OKCPirate

It's not as hard as you might think. I stressed a great deal more than I should have.

Have him watch this...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a-Ci4rbRxQ. This was the Rosetta Stone to having happiness with women. He was the only guy who finally explained that women just need to talk, not problem solve. Why this isn't carved in a rock somewhere to let guys know is beyond me.

@ I bought two new office chairs because of that problem. The best was a mesh one. But the standing/adjustable desk was the best investment I have made to take care of the problem. BUTT, that has been the biggest skinny problem. I can't sit for long now. My GF and I have turned my small stomach into an advantage, we just split meals. I have always been hot natured, and have never been really cold. Ladies, when ever you get annoyed at shaving your pits, bend over and trim your toenails...not having to plan for that ordeal makes the whole thing worth it

Ask your doc about welbutrin (lovingly refered to as the happy/horney drug). Also when discussing these drugs, make sure he/she knows about the problems with malabsorbtion, especially in extended release versions that are known with WLS people. Take a look at crazymeds.us. There are more and more WLS people who are taking different meds and they can often offer good advice. Always remember medicine is an ART as well as a SCIENCE. We often forget just how important it is to remember that we are all the same in that we are all different. When you are dealing with brain chemistry and those drugs, well it's not an exact science, and there is trial and error involved. One further note, have you had your testosterone level checked? The weight loss might have depleted your supplies, (Why do guys have more libido? More T baby, yeah). Also do not give up hope, these people have some great research...http://www.mestonlab.com/. I was surprised that a hot relaxing bath was not the best thing to get things going for ladies...actually its a hard workout, which increases T levels. Note it is the opposite for guys. Who knew science could be so sexy

It isn't unheard of. Yoyo dieting seems to effect your body's natural set point where it starts going into "its a famine, slow everything down" type of mode. Try timing some Protein (25g) before and after a workout. I don't know why (and as far as I can tell no one else knows either) but certain ethnicities do better with carbs and others with protein. It just may be some things that our ancestors had that allowed them to pass their genes forward long ago. I have experimented enough with myself to know that I do really well when I am eating meat and a few vegies. If I throw too much fruit in the mix, I start gaining. You are in a strange netherland. If you are not already, log your food and see what combination works for you. When you start googling this, you will start realizing "a calorie isn't really a calorie." A piece of wood has calories. But those calories can't be absorbed. Alcohol has calories, but not all are absorbed. Some people seem to more easily absorb certain calories. Hormones effect this too. If you find some good research, please share it with the group.

Same deal with me. It freaked me out when I got home. And then I didn't poop for over a week and I freaked out about that too. But after the IV fluids and the rest of it passed, the scale started moving...but by then I found out about stalls and didn't freak on that.

My favorite way to do hummus: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/hummus-crusted-chicken/ (esp. garlic hummus).

YES, YES, YES Thank goodness they didn't find the "Sex, oh my God, Sex" post, or we'd be here all night (well heck, that one might have been interesting)

@@chycky - ah, that makes sense. I had thought it was because I had been so used to carbinated drinks, but I gave those up pre-surgery, I think you solved that mystery for me. Thanks

eating around the sleeve seems to refer to high calorie foods which don't give the bang for the buck you need. You can probably cram in mashed potatoes all day, but you are not going to lose weight. @@Dub figured out that nuts can be a problem (good food, too many calories). Alcohol and nuts seem to be the worse. All that said, I use jerky's as "rescue food" which I think of is things I keep in my travel bag when I am not sure I can get enough Protein. It can be addictive, and I have to watch it, but I do dig it. It makes a stupid layover a good event, becaue I get to break out the gourmet jerky .

I used to like genpro, but it was reformulated about a year ago. I like pipingrock.com which is very good, much lower price and mixes well except at high temp (think coffee, give it 5-10 minutes to cool off).

If he is over 40 and had ever been with a woman who has had kids, he'll be fine. Gravity wins in the end, and most guys realize air brushed models are not reality. On the plus side, the hormone dump might bring out the hyper-sexual in you and he really won't care at that point. Always remember, fun, confidence and skill are always the best things to wear to bed.

Respect the sleeve. Be gentle. Try some Isopure at GNC. If you can tolerate the taste it is great. 40g of Protein and hydration. Kept me moving two years ago.

I used a shot glass and sipped on it all the time. It was a reminder to sip slow. Don't need it now BTW, only for the first couple of weeks.

That is a big red flag. Why wouldn't someone be supportive of their partner trying to make a healthy change. I have no idea of all the relationship dynamics, but that is my initial read. I get concerns, esp. early before education, but that one scares me.

Me too...opps, I may be on the wrong thread...is this still the massage topic? :-)

@shani1970- Really? Just for the sake of edifying others who might be thinking about this procedure...how much pre-op work did you do? I'm not judging, I'm just wondering, did you: Look at YouTube videos of success and failures? Did you look at this site? Do you have a counselor and work through your food issues? Did you feel forced into having this surgery, or was it your choice? I was so committed that I was dead on perfect from two week pre-op for three months following but mainly because I had seen and learned enough going in that anything less would be a waste and potentially dangerous. But I'm not typical, so what have you learned? Esp. about your expectations going in...

Oh, I thought this was the singles area...never mind Oh wait, congrats. Good luck. Oh, by the way, there will be a bit of a freak out period a week or so before surgery, so please check back in for reassurance. It happens to everyone who is sane, so don't feel like a lone ranger.

@@Jim in Utah - Fantastic. Great job and welcome to onederland.

@@Sinta "My question is I wonder if it would be completely crazy to have a single vodka tonic?" YES. You are still healing. You don't want anything to irritate healing tissues. Learn to enjoy without alcohol. If you find you don't like it and you are feeling pouty, just remember you made a huge investment in yourself, and you will be better later. My ex wife gave up drinking for preganacies, and I abstained in solidarity.

I had to weather the same storm. I did my homework. I found studies showing the rate of infection was lower at the facility than it was in many American facilities. My mom who is an retired nurse actually was very happy. It reminded her of how hospitals provided care before managed care in the US. Excellent nursing care, many people consistently cleaning. Remind them that people are going to Mexico VOLUNTARILY. Which means, if a provider does crap work, people quit going. In the US, very few people have real choice in providers. If the reviews are good, and you are doing your due diligence I think your outcomes can be even better than the average place in the US. It's elective surgery. I had many choices. I did my homework and was very happy with the results. Only thing I wish I had done differently is come home earlier. But alas, I just prepared for the absolute worst case. Ok, so I was bored one day, not the worst thing.

Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who unless I'm with my GF and then I want...love reign o'er me

You are doing great. Are you hitting the gym yet? It helped me deal with the changes. BTW, the amount of testosterone stored in fat is substantial. Testosterone increases does increase aggression. So might be a link. Or you might be dealing with some old emotional issues and the physical changes are bringing up some latent issues. My suggestion is to start ramping up the muscle building exercise, see if it helps. In a month, if everyone still thinks you are being a jerk, work on the emotional side.

I said it was barely worth it because yes it helped me to quit smoking which without it would have been 100 times harder and I succeeded. But after it was said and done, two years of pretty severe depression was horrible. And, depression is MOST def a side effect of Chantix. My physician diagnosed it from Chantix usage. Chantix seems to be the more dangerous, and the FDA has some warnings on it... http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/03/trying-to-quit-smoking-dont-start-with-chantix-say-some-experts/ and http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm170090.htm I took welbutrin again earlier this year, and unfortunately got the worse side effects (as well as benefit on the condition). Chantix really weirded me out. Vaping is what finally worked for me. I have done 3 weeks cold turkey, Patches, gum, nothing worked. The vape was the first thing which actually worked and kept me tobacco free for 5 years. Incidentally, half of smokers have now quit via vaping.

Sorry, elements of this post were not showing up. I'll try back later