no onions

I like the one below. I recently read it in an essay concerning loss (Sheryl Sandberg's):
"Option A is not available. So let's just kick the shit out of option B."

I haven't felt any guilt. I have had fleeting (seconds) moments of "what have I done" and then I remind myself that 20 years of dieting failed and this is my solution.
I probably feel some guilt about all the time I wasted before, events that I skipped with family and friends, etc.

I haven't felt any guilt. I have had fleeting (seconds) moments of "what have I done" and then I remind myself that 20 years of dieting failed and this is my solution.
I probably feel some guilt about all the time I wasted before, events that I skipped with family and friends, etc.

I haven't felt any guilt. I have had fleeting (seconds) moments of "what have I done" and then I remind myself that 20 years of dieting failed and this is my solution.
I probably feel some guilt about all the time I wasted before, events that I skipped with family and friends, etc.

I haven't felt any guilt. I have had fleeting (seconds) moments of "what have I done" and then I remind myself that 20 years of dieting failed and this is my solution.
I probably feel some guilt about all the time I wasted before, events that I skipped with family and friends, etc.

I haven't felt any guilt. I have had fleeting (seconds) moments of "what have I done" and then I remind myself that 20 years of dieting failed and this is my solution.
I probably feel some guilt about all the time I wasted before, events that I skipped with family and friends, etc.

It’s hard to believe it, but July 18 marks my 12-year Surgiversary! 12 years ago, I weighed 255 lbs (at a height of 5’7”). That was at age 25, after years of being overweight and yo-yo dieting. I got the lap-band on July 18, 2003, under the skillful hand of Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding in New York, and the rest, as they say, is history. I have my life back and it’s better than ever.
I feel like the luckiest man in the world. I have a wonderful family with the best children ever, and I have the health and energy to be able to keep up with them and be a real part of their lives. I am also thrilled every day to be able to advocate for weight loss surgery patients through BariatricPal, working with major obesity, WLS, and medical organizations, and I am so grateful for the lap-band and getting my life back.
I also want to thank BariatricPal members and supporters. When I founded the boards right after my surgery in 2003, there wasn’t much other online support out there. The discussion forums helped me through some tough times, and I am so glad it is able to help others as they approach surgery, recover from it, lose weight, and maintain their loss.

Ditch the special K shakes. They are complete trash. cheap low quality Protein that is barely there and lots of sugar. Get a proper Protein Shake, like Premier or something with 20-30 grams of protein.

Hi,
My incisions turned red around the site and oozed while they were healing. There wasn't anything wrong as there was not a smell and the color was a clear/yellowish tint to the liquid. I used a warm wash cloth to clean them and a little neosporin ointment. Also, as they heal they will get itchy...this is a good sign!
If it turns green, gets hot or warm at or around the incision sites or begins to bleed, call your Dr.
Everyone deals with pain differently and each surgeon stitches and handles the insides differently. Remember that you had your insides re-routed and it is major surgery, even though it is now done through laparoscopic means.
I have a really high pain tolerance because of health problems (arthritis, lupus, etc...) throughout my life. I have also had a hysterectomy, C6-C7 neck fusion, shoulder surgery and sinus surgery prior to this and had some idea of what I would be in for.
Please, give yourself a break. Rest as much as you can! I remember that I was told to walk around the house and the first couple of times made me super tired. My big exercise one day was to shower, get dressed, get in the car while a friend drove me to Walgreen's, walk around in Walgreen's getting items, talking to a friend in the store, picking up my medicine, paying, walking to the car and then back home. By the time I finished all that, I needed a NAP and slept for an hour and a half.
Don't push anything and when you body says ouch, stop. When you feel tired, rest or sleep. Eat on schedule, take your Vitamins and don't push it. You can do this and by listening to your body and responding accordingly, your pain will lessen naturally.
Best wishes and keep us posted. YOU CAN DO THIS!
Clarissa

Guilt for what ? Getting healthy and strong , leaving co morbidities behind ? In the past I have had Lasik surgery to correct eyesight problems, sinus surgery to correct breathing problems ( childhood broken nose ) and dental surgery to remove impacted wisdom teeth. Nobody suggested I should feel guilty or try to correct those problems by myself. Same goes for WLS, it solved a problem my body could not solve by itself. Not feeling guilty, just extremely grateful.

Yes, I did feel guilt at first. I felt guilty that I needed help to lose weight because it had been the only thing in my life I had failed at. Failure is my biggest fear and I felt by accepting the fact that I couldn't do it on my own I was a failure.
I was also terrified my surgery wouldn't work so I only told my immediate family and a few close co-workers. Now that I'm only 14 pounds from my goal weight I've been telling most people who ask how I lost weight that I had surgery. Of course I explain that they only did surgery on my stomach and not my brain; I still choose what I eat which is important.
But I don't feel the shame or guilt I had at first now that I feel successful. I've always been a very stubborn, driven person but my weight has always held me back and now that it isn't I almost don't know what to do with myself! I finally met the goal I've been striving for my entire life. Now I need to come up with some new ones and the world is full of possibilities :-)

I don't have any guilt but I will say I didn't do the surgery for years and years. Someone asked me why and after thinking about it long and hard I have come to realize I was afraid to succeed.
I was hiding behind my weight and trying to be invisible and now I am losing the weight and gaining confidence I am grateful for the surgery and the health it is bringing.
Hope that makes sense.

My family and friends are very supportive but I did question myself. At times I would think I am taking the easy way out of losing weight but now after my surgery I can say it is no easy way. Having to adjust your eating/drinking habits is a lot to deal with. Especially if your socialization revolves around going out to eat and drinking. But I am happy with my choice.

I've never had even one ounce of guilt, none!

I have gone through a plethora of emotions along the way, getting to approval, with surgery now less than two weeks away, but I can honestly say that guilt has never been one of them.
Probably the biggest emotion for me has been gratitude. I'm grateful that the surgery exists, that it's been perfected along the way, that I have a choice of procedures, that my insurance covers it, that I can take a full six weeks off of work to heal and adjust, that I've been given a second chance, that I have the full support of family and friends, that I chose to surround myself with the people I know will give me the encouragement I need, that I found this forum, that I made so many new friends going through the exact same process! The list is endless!
I don't listen to the naysayers. I personally choose to believe that a lot of that stigma comes from those who have never been fat, obese fat, not 10 or 20 pounds fat, and so have no idea of how much it negatively affects every aspect of our lives and limits our future. Plus I myself had no idea what the surgery was all about until I dove in and researched and took the classes etc. A lot of them are just uneducated on the subject and choose to stay that way.
Sometimes in life you have to take a leap because doing nothing, or simply repeating what hasn't worked before is just not acceptable anymore. I'm ready to leap!

I don't know that I felt guilt... but I did wish I had been able to do it without surgery. However recently I've noticed that this is FAR harder than losing weight the normal way. I have done it successfully and just not kept it off and I'm telling you that was NEVER this hard. This IS the hard way. It is also the only way I'm going to be able to keep it off. I know I'm still in the healing phase and can barely manage the calories in a day to do more than function at work, and working out (which I'm only now cleared to do) sounds like a bad joke but I also know that's going to improve as well.
And I know that I have family members who don't approve and aren't saying anything because I announced it with the blanket statement that I didn't want input and maybe when I'm having an easier time with it they will as well because my post op pain was pretty severe and they could see that.
But I also know that this was absolutely the right decision for me. You know how sometimes things just start falling into place? That started happening for me when I made this decision. It may have been the domino effect, it may have been fate, or it may have been that finally I was ready to make decisions that put my own well being first but since making this decision my life has started shifting. I'm still mostly focused on the day to day of healing and getting healthy, but the bigger picture is looking pretty good in a way it hasn't before.

No guilt here! Life is too short for guilt or regrets.
No matter how shitty I feel at any given moment, I realize that I am very blessed. Two great kids, a great marriage,a successful career, and a solution to the weight issue I've fought for decades. I have NOTHING to complain about and certainly nothing to regret or feel guilt about.

I'm letting the fear of there being a small particle, of an infinitesimal smidgen, within the thinnest crevice of an outside possibility, of there being the remotest chance of an adverse effect, keep me in line.
I've been looking for a reason to break off the affair, and this will serve nicely.
They call me Pollyanna.

I was dehydrated by the end of my second week. I had to force myself to get more liquids. I felt better immediately. This may sound odd, and it is purely psychological, but I now buy the small 8 oz bottles of Water. Trying to finish the small bottle is just not as daunting a task. When you have finished 8 in a day, you get your 64 oz. it works great for me.

I'm about to go into the insurance and finance section to post the costs associated with my WLS surgery, plus the insurance costs (once I'm sure all of the bills have come in) -- so I think it's completely fine to ask questions about any costs (for any surgery).
I know where you are coming from though - I remember asking someone how much their house cost as a little kid and receiving a pretty quick correction from my mom. :-) I wouldn't do anything like that now (house/car).
Ok - back to my Babybel cheese and deli chicken. I've been at it for 2 hours!

@@VSGAnn2014 Not funny, not funny! :-)
That's what I kept telling myself as I laughed and couldn't stop. Now I have a sore abdomen!
In all fairness, sneezed really big last night, so it was already sore.

Well i just got word that my time has come to get skinny...August 4th on a tuesday. I'm very excited not nervous at all just ready for the change and complete health.

@@VSGAnn2014 Not funny, not funny! :-)
That's what I kept telling myself as I laughed and couldn't stop. Now I have a sore abdomen!
In all fairness, sneezed really big last night, so it was already sore.

@@VSGAnn2014 Not funny, not funny! :-)
That's what I kept telling myself as I laughed and couldn't stop. Now I have a sore abdomen!
In all fairness, sneezed really big last night, so it was already sore.

@@Sharon1964
There are healthy bariatic friendly pizza alternatives to get the craving out of the way after WLS
http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/14230-cauliflower-crust-pizzas.html?c=jer