Lissa

Considering that the man is 600 lbs, he may not be eligible for WLS. I always assume there's some kind of enabler in the background when I read these stories as well. SOMEONE is bringing food to this man, and we all know it. There's no way a person who weighs that much can get out and get his/her own food. I have a dear friend who has gained weight and is seriously in denial about what it is doing to him. He's 450+ at this point and still trying to tell me that he only weighs 300 pounds. Um, sorry, can't kid me..I've been there, done that. He's in heart failure and has a chiari (tumor on the brain stemp) and the doctors can't even operate to put in his desperately needed pacemaker because of his size. My friend has just about written himself off, which is frustrating to me, especially after being sleeved. My worst fear is that I'm going to get a phone call telling me that he's gone. There was a woman on Dr Oz (I think) awhile back who was on a mission to become the world's biggest woman. She was over 500 pounds and actively trying to gain. Dr Oz had a blood sample drawn from her and he showed it to her. The vial was almost totally white because her cholesterol level was So high. He offered her WLS and she turned him down! That woman was in total denial about her weight and her issues. To her, there was nothing wrong with her. I'm not bashing anyone above, but it's sad to see people at the point where they are actively committing suicide without wanting to do something to help. Hopefully the man in the article will get some help. Obesity is not a disease we can beat on our own, at least not once we're 100 pounds or more overweight, IMO.

Yee Haw!!! Great job and I'm so happy to see that you are healthy and fit!

Verve, I'm assuming you're a guy! It sounds like you are really rocking that sleeve and you should have no problem making your goal. 220 and 6'3, hubba hubba! Good luck and great job so far!

I'm 7 months post-op and the only shake I really like is the Premier protein shake. It's RTD, so no mixing involved. I've also discovered that the protein powders make a great "creamer" alternative in my decaf coffee. The coffee flavor masks the protein aftertaste and the powder does the same thing any flavored creamer would do for my coffee. Win Win, IMO, because it lets me use up the protein powder, plus get a little extra protein boost!

Good for you! Half this battle is dealing with our head issues and it sounds like you're doing an amazing job of handling those!

Aruba?! Sounds great to me!! At six weeks, you should be at least on soft solids and I imagine that Aruba will have tons of great seafood for you to try! Concentrate on your Protein and getting your Water in and you should do great. I'm jealous of your vacation! Enjoy!!

Oh, Mari! I could have almost written your post this time last year! Welcome to VST. Your doctors are right; this surgery IS life-changing! I went from barely able to walk from my car to my front door to (now) being able to ride 7 miles plus on the exercise bike in 30 minutes. But, I started out doing 5 and 10 minutes at a time. I'd literally walk up and down my hallway in my apartment right after surgery and now I can walk the length of the mall a couple of times without wanting to sit down every 10 feet. You will be amazed at your increased energy level and at how quickly the weight comes off your body! Starting now to drink more Water and get in the 70 grams of Protein a day will put you ahead of the game for post-op recovery! Good luck and here's hoping you're sleeved by my anniversary date, which is August 30!

Oh, I'm so sorry you ended up on iv fluids! This is definitely something we all must be totally aware of...drinking. We must drink our water and literally make it a priority in our day, each and every day. I'm so glad you didn't have any permanent damage from this!

Congrats!! Walk, walk, walk, sip, sip, sip, repeat. And, welcome to the loser's bench! Yay for you!!

I'm planning to try the ice cream this weekend! Glad to know it's yummy!

Your face and arms really show the difference and CHECK OUT THAT WAIST!! You are looking fantastic and, yes you are beautiful in both pictures!!!

Me, you just have to find something that you like and do it. I second Fluffy's suggestion to load some good music on your phone or iPod and only listen to that music when you're working out. I'm fairly competitive, so that helps me as well. Favoredone posted about a month ago that she did 7 miles on the exercise bike on her FIRST visit to the gym. That motivated me to try to up my mileage during my 30 minute a day ride...and it worked. I'm now consistently hitting the 7 mile mark, so I'm now working on getting to 7.5 miles in 30 minutes. I like the idea of watching a tv show, too. I haven't tried that one, but it sounds like a great idea!

Wow, ESheldon, I was coming in here to wish you luck and here you are, already sleeved!! Welcome to the loser's bench. I'm sliding over...it's a good thing we're all losing weight because there are a lot of new sleevers this week!

Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. My doc fully expects that I'll be able to abandon my machine, but my last sleep study says that I haven't improved a ton yet. Of course, I had pneumonia last year and I developed asthma as a result. The doc and I are both waiting anxiously to see if further weight loss improves this issue.

Fluffy Libra, Coloring your hair won't tick it off. You'll just lose pretty colored hair instead of gray hair! Ask me how I know!

Congratulations!! You're rocking that sleeve!!

I think you've basically named our "diet" plan, or mine at least. BTW, I'm not wise, but I'm successful with my VSG - 91 pounds lost in 7 months so far. You'll have to concentrate on getting in your 70g of Protein and your Water, but the beauty of the sleeve is that we do reduce our food consumption. I'm still workiing on shopping for my reduced consumption, but I'd rather throw stuff away than eat more than I need. You should be fine eating more or less the same foods your family eats. Bonus for them is that you will be cooking healthier meals now than you were before surgery, so they may lose some weight too. Good luck!

Concentrate on getting in your 70g of Protein a day, plus 64 oz of Water. Other than that, don't worry about it. If you're going to eat carbs, though, be sure that they are high quality carbs, not slider crap (like cheetos)! From what I see and experience, I lose better when I get in my 64 oz of water. I don't worry about whether I'm under 1000 calories a day, although I don't usually even get that high. I eat to fuel my body so that I can live and keep up with my exercise. The question has been asked before about whether we should "eat our exercise calories"... and I don't usually. But, I worry more about meeting my protein goal for the day than whether I've stayed under some arbitrary number of calories. As a matter of fact, I find that I lose better when I've had several days where my calorie intake is higher than normal. You may have a different experience, but the extra calories seem to translate into more energy for me when I exercise.

I have really noticed this in the last few days. Last night I went to the meet and greet for my community, since I was specifically invited and I haven't been here long. I won a door prize! And, all the people there seemed to be determined to talk to me, including one couple who came over and asked me to sit with them specifically. I figured they were assigned to do that, but nope. Today, I've been working on some home maintenance, including buying (and using) a pressure washer on my house. The guy next door and the one across the street (both married) came over when they saw me sitting outside trying to put the machine together. Then, the one next door kept coming back to "make sure (I) am getting along okay". @@ Originally, I had planned to put on my one piece bathing suit and a pair of shorts, but I ended up doing the pressure washing in my workout clothes instead because he was starting to make me feel a little uncomfortable. I'm sure he was just being neighborly, but I'm not used to people being that "neighborly". Kapish?

Congrats on your sleeve! Here's hoping that you have the same amazing success with the sleeve that you've had in everything else!!

Well, you can always use the leftover wedding dress to make a tutu to run the half marathon in! Congrats to you and your fiance, both on your wedding and your new found healthy lifestyle!!

Yay!! I love the reference to an anthropologie project! That's what this is! We're unearthing all those hidden treasures in our bodies. I'm starting to see my collar bones. That's one of those NSVs that I've been anticipating so much!!

Yogurt pretty much slides right through me these days. I consider it more liquid than food for my sleeve. However, you probably have a couple of factors that affect how full you feel. First, you're early post-op, so your sleeve is still numb and may not feel "full" yet. That early post-op, I knew I was full when my shoulder hurt, not because my sleeve said to quit eating. Because of that numbness, my nut said to always measure my food and to try to under-eat the sleeve. Second, you're still dealing with head hunger and acid issues. Talk to your doctor about taking some kind of acid reducer. I still take Tums daily (for calcium) because it works better with other meds I'm on. I also started taking an acid reducer at about 2-3 months post op and both help with the hunger urges. I was going to call it a hungry feeling, but it's not really a feeling anymore. Third, you're on liquids, even if it's full liquids. They do not give you the same restriction that you'll experience when you get to eat denser Protein. chicken, beef and fish will all fill you up faster than anything you're allowed right now. Good luck! This will be over soon!

Good luck! There was a reason she was taken so young. We just don't know why. I know that my friend lived her life making sure that her loved ones KNEW they were loved. I'm blessed to have known her and, while I miss her, I'm quite certain she'll be waiting for me when it's my turn to go home.

I had a drain and it wasn't a big deal for me. Actually, I think mine was great in some ways because it forced me to stay close to home and rest since I had to empty it pretty often for the first couple of days. Mine felt like the drop on a roller coaster when it came out and I didn't have any big problems with the incision. Actually, I had a bigger problem with the bandaid my doctor put over the drain incision when he removed the drain than anything else. Most doctors don't use them. Mine does, and I am find with that.