Fiddleman

I want to thank you for your bravery, running in and out of burning buildings putting the safety of people and their pets ahead of your own. Few are willing to do this. Now with regards to freezing, maybe you can sign up for more shifts on the front line.

Your honesty is refreshing. I think others, including myself, certainly emphasize with your thoughts on addiction tendencies. Only we may know our hearts completely.

Thanks everyone for your responses. Very helpful. She has started logging into VST and reading the pregnancy topics.

Oh, I used to drink those all the time before surgery. I was one wired dude all the time. That being said, they are pretty full of chemicals so will probably not help weight loss because fat cells like to cling to toxins ( most canned sodas or energy drinks, especially the diet variety, have a cocktail of chemicals in it). Best to stick to Water until further along in order to not mess with the healing process either.

Another BA caremel fan here. They are the best and sometimes I sneak an citrate caramel in the day when I want the taste of caramel. I also have tried strawberry and chocolate, but do not like them as much.

The thread that I about anything but cheese burgers. I am taking bets how long this thread lives. It covers everything!

The thread that is about anything but cheese burgers. I am taking bets on how long it will live! *** oops wrong thread lol ***

Ohh, torture. You need some more understanding friends! you could pour orange juice on it and make a big scene.

A few weeks ago I went on a little shopping spree at value village and bought a number of XL button shirts. It was not a large fortune, but more shopping than I have ever done at one time before. I honestly thought I would be able to wear these for a while. I tried one on yesterday and it was draping over me, like a tent. And another and another. They were all very large on me where they for nicely when I bought them less than a month ago. I know because I tried everyone on, one at a time in front of the dressing room mirror. Sigh- I am going to have to donate these and go buy some large size button shirts (thrift store until my weight stabilizes). It is sort of a bittersweet realization, well, perhaps more like shock. A few of you may remember when I donated all my 2x, 3x clothes not too long ago. I filled 10-12 garbage bags full of button shirts, some 250+ button shirts, t-shirts and jeans). I think I shrunk a bit in the last few weeks from running all the time. It may be time to take a new picture for VST profile soon as the current one is a couple months old. Also yesterday, my wife's cousin came to visit for the evening and told me i was very lean and looking really good. He was joking around and asked if i was eating any longer ( the answer of course is yes, 6 times a day, about 100-300 calories a meal). He is about the same age as I and is an ex marine, very muscular and lean (can you believe that comment coming from him?!?!). His wife did not recognize me at first and i just saw them 2 months ago. I have a twin brother who has always been the "skinny" one where i was the " fat one". In quotes because weights fluctuate, but those generalizations have held true for the last 20-25 years. Well, i now weigh 45-50 lbs less then him and work out almost every day. he lives with me while he is getting his life together (been with us for 3 years going to school, now finishing CNA training, looking for a job, and saving emergency money that he gets from government for his own place). I keep encouraging him to eat a little better and to join me in some exercise beyond walking the dog. he will when he is ready to and certainly understands he needs to as being overweight. She thought she was looking at my brother, but then got confused because i look a little different from him just due to different life experiences, hair styles, clothing choices etc. She also said i had fine bone structure because she was commenting on my new delicate cheek bones and jaw line that i now have. i was surprised as i always thought of myself as large boned being heavy most of my life. Others reading this probably also think they are large boned and can relate to this reaction. One of her daughter's said i had a body shape " similar to daddy's" ( the ex marine). It was both cute and did a lot to put a smile on my face. I guess losing weight near goal weight (e.g last 25-30 lbs or so) makes more of a difference in the way clothes fit then losing weight at obese size (150 overweight). I am only 5 lbs away from my first goal of 185; i may try for 165 if it does not turn me into a skeleton. I hope you all have similar stories like this (hopefully not as much pain in the wallet with regards to clothes though ). This time I am going to only buy a few shirts if for some reason I enter the medium size. I really doubt it though being 5'11 and building muscle with strength training.

Wholeheartedly agree with you on Wendy's chili. I used to eat it all the time pre sleeve and eat it sometimes post sleeve when out and about. My wife and I like it so much we have copied the recipe from online to make and freeze at home. I have found only capable of eating a regular size portion and that was about at my 3 month mark. Now I am constantly surveying who makes the best chili ( for me, it is not Wendy's any longer). Resteraunts also tend to put sugar in their chili so it might be good only every so often. However, the added benefits of high protein might cancel out the added sugar that is used when evaluating if I is worth eating or not. Thanks for sharing!

I have to wonder if intense interval training and strength training will help with creating tight skin for you after the large weight loss (170 down myself from highest weight). I notice that every time I run, my skin firms up under the legs. They look good now. Focusing on arm, chest and lat strength training with free weights will also tighten up the upper body. Finally, I have found that intense workout programs like Bob Harpers Inside Out, pdx90 or any of those x-gym, x-training routines will really shape a person's body. I personally use a combination of dumb bells and my own body weight with an hour long intense strength training workout to put my upper body through the gauntlet on non running days. It really helps. No hanging skin.

My favorite chew has been the Bariatric Advantage calcium chew. I eat 6 a day, but do split them up as to have 2 per major meal time. Be careful not to take them with iron because calcium and iron, when taken together, cancel out the benefits of each. The Kirkland chews are yummy, but they are also made of calcium carbonate rather than calcium citrate. Calcium carbonate is not absorbed as well and most doctors recommend taking calcium citrate. This is a shame because calcium carbonates from Costco (Kirkland) taste really good and are far less expensive considering the amount of chews required by WLS patients. I order my chews from a supplier on Amazon and this is really convenient as it comes right to my door. I believe I purchase a new order every week or 1.5 week. It adds up, but is a small price to pay considering the many benefits of being healthy.

Surprisingly no pain and suffering. Perhaps it is because I am 6 months out. I am going to try to not eat the tails any longer.

I am going to ask for a fit bit or something like it for my birthday. I am so excited to be able to track my workouts! And it also tells you how well you are sleeping. Very cool.

Brown derby was also a pretty classy place to eat at. The food was delicious and very high quality. You need to try eating there at least once in your stay. I believe it is in MGM Studio, but my memory might be wrong.