FinallyFit50s

I hadn't thought of taking pictures each week. This is such an exciting journey!

I'm so excited for the people who have their dates coming up soon! ???????? I went to see my surgeon yesterday, all the paperwork is in order and they sent it to the insurance company. Because I'm planning on traveling abroad in 10 weeks, I have to start the pre-op diet on Monday. My surgeon wants 8weeks between. I'm soooooo excited. I'll be more excited to get a definitive date!

@leximustang YUP, I feel very much like you do. I deactivated my Facebook account today.for one thing, I'm single and just have no desire for all the Valentine crap. The other is that FB has been a mind and time suck. I want to continue this journey for the next month without it and work on having real "living" relationships. This morning I texted a friend who is like a baby sister to me about talking to another friend about surgery. She commented the "I hope you're not thinking of it, you don't need it". I wasn't upset because In her defense, she was one that had disastrous life-threatening results with the LapBand (quack surgeon who on another friend of hers nicked her spleen plus other stuff) She now over 300 pounds and is too afraid to try the sleeve. After a long conversation, I told her that I hope her bearing witness to my journey will encourage her to at least think about it. I have really liked watching the video logs on You Tube of this young women name Cluesee (sp) she is hilarious, one of them is titled "After WLS you become a Jerk!" In reference to how folks that wouldn't previously give you the time of day are all sweet and kind and bothersome-esp store clerks!

There is a study on the recidivism-weight gain of participants on the show. I read it while I was doing research. One of the points made was that the contestants do 90 minutes of cardio a day with "suggested" times of up to 3 hours more. They are not fed a certain diet, and can choose what they eat. Before weigh-ins, many are dehydrated, etc. (like my WW weigh ins for sure;-( ) once off the ranch, they try to keep to these same measures to win. I don't know anyone who has an outside life of family, kids, dogs, jobs etc, who has time to work out 4 1/2 HOURS a day. Not to mention, it is near impossible to keep up. I used to watch the show and loved it, until I realized that like many of us, they lost all that weight to regain much of it. I do have my guilty pleasure of my 600 pound life...

As of today, my BMI is 35.6-I will not tell my parents or siblings. Yes, 50 year old woman who does not want to hear it from her 70+ parents, I don't want to the backlash from others either. A young man (30's) I've known since he was an obese teenager lost 110 pounds over the last 6 months with the sleeve. I went to say hello to him on Facebook and he had deactivated his account. Reason-negative people saying crap like he "took the easy way out." I have been on numerous diets and exercise plans. The last prolonged one before now was 2011, I started at lent-no refined foods, no HFCS, no sugar, no take-out. I worked out and went from 219# to 187. I felt good, looked good. It's been over a decade before then that I was below 200#. This weight loss lasted LESS THAN a month. The weight came back-on...and on...and on. When I started the WLS journey in August 2014, I was 232#. Heavier than when I gave birth to twins! I am 5'5" and 214# today. My daughter asked me what I will tell my parents next month when I am not eating cake at my granddaughters 1st birthday. For me, the timing is PERFECT, if all goes well this week with my 6month visit, I will start my pre-op diet along with lent. I planned on going no sugar, no processed foods anyways. It's interesting that folks will try to ply you with food and that a NO sometimes is not enough. But, if you say it's a religious reason, noooooo problem. Why is that?

Wow, mine for Health New England is 6 months. Have gastro appt on Thursday, hopinG to get clearance. My 6 month doctors follow-up was rescheduled to Friday from Monday due to the snow.

@@JustWatchMe the website is ObesityCoverage.com. I liked that as it is here, there are real stories with the good, bad and ugly- truth.

@@Mumsicle -I laughed so hard reading your post. Both my mom AND sister work at the largest hospital in the area (Western MA). Knowing that they are not supportive, I chose the smaller Catholic hospital so that there is NO chance they will know anything unless/until I am ready to tell them. I agree with some others-I may be pretty open with most things, but this is about ME, my decision, my life. I am not telling the rest of my family or many friends either. My mother has been on diets since I was a child and is obese, my sister was the "thin" one that I was always compared to. I don't want to hear their comments or objections. Only my daughter who lives with me knows. I told a few close friends last year that I was looking into WLS. One tried to talk me out of it saying that if I would just eat grilled chicken and veggies, I'd lose the weight. Duh, let's see-I've done Jenny Craig, Nutrisytem, Optifast, Atkins, Slimfast, Richard Simmons, Southbeach and a ton of others. It's not the losing weight that has been the problem, it's losing the weight and keeping it OFF. Every time I lost weight I'd regain it and add at least 10 pounds MORE. I can't keep doing this. Only a couple of my Weight Watchers friends whom I met in 2007, are very supportive. @@AquariusDiva, @HealthArtLove- sometimes family are the worst. I think they like seeing us miserable, as we are easier to keep down. I say NO MORE! I am beginning to understand how the folks I've listened to on podcasts have changed. Old ways are gone. Negative people, gone or relegated to the back burner (family?!) Healthy habits and healthy relationships are more important.

So far, I've told about four friends. As for family, only my daughter who lives with me knows. I'm NOT telling the rest of my friends and family. I'm the "fat" one and I have never felt my family's support when it comes to my attempts to lose weight (except my father and he's a worrywart).

@@LisaGB and others, thanks for the welcome. I'm on my iPad so I can't look at comments at the same time to add folks as I write. I am in Western MA, Springfield area. My physician is Dr Ursula MacMillian who is part of Mercy Hospital. My NUT (have to laugh at the abbreviation) is a "cool biker chick" who has been fantastic and understands that tea is very much a part of my life. I'm going to my 6 month doctors visit on Monday, then have a gastro visit on Thursday. Hoping that I can get paperwork and insurance set for first week in March. I'm really excited.

Hello! I turned 50 a few months ago and am happily getting closer to getting all my stuff together, hoping for a surgery date of early March. I read the first post @@LainieG, I too have leukemia, CML. No problems from my onc, but my primary has me jumping through hoops. I have gained and lost hundreds of pounds over the years with each subsequent gain netting me higher and higher on the scale. At the end of last summer I had had enough. I have been the "fat" one in my family since I was 13, this journey is for me. I want to be fit in my fifties. I like where my life is heading and I want to be healthier. I'm hoping this app can help as the group meeting I have been going to has really filled up and we can only attend one time a month.

Springfield here, any folks from Western, MA?

Hi, new here. I have done 6 months of doctors, nutritionist and support group visits. Had to go on BP meds, did sleep test-have apnea, blood work up-Vit D deficient, borderline high glucose and had gastric test-small problems. My PCP is okaying my surgery but making me go to a gastro guy first. My last visit to my bariatric doctor is Monday, the gastro on Thursday. Should get this last bit of paperwork signed off for next week to be sent to the insurance company. I am hoping for the first week in March. This journey has opened my eyes to a the litany of health problems I didn't even realize I had. I'm thankful for deciding to do this.