aubrie

I always have bizarre dreams for about two weeks after a hospital stay. I think it could be the anesthesia or all the meds you might have taken. One time I woke up groggy and was absolutely certain that I was in Canada and someone had taken me there against my will. Very strange.

Remember, a lot of that is going to be excess skin. Tummy tucks seem to be very popular after a large weight loss. My upper tummy is going down nicely, but my lower abdomen is hanging. Unsightly, but one of the negatives of being obese and losing a lot of weight.

Jachut you crack me up!!! LOL LOL LOL I'm sitting here giggling..... I'm a bit older than some of you, and have lost 69 pounds so far. Mine is a bit saggier. It's true. I'm not happy about it, but hey, I look great in lingerie. That is an improvement. I hear they have surgery to fix this "little problem", but I'm not sure what it's called.

If you whip it in the blender until smooth, it can act as a sour cream. thumbs up on the ricotta cheese. I actually like it better. Pour a 1/4 cup of prego sauce over it with a sprinkle of parmesan and it makes a nice lunch. Cottage cheese in sugar free jello with fruit. YUM. Scoop out the center of a home grown tomato. fill it with cottage cheese, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, sprinkle with parmesan and bake or broil it. Heavenly.

I'm not allowed to eat protein bars. Doc won't allow it. To much like candy. He wants me to eat real protein sources like meat, fish, beans, etc. I'm not allowed shakes either. Only when sick or after a fill.

My doctor wants to avoid substituting one food obsession with another. I'm to eat normally as I can. I want to be normal. That's why I did this. I'm not allowed to eat bars or shakes. I'm only allowed shakes if I'm sick or for the two days after a fill. I'm to eat real meat, veggies, fruit, etc. Eating a variety of food is what helps keep you healthy. I wouldn't have done this if I had to limit my food choices and "diet" for the rest of my life. That's not quality of life in my opinion. I chose my doctor because his philosophy was the same as mine. We're approaching this in the same way. I'm happier that way and more apt to stick to this. I watch what I eat, and make sound food choices most of the time. If a special occasion comes up, I enjoy it like everyone else. The freedom to do so keeps me happy.

I went kayaking for the first time in YEARS this past weekend. I am finally small enough, agile enough and flexible enough to get in and out of the kayak. My husband was SO HAPPY. Not only that, but we paddled for three hours. I thought for sure I was going to be sore as hell the next day and I wasn't at all. All those water aerobics classes with the webbed gloves and foam dumb bells really paid off!!! I'm ecstatic. Didn't catch one fish, but I don't even care. I had a glorious day! :biggrin:

NOTHING tastes as good as thin feels.

My insurance says I can stay 23 hours......I did. I checked in at 10:00 in the morning, and checked out next day at 9:00 AM.

My mother became so fearful I ended up having to tell her I changed my mind, and didn't tell her until 5 weeks after I had surgery. I went home for Christmas and had lost over 20 pounds. When I told her and she could visibly SEE that I was healthier, looked better, felt better, and was SAFE, she was okay with it. I felt bad for making her worry needlessly. she's older (late 60s and has health issues) and I didn't want her fretting like that. Same for my Dad. They are THRILLED with the results now.

I'm walking out of all of my shoes. I was wearing a 7. I needed a pair of black classic pumps and bought a 6 1/2. After wearing them once and not wearing them again for 6 weeks, they were too big too. I should have gotten a 6.

Congratulations Wheetsin!! Welcome little angel!!!! You have lots of Aunties and Uncles here waiting to get a glimpse of you!

Boobs have retained most of their size, down a bit, but they sure have headed south. so has the skin on my face and neck. Yuck!! I literally have mud flaps for upper arms. I didn't anticiapte the rapid aging.

It DOES work. I tried it once and had fairly good results.

You've gotten a lot of good advice on this thread. I agree with all of it. 1. you may be in a rut with your old set of friends. They're "friends". Leave them that way and meet a new group of people that has more potential as "dating material". Expand your horizons. Join some new groups. Yes.... that don't know you as ever being "fat". 2. Spruce up your wardrobe. Many of us have been hiding behind baggy for so long it's downright SCAREY to change your image once you get smaller. Step out. Do the wild thing. Try some trendy new styles. Bright colors. Heels. ALLOW yourself to buy the things you LIKE. Not continue buy to things that cover and conceal in drab colors. that's just old habit. 3. Time to change that head talk in your brain! Don't listen to the you that always put you down. Make a conscious effort every day to change the chatter that goes on in your head to positive stuff. This will result in a change in attitude that will result in a change in how you come off to people. You may not even realize you need an attitude adjustment. Look in the mirror several times a day and tell yourself I am AWESOME and I am worth it!! 4. SMILE 5. Get out there and start getting involved in things that make you feel good about you. The exposure, the change of scenery, the positive vibes, the new people, the energy increase will do you a world of good. go dancing. Do some volunteer work. Do a project at church. Sign up for the holiday committee at work. Just do something different. Put yourself out there. Don't be scared. Mix it up.

Rapid weight loss puts stress on the lgallbladder and liver. this can cause stones in the bile ducts which leads to gallbladder problems. Pancreatitis can also result. I just had a nasty round with all this in August. It's common for the gallbladder to mess up with rapid weight loss. I had really high billirubin, and it kept getting worse. I was in a lot of pain, so the gallbladder had to come out. Billirubin still high, indicating stones in my bile ducts so they had to go back in two days later and remove the collection of tiny stones. It was horrible. I was yellow and had orange pee.

I watch what I eat, and I plan my meals around nutrition, but I do NOT count calories. I don't count carbs or fat either. Food was an obsession for me at one time. To spend hours counting all that crap is just trading one food obsession for another, and my goal was to get away from that and eat naturally. That to me is dieting, and I don't want the rest of my life to be labeled a "diet". It's a life style. I make sure I eat 5 servings of veggies and fruit every day. That's about it. I eat about a cup of food at a meal. Sometimes more....sometimes less. It just depends. If there is a special occasion, I eat what everyone else is eating. I'm a person, a human, I have favorites, I like holidays. I'm not a "freak". So, yes, I basically eat what everyone else in the family is eating, but what I fix for them is healthy and nutritious, so I don't have to worry about it.

My husband asks me all the time why I still have my old clothes in the closet. I just haven't made the time to take them to a thrift shop. I'm only attached to a few things. I have a sweater I'm heartbroken I can't wear this fall. And I have a designer cocktail jacket to die for. I'll never wear it again, and I only wore it once. Boo hoo hoo...... But for the most part, I'll be delighted to unload most of them. Just need to make the time. I've gone from a 24 down to a 16. Even my 16s are to big so I should be buying 14s next time I shop. My goal is a 10. We'll see.

I agree with ColtonWade 100% I was terrified to try salad too, and waited about 5 months. When I finally got the courage to try, I was pleasantly surprised. I have discovered though, that the type of lettuce eaten has a lot to do with how well I can eat it. I used to love green leaf or Boston Bib lettuce. It's not crispy enough. ColtonWade is correct. I now only buy Romaine. It does the best for me since it is crisp. Regular lettuce is yucky. It has no flavor, but it chews up well. I like crisp, bubbly spinach leaves as well. Just chew it really well. I add toasted almonds to mine instead of croutons. makes a nice crunch.

I put unflavored protein powder in my cream of wheat, oatmeal, gravey, mashed potatoes, cream soups, cottage cheese, etc. I can't really even tell it's in there. Half a scoop is 10 grams. It helps.

I've heard the band lasts indefinately, but many have to have the tubing and port replaced. It was my understanding that it's there for life. That's what I'm counting on anyway..... I understand that problems may develop after many years, but most can be rectified. If I take care of it, and myself I should have many happy years as a bandster.

It depends on how tight you are, your mood, a whole lot of things. What you can eat one day, you might not be able to eat the next. It's a difficult thing to answer in absolutes. I have trouble most of the time with white meat chicken, but have successfully eaten it. Steak doesn't give me trouble at all. Soft doughy bread is indeed a tough one, but I have eaten a little bit of pizza. I do better with bread toasted. I try to avoid it for the most part, but eat 100% whole wheat when I crave it. whole wheat crackers are better. I've gotten stuck on salad, chicken, tuna fish, green beans, saltine crackers and chinese food. I can not do carbonated drinks at all. I have to be VERY careful with popcorn. Most everything is okay, as long as I chew the heck out of it.

I have always been able to feel mine. It doesn't protrude when I stand naked and look in the mirror, but even if I lightly pass my hand over my stomach I can feel a hard spot. If I press, I can feel it easily. This has worried me as I always felt like it would start showing when I lost all my weight. I still have a little belly, so it doesn't show yet, but I think that's coming. I guess at that point I will have to consider moving it or getting a different one.

There may be sutures under the skin that are irritating it from the inside??? Mine doesn't itch or get irritated, but occasionally it will get a little pink around the edges. I have one scar from my recent gallbladder surgery in August, that has bubbled up. No pain, but it now looks more like a mosquito bite than a scar. So wierd. Have you tried using cocoa butter or vitamin E oil on it to soothe it?

During orgasm you will have muscle contractions in the stomach. Your muscles have been cut and sutured. They are going to be sore for probably a good six weeks. Just take it easy. That port site will take longer than you think.