Rainydayz

Way to go! Gotta love those skinny jeans that fit again!

I can understand what you mean about peeling off the protective layer. While I'm fat I can hide behind that as a reason I can't go out and do things. I can stay safely hidden behind my wall and not have to face life. When you lose weight you become a full player in the game of life again without the built-in excuse of fat to explain any failures. But seriously I think you're totally normal and have nothing to worry about. I believe as you lose weight you will gain confidence.

That's sad about your friend. She apparently did not do her research and simply grasped at something blindly and now expects it to be all hunky dory. It's good to hear stories like hers because it serves as a reminder of how much we have to really learn about this stuff before we jump into it. I want to know all the bad that could happen so I can avoid it. I have asthma and take steroids at times so I know that the sleeve is the best option for me. But honestly without these forums I would never have learned about the sleeve and about all the problems with the band (which was the first thing I looked into.) Unfortunately your friend did not read and learn enough and she is paying the price. Just tell her that you appreciate her concern but you have done your research and have made your decision. You will not have the problems that she is having.

LOL! I did the Alka Seltzer and chalk thing last week. Yum yum! Good luck on Monday. You'll do great! Can't wait to join you on the loser's bench!

Is it good? I'm having a hard getting all the water I'm supposed to be drinking and thought maybe flavoring it up would help. I like Crystal Light OK but I get kinda tired of it.

Who makes it? Where do you get it?

Good ideas. I will try the cauliflower pizza, that looks interesting! Thanks1

Does anyone know of a site or something that compares protein powders by cost? I would like to know the avg. cost / serving. If there is somewhere that has already done that great. If not I will be doing a list for myself and will post when done.

I call BS on that. (Standard disclaimer: I'm not sleeved yet so I don't know what I'm talking about.) But if you don't swallow it and you don't have problems with gas caused from swallowing so often then why the heck not? As far as it causing us to want to mindlessly snack - heck I want to do that anyway! Sometimes gum keeps from putting something like chips in my mouth instead. I would like to hear more rationales for the no gum rule.

This shouldn't be looked at as just a vanity procedure, like plastic surgery. In order for your fears to be put to rest you really should look at all the health benefits of the surgery first. If you need this to stay healthy then the rest is just a bonus. I certainly don't worry about being too skinny. What a worry to have! I know it can be a problem for some people, but seriously I don't think it will be for me. Good luck in your decision. I think you really have to go into this with the attitude that it is exactly what you need and you will make it work. If you're still not sure, maybe you should wait a while. It took me 4 years to make my decision.

The thing that keeps me from backing out is that there is an overwhelming chance that I will die early due to weight-related problems. There is diabetes and heart disease in my family and I'm lucky that I don't have them YET. I'm 47 and like my dr. said if I don't do something soon there is NO way I will avoid some or all of those problems. Can I lose it on my own? Maybe. Can I keep it off? Well judging by the past 30+ years of experience: NO. I believe yo-yo dieting is worse than just staying fat. That is why I'm doing this. You have to list your own reasons but I can bet your list is similar to mine and everyone else's here. Good luck!

Just tried again with IE. It works. That's a shame it only works with IE. I hate IE. I can read the forums and other blogs just fine in Chrome. Oh well. Guess I'll just use IE for posting to the blog.

I created a blog just now but when I go to put an entry in it it lets me type the whole thing into the box then when I hit "publish now" it disappears and says "You must enter a post." What am I doing wrong? I tried in both Chrome and Firefox. I put a title on it. I tried again and said "save as draft." Same thing. The body of the post disappears and it says "you must enter a post". Wassup with that?

Once more unto the breach of the Atlanta traffic in order to go and drink the vile stuff that makes my insides light up to see what I'm all about in there. We want no surprises on surgery day. Then to lose another 5-10 pounds in the next 3 weeks and then, yes then, to submit my puny plea to the insurance gods so that they might smile upon me and grant the means by which to have my gastric remodeling done.

Congrats! I hope to be right there with you soon. Just keep thinking about where you will be 1 year from now and you will get through the pre-op diet!

OK, Aretha was on the View today. She said her weight loss WAS from the surgery but she did not have bariatric surgery!? So, what other surgery causes such drastic and quick weight loss? Maybe she had gastrectomy due to other health reasons, ulcers, etc.? Whatever. She looks great and still sounds amazing! I just wish her continued health and many more years of entertaining. Long live the Queen of Soul!

Every psych does it differently it seems. The first one I called wanted me to come for FOUR visits at $200 each! I called around and found one that did it in one 45-minute visit. He asked me questions, he filled out a form and we chatted about my weight history and what I expected out of the surgery. No pain.

This is on mushies? I guess I need to read more about what mushies are. I was thinking it was all applesauce and pureed stuff. The best Protein I have tried so far is Pure Protein 100% whey Protein powder Frosty chocolate. I mix it with skim milk and a spoonful of ff/ss chocolate pudding. Not as sweet tasting as many of them and not much aftertaste.

No, the date was pretty much obscured. That's what it looked like anyway. But I tossed it. No sense in risking a very bad day over a $1.50 tub of cottage cheese!

I found a tub of low fat cottage cheese in the bottom of my fridge. The exp. date is illegible but I think the year is 2010. It was at the bottom where things tend to freeze if not moved around a lot. I opened it and there is no smell and I tasted it and it tastes like cottage cheese. So, will it kill me to eat it?

Wow! It sounds like you are really living life now! You go girl! Thanks for posting and being such an inspiration to all of us.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Get better soon and please keep us updated!

I've pretty much decided on my surgeon and hospital. I feel great about him and the hospital has nothing but great reviews. But, it's almost 1 1/2 hours drive through sometimes very heavy traffic. I'm afraid that afterwards it will deter me from attending the support meetings. There are programs closer but from what I've learned so far they usually charge a fee for people who did not have their surgery there. So I'm kind of torn about if I should look for a closer facility and go through having to get all my tests and diet visits transferred again, or should I just go with the dr. I've chosen and do my best to attend the support meetings? What do people who go to Mexico do for support? Just come here or do they find local groups or what? I really like the dr I've picked: William Johnson in Suwanee Ga. The hospital is Emory John's Creek. New and has a bariatric floor that I hear is top notch. I live on the southside of Atlanta. Just would like to hear other's input about how important the support meetings are.

That's not bad. But I don't think I could stop at just one 1" piece! Maybe I'll try it with lite and see how it turns out. Sounds really good!

Sounds delish. Are you using lite coconut milk? I know the regular kind has about 500 cal. per cup and some god-awful amount of fat.