gustavo52974

LOL!! That's hilarious. You're not the first person on here to think he was my boyfriend. Nah...I can't go with guys who are taller than 5'10; judging from the statue, Morgan Freeman is like 6'5. I'm only 5'7 and I don't like feeling like a horny smurf. My boyfriend is 5'9 and his people were Amish. It's hard to believe that he and Morgan Freeman are even the same species. Not that Mr. Morgan doesn't have his own sex appeal...

Aww, you're sweet! Yeah, he can be very cuddly. And confidentially, I hope this thread is terrorizing straight people! Hehehe

I have Cigna too, so I'd be interested to find out as well. They covered my surgery, but by the time I need to have skin removed, their policy will have changed to not cover it.

Eh. I only recently joined the bear community at the behest of my skinny friends because they thought it would boost my morale and I'd find a sense of community. As someone who is only "recently fat," I never thought much of the bears and I was never into chubby guys myself. It wasn't until I started gaining weight that the bear community even noticed me either. Yes, there are "muscle bears," (but those are far and few in between) as well as bears who are simply furry without being overweight. But I haven't yet determined whether I will eventually be able to take in enough Protein and calories to get my bodybuilder physique back. Honestly, I'm not sure that I want that anymore. It's a bit of a slippery slope for me anyway. I have a husband (no girlfriend like you--I'm a monogamous gay, not bi) who loves me no matter what I look like, so I'm not so concerned where I fit in.

Bodybuilders use HCG to return their testicles back to their normal size after doing a cycle of steroids, which shrinks them. Just thought I'd put my two cents in.

I hate to cook. Like, seriously hate it. So why don't you come to my house and cook for me too!

Yeah, that's all I've been able to eat according to my food plan so far. I moved into "stage 4" today, actually. So I can have "canned or soft peeled fresh fruit". But I'm sort of scared to try them because any meaningful amount of sugar turns me inside out.

Wow, that's terrific! It's all pretty much in my tickers. I started at about 255 and now I'm down to 209. I'm down from a 44 to a 40 waist, but I still have rather muscular legs, which means I've always had to get a size or too bigger than my waist. You're progressing faster than I am...!

July 9th, 2012. So we're pretty close. Yeah, the exact same thing has happened to me a couple times...guys telling me that they're disappointed that I've lost so much weight and that I shouldn't lose too much more. Ugh. It's endearing and equally frustrating at the same time. Don't worry...it ain't gonna happen! If I want my sleep apnea and pre-diabetic problems to go away, I can't stay overweight. They can either accept it or move on.

Why does anyone pick on, castigate, beat on, or criticize other people? Because they see something in others they don't like in themselves. Formerly overweight people who are nasty to people who ARE overweight are like that because they hated being fat themselves. It works that way with a lot of different forms of hate. Case in point: in high school I got tormented by certain guys because I was gay. I ended up seeing most of them in gay bars years later. Straight guys who have no sexuality issues with themselves usually don't care if another guy is gay (unless they're extremely ignorant and/or stupid). But these guys obviously had problems with their own sexual orientation and they took it out on me. It's human nature and most people don't have the intellectual sophistication or strength of character to overcome it.

Well, I've been getting more attention from guys who aren't into bears. That's always nice. But at the same time, I'm starting to get ignored by guys who like bears. Not sure if that's a good thing yet. Probably is. I guess it's nice to be recognized by the majority of our community rather than a subset, because, you know, being fat in the gay community is the #1 crime.

I was in surgery for 3 hours. I have no idea why.

It sounds to me like you're doing fantastic! Today starts my sixth week and I'm only losing 2-3 pounds a week. But my surgeon said I was doing really well, and he was extremely optimistic that I'd be able to achieve my goal weight. I wouldn't worry so much about how fast it's going to happen. Everyone's body is different and everyone loses weight at a different pace. From what I've seen here, the people who weigh more tend to lose faster in the beginning. But we all taper off at some point.

Oh, it does get better over time. BUT, the first 4 weeks post-surgery were probably the longest 4 weeks of my life (except maybe for boot camp, but that was a long long time ago). Yes, a support system is very important. But they're not the final answer. I had an outstanding support system, but they didn't ultimately decide what went into my mouth, how much walking I did on any particular day, how much anxiety I felt, what food cravings I had etc. They helped, but in the end it was all up to me. Unless your support system is going to act like a dungeon master, you need to be able to make these choices for yourself and be able to deal with the mental obstacles as they come whether your supports system is there or not. A support system makes it easier, but you can't expect that they're going to do all the work for you. If you do, then no, you're probably not ready.

I didn't tell my mother or any of my family. They're judgmental and vain people and I don't need their poison.

Well it frustrates me to no end when people say that their surgeon allows them to eat things like this and then they post here that they're having problems with it. No, it's not their fault that they're having problems if they were allowed to have it. I'm just always taken by surprise by what others are allowed to eat.

Wow! A total failure of deductive reasoning if I've ever seen it...I hope you properly edumicated him!

My surgeon wouldn't even let me have popsicles...or jello for that matter. Are you taking bites out of the popsicle, or are you just licking it?

Yeah me too. I find it difficult though to find topics that both have to do with being gay and being sleeved. Maybe we should try and think of something.

I sympathize and I think they're being too harsh on you. But they do the psych eval for a reason. This surgery really isn't for everyone. It has pushed my willpower and tenacity to the max. I've gotten depressed and had some anxiety moments, but I was able to handle them. And I've learned a LOT about myself...some bad but mostly good. The sleeve can test your strength and if you're not up for it, maybe you shouldn't get it. Ok haters, go ahead and criticize this, but I really DO think this surgery isn't for everyone.

I didn't know what Zip Fizz was either: http://zipfizz.com/index.html Looks kinda scary to me.

Thank you! I've attached the pic so you can get a better view (click on it). It's in front of Madam Tussauds Wax Museum in New York City (Times Square). I don't live too far from it so it should be easy to do.

Yes, I agree that hemp Protein would be the way to go. I use a brand called Sunwarrior and I like the "Warrior Blend" raw protein plant-based powder. It's ingredients are pea protein, cranberry protein, hemp protein and medium chain triglycerides. It's also gluten free, soy free, and dairy free. They have other varieties too. The guy at the health food store said it was such a hot seller that they couldn't keep it on the shelves, and the bag I bought was the last one left. No, he doesn't make commission, nor was it the most expensive of the protein powders. He did smell like hemp himself, but they all do in that store. :ph34r: As a side note, he also suggested trying sheep's milk yogurt (for those of you who are non-vegan), which is higher in protein than Fage greek yogurt. I know it sounds gross, but it's a good sour cream substitute for potatoes and refried Beans.