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Well done and well said. Looking forward to my 30th high school reunion in October. Moved a couple states away 20 years ago so it's been a loooong time since seeing most of them. Going to really enjoy it.

She's got nothing to do with these plans, woman........... Trust & believe!!!!

I live in a part of the country where heat and humidity is unreal. I have some ideas, plans of stuff I want to do in the yard. Thusly......id like to reach the point where I felt good doing my yard work shirtless and feel good about. Same thing at beach and pool. On casual nights out I'd like to reach that point where I felt great in a pair of jeans and not some baggy-ass slacks. A tailored fitted shirt with the jeans instead of the baggy polo shirts, too. Aside from that I'll simply wear the smile that's been there a lot more lately . Feeling better is a great thing. 2016 should work out just fine.

Damn.......you ladies may have just unlocked my current 2016 dilemma....... Be right back.......some ideas just sprung............

Hang in there. Your are doing all you can at this point. Getting rest now is good, at least.

Well done, young lady.....well done. This post-sleeve losing is filled with all sorts of humorous reactions from the folks that we encounter. The most recent for me was the store manager at the grocery store I normally use. She saw me at the check out line the morning and spoke as she was working near the front of the store. By the time I was leaving she spoke again at the entrance/exit......"How ya been.......I've gotta ask, though.....Is everything okay with you". I had assumed it was my slight limp....I explained the tI'd just gotten off work from night shift and the 25 degree weather was harsh on my knees. She nodded and said."And how about everything else...????" I assured her that all was well and I'd been working on losing weight. She grinned a big grin and said she was happy for me. I think she may have feared that I'd come down with the bird flu and would no longer be a big shopper there.............

You got dat der cat scratch fever, bro ????? Gold Bond can save the day. Trust & believe.

Damn right, Dave !!! That's all good stuff. Keep on kicking ass and feeling good.

I'm glad to have been of service. I'm housebroken.......mostly. I can fetch, do water retrieves and bark on command. Old dog....but always learning new tricks.

Quest protein chips and salsa is a great combination.

This thread is awesome !!!!! Thankful the tips.

I'll never give up my real coffe. I've been using Chike mocha in my vanilla shakes and it tastes great. For my real coffee I just add 2% Fairlife milk. I've yet to find and Protein powder or mix that would not clump badly in hot coffee.

Well said. I've had very similar experiences as what you described.

Beef Jerky, Slim Jims and the occasional piece of cheese are my Snacks. Oscar Myer makes a P3 pack that has all nuts, cheese and ham/turkey/chicken pieces in them.....usually 11g-13g Protein and low carbs. I'll eat these as snacks or even as Breakfast on my drive to work.

Man, here. Guilty as charged. We say and do impulsive stuff. At least we don't pee on fire hydrants.....unless we are walking home from a bar and we pass one of those red beacons......and seeking relief seems like a great idea......until the cops show up right when relief is being had..... Not that I have any knowledge of said act. Seriously, though, don't take it too seriously. They are paying you a compliment in their own way. At least they aren't beating their chests and making ape calls while doing so. Being a fellow knuckle dragger myself.....I can honestly say that I see women make tremendous transformations here on BP....and the thought that comes to mind is...."Wow.....she is hot". There is no malice behind the thought....just an eyebrow raising reaction to a gal who has made great progress.

I looked into two programs when I began the bariatric process. Both were in local hospitals. Both had top notch surgeons. I abandoned my insurance once their bullcrap kept surfacing and delaying things. Both programs offered self-pay options for around $22,000. One program included an insurance that covered any complications for the first year in that pice. If I'd not had health insurance at all......I would have still done the insurance. It has, in 3 months, been quite remarkable. Getting off daily meds is going to happen. Some meds are gone already.....some are now at 1/2 dosage. This is at 3 months. Maybe by 6 months all that stuff will be gone for good. The price of those meds....w/o insurance....stings. I just felt that sting when getting a perception filled yesterday......deductible has started over and the cost is full force. Ouch.

I can relate @@VDB It isn't easy, but sometimes we just have to ensure they are safe and then be selfish and look after our own self interests....getting healthy and remaining focused on behaviors that support this.

Well done. The temptation gets easier to turn away from as you get back to eating nutritious foods that make you feel better. I believe your cravings will go towards health meats and such. I know I salivate when I see those packs of tuna & salmon and all the sweets in the store just don't register on me. I do suggest, however....that you do the following: Go to your local GNC or Academy Sports and buy a few bags of Quest Protein chips. Get all the flavors. Keep a bag or two in your car. If you are out running errands and getting a craving for something.....don't let those checkout items get in your head.....don't think about hitting a drive-thru for some junk food......instead, reach over and bust open that bag of Quest chips and enjoy them and know that you are getting 20 grams of protein and almost no junk carbs. Win-Win. Nicely done on the jeans. Now, let your mind wander a bit.....and think about your "dream jeans". You'll be rocking those in no time, too. Feels damn good to be on the winning side of the weight battle, doesn't it ? !!!!

Well done !!! I don't give a rip what my NUT & surgeon say.....exercise is very instrumental in weight loss. Don't get me wrong.....they certainly encourage it.....but they simply don't acknowledge the power of it. Early on in my pre-op process my surgeon gave me a smirk and shook his head when we'd discussed my past weight loss efforts. He even laughed when I told him the plan that I'd implemented. "So...how much did they get off you ?" he asked in a condescending manner. "Oh, doc.....about a 120 pounds in 8 months.....are you gonna tell me that exercise isn't effective now?". He altered his position a bit after that.....less smirking and condescending. I agreed with him that the calories I was burning in the gym may not equate to more than 3-4 candy bars at a time......but what it was doing was: 1) Putting me in an environment filled with motivation.....everyone around me was humping it and working hard 2) I ALWAYS punch in my weight on the treadmill & elliptical and carefully watch the calorie burn that is calculated. Seeing this is powerful because it does get through my thick skull as to how hard it is to burn those beers and pizza off. It helps later in the day to maintain kitchen discipline. I'll not graze on Snacks or junk food because of my gym time. 3) Weight training......became addictive. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was greater than my abilities and injuries occurred right when I was making strides.....surgeries to repair said injuries ended my lifting fun for too long. But the muscle building work does wonders to up the metabolism and help with overall calorie burn. That is great that you are getting in your exercise. It'll pay off hugely and supports your efforts. Me, too. Waiting on a release from my surgeon to say my abdominal hernia is good to go and I"m gonna be lifting again. I bought a FitBit One that lives on my keychain. I don't always have my keys with me....but I'm now finally getting my 10,000 steps every day at work. Feels freaking great to be much more mobile. Started going back to the gym on my day's off work for cardio. Wow....that is super. You are going at it hard and must be feeling the benefits already. Well done ! So far, I'm either walking at work or treadmill on my gym visits. I'll be working back to the elliptical in a couple weeks. That is an incredible cardio machine and in many ways is more comfortable on my Sasquatch-like frame that the treadmills. I'm hoping the daily glucosamine & chondroitin doses kick in soon and help these knees. Gotta kill another cup of coffee and go to the gym this morning and do some work, myself. Get my day-off work kicked off well.

6-7 days for my first, too. Every 2-3 days for the next......then it slowly started getting back to "near-normal". A lot of changes are taking place in your body......especially while on the liquid diet. Every aspect of your physical state will begin improving very soon at a nice rate. You'll start to regain your pre-op energy shortly down the road.....and then your energy level will surpass prior levels. I equate it to running on household flashlight batteries pre-op.....now at just shy of 3 months I feel like I have massive car battery in my chest.

I order some celery and use that to dip into the salsa & guacamole. chips have never been my friend....especially now.

Outstanding !!!!!!!!! That had to feel great !!!!

It's been very easy for me. The surgeon did a great job.....the medical care at the hospital was excellent and the simultaneous hernia repair wasn't so bad. Each step of the healing and way of eating has had unique challenges but they've gone very smoothly. I have zero complaints and zero fears about the future. The liquid diet pre-post op (6weeks for me) was very instrumental in my establishing a new way of interacting with food. If needed in the future, I'll jump back on that liquid diet in a skinny minute !!!! I've really gained confidence now as I've resumed grilling and cooking again for the family and have no problems with temptations.....not interested in carbohydrate heavy food. I'll cook it for others, but I have no desire for it. meats and some Fiber filled carbs with occasional cheeses or nuts are my staples......along with on occasional Quest bar or shake. I do admit to weighing frequently. I'm not recommending that folks do that......I'm just stupid that way......I've got to see that number every day. I don't let slight upward fluctuations freak me out.....but they do motivate me to stay on point. The absolute singular regret I have is not doing this years ago.

LoL. I sorta wondered if my surgeon has done anything the first couple weeks. Once I ate solid food......I knew he'd done his job. Two bites and was DONE !!!!!

Augusta, Georgia. Sleeved in mid October, 2015