sasharbinx

Yeah, it's best just to stay away from candy. It's just going to reignite your cravings.

It's my new super food. 1 cluster a cup of Water in 4 minutes lunch. No carbs 16g protien and 85 cals. Love it.

This one drives me CRAZY. I bet hundreds if not thousands of people DIE every year because the social stigma against WLS deterred them from getting life-saving surgery.
First of all, we all know there is nothing "easy" about WLS. It's weeks/months of misery and recovery and takes a lifetime of commitment and hard work.
Second of all, even if WLS was "easier" than doing it the "hard way", why is that a bad thing? As a society, don't we strive for efficiency? They are always coming up with ways of making every aspect of life quicker and easier. So why is "easy" bad?
Thirdly, it really seems to be a double-standard when it comes to WLS versus other medically necessary surgery. You never hear anyone saying that getting a knee replacement is the "easy way out". "They should just walk it off and fight through the pain." So why is getting surgery to correct other medical issues okay, but WLS is not?

When I saw this topic I could feel my blood pressure rise. LOL!
It irks me when I see or hear people say this, especially on TV or magazines. They have absolutely NO idea how hard we work to get healthy nor do they understand that obesity is a metabolic disease.
There is such a small percentage of people who are successful long term losing weight and ultimately keeping it off. I believe it is less than 5%.
Honestly, this is frustrating. The medical community outside of bariatric teams are somewhat clueless about it too. If only they would do better education maybe the public would understand that it is a metabolic disease and to cure it long term surgery is really the best option.
UGH......just adding to your rant. LOL!

Was just watching GMA (Good Morning America) they had two girls who lost a lot of weight and were half their size. I guess they're featured in People's Magazine because they had the editor on there and they asked why they choose those particular girls. Her response was because they lost weight the hard way no surgery no gimmicks. It really upset me to hear that because it feeds into the idea that surgery is the easy way to lose weight, but if only they knew the dedication and hard work we put in as well. I wish people would educate more before opening their mouths about anything. I don't know why it has to be a competition anyways as to who lost weight "naturally" and who got surgery. Either way you lost the weight, you're getting healthy, no way is better than the other. Okay rant over lol
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sleep a lot. I just tried to go to bed as early as possible to avoid eating. Plus I was exhausted anyway.

Awesome Mr. LittleBill, glad you're doing well!
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Majority of rollercoasters, tight fits in airplane seats - had to use an extender one time - I was embarrassed, getting yelled a really mean thing while minding my own business on the street by these two a*****e frat guys, sick of not having more affordable clothing options, wanting to fit better in my moms small compact car, wanting to skydive but being over the weight limit, wanting to ride a hot air balloon but probably over the weight limit (not sure), wanting to feel healthier, beter about myself, etc.
Reasons go on and on, one day I just said I'm ready. Contemplated wls for several years, went through the six month process once about three or four years ago and the doctors office I was going through flaked out on me but not the second time around this laster year! So glad I've had it done and have not regrets to date.

Today I am 1wk post-op from my sleeve surgery! Most of the chest pressure from when I drink is gone, thankfully! My bowels are working and I'm not nauseous! Praise the Lord for all these things! My stomach muscles are on the mend but still a bit sore when bending over or getting up. I have lots of bruising on my tummy. Other than that I'm able to do my protien drinks, Soups, sf Jello, sf popsicles, greek yogurt & cream of wheat. My first week I lost 6.5lbs! Yaya!
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Just the other day I was recommending this site to someone beginning her WLS journey and in doing so realized how influential this forum has been to me. I do not post often; but I avidly read and take in the experiences of others. I firmly believe that knowledge is power and that my success thus far is because there were very, very few surprises thanks in large part to this forum. During my 6 month supervised diet phase, I educated myself every day about the surgery and the lifestyle changes that had to occur as well as the insurance logistics. My surgery date came and went with no surprises because I had read so many of the accounts of others. When my first stall happened it was no biggie. I read and reread the countless other posts of the exact same thing happening, again, no surprise. My focus now is maintenance and I still come on most days to be inspired and forewarned by the experiences of others who have reached goal and are maintaining. One thing that always helped me was seeing that WLS does work and real people lost real weight. I decided this morning to post before and after pictures not to receive any esteem boosting feedback but rather to encourage others who are beginning their journey or in the middle when the weight seems to be coming off slowly and the negative thoughts start that you will not make it. You will make it and it will so be worth it.

What?????? There is swelling in my abdomen that will go down more???? That explains why I've lost over 20 pounds and only two inches off my waist. Please tell me more (chin on hand, paying attention) Sent from my KFTBWI using the BariatricPal App

You need a new doctor. Take a copy of your medical record and go somewhere else. Sounds like they've dropped the ball a few times.
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chicken cutlet with melted mozzarella a slice of Tomato and some balsamic vinegar. Good stuff!!!

Tonight was my first public appearance post-op in a professional capacity. Now, I have been out in public since a few days after surgery. I mean appearance in that I was working and "performing" in front of a small crowd. This was a small private group of mixed professionals and hobbyists who are artistically inclined. I did a two hour presentation on the wood lathe for them, making a piece that was requested by one of the group's members.
These demonstrations are a combination of instruction and entertainment. And I've got to be pretty much 100% spot on the whole time. Mistakes are remembered and recounted for years. So it was something of a NSV for me. First, I worked in front of a crowd for two solid hours on my feet, talking, working, answering questions, and trading barbs with a number of colleagues. Second, I did not have any major screw ups. That is always a good thing, and especially so my first time out of the gate from surgery and significant weight loss.
Third was the weight loss itself. I've been in the crowd a couple of times, and wearing loose clothing. Tonight was jeans and a T shirt. There is no room for loose clothes around a lathe. And when you are on display for two hours, people have time to study you and take notice of things. Part of my notoriety is for my humor in these events, but part of it has been my size, which I joked about as well. You might say it has been a combination of mirth and girth.
But anyway, I received a number of comments along the lines of, "Wow, you've really lost some weight, haven't you? No, not just a few pounds. You've lost a lot of pounds!"
My stock answer was, "It's all from clean livin'." People seemed to accept that, although I got a few sidelong glances. In any case, it could not have been a better night. Okay, they could have paid me. That would have been nice, but this group doesn't pay anyone. It is for the exchange of ideas among peers, so I wasn't really expecting that.
Now I am home. It is very late, and I am full of adrenaline. Or, it might be that they gave me caffeine coffee at the drive through by mistake. In any case, I am wide awake. But I am snuggled down in a warm bed, listening to the rain on the metal roof outside my window, and the soft sounds of the freight train, as it makes its way across the countryside about six miles from here, sounding his horn in the night at dozens of country crossings. At least that stupid owl isn't out tonight. He hoots it up on a regular basis and keeps me from my beauty sleep.

We don't want you being denied! Have you tried the My Fitness Pal app? It can really help with monitoring your calories & physical activity.

I had seven kinds of hell on the pre-op diet, and my surgeon wasn't even very strict with it. Mine was 2-3 Protein shakes a day, with a list of fruit and other healthy Snacks allowed, and a balanced meal. Basically a Slimfast diet with better shakes. But it was SO hard to keep even to that. I worried that I wouldn't be able to follow through with diet changes after because it was so hard. But after surgery, my cravings and intense hunger just really went away. So don't think that you can't do this just because you struggled with the pre-op diet.
Now, I will caution you, once you've had the surgery, please please please stick 100% to the diet instructions your surgeon gives. The diet progression post-op is not only to lose weight, but more importantly to protect your healing stomach and let the new sleeve structure figure out how to deal with foods by starting on liquids and then gradually moving to firmer and firmer foods. (See my rant about it in my signature - I'm not a doctor but...) Once your surgeon clears you to a full diet, it's no longer a safety issue and is a success issue, but those first couple of months post-op are crucial. We get a LOT of people on here who eat all sorts of things they shouldn't very early on, and it can be very dangerous.
Good luck!

I've had criticism as well by friends that say I'm going to look old. That I'm going to loose my hair, and that her and her husband are very over weigh would never get it. That wanting to be skinny would not be enough of a reason to get it.
Unfortunately, most people don't know your medical conditions and the reasons that we choose to do what we do.
So continue to learn and be healthy and screw what everyone else THINKS and concentrate on how great you feel!!! Xoxox
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Canned buffalo chicken (great puréed with ranch and blue cheese)
Indian summer sauces (puréed with chicken or paneer)
Grilled chicken strips
Paneer
Amy's Thai coconut Soup (puréed with chicken)
Mashed avocado
meat balls (puréed with a no sugar added marinara)
Premier Protein shakes are $5 off this month. Good time to stop up if you like them. I do.
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Hardest part for me was deciding to have the surgery and which one to get! After that, it was easy!
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the only control you really have is sticking to your program. If you stick to your program, the weight *will* come off. The rate varies so much between people that you can't really compare yourself to others. I was a slow loser from the get-go, but I have lost 227 lbs. It's your hard work and commitment to the program that get you to your goal, not your rate of weight loss. If you're not following all the rules, then start following them again. If you're not weighing or measuring and tracking your food, then go back to that (many people experience "portion creep" over time if they're not doing that - or at least spot-checking it). If you're already doing all that, then you're fine. You *will* lose the weight.

One thing to do now at this stage is to assess your Protein intake. Your Protein requirement is met by a combination of the protein from your meals combined with the protein from your supplements (Protein shakes, protein bars). Since your meal volume is beginning to increase, that also means that the amount of protein from meals is increasing, especially if you concentrate on consuming high protein meals. Therefore you could be able to reduce your reliance on supplements and the calories they contain. I went from 3 Protein Shakes a day, down to 2, then 1 and finally zero when my meal volume increased to 1 cup per meal at a year and a half. This is how I broke the few stalls I encountered along the way.

it's hard sometimes i feel i get so wrapped up in loosing and is it fast enough? i forget where i came from. 3/4 months ago, i was 47 pounds heavier. if you told me i needed to loose 47 pounds ever in my life i wouldn't be able to do it. yes i stall for a super long time. yes i so badly want the scale to say 199 instead of 200. but i'm also thankful very thankful the scale doesn't ever read my highest recorded weight of 255.
yes weight loss is confusing and always wondering why aren't i loosing faster? it took me my whole life to get up to 255. and in 3 months this surgery has got me to 200..
now that's amazing.
this tool is amazing.
sorry for rambling i just needed to say something, i know we all hate when the scale isn't going down as we think it should.
as long as it isn't going up i'm happy.

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Yeah that's one thing I've come to terms with - if you can't finish it, save it for later! It's a good thing to have leftovers anyway.

I'm so excited to be on to the next phase! Next Thursday the 19th, the nut and surgeon meet and they submit my paperwork to insurance! Pray for an approval! I'd like it quickly but I'll be happy with any approval! It feels so real now! I got some butterflies in the nut's office today!
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Your stomach is swollen and everyone is different. If you can't finish it put it back in the freezer and finish it later.