BigViffer

I am a sleeve patient and I have been on Voltaren non-stop since surgery. I just take it with omeprazole. I literally cannot move without pain unless I take it. In my opinion it is a miracle drug. It is similar to Meloxicam, but I cannot remember why the same doctor will prescribe one over the other to patients. You may want to ask your doctor about those two as an option.

Just with my own discussions with my surgeon, there is a big difference between skin removal and plastic surgery. I can get skin removed from my belly because of the problems it causes, but it won't look as nice as if I had plastic surgery. Plus my chest wouldn't be covered at all. I've been stable for about 2 years and the desire to get rid of this skin is getting stronger every month.

No, I think you are doing a pretty fine job!

@Molly23 - Hot damn girl, you look fantastic! Great job so far. Now that the first year is over, it starts to get hard in a different way. Keep doing what you are doing.

Damn dude, killing it!

@Monkeyfulbrighter - adorable! Don't tease though, show more puppy pictures!

Oh! Well yeah; that would creep the sh!t outta me too.

Now that surprises me. Two men that have hit on me we pretty damn smooth. Actually took me a moment to realize what had transpired. Others were just clumsy. But I never felt creeped out by the men.

The young women are not creepy about it, just blunt and forward. The women my age or older make me very uncomfortable. A confident woman is sexy, a woman who looks at you like a predator looks at prey? Uncomfortable. I've had my wife or kids come save me when a woman in the neighborhood comes around.

And as far as I can tell, 29 is the youngest woman that has flirted with me.

Nah, he's safe. He doesn't have the beard that seems to bring the boys to my yard.

Gotta say I'm jealous @JerseyJules. You don't seem to have any of the excess skin that plagues many of us.

Buying a house is exciting and completely time absorbing. Totally get it. Best of luck man!

Yo @BigTink2LilTink! Where you at?! How goes the lifts?

I found this picture on a Facebook flashback and thought it was a perfect reason to update my Before/After shots. No idea what I weighed, but it was a lot. Easily 330. As you can empathize, I didn't really step on a scale back then. This is from Fridays form check video I submit to my coach. I actually like the fact that my excess skin causes a "muffin top" above my belt. It's a constant reminder that no matter how much I train, there is nothing I can do about that skin. It's not going away unless I have plastic surgery. Makes it impossible for me to forget where I came from. This is a different angle I used to check my back angle on the dead lift. I chose this picture because even though I looked leaner last year at this time, I am far stronger. and I think I still look good enough. Even relaxed I look pretty fit. Every day that I lift there is a small part of me that wishes I could lift more, but I quickly remind myself that 2.5 years ago I couldn't lift my left leg or tie my shoe much less put 200lbs on my back or pick up 250lbs off the floor. Remember who you are and how far you've come to maintain your perspective!

You're killing it Tink!

I haven't posted to this thread in a long time so I thought I would participate with the newbies. The first picture was taken sometime in 2012, not even my heaviest but probably close. It was the only one I have that shows a profile though. The other picture is from todays form check video I submit to my coach.

Now THAT is beautiful!

C. Diff. is a possibility, but from personal experience I think you would know if you had it. It is more than just loose, runny stool. It was extremely painful and miserable. Probiotics help, but there is no getting over it or lessening the symptoms unless you are given a very specific antibiotic after giving a stool sample. If they gave you a Z-pak or amoxicillin, it would actually make C. Diff worse. For gastric bypass the foul gas and BM is normal. As I understand it, it is because of the partial or incomplete digestion of food that causes it. I'm sure it seems bad now, but it get better over time.

Try and break the association of salad with lettuce. If you are going to enjoy salads, at least make them nutritionally worthwhile. I guarantee once you get used to dark hearty leafy salads you will wonder why anyone eats lettuce. It is so bland and banal to me that I spat it out last time I was given a salad by my mother in law. As it is now, I eat salad at least 3 times a week. Helps keep me regular and I still very much enjoy eating them. I buy a couple bags of Sweet Kale salad kit from Costco. Just go light on the cranberries and use your own dressing.