kemo46

Wow, she is beautiful, congrats to you and you are right, what a great post-VSG she is.

Way to go Kelly, what a great acomplishment. I too thank God every day for this tool we have been given. It is a life changer and we have been given a second chance. We now have a new lifestyle to maintain and the best line I have heard is we now eat to live and not live to eat.

For those of you at least 5 months out, what is your calorie intake daily? I have still been taking in between 700 and 900 per day and carbs below 50 a day. My exercise has increased to 5 times a week. I try to get more calories in on the days I exercise but never over 900. I would like to hear where everyone is at on their daily intake when you are at least 5 months out so I can measure where I am at. Please also list your exercise time you are doing. Thank you.

I have sent you a PM. You should be able to choose your deposit and what is best for you.

Bellabbr, I just sent you a PM. We have been in your shoes.

That is great that you are considering WLS. I have sent you a private message. It is a life changer. Good Luck.

If you do your research and feel comfortable with your decision, you should not back out. The bottom line is you are doing this for yourself. There are risks with any surgery but it is usually more dangerous not to treat the obesity issue.

That is great, I am happy for you Helen. Who was your surgeon? That is a nice facility that you went to.

I just started with a certified personal trainer recently, I will keep you posted on the results. I would tell them everything about your situation including the surgery and nutrition. They need this information to build a specific program for you so it will be successful and safe for your health. I waited for months post-op before hiring a trainer, I worked out on my own at the gym to build stamina and to lose most of my excess weight. I go to the gym 5 times a week and work with the trainer twice a week in 1 hour sessions. He charges 25.00 a session. People hire personal trainers for different reasons, some for motivation and discipline, some for education. I do not need the motivation, I had my surgery for health and medical reasons and I am 30 lbs from my goal, that is my motivation. I hired a trainer at this stage to make sure I am getting the most benefit of my time at the gym at this stage of my weight-loss. My priority is the last 30lbs of weight-loss and to eliminate the lower belly fat and love handles. I will tell you this, I have found muscles that I did not know existed with some of the workouts the trainer has put together for me. To answer your questions now. If you hire a trainer that listens to your goals, takes your health into consideration and builds a plan that is beneficial for you, it is worth it. My trainer is at the gym where I have my membership, I guess there are ways around that but the weights, machines and tools are very important. I do not know if the trainer having experience in bariatric surgery is important but they need to be certified and know what they are doing or they could cause you more harm than good. The most important thing is they listen to you. Do not start any exercise until you get full clearance from your surgeon, I could not exercise until after 6 weeks. It is very important that you tell them you calorie intake and your priority. For example, my goal is still losing the rest of my excess weight, toning up and then getting in the best shape of my life, in that order. I hope that helps.

The Doctors will take the necessary precautions. The blood pressure is high and only the Physician will be able to tell you if they can safely administer the medication to lower it to an acceptable level. It is a catch 22 situation on the Diabetes. My A1C test before surgery was 10.2, it is now under 6 with no medication. The weight loss, exercise and diet has all contributed to this. In his current situation, it will be very hard for him to exercise and lose weight so changing his diet will help in this area. You need to get at least a couple of medical opinions before deciding. Your dad might have reached the point that I did where the surgery is worth the risk. Good luck on your decision.

This is a very good topic. Like Longer-Life said, I think I became obsessed. This does become one of the most important things going on in your life. With all the research, planning,surgery and recovery, it is very easy to become obsessed. You have to remember, even the people that totally support you, it is still not as important or exciting to them. Noboby has come out and actually said anything but I can tell they get tired of hearing about it. I have tried in the past few weeks not to talk about it but it is very hard because this is an ongoing process. You like to share your success with your friends and loved ones but I have had to tone it down a bit.

Keep it up, it gets much better. You will be amazed what you will be able to do. After your surgeon clears you for exercise, hit the gym and the weight loss will be even faster. As much as we try to expedite things, do not do it, follow all instructions of your doctor, you are well on your way. Congrats to you.

You look great, what a fantastic job you have done. I too live in the Dallas area, I have discovered some great thrift and resale shops to get my clothes. I have refused to buy new clothes until I reach my goal weight, I am about 30 lbs away. I get a rush when I find nice , like new 100.00 shirts for 5.00. My wife says I need an intervention, I keep buying these clothes and I am hooked on the bargins. Good luck to you on the last few pounds, you will reach your goal. I just recently hired a Personal Trainer for help with my last 30 lbs. I wanted to be sure that I utilize every minute I spend in the gym. I am 5 months out from surgery and have been working out hard at the gym since about 6 weeks out from surgery( when cleared by surgeon). I did not feel I have wasted any time but I really wanted to concentrate on certain areas and get the most of my time there. I would not have thought in a million years I would be 30 lbs away from my goal and much less, hire a Personal Trainer.

Good for you, this is a great tool and will change your life. Keep us posted.

You will be fine, it will be a great experience and a start to your new life. Keep us posted.

Tell your friend that more people die from Obese realted issues than a staple coming loose. What you are doing will give you more quality and quanity of life to spend with your children. What I have found is the people who talk negatively about the surgery have done absolutely no research and heard something from the media. Tell them to actually spend some time doing actual research and then they can talk to you intelligently about your decision. I know that sounds harsh but you do not have to defend your decision, you are doing this for your health.

Eat Protein, Protein and More Protein.One thing my NUT told me is do not eat anything that has NO nutritional value. I am trying real hard to not eat filler foods. When I get hungry or better yet, before I get hungry, I snack on Beef Jerky. I was told basically to eat several small meals or snacks a day, this was to control my blood sugar. Even though my Diabetes is completely controlled with no medication and my numbers are normal now, I try to eat healthy snacks throughout the day. You will be able to look back at what you have recently been eating and find the culprit, it is usually filler foods loaded with carbs. Go back to your healthy eating and you will be fine.

That is a great feeling, good for you. I just hit the magic number myself and know exactly how you feel. It took a lot of work but you did it, congratulations and keep it up.

Great Job, keep it up Tex. We have been given such a great tool to change our lives. Like an earlier post said, the thrift stores are your friend, we lose so rapidly, we would go broke buying new clothes before we reach our goal. I might not ever stop shopping there. I buy like new Polo, Cutter and Buck, Eddie Bauer and much more for about 4.00 a shirt. I have gone from a 4x shirt to a 1x and 52 pant to 42 right now. I buy the clothes at the thrift shop and then take them back and donate them in about a month and get a smaller size. Congrats on onederland, that is my goal, that is what I was thinking about while I was at the gym at 5:00am this morning.

I was updating my blog this morning and realized that my BMI is now under 30 for the first time in probably 25 years. I am no longer obese and just overweight. I still have about 33 more pounds to lose but no longer being statistically obese is a big deal for me. My next goal is being at normal weight and out of the overweight catagory.

I understand their concern. Please have them read my blog, it will detail my journey in Mexico. I had a great experience and would do it again in a heartbeat. Have your Father pull up the crime stats for Tijuana ( well over 2 million people) and compare it to any major city in the U.S. . He will be surprised. The media blows everything up. There are places you avoid, just like here in the states. Good luck to you.

Where are all of you at, I would like to see how everyone sleeved in May of 2011 is doing. What is your progress, any complications? Any regrets?

I know you have read this many times but remember, this is for YOU and Your health. Most of the friends and family out there have no idea of what you have been and are going through. My wife was dead set against the surgery, I had to get her on the forums and get her educated on the surgery. Once she weighed out the risks with my health issues that was starting to arise ( diabetes), and the benefits of the surgery, she was my best supporter. As you can see from my ticker below, I am a different person and a much healthy one as well. I say the surgery saved my life. Read my blog ( listed below), it is my journey from beginning to the present, this might help your Aunt see the benefits. My before and after blood numbers are listed in the blog. Good luck to you but remember, it is for you.