Pookeyism

May we ask your surgeon's name? WHy you didn't like him. I would really like to avoid any doctors that fell under unsanitary conditions, scams, lack of pain control, etc.

Safe travels!

I am doing the math (the way I would have done for myself) and it just adds up to too much too soon. Your baby bites are either heaping or a big baby spoon, 10 minutes just doesnt get longer than 600 seconds any way around it. If you are taking small bites chewing to puree (allowing the predigestive saliva to mix) swallowing, waiting the recommended 30 seconds or so and then selecting your next bite, you ate that in 12 bites. I am soooooooo not picking. Doing the math is an eye opener sometimes, it was for me. You may not have inflammation, but you have a new incision. you can inflame a healing wound with too much pressure, even if it has no signs of it before. Some people do not get as much of a presssure trigger till they have had too much, it is possible to deaden some nerves and it takes awhile to get that back. So you could be overdoing it, you just aren't as aware, you do it a few times, a few days, week - bam! ouchiness. I would just suggest you eat much slower, and less, just for now. I am suprised your diet allows these foods just yet. But you are not hte first one I heard this from. Good luck.

That is great! I never get enough of the NSV's

I offer empathy, it is up to each individual to accept it or not. I think you misunderstand, we do not need you to prove anything - you are done proving yourself, or passing yourself off as anything else. Here we are all learning, changing, developing. We know you care and we know you hurt and we know how it all feels. It's ok here. Take a minute and ask your Ego if this is how you want to proceed. I offer my hands down and my heart out "Namaste" - take it, let this forum be an inspiration.

I feel a need to add something after my post - what you are doing, depending on several factors that you have by no means surpassed - you are expressing what is considered typical behavior, but behavior no less upsetting. Progress and position are species-specific, but not unsurpassable. It came off as vanity. If it wasn't so be it. I wish you health and success and better communucation with us from here. Do not leave. We will support you. It is what we do. It is passing it forward. Namaste.

Your posts come off as being borderline discrimative, and you seem to want to find a reason to distance yourself from the very people you are asking for support from. But you don't want the "fatties" help - right? Just people that fit into your idea of who you are. So 100 lbs ago you would have overlooked me, but now you woul seek my advice?! You are overweight, fat, zoftig - call it what you will. you overate, you have issues, you need help. You are considering the surgery, you want to succeed and you at least get you can't do it alone. Those are the classifications you are in, your BMI means nothing. It definately does not mean anything to me. You are 9 lbs heavier and have 6-7% more bodyfat, and yet I feel more akin to the heaviest person here than someone who would choose to group them selves based on size. Really????

Why Does it need to be someone with a low BMI?

You are counting tenths of a pound and weighing every other day? Put that scale away for at least a week. Do it! Do it now!

Day 2 is definately a "get through it" day. use the meter to practice breathing, walk, get your ice in. It gets better. But yay you! Your on the loosing side now!

No actual counting, but I kept a journal for awhile. Actually, I have probably kept a journal for about 90% of the time but for different reasons - however, never for calories. If you feel the need to watch your calories that is OK - but don't get trapped into the diet mentality. You are not on a diet, you are learning a different way of eating and being, and it will evolve.

if you can eat chicken, beef should be nothing, provided it is a good cut, cut against the grain and chewed well.

That is going to vary alot. I made a big leap just after my 1 year sleeversary and switched from the protien dense, carb scarce diet I had been on to a much more nutrient dense veggie & fruit diet. I eat almost 80% of my food now as whole foods. I eat from each color group daily. I get my protien in, to be sure, but it comes from greens and such - and eggs, and yes meat. Occasionally. I am by no means vegan, but for me, right now, this seems to be working. I add meat on occasion but no grains, no refined sugars either. I avoid processed foods and do not under any circumstances eat at a fast food place. I do not treat myself either. For how long? Meh. I dont know. Indefinately. It is working for me right now and I don't like compromising the way I feel for a bite of anything.

I do think you notice it more. Or at least I think I did.

Didn't travel to MX but did drop my first Doc. felt OK with him but his staff pulled some shenanigans that made me decide I did not want them handling my surgery.

Fears are rational. make a list, and use the search engine on here to read previous posts. The search engine is a really valuable tool! Go through and see people's posts from before the surgery, and go in and follow their topics after that - their progress and maybe see the highs and lows and get that it is natural to be afraid. Prepare for all you can, and let the rest pass with a focus on impermanence. Impermanence will be a great friend for you for a very, very long time. You are not embarked on a goal - you are setting off on a jourrney.

I don't know about the hernia, but when you say scratching, do you mean itchy, or that something is scraping against something else? I felt a bit nauseous during my first week, and my first week still falls under when everything was going normal for me, so I think that is ok - I know that can be related to many things, including anesthesia. Don't try to push it to full, set a really modest limit, but time it out so that you can have your nutrition often. 5 days out you shouldn't be eating anything, or at least I was told not to, liquids, purees, jello was what I had at 5 days. It's ok to be nervous, everyone is different but some discomfort is ok. Just remember - be concerned over the discomfort, etc. but be cautious as you feel good, too - just take it gradually, give your body time to recover as if, oh, say - you just had your stomach cut out

Corsets are beautiful, a well made corset is sexy, artistic, expressive and in my opinion universal. A well-corseted man, or a man wearing a corset under, say, a tuxedo as opposed to a vest can be striking (you gentlemen you be wise to remember that - i am not the only one If you are going to wear it for shape, I would discourage it. it seriously alters your internal structure wearing it often and for long periods. I do have quite a bit of experience in this - take it as you will. You described yourself as an apple. your best bet is to simply make yourself aware of your posture, consider some yoga, and stretches designed to open yor ligaments and tendons associated with the neck, sternum/ribs and abdomen, while strengthening your lower and middle back. Larger leg muscles will fill your hips glutes and thighs out, and you will see more of a difference as your weight in your abdomen dissappears. Thing is we tend to envision our weight as a layer - and it is, no doubt. but it is also within our abdomen. It is in our muscles, layered in the facia and tendons and ligaments and many organs can become fatty also. Right now you are seeing the shape defined by the weight loss, right now, you are in a position to define how your next several months will progress. Start exercising now, "remember" your posture...sit upright, walk up right, adjust your seat in your car to where, with both hands on the steering wheel, your arms are relaxed but extended, chest open, shoulders away from ears. You body will begin to remember this, I promise. The more attention youu give to some exercize, the better defined you will be - without your boobs ascending to your chin or not being able to pick something up off the floor....

You do sound like you are having an allergic reaction, or either a fungal infection. Let your doc see it as soon as possible. Avoid itch creams, many containg 1% hydrocortizone, which can affect healing.

Not enough info. meds, medical conditions? Diabetic?

Just wanted to make sure you knew that. Wherever you are on this journey, you are very special and totally unique right this moment. You have the right to love yourself and be patient with the process and find something today to reflect on and be happy. Make space for yourself, between this moment and the next is space, an option to create each moment. We cannot do it all the time. But what if you do it twice a day? Later, a few more, come back to it again and again? What a phenominal gift to give yourself. I want to share a dream I had with you. Just you. Everyone else can read it, but this is for YOU. I dreamed I walked into a room, and was just amazed at what I saw. It was so beautiful. There were murals painted on the wall, artwork and carvings and woven baskets, pottery, clothing and hats. Cards and notes written on hand-made paper sat next to herbs and hand made soap, medicinal liquors and jars of honey. There was reclaimed furniture, painted, upholstered. Pillows and the window had suncatchers and orgami animals, wind chimes and papermache lanterns. Plants and veggies grew, frames held familiar faces, loved ones near and far. I looked around and became aware that this was all mine. Not "I own this". It was mine. At some point in my life I had made everything in this room. It was a really lucid dream, nothing was exaggerated, As I walked around I realized I had a note in my hand. It was from me to me. I opened it up and it said "live". Namaste.

DO you have a 401k? Generally cheaper to take a loan against your 401k, especially with the market as it is now.

It does not cure head hunger. Unless you can beat that you will regain. Period. Even just being overconfident can cause you to regain. I regained a little bit still "following the rules" and exercizing - alot! I just allowed myself too many "healthy" foods. Avacados, avacados, avacados, red meats, grains, nuts, nuts, nuts....small portions but soooo good. and I "drank" my calories. That was an odd one, and once I "saw" it I stopped immediately. I was drinking every afternoon. Not enough to phase me, but a little here and there of wasteful calories. I also juiced and put evoo on everything to help it slide through (not as in slider food, to slllidddeeeeeee through, lol). So if I ate to capacity everytime, and ate breads and chips an dice ceam and soda or concentrated, fabbed drinks, and such - yeah I think you could GainItBackThisFast. The girl who couldn't stop eating still can lose the weight, there is always a chance to change. it is the most cheezy, annoying, true, unavoidable fact - you have not failed until you stop trying. However, if you are always looking for an easy way out, that isn't really trying. After three surgeries and not stopping to gain a handle on the head hunger, that is where you could call WLS an easy way out, that will not work. I am disappointed they would keep working on her over and over again.

There are several factors that can result in the hair loss, and to a small degree anticipating it can make it feel more than it is sometimes. And then there are people like me. I lost alot of hair. I went to sports clips and got a short haircut and even though it began to grow back after a few months and now is reasonably thick I kept the short cut. The way I looked at it was sports clips knows how to deal with thinning hair, working with so many guys...ha!

Don't overly adjust your calories. If you aren't keeping a food journal start. It's a good habit and you can use it to either reassure yourself you are eating what you think you are (not just foods but portions, etc) or you can adjust. A month out stall is not uncommon, this becomes ggod practice just dealing with it - you will probably have more than one. Try to allow impermanance in your thoughts as you deal with it. you have a tool you have never had before, and follow some guidelines and you will be fine. I was at about 800 calories then, almost all protien. Just as important is Water, Vitamins and really so really vital - sleep. Get a tshirt that fits very tight but not so tight you pop the seam or stretch it. try it on. put it away. try it on again in a couple of weeks. you will see inches dissappear even when you see no actual loss on the scale. You got this! You are doing great!