carlz

Yay, after reading these forums for the past year I can finally post!
I'll be having my VSG on July 20th, which just happens to be my birthday!

To Mikey’s credit he has been consistent with his attitude for a year now. Always a bit self centered and very matter a fact. Very much his way is right yours is wrong. A bit of a narcissist. He went from an awkward fat man to a confident skinny man. Outside of the WLS community this behavior is called being a d**k.

This WHOLE ENTIRE POST IRKS ME. Funny how, a person who has been Obese, has the audacity to get on WLS Forum to ridicule people on their journey. You are still in your honeymoon phase of your surgery and Good For You, that you lost your excess weight, and Good For You that you had the "mental stamina" to achieve your goals and Good For You that you are "healthy and skinny". But without your WLS surgery, would you be able to stand on your high horse and scream down to the people who were once in the same boat about their struggles? This Forum, from what I know, is to help people on their journey; good, bad or indifferent. I personally, like the authenticity of posts, where people are brave enough to admit their struggles and downfalls. At least, they are willing to admit their faults and seek help. You never know what post can help somebody with the same issue. Everyone that has gone through a WLS are well aware that this road is NOT easy. This community already receives, judgement, criticisms and ridicule from other people. It's just a hard pill to swallow when its one of our "own".

Yay, after reading these forums for the past year I can finally post!
I'll be having my VSG on July 20th, which just happens to be my birthday!

Yay, after reading these forums for the past year I can finally post!
I'll be having my VSG on July 20th, which just happens to be my birthday!

Today is the big day, I'll be having surgery in 6 hours! This is probably going to be the longest wait of the past year.
Good luck to everyone else who is having surgery today. I know our surgeons will do an excellent job and pray that we will all recover quickly.
💜

Today is the big day, I'll be having surgery in 6 hours! This is probably going to be the longest wait of the past year.
Good luck to everyone else who is having surgery today. I know our surgeons will do an excellent job and pray that we will all recover quickly.
💜

Carlz - sending you well wishes and a speedy recovery.

Today is the big day, I'll be having surgery in 6 hours! This is probably going to be the longest wait of the past year.
Good luck to everyone else who is having surgery today. I know our surgeons will do an excellent job and pray that we will all recover quickly.
💜

Yay, after reading these forums for the past year I can finally post!
I'll be having my VSG on July 20th, which just happens to be my birthday!

After my last post, people asked for photos, so here's a photo of me from around my top weight of 485 or so wearing 60" waist pants. The newer photo I took today where I am wearing a 32" waist.

Yay, after reading these forums for the past year I can finally post!
I'll be having my VSG on July 20th, which just happens to be my birthday!

Yay, after reading these forums for the past year I can finally post!
I'll be having my VSG on July 20th, which just happens to be my birthday!

we are buddies then! i just got my date and its the 20th! Im so happy I can't even work!!

Congratulations and happy birthday

Happy birthday to you!!

So I’ve been trying to get pictures every month to allow ME see the progress. I was sleeved 1/7/20. LOOK!

The dramatic changes in our daily lives caused by the COVID-19 virus is likely the greatest crisis of our lifetime. Hopefully, you and your family are safe at home and can avoid harm. It would be easy to focus on all of the negativity and be glued to the news 24/7 but that would be a mistake. As someone working to lose weight or maintain your weight loss, this crisis presents a number of challenges but also several opportunities. First the challenges:
Many of us are either working from home or are not working, but still at home. Being home presents a bunch of food and eating challenges. You may be more sedentary than usual, without your commute to work, and possibly unable to be out and about or go to the gym. Being home means that the refrigerator and the kitchen are only a few feet away. Your schedule is probably different. Without a regular schedule, unplanned eating and more frequent trips to the kitchen may occur. For those unaccustomed to working from home, it may be harder to focus on your work, and possibly wandering around the house and once again, back in the kitchen. The emotional toll this situation is taking on all of us is significant. If you have a tendency to eat in response to anxiety or loneliness, this can be a very difficult time. The challenges are clear. What about the opportunities?
Before this crisis, many people were so busy with their jobs that they did not have time to make better food choices. Too much fast food. Too much take out. Too many dinners at 10 pm. Now there may be more time to buy and prepare healthy food and eat at a healthier time. Many restaurants are closed so you need to go to the supermarket where more fresh foods and healthier choices are available. Learn to cook! If you have more time, you can break out some of those cookbooks you’ve been meaning to read or find simple recipes online to try. While you’re in the supermarket, this could be a good time to experiment with new foods. Some of your favorites may be out of stock. This is a good time to explore different and potentially healthier alternatives to your old, less healthy favorites. While you are home, you may have more time to exercise. If you are restricted from going to the gym, you can still go out for a walk or a bike ride. Even if you walk with one or two friends, it is possible to practice safe social distancing while exercising. Learning to change your emotional relationship with food. It’s certainly tempting to make trips into the kitchen to manage your anxiety and other emotions, but this is a great time to learn and practice alternatives to emotional eating. Here are some ideas to try to implement in the coming weeks:
Try to create and maintain a schedule including setting aside times for meals and Snacks. If you already have an eating routine that was working, try to maintain it. If you don’t yet have a routine, examine your upcoming schedule and create one. If you are not used to working from home, it is important to structure your day to avoid working in an erratic “when I’m in the mood” manner. The latter is not very productive and will also lead you to wander around the house more often...and we know what room you’re likely to wind up visiting. If you are able to get out to the supermarket, buy healthy and smart! Make a commitment to using this time for positive change. If you continue to buy chips and Cookies, this is going to cause weight gain. However, if you make healthier food choices in the supermarket, you can use this period at home to your advantage. If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to help your family start eating healthier, this is a perfect opportunity! Many restaurants are closed, so if you stock the house with healthy choices, you’re more likely to stick to your plan. It’s probably not advisable to go to the supermarket every day as we try to keep our social distance, so try to make a list and do a weekly shopping. Think about meal prepping. What could you buy for a few breakfasts, lunches, and dinners? Make the healthiest choices you can. Experiment in the supermarket. Some of your old favorites might be unavailable. Even if they are there, check out other alternatives. Have you ever wondered if riced cauliflower was a good alternative to white rice? Now’s the time to give it a try. What about that all-natural, lower sodium and low-sugar spaghetti sauce? Maybe bring home a jar or two. We are all wired to buy what we’ve always bought. They’re probably the same items you grew up with in your parents’ home, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Use this opportunity to experiment with healthier and maybe even tastier choices. Get outside and walk or bike a few times per week if possible. Many gyms are closing down so if you have a home gym you have an advantage. However, even without a home gym there’s always the great outdoors. Walking and biking are excellent forms of exercise. It’s more important to try to build a habit of getting out there a few times per week than it is to walk a specific number of steps or burn a specific number of calories. In fact, it is possible that you make this a habit that endures long after this crisis ends. Learn to manage your emotions in ways that don’t involve going to the kitchen. It is completely understandable that you are feeling more anxious these days, but neither the current situation nor your anxiety is going to be helped by eating. Instead, use this time to learn mindfulness skills to manage your anxiety. These skills actually help reduce anxiety and don’t contribute to weight gain. Research demonstrates that learning mindfulness skills helps reduce compulsive eating. There are a number of great apps available like headspace or calm where you can get started. Similarly, if you did a quick search for “mindfulness techniques,” the internet has 100’s of free modules available. Just experiment until you find a few that work for you. Limit the amount of time you watch television and spend watching the news on your computer and phone. You know the news isn’t great, and more importantly, it can be emotionally harmful. The purpose of the news is to provide information, but many people watch news programs as a form of entertainment. However, today’s news is not at all entertaining, it’s quite upsetting. Worst of all, some news programs focus on how things can get worse. While you may need an update or two per day, you don’t need to watch any more than that. It’s very likely to upset you and may trigger emotional eating. Even if you don’t have a tendency to eat in response to anxiety and emotional upset, who wants to experience emotional upset more than necessary?! Instead, use this time to be closer to loved ones within your home or via facetime, teleconferencing or the good old telephone. If you are among loved ones or can use facetime or video conferencing to be with them “virtually,” break out those board games, color in a coloring book, create art projects or do other things that put a more positive spin on what is certainly a challenging time. To be sure, there is nothing good about this crisis and how it is affecting our daily lives. However, it is possible to take advantage of the opportunity that being at home provides. If you make some changes in your behavior, you can use this time to stay on track with your weight loss or weight maintenance goals, and maybe even develop some new healthy habits that provide benefits that last long after this crisis is over. May you all be safe and well during this difficult time.
Warren L. Huberman, PhD. Is a Clinical Psychologist licensed in New York and New Jersey. • Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine. • Affiliate Psychologist at the Langone/NYU Medical Center • Consulting Psychologist to the NYU/Langone Health Weight Management Program • Affiliate Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Northwell-Lenox Hill Hospital. • Maintains a private practice in Clinical Psychology in Manhattan and Rockland County, NY. Author of the book 'Through Thick and Thin: The Emotional Journey of Weight Loss Surgery.' Dr. Huberman can be reached at 212- 983-6225 or at wh@warrenhuberman.com.

I know it’s not the same pose same clothes .... 12/18/19 was sleeve. I only go to the gym (I’m a stay at home mom to 5,4,3,2yr olds)

no one suspects I’m sick- since they see me in the gym at all hours . One spin instructor even made a comment I should teach spin since I’m doing it all the time ...

So yes, I give a damn. Someone comments on ianother persons weight loss in front of me and doesn’t say a word about mine ... rant in rant and raves ... drop mic 🎤

Its been 5 months since my surgery and i have lost 95lbs. I would have never imagined this much weight to come off before i had the surgery. I am so happy. This is a short post. Just wanted to share my happiness with all of you.

So we as patients have an internal filter that is rather "needy" -- or at least many of us do. We perceive this surgery as "a really big dealio" and that we are all "special little snowflakes" to be given attention to ad libitum. Cuz you know, we're pretty internally focused and driven on "winning WLS." And it's our #1 priority, almost to the exclusion of everyone else's needs.
The surgeon's (and sometimes their team) do this thing EVERY dang day. With hundreds of patients at various levels of care along a 5 year continuum. (Or at least those who are building or contained within a Centers of Excellence Program.) And their perspective is that "we do our job" but dangit, you the patient have a responsibility in the 5 year process. And your job is to know your pre-op instructions, follow the rules, work the journey, and behave normally without neediness. Cuz you know, needy patients cost the practice moolah. So they want self-starters. They want people to get in, get out, and get on with their life. And they do NOT see this surgery as a big dealio. In fact, they see it as kind of a "tonsilectomy" or "gall bladder surgery". Something that can literally be done as an outpatient.
I remember talking to my surgeon (whom I see every time I have a follow-up) about the level of care I was gonna need post RNY. And she cocked her head at an angle, and looked at me like I was an idiot, and started laughing! She said, "Post care? Why would you need that? LOL. I think YOU think this surgery is gonna be a big deal--it isn't. Like, get over your bad self. You're not a snowflake, buttercup."
LOL. That's the difference.
And what you are experiencing is entirely normal. If one meal or one day you have pain, then you drop back a stage and go back on liquids for a day or two...it only becomes an issue if you no longer can keep ANYTHING down--water or Protein Drinks. In that case, then it's a call to the doc. Any other event other than sudden onset of intense pain is not a doctor phonecall or hand holding event.

Hello,
I hope you are well. I have been a registered nurse for over 12 years and my Bariatric surgery will be in March. When I was in shape (all of my life except for 5 years ago), I used to think the same thing as your wife. 5 years ago I fell into a depression and gained over 100 pounds. I’ve been trying to get it off ever since. Now, I have high blood pressure, sleep apnea, acid reflux and pre-diabetes. People in my family say I should not do the surgery. They say I can do it on my own. But as I said, I have been trying to lose the weight for 5 years and my health is actively declining. Should I wait until I am fully diabetic so I can meet the approval of my family? No. Obesity is one of the most unhealthy modifiable conditions you can have. Despite how widely accepted it is, it’s worse than smoking, drinking, and quite a few illegal drugs (arguably combined). It damages every organ. Fat puts pressure on your organs, making them secrete hormones that alter your ability think and function properly. I know your wife is concerned about the risks of surgery. But what about living long enough to go to your child’s wedding? What about being able to play with your child in the park? What about setting a healthful example for your child so the cycle does not continue (I come from an obese family so I know how hard it is to break free from bad Family eating habits)? I hope my comment helps.

Maybe it's just a sign I've been on BP too long, but over and over again I have seen people complain that they are slow losers, but are actually just average or even fast losers.
How much of THE SLOW LOSERS CLUB is actually the Unrealistic Expectations Club?
I'm not at all saying there aren't slow losers. Life is a bell curve, and there are half as many people on each end. But I think the attitude displayed by those like @FluffyChix, @Cheeseburgh and others are what make the difference. I mean even for slow losers, isn't weight loss the fastest after WLS then any other "diet"? Even most slow losers get to -100 lbs or more in a year or so.
I just think labeling yourself a slow loser can be self defeating at times and seems very dysmorphic at others.