LadyIvy

Doesn't it seem hypocritical to get the surgery to be healthy and continue to smoke? I keep telling myself that too!

Very interesting article!

I heard people in my WLS group yesterday refer to themselves as carb sensitive. What does this mean?

I have been pretty quiet about it. I will tell my boss I need surgery and just leave it at that. Then again, it is different if you are very close. That will be more difficult, but I know you will say exactly what you need to. Especially if you all are friends. You have to decide how many people you really want to know about your surgery.

I'm pulling for you. I'm not looking forward to my son becoming a teenager. I hope you get approved soon so it is one less thing for you to worry about!

Oh, that would totally be me. Didn't realize that was a thing. D**n it...

You can eat a ton of crawfish and still only get an ounce of meat. Boiled crawfish is really low in calories and fat. If you are with a group of people and talking, it will take a while to eat a few and you will feel like you had a bunch. I would steer away from the poboy though. A few pieces of gator would be really filling too, the trick is finding a place that makes them grilled!

Thank you forensic, I will try this as well

I have a very active job and am expected to wear jeans to work for safety reasons. Since we found that I have a blood pressure problem I have been put on medication. Problem is, the medication makes me sweat like a polar bear in the desert. Doesn't matter what I am doing, I sweat for the first few hours after I take it. I found that this weekend at work I developed horrible chafing between my thighs that made it painful to walk by the end of the day. I get all of my hours in 3 days, so this meant I had 2 more days to go like this! I tried powder, but it didn't seem to help. Today, since I was not working (which believe me is a heck of a workout most days) I decided to ride my bike. It was so painful! I am up to a half mile (which is an achievement from where I was two weeks ago) and I completed my ride. However, I am now in so much pain it is hard to walk much less consider working out tomorrow. At the rate this is going, I can clear up the chafing by Friday which is just in time to do it all over again! I'm trying really hard to get into the proper lifestyle and get my exercise daily. I have done it before, and know that I easily get addicted to the endorphins and quickly miss it if I don't work out for a day or two. This time it is really hard. It is already hard trying to get yourself back into shape carrying more than 100 lbs of extra weight (what is that, like a whole backstreet boy I carry on my shoulders every day?). I just don't know how I am supposed to do this when a work out causes excruciating pain. Seems like reinforcement NOT to work out. I just don't know what to do!!! First the skin condition and now this? I feel like I am blocked at every turn towards a healthy lifestyle.

I see lots of people here talk about stalls a few weeks out and beyond. Here is an interesting link to help you process what is going on: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

I posted last week about my fluid problems too. That has actually been one of my biggest struggles. Its great that you are making changes now so that there will be less suffering afterward. I hide my weight well too so I understand your feeling there. I wear clothes that keep it covered and am proportional no matter what size I am. My hip to waist to bust ratio is always the same whether I am 150 or 250. I have exercised and been active for years and I just slowly keep getting bigger and bigger so I don't listen to anyone who tells me to just "pretend I had the surgery". You ever notice the people who say that have never had a weight problem? Good for you for getting prepared and doing something about your weight problem!

Thank you so much for the advice. I don't have the time or money for a personal trainer, but I will totally try the monistat and vaseline!

You deserve to have your funky mood. Thank you for sharing it actually. You still had a sense of humor about it "new sleeve don't take no S***". That head hunger must be especially bad because they are starving you. Hang in there and try to read a good book (they don't have any food commercials). Best of luck to you. Hope you get home soon, hospitals are tiring places

Have you tried switching brands of protein shakes? I hear it is very common, but it could be mixed with a small intolerance to something in your brand of shake. Call your doctor soon, you can get dehydrated so quickly post-op, this is surely not helping.

I also understand that rice can cause a bit of an issue for many people for a while. I hope its no alcohol forever! I'm already giving up cigs and the way I am used to eating. I will be truly sad if I can't have the occasional drink.

I have noticed lots of people around here have used the e-cig to stop smoking. My husband and I would like to get one with the 0mg cartridges. We really miss the tactile effect of smoking more than anything else. Can those of you that like your ecigs post a website or brand name? I am going to order a set in the next couple of days. Thanks

I think I have decided on the Joye 510T. Its the tank version/manual (as was recommended). I think the tornado is too big for me, but I did check it out. Also, the lady at cignot seems very nice, but I won't be doing business with them since there is only one point of contact. It makes me uncomfortable to send off money to someone who only has an email and no business phone. Thank you for the recommendations! There is a ton to figure out with these isn't there?

This is so frustrating. I have been working on developing the habits neccesary after my surgery which includes no water 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after a meal. I haven't been drinking 15 minutes before and during and I have been making it about 10- 15 minutes after before I have to drink something. This is a big accomplishment for me. I have also been working on chewing my food very well. I still have to not allow myself to get distracted and do better with it when I eat alone. I will work on that too. I noticed that some of my changes seem to have resulted in me gaining weight. For example, now that I am focused on being sure that I get breakfast, my metabolism is higher so I am hungrier much more often throughout the day. Also, I have noticed that when I don't drink water during a meal, I need to eat much more to get the same feeling. I don't know what to do! I am bigger than I have ever been in my life and it only seems to be getting worse when I combine these habits. Not sure how to work on this.

I agree with you completely. Ironically, I find I do my best with eating and chewing food to mush when I am driving. It gives me something to do and I pay close attention to bite size and length of chew vs. when at dinner table in conversation. I am sure I am not going to be happy about my liquid diet, but I think I may do better than many. I already drink a ridiculous amount of fluids and have stopped eating midway numerous times so that 30 minutes can pass and I can have a drink. I already prefer drinking over eating because I am so busy I can take it with me anywhere. I have also found a severely decreased satisfaction in eating food when I have to concentrate on every single bite. We do family dinners every single night and I have always been a slow eater. However, now I feel like everyone is done and hoping I will finish soon so we can all get up. It takes a lot of enjoyment out of food.

Since I am still debating parts of having this surgery, I decided not to wait until just before surgery date to meet with surgeon for my barrage of questions. Made an appointment with Dr. McDermott on my 32nd birthday. Questions I have decided are decision makers: Why would you have to switch to a bypass mid-surgery? (he mentioned having to sign a paper giving him permission to do this in life or death situation) Have you ever had to do that? What if down the road I get stomach cancer or esophogeal erosion? Where is the tissue for repair going to come from? Have you had anyone complain about decreased cognitive abilities after surgery? How often do you have to treat patients for severe acid reflux post op? Have you had any issues with post op esophogeal erosion or GERD? Can you guys think of any other decision makers? I have a long list of other questions too, but those are for after the decision has been made. I will save them for pre-op visit. Stuff like: How much can I lift and when? When can I start using mederma on my scars? Bathing and showering regulations How long will I have drain in etc.

Oh, I didn't mention that I do NOT NOT NOT want a bypass, so his answer to this is critical!

Okay, so I have seen this mentioned on the side in a couple of places around the forum and am starting to put 2 and 2 together. Just 10 years ago, I was clearly and no doubt 5'7". A little over exactly. I was measured for my BMI the other day (and in a couple of different places) and I am 5'5". I am wondering if being heavy long term makes our "gravity" stronger and pulls us closer to the ground. This could sure account for the joint pain overweight people get. My husband is shorter from years of jumping out of aircraft. The constant impact compresses your joints and drops your arches if you do it enough. I wonder if it is the same for us?

You can do it. I thought I loved smoking too. I do like the instant gratification part of it. However, after quitting for 6 weeks and not having to carry them, or not having to worry about when I could have my next one was SO freeing. I started gaining so much weight I started again (pre-surgery decision). It was dumb, because I had to start quitting all over again. I found an awesome phone app called quit now. It gives you motivational thoughts, ugly smoker pictures and keeps track of lots of other things. It helped a lot the second time around!

You did tell your family you will be skipping Thanksgiving this year I hope

Check out barnesandnoble.com they have some great bariatric cook books. Also, look at the big picture. You have lost almost a pound a day for a month. You will get there. Its actually better to lose it like you are since you are decreasing your risk of gall stones!