onehappychick

It's awesome that you have found your voice! I found mine when turning 40. I had always tried my best to keep others happy to my detriment. Good luck in your new journey!
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It's awesome that you have found your voice! I found mine when turning 40. I had always tried my best to keep others happy to my detriment. Good luck in your new journey!
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Absolutely no judgement here but I would like to bring up some ideas. As a nurse I would be concerned about the fact that cross addiction is an enormous concern. After WLS people have an
increased chance of becoming addicted to other substances since food is no longer feeding our addiction.
I would also be concerned that alcohol and cocaine could upset the electrolyte apple cart and be more dangerous for a person that has had surgery vs one who hasn't. Please be careful, it would be crazy if you changed your life with weight loss and ended up an alcoholic.
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Absolutely no judgement here but I would like to bring up some ideas. As a nurse I would be concerned about the fact that cross addiction is an enormous concern. After WLS people have an
increased chance of becoming addicted to other substances since food is no longer feeding our addiction.
I would also be concerned that alcohol and cocaine could upset the electrolyte apple cart and be more dangerous for a person that has had surgery vs one who hasn't. Please be careful, it would be crazy if you changed your life with weight loss and ended up an alcoholic.
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I have a BMI of 35. I'm 5'9" and weigh in at 233. I have had lots of my co-workers (which are also ER nurses) tell me I don't need the surgery. Mind you these girls have BMI's of 22-24. So at 44 I have adopted the attitude of I really don't care what you think. It is my body, my health, my need to be around for my three girls.
My surgery is scheduled for 06/07/16. I am nervous but feel so blessed to be able to do this. I lost my mom at the age of 49 to a brain tumor and my dad to a cancer called Liposarcoma, which means it arose from his fat cells., at the age of 57. So as I creep closer to these ages I want to be as healthy as I can.
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This guy right here.

https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews/videos/10154495639018812/?pnref=story

It's awesome that you have found your voice! I found mine when turning 40. I had always tried my best to keep others happy to my detriment. Good luck in your new journey!
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At my informational seminar the doctor told us it is almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off if you are morbidly obese. If your BMI is over 40 you will qualify. My BMI was 34.7 but I qualified because of hypertension, knee pain, high cholesterol. Good luck in your journey! I am one week out and feel great!!! No regrets!
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At my informational seminar the doctor told us it is almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off if you are morbidly obese. If your BMI is over 40 you will qualify. My BMI was 34.7 but I qualified because of hypertension, knee pain, high cholesterol. Good luck in your journey! I am one week out and feel great!!! No regrets!
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My husband has been incredible supportive. We do see a counselor together and we've discussed both of our worries, fears, and excitements about my new lifestyle. We are really focusing on how this will be good for our entire family, not just for me. He'd like to lose about 20 pounds and we hope to model better eating habits to our kids. In fact, last night we discussed a possible reward we both want to work towards. My dream vacation for many, many years has been to go to Machu Picchu in Peru. So, we will book that trip when I reach goal (50 more pounds to go). This has him excited to be in better health as well. Now we just have to figure out if we can afford to take the kids along with us.
Anyway, getting him and the family invested in this journey has been extremely helpful. Let your loved ones know what this means to you, and also what it can mean for them.
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I am 9 months post op and going through a dicorce. We would have been married for 10 years in September. After having surgery and loosing weight I gained some self confidence and my eyes were suddenly open to how emotionally abusive he was and to all the classic warning signs that he was cheating.

It's awesome that you have found your voice! I found mine when turning 40. I had always tried my best to keep others happy to my detriment. Good luck in your new journey!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

At my informational seminar the doctor told us it is almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off if you are morbidly obese. If your BMI is over 40 you will qualify. My BMI was 34.7 but I qualified because of hypertension, knee pain, high cholesterol. Good luck in your journey! I am one week out and feel great!!! No regrets!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

At my informational seminar the doctor told us it is almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off if you are morbidly obese. If your BMI is over 40 you will qualify. My BMI was 34.7 but I qualified because of hypertension, knee pain, high cholesterol. Good luck in your journey! I am one week out and feel great!!! No regrets!
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I am curious about the demise of marriages after WLS. I know as your body changes your mind does as well. I've read the statistics but would like to hear from my fellow sleevers.
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Citizen of Humanity jeans and Frye boots! That will be my first buy when I reach my goal weight! I'm also going to get a second job to support my clothing and shoe habit!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!
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Citizen of Humanity jeans and Frye boots! That will be my first buy when I reach my goal weight! I'm also going to get a second job to support my clothing and shoe habit!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!
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Citizen of Humanity jeans and Frye boots! That will be my first buy when I reach my goal weight! I'm also going to get a second job to support my clothing and shoe habit!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!
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I'll probably still wear all black, not because it's slimming, but because it looks bad ass. ????
The style I know I'm going to go for will be like this:

I think I would like to be a pole dancer!

I'm discovering that I'm apparently a total basic white girl. Since getting near goal, I love to wear long sweaters with scarves, skinny jeans, and boots. Just stick a Starbucks cup in my hand and call me Becky!

I want to look like Debbie Harry.
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Citizen of Humanity jeans and Frye boots! That will be my first buy when I reach my goal weight! I'm also going to get a second job to support my clothing and shoe habit!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!
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*follow your eating plan
*eat your Protein
*take your Vitamins
*drink your Water
*go low carb
*low to no sugar
*exercise
*as you lose weight & get into better shape - keep revamping your exercise, don't sweat it if you don't lose every day or every week - it's gonna come off so don't dwell on it
*enjoy the journey because it goes fast
*don't obsess over losing the weight
(try not to anyways)
*enjoy other things going on in your life
*Celebrate weight loss with non-food things
*if you do go out to eat at a restaurant - don't get too anxious; you're gonna have healthier options but even if you do choose unhealthy you're only going to have a small portion so it's not gonna hurt your progress (just don't make it an everyday habit)
*stay away from your trigger food(s) - they can get you into trouble... mine is popcorn. (Or aka crackcorn)
*enjoy the compliments - don't turn around with a negative comment like "yeah but I have loose skin or I still have X amount of weight to lose"
*just smile and say thank you - you know you deserved that compliment and know how hard you worked to get to where you are...
*don't let anyone get you down with saying shitty things like "I knew of someone that lost all the weight only to gain it back" --- you are not that person they are referring to.
*really push yourself with exercise (later on) - you won't die even though you may feel like you are.
See what you're made of!
You'll feel so good afterwards knowing that "I just did that!"
It's addicting. You'll want to continue to push your own limits.
*try new exercises and such
*your incisions will be tender, red and sore. If they are oozing pus then get them checked out - otherwise they should be fine
*that left (or sometimes right) shoulder pain is the leftover gas/air they pumped up your stomach with from surgery - it'll go away
*that extra painful area (left quadrant) on your stomach is where most of the work was done. It will be sore longer. (Bypass patients anyways) - the pain will go away eventually
*do what your doctor says about eating, drinking, exercise, everything. Follow the rules!
*Just remember why you had this surgery.
You want to be healthy and happy.
***No food or drink will make you as happy as how that new dress or pair of jeans fit. ***
- Or when you are able to walk or jog without being so out of breath
- or when you can fit in an airplane seat comfortably and not need a seat belt extension.
- or when you don't have to worry if that plastic chair will hold you
- or you can bend down to pick up that pencil you dropped and get up easily
- or having that social anxiety anytime you go out in public
- or looking around a crowded room only to be mortified that you're the biggest one there
- or taking the elevator up one floor and being ashamed of it because you know what people are thinking
Don't let the food control you anymore.
***Nothing tastes as good as being fit and healthy feels.***
*Don't think you have to have a certwin food because you'll never have it again; it will always be there. It's not going anywhere. You're just choosing to not have it now - you're in control. McDonald's will still be around 100 years from now, so don't fret.
*Breathe.
*You can do this.
It's easier than you think. You will have a tough time at first because everything is so new and you're most likely withdrawling from carbs, sugars, junk etc. But once that is out of your system - it does get easier, honest!
And when the weight starts dropping your priorities and cravings change.
You'll crave more successful weight loss then you will carbs! You'll think to yourself "that *insert food of choice here* isn't worth it!"
You'll crave exercise. Your body will anxiously await to move!
*Weigh and track your food. It helps a lot. I use Myfitnesspal. And I have a fitbit. Friendly competition is motivating
*Take one day at a time, again, try not to obsess and have your weight loss consume your mind. There are other things to your life right now too.
*Every few weeks or month - go thru your closet and try on smaller clothes - this is a huge motivator! I forgot to do that so many times and totally bypassed clothes and then never even got to wear them. (Brand new clothes, dammit!)
Gave them away with the price tags still on them.
Anyways, you can do this!
If there's any other questions - just ask
Heather
**if there is anything someone wants to add -- please do!
Let's all help each other be as successful as we can possibly be!
Surgery date: September 21 2015
Starting weight: 273.4
Current weight 168.4
Loss of 105 lbs so far.
18 to go

This freaking liquid diet has me questioning everything! I figure though once 75-80% of my stomach is removed it should be easier to follow the post op diet. I am on day 3 of the liquid diet and I feel like s***!
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