Knee2010

Good Luck!!! Let us know how you'r doing afterwards and WELCOME TO THE LOSERS' BENCH.

I think you look fantastic!!! You need to send this pic to the Brazilion family so they can see the difference.

Since you don't have a binder, do you have any "ace bandages" or anything that you could wrap real tight, mummy style around your stomach. Just to hold everything nice and tight and still, no jigglying. Hopefully it will be something simple and not the "L" word. Good Luck and let us know. Prayers are with you!

Warm liquids do seem to work better than cold ones at first. I even bought an electric coffee cup warmer/plate that I could set my coffee cup on to keep it warm all day. If you can get one, do so. Make whatever your going to be drinking in a coffee cup and just sip on it all day. To this day, I still drink my bottled Water at room temperature. Some things I can now drink cold (my frozen Protein smoothies), but for me, my water has to be room temperature. I know it's hard to not panic, but take a deep breath (and then take another) and try to relax. If something doesn't seem to be working for you, try something else. You will get a lot of suggestions and help from this site. Not everybody goes/gets thru this the same, but everyone here has at some time or other had questions, so don't be afraid to ask, someone will help you. And it does get easier as time goes on. When you get to advance to foods (even mushies) you might find that what you used to love now you can't stand. Or, you will eat a bite of something and it won't agree with you, don't give up on it completely, wait a couple of weeks and re-try that food. All our stomachs heal at their own pace and sometimes it takes an extra couple of weeks for all the swelling to go down and for your stomach to stop being mad at you. That's what I used to tell myself in the beginning, that my stomach was mad at me for what I had done to it and I would just have to be patient and wait for it to completely heal.

Probably because as you are losing weight you are perhaps starting to stand a little taller (not weighed down so much), possibly you are a little more active now? And as you lose the weight, things will shift, just like during the later part of a pregnancy your hips will spread to accomodate delivery so will you find that things will shift as you lose weight. Maybe if you were large in the stomach area you might have been kinda "resting" on yourself when you were sitting and now that you are losing your muscles are being used to hold yourself upright when sitting? Maybe? At least that is some of the explanations that I have read in past posts from others. How much have you lost so far?

I did take my measurements the night before my surgery and was horrified. While my "brain" always knew I was overweight, my "mind" thought just a little bit. Now I am so glad I took my measurements because when I hit a stall (and I've been stalled for the past 2 months) I take my measurements and can see that the inches are still dropping even though the weight loss has been the same.

I just tried it also and I can do it!!! Wow, what a shocker, when I remove my hands and hold them up in front of me with my fingers touching and look at it it seems so small. No way that is the size of my lower thigh above the knee. (There must be something wrong with this picture, it can't possible be what I see in the mirror, cuz I just don't see it). I guess someday my minds eye will catch up with my brain. lol

I still have a nice shape to my thighs (at least on the front side lol) but I have noticed that if I apply pressure with my hand and rub my thighs I can feel what I'm guessing are small "fat balls" underneath the skin. I'm worried as I lose more weight these will start showing up as cellulite/cottage cheese. Does anybody else have this issue? I was thinking of buying some kind of vibrating/massage thing like those 3 or 4 legged ones that state they are for the back that you can get at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I'm thinking of using it with a lot of pressure on my thighs to try and "break up" these fat balls before they become noticible. I've never had any kind of massage so I'm just guessing/grasping at straws as to whether or not something like this could help. Any ideas? Thanks!

Good luck to you both and WELCOME to the losers bench! Hoping for a speedy recovery and looking forward to hearing how ya'll are doing.

Thanks ChaCha, I think I will give it a try. It surely can't hurt and who knows, it might just help. It kinda makes sense that if I massage it/apply pressure then it might help "break it up" and then be less noticible. I'm hoping I can convince my husband that I "need" this to be done nightly and see if I can get him onboard to do it for me. That sounds like a perfect recipe for a good nights sleep. lol

I make my own protein smoothies in the morning for breakfast and use a straw every time. I am 6 months out from surgery and have no problems using a straw. I actually agree with a couple of the posters above. Using a straw throughout the day at work helps me get more liquids in. On the weekends at home I don't use a straw, but during the week I put my smoothie in one of those double insulated plastic glasses that have a lid and a straw so after I finish the smoothie I refill the glass with water and I can take my sips all day. My doctor said it was fine for me to use a straw, but I have read here that some doctors say no. Hope this helps.

I was so hoping for more input/answers on this topic. I have noticed if I apply pressure with my hand while rubbing my thighs I can feel what I think are little "fat balls". You can't see them, my thighs (at least on the front) have a pretty good shape/appearance. I had starting wondering if I bought some kind of massge thing (like Bed Bath & Beyond sells) if I were to use that applying pressure would it help break up those fat balls. I'm afraid that as I lose more weight that these fat balls (or whatever they are) are going to become noticable.

Like Wheetsin posted above, maybe make a separate area for your food. I finally had to. I would buy/get me things to eat and snack on and when I would go to the pantry mine was gone and all I could see were bags of chips and cookies and all the stuff I'm not supposed to have anymore. I have a husband and 3 kids (ages 21, 22, & 23) in the house. When I finally got tired of "my" food being gone, I set them down and told them that these items ARE MINE. You cannot have/eat them. I can only eat a small amount and it needs to be healthy. I showed them all my plastic containers and said if they are in the ice box with food in them, LEAVE THEM ALONE. That is probably either my dinner or my lunch for tomorrow. I told them if they want to eat what I'm eating to please let me know and I will buy more of it at the grocery store. Since I had that talk with the kids, things are good. They aren't eating my meals/snacks and they have actually had me start to buy them a little bit healthier food for them to eat.

Congratulations to all of you for making this decision!!! I agree, it seems there is always 1 person that it is so hard to tell, for me it was my Mom. She just doesn't understand why I had to do this. And what's sad is even today she will ask me "how much more are you going to lose? when are you going to stop?". She just feels that if I had wanted to lose weight bad enough then I could/should have been able to do it on my own. I have realized that she will never really be on-board with me on this and I also finally realized that I'm OK with that. I know that I have done really well on this journey, and no, I'm not finished yet. lol As long as I have the support of my husband and kids, they are who matter most to me. As you travel this journey, check in here frequently, you will find a tremendous amount of support and advice!

Welcome Cliff. This is a great site to ask questions, everyone here is very helpful. Lots of times (at least for me) I don't even have to ask the question, as things have happened to me it seems I can almost always find that the same things have happened to others and it really helps to have people you can talk to that have gone thru/are going thru the same thing you are. Congratulations on your decision to get healthier.

When does your sister get into town?

Welcome ladies, I have dusted off a spot for each of you on the "losers bench"! Good luck tomorrow and let us know how GREAT you are doing!

I am so excited for you. I remember thinking at my seminar that the people that spoke were soooooo far out from their surgeries. I wanted someone to speak that was still kinda new. You will do great. I just wish your sister could be here to see/hear you (and the others) speak.

YEA!!! I am finally in the 150's. 29 years ago when I got married I was a size 9. My anniversay is July 9 and I WILL BE A SIZE 9 by then.

I will keep a spot open on the "losers bench" with your name on it. Good luck and let us know when your out that everying is OK.

It's a Heritage. We tide everywhere on trips and vacations.

Welcome Daisymooo, you will find this is a fantastic site. Lots of people to help you on your journey, thru all the stages. Let me tell you a little about myself. I turned 50 in Feb and I am feeling better each day. I have always been overweight but like you didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it, didn't let it stop me from doing most things. My husband and I ride motorcycles and in Jan 2009 I wrecked and spent most of that year healing broken bones etc. By Feb 2010 I had healed enough to have my knee replaced. Suffice to say I gained a lot of weight during all this. At the beginning of 2011 is when I started researching my options and found my doctor and this site. My health insurance had their "requirements" and yes most of us have to jump thru their hoops to get them to pay, but by the time Nov 2011 rolled around I was sooooo ready to have this surgery. Since then, it has been a roller coaster ride. Most days I am OK with what I am doing but there are still things that come up and I will say "huh, now what?" and I come to this site daily not only to get some guidance for myself but to see if there is anybody here that maybe I can help along the way.

A couple of books/magazines, something you can read. Something soft, I know it's summer and you probably don't have any fleece blankets still out but your going to be tired and something soft that smells like "home" after being in the hospital is wonderful. Check out your local stores for sales on dishes and buy a couple of small/salad plates and bowls. You don't need an entire new set of dishes, just a couple that are really pretty/fancy patterns, or a nice glass. It sounds silly, but we eat such small amounts that a pretty plate helps and we are sipping all day, might as well sip out of something that you really really really like! Plus, now my family knows "those" are my dishes and pretty much leaves them alone.

Wow, 52.5 pounds lost is fantastic!!! Don't give in, stay strong! It sounds like you have been doing everything right and it's showing in your clothes sizes. The scale will eventually catch up and once that happens and the numbers start falling, watch out. This is a crazy ride. I weighed this morning, (I only weigh once a week) and after not losing a single pound for the last 4-5 weeks, I dropped 2 pounds. Now I was still losing inches during this stall, but the numbers on the scale is what I keep looking for. Before giving in to temptation, tape a piece of clothing (from your heaviest weight/size) to the refrigerator/pantry door so if you are really tempted, you will have to go "thru" that clothing to get to the food. DON'T DO IT! Just hang in there. The numbers will eventually start showing what the tape measure already is!

YEA!!!!! Finally in the 150's. I'm not sure I will get to my Memorial Day goal, but I am just so excited to be where I'm at right now. I'm wearing size 10 pants and a medium top. 29 years ago when I got married I was wearing a size 9, so that is my next major goal. My anniversary is July 9 and I WILL BE IN A SIZE 9 BY THEN!!! 3 weeks ago SW 166 GW 150 2 weeks ago SW 166 CC 161 GW 150 Today SW 166 CC 159 GC 150