Kaiser Richmond Pre-op

[disp4so 3]

Thanks ALi, Chrissy, & Heather for getting back to me and thanks to everyone else on here.. its nice to know you guys are there to help with questions and concerns.

Ali I hope you are feeling better and back on your feet soon :redface:

I am sure I will have more questions after my orientation

Sherri

[Desperate1 1]

Hey hey hey.... Just catching up

congrats Ali! Don't know much about the pain with the sleeve but I do know that the band was a piece of cake. hardly no pain at all for me - so I hope it subsides for you soon

ASH... woo hoo! so cool you got your date. fingers crossed you pass the psych LOL

Pat - yeah, i gotta get up that way. Things have been crazy. eating up a storm these last couple days. Well not a storm like I use to hahaha but a storm compared to what I had been eating lately.

TamTam - I was just lookin into an online course - transcribing editor (since i use to be a word processor anyway) - but I don't really have 2500.00 right now - who knew online school would be so expensive. It's not like they have to sit on the other side of the screen & help me. Glad you're enjoying it.

Coco just pulled into her new home! yee haa

So.... I haven't really been an emotional eater - I'm a boredom eater. but I think that I have been stress eating. On Tuesday, a friend of mine passed away. he sideswiped a tree! His girlfriend said she thinks it was Gods will because he had bought a brand new car with front AND SIDE airbags. But for some reason he decided to drive his older mercedes (that he hadn't driven in 6 months) that day and it only had front air bags. He 'SIDESWIPED' a tree (hit on the drivers side) and died an hour later. Don't get me wrong cuz I'm very sorry that he's gone BUT.... I've been a nervous wreck driving my car - I only have front air bags in my little honda. I have gone thru the drive thru the last two days without giving it a second thought until tonight. Just thought, wait, what am i doing?? as I was sitting here eating my dinner. So, no more - knowing is half the battle, right? maybe not so much stress eating but just going straight back into old habbits because I haven't been concentrating on my program. It is a never ending struggle to keep away from what comes natural to me. It's like putting 1 foot in front of the other - how hard would it be to have to walk backwards from now on? To get out of bed at 3am to pee and not just put that 1 foot forward because you're not thinking about it?? Geeze!

Pammie - how's your thing going? is it working ? I have decided that the first 50 lbs came off pretty easy but now, nothing (fast food doesn't help that either lol) so it's time to strength train! That is what I'm going to do for myself for my 42nd b-day - give myself a tone & healthy body - too late for my 41st bday - so I have 1 year and 4 days to get it done! wish me luck ;0

Donna - where are you sister?

What news from John??? Where are you homeboy?? How's that sleeve working for you? Rambo is still in good form - sure can't eat like I want to LOL. But chocolate goes down just fine ;/

Sherri, welcome to the group!

Mo - how's that tiny booty of yours doing? I got the best shot of it hahaha - if you PM me your email address i will email you a good copy.

Heather.... 4lbs is great since you had such a plateau! It's down scale from here hehehe. What's new with the house?

K, peace out ya'll

[wantshealth 0]

OMG! - Did I get a Fill for my first Fill!! I now have 6.5cc's in my band!

Had a great appt with Robin. I was totally honest about where I have been doing well and where I am struggling big time. I brought in all my food logs - way back to when Riley started me on using the DietMinder booklets in December. We talked about some of the good foods I am eating that are acting like sliders - going through too fast and not keeping me full (cottage cheese and applesauce). Also talked about the emotional eating and the emotions you go through during this journey.

Tam, just like you, she did not come down on me at all. We had a good talk and she had some good suggestions to try. She was glad that even though I could eat alot more, I was still trying to stay on track. She said a lot of people use that as license to go back and eat the way they use to - with all bad foods. So it was a good session.

Dr. Park was great - I love her! Given how much I've lost she said I was definately due for a fill. She extracted 4 cc's that she had put in at surgery, and then put that back plus 3 more and then backed it off to 6.5! She said I might be done! I was sweating getting a fill since I am only down 3 lbs by their scale in 7 weeks. I was hoping that maybe I would get 1 add'l cc., so 2.5 more just blew me away. And I know I need to be really careful - she said it might be too much and to let her know. She also said that I don't need to see her again for 6 months, but if I think I need a fill in the mean time to just contact her. She is great - I find her so easy to work with.

So Tam - I am on liquids - boy I forgot how unexciting the cream of chicken Soup is when you are hungry!!!

But I am so grateful! I really feel like this is just what I need and I am recommitted to working this thing! I truly am thankful for Kaiser and their program. I know some folks have had struggles with them, but in the big scheme of life, I never would have lost 61 lbs in 7 months without this program.

Ok so enough about me...

Tam - way to go on your tests. I knew you were a smart girl! And don't be so hard on yourself - it isn't easy to go back to school. Just ask Heather. I am really happy for you. Life seems to be going in the right direction for you. I know you can conquer the weight. I relate to the snacking and reading. I love to read while I eat so I have to be careful too.

Ali - go slow on the soft stuff. I know that John and Lee both had some challenges moving off of the liquids. But it has gotten better for both of them, so just take it one day at a time. The pain will get better.

Sherri - welcome. Great group of ladies and one inspiring gent here. If you read some of the older posts you will find a wealth of info. I read this site a lot as I was getting prepared.

Yes, do your 'last suppers' now before Orientation so you are at your highest. I actually didn't start the 1200 per op diet until a week after orientation because I wanted to get ready (have all the right foods in the house, etc.). I also went on Kaiser Richmond's Bariatric website and downloaded the orientation binder in advance so I could start reading it and understanding what this was all about.

Like Ali said, the required weight loss varies a lot. In addition to your age and how much overweight you are, they also assess your risk factors for surgery and those things can play a part in determining how much they think you need to lose. When I started I was 53 years old and weighed 256 and was given a goal of 20 lbs - I lost 37 by surgery, but that was because I did not want to have it during the Christmas holidays so I put off my date until January and just kept on the program.

I wish you the best and I think this is a really good program - I felt really well prepared for what to expect, what the realities were and the approach that they use to try and reinforce the behaviors for success.

I recommend the "Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients" by Colleen Cook - its is easy to read and has great tips. I am also reading David Kessler's book "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" and it is very interesting.

Love and hugs to all my sistas of surgery (and bro John) - miss you all - everyone needs to come back on and post!!!

[Guest sodapop]

Pat-woahh BIG FILL! I love reading your posts. They are inspiring.

Welcome Sherri! Yes they DID not talk at all about the sleeve at the first orientation/meeting thing. They totally will talk about it at your orientation in vacaville or richmond. My advise is talk to as many people as you can-read and read-do your research. I was all for getting banded until I learned about the sleeve. There are people that you will meet and they will push you to get what they have- (no-one on here these people are awesome) It is totally a personal choice. You know yourself the best and I ended up choosing that I am going to get the sleeve. I met a guy last meeting who if you were at the kaiser point west meeting I wanted to punch!!! This lady was going for gastric and heard me talking about the sleeve. She introduced herself to me and asked if she could talk with me- I told her a little about it and this little guy came over trying to tell the woman "DONT DO THAT" I told him that it is a PERSONAL choice and I have seen banded, sleeved, and gastric people ALL BE SUCCESSFUL!! Gezz I wanted to kick his little you know what!! ha ha ha. He tried to take over the conversation and told me that gastric was the ONLY WAY TO GO. Well I told the woman it is a personal choice and we all know our own bodies and what is the best for ourselves. ha ha. If I see that guy I swear!! lol! everyone on here is AWESOME and I have fallen in love with so many of them! They are like you second family no matter what surgery you go for. THIS GROUP ROCKS! :smile:

ALI-I want to hear all your bad and good things!! More please! I am gonna be in your shoes soon!!

PAM-I am sooooo rude! I was screaming at April to get her bootay in the car cause I thought you were coming to lunch! what a jerk I am!

one more week till my psych-I sure hope I can pass it. we all know how nutty I am!! ha ha!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANDRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY! 42 and looks like a late 20's or 30 year old. Some GOOD jeans there!

Tam-dont you have an appointment soon? you back on track?

xoxox chrissy!! I am at goal baby!! NEW RECORD 3 WEEKS!

[Desperate1 1]

Excuse me, Chrissy Soda Pop ----- 42???? I am going to be 41 bee-otch! But for those of you who don't know me, I am very immature for my age and don't look a day over 40!!!

My girls asked me if I was going to be 20 or 21 again this year and I simply said "both" LOL.

Pat - glad you had a good meeting with Robin and a nice big fill. I think Im in between spots. If I chew real well, then it goes thru the band but if I don't chew good enough then it comes right back out or hurts like the dickens when its going thru. maybe just one more 1/2 cc then I can chew well and it will stay above the band for a bit, not come back out and because I've chewed so well it won't hurt when it goes thru.. who knows. I also think I may be a bit swollen from allergies so thats why it's hurting so bad when it goes thru. either way, me & rambo for better or for worst.

[Desperate1 1]

PS Pat - are you finding David Kessler's book helpful. I've never heard of it but the title sounds so perfect!

[Lee 19]

Wow, I miss reading for a few days and so much good stuff has happened!

Ali - congratulations on making it to the Loser's Bench.

Ash, I see that you're next sweetie. YAY

Chrissy ~ GOAL! That's great.

Coco's on her way to paradise.

Heather shed 4 big ones.

Tam's in school.

Princess Candra is back in the fold.

Beatriz looked gorgeous at the last Kaiser meeting!

Pam and Pat forge ahead and keep going.

So many changes.

I"m doing good. Had a phone consult with Robin this week because I only lost 5 pounds in 6 weeks. Sleeve definitely isn't a magic wand either. I'm eating right on plan, upped the exercise to 60 minutes a day and still can barely get 1 pound a week. At least it's all in the right direction! Down down down. I'm still the medical mystery as to why my body won't let go of the weight on the scale. I'm down from 22/24 pants to a 16 that I wore yesterday. Pat, I'm soooo interested in clothes!

Mo good to see you poppin your head in to say g'morning all the time. Jes, I haven't seen you in awhile. Where you at Maria?

Hi to newbie Sherri and to all that I missed.

Hugs all around..........

[Lee 19]

Candra, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Pat ~ I just saw that you got your fill. YAY!!!

Chrissy, I'm happy to answer any Sleeve questions. I don't get by here very often because I'm on the Sleeve boards, but send a PM anytime!

Ali ~ pureed foods weren't difficult for me. Now soft foods at one month were a problem. Lot's of throwing up as I got accustomed to how much to eat etc. Measure carefully, don't eyeball and never eat that last bite. Oh, and eat very slowly. Now that I've learned those rules, I can keep food down pretty well. Also, I can't take a Vitamin until around an hour after eating or they come right back up.

[Guest sodapop]

SORRY CANDRA!!! HAppy 45th BIRTHDAY!!!!

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERONE!!!:smile:

[Guest sodapop]

ohh and Candra who the hexk are those sexy ass girls in the photo on your post! DAMN they are HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!

BTW. Nicole is in her new home. I talked to her the whole way up there. She was sooooo tired and couldnt see straight by time she got up there but I am sure she will be on soon to say hello! She and Robbie, Max, Zero, and Riot all made it safe and sound. My best friend went bye bye but I am sure she will be happy it is so beautiful there.

[Ali2010 1]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes; I do feel so much better today. Even went to the store and ran a couple errands. It felt so good to get out. I just ate some cream Soup and it tasted good! I tend to feel very nauseous in the am when I wake up--feels like morning sickness--but after I get up and have some hot tea I feel better.

Glad that everyone is back on the board chatting; it got so quiet for awhile.

I need some food ideas for Stage II; yougurt, cream of wheat and Soup will get old real fast...anyone have some suggestions?

[wantshealth 0]

Pat-woahh BIG FILL! I love reading your posts. They are inspiring.

one more week till my psych-I sure hope I can pass it. we all know how nutty I am!! ha ha!

xoxox chrissy!! I am at goal baby!! NEW RECORD 3 WEEKS!

Chrissy - way to go on getting to goal - you are FAST!

Ok so on the Psych - you need to practice counting how many people are in the room with you. Candra warned me about the president's question so I was all focused on that (and of course messed it up because I'm older than Candra and have CRS diseace (Can't Remember ----) and couldn't remember Bush's first name - so I said President Bush), but she never told me about how many people are in the room and with all the voices in my head sometimes it is hard to count them all! :smile:

[wantshealth 0]

PS Pat - are you finding David Kessler's book helpful. I've never heard of it but the title sounds so perfect!

Candra - I do like the Kessler book. It isn't just a 'how to' book like the Successful Strategies book is. He use to be the Commissioner in the food & Drug Administration and was instrumental in food labeling and in dealing with the tabacco industry. So the book is about bigger issues around what is happening in American with obesity and why. It does have chapters on what to do but it trys to explain how endemic it is our culture and why many people are affected by it because of the food industry. So some of the things we can do has to do with the foods and restaurants we frequent and how we vote, etc.

Some really unbelievable stuff about the 'right' amount of fat, sugar and salt in foods to make them really palatable and 'hooking' people and how the food industry researches and experiments on this stuff. I like this type of book - I really like psychology and understanding the bigger reasons behind things.

Yeah on the eating / chewing / how it feels inside is a tricky thing. I haven't been chewing differently or more with not having restriction and not having trouble - I think because everything no matter what was going through. But now I am going to proceed cautiously. Like you, I have to try to find the right balance where the food stays in the pouch and I feel something.

[wantshealth 0]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes; I do feel so much better today. Even went to the store and ran a couple errands. It felt so good to get out. I just ate some cream Soup and it tasted good! I tend to feel very nauseous in the am when I wake up--feels like morning sickness--but after I get up and have some hot tea I feel better.

Glad that everyone is back on the board chatting; it got so quiet for awhile.

I need some food ideas for Stage II; yougurt, cream of wheat and soup will get old real fast...anyone have some suggestions?

Ali - this may not work for you, but it did for me. I started to find I was really hungry with the cream Soups and if you read them they don't have much Protein. I got progresso's black bean with bacon flavor and I pureed it so it was smooth and added a little Water to make it thinner. I found the extra Protein worked better for me. Robin was worried about the bean hulls, but it pureed smooth for me. CoCo tried it and it gave her alot of gas. Yes, I did yogurt too.

[Desperate1 1]

SORRY CANDRA!!! HAppy 45th BIRTHDAY!!!!

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERONE!!!:smile:

Imma kick ur AZZZZZZZ