Lissa

Lady Gaga - Teeth, Telephone Kid Rock - Cowboy, I am the Bullgod, Bawitadaba (I'm gonna have to dedicate my butt to Kid Rock! LOL) Eminem/Rihanna - Love the Way You Lie Rihanna - Talk that Talk Sir Mix a Lot - Baby Got Back Heart - Barracuda Mika - Big Girl, You are Beautiful KT Tunstall - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody, Fat Bottom Girls, Brooks & Dunn - Boot Scoot Boogie Gnarls Barkely - Crazy Prince - Purple Raid, Diamonds and Pearls Train - Drops of Jupiter, Hey Soul Sister Metallica - Enter Sandman Mary J Blige -Family Affair Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird, Gimme Three Steps Cher-Half breed and Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves Montgomery Gentry - Hell Yeah Snow - Informer Aerosmith - Jaded, Dream On, Love in an Elevator, Janie's Got a Gun I think it's the drum beat that gets me. I'll listen to and work out to almost anything if I like the beat...

Skinny! I was in Conway last week! My son lives on Blake Road!

Love this post!!! Congrats!!!

My neuro was thrilled to give his blessing for the surgery! You'll be fine!

Aching in the joints is not that unusual after weight loss. Be prepared to lose your balance as well, especially as you lose weight rapidly! As for inspiration, it gets easier as you actually see the results of your exercise efforts!

So, I've been MIA for the last 10 days or so because I went on a vacation. It was wonderful! I started out by driving to Myrtle Beach, SC to see my son and his girlfriend. We had a terrific time except that my son was totally taken aback by how little I eat. Both told me that I look fantastic, which is always nice to hear! I hit Planet Fitness (my gym) up there 4 times and it was a blast to workout in the "same" gym, even though the layout was a little different than my home facility. For anyone who is interested, it certainly seemed that there were more tourists than "home" members in there every time I went. I left SC to drive to Kentucky, to a cousin's house up there. She lives in a "holler" and her house is 10 miles back into the woods. She's surrounded by 1,000 Amish-owned acres and her nearest neighbors are all Amish families. I met the Amish family from across the street and they were as fascinated by the "Florida woman" as I was by the "Amish people". Beautiful people, literally the salt of the earth and they have a symbiotic relationship with my Kentucky cousin who I was visiting. The Amish provided a good portion of the produce for our family reunion dinner, including wonderfully sweet tomatoes and corn! Yum! Those family members who have seen me in the last few years spent a lot of time complimenting me on my weight loss, although I can still see every ounce that I need to lose. I kept up with everyone else, including my cousin's 20-something son and his wife, plus my cousin's three grandkids under 3 years old. I didn't do much "exercise" while in Kentucky. No branches of my gym in their small coal-mining town, but I did a lot of walking around the property and got to dig through tons of old family pictures. It was a blast to share memories of departed family members with them all. My scale tonight shows that I gained 3 pounds while I was on vacation, but I'm back at the gym and back on my strict plan tomorrow morning. I kept up with my Water and Protein goals while I was gone, but I indulged in biscuits and gravy one morning and I did some drinking Saturday evening with the family. I don't regret one bite or drink or one minute of the time I spent with them all! So, now I'm home, laundry done, clothes put away, car cleaned out and I'm back to work in the morning. I've missed the gym, though, so I'll be there by 7 am. I'm eager to get moving again! Oh, yes, two NSV's on this trip. The first is that I had the energy to drive a grand total of 30 hours without feeling sleepy. The second is that a distant cousin confessed that they have had a crush on me since I was a girl, and that they think I look better now than I did then!

I forgot to post the absolute best part of it all... I was SO far out in the woods that my cell phone had no service for 3 days!! I loved not having to carry it around all weekend!

I agree with JLewis, especially for gay men. They are even more superficial (often) than straight men! I have a dear friend who is now in his 40's and he is literally obsessed with his waist size. He's been 27" to 30" waist for the 17 years I've known him and he is absolutely near panic when his waist gets "big", or 30". I'd KILL to have a 30" waist, even though I know it will never happen!

Webchickadee, From my research on stair-walking, walking down the stairs is actually harder on your legs than walking up them... and of no real cardio or fitness benefit. So, walk up them and then, if you're still jelly-legged, take the elevator back to the bottom.

Thanks, ladies! And Alex! I've been out of town for my family reunion and won't actually be home until tomorrow. I just stopped in tonight to see how my other "family" is doing and realized that I am this week's member! Thank you!!

Great job!! You're rocking the sleeve AND the mental work that goes with it!! I'm happy dancing for you!

I'd call the doctor's office and ask about it in the morning. If it's hot, or you're running a fever, I'd call tonight and probably go to the ER. It's probably "normal", but it could be a sign of infection, so I'd definitely follow up on it.

Once you're healed, you'll be able to eat anything you want. You just may not want the same things you had pre-op. I don't miss bread or Pasta, and I have eaten a bite or two of rice. Those three leave me feeling bloated and over-full, so I don't eat them much at all. Once you have your head in the game (after the pain and liquid diet are over), then you'll figure out what you can eat and most of the stuff you're thinking about right now will not even be missed. Good luck!

Yes, it happens. For me, the culprit is usually not drinking enough Water. Make sure you get your water in every day. You could also be close to that time of the month and, sometimes, when you add in more exercise, your weight loss slows down for a bit. Keep following your plan and you will continue to lose weight. BTW, I don't care how big you are, you are NOT a fat cow. You also will not be the only person for whom this surgery didn't work. Give yourself a pat on the back and don't let that scale rule your life! It's just a number! Check how your clothes are fitting, take your measurements and compare them as you lose weight. The scale is a liar. A better indicator is how do you feel and how do your clothes fit!

Congrats on both the weight loss (WOO HOO) and your impending wedding!!

No post-surgery complications here. I swear that this surgery saved my life, and it did! I had so many medical issues pre-op that I knew I wouldn't survive surgery, yet I still did it. I gambled, rolled the dice and WON big time!!! I'm slightly over 10 months out, down 107 pounds and feeling like a million bucks. My goal weight is still 55 pounds away, but I will get there. Even with that, if I don't lose another pound, I'm thrilled I had my surgery. I am happy, healthy and alive today because I was sleeved. Thank God and Dr Domkowski. I'm ALIVE!!!

It took until about 280 for someone to notice my loss outside of immediate family. I started at 352 pre-surgery. One thing that really helped for me was to stop dressing as frumpy. Before, I dressed as if I had to cover every single inch of skin. Now, I'm actually wearing short sleeve shirts and shorts and showing a little skin. I also make it a point to buy pants that fit as I go down a size, both jeans and work pants, even if it's only 1-2 pair of each. Having clothes that fit instead of bag makes a big difference in how much people notice the loss, IMO.

Go back in and ask the tech to let you wear the mask without having it hooked up to anything...and no wires on you. Once you put it on, make yourself concentrate on breathing with the mask on you. Once you're confident you can breathe with the mask on, it will be much easier to wear the mask hooked up to the machine. I prefer the full face mask, but others like the nose only masks. Whichever one you choose, try using some Biotin gel in your mouth to help with dry mouth. When my mouth gets dry, I have bigger problems with clausterphobia. You will feel so much better using the cpap that it's worth the effort to get used to using the mask.

I went through the same fears pre-surgery. I did what I could to handle any issues that came up, then left the rest in the hands of God. This morning, I realized that I'm THERE. I'm not at my goal, or at my surgeon's goal, but I'm alive again! I can do anything I want to do, from lifting heavy furniture, moving boxes, cleaning my house, etc. I CAN DO what I need/want to do. That's an amazing feeling and it's all because of the sleeve. My point is, what do YOU want to be able to do that you can't do now? Figure that out and focus on it. In a few months, you'll be doing whatever that is!!!

Congrats to you for making a life-changing positive decision for yourself! You sound very intelligent and mature. Since you're already an athlete, this journey should be easier for you than it is for many of us older folks. I was a couch potato before surgery and now I'm turning myself into an athlete. You're ahead of the game! Good luck!!!

I'm doing tons of those "really good machines that isolate the thighs" and praying that they help with my loose skin there. Between the recumbent bike and the elliptical, my legs look pretty good except right at the top center. There is a ton of muscle, but there's also that loose skin which is icky, IMO.

I love boiled peanuts, too! High protein and soft and yummy! I like them best when I find a roadside vendor selling them. That's somewhat common in Florida. I also keep a bag of peanuts in the freezer and throw a few into the crockpot sometimes for a snack. I need to do that tomorrow!