Skywalker

Sounds like your late aunt saw the inner beauty and didn't succumb to all the stupid antics and stereotypes everyone else did.

I could, too! Love that my mom used to say she was going to put a lock on the refrigerator! How sweet is she? I understand how some parents have their hearts in the right place trying to get their kids to lose weight, but I guess the ways they can go about it are a bit psychologically damaging. I'm all for putting overweight kids in Weight Watchers as soon as possible--I think it makes people aware of their foods, their values, and teaches really good eating habits (if followed, obviously). So are you guys OK out there at Ft. Hood, Ashley? Staying safe I hope?

That's a good idea. Before the surgery, I'm going to stock up on Protein drinks (the kind they've been talking about at Costco), and probably soups/juices. After the surgery, I hear people referring to protein a lot, so I think getting a major stash of jerky (again, from Costco) will probably be good to keep in the house and last me a long time. I bought a $500 whole food/vegetable blender, so I might end up using that a lot. I like the blended vegetable drinks now, but have found that after 1 hour my stomach starts growling and asking for more (usually carbs). I hope surgery can cure that particular physical hunger.

I guess that would be a good thing. It sounds like (if I'm understanding you correctly), it takes just a couple bites after WLS to get to the same "OMG, I can't handle any more" sensation that would take a non-WLS several bowls to achieve.

Come to think of it, my Dad said something pretty rude to me several years back. I was gaining weight (depression or whatever), and when I was up at his mountain cabin with him, I commented on the fact that I was a little cold. He got a smirk on his face and said, "Surprising you are cold, with all the excess insulation." Really, it doesn't matter whether I'm 130 or 300 lbs, sometimes my feet have poor circulation and that comment wasn't needed. His wife, I guess, likes to brag here and there that she's dropped 5 lbs. Most people will ignore her or give her an atta boy. One day Dad said, "You've lost 5 lbs so many times, I'm surprised you don't just disappear." Maybe he needs a little bit more work on his consideration/people skills.

I understand your fear, I have had the same one myself. If it helps you, turn the thinking around this way--there is a far greater danger of mortality if you don't have this surgery (such as from heart attack, stroke, etc.). That being said, WLS is usually a very smart, responsible decision for better health, so don't beat yourself up over that. My friend got the Lap Band and got back in shape because she wanted to be there for her kids and grandkids, and she's much better now. We will all keep each other in our thoughts prayers. Blessings and try not to worry about it too much, S

I look forward to having more hummus, and I bet that is great with it being so thin and so full of Protein (and tasty!). I would imagine it makes someone gassy however, being made of Beans.

She sounds like she was maybe not a very good friend. As I'm sure your appetite has decreased with surgery, I would take a bite of each of her offerings, then get a to-go container to pack up the rest. If she gripes that you haven't eaten it all, say you are not hungry but look forward to having it for your next couple meals, as you are exercising portion control. No one should take issue with that--portion control/discipline is, after all, droned on about constantly in today's society.

Like I said, I lost my health ins. So no doctors for another two months. Im off my meds, and if you look at the numbers it appears I shouldn't be dehydrated. I think it's more that I'm not sufficiently hydrated. How much more does one have to drink before their pee doesn't look radioactive? Is there any way you can hop onto Medicaid or just buy a temporary plan through a health exchange in the meantime?

My (potential) doctor told me it wasn't necessary, although they do go by the two days pre-op. I'm thinking of putting myself on a one week liquid/protein pre-op diet regardless.

Does having a supplement like Gas-X help dissolve it?

I just wanted to throw this thought out there, because I've been thinking over the last couple weeks about the difference between legitimate hunger and head hunger. In the past, I have not done well on Weight Watchers because I would be out of points at the end of the day, and my stomach would still be hurting/growling. This is something I expect WLS to fix. Now, I think this kind of hunger is different from the hunger where you are bored or you are celebrating a social occasion, and you have that extra slice of pizza or extra beer because you can (you have room for it), and it just tastes so good. An anomaly I've experienced, however, is this--whenever I have the flu, especially if it's accompanied by a fever--food is the last thing on my mind. And that's a good thing. I'm not ever hungry, I'm tired, and I'm preoccupied with keeping my nausea down and minimizing my sore throat, so I tend to only want diet 7-up, and have to remind myself to eat Soup. As a person who's not gone through WLS, having the flu is when I find it the very easiest to follow a diet, and not to obsess about food. I can sometimes lose a good five pounds during these weeks, because food just doesn't mean anything to me, and I'm focused on other activities of daily living. So my question to people who have had WLS--do you now feel like how I've felt in the past when I had the flu? Like your hunger signals are gone and you are just ready to focus on other things? Or do you still try to down that extra piece of chocolate cake and then experience discomfort? I'd be interested in hearing your experiences.

Wow, really some insensitive comments there. About the people who tell you you might have more worth if you weren't fat, I'd pretty much leave them in the dust when you lose the weight. If they can't stand by you at your worst, they don't deserve you at your best. #ShamelessMemePlug

I got my lapband remove 3 days ago. I will be having my revision surgery in about 2months. My doctor wants me to get the sleeve and at the beginning I was up to it, but asked some friends that had the gastric bypass and are doing great and had lost a lot of weight. Now I'm so confused. Don't really know which one to have. I haven't had either surgery, so I'm no expert, but based on my research: (1) The sleeve is not malabsorptive, whereas the bypass is. This means you'll run less risk of bone problems, Vitamin deficiencies, and probably not have to be on diligent consumption of Vitamins and supplements. (2) The sleeve seems to have a lower complication rate than the bypass and be simpler. (3) The bypass has a slightly higher average of weight loss. However, from what I've seen, the optimal candidate for the bypass is someone who is morbidly obese (by obese standards), and has let their weight spiral up to 500 or so, where they are having difficulty even ambulating and need a drastic intervention. My advice? Get the sleeve.

That's cool, you look younger too! I noticed that when I have lost weight in the past, it seems to shave years off my appearance (if favorable). At one point when I was overweight, I was only about 17 but looked like 45 because I had such a puffy face. When I lost weight and started putting on makeup, I realized how pretty I could be (no ego, but just discovering a new person, kind of).

That sucks, I'm sorry to hear that. If it makes you feel any better, you're not alone. I had a friend who was putting me down in numerous small ways, and would deflect the issue when I tried to talk to him about it. I wanted this guy to be a friend for life, and stuck by him through a lot. Ultimately, I got tired of the verbal abuse (as well as being his ATM machine), so I walked away. After several years away from him, I had a new perspective. I found I didn't need him as much as I once thought I did, and saw his behaviors (that have not changed) as ridiculous, where once I had accepted them as part of dealing with him. True friends are few. When we find the genuine ones, we should hang on and really nurture that friendship. For the others, don't waste too much energy on them, since the time/energy we have to spend in this life is limited anyway. And to supplement what gman said, here's a quote by Robin Williams that has really stood out for me:

Congratulations to you, and I'm sure your weight loss has only just begun. Very excited myself to get on this journey already.

Looks awesome! Are you still at 226 lbs like your signature says? Because you look a lot slimmer than that....

I don't know if he had a monetary stake in this, but what studies show isn't stacking up with what your Dr. said (about sleeve's efficacy): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20622654

This reminds me of a "friend" of mine (and I use that term loosely), who would refuse to answer my emails to talk about our issues for years on end, and then when he needed something, come to my husband and go, "Is she still mad at me? Does she still hate me? She's so mean." #whine And gmanbat, great response. This site is good not only for WLS info, but also some great psychological insights. Good stuff as always.

Dragonfly, She sounds like a pain in the ass, and I don't know why she can't be happy with you. Knowing me, I would probably get pissed and make some snarky comment back about her surgery, but I'm not sure that would help the situation. I'd just let her know in no uncertain terms that she doesn't have any moral high ground to you just because she chose the more drastic measure. Each WLS works for a certain group of people, she should be happy for you and STFU, and that's all there is to it. It sounds like she just needs the spotlight on herself (ongoing complements) constantly, for some reason. I can't stand it when people act like morally superior attention whores.

So, your starting weight is 195 lbs? May I ask how tall you are? I guess I would ask what you want to get out of surgery, both weight wise, short/long term complication wise, and price wise. The band is the easiest upfront and usually the cheapest, with no cutting, however it requires long term maintenance. The sleeve or gastric bypass (which can be covered by insurance) is more drastic but you lose more weight and when it heals there's generally no upkeep or return visits. It also costs up to 10K more upfront than the band, but that's balanced out usually over time by not having to worry about fills/unfills. Edit: And regarding liposuction, I wouldn't really look at that unless there's one part of your body that consistently bothers you, and nothing else (for instance, that stubborn love handle on your stomach ever since you've had a child, etc.). Otherwise, it just seems kind of like mopping only one area on a large kitchen floor.

Good luck though. At least with the sleeve, once your stomach is completely healed up, you won't have the hassle of aftercare (fills/unfills)

? Did you fall asleep on the keyboard?

May I suggest the sleeve? Unless you're extremely heavy (like 600 or so) or looking for a quick diabetes reversal, I think the sleeve is able to help you drop some lbs, while being simpler/lower complication than the bypass and also not being malabsorptive--you can still keep the Vitamins from food you ingest.