mschan218

Girls Flower Power ?

Is a Halo better ? Just for you

Ok. Seriously. What's with all these ladies with flowers in the top of their head?? On their profile pic? And does it "mean" anything? I don't get it...
And yes @@LipstickLady
I know you have one, as well, so chime in!
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You ate absolutely beautiful. And yes we've all been there. Thank you so much for sharing this. And continued success in your journey...oh and ps, I'd block that d-bag from my fb page..lol
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Afternoon all.
I wasn't quite sure where to put this post, but it seems here is the best place, as what I'm going to be talking about today is a huge part of the wls journey and I'm betting everyone here can either relate because they have experienced it, may experience it in the future, or can sympathize because, honestly, I don't know a single overweight person who has not had to deal with the pile of bullsh*t that I've been dealing with lately at some point in their lives.
Last night, I posted a new selfie to Facebook. I've been updating them right along because my face is still changing so much, and I really like being able to see my progress and to quietly share it with my friends and family. I guess this particular selfie made my weight loss especially noticeable, because I woke up this morning to a message from a "friend" on Facebook that essentially said "wow! I'm so happy to see you're getting so healthy! It's so bad that you let yourself get that fat though."
Upon reading this horribly cruel message, I was shocked, humiliated, and for a moment I felt myself blown right back to the place I was two years ago, a place I've worked tirelessly in therapy to climb out of: I felt that I was a worthless, hopeless human being who deserved to be treated this way. When people were cruel to me before, it devastated me because deep down, wayyyy deep down in the darkest and most painful parts of me, I agreed with the horrible things they said to and about me. I must be disgusting, gluttonous, lazy, pathetic, not even worthy of any kind of basic human kindness. After all, I led myself here, right? It's my fault that I'm super-morbidly-obese. I deserve this treatment.
Now, two years later, I more or less look like a normal person. I wear a size 12/14 jeans, a large or medium shirt. I've even gotten to the point where I can sometimes look in a mirror and think "hmm. I think I may feel beautiful today." But messages like the one I got today derail me in a fantastic way, and remind me of that raw, horrible feeling that I'm still struggling with every single day to overcome. His message was almost conspiratorial; like, oh, you're not fat anymore, so we can ridicule and shame your former self together. Like I would agree with him and say "OMG you're right! Fat Me was f*cking disgusting and pathetic. I totally agree with you." Like I was not a person before and now that I am "normal", I am. I hate it more than I can even begin to describe.
I hate that to many people, fat people not only deserve to be treated this way, but also need to be treated this way. There are whole (densely populated, I might add) forums scattered around the internet dedicated to posting pictures and videos of fat people for the sole purpose of shaming and hating them, and the excuse is to somehow motivate fat people into not being fat anymore. That's ludicrous, of course. The real reason is simple. It's pure hate, ignorance, and insecurity on their part. I know this. I believe this. But there is still a little part of me that feels nothing but shame and humiliation in situations like this. Will I always just be "Fat Abby" to the people around me? Am I ever going to escape her? And why should I even hate her in the first place? "Fat Abby" was incredibly sick with a severe hormone disorder, so poor I starved just as often as I gorged on cheap white Pasta and bread, and suicidally depressed. "Fat Abby" had no hope and so did the only logical thing in her mind: she tried to speed up the process of dying young by eating more. That doesn't sound like a lazy, gluttonous piece of crap to me. That sounds like a person who was suffering intensely, every moment of every day. I want to be kind and loving to that hurt former self, not look back and think "man, you were gross. Good thing you're skinny now!"
I've said it before and I'll say it again many times, I'm sure, but I love where I am now. I am so, SO happy that I've made it here, and grateful to everyone and everything the led me here, including my own strong self. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. But it's also important for me now to express these things here, to people who have or will experience them. Losing hundreds of pounds is a completely incredible feat! But it's just the tiny tip of the iceberg compared to the changes your life will go through after surgery. Do these experiences somehow negate my progress or my pride and joy? Absolutely not. They are just part of the story, and part of the journey.
I am not who I was. I will never be that person again. HOWEVER, being happy that I am not there anymore does not mean that I hate "Fat Abby", nor does it mean that I should be ashamed of her. Nor does it mean I deserve to be treated like an object that everyone gets to stare at and judge. Old Me, and I suspect all the Old Yous who are reading this, were just people who were doing the best they could and were suffering, and so we sought weight loss surgery to heal ourselves. We've done amazing things and changed in ways most other people have not even fathomed.
Remember the Old You without the hate and stigma attached to him/her, and the shame and pain that surrounded living as an obese person in a world that absolutely despises and dehumanizes obese people. Love the Old You just as much as you love the New You, and maybe someday you'll reach a point when you see the entire You with the kind of hope, love, and clarity that will keep you healthy and happy forever.
Attached is the selfie that started this. I love you all.
Cervidae

I haven't tried ice. thanks. I've put a call into the dietician at my dr's office to see if I can substitute. I had band surgery in 2005 and I remember going on a liquid diet, but no shakes. I remember doing bouillon and sugar free Jello and stuff.
I've tried GNC golean shakes before. I don't like them but i can tolerate them so I'm hoping she'll be ok with that. on the bright side my teeth have never been cleaner now that i'm brushing them 5 times a day to get rid of the taste.

I am so sorry you are experiencing such distress. Many people go through a period of regret right after surgery for a variety of reasons: hormonal fluctuations, the shock of surgery on the system, the fact that you cannot use food to regulate moods and emotions, etc.
I would suggest that this is a good opportunity to look for a good counselor or therapist to help you learn to cope in a healthy way. See if the person who did your psych clearance can see you or refer you to someone.
Whether you want to or not, you cannot turn back the clock and change what happened. The good news is that you have no choice but to move forward: you get to decide how well you follow your program and learn to make the most of this opportunity.

I'm just going to put this out there. Surgery to lose "only" 90lbs could be the difference between living another 20 years versus living another 40 years. Is it worth it if you could extend your life by 20 years?

Yes, I agree about the larger size clothing having more wiggle room. And I didn't realize how uncomfortable and tight my original cloths were either. Also, try clothes that are a size smaller anyway. You might be surprised. I was SHOCKED when I fit into a size 16 Regular Intro pants (they have some stretch) that were not in the plus size department. I bought them on sale for a month or two later, and just decided to give them a try just 2 weeks later because they were so cute. I started at 22, sometimes 24. But it is so crazy how the sizes are also brand specific. Tops seem to be closer to true size for me. And of course, it depends where your weight comes off first. Every weekend I'm donating a few items, and buying an item or two, or maybe 4..........But only when they are on sale You will get there. Just focus on your nutrition and good things will come to you.

i have thunder thighs and a belly , the belly /waist area is where the clothes fit better... those thighs are just laughing at me ..

So I have a slightly different perspective on "stalls" I honestly don't believe there is such a thing. I know you're thinking I'm crazy but really a stall is when everything stops right, the scale, the inches, feeling better etc.? As others have said during their "stall" they noticed inches being lost resulting in smaller sizes, more mobility, an overall improvement in their health etc. Of course there are times when the # on the scale doesn't budge for a period of time but this isn't a stall this is just your body catching up to itself and other things are happening "behind the scenes". Sure it can be discouraging when the # on the scale doesn't move in the right direction but trust me if you're sticking to your healthy eating and exercise habits then you're losing inches, improving your overall health and eventually that scale has no choice but to start moving!!!!

This is my before and after pictures I went from 285 to 140 all in 8 months. I am coming up on the 6th yr anniversary of my RNY gastric bypass surgery next month!! It's still hard to believe it sometimes.. I still go for at least a size 10 when I go shopping..which are always too big..I know I'm in between a size 6-4 but I still can't believe it. I catch a glimpse of myself walking by a mirror and have to do a double take! Lol Crazy right after being 6 yrs out. I have had many compliments the worst being 7 months out of surgery and having severe..like I don't think I'm gonna live kind of abdominal pain...the er doctor in my home town...my bariatirc surgeon was over 3 hrs away from me so when this pain started I didn't have time to make it to him b/c they ended up finding I had gallstones, pencreatitis, and then my bowel ended up tearing when I got admitted to have the gallbladder removed..I had to stay a few nights in hospital before and thank god I did! Hey sent me for a catscan and with in an hr I was on the operating table with the thought that I might end up with a colostomy!! I'm a health care professionally so I knew what that was!!! and they also need to open me right up cuz they didn't know for sure where this tear was! So now I have a scar all the way from between my breasts down to my belly button and I was completely septic...basically I almost died!!! Crazy!! Unfortunately as awful as that whole situation was...I had to have 4 more surgeries for various other complications. Right this moment my pouch is swollen and won't let anything but fiuids down...I lost 35 lbs in under a month back in April. ..I was admitted to hospital again for malnutrition and dehydration. I was in there for 3 weeks while they built me back up and then when I was stable I got to come home but I need to have a picc line in and I hook myself up to the iv nutrients for 12 hrs a day but I'm on the mend now...I have put 25 of the 35 lbs I had lost so I'm back to 140lbs and feel not to bad. .I have been going back to my surgeon to get dilations done with the little balloon on the scope so at least it didn't mean surgery. I just had my second dilation but I still can't eat solid food! I haven't really eaten anything solid for 4 months now!!! Omg my mind is so hungry...I feel like I would almost give my left arm to have big Mac right now! Lol. I try and stay positive and I guess I'm just really unlucky to say the least lol. I have some loose skin but it's mostly on my uper arms and inner thighs..my tummy has a bit of of skin but not too bad but what was I expecting when I lost 140lbs in only 7-8 months!! I try and work out but I know this skin will never go away so I just say screw it..if you don't want to see it don't look!! Lol Good lucky to everyone who are going into surgery soon and remember to follow your guide lines for post op care to a tee or you might end up as unlucky as I have been!!
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That's what Spanx are for!
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Yeah honestly I'm not worried about the loose skin. I just don't want to loose the shape I have. If I do then ok I will just deal but honestly I just want to be healthier and smaller. I have so many other things to worry about but looking like Teyana Tayor. she looks good though. I just know my body will not look like that after being this heavy all my life . My face I pray don't change I've always been gorgeous .
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My lose skin is being helped by working out. It is still a part of me but I still love my sleeved body. 2 years out and no regrets! You are beautiful no matter what.
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Yeah I'll take loose skin over being fat any day!

So I was talking to someone today about the Gastric Bypass surgery and she had it about 8 years ago. She just kept telling me well you know your going to have loose skin. A lot of it. I'm just telling you because a lot of pool don't think they will. But you will have a lot of loose skin. Ok lady thank you I heard you the 14 th time. I know I will have loose skin but I would rather have loose skin then not be able to fit in a seat comfortable , or go to movies with out having to have a seat in between my spouse and I so I have room. I can't wait to get on a plane or hell even plan a trip and not care about getting on the plane because of how tiny the seats are. Trust me I love how beautiful I am . I know I'm a really pretty woman but this weight has to go. Loose skin or not.
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I will definitely post updates...here are some current photos. My specs are I am 5' 4'' and 196 lbs. I was 350 lbs as of feb 2015 and had the vsg on June 10th of last year. I really needed to get this extra skin off...I can't exercise any better than I already do with all this extra skin on my belly and boobs...can't believe I am putting myself out there like this posting the skin photo. But heck who cares it's all going away in 13 days any way. I am so terrified but exited at the same time. Now I am just worried about what I need to pack since I won't be admitted to the hospital but I live 4 hrs from the hospital and so have to stay a few days in a hotel nearby. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

In my experience people don't notice weight loss on obese people until you've lost about 20% of your total body weight, so you may be in luck.
If people know you were out for some kind of surgery, but don't know what kind, you have a couple of options if they ask you what kind of surgery you had:
"I'm sorry, I'm really not very good at discussing personal medical matters, but I am fine now, thank you for asking"
"I'm sorry, HR advised me it's best not to get into personal medical matters at work, but I appreciate your concern. I am doing fine."
--pretend you just received a call or text on your cell and walk away while talking/typing into your phone as you apologize
"excuse me???" said in an air of mild disbelief, repeat as necessary
If someone flat out asks you if you had weight loss surgery, you can either lie, tell the truth, or say something like "wow, that's personal! Do you think I needed weight loss surgery?"
If they just comment generally on weight loss, say something like "hey, thanks for noticing! I've been working really hard!"
If they comment generally on your being gone, just say, thanks for your concern, I am doing great and am happy to be back at work.
Keep in mind that most people will figure out or assume you've had weight loss surgery eventually, and flat-out lying about it may make people dislike or distrust you. That may or may not be of concern, depending on your workplace, whether you want to count on any of them for referrals or references, etc. Good luck!

Sounds like an HR manager's dream!

I'll go follow you as well! I don't have a VSG account yet but I will once I get a bit closer to surgery. I'm anrobe on IG so feel free to follow my account which isn't VSG focused but may be one day!

I decided to make a private Instagram for my VSG life (I am a secret sleever as you can see I've been a member 4 year and don't post pics) I found the VSG Instagram to be helpful to keep me on track and get great meal ideas! Also helps me stay accountable let me know if you are on! My IG name is :
Smallbird_vsg
Thanks for the support and motivation guys!

I do not know what the requirements for Medicare insurance is. With normal health insurance, I went through he follow stages.
Initial consultation.
Psychological assessment
Nutritionist consultations
6 month medical supervised weight loss and exercise program
Almost a day of pre-op testing
A second round of pre-op testing with specialist in their respective fields for my specific major risk areas
A half a day of classes detailing surgery and post op requirements.
Insurance approval
Surgery

I brought a Protein Shake with, but I'm soooo over them. It was a buffet I grabbed a piece of chicken and some cream of chicken Soup. I was very nervous. I cut about a tbsp of chicken up and ate it slow. Then dipped my spoon into the soup. It all tasted great and no issues. First time I feel like this might get better