MacMadame

It's pretty common to be on a PPI for 6 months. But some people are able to get off them sooner. My post-op manual only says "at least a month". Heck, I'm a year out and I'm STILL on prilosec. I've tried to wean off it but my heartburn always comes back.

That reminds me: My aunt had two partial gastrectomies due to stomach cancer and is still alive and kicking. She's in her 70s.

That is absolute nonsense. Not only did they not used to take it out, they used to not even separate it, just staple it off. That caused so many problems because sometimes the two parts would open up to each other in places. So then they started separating the other part of the stomach and that made the surgery much safer. Btw, some surgeons have started taking it out because they believe leaving it in causes more problems than it's worth. It can't be scoped but it can get cancer or ulcers.

He really said it wouldn't be a problem?! Wow. Most of us had trouble breaking the 32-40 oz mark the first week or so. Maybe someone should sleeve him and then he'd see how easy it is. LOL

Steph, don't take those deadlines *that* seriously. They are just trends and averages. What I mean is, if you end up losing 48% of your excess weight instead of 50%, you aren't doomed to failure!

I've never heard of using stainless steel. I thought everyone used titanium.

The main thing is to take your calcium away from your Iron. Actually calcium inhibits the absorption of a lot of things, so that's why I only take calcium with Vitamin D and Magnesium (which help with the absorption of calcium). You should take the other stuff within 2 hours of taking the calcium. If you take iron, Vitamin C helps with it's absorption. I don't take Iron. The stuff in my multi is enough for me. Your calcium should be calcium citrate, btw, not carbonate.

Also, there is no reason we can't start more threads.. Like one for 150+ and one for 200+. I think the issues of people with around 100 to lose are different than those in the 150-200 range. I know on the OH VSG board, the 150+ people started their own group because they couldn't relate to some of the stuff the 100 and under group were going through.

So I'm supposedly at goal. I wouldn't mind losing a bit more fat from my panus and boobage but I look fantastic in clothes and most of my problem areas are from loose skin, not fat. But I'm having trouble stopping the weight loss. I've been losing 1.5-2 lb. a week still and I'd be losing more but I've been actively fighting it. Should I? Some people say to "let my body decide where it wants to be" but I'm already a size 2 on top and a size 4 on the bottom and I'm getting kind of boney on top. Also, I've calculated my calorie requirements and I think I'd get down to 95 lb. if I don't start eating more. But when I eat more, I feel bloated and overly full. I forced myself to eat 1500 calories today and I hated it.

I didn't have to do one either.

Okay, it's that time again... here are some "getting to know you" type of questions for our weekend visitors: 1. Any weekend plans? 2. What (if any) challenges have you had this week? 3. Tell us about a small victory you had this week. 4. Tell us something that makes you happy.

Hey, I said "I'm out" and I haven't responded to the latest tirade and don't plan to.

The way I see it is: you asked for info on this doctor. I told you what I had read. You then accused me of being a gossip while simultaneously demanding I provide you with all sorts of information and "proof". I ignored your accusations and your tone and provided you with a few links that were easy for me to find (Because, frankly, I don't care nearly as much as you want to believe I do -- certainly not enough to do your research for you or spend hours trying to find all the links that are out there.) I also offered to put you in touch with someone who could give you more info. You then pooh poohed the links I provided, made more demands and never PMed me to get the name of the person who could provide more info. My conclusion is that you are determined to go to this doctor and will continue to spit and hiss at me if I provide any more info. Therefore, I'm out...

It bugs me too because it means people don't care enough about me to pay attention when I talk to them.

It will only make your stomach hurt if you drink too much. (Same with Water.) It will make the chicken go through you faster though. (Same with water). However, unlike water, it does have calories and nutrition, which is good if you are low on calories for the day. I only eat soup by itself and I treat it like a mushie ... i.e., I accept it will go through me faster than a solid meal.

Wow, you certainly inferred a lot from my post that wasn't even remotely there. I noticed you haven't taken me up on my offer to put you in touch with someone who has more info about this doctor. That tells me all I need to know.

Yes he does have a lawsuit against him. If anyone wants to know more about it, send me a PM and I'll hook you up with someone who knows the family. It seems to me that you are determined to explain away all the negative information you find about Alvarez, andi. When it comes to Mexican doctors, some have excellent reputations and some have squirrelly ones (and some have outright horrible ones). Why keep a squirrelly one on your list when there are plenty of other doctors in Mexico who don't have these sorts of complaints against them? For example (in alphabetical order): Aceves, Joya, Rumblaut and Ungston. When I was making my list, I crossed off any doctor who didn't seem completely trustworthy. It's my body that's being cut into and my life that is on the line and I'm not willing to give any surgeon the "benefit of the doubt". It's not like taking a chance on a new book or movie. Only the top of the top were acceptable to me. IMO Alvarez is merely competent and no where near the top of the top. He got crossed off my list early on, in fact.

I've seen plenty. Here are two that stuck in my mind: cuzimthebaby's Profile http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/politicaljunkie2/uzone,blog/action,comments/blog_id,156709/blog_post_id,194651/ The later one stuck in my mind particularly because of the threat if she told people what happened to her.

I've found better luck taking it at noon. I get my acid in the afternoon, though.

Have you tried turning on the closed captioning? That works for me when I watch a show with accents and mumbling.

With running, good form will prevent most problems. Your friend needs to learn to run in a way that doesn't hurt her knees. Something like POSE or Chi running might work for her.

I've had fitness goals for a while. Here are some I've completed: Run a 5k Complete a triathlon Move up from Sprint to Olympic distance in triathlon Run a Half-marathon My uncompleted fitness goals are: Podium at the Sprint distance Complete a Half-Ironman (will do that in two weeks) Do a Century Ride (I've done a metric century - 100k, but I want to do 100 miles too) Complete an Ironman (next year?) Qualify for Kona (Ironman World Championships) (Probably take a few years) I've had this secret triathlon dream ever since I saw Kona on tv in the 80s. It looked like so much fun but I never imagined I'd have the ability to do it. It's like a dream come true once I was able to successfully run.

I think it's important to use this period to learn to eat properly for the rest of your life and develop a love for something exercise-like. I kept my weight loss up there by exercise -- every time my weight loss slowed down, I upped my exercise. I think that's better for the long term than phentermine, which I worry is not as safe as people think. (All the diet drugs up until now have ended up being taken off the market due to safety issues.)

I read somewhere that the fat that is nearer to your blood goes first. So arms and legs before torso. That's my experience. I also lost from the top down first. So I was pretty scrawny in my upper body before I lost that last 20 lb. from my tummy, breasts and thighs.

I didn't find the Wii Fit to be very good for cardio. It's not enough exercise for me. Their "jogging" isn't really running at all. I can do it forever, but I can't run forever. At lot of people like it though. I think the game aspects make it interesting to them.