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You look fantastic. Congratulations on your weight loss efforts.

Well did she give you a reason to call her a pig? If so and you were as aggravated at her as I was at my husband you would have got the same reception that I would have. Right… Husband or Wife, being inconsiderate crosses all gender dude just sayin… . Unfortunately, I have read posts where a few women become quite militant if a man says something negative about their own wife or girlfriend. Granted if the man has a wife AND a girlfriend at the same time, that would be a justifyable response.

Your dog finally begs at the dinner table because there are scraps now.

Put on your big girl panties and talk to them nicely but a little assertive. Tell them you are going through with this, it is your decision and you want to live a long and healthy life (both physically and mentally) and you are counting on their support of your decision because they love you. If after this they still give you grief, distance yourself a little from them, they are not supportive and are toxic to your well being.

How is everything going post WLS? I personally do not like to tell lies, so I told people the truth. Everyone has to do what is comfortable for them; you don't have to give people an answer. Post WLS you can say, providing you didn't tell them you had WLS, "I am on a medically supervised diet and am exercising and eating less and better now" can be a good answer to someone when they pay you a compliment on your weight loss; it is also the truth. For pushy people who want to know why you are going to be out for a medical procedure, you can always tell them "You are having (whatever their name is) surgery". When they ask "What is that". You tell them "That is where a surgeon removes a person's cranium from their rectum".

Been there, done that. CIGNA did not approve my surgery (I found out 16 days before the surgery, on a Saturday) due to: 1) Not being on a doctors supervised diet for 3 months (they were paying for a nutritionist for over 5 months at that point, along with visits to nurses and a doctor). 2) My PCP did not approve the surgery (she recommended me to consider this surgery more than 2 years earlier). I contacted my PCP and the surgeon and had both be advocates for me, they contacted CIGNA, resubmitted the forms and magically they now approved it. Contact your doctor and have them contact CIGNA. Good luck.

YOU DID WHAT!!!!!!! Drop down and give us 50 push-ups lady! Just kidding, you should be fine. Some surgeons don't recommend eating foods like strawberries or nuts too early on due to the surgery. I don't remember for how many weeks. There are plenty of other healthy fruits you can enjoy right now if you want, instead.

I was driving 1 week after the surgery. I could have been driving a few days earlier if I wanted to, but chose to wait. Do not drive while taking any narcotic pain meds..

I have been lucky, almost everyone has been supportive. " The worst (pre-WLS) was "Why do you want to get surgery? You aren't that overweight." I guess they were trying to pay me a compliment, maybe for a small Pygmy Hippo I was at a good weight, but not for a 6' tall man.

Why? It was placed in the "Rants and Raves" forum. If someone doesn't want to read through 7 pages (and counting) of posts, they don't have to. It is refreshing as compared to reading about "Is a 3 week stall normal", "Can I eat solid foods at 2 weeks" or any similar posts 2 or 3 hundred times. That info is already there if someone searched for it, but I am glad people post those questions. If someone doesn't want to read that for the 201st or 301st time, they don't have to.

Research here, on other websites, but especially through reputable teaching and research hospitals for more information. Go to a medical weight loss seminar at a local hospital and attend a couple of the support groups to learn as much as you can about WLS. I can't tell you there is zero risk with the surgery, there is a small risk of a complication with any surgery, but if you are in good health, properly prepared for the surgery and had full medical checkups & bloodwork prior to the surgery, everything should be just fine. On the other hand, obesity has its own set of medical risks. Good luck on your decision.

Plain Water is still the best, maybe with a little zero calorie flavoring if you don't like plain water. All liquids count toward that total. Just be careful of drinking too much caffeinated beverages (not because they are a diuretic but because they can cause irritation to your stomach in large quantities, amongst other things), also be careful of drinks high in sugar (including natural sugars such as juice) so you aren't drinking too many calories.

In the past, when I went to amusement parks, I typically didn't go on rides out of embarrassment that I felt people were looking at how I barely squeezed into a seat for a ride or even worse, being told I can't ride a particular ride because of my weight or the restraint system won't properly close (that happened twice, I was more embarrassed for my children to have people looking a their Dad like that). Well, not yesterday. I went to the amusement park with my children and went on many rides including ones in the past I would never have been able to fit properly into the seats or weighed too much to ride. For the first time in many years, I did not feel like people were staring at me because of my weight. Although to be honest, I was nervous on some of the rides before I went on them that the restraint system may not close all the way and I will need to get off the ride. This is only one of many NSVs I have experienced since losing weight. I look forward to the new ones every week. Please share yours.

....Utilizing symbols over words does not negate intent. As in little Johnny asked his teacher "What word do you think I am thinking of. It begins with an "F" and ends with a "K" and has a "U" and a "C" in it". The teacher turned red in the face and exclaimed sternly to little Johnnie "We do not use language like that!". Little Johnny replied "What is wrong with saying the word "firetruck?".

Yes they do (that is what I was told by the bariatric surgery nurse and nutritionist). Try to shoot for at least 64 oz of liquids a day and more if you are doing strenuous activities.

Follow your surgeon's post-op plan. Are you on a "clear" liquid diet or a "full" liquid diet now? Also at about 10-14 days you may be able to start the puree phase, that will make it easier. For now, keep up the great work and if food is too tempting, maybe you can have others cook the meals or at least excuse yourself from the dinner table for the next week.

Don't worry, stay on your liquid diet from now to the surgery and everything should be fine. Call your surgeon on Monday so that you have peace of mind. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery.

Hey now, she's a damn handsome woman! I want a “three-way" with her and "Mrs. Butterworth".

It could have been worse, at least you weren't "spanking it" to a box of pancake batter with Aunt Jemima on it. ( I'll neither confirm nor deny that.) That's a joke folks............or is it?

If my weight loss causes me to eat bonbons (low fat ones ) while watching and crying at movies on the "Oxygen Network"; SOMEONE PLEASE TAKE ME OUT BACK AND SHOOT ME! (just kidding )

lol, thanks for that. You're welcome. I didn't take offense to what you originally posted, you offered some sound advice to people to help them create posts that will are easier to read and will potentially have more people read them due to how they are presented. Some people may have interpreted this differently. That is the problem with reading a post vs. talking to someone and listening to their tone and watching their facial expressions. That is why I used a "smiley face" emoticon to my previous response to you. No one should be calling you names, there is another online forum that I no longer belong to. That is one of the reasons why I stopped posting there.

I don't think you are rude.

I always like the statistics that get thrown around with nothing stating about the number of samples, if they were random, unbiased, taking into effect other factors, etc.. 80% of the people agree with this, 15% disagree and 10% are not sure.

They want to make sure you will be able to make this lifestyle change and will help you be successful in case you need some counseling to deal with personal issues. Also, a few people have cross addictions. That is since they no longer eat large amounts of food to cope with stress or as an emotional crutch, etc., they turn to smoking, drinking alcohol, gambling, etc.. Be honest and whatever you do, don't turn and talk to an imaginary person next to you after you are done speaking to the psychiatrist and say "How did I do?".

Follow your surgeon's recommendations. I had decaf coffee for 2-3 weeks post op, then switched to half-caf for about 3 weeks then regular coffee and presently have 2-3 mugs of regular coffee a day. I read studies that dispel that it is a strong diuretic. Caffeine is a little bit of one, but not where you should compensate for liquid lost to consuming caffeinated beverages. Caffeine in moderation is ok. If someone has a cardiac issue or ulcers, then they may want to be careful about how much they consume of it. Having Cookies, cake or doughnuts with your coffee or adding a few teaspoons of sugar and cream to your coffee all the time would be a bigger issue. Keep in mind that other drinks such as tea, and sugar-free sodas & drink mixes contain caffeine too. Enjoy.