BlackBerryJuice

Well, the biggest issue is that I receive lots of financial aid and we have a small group of very vocal and very rich students who are very anti-financial aid because they don't think anyone could ever possibly not have their parents pay for everything when they are 25. I mean, someone actually bragged at a birthday party that they don't own "a single item of clothing under $500." If one of them found out I went to Mexico and paid out of pocket (with credit, mind you), they'd never leave me alone.

What are you eating, how often, and how much?

Wow, impressive!

So I didn't go to my ballet class for about a month because I was sick and then super-busy with school. I walk in today wearing a leotard and leggings - probably my most form-fitting outfit for class to date. There's like 20 other people there and my teacher is like "BBJ! We haven't seen you here in a while!" I'm like, "Yeah, sorry, I was sick and then busy with stuff." She's like, "SO WHAT DID YOU DO TO LOSE ALL THIS WEIGHT!?" And then EVERYONE stared at me, waiting for my answer. It made me feel so uncomfortable! My teacher is very nice and she totally meant it well, she wasn't calling me out, but it was such an awkward situation for me! I almost blurted out that I had WLS, then I thought better of it (I have to conceal it from people at school for various reasons), so I just said I'm eating less. *everyone still staring* Which is true, I suppose! But then she started asking me if my portions are smaller or if I'm eating less junk, or if I'm also exercising more... *everyone still staring* Then she's like, "I just can't believe how much you've changed! When I think back to how you looked in September compared to now, I'm just blown away!" *EVERYONE STILL STARING* *worst 5 minutes of the entire week*

Today was one of those days, super-busy and lots of running around - I actually forgot to eat Breakfast before I left the house! Ended up grabbing a lot of random stuff. Bfast: coffee and a disgusting underripe banana I bought at this fundraising stand Lunch: 1/2 a veal canneloni Snack: yogurt, cookie Snack: 1/2 muffin Dinner: other half of the veal canneloni I'll have something else before I go to bed, probably another yogurt or a Protein bar Exercise: 1.5-hr ballet lesson

Bfast: leftover veal canneloni from yesterday Snack: apple, piece of chocolate Lunch: yogurt, piece of pizza Snack: Protein bar, couple of fresh strawberries Dinner: we're going out to a dessert place, so probably some sort of cake or something

You get invited to something called "The Chocoholic Buffet," and after giving it some thought, you realize you aren't that interested.

Maybe there's too much sugar in it and it causes a spike and subsequent drop in your blood sugar? I sometimes snack on yogurt, too, and it seems to fill me up just fine. Maybe look for a different brand with less sugar? The brand I use (Safeway Organics) has 14-15 g sugar per yogurt, while some other brands, like Yoplait, have 25+.

I like his mindset. Protein first is great, but a lot of us (including myself!) have to rely on overprocessed chemicals to make sure we get enough - shakes or bars. Most of these have a 20-ingredient list! I make sure to have 2-3 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Natural product, and I find that when I eat more fruits and veggies, my skin's better, too!

Bfast: yogurt lunch #1: half a 6" Subway tuna sub, coffee with sweet creamer Lunch #2: other 1/2 of the sub Snack: 1/2 pint blueberries, Protein bar Dinner: going out to this Italian place, gonna have some veal canneloni with marinara Exercise: got a 50-min dance class

You'll burn more calories on the elliptical, plus you can make it quite challenging if you change the incline and resistance. So I think for the same amount of time, the elliptical will yield better results. But in the end, it comes down to whatever you are more likely to do - if you dislike the elliptical, you'll probably spend less time on it.

Do any of you who run have a problem with stitches? I can't seem to get past 2 miles lately, because I have horrible stitches. Even if I walk for a bit and they go away, they come back with a vengeance once I run for another 2-3 mins. I don't feel particularly tired or out of breath, so this is really annoying, as I've got a 5K coming up in like 3 weeks, but I can't even get to that distance because of the pain. Just wondering if any of you have suggestions for preventing stitches.

If you are doing your surgery abroad, you won't be able to take it across the border. But if you are doing it in the same country where you live, it MIGHT be an option. I know of a woman who had a hysterectomy and requested to take her uterus home with her to bury it in her garden, and she was allowed to do that. However, there were also some cultural connotations (she was Aboriginal, so it'd be tough for the staff to refuse without coming off as un-PC).

This made me laugh: http://www.theonion...._source=related

I don't know, you'd have to book a consultation! I think a filler is better for laugh lines than Botox tho. I like fillers, except for when people go overboard with them (look at Madonna's creepily plump face), but I guess that's the case for anything! And yeah, the lifestyle lift is also something that sounds good. I would also check out this magazine, it's called "New Beauty" - they are basically a cosmetic surgery/dermatology magazine for the potential client, with lots of procedure reviews and lists of docs who do them. It might give you a better idea of what you might want. Or you could just subscribe to my greatgrandma's vision - she said "The only bad wrinkles are the wrinkles that come from being angry!"

What about a laser? Botox is great for the 11s and the forehead lines, but I don't think it's all that great for other stuff - and especially for sagging. But some of the modern lasers are pretty intense. When I get to the age when some sort of intervention is appropriate, I'm totally going for laser over anything else. Plus unlike a lot of the surgical stuff, the odds of you looking deformed after (think Joan Rivers) are pretty much 0.

Have some sashimi, it's great - high-protein and goes down easily. But I agree with others in that it's best to wait with anything with rice. Even today, I can only eat 3, maybe 4 smaller rolls - dry rice quickly makes me feel stuffed in an unpleasant way.

I think plain ol' shapewear would work, Myrori. You can probably get a tummy/thigh shaper for like $25 at a low-end department store like Sears.

Bfast: Protein bar (I'm seeing a pattern) Lunch: half a turkey pita with vegs and some mayo lunch #2: some penne with lobster and chicken from yesterday Snack: blueberries and strawberries Dinner: going out to a pubby-type place. Not sure what the options are, hopefully I can find something healthy like a grilled chicken or shrimp salad

I do feel restriction with slider foods. For example, when I had ice cream a few times while on vacation last week, I couldn't finish a "regular" cup from Haagen Dazs - I could eat about 1/2-2/3 of it and that's it. A lot of it is not just the volume but also the richness of this particular food, though. But 2/3 of a cup of ice cream is very unlikely to make me feel uncomfortable, whereas 2/3 cup of dry grilled chicken breast might, so I guess that's what makes it a "slider food."

Try ObesityHelp.com, they have a pretty good network. The downside is that you might end up being the only or one of the few people with a VSG, but I guess any WLS patient will understand you better than the average person, anyway! I easily found some support groups near me, although as Rootman said above, this site is a great resource - good enough for me!

I've been eating this particular brand and some similar types of whole/sprouted grain breads for years. It's very much an acquired taste. Is it edible? Yes. Is it gonna be anything like a nice warm ciabatta or a crispy baguette? Absolutely not. Is it much healthier than the aforementioned artisan breads? Yes. But if I'm looking for something to spread my Nutella on, I go elsewhere. If I had to describe it....imagine making a very thick multigrain porridge and slightly undercooking it, so you could mold it into a slice of bread. Worth trying, but keep your expectations low. It's best in meat sandwiches with lots of toppings.

Bfast: Protein Bar Snack: egg and some cheddar Lunch: fixed some wild mushroom Soup (I almost never cook during the school year!) Dinner: gonna go out, most likely to my fave Italian restaurant for some seafood Pasta Snack: try and keep it healthy, I've got blueberries and strawberries at home, so probably those with some yogurt

I met my boyfriend on PlentyofFish.com. It's a free site, so there's a lot more people, and if you don't have to pay to reply to someone, you are probably more likely to take a chance. I was on the fence about responding to my boyfriend's first message, but I'm glad I did!

I would stay away from weighted ab exercises until you're 3 months out. You have to remember that your abdominals have been punctured in several places during surgery, so even if things look all sealed up on top, you can't be sure that your muscles have healed completely. If you stress your abs too much and they are still weak in places where instruments were put in, you may rip a hole in there again and end up with a hernia. P.S. My fave ab exercise is weighted sit-ups on a decline bench - I just take a 10 lb plate and put it on my chest. You can try that once you're 3 months out.