gowalking

Just spotted this thread. Joe...we all have our 'dunes'. When I had my WLS back in January of 2013, I was barely able to walk. I had a cane and was close to being in a wheelchair because my hips and knees were so bad. Now..I did eventually have hip replacement surgery, but without the weight loss, it would not have worked. See the attached picture of me from last summer. I got my life back because I was able to be normal sized. I also though I would be the one person it wouldn't work for. It will work for you as long as you follow the rules. You have to follow the rules Joe. If you do, you will succeed. Good luck friend.

Here's a city-centric one. People on their phones talking or texting at the top of the staircase heading into the subway so they don't lose service and thusly, their connection. So...I have to get around you?? Why must you block the stairs?? Either move away, or call them back when you get to your destination. Sheesh....

I'm three and a half years post WLS and down 140 lbs. One year after surgery I was down 100 lbs. and couldn't recognize myself. I am not suggesting you need to, but I went into therapy. Two years later, I can say that I have been able to reconcile the new me with the old me. This is a process and it takes time for your head to catch up with your body. Sometimes we need help from a professional and sometimes we can do it on our own. The suggestions above are good ones. Oh, and it's very obvious from your picture that there is quite a difference. I also attached one of my before and after shots. I still look at them from time to time. Good luck. You are doing great.

Send Alex a PM. He can help you with technical issues.

I lost 100 lbs. and had to go see a therapist because I didn't recognize myself in the mirror. I was in therapy for two years. Not everyone needs professional help and not everyone has issues with body changes but lots of us do so good for you for thinking about this now.

Good to hear from you Bandista. I've seen so many of my PB friends move on and while it's nice to see new people post, I miss the ones I conversed with for these last few years. I hope that all of them are living happily ever after.

I'm in the Fort Lauderdale area.

I was an 8 1/2 wide and am now a 7 regular. Had to get new shoes twice as I never expected to go smaller than a 7 1/2. I rationalize this by knowing that I've been a stable weight for about two years now and have not bought a whole lot this year as I'd just be buying more in the same size.

I lost 140 lbs. doing a basic Weight Watchers plan. It worked for me and even now that I'm more than three years banded, I still measure my food at home to make sure the amount isn't creeping up. Good luck and see if this works for you too.

So...my summer starts tomorrow as I fly down to Florida for a week in the sun. I need to get away as the BF and I had a bad breakup and I need the support of my family. I plan on resting and doing some laps in a pool with warm Water for a change instead of the cold water at the Y. We also have a family cruise coming up next month which I'm looking forward to. I got another fill a few weeks ago and this one seems to have worked. I'm still able to eat anything I want but the hunger is satiated better than it has been for a while. I was up to 135 lbs. and not happy about it. I'm back down to around 125 again and feeling better along with having my clothes fit better as well. Sorry you and Ken have had such a siege with your health. I do hope you are both on the mend now. Maybe we can even look to do a summer get together for our support group. I do get messages every now and then asking when the next one will be. Hope all my BP friends are doing well and am looking forward to hearing about your summer adventures. Liz

I use the same doctor's group as you though I see Dr. Ren-Fielding and not Dr. Kurian. Everyone in that office is pretty and slim...and almost all of them have had WLS. Did you know that? When I first saw Dr. Ren, I thought how could she possibly know what it's like to be fat? Turns out that she is one of the loveliest, and compassionate doctor's I've ever worked with. Yes, she's busy...they're all busy in that practice but don't worry about disappointing your doctor. Other posters are right....she is there to serve you, you are not there to be embarrassed. Good luck..maybe I'll see you in the waiting room one of these days...

...But then she would have to actually admit she's obese...and we all know how strong denial is.

My sister swiped the seat belt extender oh...about two years ago. Now she doesn't have to ask for one as she brings it with her when she flies. I know it doesn't address the root issue of her obesity, but I still thought it was a novel way of dealing with the embarrassment of having to ask for one.

No one can hurt us as much as those we are closest to. Hang in there sweetie. We're here for you as much as we can be.

I'm going to reiterate what others have said. Once you are maintaining for a while, no one will say anything to you. I've been at a steady weight for probably close to two years now and I also think that no one really thinks of me as the former heavier person I was pre WLS. They've seen me this size for a long enough time that they've gotten used to it.

I mentioned therapy down the road if needed but now that he's sorta back, you absolutely need to be in therapy/marriage counselling immediately. You are in a very vulnerable position and need to be on top of things while dealing with him and what he's putting you through. It's very hard while you are so emotional and raw and you need someone who can mediate while you are going through this. Good luck and take care of yourself.

I'm so sorry. Sending you hugs my dear.

Thanks Ann. I appreciate your kind words.

My heart goes out to you. I just got dumped by my boyfriend and am a mess so this happening to you with a man you are married to and have children with is beyond horrific. Reach out to family and friends. Get a support system in place so you are not going through this alone. A therapist is not a bad idea either. Not now necessarily, but in the future. You will need to work on understanding that no matter what, this was a horrible and cowardly thing he did and you cannot blame yourself for his very bad behavior. {{hugs}}

Do you know if it's related to the weight loss? I have lots of joint problems but they were there before I got banded. I've lost around 140 lbs. and even with hip replacement surgery, I have joint disease, arthritis, and inflammatory disease. That means I have chronic pain which is controlled by medication but everything I take has side effects. Per my doctors, had I not had WLS, I'd have been in a wheelchair and likely totally immobile. I can't imagine anything worse than being immobile when you don't have to be. Hope this is just a bump in the road for you and not permanent. Keep us posted!

Feel better Julie. Happy Mother's Day to all you ladies. And wish your wife a happy day as well Joe. Liz

"Goal" means so many different things. My goal weight was based on a number my primary doctor threw out there. She said that if I could get down to 150, it would make her very happy. So that's the number I used. As you can see, I'm under that goal weight. I'm also up from my lowest weight but as long as I haven't had to go up in clothing size, I'm managing just fine. Most important, my goal truly was to lose enough weight to get my hips replaced. I reached that after losing only 70 lbs. What I'm trying to say here Sharon, is that goal is Fluid enough that you are allowed to change it as you see fit...and without any guilt.

Carbs are my particular poison....especially Pasta. Because of it, I avoid places where I would be tempted to eat spaghetti, noodles, etc. Was walking by a mac & cheese restaurant near me with my sister oh..like a year ago. This place is known for dozen's of variations of one dish. It's very popular here in the city, especially with the NYU students who are all over the East Village. This place is exactly what I can't afford to be around so when my sister said she wanted to eat there, I just said there was nothing good for me there, so we needed to go somewhere else. So just like I avoid certain restaurants, I totally get avoiding certain grocery store aisles. It's not just about willpower and anything that helps to deal with addiction is a good thing.

Regardless of the situation, it hurts to be left out...and that's what this is about. Just don't turn to food because you feel bad. That's how many of us cope...even with our tools. If you can't shrug this 'dis' off, find out why you were left off the invite. Resolve this rather than deflect it.

Oh Jill...sounds awful. Like he was thinking you were an experiment and let's see what else we can throw at her. I'm sure the methotrexate isn't doing anything for me. I have an appointment with the rheumatologist next week and I think I'm going to tell him I want off. I was doing very well on 60 mgs. of Cymbalta but the side effect of loss of libido was unacceptable to me. We tried Lyrica but I got nervous over the weight gain side effect so I stayed on it a short time and went off. So here I am again, on steroids. My family sort of understands especially with my mom going through very similar issues. Of course, I understand exactly what she's going through. Thanks for sharing. Liz.