Lissa

My sister, the animal guru, says that little dogs don't do well with too much territory. The average size house is WAY too much territory for a little dog, so they don't realize they can't potty everywhere outside of their normal habitat. For instance, my dog won't potty in my office, because he's always in there with me. But, he will potty anywhere else in the house if I don't watch him. To him, it's all "free potty area".

I'd never done well on diets pre-op. I'd lose a few (up to 50) pounds and then I'd gain it all, plus friends, back. In less than 13 months, I've lost nearly 120 pounds... You will do the same, probably better!! Good luck on your journey!

My puppy has the same problem!!

Awesome! Amazing! I'm dancing for you!! Happy, happy, joy, joy! I LOVE GOAL POSTS!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

eat some shaved or crushed ice. Lots of people say that helped them through this stage.

Don't knock ol' Richard Simmons and his videos! I could do those when I was huge! They are a great way to start yourself moving again. I started out with a little walking and very light weights with high repetitions. My first "goal" was to walk the 1/4 mile around the lake in my apartment complex...and I felt like Rocky when I managed it at 3 weeks postop!!! Lots of people start out walking to the mailbox today, then twice to the mailbox tomorrow, then one house over, two houses over, etc. Start small and work your way up. I get what you're saying about being intimidated by those skinny folks at the gym, but most of them are there because they know what's required to get and stay in shape. I haven't had any negative comments, and I've still got a long way to go to be called skinny!!

No one has mentioned this yet. Try checking with the Obesity Action Coalition. They do a scholarship once or twice a year where they pay for someone's weight loss surgery. Several of the doctors in my area do something similar in conjunction with their hospitals. Check those out and maybe one of them will choose you as their scholarship person. It means your journey would have to be very public, but that may be a good thing as it will give you some social interaction, too! Good luck! My heart is bleeding for you because I have a lot of the same family history.

Amen to what everyone said above. I "only" (oh how I HATE that word) lost 40 pounds in the first two months, but I'm right at 120 pounds lost at 13 months. Keep working your plan, take your measurements, and ease up on yourself. You are doing GREAT! Your hormones are raging right now because the fat you're losing is dumping hormones into your system. Have a nice Protein shake, put your feet up and relax. You didn't gain it all overnight and you won't lose it all overnight. Good luck!!

Exercise can stall your loss, or even make you gain. You need to take your measurements now and watch your body reshape itself from your exercise. When I got dead serious about exercise, my weight loss slowed to a crawl, BUT I started losing sizes and reshaping myself. I'd rather be at goal and fit than at goal and flabby. Besides, I can see the changes happening in my body daily. This journey really is NOT about the pounds. It's about getting healthier...and the weight loss will happen, but you'll know that you are protecting your heart muscle and you'll feel and see the results in how you look.

I'll have an ultrasound in the next couple of days to see how bad my gallbladder is compromised. I'll post what the results are if I can. If it's too bad, I'll be going straight to the OR. :/

Mine is WAY better post-op than pre-op. I still try to wear looser socks when I work out, but I think the improvement is very visible in my pics. Exercise may play a part in it for me as well. The discoloration has improved a lot too.

Captain, I asked my doctor about this "cleanse" today, because I'm really chicken about having any more surgery. He claimed it's hogwash. Please let me know your results so I know whether I want to try it or not.

My doc and I talked about the actigal medicine, but he says it's 90% ineffective and it's expensive. Rather than flushing my money, I agreed to have it taken out. Now, that 90% ineffective rate may be in people who already have symptoms. I don't know for sure.

Butter, I had NO clue I had gallbladder problems...and I've had attacks before, but didn't realize it. Last week's was so bad I almost went to the ER. I truly thought I was dying while it was happening.

I just want to thank the person who posted a description of their gallbladder attack. Because of that description I went to my doctor today and I'm scheduled for surgery on 9/28.

Just thought I'd post a quick update for my family here at VST. Today I am exactly one year out from surgery. On August 30, 2011, Dr Patrick Domkowski changed my life and introduced me to Rex, my new sleeved tummy. The short of it is that I'm now 117 pounds lighter than I was last year. I'd have given my eye teeth to lose that weight before surgery, but I just never managed to do it! Rex and I have had one heck of a ride and I couldn't have predicted how this year went if I'd have tried. I lost a best friend. She died suddenly in January, but she was one of my biggest supporters every single day. I'm proud to tell Lynn that I have lost more than her entire body weight. I've lost a couple of other friends along the way. They are still alive, but jealousy has eaten both of them alive. I wish them both well on their journeys. Mine is going a different direction than theirs apparently. I've gained a TON of family, right here on VST. I want to thank all of you for your support and well-wishes this year and I will continue to try to give back to those who are following in my footsteps. It's wonderful to come here and post the absolutely most bizarre questions and KNOW that someone here has experienced the same problem. You guys have been MY support group even when no one else in the world seems to understand! Thank you all! So, I'm still about 50 pounds away from my surgeon's original goal for me, although he thinks I'm completely successful. I've lost over 1/3 of my total body weight, more than 72% of the total weight I wanted to lose, and I'm still working my plan. I will get to my goal...then I'll reach the goal the plastic surgeon set for me. I'll post pictures tomorrow. My house was hit by a tornado on Monday and I've spent most of this week cleaning up from that. I am very lucky that my damage is minor and that no one in my community was injured. My final act of clean up was to go through my closet, which got drenched, and sort through my clothing. Everything that's in there now is either the correct size or too small (for the moment) and I'm sending another six bags of freshly washed, dried and folded clothes off to bless someone else. I have to work tomorrow, so I'll take and post some pictures after I get dolled up for that! Again, big hugs to everyone here and, for the newbies, THIS is why I had surgery. So that I could live my life without being held back by anything. All this week I have worked from sunup to sundown on cleaning up, repairing and helping others. Pre-surgery, I could barely walk from my front door to my car. This week, I've proven that I am capable and able to do ANYTHING I need to do, from hauling tree limbs to climbing on a roof to help patch it. I'm living, not merely existing. I love life!!!

Congrats, Medic! You're in Twoterville and ROCKING that sleeve!!

It's possible. Talk to your doctor about an acid reducer if you're not already on one. You may also want to have a pregnancy test. Our fertility rates go up exponentially when we start dropping weight for some reason.

I gave mine up pre-op, cutting down one at a time until I was off it. Caffeine was my hardest addiction to break pre-op. I've been decaffeinated since then. I drank a lot of decaf iced tea and water with mio drops...and still do.

I don't eat lean cuisine. Ugh. I keep bagged frozen chicken, chicken wings, prepared fajita meat, tuna kits, etc in my house, along with mini babybel cheeses. I eat fish, chicken, beef, pork, whatever meat I want, and I make sure my veggies are steamed or frozen because raw veggies aren't high on my feel good list for my sleeve. I go out to eat with friends and have no problems. I still live my normal life, but I eat less than I did before. I've added in exercise and I've become a gym rat. I would have NEVER predicted ME becoming a gym rat before surgery. I had a list of co-morbidities as long as yours and a death sentence hanging over my head when I had my sleeve. I'm happy to say that death sentence has been commuted. If you're scared, just think how much more pain and suffering you'll endure as an obese woman. I have an aunt who has had 20+ surgeries to try to save her sight, her arm, her leg, and her life because of complications of diabetes and obesity. I chose to have ONE surgery to hopefully avoid all of those other surgeries. It was an easy choice for me. Yeah, I was scared going into the OR, but now my future is so bright I have to wear shades! Good luck with your decision and your journey.

I'd return it.

Cookeeez, I love your avatar, your name, and your quote. Every time I see your name I hear the Cookie Monster!! Dooter, you got missed, but thats okay. I love seeing your name pop up in threads because you're always so encouraging to others! I love your new picture too!!

Enjoy it. You've EARNED it.

I'm not sure how your doc feels about them for soft foods, but I keep a couple of those tuna lunch kits with me for quick meals. No refrigeration required and they come in very handy for a high protein snack or meal.