Eli Alexander

Congrats. Best advise I can give is to keep doing whatever's needed. On my path several issues popped up, but I was able to do some additional work and now I'm getting my operation in 38 hours. Don't allow roadblocks to a healthier you. You are going to rock this process and be a success!

Congrats on what you've done so far. I've heard many, including my doctor, say that often you need to increase consumption to get past a stall. Seems counterintuitive, but if you are doing everything else right then try an increase. I'm getting sleeved in 2 days, so I don't have any experience other than what I'm reading.

I'm not an expert, but my doctor told me the gummy vitamins don't have iron so they aren't good for us. One of the biggest issues is iron deficiency. Perhaps it's brand defendant, but make sure you get your iron. Also, make sure you take your calcium at a different time then the iron because the calcium prevents uptake of iron, and you end up pooping it out.

Great thread 1) cycle cross bicycle race with my brothers family 2) scuba dive 3) go dancing more, maybe take swing lessons 4) "bump" into old friends and girlfriends and watch their reactions 5) lots of hikes, especially backpacking with my best friend 6) fly on a plane and not feel like the devil 7) sex, sex and more sex 8) travel a little more adventurously, trekking and stuff like that 9) play basketball again 10) look in the mirror and be proud of my accomplishments 11) go clothes shopping and finding what I want off the regular racks.

I've been a big coffee drinker for years, and leading up to my surgery I've cut it way down to one 8oz cup of joe in the morning. Well, with my surgery a week away, I finally cut out the coffee altogether. No coffee or any caffeine for over 60 hours. Fine, I'm giving it up for best results. But I really loved both the jolt in the morning and the routine of brewing and drinking my cup. No cream, no sugar, no nothing but blissful roasted coffee Beans. Anyone have thoughts on the subject? Replacements? Thanks.

Haha, well done so far. Waiting to hear all the verses.

Way to go! You took one huge step towards a brighter life.

Thanks everyone, I'll be trying these. What about something for a pick-me-up? Favors one thing, but any options for a boost of energy aside from b12, which doesn't seem to affect me much.

Great job. Hope you don't mind me telling you - you are looking sexy!

Awesome! I'll be there soon enough. One week to go. How you feeling?

Congrats to all of you. I'll be joining these ranks in one week.

Wonderful. One step closer. Yea!

Have a baby shower and get some gifts

This is so weird. I've been on a zillion diets over the years, but I've never lost weight so easily. I'm paying close attention to what I eat, but I'm really not hungry even though I'm south of 1000 calories daily. I think the excitement of my upcoming surgery and my constant state of bring terrified are working to my advantage. 9 days to go. I meet my surgeon tomorrow and my anesthesiologist in a couple days. The 20th I'm under the knife. Starting : 310lbs Currently: 285lbs First goal: 199lbs

Thanks all. It's not in my nature to brag like this, but I'm really proud of my weight loss. I'm really working hard. Surgery is in a week, and then hopefully the weight will just melt away.

My doc has us just on a regular diet until 24h before the surgery, then Clear liquids only. Nothing after midnight. But that might be because my regular diet has been very successful, they may have just decided it was better to stay with what was working. For the past six weeks I've been averaging 4lbs lost per week.

Congrats, I actually didn't get my insurance approval until today, even though I'm going in on the 20th for the sleeve. It was a huge relief. Then, moments later, my nerves started churning and I started to freak out. But I think I'm ok, just really feel lost in this adventure. Ready, happy, excited, but lost. Little things, like if I put Isopure Protein into the broths during the clear liquid phase. How to take meds during the first couple days. All stuff like that, that I have the answers to somewhere in my papers are freaking me out. But I did go and get all ready today, shopping for all the little things, meds, slippers, exercise shoes, and Protein drinks and powders. Just a bunch of the little things so that once I have the surgery I'm all set for my healthier life. Good luck, I'm sure you will have moments of crazy nerves, but then the excitement takes over. I can't wait.

Thanks for this question, I was wondering the same. I'm going shopping for my liquid diet in a couple hours.

I think a bad gout attack is the worst pain I've ever been through so I feel for you. Have you looked into eating a low purine diet? It's totally doable in conjunction with our current diets, and it does have some significant influence on gout. Good luck, feel better.

Offer him something he want in return. It's not optimal, you want him to just do it for you, but doing it so you let him skip lunch at your parents, or have a golf outing with his friend, or whatever he wants within reason, might be the best way to show him how important it is to you. And then use positive reinforcement. He eats in the other room, you say thank you and be a sweetheart. Just my 2 cents.

Congrats on the date coming so soon. I don't know anyone who had ever had a gastric surgery except for one uncle who had a lap bad a decade ago. This whole experience is unexpected for me. Tough so far and I expect even tougher in the future. I'm so ready for it.

I guess I should post here. My date is the 20th. Good luck everyone.

I take allopurinol, it works great for me. But that takes several weeks to work. DO NOT PUT FROZEN OR COLD PACKS ON YOUR GOUT Gout is from the crystallization of Uric acid and dropping the temp can worsen the flare up by catalyzing crystal formation. Heat feels good to me, but it really just does a tiny bit of good. The most important thing is to take the anti inflammatories regularly even if it doesn't seem to help much. It is helping, and one of the bad things about inflammation is it can be cyclical. More inflammation leads to your body mounting a stronger response which can lead to more inflammation. Usually, the flare ups only last a few days if you pay attention to a low purine diet. Once the flair up subsides, get on some medications, there are almost no side effects. Also, some doctors will give a shot of cortisone directly into the knuckle. My doc suggested that it wasn't very helpful and is painful to get, but perhaps you could discuss that with your doc too. Good luck.

Congrats. I just found this place a couple days ago and have been thrilled to learn as much as I have even though I'm only nine days away from surgery. Like you, I'm thrilled to have such supportive and accepting friends and family.

Congrats, My goal is to be able to to compete in cyclocross with my brothers whole family. I don't need to win, but I want to compete.