5lbs a week, that's great! Your body went thru a major surgery and total lifestyle change, you will have slow Downs and even stalls but stick to your plan and it will happen. This is a life long journey don't set time limits on yourself that's to much stress

We still live in the real world with real food. We have to learn to balance food with moderation. I have things I can no longer tolerate. Like beef, pork, bananas, ice cream..on and on..Does not bother me..I have some new favorites!
But I still eat pizza, I will have a cookie ( not a box of Cookies ) and I will not feel guilty..If we could have gotten a handle on our addictions before surgery we would have done it without it.
Turning this program into another diet ( failed )They all failed before! Now learning to live and coincide with food, now that's the ticket. Eat to live not live to eat.
Enjoy the journey and the changes you will make and the learning you will do about yourself and why you chose food as a comfort....Use your tool to fix your thinking and how you respond to food and why.Then the rest will follow!

I ate 1/2 a slice of pizza after I was on solids. It smelled so good... it looked so good... it tasted so good.... but after... I didn't feel the energy I had eating my normal Protein foods like egg and tuna. It really made me feel zapped of energy. I didn't like how it made me feel. I haven't had any since. And I have been around pizza a lot (I have a teenager). It just doesn't look appetizing to me. Don't get me wrong, it still smells delicious! I think part of the journey is really figuring out which "bad" foods still work for you and letting go of the ones that really don't help you. That is a mind change for sure.

Yup - me too! Joe has a lot more zippity in his doo-dah! Lol!

The Nameless Dance Walk Guru Master has been found! The video in my original post now has almost 2.3 million hits on YouTube. Now meet Joe, the guy who started it all...

No offense, but I can't find any peer reviewed research that shows what your doctor told you is correct. Of course, you should listen to your dr rather than some random internet poster, but here are some sites to ponder...
http://www.kidneystoners.org/information/does-drinking-iced-tea-really-cause-kidney-stones/
http://www.taylorkubota.net/1/post/2012/08/making-studies-out-of-nothing-at-all.html
Take home points from Kidneystoners.org
For better or worse, drinking iced tea probably did not “cause” your stone. Cutting out iced tea will probably not make your stones go away but neither do you have to swear off drinking it either. If you like iced tea and you are a stone former, drinking a moderate amount is unlikely to cause you to develop more stones. Based on the available research, it may actually decrease your risk of stones. If in doubt, ask your doctor for a 24-hour urine test to measure your urinary oxalate levels. If you have normal urinary oxalate, you don’t have to worry much about restricting the amount of oxalate you eat or drink. If however you have high urinary oxalate, work with your doctor to develop a plan to lower your oxalate intake. Realize that no one (including us) can really tell you for sure sure whether tea is good or bad for kidney stone patients until a well designed study is done in which a large amount of individuals are randomly assigned into tea drinking and non-tea drinking groups and then followed for many years to see which group develops more stones. This study is unfortunately unlikely to happen. In the end, most stone formers might do better for themselves by keeping things simple. Focus instead on the three basic dietary recommendations given below. There is less controversy about the benefits of these recommendations in reducing your risk of stones and as a bonus they will also help to improve your overall health. 1) Increase your overall Fluid intake to keep your urine dilute and close to colorless
2) Watch your salt intake- try to keep it at 2300 mg a day or lower*
3) Watch your animal meat intake- try to keep it less than 6oz a day and instead eat more fruits and vegetables*

What kind of calories are you taking in? Are you adding calories and upping your exercise? Remember that different Proteins have different levels of calories. Cottage cheese and soft cheeses are higher in calories then legumes, Beans and meats. I try to mix it up making sure I get calories from both dairy and lean Proteins. Also, maybe up your Protein shakes for some extra calories as opposed to actual foods. If I'm low on calories and it's later in the day I'll have a muscle mile light so I get calories and proteins. Can you talk with your nut about how to increase calories and still be able to loose? It could also be something as simple as being in a dreaded stall and it's just a matter of time.

Hi All,
I can understand the overkill of compliments. I get asked daily by at least one person if not more how much weight I have lost so far and how much more I intend to lose. Unfortunately for me it was quite impossible to hide the fact that I had WLS. It can get quite tiresome at times but I on the flipside I remember when I dropped my first 50lbs I was disappointed that no one said anything and then I thought well hell I must be so damn fat no one notices and that entire attitude was just counterproductive.
I have a pretty thick skin not to mention an incredible sense of humor but I have heard my fair share of off the cuff compliments that could easily been turned around and taken as an insult. I just pass it off as a skinny person who have never had a weight problem in their life and does not know any better.
My favorites are:
1. You're head is so much smaller now....awesome happy I was able to let some air out of the beach ball head for you.
2. You're face is so skinny now.....
My favorite:
Female co-worker telling another male co-worker who happened to be a close friend : "Oh Jim is going to be so handsome once he loses all the weight" Great I must really look like shit...thanks
At the end of the day I brush it all off because you know what...THIS is all about ME and nothing and no one else matters. I am healthy, strong, mobile and quite happy with this new lease on life.
I can recall how embarrassing it was to be that big and even now I get embarrassed when someone asks me how much I've lost. Last time I was at the Barber he asked how much I had lost and I told him 120lbs because I was too embarrassed to say 275....

From what I read, I think perhaps the problem isn't truely not being able to have carbination but more of the mental thing in regards to the word NEVER, like a lose of control thing?? Never is such a negative word, however, there are some things we need to eliminate from our new way of life, so instead of thinking of it as never, or someone else controlling your lifestyle think of it as gaining control over not so great habits for a healthier new you:-) Alot of these things we struggle with are strictly mental no one likes to be told what we can and can't do, I mean afterall if is our life, so with that said you have to feel that YOU'RE the one who made the decision to NEVER have carbination again:-)

I drank Cokes for 40 years. When weight became too much of an issue I switched over to Diet Cokes; which I drank for another 10 more years. Usually around 6 Cokes a day. I still gained weight. As I entered my 6 month supervised exercise weight loss program which was a prerequisite for the operation, I went cold turkey and gave up all carbonated beverages and caffeine. On that change alone, I lost 20 pounds. It is now 6 months (pre-op) + 11 months (post-op) and I have not had any carbonated beverages since then, and I don't even miss them. I went through a rough week or two after I went cold turkey. I experienced severe joint pain. But that went away. I suspect why this produced weight loss is due to the carbonation. As the small carbon bubbles explode in your stomach they microscopically increase the size of the stomach which in turn allows you to eat more food which in turn is responsible for weight gain.

Enlighten me
@@Loristi
Sounds like you are pre-op???
saying on the board - "one thing we have in common is that we're all different"
docs and NUTS have different rules about things
some of "them" say no coffee - "never, ever"
others say after a certain time period you can have alittle coffee
some say no alcohol for 6 months
others say.............
wait 6 months, 6 weeks, 6 days, 6 minutes etc - ..
soda - some/many say NO, NO, NO
others say .................
no straws, others say its ok
sex - some might say wait til you feel ok, then take it slowly, easy for awhile (no crazy acrobats!)
other docs might say NO NO NO to sex forever!!!!
gotcha!!!!
so..........the answer to your question (oh no, what was your question again LOL)
alcohol - soda - never say never!!!! unless doc says so
i drink coffee, no alcohol, straws or soda/carbonation for this grammy
listen to your NUT and surgeon ALWAYS like they were amongst the highest power!!!

good luck with surgery
kathy

For hair loss, I found Iron was incredibly important. So it's not just about the Protein, but the quality of it.
I was told to up my Iron, so I practically quadrupled the amount I took, ate red meat and it slowed the loss considerably.
As for dying my hair, I use semi-permanent dark brown hair dye. Found it worked well for disguising the bald Patches at the sides of my head (temples). I dunno whether it caused a decent shadow or dyed my scalp.
Either way, its done the job until the little horns of re-growth I'm starting to develop (that's re-growth of hair, not my turning into the second coming of beelzebub!), comes to full fruition.

RJ did a great job of answering your question, so I won't repeat the information, but I will second everything that was said. I will add that eggs are a soft Protein, like Greek Yogurt, cheese, even fish. Often we can eat more of these types of protein. More dense Proteins, like poultry, beef, and pork may fill you up better with smaller amounts. Stay away from restaurants in general, but especially fast food. If you do need to eat out research what the best choice will be at the restaurant you will be eating at. A small cup of chili is one of my go to items when I have to eat out. Keep tracking on MFP, I really believe this is the key to long term success. Good Luck!

There is a constant discussion about whether you can or can't stretch your sleeve. Personally I have been told that you cannot stretch it. It will relax and a pocket can form under the flap at the bottom near the small bowel. That can be very dangerous... Others will say that you can stretch it. But if the surgeon took the pouch out then it can't!
Just because you can eat an egg MC Muffin does not mean you should. I am certain that you can stay away from fast food joints forever if you put your mind to it.
I have read on here that some can eat 2 eggs no problem. We are all different and our pouches are different according to surgeon and height and on and on.
If you keep Protein first. Dense Protein and then veggies, fruit and then carbs. You will continue on your way. For those times you can't..Try to eat complex carbs. They make a complete protein..And your body needs it...
When a person goes back to old habits it can stop you cold from progressing to your goal. Around 1 cup of food per meal seems to be the standard. If you can eat more then that. Stop...If you are still hungry drink some Water....64 oz. is a lot to take down in a day.....
Don't graze. Don't push until you can do what you know you shouldn't. I personally know of a girl who lost 1/2 her weight and said this sucks and she has remained at this weight for over 12 years....She had a lot more to go but did not fix her head. A man who lost all his weight and then gained it all back by drinking again...Fix your head and the body will follow.
Follow the plan and figure out what is head hunger and what is the real deal....We can fool ourselves into thinking we are starving or we need more. It is surprising how little humans really need to eat to stay a live and be healthy..
Just take a deep breath and regroup...Go forward and figure out what the trigger food is for you and stay clear.....k
All the best.

It's a common misconception that there is a long list of things you'll never be able to eat again following bariatric surgery. That simply is not true. With a short list of exceptions, I eat anything I want to eat. Once you graduate to a regular diet, it's not about what you "can't" eat, it's about what you "choose" to eat. Or not eat. That's where the all important lifestyle changes come into play. It's all about control, not denial. The miracle of weight loss surgery is that it puts you in control.
You're gonna love the new you!!

You sound like every other newbie. The fear of the unknown is overwhelming. Can I ease your mind some? I eat a little of my favorite foods. I admit that I am disciplined but success helps you get that way.
I'll tell you right now that there isn't a food in the world that tastes as good as being normal sized feels.
If you go ahead with any of the WLS out there, you will look at this post a year from now, or two years...whatever..and wonder why you were so worried.
I live by the words of my dad who didn't even realize how profound he was when he said, 'why overeat? It's just more of the same'. Words to live by my friend. Good luck! Oh, and here's a visual for you...not this this has anything to do with looks...this change was solely to get my mobility back but I know it helps for people to see me before and after. Keep us posted.

I rarely even look at fat when I buy. I mostly focus on carbs. I agree that since we can only eat a little amount, I want it to taste good!