OKCPirate

@@Rogofulm - I mentioned later that this myth was misplaced to people with normal kidneys. It is VERY different to those with kidney disease.

Congrats and remember, the gas, poo and weight from the IV will pass. Give it time. Hint: Give your new sleeve a name (FrankinSleeve was one of my favs) and treat it with respect and it will be a great tool and the changes in your life will bless you and those around you more than you will ever be able to fully appreciate. (If you need motivation, read this: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/195065-you-know-you-lost-weight-when/page-60#entry3933120) Enjoy the process.

Self pay costs are much lower. However you lose NUT, Pysc Consult and exercise support. BUT, IMHO, too many of these are crap and you will get most of the information on this site. Too much of the cost in this procedure is in lawsuit avoidance and insurance companies trying to get rid of those who are non-complaint. So, it depends on you. How motivated to learn all you can on your own? Can you read, research, reason and integrate sometimes conflicting information and make your own decisions? How committed are you to using this as a tool vs. thinking it is a magic wand which will solve all your problems? Just how bad of shape are you in with other medical complications? (I was NOT diabetic. I did NOT have heart problems. I WAS active.) All these factors are important to the amount of support you need to make this work. And how much can afford out of pocket? All of these should be considered in making a final call. You are an adult, make the best call for you.

@@proudgrammy enjoy your FAGE with pride, this is where I first saw the Protein absorption idea on a non-body building site: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-protein-can-the-body-absorb/ This is an interesting explanation of how the body utilizes food over a day: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear-mark-how-much-protein-can-you-absorb-and-use-from-one-meal/#axzz3kFd67qjP This is a good explanation of the origin of the high protein will hurt the kidney's myth: http://www.biolayne.com/uncategorized/myths-surrounding-high-protein-diet-safety/ If you have kidney disease, follow your doctor's recommendation, but for the rest of us, that recommendation doesn't apply.

To echo the rest, this too shall pass. And sorry, take a look at the site, because in a week you will be worried you have not pooped. It's NORMAL. That too will pass. Fore warned is fore armed.

@@proudgrammy - There are some myths out there about too much Protein at one time hurts your kidneys and somehow a 25g shake is supposed to make that happen. But some myths die hard ... SHOW OF HANDS how many people believe: drinking coffee dehydrates you, you have to wait 30 minutes to swim after eating, the "official" government food pyramid was not influenced by the wheat and dairy and other food industry lobbyists, Santa is real? (I mean despite die hard Utopians) I prefer food, but with limited stomach space and occasionally limited time, shakes work well. And trying to get over 120g a day without it is almost impossible.

@@VSGAnn2014 - Congratulations on your personal success and thank you for the support and inspiration you provide to this group. That is some great info from your PA. I ran across this study when it came to leptin and ghrelin and WLS: http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC4284080/. I was interested in this because of the research on weight set point that seems from leptin which is explored in depth here: http://theweightofth...-of-weight-loss Leptin, ghrelin, both affect the bodies set point and our weight loss...and keeping it off, but some people's "set point" seems to get reset and others do not. Why? Who knows. But it is an ongoing struggle. We have to find our max calorie level, exersise level etc. Dang we are complicated critters. But I am going to look hard at upping my calories about 10% at this point. Thanks.

BTW, for anyone who is starting a C25K Program when I started I was getting distracted and not paying attention to the timing then I found this cool little site c25kplaylists.com. The music is OK, but the nice thing is the voice prompts to remind me to walk or run. I can concentrate on form and not look at my watch. I just saved the 30 minute song as an MP3 file and put it on my iPod. Speaking of form - http://www.jeffgallo...m/learn/videos/ Jeff has some great tips. Most important take away, short stride, shuffle, feet close to ground to prevent injuries. When I last tried to start running, I didn't do this and ended up hurting myself and was not able to walk for nearly a week. Two weeks of using this tip has lead to pain free running.

You are one of my heroes @B-52. I'm glad to know you have become one of your cardiologists too.

It's possible, here is where I was a few months before

It looks like "they are not sure" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284080/ http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/watch/bonus-shorts/the-quest-to-understand-the-biology-of-weight-loss Leptin, ghrelin, both affect the bodies set point and our weight loss...and keeping it off, but some people's "set point" seems to get reset and others do not. Why? Who knows. But it is an ongoing struggle. We have to find our max calorie level, exersise level etc. Dang we are complicated critters.

Great reminder it's a tool, not a magic wand and should not be sold as one. Now, if they wanted to be fair, they could have put the results of behavior modification alone beside it and you see just how good a tool this is. But original point is well taken, prepare to hit the ground running following surgery and slow down to a jog for maintenance, but keep moving.

@@Jrenae00 - I quit tobacco 3 years ago. I still vape. I vaped before, in the hospital and after the surgery, without any discernible negative effect. I tried Welbutrin (but it caused my ex-wife to go to the hospital with stroke like symptoms) and Chantix (which made me fuzzy) but neither worked.

Stomachs are made of tough stuff, if the sutures hold early on, the tissues regrow and are stronger at that point than even the rest of the stomach.

It's the toughest habit I ever broke. I eventually settled on vaping. Keeps me tobacco free, doesn't smell and is almost socially acceptable. The chemicals in the smoke (and my chewing tobacco, yes I used to do both) really irritated my stomach. Vaping does not. Nicotine and PPG are the only ingredients in my mixture, and while nicotine isn't good for you, it isn't really harmful either. So might be a reasonable solution.

It depends. I tell women upfront "I'm open minded about everything but wanting to open the door for them, and paying when we go out." It cuts down the anxiety. Now, some women actually will be insistent on paying, at least occasionally. So there is no "correct" answer. It depends on your means too. It is a time consuming process. Make it easy on yourself and wallet. First meeting should be public and usually for coffee.

@@VSGAnn2014 - OMG yes. First woman in my life I want to introduce to my 16 year old daughter. To me that is BIG. (cute story, we didn't tell each other but we both closed our Match.com profiles at the same time after lunch). Told all the women I have been dating "I'm off the market." Yes, its that serious.

It's not always how much you are doing in terms of time...I think in order to keep the motivation going, you have to have an idea as to why you are doing it. The reality is with rapid weight loss you are going to have saggy skin. It may or may not shrink eventually, but firming the muscles will help give contour and tone. Cardio will improve skin health giving you your best chance to avoid plastic surgery. So you are doing the right thing balancing weights and cardio. I just walked first two weeks, put in elliptical on week three and light weights by week four. Increased intensity by no more than 10% a week until 2 months post surgery and then started doing heavier weights and month 3 began the Couch to 5K program so I could put running in the mix. Now I'm going to a very heavy HITT weight program, but taking more days off to recover and will mix walk and run days with that. Keep challenging yourself, and have some fun. Did you know if you climb a 11,000 foot mountain with a 20 pound pack for 8 hours you will burn 6,000 calories? Lost three pounds doing that.

I posted about the mountain climb here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/346873-once-a-wish-now-done-what-makes-you-proud/ It was physically challenging, but satisfying to go as far as I did. The Fencing Class was interesting. I made it a date. It is a tough workout. Because of the odd position you take when you do it, my butt muscles were really sore. But I won every duel. Not sure about the dancing, but it is really important to the lady I just started dating. We joke, it is an unofficial condition of dating her . So I will let you know when my schedule allows me to go to the Tuesday class.

@@Indieflickers - Look online, go visit some bike shops. I know we have a great Meetup Group here in OKC and they have a wealth of info. And there are "bariatricpal" equivalents for cycling enthusiasts.

@@jenn1 - "worried about sinking my innertube" - at your current weight, your biggest worry is putting enough pressure on the tube to get it down, so you can get on top of it. That's a great problem to have.

@@CowgirlJane - "profile?" I wasn't referring to my online dating profile, I was speaking about a description of what I want in an ideal mate. Keep your fingers crossed, I think I met her yesterday. I was looking at my "ideal mate description" yesterday as I was posting and then had the greatest coffee date/"meet and greet" ever. Can't wait to see her for lunch in 2 hours and 22 minutes, but who's counting.

There are many great bikes available second hand (eBay, craigslist etc.) I strongly suggest a gel pad on your saddle (you are getting less and less padding on 'your' seat) . I recently switched from a steel bike frame to a carbon one. Wow, that makes a huge difference. Not only is the bike lighter, but the carbon frame absorbs shocks so much better, the ride is smoother and more fun.

It depends. They should, but they sometimes they balk claiming the original provider should fix a mistake. Depends on who is doing the coding. If you look at the contracts and policies there is enough wiggle room for it to go either way. Sorry I wish you could get a clear answer, but I can't get anyone to give me a clear answer on how much an office visit is to my doctor and the IRS can't give me clear answers EVER.

Much more concerned about continued progress than a goal. I've been tickled pink by the scale, but much more concerned about body fat percentage than BMI's. My goals have been NSV's. My first 5K, mountain climb etc. My eventual weight, getting off my meds, no more CPAP - these were factors that I classify as "hope for" because I really can't control them.