Dub

Oh.....trust & believe you will get to that point.....and get there sooner than you may ever believed. If my arse can do it.....anybody can. I was a freaking broke down and tired dude at the time of my surgery. Back was on freaking fire from an injury and knees were shot. Hernia about to explode out of my belly like something from an alien horror movie, too. 6 months later and I feel like a new person in every way.......a new person who still has a long, long way to go, but very happy that I had the sleeve surgery. Trust & believe. You will have so many great moments ahead where you'll see the scale or the mirror or find some newfound ability-capability and you'll bust out in the biggest grin. Sleeve surgery = best decision I've made in a long, long time.

It is a most unique place. First time I went there I was all about golf. Loved the game and enjoyed watching the pros on television. That all changed when I stepped out onto the grounds of The National. The beauty of the place simply blew me away. It is immaculate in it's perfection.....grass, trees, sands, gently rolling elevation changes......a gorgeous piece of real estate. Now that I no longer really have interests in golf....I still enjoy getting out there and walking the course. Everything seems to bloom right on time every year in early April. It's our best weather month here, in my opinion.

@@Womanvsmirror You nailed it on the scale variations. Back in the beginning of my bariatric process in June 2015, I shopped around online and bought the "big boy" model. It was the first talking scale I've ever owned, too. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Used to hate hoping on that thing and hearing it proclaim the big numbers so loudly. Has no volume knob, either. Good thing it doesn't have volume control.....'cause there are days now where I'd crank that thang up way too loud and proud. I have another set, too. It routinely weighs me 3-5 pounds less than the Big Boy scale does. The scale can give you the same number for days on end......yet you KNOW there is work being done in your body. It certainly isn't the only metric, but it's on that cling to. I weigh almost every day after waking up. Can't help it. I need to see that number. It helps keep me focused on my behaviors and the overall impact to my goals. As stated before......there have been times when scale didn't move for a week.....yet I'd have to use new holes on my belt. It's a strange dynamic that's at play in our post sleeved effort..... Some only weigh every so often. I gotta get my scale fix daily. Right or wrong.....doesn't matter to me....hoping up on there makes me feel good. @@Womanvsmirror You nailed it on the scale variations. Back in the beginning of my bariatric process in June 2015, I shopped around online and bought the "big boy" model. It was the first talking scale I've ever owned, too. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Used to hate hoping on that thing and hearing it proclaim the big numbers so loudly. Has no volume knob, either. Good thing it doesn't have volume control.....'cause there are days now where I'd crank that thang up way too loud and proud. I have another set, too. It routinely weighs me 3-5 pounds less than the Big Boy scale does. The scale can give you the same number for days on end......yet you KNOW there is work being done in your body. It certainly isn't the only metric, but it's on that cling to. I weigh almost every day after waking up. Can't help it. I need to see that number. It helps keep me focused on my behaviors and the overall impact to my goals. As stated before......there have been times when scale didn't move for a week.....yet I'd have to use new holes on my belt. It's a strange dynamic that's at play in our post sleeved effort..... Some only weigh every so often. I gotta get my scale fix daily. Right or wrong.....doesn't matter to me....hoping up on there makes me feel good.

@@Womanvsmirror I used to hate having my picture taken....avoided it like the plague. I took my "before" shots to post in my profile pics here. Took them the afternoon prior to my October 2015 sleeve surgery. Nothing interesting.....just a couple candid pics of guy who was ready to change his life by getting healthy. Now.....I have no aversion to the camera and roll along with whatever friends, family or work folks wanna do as far as photo ops are concerned. Still don't have anything really cool taken. I went on vacation during The Masters this year and didn't get the chance to get out there on the course and have some cool pics taken there. I no longer fool around with golf, but I love the beauty of Augusta National and enjoy walking the grounds during the practice rounds.

Last minute advice? Relax.......its gonna go smoothly. Plenty of room on the Loser's Bench......come claim your spot.

I really don't have Snacks any more. Three meals and I'm done. coffee and Water are the snacks.

Very impressive.

Interesting chart. Thanks for posting it.

Awesome !!!!!!!!

My doc is firm on me staying with chewables. He said he doubts the pills get a proper chance to digest in my sleeve. I don't know.....I can say that they don't turn my urine the neon colors they used to when I was pre-op. Maybe he's right. There are a wide range of flavors of chewable Vitamins. Some taste like hell......some are really good. Keep searching and you'll find a good one for you.

I look in the mirror and I see......veins. Lots of 'em. Visible veins that I can see my pulse pumping in. Arms, legs, neck, forehead.......it's like I'm an IV nurses dream patient.....or a vampire's. Six months into this and down a few pounds....feels really good. It is great to slip on a pair of jeans that I'd never thought possible....in sizes that I haven't worn since I was 17 years old. I'm on the very last hole on my favorite belt........ Onward and downward.

Well......Game of Thrones Season 6 is back.....whew.....the title of the first episode must have been......Nobody comes out unscathed......or something like that.

It was way more easy post op for me. No hunger then and still no hunger at six months.

So.........the Premier Protein doesn't clump up in hot coffee? That sounds like a great solution. No downside. We get our coffee and simply cur it with our needed protein. Gonna try this soon.

Every visit has been with my surgeon. He almost always has a cadre of new medical students along with him but he's always been who I've seen. I've never had any follow up appointment with the center's nutritionists. I had an appointment, but she was unable to keep it due to her vacation. We were to have a phone appointment next....which she didn't keep. Basically the only face to face with her was on the initial pre-op group class I had with her. It's all good, though.....the surgeon has been very specific of my portion size the type of food to eat. There's not a hell of a lot I'd likely get from the nutritionist. lol. She does stay active on our center's private Facebook page for patients.

I'd always been a Splenda guy until a vacation last month. The place I stayed had good & strong coffee brewed 24/7 and their artificial sweetener was stevia. I grew to really like it.

I was faced with the same choice. I decided to stay here and self fund at my local bariatric center of excellence. I don't regret it one bit. I don't get much out of the "lifelong" NUT support.....but it's nice to know it's only 5 miles away. The follow up visits with my surgeon have been very helpful, though.

I'm laughing right now thinking about 40 of us converging on a restaurant........ the waiters will be mighty surprised by how little we eat......and how militant we are over not wanting anything to drink on our table....not even water.

Long term consequences ???? I freaking had this surgery just for the long term consequences !!!!! Don't you go scaring me. Seriously, the long term BENEFITS are going to be awesome. You will not grow up to be an old person, like I did, with weight issues. You've taken steps to prevent this. Please.......take a deep breath.....think about this......you have taken the RIGHT steps to avoid being an old and broken down person. Your joints will thank you later. Damn....if only you could see my limping stride and you'd understand what I'm saying. Depression.......anxiety.....those are separate beasts to battle. Obesity......darling, you have just kicked that to the curb. Stay the course and focus on the other issues on their individual field of battles. You will have equal great success with them.

I know that a session of ear buds.......hardcore metal......and pounding it out on a heavy bag is all it takes for this old boy.

Damn right !!!!!! Dub, next time you break out the grill, throw on some veggies (not corn). Will do. But, know that I don't break out the grill..............it breaks out me........ No kidding......I freaking love the aroma of wood smoke and charcoal......need that that in my life. Tonight, I laughed at my neighbor and her gas grilling attempts.....laughed......not loud enough for her to hear me, though.......as she was a kindred spirit this afternoon.....grilling on her deck. I waved. She waved back. All was well in my universe. No judgment passed......unless she thought ill of me for burning fossil fuels for my own pleasures. Both are done with some regularity 'round here.

Awesome. Simply awesome. You continue to impress and inspire !!!!!!!!!!!!

Damn helpful visual @@jenn1 I'm at 6 months and getting closer and closer to my goal. Was given an "attaboy" from my surgeon last week and told to up th portion size. I splurged a couple times over this weekend at work. We'd ordered out for our lunches. Instead of eating only the toppings off the pizza......I had the whole slice....two slices, in fat. Next day's lunch.....instead of just eating the bbq, I also had the bread that accompanied it.....and the hash with some of the carb sides. I say that to say this.......I am smack dab in the middle of my weight loss phase and I brought bread & carbs back into the mix in small amounts for a three day period. I weighed this morning and was not surprised at all with the horrid sight on the scale. No surprises that the number that looked back at me wasn't to my liking. I rationalized that I needed the glycogen for my weight training sessions this weekend. So much for my bullcrap broscience. I was a dumbass and there was my sign. Sometimes in life things get real simple for us. Such is the case with weight loss....... Cause......and effect. Guess what this old boy is having this week........protein first......protein last......protein all in between. Gonna get a healthy dose of treadmill and elliptical, too. Bamsucka. Fell off the horse, but back on it and gonna ride that beast bareback until it can't take any more......then I'll hop off and drag it across the finish line. Carbs......piss on 'em.