CowgirlJane

Well it sounds pretty aggressive with a 50 BIN, but what really bothered me is your surgeon telling you not to strength train. It is one of the pillars to maintenance success. As you lose weight you will lose muscle, strength training slows that and helps you build lean mass. When I got to goal I was pleasantly surprised to find defined shape underneath.

I have had success in the sense of meeting plenty of REAL local men (not success in terms of finding long term relationship) who are not too freaky, have jobs, well groomed and appear normal and within a twenty mile range. They key has been to hide my profile and contact THEM first. As far as I know POF is the only place you can do that. I was flooded with crap on OKC. Out of state, half my age, twice my age (or looked it!). It was part of what contributed to my burnout.like 50 bogus messages a day is ridiculous!

I carried most weight in torso but had very fat inner thighs, but only up high. Not a pretty sight as it did turn into saggy skin. Also everywhere else the fat seems gone, but I had cellulite on the upper, inner thigh even post weight loss.

My start was about 52 BMI. The recommendations have evolved over the last 4 years, but 60 is a pretty standard minimum. What I was banded in 2001 I was given zero guidelines. ..just told I would become a delicate eater.

So have watched so much on Netflix, I don't know where to begin! I dont watch regular tv. Denise, your comment about wanting to sleep all day, and alot of times you have said you are depressed. I don't know if you see a counselor but my anxiety is so much less and life is just BETTER without fighting it all the time. Maybe it would help to find someone to go to. I go to an ARNP who is also a psychologist. I feel that is so much more effective than having a general doctor prescribe at random and some counselor who wants to hear about my childhood. Finding someone that is higher "up the mental health food chain"really helped me alot. One of the big changes is that it is easier for me to be honest instead of always suppressing and"managing" as best I could. Life is just better. I am bored, but doing fine. Surgery recovery makes me so hungry! But that is fading back a little. The chef here knows I need to eat more frequent small meals so he is bringing me a snack with my meals.tonight I had ice cream for dinner..Haha..the tilapia and veggies are my snack. Gave me a tummy ache because I am not used to ice cream,but it was so good, it was worth it! I am talking to my pals via Skype and that has helped - I get bored but I am not lonely or worried. I am doing good now.

A food log would help, include quantities and even timeof day. Fruit is very sugary, berries less so. Fruits are healthy in many ways but not your friend if you are carb sensitive. Sometimes people say they don't eat starches but the carbs hide alot of p l aces so logging really helps. I switched to high intensity interval training and strength training and low carb to get rid of the last 30-40# ..

There is a forum member who lives in Amsterdam who might have some good ideas. I am currently in Mexico recovering from plastics so I am definitely a supporter of this option, but it's worth checking closer to home too! Right now I can't think of her screen name ... but she posts regularly and has been sleeved several years. Good luck! BTW, I was banded in Frankfurt when I lived near Munich. I returned to the states and had a very difficult time getting follow on support. Bands can be high maintenance but it was definitely a failure factor for me. I revised to sleeve 4 years ago locally and still rely on my surgeon's office as they are really great. Sleeves are much less prone to needing maintenance than bands tho. Good luck!

If you aren't going low carb give it a try. Be sure to log everything as we can think we are doing anything right but actually eating or drinking more calories that we think. I would try eliminating cows milk, Protein bars etc - lots of carbs and calorie dense.

Another pet peeve are the guys that talk about "no drama ". It has been my experience that people who say that are the ones that attract drama and not much worse than a high maintenance / high drama man. I like positive, not negative profiles. I don't want to be with someone full of bitterness and self.pity. come to think of it, glad they write all that stuff so I know who to skip over. I tried tinder for 2 days, never met anyone, it was overwhelming. I might try it again another time but it will be months before I am ready.

Yes I am here alone but doing fine with that part. I was self noticing that my anxiety has not been a problem, I have improved so much in 2 years! It is way too early to tell results - see pix if Michigan chick's liposuction in the plastics forum. Gives you an idea. When I had original plastics he did a small groin incision which got rid of the blobs on my upper inner thighs you could see through jeans. Legs are different and the fag cells return and.my skin had gotten more hangy there so once again being noticeable with clothes. He couldn't do groin incision because I have vaginal dryness and couldn't risk them being pulled apart". So the idea was to do 2-3" vertical incision to remove the blob again...but it didn't 5so I basically got a short thigh lift with liposuction. Not pulled super tight because I have no cellulite or hanging on the outer , back or front of tbugh...just the blob. He told me it is rare to have such a shape, trim with the wrinkly blob at top that rubs together and literally had folds of skin. I have no idea how well this worked due to temporarily swelling.

I am making progress in life... and I am pretty excited about a couple of things planned for this year: -my first ever Hawaiian vacation -getting a surgery out of the way and done with so I can move on! Should be fully healed by mid Feb! -very exciting new project at work Some goals for myself: -reduce bodyfat from current 29% (a year off from serious exercise does that to you even if you don't gain weight!) down to something in the 22-24% range -keep rehabbing that hip (doing great so far!) so I don't miss out on this hiking season -get fit enough to consider that crazy Iceland riding vacation where you are in the saddle all day, riding fast and hard for a week - requires a high level of fitness! -Keep on dancing, maybe even take lessons so I am more competent! -I am just really excited about giving myself the gift of better fitness (I am at goal, but have gotten a little soft!) -work on mental focus that I seem to have lost in 2013 (the crazy year!) Some other good stuff: -I am finally formulating some ideas about what I want in this next phase of life. I haven't figured out how to get there, but it feels good to have a general direction -I really want to be in a true long term relationship but am not pursuing that until spring. It isn't really a goal, but a wish and a desire. I like to think that my head is in such a better space now that I will attract the right person, but even if I don't, I am making plans and going places! I don't believe in new years resolutions, but I do like to think about the theme of the year. 2011 was a year of anguish as I wrestled with the decision to revise from my failed band to a sleeve 2012 was the year of weight loss 2013 was the year of maintenance, plastics, meeting new people, testing the waters and feeling a little crazy at times 2014 was the year I promised to stabilize and NOT make big changes 2015 was the year to attend to unfinished business, build a solid foundation in some areas of my life that had been lacking 2016 - well the theme will likely emerge over time, but right now I am calling it the "Let it Go and Move On" year. This has to do with many things but it is really finally not letting the past regulate my future so much. It means really exploring what I want out of life and some of those goals I mention hint to that direction, but there is way more to it. I sometimes feel that I get stuck in indecision about key things in life because of fear or uncertainty ... and part of that is because I am alone/single/without a partner and that is still a foreign experience for me!

I think you should get support from your surgeon office, but I think you recognize anxiety talking. I am not judging you for the fears but you should know that NOBODY dies from the food restrictions those early months. Dehydration can make you feel like you are dying and if you can't drink enough (sip, sip, sip) request iv fluids. It is really hard those early weeks, don't make it harder on yourself by imagining starvation etc. My mother grew up depression era and she genuinely believed that being fat, eating hearty were signs of good health. This weight loss journey has made me face some of thoze deeply engrained beliefs.

This is the mail I sent home.... Series of bad decisions... This morning Dr Sauceda said exactly what I had been thinking, only much more specific. Originally it was the face and breast stuff, then in consultation we added very minor thigh work. Then surgery got shifted to late afternoon due to clinic schedule. Then he did Lipo and way more on the thigh then we had planned during consult because he wasn't getting results he hoped for. I went back to hotel anyway (handled as outpatient) and I way overdid it just dealing with ordering food delivery etc. He didn't take me seriously enough when I nearly fainted trying to find Breakfast Tuesday morning. So now we are going very conservative the other way. I spend 3-4 days in clinic then fly home Tuesday earliest, more likely Wed. BTW, all cosmetic surgery is outpatient in USA I don't have an infection but it could evolve in that if I don't just rest. he did alot of Lipo so I now have compression garments etc. As he said, my thighs were telling us it was too much and need more rest. From afar it probably sounds terrible but I actually appreciate him stating this and making it right I have full confidence I will continue to improve and I actually feel better today and he confirmed it looks better. Today the swelling is reduced enough I can almost sit. lthough in way more pain than plastics from 2 years ago. Same with the breast..painful due to the scar tissue. If I had it to do over again I would have skipped the thigh work, but regret is useless and just make the best of it. I got my first shower today, chatted with chef George who I remember from 2 years ago. The food in the clinic is way better than the Apple bees that delivered to hotel. Patty the nurse remembered me from my epic sore from the medical tape from 2013. The care here is so much warmer and detailed than we get in the states, hugs with your bandage! My blood pressure, temperature and hearty appetite are all good so I am not scared or anxious. Thank God for internet and Netflix. Sheryl

@@Oregondaisy deep end guy texts me about his woes but never asked ab9ut me. He knew about my trip to Mexico and why but he is very self absorbed. He is a nice guy, and until his Christmas nightmare was very considerate. This is why I think depression

I used to do water aerobics and loved them. As I got fitter I moved onto other activities. It has been suggested I take up lap swimming, but I am not a great swimmer and I hate chlorine. Very vain about my hair. ,

I lost hair but I had so much it wasn't too noticed except for my drain! It 8fully back and just wasn't a big problem.

Hey everyone, I am in great spirits, but things have not gone smoothly and today we decide what to do next. I was supposed to return Thursday but that won't be happening. Implant replacement seems fine ( very sore due to scar tissue) but while I was"under" decided to do a few things, fat transfer to my checks ( looks great) removal of 2 skin colored moles near my eye, fine. I wanted to do some Lipo but everything I thought was fat is actually skin ( my back for example). I had sent photos of my inner thighs and we had decided that it wasn't worth doing a long thigh lift. When he saw it in person, how the top say 6" of my thighs don't just rub together but it s a bunch of skin folds. He thought he could do a fairly minor thigh lift, scar not so far, not pull it too tight since my outer thighs are trim. Well, it didn't go well. He tolD me right after surgery he wasn't too pleased with results and we might want to revise to the long lift while I was here. It never came to that because by Monday night, a few hours post op, my right thigh swelled up huge. I spent tues doing nothing but resting in my room ( I was outpatient this time). Tuesday night I told him it was hot to the touch and he showed up with a wheelchair and I am in clinic. I can't sit due to the swelling, it does not appear better or worse this morning but I am on stronger antibiotics and pain meds so I feel better. My vitals are excellent, no fever but clearly not ready to leave.

Apparently I don't know what the word addiction means. Healthy eating? If I go horseback riding regularly, or work out, am I addicted? I understood addiction to be more a be behavior that causes problems in a person's life, creates problems with relationships, work, and risks physical/financial/ emotional health. So if I was a skydiving instructor, surely I would do it frequently and it would not interfere with but rather support my chosen lifestyle. Btw, I didn't Google this, just my understanding of addiction. I would not agree to the "every single person...ends up getting another addiction". Just because "never" and "always" are words to be wary of. It doesn't have to be a bad addiction people get addicted to bicycling and skydiving and eating healthy and other aspects of life being addicted to something is not always a bad thing... Although I like really hate CrossFit Fanatics lol

4 years revised from band to sleeve and I can eat anything but don't like uber spicey anymore. I have a general aversion to crappy low quality food but that's more because I deserve better. When I was banded, I could never tolerate rice.

Now that this is off your chest, how can we help you become a success story? It is possible you know that, right?

As a cowgirl, most of my friends are fit. I work for a healthy conscious company. I sent a letter to my chubby to obese family AFTER MY SURGERY asking them to leave it be unless they had something positive to say. Maybe that's why I received so little negativity and lots of support. Sorry you are dealing with this, but good news is ,at 4 years post op, people hardly seem to remember me as the lifelong obese woman. Keep on doing what you are doing, which is quite literally saving your life. Can you imagine people being catty about someone getting cancer treatment? How is testing movie obesity so different? .

So pseudo planning on having 85percent of tummy removed with no intention of Being educated or compliant is not self harm? Of course if she lied to surgeon, why not lie to counselors? guess now i know why my surgeon insisted on the psych letter we even though my insurance didn't require it. BTW, counselor and my primary care doc were against bariatric procedures but as responsible professionals they did write that I understood it,had reasonable expectations and threw something in there about highly motivated to succeed. Anyway, this is a sad situation whether it's all true or it. I can't imagine being pressured into this. I know I am in the minority, but I don't think most young people should have WLS.

@WLSResources/ClothingExch. Nope, TMI way too early. I also don't want to reAd about the knee replacement or. triple bypass -both life changing surgeries that require work to attain lasting success like WLS.

I go to bars because I love to dance. I go with other women pals or a meetup group . If you dance, it's a great way to meet people. Unfortunately the ones who I have exchanged numbers with have been married cheaters, still live with their EX or have some such showstopper issue. I am not a hookup kinda gal so this only works for me if we dance, talk and make arrangements for future dates.... For women, it's all about howwe look; for dudes - being charming works But add dancing and I would definitely talk to you!

@@sgc I am quoting myself as a reminder that dating is fraught with emotional ( and for women physical) risks. You have not ruined your body, you have a WHOLE LIFE ahead of you. For now, focus on building the life you want to live. Don't use dating as some sort of emotional validation of yourself. I am sure I did that, and just had someone do it to me....it six and never works. You are worthy of all the good stuff... just give it time to find yourself.