peacequeen

Glad you are doing well, LoserMama..(with the exception of tiny hand on the tummy). I am a crazy dreamer anyway so I anticipate some crazy things in my dreams.lol donniej, my sleeve brother..are you behaving? I'm working at it,,it ain't easy. It's hard to get through Christmas isn't it? Are you doing a pre op diet? I'm on day 12,,yes, I'm counting down.lol

I knew you would do marvelous! I really enjoyed reading about your experience. I'm proud of you,,you're gonna rock that sleeve!

I'm right there with you, happy1957. I'm on my 11th day of the pre op..I stop on the 26th with clears till midnight and have surgery on the 27th. I do get 1 meal with meat and veggies now but it's hard to smell all the wonderful things that Christmas brings..especially sweets and hot bread. I'm pushing forward though,,no stopping me now. If you can only have liquids, I'm not sure what you could do different than soup. Check the recipe sharing forum, you might find something there that will change things up a bit. Good luck,,see you on the losers bench!

Good luck, fluffy,,you'll do great!!!

I know it's different policies but I have UHC and was approved..having surgery in 5 days. I've also read MANY that were approved with UHC. Keep positve and hopeful,,it will happen. If you have comorbitities, your doctor can go to bat for you if you are denied for whatever reason stating surgery is a medical necessity. This approval thing is a long drawn out process and can make you anxious and stressed,,it did for me and it was alot of unnecessary worrying Good luck!!

Congrats to both of you!

I'd also like to have good comfortable sex again.

I want to travel..I don't even care where I go. I want to walk and hike and tolerate heat. Take my camera and go on long shoots without being short winded and a hot mess. So my husband and I are hoping to plan something out west for the summer. I know they aren't the best thing for you but in moderation I like to get a tan before summer but I exceeded the weight limit for the tanning bed..would be nice to fit in one again. My biggest reward will be when I can play around with the kids and grandkids...like ball in the yard, jump on a trampoline, go sledding,,etc.

I'm doing 2 shakes, 1 meal with lean meat and veggies,,1 snack consisting of serving of nuts, egg or low fat cheese (babybel or string cheese snacks are good). My doctor told me losing a little weight is an added bonus but the diet was strictly to shrink the liver thats why I should stay away from carbs/sugar and high fat foods.

What you're doing are food funerals, last suppers..whatever you want to call them. Your mind is telling you that you will have surgery anyway so you might as well eat. It's telling you that you won't be able to eat certain foods or at certain restaurants to go ahead and get them over with. I went through this for almost a year and gained about 20 pounds. Now I'm on my pre op diet (surgery dec 27th) and when they start you on that, you go into full gear dieting,,I've finally gotten real serious and lost 9 of the 20 so far. I can only recommend getting a handle on it or you'll regret it.

Chike Stawberry Burst is the best I've ever tasted and I've tried several to test out. http://www.chikenutrition.com/index.html Syntha 6 Chocolate milkshake is good too. I got mine online but they sell it at gnc.

I love Mandisa! And I'm so excited for you..your story is amazing!

Good luck losermama! I'm also 1 week behind you

I was wondering in what different ways has the sleeve changed you and your life? We all have hopes and dreams but it would be nice to read about the realities. Positive and the negative.

I'm on the 27th,,good luck to us all! I'm on my 7th day of a 2 week pre op diet..ugh!lol

Good luck, Favoredone and Rainsong,,you both are in my prayers!!!

I belong to this website and they have a sale going on these wonderful shaper garments. I've ordered before, it takes about 2 weeks to receive and the items are extremely good quality. They compress really well giving good shape. The prices can't be beat! I know some have loose skin and something like this is idea to help support those areas. Just thought I'd share. http://www.zulily.com/e/under-where-122311.html?email=peacequeen%40hotmail.com&tid=&zsegid=10

I just checked and they still have xl. I purchased mine for when I shed some more weight. I'm in a 2x now..hopefully it won't be much longer. You can get them on ebay too.

They must be running out. I ordered xl last night..when they run out that's it so you have to be quick. Just check the site periodically,,that's the 2nd time I've come across shapers in a week. It takes a while to get used to the site, it's like a bunch of different stores that have sales for short periods of time then they post new stores and they all circulate.

I can't sleep and it doesn't matter if anyone reads this, I just need to talk, even if through my mind and out my fingers onto a keyboard. About myself. I'm the youngest of 8 children. I grew up very poor, food was scarce. I recall my mother making a bowl of bean Soup and skillet cornbread and we'd get our bellies as full as we could for the day. Not much to snack on but a peeled potato dipped in sugar or salad dressing sandwiches. Saturday was a big day, Mom and dad would go to the grocery while we stayed home to get the house **** and span. The groceries would come in,,flour, sugar, tuna, oats, etc. A rare ice cream or candy was a rarety in our home. There were alot of foods I had never tried till I was much older. Mom and Dad would make do,,they had no choice. As I got older, things got easier. My mother was a cook, she cooked for Col Sanders and his wife. She could make anything taste so good. Even though we had very little, she would make it stretch as far as it would go. Dad had an amazing green thumb and would raise a lavish garden with beautiful onions, potatos, tomatos, Beans, etc. We lived on a farm so we had cows that we milked and chickens for eggs. Holidays, birthdays, baptisms, visitors, you name it,,we had food. Mom and Dad shared our bounty with everyone. They later cooked for churches, shut ins, the United Way..amazing people, they sure were. My whole life evolved around food. It was strange we managed so well at home on very meager wages but I could never have lunch money for school. I always did without but my friends sometimes would share with me. I would get home and sneak food,,whatever I could get my hands on, I was so hungry. And I stayed plump. I was never a skinny child,,not fat but I had some chub in the middle. I was extremely active, we worked hard on the farm. I married at 18..it lasted 15 years and 2 beautiful and amazing kids were created. Scared of being alone, I found the nearest guy that could comfort me. Just as I had met him, my parents were killed in an automobile accident. My world turned upside down and I thought I'd never live through it. I was pregnant at the time. So then I had another child but the marriage only lasted a couple years. My youngest son is special. He has Pervasive developmental disorder, adhd, memory and sensory disfunction. He makes me laugh and cry. It's difficult raising a child with special needs but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have my own disabilities, was diagnosed in 2008 with myasthenia gravis and can no longer work (I hope to again someday). Aside the sadness, I've become my mother. I cook all the time. I make every event, holiday, occasion about food. It's always been in my life and in my blood. Even at my parents funeral, there were large amounts of food. Will I ever escape? I've been in therapy for a while now to help overcome my losses and addiction to food. This site has helped me learn so much about myself and each of you in some way have given me so much. Faceless and no voice, but each of you touch my heart and are healing me. I thank God for this site and letting me learn about vsg. I'm going to be sleeved in 9 days,,I praise God. Your past makes you who you are but it doesn't have to define you. Thanks for letting me share,,it's more of a rambling on session but I wanted you to know where I came from. I think it helps to know where a person is coming from.

That's awesome,,good for you! That is a big achievement!

Well, I'm almost double your age so I can tell you that it doesn't get any easier where your health is concerned. Though you may be healthy now, obesity isn't good for anyone..eventually. I've been on every diet and I can ask myself, how was that working for me and answer honestly that it was not. I've yo yo'd my whole life. Even while I was waiting to get approved to have a sleeve I yo yo'd. My niece once said, "when I see you,,I never know what I'm gonna get because you always look different." I don't want to live in that cycle anymore. I have hope that this surgery will help as a great tool to keep the weight off once and for all. I'm scared of the unknown but I take the same risk when I get behind the wheel of a car. Maybe ask yourself what the benefit of the surgery will be for you. I really admire your confidence and acceptance of yourself. I've just been beaten down for so many years it's made me hate the way I look and feel. I have 6 children (between my husband and myself) and 4 grandkids..I want to live for myself and for them. I want some quality in my life. If you haven't read this post,,check it out. It might give you something to think about. It is a personal decision,,good luck! ps..I didn't mean to sound preachy..it's the mom in me. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/24471-things-i-cant-wait-to-do/page__fromsearch__1

I'm always vit d deficient. My surgeon says just about everyone is. I've been on supplements for 5 years..it flucuates. I hope things get better for you, Misstxdiva. Just keep pushing forward