disneyteach

Hi pre-ops, If you have a Fitbit or buying one, I started a group on Fitbit a year ago and we have slowly been growing. The problem is that fitbit does not have a search feature for groups. So you have to go page by page of groups to find the "Gastric Sleeve" group. Come join us, so we can all stay motivated. Between MyFitnessPal and Fitbit, I stay very motivated. Maybe these tools can help you, too!

o.k. My fellow sleevers. I am coming to San Diego for a convention during the summer and I will just be phasing out from soft foods to real food. Where should I eat? What are some great places I should hit up? Is there a market, other than Whole foods, where I can get prepared food for a sleever? Lastly, any cool places I should hit up? Thanks.

Hi post-ops, If you have a Fitbit or buying one, I started a group on Fitbit a year ago and we have slowly been growing. The problem is that fitbit does not have a search feature for groups. So you have to go page by page of groups to find the "Gastric Sleeve" group. Come join us (we have 16 members), so we can all stay motivated. Between MyFitnessPal and Fitbit, I stay very motivated. Maybe these tools can help you, too!

Buffleheads has a great point. Honesty, I only try to eat 1,500 calories a day,though I burn 1,300 calories per weekday and 600 calories on weekend days. I still only try to eat 1,500 daily. So I would say set your eating limit and stick to that. Also, when I work out my iPod nano,my Fitbit and the machine, if possible, all record how many calories I burn. The problem is the intensity. MFP is expecting you to burn hard, but you might have a leisure day or work out slower. That is why a Fitbit is great, it will transfer my calories burned into MFP. So MFP does rank on the high side, but if you eat your set goal, you are just banking burned calories for a Mercedes body and health.

Friend me on MyFitnessPal, if you ever need motivation. The people who are my virtual sleeve friends keep me going every day.

What that means is that your body is burning more calories for you to eat. Like an allowance, if I gave you $100 and you find $50 on the sidewalk. You decide to spend $70 and have $80 left. Basically, you wouldn't run out and spend the other $80 just to spend it. It is the same thing with calories. The more you burn, the more weight is going to come off. You are doing awesome! Keep burning up your calories!

BCBS got rid of the 6 months diet monitoring.

BCBS is a great company. No other company will approve you faster or treat you better. I had United Healthcare at the time of my surgery and I wished I had BCBS. So just give them a call and maybe they will push the paperwork faster.

I was going to blog about this on my blog: disfloridian.blogspot.com . I decided to post my feelings here, too. I was giving a speech this morning to about 50-70 people on my sleeve experience. One of the speakers was a lady, who was very pushy about her views on her experience. She felt that everyone should go to a live support group meeting. I disagree, but I will never disagree with anyone in front of an audience. In my view, I believe that a virtual support group like VST is actual better than a live support group. Here are the reasons why: 1. In a live support group, there are some people, who think they know everything and can't wait to make everything into a) a story about themselves, a better story than yours or c) flood you with an hour long talk of advice and they are 3 weeks post-op or even 3 years. This type of approach unmotivates many people. 2. Some people talk way toooooooo long or has a really lonnnnnng sob story. In a forum, like VST or YouTube, you can skip to the next post, stop the video or move on to someone's else. I'm a live support group, you have to sit and listen. I have looked around and many other people are unmotivated. 3. In a virtual forum, like VST, you can find people like you to help guide you through and support you. I found teachers and men were very relatable to me. I am not saying I did not value others, but those groups made me feel it s ok to have this surgery. The best supporters I had we're 50 year old women on VST, but they were encouraging and very supportive. I am not saying a virtual forum is better than a live support group. In the same breath, do not feel that a live support group is needed. Actually, I found mine unmotivating. Do what makes you happy and comfortable. I love motivating people and being motivated through VST, MyFitnessPal & Fitbit. We each comment how awesome each of us are doing. You are going to do awesome!

Truckerchic, please the next time you are in Illinois and we have a support group meeting. Will you please come with me? There is a retired trucker that sat next to me twice and talked my ear off about his surgery. I would love to introduce you. I am just kidding. Please don't take that serious. I do see where you are coming from, but I feel that live support meetings should not be forced on anyone. Virtual can be all the support you need.

I think you bring up a great point. Your live support group has an EXPERT come in and talk. All of you probably ask questions and the EXPERT responds. Whereas, in the support group I attended, an expert came every so often, but even when a question was asked to the EXPERT, you have some people who feel they are an expert to answer. Most of the group meetings had a psychologist, who allowed for an open floor discussion. So when a person asks a question like "How do I stop dumping?" You have a) a person opinionated on how they stopped it (perfect!), a self-proclaimed expert, who has lost 90 pounds and knows everything (your body might be different from theirs. They talk for like an hour about how they stopped dumping and no one else has time to speak.) or c) a person who turns your dumping question into a story about how they were a little child and their mother gave them a piece of chocolate...(It is like Rose from the Golden Girls)...you get the point! The way your support group is ran sounds more supportive than people who need self-healing. Keep your support group that way! I think my bigger point is that live support groups should never be forced upon anyone. It was mandatory that I attended one session. I attended three and I probably would not have had the surgery, but then I found VST and it helped me be 130 pounds lighter today!

Hook up with me on MyFitnessPal: Disneyteach. Lets keep each motivated!

That is what kind of league it is, though this league has been deleted, because of low participation. All my other fantasy leagues are rocking & rolling, so I could send you the link for one of the other leagues. It is all about fun, not gambling, stress or seriousness.

Part of being a support group is sharing community interests, hobbies and fun activities. So is anyone up for Fantasy football! This is for fun only ! and bragging rights! Here is the link! Join me! http://y.ahoo.it/kUwlUsZy

Hi pre-ops, It has been a great change in my life and now at the year mark, it feels great. If you have a chance read my blog to help you on this journey: disfloridian.blogspot.com . You can do it!

Part of being a support group is sharing community interests, hobbies and fun activities. So is anyone up for Fantasy football! This is for fun only ! and bragging rights! Here is the link! Join me! http://y.ahoo.it/kUwlUsZy

I am six months out, but if you want successful year olds, you probably want to post this in the post-op. good luck. You will love your sleeve!

I hit that stall a month ago around 6 weeks post op and many others hit it at the same time. You can jump start your weight loss, by drinking more water and changing your diet. I found that watermelon and carbs caused my stall.

Hi everyone, I am almost 2.75 months post op and have lost 82 pounds. I got rid of sciatica (for the most part), diabetes and I think my sleep apnea is fading away. Now, I am a clothes horse. It is nice to shop from the 2X-4X shirts and just not the 4X-5X leftovers. The problem I discovered after good workout yesterday was hanging skin. Of course, with sweat and hanging skin, I am developing nasty boils (I think that is how that is spelled). I am not sure what to do. It doesn't help that my office is hot and I sit most of the day. I don't want to slow down my weight lost, but this boils are nasty, they hurt and they control my mood. Also, I am a little scared now. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is being treated for serious depression at Mayo Clinic. You can read about it. A doctor has come out and said that 80% of weight loss surgery patients go through depression. I haven't done the research, but is anyone else finding this to be creditable? If so, what can we do to keep ourselves safe from depression?