gmanbat

Thrift shops could really use the big stuff. That's where I used to shop because the other stores were for shrimps. I was glad our college town had big wrestlers and football players who donated their stuff. Of course, everything was brown and orange and had BG Falcons on it. Keep a set of your largest stuff for pictures.

Dense foods such as steak require real concentration on my part. Chew, chew, chew, and don't eat too much or to the bathroom I must run. It takes some of the charm out of good food to see it the second time.

Water is tricky to get in for me. If I drink too much at the wrong time I get acid reflux. I'm not talking about a bit of burning, I'm talking about the absolute interruption of all other activities until relief is obtained while your eyes are wide with frantic pain. As a remedy, I have my loving wife with her large purse take along an emergency baggie of fire extinguishers. In the kit are anti-gas pills, tums, a Protein bar, and for my other aches and problems, a 5 Hour Energy and a vicodin. It seems sometimes an empty stomach brings on the problem. Especially in the morning, when I eat the pain goes away. Milk does give immediate help but knowing that milk contains lactic acid I question whether it doesn't cure the problem that it creates. A forumite suggested doubling up on the Prilosec type acid inhibitors and not overdoing the tums. That has proven to be good advice. I would suggest taking in water slowly and be ready to fight back if it brings on the flames.

If you have ever been incarcerated you will recognize that the feeling after being released and you are breathing the air of freedom is similar to that of realizing the restored freedoms and abilities after WLS has it's effect.

I am so glad you acknowledge God to be your source of help through this. Your relationship to Him is your strength. He has been mine through cancer, surgery, and many a conflict. I will tell you something now that I seldom talk about. I am so not proud of this. I left my wife for a 5 year period many years ago. It wasn't over her weight, the young woman I had during this period was heavier than her. I left her because I wanted to be bad, I was mad at God because I thought He was not backing me up in the battles that I was having pastoring churches. I blamed God for letting unruly church people rip me up and wanted to get back at Him. My dear wife was devastated but kept her faith. All during this time my heart ached. I could never find complete happiness, never get drunk enough, wild enough, never eat my way out of feeling bad for my wife and daughter. I drew up divorce papers with a lawyer and gave them to her. She signed them but I never turned them in. I loved my girlfriend but not enough to overpower my conscience. When my daughter became pregnant it was my wake up call. I left my girlfriend and asked God to forgive me. He was right there with open arms. I am in tears right now thinking about it. My wife took me back very soon after she realized that I was sincere. We rebuilt our lives and our marriage became stronger than it was before. My daughter had a beautiful girl who has been a great joy to me and everyone she meets, a special girl who loves God and has a heavy calling on her life. My wife and I went through WLS together and are enjoying our new slimness in Florida, serving God with my daughter and her daughters. Kentucky Girl, I've shared this with you to encourage you to not lose hope. I put my wife through hell. Her heart broke a hundred times while I tried to harden mine. God never let loose of the vision He had for our marriage. She never lost her faith and down deep I never lost mine as hard as I tried to. Please don't let your circumstance keep you from eating and taking care of yourself. Take care of the body God has given you and nourish the new body He has in store for you. Take care of yourself as a service to Him, let Him bless you. Remember, He loves you more than your husband ever did or ever could. My wife and I will take you to prayer every day. Stay in the Word, my dear sister. You'll get through this dark time. Gary Batchelder

http://en.wikipedia....terval_training Thanks, folks. Butterthebean, Another method requires 60 seconds all out followed by 75 seconds rest as a cycle, 8-12 cycles per workout, 3 times a week, 18-27 minutes a workout. It equals jogging an hour a day, 5 days a week according to the study. I do better at quick, intense exercise periods. Longer workouts make me very tired for a long time, short ones tend to energize me. The studies say HIIT burns fat better and generally gets you in better shape. A good warm up period is essential, hitting that high intensity suddenly could be dangerous. minkywinks_esposa, I was quite sedentary until I lost the poundage. Movement was a great annoyance then, a great happiness now.

They are nothing to be terrified about. I would call them an invasive necessity. Not something I would consider recreation, though.

Nice list, thanks!!!

My wife had gastric bypass, dumped the cpap about 4 months out. I got rid of mine about a month out. Both of us were diagnosed as severe. We just stopped and the other one observed.

I have a back-up plan in case I get tired of being hot, slim, happy, and healthy. The best plan that I have come up with is to concentrate on getting as many small meals in as possible, high calorie, carb rich, low Protein, low Fiber preferred. When the pain and slime goes away from the last meal cram some more in. No exercise, no Water, just high calorie drinks. I won't try to stretch the sleeve, that's too hard, I'll just keep eating non-stop. I should be able to wreck myself in 10 months and get back into the big and tall shop's crappy, overpriced clothes even sooner, if I live long enough. (Man, I really hate this post. It was like planning a nightmare).

Our bodies are not precise, predictable machines. They are more like the early computers. I spent many a day yelling at the illogical behavior of my freezing crashing infernal friends. There is an absolute logical explanation for stalls. Unfortunately, you can't go to the Cadillac garage and have yourself hooked up to a monitor and find out what it is. Our bodies are complex beyond the knowledge of any human who ever lived. You have to step back and look at it. Is it possible to eat what you eat, drink Water, and exercise like you do and not eventually get down to your goal? Only in some alternate reality.

I had a urologist who was the one who informed me of my prostate cancer in 2009. He was extremely grave in demeanor as he told me the news of my positive biopsy results. I am one of those odd ducks who believes that God alone is in charge of my check-out day which is more of a graduation to a better life anyway. As a result I did no emotional collapsing. He apparently thought I just didn't understand and continued to hammer about my imminent doom. Neither I nor my loving and equally God-believing wife were ruffled which seemed to frustrate him. On subsequent visits he put on his gloom face and tried to get me on the train of abject misery which I always refused to board. Even when my treatment was going well he would assure me that cancer would win in the end. All he needed was pom-poms and a big C on his sweater. He emphasized to me that the treatments were virtually useless and that the extra time afforded by them would be minimal. It made me scratch my head trying to figure out why he thought my remaining time would be better used by being sorrowful. I have already beaten the doomsday clock he set and if my birthday of December 21 of this year is not the end of the world as predicted by the Mayans I will sit in my new strong, healthy body by my Florida pool with my beautiful, slim Roux-N-Y wife and have a toast to my Ohio urologist. May his life turn out as happy as mine.

You guys really have the anti-ghrelin effect, I think. The part of your stomach they took out produces the hunger inducing hormone. You will get hunger back, believe me.! At this point you need to eat by thinking rather than by hunger. This is part of the new world you've entered. The rules have changed. The days of mindless chomping are over. Your body lost it's Iron fist of control. Your brain needs to grab the wheel. Eating is now for living, health, and energy, not for recreation or emotional fulfillment. Those needs you will meet in other more satisfying ways. You will enjoy eating again. Quantity and quality will rule the choices but happiness in it will return. Your new slim hotness and added energy will more than compensate your temporary loss.

Some people's idea of "tough love" is more self-serving than helpful. Sometimes they work out their own issues at your expense. Being brow beaten and demeaned for gaining weight is something you've done to yourself as well as receiving it from other "tough lovers" and afforded you no remedy but probably emotionally drove you deeper into the cycle of fattening. WLS patients obviously have a problem with gaining weight. A doctor should not be disappointed and frustrated as if it is surprising. Your observation of his insensitivity is correct as far as I am concerned. That being said, write it off and forge ahead. If he is an otherwise competent doctor knuckle down and get through this. Follow his advise and conquer yourself and your soon to be history excess fat. You can do it...take that to the bank!

Rhonda Roo, Thanks for posting this! This is beneficial for the forumites to realize that letting go of discipline will cause gain. I hope we can help you in your getting back. 20 pounds is not a giant hurdle, you've no doubt beaten worse than that before. I've heard tell that newly acquired fat goes off easier. My diet at 11 months out is approximately: 2 eggs with cheese - Breakfast small whey shake- mid morning chicken chunks and some green vegetable - lunch small whey shake or turkey strips- mid afternoon fish or chicken and vegetable- supper fruit or small whey shake before bed Water bottle in hand all day on heavy workout days I have a power shake before breakfast This is my ideal day, it hasn't always worked out that way but this is my default day that I return to. I wouldn't worry about having stretched it. Just eat right, hit the water, exercise, and you'll be in good shape real quick.

Looking good! Congratulations! I've got a feeling you're going to make goal, I see it in your eyes.

Welcome! Congrats on your weight loss! Go you!!!

Slapping down that stubborn last 2 pounds before goal. Feel like lopping off a foot to beat it.

It seems parents have a hard time moving with the changes occurring in their children. When I was a lad I was underweight and weak due to sicknesses. My appetite was lacking and Mom got me black strap molasses to cure it, which it did. When I went out on my own and called Mom she would always ask me if I were eating enough. My reply was, "Yes, Mom, I am quite overweight." That would not prevent her from asking again the next time. I was still that skinny, freckle-faced boy.

I helped my wife get that 22 pound turkey in the oven this morning,13 for lunch. Relatives will make this great. They all know our story and will not be shocked by the small portions wife and I put on our plates. All are supportive. I am so grateful to God for being alive and slim with a wife in good health and kids that love me. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

For some reason I can't swallow those long pills anymore and even have trouble with the smaller ones. Being the tough guy that I am, I just chew em up now. Pretty bad flavors. I tried just dissolving them in Water first but that doesn't work on all of them. I have heard that some Vitamins are supposed to dissolve in your intestine rather than your stomach. I guess chewing them would ruin that.

I would tell you to build up your thigh and buttocks muscles with weight training. Seems contrary to logic but those muscles are the largest in the body. Built up, they burn more calories when you use them and at rest. They are your best fat burners. You will not look like steroid plumped bodybuilding women if you don't take steroids. In my experience, the first fat to go on is the last to come off. My lower belly is defiant but doomed to extinction.

I know I lost muscle mass but at 8+ months when I could eat a bit more I put it back on with an exercise program. You will move out into your "new normal" and all will be well. Venting is cool and quite all right.

Wow, what a drop! You da man, James!!! Wanta rush? Go to a gym or sport shop and lift a 100 pound weight. Walk around a bit with it. Uh, huh!