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I love fish but dont like tilapia, it is farm grown and fed junky stuff and tastes like nothing. try cod. I like fish even more now that I am sleeved. love salmon. sara

I am not sure what you mean. I posted yesterday 9/29/15.

I have been collecting for the victims of the valley fire in northern ca. generally the evacuee centers have been overwhelmed with used clothes. that being said, there is a real shortage of plus size women's clothing in large sizes, pretty much nothing in fact. at the moose lodge in middletown ca, I saw women and men in wheelchairs living in tents, having lost EVERYTHING. they need practical things like coats and tents. for info and to try to connect with specific needs and families, try VALLEY FIRE INFORMATION on Facebook and related sites. I am going to try to connect up with specific needs and individuals so as not to add to the piles of STUFF needing to be sorted and got under cover before the autumn rains start. also people are trying to replace collections that they treasured, such as a collection of hallmark and mt st helens ornaments. if you would like to help in this effort, message me. of value: coats, hats, scarves and such, especially if you would like to handmake the hats. my group is called, ART AGAINST THE STORM. we will also be having auctions of nice art work and hand made items to fundraise for relief of fire victims, both human and animal. cheers and love, sara crystal

I am thinking you should have a cardiac workup just to be safe. love sara

still interested... can you pm us or whatever you do on this forum?

my hopes, hugs, and prayers are with you too

jessie says she is interested.

oh, actually , I could use some all cotton scrubs pants or pseudo scrubs too,size 16-18 or 1x , too, as long as I am putting it out there. I have already taken in my black fat cotton pants twice. dont think it is worth doing it a 3rd time, and I dont want to spend anymore money on them since I may retire next year. thanks for your help. love sar

dear friends, my nurse friend jessie ( icu) has lost about 100#. she could use some scrubs sized 2x-3x, esp pants, preferably all cotton. she will get on forum as soon as I fix some wifi problems. located in oakland ca, will pay postage. feel like helping out? she is a good person. love, sara

I think he probably meant something other than what he said. Of course stalls exist. Not everyone calls them stalls though. My mom refers to them as plateaus. It's not exclusive to WLS patients. EVERY diet out there or every weight loss journey includes "stalls". It's impossible not to. You may think it's generic or whatever but it really is just your body adjusting to the changes you're causing. That's for people sticking with the program. Of course the ones not sticking with it, grazing, etc. have other reasons for stalling. It's scientific fact your body will go into starvation mode, shut down your metabolism, and conserve as much energy as possible if you significantly reduce your diet. That's why it's up to us to exercise to keep our metabolism up, and get enough Protein to maintain/build lean muscle. It's why we can't cut out carbs or calories completely because we need fuel to function. We "trick" our bodies into burning fat while consuming a fraction of what we are used to. And since our stomachs are smaller, we have a physical barrier to help with the mental need to eat. Our bodies were designed efficiently. Eat, burn, eat, burn. Stop eating, stop burning.

So I think either he was talking about something else, OR he's an a** that wanted to make you think there was no such thing so you would work harder. Psychological so to speak.

so I guess He Knows Better, and that negates the thousands of patients who have experienced stalls, and in addition gets you to feel crappy and like a failure. nice guy, just a bit of IthesurgeonamGod Syndrome. nurses have a lot of experience with this syndrome. dont worry, just do what you are supposed to do. it is like steps, not like a smooth curve. love sara r.n.

I have that problem too. I just keep hitting Goodwill every 2-3 weeks and trying on whatever I find. With the stretchy denim I have better luck. My last two successes were Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in 18w and now 16. My weight was changing too rapidly for me to invest in new anything. I'm unfortunately down to my lowest size of Catherine's slinky dress pants (0w) and then I'll have to buy some new slacks for work. I wish those slinkies came in regular sizes. I've worn them for many years. I'm not a skirt person because I have such trouble with shoes.

I have that problem too. I just keep hitting Goodwill every 2-3 weeks and trying on whatever I find. With the stretchy denim I have better luck. My last two successes were Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in 18w and now 16. My weight was changing too rapidly for me to invest in new anything. I'm unfortunately down to my lowest size of Catherine's slinky dress pants (0w) and then I'll have to buy some new slacks for work. I wish those slinkies came in regular sizes. I've worn them for many years. I'm not a skirt person because I have such trouble with shoes.

have you looked into learning to sew or getting a seamstress lady in your town? pants going down one size or two is a pretty easy alteration. try going to the local fabric store and looking at their bulletin board if they have one, or craigs list. you can keep your favorites going. if you sew, just open them up inside out and sew 0.5 inches inward along the seams with matching thread, per size. to make the waist come in, either sew darts or a piece of elastic on the back inside waistband. instructions and tutorials are on pinterest. I could do a whole book on making things bigger and smaller. right now I added a knit panel to my leather pants on the outside seam, voila, sexy pants. love sara

ps I have also lost a lot of the fat pad on my neck/ dowager's hump, which is making my clothes look a lot better. new jeans: not your daughter's jeans. terrible name but they fit perfectly.still it is a bit hard to give away the fat jeans, but I am hoping to do another purge soon.

I still have a ways to go and a big stomach but I am loving my new sizes, back into boots,leggings, my old clothes ( what I can find). the biggest experiment for me, getting into leather pants and sexier duds. what fun. I discovered born boots and shoes which fit me well and am rocking ebay. I also do a lot of alterations from my favorites moving on down. since I sew a lot it is not so hard. most of the clothes I made I planned to make easy to take in and alter. It is fantastic to wear a 16 again and some mediums. also I found the lessons I learned about eating with the sleeve have really helped my elderly mother who has struggled with anorexia since she got sick. we drink our Premier Protein shakes and try to eat well. I am still looking for a few favorite outfits lost in my storage but am so happy to have fun stuff to wear. onward and downward. now it starts to get good, and I cant wait to get my cute hourglass/small waist back. love sara

good advice here. we have committed to a new life and we have to do what it takes to get healthy. no choice anymore, do it right or be sick as hell.it is not really according to what we feel at the moment, it is a pathway we chose and it has certain requirements.buck up and do it right. I am talking to myself too. love sara

I suggest you get hold of your records from the previous office or visits if with a different doctor. all your supervision should count even tho you have switched payers. accumulate all your documentation in a folder and give a copy to the bariatric office so they can work the system for you. usually there is one person in the office who submits the paperwork, have a little chat with them. also if you went to weight watchers or other similar group and have the paperwork still,you can submit that. no need to start over. most of us have a long history of trying. possibly your family practice provider has records of your weight and attempts to follow wt loss programs. this will document your attempts over a long period to change your weight. usually if you have comorbities, other health related problems, it speeds up the approval. spend a bit of time organizing your presentation and it may save you months. I expected to take a long time to get approval revision band to sleeve but they were ready for me almost immediately. good luck and see you in onederland. love sara

well as long as you are happy

love yourself now. make something that fits now that can easily be taken in. feel pretty now. wear the diamonds with jeans, use the good towels. life is short, and it has taken us a lot to get where we are now. eat off the good china, date the good men, use the pretty writing paper. sleep on the good sheets under lovingly handmade quilts. dont wait until society gives you permission to have the best. dont wait until you are thin ( xx ### goal) to have joy and happiness and fun in life, and wear all clothes that say, you are a treasure. right now, not someday.we dont have to earn acceptance and good things by being an " acceptable " weight. there will always be someone younger, prettier, thinner, richer, better in some way. we are here now and we Celebrate the day we are in. love sara

I have a gorgeous white cotton top with a blue floral motif on the front that I bought on holidays in Greece over 10 years ago - I have never worn it!! It's about a size 16 and I'm currently a 20-22 and that top is my first goal..

Being summer in Australia at the moment, I'm hoping to wear it at some point over the summer, and particularly when I go on a 4 day trip with some girlfriends at the end of February.

you will !

I can't wait to be able to wear boots that go to my knee!!!

What do you wear now or what do you want to be able to wear one day that you couldn't wear as an overweight person?

I can ! and I do. again. Lord I missed them. I have hobbit feet so I just discovered born brand.

dont expect to be working or using laptop. you probably wont even read a book. between sleepies from pain meds and post anesthesia, not much will be happening in brain land. I was really glad I had loose pants with drawstring, warm crocheted vest, sleep mask, ear plugs, warm slipper socks. everything else was not really needed. oh, and some nice smelling lip balm, think it was coconut almond or something. I had a little fleece blanket that was bright colored that was homey to come back to after my walks, and helped me know I was going in to the right room. just think bedtime and hall walks. I had a roomie so it was nice to be able to tune out that side of the room. of and comfy old bra and tshirt with loose sleeves. you will have an iv so dont have anything with long tight sleeves. I had a little firm pillow that helped me move around, better than the bariatric Teddy Bear with advertising they gave me. oh, and I loved having my airline pillow since I have neck problems. love sara

it is so worth it even if you are not a fast loser. yes, I would do it over, and I also would go thru childbirth again for my daughter. good things require an investment.

I'm certainly benefitting from all the suggestions & timely reminders of what I already knew but haven't been applying.

For me, lack of motivation is due to LIFE- thumping me down- hard, over & over. Hard life-stuff, like yesterday, just as I opened my car door upon arrival at work, a huge black truck flying by fast & close, drove way inside the parking line & smashed / folded/ shoved up the driver door into the front end, & nearly took off my leg. I'd just started to maneuver my leg out of the car. Thankfully, I wasnt hurt. I'm trying to keep my focus on that! Not easy. He must've been texting or cell-talking to go that far over the parking line to hit my door- which wouldn't open nor close after that.

This, just a couple/few wks after someone at work put rubbing alcohol in my water bottle while I was on break at work- which made me vomit blood for several days, then sporadically, now occasionally. Still trying to manage the inflammation from that.

Life's a real b***h sometimes!

It's like I've been in a black-hole, a never-ending looong cycle of BS-pummeling- keeps putting me down- on the couch. I get my energy back- then BAM! Something else. Big stuff.

I really need to go do a hyawaska negative energy-cleansing to finally disperse this black cloud that's been following me around for way too long.

Next band appt, I get to consult with my actual surgeon for the 1st time since my survey 5yrs ago. (they use PA's for fills, unfills etc after surgery), I'll get some tests to see what the damage was/is. Hopefully the doc can help me fix this.

I'm going to ask her about hyawaska. It's common for most people to purge repeatedly following consumption

Sometimes, ok frequently, it's all I can do to get my chit together and go to work- an extremely toxic work environment filled with unbelievably toxic people.

Getting up to do the "happy-happy-joy-joy" dance to tunes is the last thing i feel like doing right now.

BUT I know once I do, I'll feel 'lighter', my spirits & mental energy will lift UP! Way up.

Sometimes what I know, is hard to apply. Real hard. I'm working on it.

Thanks to everyone for posting so many fabulous ideas & methodologies that are truly helping me pick myself up again. <3

I'm following this thread closely

someone put rubbing alcohol in your Water bottle? that is attempted murder. call the police.

@@Quest4TheNewMe Have you tried the ready-made Premier Protein shakes? They are my FAVORITE! Well the chocolate is anyway. I feel like I should be paid some kind of commission because I'm always recommending them but They truly are my fav! If you haven't tried them Maybe you should? They are cheaper if you buy them from SAMS. Just an option. I haven't tried a ton of different kinds, maybe 6-8 but I didn't care for any of them and they usually have less grams of protein..ect

I love the premier Protein best too, esp the vanilla. and they are great for my 89 yr old mom who just had heart surgery, the only thing she will eat right now. lifesavers.

there are pros and cons for sure. I think it is better in some ways to have both going on, be miserable and get it over with and limit the time you will need help and pain meds. definitely discuss this with both your surgeons. on the con side, the diminished nourishment may interfere some with your leg healing. good luck. let us know what happens. love sara

wow 37 # in three weeks! that is amazing. you go girl. it took me way longer than that to get some substantial weight off. watch out, stalls are normal as your body adjusts and rearranges stuff. it only took about 20# or less for people to notice but I am 5' so every pound shows, good and bad. it is sort of discouraging to think anyone has a right to judge your weight or even comment, but that is our culture. mostly people just said, you look good. so, I looked bad before?, is what it makes me think. and am annoyed that people monitor me. but then I got used to the compliments and wanted people to say something. geez, me, you cant have it both ways!!! when I started coming in to work and my scrubs were falling off me, people noticed. when I took in my pants, people noticed. I still feel fat tho, and still have plenty to lose at halfway. Celebrate every milestone, every big and little victory, and for goodness sake buy some new clothes and bras as you need them. you deserve it and you are not going back. love sara and the fur gang