no onions

I've lurked on the boards long enough to know that many people choose to keep their surgery entirely private, some are very public and some tell a few people. I recently told my team (@work) that I would be taking a LOA for about 4-weeks. I decided that I wouldn't tell them why, but changed my mind during the conversation. I was very prepared for any negative reactions - they did not come. They were nothing but supportive. I didn't realize just how emotional I am over this entire issue (weight, surgery, etc) until I actually started speaking. Typically, I'm pretty reserved, but during this conversation - I felt like crying. Anyway, good experience, moving on..
I told a friend (who had lap-band) and she was interested and not judgmental. She did explain that she wasn't happy with her lap-band, but understood that my surgery was a different tool. This conversation was pleasant and I wasn't emotional about it. So moving on...
I told another good friend (she is overweight) and she was obviously concerned. One of the things she said to me, "I feel like people who have surgery just haven't tried hard enough." I sort-of expected that she might have a judgmental response and was prepared for it. I simply replied, that "20+ years of trying very hard, finding success and weight loss, but not being able to keep the weight off, is very hard work and doesn't indicate any lack of trying on anyone's part." What can one say to that? Not much if they are even slightly thoughtful and self-aware. I went on to explain that she needs to reconsider her mindset - people use the surgery as a tool, not a panacea. WLS is not a quick fix, it's not magic.
With all of the above said, I'm glad I told the people I mentioned. It's a personal decision and not for everyone. If you choose to discuss WLS with others, be prepared for a variety of reactions from them and from yourself.
Best of luck to everyone!

I've lurked on the boards long enough to know that many people choose to keep their surgery entirely private, some are very public and some tell a few people. I recently told my team (@work) that I would be taking a LOA for about 4-weeks. I decided that I wouldn't tell them why, but changed my mind during the conversation. I was very prepared for any negative reactions - they did not come. They were nothing but supportive. I didn't realize just how emotional I am over this entire issue (weight, surgery, etc) until I actually started speaking. Typically, I'm pretty reserved, but during this conversation - I felt like crying. Anyway, good experience, moving on..
I told a friend (who had lap-band) and she was interested and not judgmental. She did explain that she wasn't happy with her lap-band, but understood that my surgery was a different tool. This conversation was pleasant and I wasn't emotional about it. So moving on...
I told another good friend (she is overweight) and she was obviously concerned. One of the things she said to me, "I feel like people who have surgery just haven't tried hard enough." I sort-of expected that she might have a judgmental response and was prepared for it. I simply replied, that "20+ years of trying very hard, finding success and weight loss, but not being able to keep the weight off, is very hard work and doesn't indicate any lack of trying on anyone's part." What can one say to that? Not much if they are even slightly thoughtful and self-aware. I went on to explain that she needs to reconsider her mindset - people use the surgery as a tool, not a panacea. WLS is not a quick fix, it's not magic.
With all of the above said, I'm glad I told the people I mentioned. It's a personal decision and not for everyone. If you choose to discuss WLS with others, be prepared for a variety of reactions from them and from yourself.
Best of luck to everyone!

@@Kushka I can relate about having just a boat-load to do before going on leave.

@@no onions, Yay, June 17th is almost here! I can't believe it! Stay in touch with me!

Awesome! Great before and after, very happy for you. This is tough stuff and I like to see and hear from people who help reinforce my own decision.

@@Kushka - I have experienced eye-twitching, but only (as @@Inner Surfer Girl) when I'm terribly stressed out and very tired. Oh - and there's usually a computer monitor involved.
I would be interested to know if you find out what is causing it. Hope your twitch resolves!

@@smiranda - in addition to what you've mentioned, I'm bringing qtips (cotton swabs), travel size Shampoo, travel size bodywash and biotene mouthwash. I don't know if I will be able to use the mouthwash, but if allowed, it's supposed to help with the dry mouth feeling that we will experience from not being able to drink. At least that's what I read on here somewhere. I may add some moist-towelettes or something to my list to wipe my face.

@@MeAndTinyTina your lunch sounds like my standard lunch! Mine is:
3 oz grilled chicken breast (sometimes flavored, I like the chili lime and rosemary balsamic, but often plain) +
1.5 oz frozen haricots verts, artichoke hearts, or grilled asparagus spears +
1 T. light champagne vinaigrette or sesame soy ginger dressing
I just chop up the veggies, throw them in the microwave for 30 seconds on level 3 to defrost, then put everything in a small tupperware containter and shake it up. Makes a great and healthy lunch!
Oh and I adore their frozen brussels sprouts! I roast them in the oven to go with my dinner, or have them for a weekend lunch. They just started carrying (in my area anyway) frozen grilled cauliflower, which is also really good.

I am also lazy in the kitchen. I rely a lot on pre-cooked chicken, beef, pork, etc. from Trader Joe's. It comes already with sauce and all you have to do it heat up your small portion. Korean bbq pork shoulder and pulled bbq chicken are a couple of my favorites. It stays good in the fridge for a long time. They have similar frozen options, like frozen lamb koftas and frozen Italian turkey meatballs (I heat those up with a little garlic marinara sauce). I've got some of TJ's frozen jumbo scallops defrosting in the fridge right now for supper later. I'll season them with garlic pepper and basil, then sear them for about 3 minutes in butter. That takes about a grand total of five minutes from start to finish and I find them absolutely delicious.
I also use their frozen veggies a lot, since I live alone and I can't get through fresh veggies before they go bad

Nope, no problems, no pain.

I didn't have the problem before surgery either but worried about it, so I bought some of the flushable wipes thinking it may be easier to get clean...Lol

June 17 here - anxious, but feel prepared as possible. This site has been very helpful.

My reply is somewhat tongue-in-cheek as I can relate to many of you.
The most effective diet, for me, was the eat nothing diet that I did in high school. I ate saltines occasionally and sometimes sugar free Jello. Then I would exercise like a fiend and weigh constantly, multiple times per day. I lost every pound and then some. It was so effective that my parents almost checked me into a hospital to get help. It became a contest (in my mind) to see how many days I could go without food. It was, admittedly, crazy. As an adult I could never seem to master this diet, which was probably for the best. I honestly don't know how I functioned.
The second most effective diet for me was counting calories, lots of exercise and some side-effect from Wellbutrin that gave me tons of energy to spare. That side-effect wore off after a few months and so did my motivation. I did have a good stomach flu during that time that almost brought me to "onderland."
HMR was also a very effective diet for me. It was very-low-calorie liquid diet (in my case) with weekly meetings and Dr. appts/monitoring. It wasn't sustainable, but it was very quick weight loss.
Possibly the least effective? The time I spent $900 on a personal trainer and only went to about three sessions. To their credit, they called and called to try and get me to come in.
I'm hopeful (and fairly certain) that the gastric sleeve will ultimately be the best solution for me. I will use this tool effectively - I'm not going under the knife for fun!

I have done the opposite. I have had Ellen Degeneres hair since 1978. I did not feel pretty enough for long hair and punished myself my keeping it extremely short. I got it cut one more time before my sleeve surgery in December of 2013 in anticipation of hideous Hair loss, and aslo decided to embrace the grayish white that was taking over my natural strawberry blonde hair.
As it turns out, I was one of the fortunate few who did not experience hair loss. The ramped up Protein and outstanding nutrition have given me the thickest, strongest hair I have had since my hippy days in the late 1960's. So, I have let it grow and grow. It is nearly shoulder length now and soft and beautiful. I also found some hair color that matches the strawberry blonde that is still in my eyebrows. Losing my excess weight has given me a new perspective on how to treat myself.
I am a domestic violence survivor, and one of the best points of insight that I got from counseling at a women's shelter was that sometimes we get so used to being abused that we begin to abuse ourselves. Baratric surgery has been an eye-opener for me. At 63, I have the best hair I have had in 38 years. I am always happy to hear when others are emboldened to try something new, and to re-invent themselves.

I can honestly say it wasnt as bad as I thought. Surgery went smooth. I have had some moderate discomfort. But overall not too bad experience... Hardest part was taking initial sips of water! You have to walk walk walk walk walk, it helps expell the gases that were pupmed into your body durring surery! Drinking is a big challenge for me and I cant think of eating nothing! My surgical team was amazing, Dr Richard Nguyen is a very skilled surgeon and very dedicated to his patients. Good Samaritan hospitol staff was super caring and supportive through my entire stage! Now Im home wishing I was back for a little extra TLC!!!

Thanks to everyone for reporting these spammers!

Hate video chat, etc. -- it's the only time I'm glad of our poor band width....however last time I found myself staring at the person in the little frame at the bottom (me) and loving her collarbones. Collarbones, who knew?

I'm on day 3 of liquids for surgery on the 23rd! I have had slight nausea and a headache since I started the liquids! Tylenol is my friend right now. Hopefully the end result will be worth it! I'm drinking Fit Frappe brand mocha shakes blended with 1/4 cup coconut milk, 8 oz Water and ice... It tastes like a Starbucks frapp, but not too sweet!

Wow, @@no onions, you are tough as nails to start a 10-day diet one week early!! So glad you kicked the caca feeling and are feeling better! Best of luck with your upcoming surgery.

I've lurked on the boards long enough to know that many people choose to keep their surgery entirely private, some are very public and some tell a few people. I recently told my team (@work) that I would be taking a LOA for about 4-weeks. I decided that I wouldn't tell them why, but changed my mind during the conversation. I was very prepared for any negative reactions - they did not come. They were nothing but supportive. I didn't realize just how emotional I am over this entire issue (weight, surgery, etc) until I actually started speaking. Typically, I'm pretty reserved, but during this conversation - I felt like crying. Anyway, good experience, moving on..
I told a friend (who had lap-band) and she was interested and not judgmental. She did explain that she wasn't happy with her lap-band, but understood that my surgery was a different tool. This conversation was pleasant and I wasn't emotional about it. So moving on...
I told another good friend (she is overweight) and she was obviously concerned. One of the things she said to me, "I feel like people who have surgery just haven't tried hard enough." I sort-of expected that she might have a judgmental response and was prepared for it. I simply replied, that "20+ years of trying very hard, finding success and weight loss, but not being able to keep the weight off, is very hard work and doesn't indicate any lack of trying on anyone's part." What can one say to that? Not much if they are even slightly thoughtful and self-aware. I went on to explain that she needs to reconsider her mindset - people use the surgery as a tool, not a panacea. WLS is not a quick fix, it's not magic.
With all of the above said, I'm glad I told the people I mentioned. It's a personal decision and not for everyone. If you choose to discuss WLS with others, be prepared for a variety of reactions from them and from yourself.
Best of luck to everyone!

I've lurked on the boards long enough to know that many people choose to keep their surgery entirely private, some are very public and some tell a few people. I recently told my team (@work) that I would be taking a LOA for about 4-weeks. I decided that I wouldn't tell them why, but changed my mind during the conversation. I was very prepared for any negative reactions - they did not come. They were nothing but supportive. I didn't realize just how emotional I am over this entire issue (weight, surgery, etc) until I actually started speaking. Typically, I'm pretty reserved, but during this conversation - I felt like crying. Anyway, good experience, moving on..
I told a friend (who had lap-band) and she was interested and not judgmental. She did explain that she wasn't happy with her lap-band, but understood that my surgery was a different tool. This conversation was pleasant and I wasn't emotional about it. So moving on...
I told another good friend (she is overweight) and she was obviously concerned. One of the things she said to me, "I feel like people who have surgery just haven't tried hard enough." I sort-of expected that she might have a judgmental response and was prepared for it. I simply replied, that "20+ years of trying very hard, finding success and weight loss, but not being able to keep the weight off, is very hard work and doesn't indicate any lack of trying on anyone's part." What can one say to that? Not much if they are even slightly thoughtful and self-aware. I went on to explain that she needs to reconsider her mindset - people use the surgery as a tool, not a panacea. WLS is not a quick fix, it's not magic.
With all of the above said, I'm glad I told the people I mentioned. It's a personal decision and not for everyone. If you choose to discuss WLS with others, be prepared for a variety of reactions from them and from yourself.
Best of luck to everyone!

My reply is somewhat tongue-in-cheek as I can relate to many of you.
The most effective diet, for me, was the eat nothing diet that I did in high school. I ate saltines occasionally and sometimes sugar free Jello. Then I would exercise like a fiend and weigh constantly, multiple times per day. I lost every pound and then some. It was so effective that my parents almost checked me into a hospital to get help. It became a contest (in my mind) to see how many days I could go without food. It was, admittedly, crazy. As an adult I could never seem to master this diet, which was probably for the best. I honestly don't know how I functioned.
The second most effective diet for me was counting calories, lots of exercise and some side-effect from Wellbutrin that gave me tons of energy to spare. That side-effect wore off after a few months and so did my motivation. I did have a good stomach flu during that time that almost brought me to "onderland."
HMR was also a very effective diet for me. It was very-low-calorie liquid diet (in my case) with weekly meetings and Dr. appts/monitoring. It wasn't sustainable, but it was very quick weight loss.
Possibly the least effective? The time I spent $900 on a personal trainer and only went to about three sessions. To their credit, they called and called to try and get me to come in.
I'm hopeful (and fairly certain) that the gastric sleeve will ultimately be the best solution for me. I will use this tool effectively - I'm not going under the knife for fun!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I started my 10 day diet a week early, just to get the kinks out. My surgeon doesn't require a liquid diet prior to surgery, but a maximum of 1400 calories from a recommended "healthy" foods list. It was a drastic calorie reduction and I felt like caca the first few days. I'm feeling better this week. Hope you're feeling well soon too!

Perhaps there are online trainers that you could google, or google that search in your local area. If you're going to any support groups, it might be a good question to pose to the members. I have no idea where you are located, but there do not appear to be any who specialize in my area. Good luck to you!