DonRodolfo

Despite my ups and downs all over the scale, I have been a member of one gym or another since 2005. Never once, NOT ONE TIME, in all of those years has anyone ridiculed me or harassed me or said anything negative to me. What I have heard is encouragement, from random strangers, from staff at the gyms, "you're doing a great job, keep it up''. Honestly, those gym rats, both male and female, with the incredible bodies, don't even pay attention to us because they're too busy looking in the mirror! Everyone else is just trying to do their thing, get it over with, and go home. First thing you do is find gym staff to show you how to work the machines until you find the one you like. If you can only do 5 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical, then do that every day. Once you get comfortable with gym equipment, get yourself a heart rate monitor - they are invaluable in your workout.

VST is okay but it doesn't come close to being a support group. I cannot over-emphasize how important it is to get face-to-face with other patients and actual experts in the bariatric field - they are very few and far between here at VST.

Great advice - I wish I would have seen your post before I clicked Post on mine!

Give it time. You'll be able to satisfy your thirst soon. In the meantime, sip constantly and all day long. If you're tired of Water, try Powerade Zero or something. Lately I've discovered that I will drink way more Powerade Zero than I will water, and that's fine.

I recommend that you keep at it and do your 15 minutes every day. After a month look at doing 20. I started out doing 10 minutes and had to take 3 breaks to finish. This coming Saturday I'll be walking my first 5K (with no breaks)

I'm 3+ months out. About a week ago i was taking a nap and the gurgling woke me up. I don't notice it unless I'm in a quiet environment. I don't think anyone else could hear it but don't quote me on that.

Well done, young lady! Wear it proud!

My surgeon required 2 week liquid-only preop diet (which were two bags of Bariatric Advantage shakes). You should ask you surgeon what he specifically requires so that you don't waste your money. If he didn't give you guidance, demand it.

Welcome!

In addition to all the DFWers here, you will find loads of support at one of the many support groups in the area. Click this link: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/89017-dfw-area-weight-loss-surgery-support-groups-list/

According to http://www.smoothiek...ional-chart.php the 20oz Strawberry Kiwi Breeze has 90 carbs and cannot be made skinny?!

It's a legitimate male concern, he posted in the men's room, and you added exactly 0 value to this thread - congrats.

Congrats to you, LipstickLady! Your face looks so much thinner and your body is amazingly curvy! Good work!

Eating like you have been is not going to work and could possibly sabotage your weight loss. All the suggestions, timers, and journals in the world won't make a difference until you make this lifestyle change a priority. Looks like you're about 3 weeks out. Protein Shakes should be large part of your life until you are on solid food. When I was three weeks out I'd have one first thing in the morning and as my snack two more times during the day. Hydration: I don't know what kind of job you have but you need to be drinking a minimum of 64oz of fluids a day. That means you're carrying a bottle with you everywhere and working on it all day long. For me, I found Powerade Zero easier to drink than water so that's where I get a lot of mine.

(Your doctor has the final word on all things related to your surgery) They told me to stop taking all herbals (including melatonin) a week before surgery. I started back up as soon as it was okay to swallow pills again.

What kind of barbaric outfit is this? " There are no smoothie bars or aerobics studios in one's peripheral vision, just the Iron bar you'll hang from, the weights you'll thrust up above your head and the ground you'll drip your perspiration and occasional tears into until you feel as though you've become a part of the place. " No smoothie bar? I suppose there isn't a concierge or onsite masseuse either?!

Heart rate monitor - I use a Polar Wearlink + that talks to an app on my smartphone which displays current heart rate, calories burned, avg calories burned per min, and other stats.

What part of the country are you in?

The article may be sketchy but there's value in posting it because now you have a group of people talking about it and their experiences. I'm pretty sure I'm a skinny fat person - I'm not plump like I was so I have skin hanging off (which will probably get worse). I haven't done any weights and have stuck to 100% cardio. I'm 50 years old and figured hanging skin was the price to be paid for losing weight so quickly.

I ask you forgive my ignorance, but you have/will meet with your surgeon, NUT, psych, etc is that correct? I would expect any of them/all of them to have information on local groups you could join. VST is okay but it does not replace meeting up with local people going through or that have gone through the same struggle. Sometimes useful isn't dropped in your lap and you have to search for it (or demand it) yourself. Looks like you're close to either Tampa, Clearwater, or St. Petersburg - these are cities of significant size that should have support offerings for you.

Congrats to you and Happy Birthday!

You're not even three weeks out! You're beating yourself up for no reason.

STOP IT - STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!! Promise me (but mostly yourself) that you will weigh no more than once a week. I SAID DO IT! (The truth is, you don't have enough data to claim you haven't been successful at losing weight. Your snapshot needs to be a minimum of 6* weeks - between August 20 and now is not 6 weeks. If, in a six-week period, you haven't lost a pound or you are gaining weight, then it's time to talk to be concerned.) (* I learned the 6 week thing at my last visit with one of my surgeons.)