Elisabethsew

I've always enjoyed cooking and I'm famous for my baking. LOL. Since I am always busy, I prepare meals in advance when I find sales. For example, buy one/get one free chicken cutlets is a great sale. I buy several pounds and then spend a few hours cooking them and portioning them out to freeze. When I don't have the time or feel like cooking, I take something out of the freezer, add a steamed veggie, and I'm all set. I too gave up all fast food about 8 years ago and this method prevent me from having an excuse to go to them.

Everyone is different. Some people question whether or not they had surgery. I must have had a lot of swelling post-op because it was tough getting liquids down. Once you get to the soft phase of eating you might feel full faster but, as Mac said, solids are the real test. Don't worry, what you're feeling and experiencing is normal.

LOL. I can drive to Billy Joel's house and only know the nice side of him.

When I weighed 440 pounds, I ate nearly all my meals out. To lose weight, I decided to work on one meal at a time and started with breakfast using a substitution method. Instead of 2 bagels with butter and jelly, I had one and sustituted melon or berries for the second one. When that became routine, I kept the berries and substituted cereal for the bagel. It got to the point where I was eating just fresh fruit for breakfast and then I moved onto lunch. The one thing I hated about the band was that it did NOT allow me to eat healthy. Heartburn and reflux ruled my life and healthy foods seemed to aggravate that condition. Now that the band is out of me, I am enjoying eating all the foods that I could not tolerate and am back to healthy eating. I eat out about once a week and cook all the rest of my meals so I have control of the ingredients. I am loving the sleeve and feel like I got the quality back in my life.

Congratulations! I think it's about 8 pounds difference between one normal size and another.

I ordered a tuna fish sandwich on rye with lettuce at a diner. I ditched the bread and ate the tuna and the lettuce of one half the sandwich and brought the other half home.

I had the band placed in the U.S. but to get the band out, the insurance company wanted 9-12 months of documented problems. I could not live the way I had been for an addition 9-12 months and went to Mexico for a revision... no regrets!

I did visit that board to find out all I could about the sleeve but found it difficult to navigate. Once I got all the info. I could, I contacted people, talked with surgeons, and researched peer reviewed journals.

I think the saying "beating a dead horse" applies here. What EVERYONE agrees on is the fact that being overweight/obese is not healthy and that SOME people need weight loss surgery to improve their health. Of that group of people SOME choose the band while OTHERS elect a different surgery. ALL weight loss surgeries require work and a lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle. EACH person needs to research ALL the options and make an INFORMED decision based on what type of eater he/she is. When that decision is made, the next phase involves more research to find the best surgeon (s) to do the desired procedure. People can claim all sorts of things on the internet but there is no way to verify if it's true or not. For example, I have been an RN for over 25 years and hold a Ph.D. That happens to be true but how would you know that unless I gave you my name, my license number, and showed you my diploma? Research is not stagnant. What's true yesterday is false today. Evidenced based practice findings guide the standards of care. So, come here to share experiences and ask questions but don't EVER let that substitute for the work YOU need to do in researching what is best for you.

A BMI of 41 is not considered high and many patients here can't get weight loss surgery paid for if their BMI is less than 40. I was 295 pounds and lost 10 pounds on the pre-op diet putting me at 285 the day of surgery. The last time I weighed (weekly), I was down 27 pounds from the date of surgery and 37 pounds overall. You'll do great with the sleeve if that's what you choose to do.

It's the best gift you can give yourself. Go for it!

Good luck with your surgery!

Welcome HH. Word is MJ went into respiratory arrest after he took a shot of demerol (very addictive). The autopsy will reveal the cause of death but he did leave a musical legacy that will be hard to rival. As for stars, some are friendly and some are not. I work at a hospital where we've treated many. The nicest one I ever met was Tony Danza. Others include Raul Julia, Christopher Walkin, Jay-Lo, Mariah Carey, Billy Joel, a slew of sports stars, and some TV stars. In the end, they're all just patients with the same questions and fears as non celebrity patients.

Best of luck with your surgery.

Best of luck getting the surgery approved. I used the money I was saving for a vacation and borrowed the rest to have my surgery. I paid the money back and am saving again for a vacation but that has to wait until after I am recovered from knee replacement surgery. When I do go on that vacation, I'll look and feel good.

I have not heard about memory loss being related to gherlin. Maybe they meant that trying to get in all the required nutrients in the early phase of the post-op course led to a foggy memory? Since gherlin plays a big role in hunger, some people have to remind themselves to eat. The brain only requires two things to stay alive... glucose and oxygen. Memory is composed of many variables.

Have a safe trip and keep us posted on how she's doing.

Thanks, Mac. I edited it and made the correction. I've been working way too many hours and 3-4 hours of sleep a day/night is not cutting it... finally got a night off and slept well last night so the brain is functioning better now. LMAO.

Welcome to the board!

On Monday, I had to work the day shift to teach a few topics at an all day conference where I work. Normally, I wear regular clothes and a lab coat. For the conference, I wore dressy clothes and no lab coat. I saw many people I had not seen for months (170 people attended). MANY people came up to me to tell me it's quite apparent that I have lost weight, etc. It's nice that the loss is showing. For lunch, 50 pizzas were delivered. I had brought a protein bar with me so I took my 2 pieces of pizza to my skinny secretary and had lunch in the office with him. It felt great to have control over the food. Prior to the surgery, I could have easily devoured 4 pieces.

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both died today. Farrah's battle with anal cancer has been well documented and reports of her declining health made it clear that she would die soon. Michael Jackson's death came as a shock. I have my own opinions on what type of person he was and firmly believe the abuses he suffered as a child molded the adult he became. What can't be denied is his talent and the influence he had on pop culture. I feel very sorry for his 3 children.

Make sure you check your luggage for the return flight. You're not supposed to lift more than 20 pounds post-op.

Welcome and congratulations on your decision to have WLS.

You and your husband can buy 3 seats and that way you'd have plenty of room. When you check in at the terminal, tell the person at the desk you need a seat belt extender. You can also ask the flight attendant when you board. Welcome and congratulations on getting a date.

Six weeks from today you have your surgery and begin a healthier life. Congratulations and welcome!