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I have tried these and do enjoy them. I was wondering about the Cauliflower Tots I have seen in the stores. Are they good for us as well? Has anyone tried them? How do they taste and do you use any kind of a sauce with them?

Met with PS assistant yesterday. Went over everything for pre op and post op. Got all my questions answered, got my meds and future dates for pre-op at the hospital, marking date , surgery date and time and post op appt. Will be having the boob reduction lift with FNG on March 21st at 7:30 am. Will be the first patient and will be having 2 PS surgeons in the operating room. The lead Doctor has a passion for the massive weight loss patients and extensive experience in brachioplasty, medial thigh lift, extended abdominoplasty and breast lifts. He is the President of the Florida Medical Association with its 21,000 physicians and the President of Palm Beach County Society of Plastic Surgeons. He is the President of the Florida chapter of the American College of Surgeons and is also the Governor of the college. He currently serves as the Division Chief at the Department of Reconstructive Surgery of the hospital where I will have my surgery. The other Dr is also well known for breast reconstruction, body contouring, and post-bariatric surgery. So I feel really good about both of them. Many other staff will be in the room. The list was too numerous for me to count. I am such a rare case the assistant mentioned the Doctors may ask if they can use my before and after photos. They told me growing up I probably had macromastia breasts but due to my morbid obesity no one realized it. I was once a 70 I how could they not realize it? Now that the weight is off the breast tissue hangs down to my belly button. It will be a 3 to 4 hour procedure. They are hoping to send me home later that afternoon if I recover well. However will keep me over night if they feel it is necessary. The hospital will supply one post-op bra but the assistant said I should have another one on hand for when I have to wash the one the hospital will give me. When the assistant was discussing the post-op bras she asked what I was wear that day. I told her a 48 DDD, (which is too loose on me) she was a bit surprised I was able to get all that loose skin into that bra. But when I showed her the bra she understood. She said the Doctors will try their best to get me down to a 46 C, so that is the post op bra she suggested I get. Because my breast are not dense and mostly skin she said it would only be about 3 pounds that will be removed. I found that hard to believe, but we shall see. To have the girls up where they belong will be such a wonderful thing. No more rashes, heaviness , pinched nipples when I close draws and inability to do exercise. I have been dreaming of having them done for a long time and now it is finally going to happen. I am so excited and can hardly wait for March 21st. Please send good wishes my way! Probably very few on this site have had this kind of surgery so let me know if I should continue with updates.

Congratulations on your 369 pound weight loss in the last 2 1/2 years. Believe me I know how hard you worked to get to where you are today. As far as the excess skin removal surgeries. I have heard of others getting several things done at once. I think it really depends on your age and how healthy your body is to receive several surgeries at one time. My Dr is only willing to do one at a time. Perhaps because of my age (61), I really am not sure. I will see the Assistant on Tuesday and plan to ask if more than 1 could be done in the future. I would hate to have to take off 4 to 6 weeks for each of the 4 surgeries. When is your surgery scheduled for? Mine is suppose to be March 21st. However the EKG showed something and I need to see a cardiologist before I will get medical clearance. I sure hope it happens quickly.

I am still about 30+ pounds from my goal. I have lost 280 pounds. I know the pain rashes etc that you speak of with all the excess skin. I also saw a PS in Jan. He said even though I am not at goal he is willing to do a breast reduction and nipple lift and graft. He felt that the extra 32 pounds I need to lose will not really affect the breasts once they are reduced. That surgery is planned for March 21st if all the medical testing goes well for medical clearance The Dr did say I needed to be at goal before he would do my tummy, arms and legs. He felt if I had the other surgeries and lost an additional 32 extra pounds I would be very unhappy with how those parts would look. So I guess I will have to wait for the excess skin to be removed from those areas. If you can afford to have a second surgery I would take the first one now and see what happens when you get to goal.

Thanks teacupnosaucer. It has been a long hard battle but one I was not willing to give up on. It took me many years to lose the weight on my own that I did. First lost about 90 pounds in a year with WW then started NS and lost another 90 pounds the second year. Then maintained around 318 for a number of years before I started to put back on some weight. In 2014 I stopped before I crossed back into the 400's but in a year was only able to lose 38 pounds so I went in 2015 to see the WL surgeon. Had to do a 6 month diet and lost another 38 pounds before I had my 3 procedure surgeries in Jan 2016. If I hadn't taken the bull by the horns and lost this weight with sheer determination, hard work and then this wonderful tool (the sleeve) I probably would have been died by now. So thanks for the "your a champ comment". I really will feel like one once I get all the excess skin removed and get to my goal weight.

Starting weight 497 Surgery weight 315 Current weight 212 Goal weight 180 sleeve, gallbladder and hernia done Jan 26 2016

This difference is only the last 100 pounds.

Just got a letter from my insurance saying I have been approved for my reduction mammaplasty and reconstruc nipple areolar unil. Now what? I only met one time with the Dr and we didn't discuss hardly anything. The dates of the approval are Feb 20th to March 6th and I just got the letter today. I called the Dr and was told the lady I needed to talk with was at lunch but she was waiting to hear about co-pays. When I called insurance they said my copay would be if I had a hospital room stay. The insurance called the Dr and was told usually this is a not an over night room stay. Can some one help me out and explain more of what questions I should be asking and what the next step is? Just now got more details: Consultations Tuesday March 7th with Dr's assistant. Wed March 15th preop Tuesday March 21st surgery YIKES!

With the sleeve I have lost 103 pounds and I was 60 when I had the surgery. Overall in my 50's and 60's I have lost a total of 285 pounds and I can only walk 4 to 5 minutes due to 4 herniated disc and lots of other physical complications due to an accident I had in my 30's and obesity. If I can do it at this age and in this physical condition, You All Can Do It!

If this 61 year old former 497 pounder who can't walk but for only 4 to 5 minutes can lose it, You can too! After losing 280 I did a 6 mile bike ride last week to raise money for literacy.

Saturday I put an update on my profile and a few Veterans asked me to do a posting for all the newbies and those struggling with their journey to perhaps provide them with some encouragement. "If I can do it You can do it." I would read that all the time from people who lost weigh but were not as big as I was. Yea right I would say, but you can walk, you can get out of bed. I can't walk because a stranger injured me so badly they caused my L5, L4, L3 and L2 disc to herniate. I was about 320 and very active at the time of the injury. Depression and the inability to do any of the things I loved doing like bowling, swimming, ballroom and belly dancing (to name just a few) caused me to gain even more weight until I reached 497 pounds. I had to use a ski rope attached to my window frame to pull me up out of bed. I rolled around on a chair to do the laundry, clean and prepare meals. I had to use an electric mobility scooter because of the sever pain I had in my back. I wished I would not wake up when I went to bed each night. But somehow each morning I did. No Dr would do any surgery on me of any kind. I ever tried to get the lap band surgery but my insurance denied it. When that happened I decided I had to lose weight on my own. I started with WW and NS and lost 140 pounds on my own before I saw a Weigh Loss Surgeon. After 6 months of a supervised diet and more testing than I could have ever imagined I was told the Dr would do the sleeve but he also had to repair my hernia and remove my gallbladder. Finally in Jan 2016 I had the 3 procedure surgery. Shortly after the surgeries I decided, in Feb of 2017 I was going to do the Loop for Literacy bike challenge to raise money for literacy in our community. As a part time teacher, who teaches braille and keyboarding to the blind, literacy is very important to me. 24 days after surgery my surgeon gave me the go ahead to start training. Figuring out how I was going to even get on a tricycle was a challenge as I couldn't lift my foot over the low threshold. I got on a 2 inch stepper platform and from that struggled to get my right leg over to the other side, but I did it. That first bike ride I went less than 0.64 miles in 10 minutes. But I was determined to lose weight and exercise. Over the course of the year I went for a ride no matter how short it was or how windy, or cold it was. I live in Florida so I biked 5 days out of the week every month. People in my community were starting to notice me out there and they would encourage me as I went. Some would stop me and ask how much weight had I lost and how far I had biked that week. I was proud to answer their questions and why I was doing it. This past May I become the Social Director of my community, yet still was out there 5 days a week biking as I had a weight goal and a bike challenge. I am very happy to say This past Saturday I DID IT! I went to the challenge, biked 6 miles for Literacy and raised $320.00. I got a cap and a medal. I feel like a child at Christmas, I am so proud of that cap and medal. When I went biking yesterday and today I wore them and showed them to everyone. I have lost a total of 279 pounds. I am able to walk for about 5 to 7 minutes with a cane and do things I could only dream of doing before. I still have a lot more work ahead of me, but now I look forward to waking up and am so grateful I do. When I lose the additional 38 pounds and get the excess skin removed the back surgeon will decide what to do for my back so I can walk again without a cane and all this pain. I do have a few pictures on my profile so please feel free to look. No matter how afraid you are, or how much doubt you have I know you CAN do it. Get your head in the right frame of mind and you too can be thinner and happier. I am so glad I did. I hope you find encouragement from my story and pictures. Feel free to email me. I will be here to help if you need it. Have a great day and no matter what the road looks like now please look to the future, things will get better.

Well the Guy's room is where you will found lots of stuff the guys are going through. There are many different forums to in regard to starting weights, singles, plastic surgery etc. Not only for the sleeve but all the other surgeries available.

Being so new to BP I gather you are not aware that there is a GUY's Room group on this site. This is a place for men to discuss everything from Weight Loss Surgery complications, diet, and concerns, to any other off-topic subjects Perhaps this link will help you. http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/431-the-guys%E2%80%99-room/

Saw the surgeon for the first time June 15 2015 had my surgery Jan 26th 2016. Had 6 months of a supervised diet and so many tests I lost track now of what was all done. The wait helped as it allowed me to research and read one book after another on the surgery and what to expect before, during and after surgery. In my Opinion and from the postings on here, those who had to wait the 6 months seem to have a better understanding as to what is required to have a successful life after surgery. Good luck with your insurance company!

As you said "I realize these kind of success stories are rare and sometimes hard to believe. But I ask you to suspend your doubt and believe that these events sometimes DO happen.When you take a dedicated individual, unwilling to follow the rules, unconcerned what passersby might be thinking and challenge them to get fit in their own damn way, miracles can occur. Miracles". Yes they Do happen! So very true! I can relate really well to the Miracle. I can't walk but at one month post op I started bike riding. Went .62 of a mile. Did you notice the .before the 62? I went through all the same thoughts and feelings you did with running. Now 1 year later I still can't walk well but I am biking (10k) 6.2 miles. Thanks for the article I loved it. It helped me to see Miracles can and do happen.

Thanks for staying around. It is very much appreciated. I hope other vets will post again as I do miss their wonderful suggestions, advise and years of experience.

Thank you for explaining your situation. I had no idea that the RNY would correct the hernia and gerd problems you have. So glad to hear you no longer have the back problems. I live with L5, L4, L3, L2 disc problems so I know how bad back pain can be. I had the sleeve and my back Dr wants my excess skin removed before he will attempt to fix my back. Will being following your progress and hope this new surgery stops the current problems you are having and gets you back to living.

So sorry to hear you are so sick with GERD Why would your work tell you not to come back to work? Why would another operation help, especially when your only 8 pounds from goal? Hope all goes well for you.

Congratulations! I know your feeling better and doing more. Isn't it a wonderful feeling. Keep going strong and you will be to your goal before you know it.

I can but haven't done so in many months. Just too much carbs despite it being Protein Special K.

Congratulations! That is quite an accomplishment. It doesn't matter how slow you were. You did it and that is all that counts! That is exactly how I am going to thinking when I finish my bike challenge for Literacy on Feb 4th. Been training since last February. I can barely walk or run but I can ride. Good luck with your goals to be completed in 2017.

Stalls are very frustrating especially when they happen 10 days after surgery as is my case. However they will happen and as upsetting as the first 3 or 4 were I did get use to them. I listened to the vets on the board and stopped weighing myself every day and went to 1 once a week. Lately now that I am almost 1 year post op I am weighing once or twice a month. For all those going through a stall please read this wonderful message written by Inner surfer Girl who is a vet and has lost over 220. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/351046-embrace-the-stall/

I am 1 year post op and I never vomited not even while in the hospital. I guess I am very fortunate. I think in my 60 years I have vomited maybe 10 times. It is something that hardly ever happens to me. I don't know how many years ago (maybe 20) was the last time I did vomit and it was after eating tomato Soup and having a grilled cheese sandwich. I feel for all of you whom have and hope this stops soon.