I can't eat more than 1/2 cup or so at a sitting. Bread gets stuck, Pasta and rice come back, ice cream makes me dump. I want to nibble all day because I can't seem to get in more than 1000 HEALTHY calories a day and wine gives me horrific heartburn. I am either constipated or have poop Soup - usually the first leads to the second -- and I still can't have even a small glass of Water with a meal or I will horf it all back up. Regular water sits like a lead brick in my stomach still (after 2.5 years!!) and I still sit on the potty before I pass gas just in case.

That said...

I wear a size 6/8.
I can shop in ANY store.
My teenaged daughters now borrow my clothes and I borrow theirs. (Wait -- is that good or bad?)
I can fit in any seat AND cross my legs.
People don't look at me like I am Satan on fire when I sit next to them on the bus, the theater, the airplane.
I can put junk food in my grocery cart and not feel judged.
I can (and do!) walk 6-10 miles a day without pain the next morning.
I can keep up in Zumba class and still do another workout after.
I can dance all night without feeling it the next day.

I hike, bike, kayak, and play outside with my kids comfortably.
I no longer sweat like a horse the second I walk outside.

I am healthy. No longer pre-diabetic, no longer morbidly obese, no longer ruining my knees, hips, feet and back with excessive weight.


If this was the "easy way out", so be it. It damn sure was the SMART way out.

EDIT TO ADD:

It seems that some of you are taking my "litany of complaints" as real hardships and I want to correct that. None of the things I listed above are the end of the world nor are they even more than little blips on my radar.

When my ass hurts, I get up. When I'm cold, I grab a blanket. I choose not to eat bread, rice, pasta or ice cream and as much as I loved them before, they make me feel so urpy, I no longer WANT them. The poop soup/constipation, along with the juicy toots kind of sucks, but I think some Probiotics would correct that issue. I don't drink when I eat, nor do I drink for an hour after and it's not killing me. I don't need regular water, and while I miss it from time to time, a squeeze of flavor drops or a splash of fruit juice works for me. My inability to drink wine sucks the most, but it's a small trade off in the grand scheme of things.

What brand/type of probiotics are people using that work well?

I bought Culturelle, but a friend who is a nurse recommended this today, so I ordered it!

http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Probiotic-10-Billion-Vcaps/dp/B002S1U7RU/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8&dpID=51SPoZ-8HDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL100_SR100%2C100_&refRID=0D4A862Z65R654TX4DXX&ref_=pd_aw_sim_121_3

I bought http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F4WWI4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_6&smid=A2AFA41BFBRZV7 After comparing independent labs, these ranked third in three separate tests. They are cheap and i'll go with it.

Probiotics are the natural gut- intestinal flora that are part of your immune system. I would say that although yogurt is good, it.s not the best source of probiotics due to inadequate live cultures. If you do get approval to take one, there are many options but as with anything , you get what you pay for. I like Dr Ohiras and also Pearl Elite. Since we VSG patients have had essentially cut out part of our stomachs thru surgery, we need to replenish and maintain these essential " good" bacteria thru supplementation. They do seem to help with digestion / elimination and since I work in a medical clinic, protection from illnesses.

@@LipstickLady Thanks for the link. I purchased mine so I can avoid the poopy pants!

@@winklie Thank you!

WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!

I have been taking a probiotic for the last five days and I am THRILLED to say that I have not one

I'VE.GOT.TO.CARRY.MY.ASS.TO.THE.BATHROOM.RIGHT.NOW incident since.

If you aren't taking them, and you regularly have poop emergencies, try them. I am cautiously optimistic, but so far, so good. I think I may be reclaiming my bowels.

im heading to a Water park and California and I CANNOT have an incident there.. I will shut down a whole hotel if so. I need these Probiotics tomorrow. Can I find them in stores??

@@LipstickLady, did you have any adjustment time issues or were you good to go as soon as you started on the probiotic?

@craigcu You sure can at any CVS, the problem is that they are expensive and the quality varies wildly from one brand to the next. I mean it varies at an astounding rate, both the Probiotics Lipsticklady and I listed are very high quality, just do some research before hand and you should be okay.

I bought Culterelle with 15btu and they worked with no side effects first day. My stool was a bit "runny" first day but it wasn't urgent or explosive. By day three, things were normal. Target carries them.

This all sounds about right. Funny part is, I was always, always hot before. Even in dead of winter, house temp was at 60 degrees and I had fans going in my work office. Now I'm freezing nonstop and maybe - just maybe temp in the 80's isn't so bad. I'm with you. It's all a great trade off. I know what I can't eat, what I can and what I can tolerate. Just being able to wear something a friend does is a great feeling.

Thanks all for this great info. Started culture like today and ordered the Amazon ones delivered to my hotel for Monday..

What brand/type of probiotics are people using that work well?

I bought Culturelle, but a friend who is a nurse recommended this today, so I ordered it!

http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Probiotic-10-Billion-Vcaps/dp/B002S1U7RU/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8&dpID=51SPoZ-8HDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL100_SR100%2C100_&refRID=0D4A862Z65R654TX4DXX&ref_=pd_aw_sim_121_3

I'm so ordering those!

I LOVED this original post also. I can't stop laughing. Well put and congrats on your weight loss journey!!

This is by far my favorite thread on these forums. Whenever I see a new update I click like a madman to open it. This thread has given me more laughs than any other one, and it deals with real topics, good stuff!

Thanks all for this great info. Started culture like today and ordered the Amazon ones delivered to my hotel for Monday..

been on the probiotics now for three weeks, seemed to have cured the .. Ahem.. Issues. Accident free the whole time.. But the axiom holds true still, never trust a fart...thanks all for turning me on to the probiotics..