Fiddleman

Height: 5'11" Two months pre surgery(5-19-2012): 360 lb, top: 3x, shorts: 2x, pants: 48 Surgery (7-2-2012): 335 lb Today (3-11-2013): 176 lb, top: med, shorts: med, pants: 32-34 Love it! Weight will probably climb 5-10 lb as I get muscular. Just starting crossfit to help with that. Main cardio is running 5k-10k 3x a week.

They said so. I am watching my symptoms like a Hawk to make sure there is not an emergency situation. Will call them back in 2 days even though they did not ask me to.

That is really great to hear you have got the socks and are getting running shoes for running. Trust me, you will notice he difference! Let us know how it goes.

Yay, another Dasani water drop user! Aren't those awesome! I can drink so much water with them.

I second and third the use of a PPI for controlling acid from ulcers or a misfiring gallbladder. If you miss a day, which I have done on occasion, you will get the burn. Tums help a little bit to counter reflux, but not very strong. Zantac or something related is much better. I have taken a PPI every day, sometimes 2x a day, since surgery. Will probably not stop the daily use unless it can be proven the reflux will not occur. Finally, the less acid you have, the less hungry you might be. A lot of people perceive extra acid as hunger and reach for food more often outside of planned eating. Good luck!

I have been taking two PPI for last couple days and feeling better today. I called my surgeon doctor and talked to them for a few minutes. They said what I experiencing is normal and to call if it gets worse. Will get into a GB scan if I get another attack. Thanks for your care people.

I found 10-30 to be most helpful up to month 6.

Nope! I waited 6 weeks and then slowly introduce coffee starting with espresso size and now able to drink latte size. Please consider waiting 6 weeks to let your stomach heal.

Let me see if I understand the claims correctly. You could effectively use these instead of a tummy tuck? I would not mind ridding myself of 4.5 inches around the waist.

Wow, I continue to be blown away by your experience. Now if only we could control this in a tangible and practical way. I think it was ms skinnyness that posted some good articles not too long ago about little tips for encouraging your body to dump water faster, but man, 20 lbs over a weekend! I am floored!

Thanks everyone. I knew I could count on you guys for suggestions. It is great to be transitioning into a more social person. Life is so much more enjoyable when sharing with others.

That is absolutely awesome! Give me some of what you are having!

5 months. The first use was wrapped around a hamburger patty. I slowly introduced salad after that. Still not really eating much salad, but will have the occasional side salad here and there.

Yes actually. I am 8 months out and dealing with a bit of reflux for the first time, starting last week. I am going to double up my PPI and see if that helps. I have started also with the tums, but being conservative on use as do not want to go overkill on the acid blockers.

Nice...

I will try it with the Blender Bottle tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion!

No, none from running.

So if a person were to eat a few of these outside of planned meals, would you consider it grazing? I think it is sort of a negative calorie food as the number of cals will be negated by the effort to eat and digest them. They seem to be "filling" also in that hunger recedes after eating them and I feel a little restriction. Your thoughts?

What I say to people who think they have to be perfect to start running is don't wait, start now and do the best you can a little bit better each time. This response is not directed at you lessofmeismore, but your response prompted me to share. I do not tell too many folks, but I was afraid of running due to a long term foot injury that will never be fully repaired. You see, I got in a terrible car accident 3 years ago (other driver t boned me at 60 MPH at an intersection- they ran light) and broke my arms, legs and crushed all the bones in my left foot. I was just arriving at the airport to return the rental car before getting on the plane. Rushed to the ER and ended up flying home coach 3 days later to see a foot surgeon near Seattle. That, my friends, was the longest and most painful flight ever. My left foot was absurdly destroyed and it took 8 months before I could even walk on it again and a year of PT after that. I was just getting to where I could walk 1 mile without bad foot inflammation when I had VSG surgery july 2012. To this day my wife and I joke about my franken foot, named that way because of 2 very long scars spanning the top of the foot. The sad part is I just bought the treadmill before going on vacation. It was never used until 3 years later. Being disabled and off my feet for such a long time was the contributing factor to a large weight gain and mental depression. For the first 5 months post op, I was afraid of my treadmill (sat for 3 years since accident) and running in general because of the inflammation pain in my foot. I get a lot of inflammation from arthritis, especially when the barometric pressure changes. BTB finally motivated me indirectly with his c25k posts 3 months ago to put the fear aside and just do it. I am glad I did. Running has been not only beneficial to dropping weight, but also to really living life and mental health. VSG and running has made me into a completely new person; I enjoy life, food and people! I started out running a 5 k and was not meaning to at all. I had just wanted to get on the treadmill and see what it was all about. Needless to say, I have progressively worked on improving my 5k and 10 k times over the last couple months and feel pretty good about the progress. I am absolutely thrilled that some of the other runners have reached out to answer my questions about training, running shoes, clothes, what is best to eat before and after running, etc. I will definitely return the favor and help others who are just starting out their running. It is a great forum where we all help each other. So, long story short: Do not let fear stop you from trying something out physically. You may actually be quite good at it over time. Start slow and you will get better at it as our bodies are truly miraculous in their potential.

Are those socks specifically for the vibrams or can they be used with more traditional running shoes?