mark!

Yeah there are quite a few of us out there. Rowlett here.

Not worth it. They can market anything for appetite suppressant and sell it to folks, more times than not, they put junk product in there while most of it will be detrimental to your health. They also like to throw in diuretics to help facilitate water loss to show a loss of weight. Water loss is probably the LAST thing you want at this point. FDA not approving them doesn't mean anything. Just keep pushing through, it'll be over in no time. Don't risk not being able to have the surgery, keep thinking long term. Good luck!

Hahaha. BBQ Sausage, that's the best man. Good stuff.

Well, I'm t-minus 19 days out. I'm starting to get some worries about loose skin, and the ability to function with it if I'm unable to get it taken care of right away. Look, I honestly don't expect anything except if it's bad, I'm horrible that way. I'm worried that I'll have a lot of loose skin that will make everyday life tough. Everyone says I carry my weight well, when I tell them I weigh in the upper 300's, they call me a liar, etc. The heaviest I've been is 424, lowest is 299, once, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. I carry a large amount of muscle mass in my legs and arms, upper back, my stomach and chest are the trouble spots. The pic is my at around 390, I have collarbones even then. I'm down to 354 +/- 3 pounds depending on day and time, obviously. 6'1, 28 years old. I guess I'm more so looking for some input from anyone who had a similar body composition and how things turned out. How BAD is loose skin? Is it something that can really cripple me in my daily life? I don't THINK it will be too awful bad...but...I'm not sure at all.

Well, I'm in to the teens now. 19 days and counting before the big day. Time is moving pretty quickly, and it'll go even quicker now that Tuesday I have my pre op appointment and start my pre op diet, then Thursday I have my pre op with the hospital. I'm excited, nervous, all at the same time. I think the thing I'm probably going to miss the most at first are my workouts and competitions, but...it'll work out because in a year I should be competing in a lighter weight class.

I'm using vacation/holiday/trade time with folks at work. If I don't, I'll lose quite a bit of vacation time since I can only roll so much forward. I think the best is to use sick time though, but it's really whatever you want to use.

Congrats!!!

Don't buy ANYTHING from GNC. Window shop, that's fine, but more than likely the 18 year old kid working the counter won't have a clue about anything they sell, and their prices are absolutely insane. If you don't do online, check out vitamin shoppe, I've yet to have an issue with their reps, and their prices are much better, still not as cheap as online though. You can buy from the big box stores, but make no mistake, all proteins are NOT created equal.

I've been using monster milk (not muscle milk) for years. Both made by cytosport, with monster milk you get 50g per serving, has creatine as well as BCAA 3:1:1 ration (is rare to still find that ratio these days since most are watered down.) The thing I really like about MM is it tastes a hell of a lot better than some of the dog crap tasting proteins do in just water, to limit the intake of calories.

I've been getting more and more in to the art of shaving, instead of just going through the steps like I used to. C.O. Bigelow shave cream is pretty fantastic for my head, for the face I still use soap in a cup, always have and probably always will. I've yet to try a safety razor yet, but after checking some out on amazon and other places, I'm going to order one soon for a trial run. Right now I use a Gillette fusion ProGlide razor, against the grain 2nd pass on head, with the grain on the face (I like the scruffy look beard since I can't have an actual beard for my occupation) don't touch the 'stache unless just a trim.

Ha, if that's the case he should already know how easily people are sued these days over emotional distress, but in the case he doesn't, I'd find the best lawyer I could to fight him in court if you wanted to pursue it that far. Maybe mentioning that he should know how easy it would be to take him to court and have a very convincing argument for your case against him. Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, nor do I work in civil or case law. I work in law enforcement, and deal with people who have been through these things and during that experience I've spoken to numerous lawyers and law firms attempting to get victims the help they need and set them on the right path. Don't take anything I say a legal counsel, for your sake.

In my opinion, there are those who have the operation, and then don't change their mental attitude towards food or working out, and end up right back where they started. I work with 5 people who have had the operation, and 1 who had the bypass done, and all 6 of them have had amazing success. You get back what you put in to it. I don't have any research data or anything, but in my opinion, if you get the sleeve, work hard, change your attitude and do what you're supposed to do, and what millions of others have done, I think you'll be fine, so long as you don't have any sort of medical issues that would alter that.

I'm there the 26th of February. Was wondering though, are their rooms single occupancy? I can't find much info about it on their site, was just curious. If anyone could help me out with this, I'd be greatly appreciative. I'l be calling the hospital soon to find out though.

That's awesome! Congrats. I thought my insurance approved me quick, but dang, that's great. Mine was a bit more than yours when it comes to co-pays, but like you said, still less than Mexico. It's definitely been a long journey to just get here, from what I hear the nervousness and such we're experiencing is pretty normal, just keep the end picture in mind, think of the life we'll be getting back.

If you're truly curious, go get a bone density scan, or a DEXA scan. It's the most comprehensive analysis of your body versus a number made up on some scale that could be completely wrong, i.e. BMI.

Inform them you've made the right decision, and done all of the research and you're being backed by medical professionals in your decision, you appreciate their concern, but you're comfortable with your decision. Since there's no HR, the owner is likely pals with the manager, you'll most likely have to file in civil court, with a lawyer, if they don't stop. We face these issues all the time in small businesses with harassment from co workers and such. It takes a lot before a local police department can step in, and we rarely are able to, but once lawyered up, or hell the threat of getting a lawyer (nothing works better than a letter to the upper management requesting a meeting where your lawyer will be present) could very much deter any further harassment and start to set some boundaries in the work place.

My wife dresses pretty conservative right now, but as the weight comes off, I know she'll be wearing little sun dresses and such, I can't wait for that, I enjoy seeing her looking good, turning heads in public. Not that anyone would make a move with me holding her hand, plus she's told guys off before in the past, it's a lot of fun to see. Guys who are controlling and overly jealous, I get where they're coming from. They've found a good thing, hell, a great thing, and they're worried it's gonna get up and leave, find something better. I'm sure you're an amazing woman, and the best wife, and he KNOWS that, he's just worried that after everything is said and done, you won't be his. Too many people take it as just being an a*****e, but there's usually always an underlying cause as to why he acts a certain way. Most of the time, it has very little to do with you, or what you're actually wearing. Continue to talk with him, don't talk at him or down to him talk with him. Sit down, and just ask him what he feels and why he thinks the way he does. I agree that after a while, once every effort has been made to salvage a relationship, there comes a point when two people simply just can't make it work, and need to go their own ways. BUT, to me, that's abso-freaking-lutely the absolute very last step one should take. That's just me though. Not everyone thinks the same way I suppose and marriage means different things to different people, especially to people who haven't even been married. It's going to take some push, and some pull, some sacrifices on both ends to come to a resolution, but I think two level headed mature people who love each other should be able to come to a peaceful conclusion regarding anything that happens.

I got kicked out of a Planet Fitness once, was good times had by all involved. I currently have memberships at 2 different gyms, it's a pain sometimes. I had 3 at one time, the 3rd being sponsored, but that gym closed their doors recently and the other took up my partial sponsorship, a large bodybuilder/powerlifting gym. My other is at 24 hour fitness, which I use mostly for the steam room, cardio and the fact I can go at 2-3am whenever I want to and get in a good workout without driving an hour in the middle of the night to open the other gym. It all comes down to perspective, food costs versus gym costs, and how bad the person wants it. It's understandable if you're barely squeaking by, but there are plenty of gyms out there these days that are cheaper, planet fitness for one is a good gym just to have access to equipment, and anytime fitness isn't all too bad either. I think my 24 hour membership is around $60, and that includes my wife as a 2nd member. Give up that chai latte one day a week, that's $5 a week, $20 a month you could be putting towards a better, healthier thing in your life. you just have to be willing to go through with the removal of certain things and willing to give up what you don't need to get where you want to get.

Basically what everyone else has said, it's junk protein that is of no use to your body. Take some time to find a good quality whey protein. There are many good proteins out there, Max Muscle makes a very good blend with tons of flavor, and truenutrition.com has some amazing blends of pure protein. Both have less added "crap" for flavor, and use natural flavors. With True Nutrition you can customize many different blends to get what you want, with tons of different flavoring options. Protein is far too important to be wasting time and money on the junk out there, and as with anything in the fitness industry, garbage products are EVERYWHERE.

I asked about RNY, just out of curiosity really, and my surgeon looked at me like I was crazy just about. He said there's not many people these day's he would actually recommend the bypass to, and I most certainly was not one of them. To me the limits the bypass puts you on really killed it for me anyway. I was curious what would provide greater weight loss and quality of life, and since they're seeing like results and better quality of life with the sleeve procedure, it was pretty simple for me, lap band was never a thought, I didn't like the idea of having some "port" stuck in me. I'd say sleeve is going to be a great option for you. Just really stress that to the Dr about how you feel about things.

I have mine the 12th, next week. I was told it'll be a stress test on a bike, some questions, and an EKG. Not too worried about it, had an EKG done last year (just because my PCP wanted to do it, there was no reason). Shouldn't be too awful bad. I'm more worried about my stomach exam thing than anything for some reason.

Butterbean nailed it. Spot reduction is a myth, but building up the muscle in that area will eliminate the appearance of, and in time, likely take the place of the fat cells. Fat comes off in the order its put on, which for every one is different depending on genetics, sex, etc. Some things to try: Lunges Sumo Squats There are many variations you can try, if you Google them, you should be able to find videos and such explaining each movement. Leg Clam These are more of an outer thigh exercise, but that being a large muscle group, it has the ability to develop a bit quicker, and that may speed up the appearance of the inner thigh for some people. Working both ends of an area to build muscle for aesthetics can give some good results. For the time being, compression shorts may be your best friend to keep from rubbing together.

I thought mine was excessive at first, and then 2 months in to the 6 month meetings my insurance changed and it was only 3 months, no psych eval, just physical, pre op, EGD, and pre op with hospital staff. All in all, if they would have asked me to stand on my head in the corner naked, I would have obliged if it would have given me a better chance at getting approved. My work schedule is usually at least 1 to 2 days off during the week, last year it was 1, this year it's 2, so I'm always able to make appointments on those days for anything I need medically, it has just always worked out.

I haven't seen it, or heard of it, but after reading a bit about it, it sounds pretty funny to me. I'd like to see someone doing it, lol. Targeted area cardio? Wonder how that works exactly, and challenging your DNA to target areas for weight loss? Take it for what its worth, it's an infomercial likely running in the dead of night...you'd be better off getting a trainer some place and getting in a good workout rather than trying to make something of nothing. The only reason she ever got popular was because Madonna endorsed her for a very, very short time. You won't be "bulking up" if you lift weight, or anything of that sort. You can't "lean" a muscle instead of "bulking" the muscle. Muscles grow one way, or they die one way. Take fitness models for instance, they lift, some lift damn heavy, but they don't look any bit of "bulky". Try to remember, those people in the commercials aren't graduates of said programs, and with photoshop and media arts, it's really pretty easy to make anyone look amazing with a 6 pack and tight toned skin.

That's freaking amazing! That's hard work and dedication right there. I'm hoping to find similar results. Good luck on the rest of the journey, and Khloe, good luck with yours as well dear.