RebecaSparkles

I once went to a fancy resturant & they put a sprig of rosemary in the Water pitcher. Could try it? Or you can marinate your ricotta with rosemary by putting the rosemary in some cheese cloth & letting them get happy in the fridge. Pull out before baking in a souffle dish? Top with a chicken broth reduction? allons-y

Pic monkey??? How to do? allons-y

I encorporated the dreaded Protein shakes for Breakfast. To get used to them & bc they're ususlly under 200 cal. I then have breakfast part 2 around 10am a lunabar mini. That and limiting my calories to 1500 or less. My nut says 1500 i shoot for 1300. But i do have days with more or less. allons-y

Theres one at the inova fairoaks hospital its on their website, kaiser also has one the dates are listed on its website they hold theirs in fairoaks near 1700 & fairlakes parkway. allons-y

I lived in the dorms freshmen year & we had 1minifridge w/ a non freezing freezer. So I wouldn't get too dependant on freezer meals until you get your living situation worked out. Our meal hall would allow you to use one swipe& get a togo box with a Soup cup that you could fill with whatever you wanted. I used to get sandwhich fixins & buy a loaf of bread & had lunch for a week. You should call down to the meal manager or maybe student health & find out ifthings you can eat are available on the meal plan. We had stations - stir fry, sandwhich, salad bar, Cereal bar, grill, and then an entree that changed daily. I urge you to visit campus before you move in & actually walk the walk- how far is the grocery store, how far is a safe eat out option, does campus have vending machines with Snacks you can eat? Do you have parking,taking a car? Etc... I reccomend taking at least a supply of safe non perishable foodstuffs that you can fall back on if your local store there doesn't have your preferred brands/foods. Like: tuna packets, Protein powders, rtd shakes, the packets of indian food are usually pretty healthy at trader joes & they have veggies too. Good luck! allons-y

Hello, not sure if I'm reviving a dead thread. But here goes: I'm Pre-OP, Kaiser permanente, Surgery will most likely be at the Virginia Hospital Center with Dr. Salameh or Dr. Mayes. I live in Ashburn, which is near dulles airport. I'm a workaholic but I am paid by piecework so as long as I make quota I can mess around on here all day long while waiting for glue to dry. (not fun) Hoping to meet some 25-35year olds... seems everyone I meet are much older or much younger. I'm in that nesting/married over a year/baby in next 5 years phase. Not the going to club or already have a kid phase. Anyways, If anyone wants to hang out in real life **shocking** I know. We can meet up at support group or get coffee or get nails done, or go go-kart racing.

I second the whistles. Coming along nicely. Do you have tickets to that "gun show"?

I too looked at those machines. I think at least you'll need a jerky gun or cookie press w/slotted nozzel. Take pics if you make!

So, I am pre-op but decided to start sampling Protein beverages in advance so I'll have some on hand that I predict I'll be able to tolerate for my post op. Or at least know where to get them. So I went to GNC & got 4 Isopure drinks, found mybariatricpantry.com which will sell you samples of the Syntrax matrix & nectars shake powders & ordered some unjury samples also. I am shocked at the pricing of cost per serving. The samplers were less than 20$ and came with 8-10 samples from the pantry website & the unjury was 20$ for 4 samples. Gnc local store had the isopure bottles 5.99 each, their website had them for 3.99+ shipping. Just wish I had wraped my head around this cost in advance. I know that I will most likely be having these in leu of a real meal but woah- 5.99 for a bottle-1serving!

So... I want banded plication but I live in Virginia and there are no Doctors doing it within a reasonable distance. So far it seems Dr.Geiss in Ny/Nj is doing it and theres the iband people in austin texas. Anyone know of any other doctors doing banded plication? I have spoken to Dr. Mehta in NJ but he only does plication. I do have insurance & they will pay for the band part and I will pay out of pocket for the plication. ----------------------------- Just in case you don't know. - plication: folding & stitching of the stomach longitudinally to create weight loss similar to the sleeve without removing the extra parts of the stomach. -banded plication- placing a lapband or realize band over the plication to create adjustable results & have less hunger due to stomach below being smaller. The patient receives usually experiences less fills & risks of slippage & prolapse.

I wonder if you're getting enough sunlight? NPR had a thing on about SAD- seasonal affective disorder. If you're bored why not head out to the ice rink & go skating or go for a walk on the trails? You can borrow my dog. Volunteer at the library? Home improvement? Read a book? Take everything out of the kitchen cabinets & re-organize them.

Add me too: Rebecasparkles

Maybe find a non food centered activity that both of you can enjoy? My hubby and I recently over xmas started watching dr. Who on netflix, -all caught up on seasons and now we have something to talk about that isn't food or work. This can be any activity you may have to meet him in the middle or a little over on his side. Maybe you can learn about poker & play online as a team? Learn guitar hero 3 and play 2 player. Etc... I know that whenever I felt us growing apart or I would be disgusted by him it wasn't only him changing it was me too. Hope this helps.

Hello! 5"2 here. Hw:235.2 Cw: 228 Gw: 115 though surgeon feels anything below 140 is a victory. Insurance goal for me was :160 So I hope to get down more I'm still in the pre-op phase month 1 so I have time.

Awesomesauce!!!!! Btw. Your "ladies " look fantastic. I hope mine hold up that well in the future.

At my job we teach people to do the soup can work out, You do the reps but take 30 seconds to lift and 30 seconds to put it down. It's not about how much weight you use but how long you take to do the movements. It's low weights with lots of repetition.

It could also possibly be the blood thinners they give you in the post op phase. It seems that people who haven't had periods in ages get theirs soon after surgery. I wonder if it's not bleeding due to the blood thinners. I'm pre op but just my educated response.

I'm super excitednot to have the belly bumper problem anymore. It's like it could go in deeper but the belly blocks properly joining Ugh. So ready to be thin. My job has a plastic surgery fund so not worried about skin or boobs. Though the hubby prefers to cover it in corset and no implants I voted to lop it off & get the girls fixed. Where am I gonna put my cell phone if they're sad.

Looking great!!! What were your stats on iphone ap & can'tread ur profile.

Break a leg! And good luck!

I too had a similar sobering moment. I am pre-op but our Nut had us calculate our expected weight loss & final weight at the end of six months which they consider the end of the honeymoon phase. I'm currently 235.2 & she has a range of 160-170 for expected weight at that point. For a loss of 60-70# but it leaves me at a bmi of 29-31 still overweight! Yes, I would of never lost that on my own but still ... Really? I fantasize of losing 1/2 my weight +! My personal goal is 110-115 which is a bmi of 21. I did a phone consult with Dr.Mehta from NJ and he thinks 130-140 is reasonable. So, I guess I need to re-evaluate my expectations.

Pink- don't panic yet your 10% will likely be 10% of the insurances discounted negotiated rate. I had an ovary removed and the EOB listed the "street price" of 15,000, my insurances negotiated allowable to the hospital was 3,450: I paid 350$ plus co-pay of 25$. Not bad hunh? I think when all was said and done my surgeon gyn got paid $75 for their share of the work! The hospital/ anestheologist/ other little stupid items got the lions share of the fees. That's why I'm not so worried about paying for this. Also, if I have outpatient surgery I only pay $40- co-pay! Insurance can be a blessing or a demon depending on the day.

Just saw a review of high Protein Bars by BariactricFoodie and she nuked the bar for like 10 or 12 seconds ! I tried that today and it was such an improvement !!!!! Texture + it was almost a " real" Breakfast as it was warm. Gotta try this!

I think you need to decide upfront if you want to work through this or break up. As a serial monagomist I understand how hard it can be to walk away from a loong relationship. ( 4 yrs, 9 months, 3.5years, -4years~married the last guy) I think in your heart you've made up your mind. You just need the courage to do it. Either give him the pimp slap/ come to jesus/ fish slap/ reality check & get thinks in a better place or dump him. I suspect he doesn't want to be the one to break things off so he's making it so you are against a wall & will be the bad guy. I think he's very unhappy/ insecure with himself & now that things for you are on the up & up he's feeling left behind in the shadows unable to do for himself. I think that spouses/boyfriends/ girlfriends/ support person/ BFF's either " come along for the ride" and travel with you or they become anchors expecting you to sink & " wanting to cushion the blow". I wish it wasn't like this but WLS/College/job status changes all affect relationships in that dynamic. I hope that you get your head around this & do whatever makes you happy. Oh and u look great in that swimsuit btw.

Better to go to ER get fixed up & some pain meds if you have a serious problem it's better to catch it early before it gets out of control & turns from a simple fix to a huge problem. Worse case scenario you're out the ER co-pay & get reassurance you're okay. If you don't have insurance it still may be worth going as if you do have a problem early detection can save you money vs waiting til later when you're deathly ill. Just my 2 cents.