Ro2x

So I saw my nutritionist yesterday, she warned me that I would not be losing weight as fast as most people (which definitely has its advantages, but I want to be thin already!) because my BMI is much higher than it should be for my weight. I'm 5'5" and weight 223 lbs. Unfortunately I can't remember what she told me my BMI was (I have to get one of those fancy scales). So, considering these facts, can anyone explain why my weight loss would be slower if my BMI is so high? Sent from my iPad using VST

My surgery is on April 10th and yesterday I met with my surgery team's psychologist. I had to fill out about 15 psychology questionnaires prior to seeing him. He went over them in about a second, circling everything I'd written down as 'do' or 'feel often' or 'all the time'. He asked me a couple of questions, and, for the life of me I can't remember what it was, he asked me something to which my answer was "I'm more anxious about giving up smoking than about giving up food", and it's true. He didn't ask me anything else about it, or anything else for that matter and soon came to the conclusion that I might not be ready for surgery, that I need to fix other things first (i.e. smoking). He didn't ask me if I was ready to stop smoking or not (my pulmonologist recommended I quit smoking 2 weeks prior to surgery -- 4 days from today), he didn't ask what my pulmonologist (gave me the green light for surgery and made recommendations for the anesthesiologist)... Ok, now I'm rambling... Anyway, this psych person said I wouldn't be able to handle giving up food and cigarettes at the same time, among other things. He may be right, I'm yet to find out, but what bothers me is that he said that after I said I was more anxious about giving up smoking --- is that really that telling of who I am and how I handle things? Ok, I needed to vent, I apologize for the rambling. So, fellow smokers/ex-smokers, how did you handle having to quit? How did you quit? Did any of you simply not quit? How'd that go? I'm not looking for a lecture, I'm looking for actual stories about quitting/not quitting. I've been a heavy smoker (1+ packs/day) for 18 years, and, unfortunately it's very much part of my life: both my parents and both brothers smoke (I live with my mother and 1 brother - can't avoid them), I work at a very small, very informal advertising agency run from my boss' apartment - only 3 employees: all of us smokers (esp. the boss) = smoke-friendly office. I'm not sure I'm ready to quit, and from what I've heard you really need to want it in order to be successful. I'm not predisposing myself (am I?), I know I need to quit in order to have a speedy recovery / no pulmonary embolisms / a healthy life once and for all. But even the thought of a pulmonary embolism doesn't scare me as much as the thought of nicotine withdrawal and craving (+ I won't be able to replace my addiction with food). I'm sorry about my newspaper-sized post. Just really need to hear from people who were once (or are currently) in my shoes.

Best of luck!! Sent from my iPad using VST

Yes, I definitely misspoke. It's not my BMI that's higher than it should (don't think that's even possible), it's my body fat that's too high. Does that change things? Thank you all for responding. I understand my weigh loss will be slower will be much slower than anyone's who's 300, 400 lbs. But my doctor said I shouldn't compare myself to anyone who has the same amount of weight to lose, because my weight loss will probably be slower. Sent from my iPad using VST

Oh, you'll be able to do it. I, too, was addicted for years, but if you just replace the diet coke with some other non-carbonated drink you'll be fine. I think that more than anything, the act of drinking something other than Water all day is what keeps us addicted - the caffeine helps too. Maybe if you drink juices or any other flavored, non-carbonated liquids (i.e. Crystal Light) and maybe a cup of coffee now and then, it could help, but eventually you're gonna have to give up caffeine altogether anyway, so maybe it's easier to just stop drinking caffeine and endure two days of physical discomfort. My withdrawal didn't include cravings for Coke itself, I just felt ill, especially in the afternoon. You can take care of the headaches with Advil or Tylenol or whatever you use for headaches. The fatigue and irritability, you'll just have to wait it out or drink a little bit of coffee. You'll do great!! Good luck on Wednesday!!! Sent from my iPad using VST

Hi, I sent you a PM, but apparently it got lost in the way. I'd love to join the FB group, my email is r.2.guerra@gmail.com Thanks! Sent from my iPad using VST

Hi Christen, How'd you do with giving up diet Coke? I was literally addicted to the non-diet version. I would wake up and have it for Breakfast and would not stop drinking until I went to bed (hello, insomnia). I set a date for me to quit: the day I got my surgery date. I got my date last week and gave it up right then and there. The first couple of days were hell -- the withdrawal symptoms were crazy: constant headache, irritability, I'd be sleepy all day, got a fever the first night - crazy I tell you. By the third day everything was back to normal, my energy levels were the same as before and I had replaced the Coke with Crystal Light, so I didn't miss sipping on something sweet all the time. Yesterday, about a week after giving it up, I had a craving, but kept having Crystal Light instead. I miss the taste, i miss the fizz, but I can honestly say I'm ready to live my life without it. Two days of caffeine withdrawal is nothing compared to what we already have to go through. Sent from my iPad using VST

Hi anniemay. I've heard Chantix can do wonders for some. I've considered going on Chantix, and even bought a box but never even tried, I'm very much afraid of the side effects. I'm depressive, and I understand depression and Chantix don't mix well. It's great that you were able to quit. I admire that. More so if your partner is still a smoker and you've been able to hold your own. I know exactly what you mean about being pissed. I'm pissed at everyone except my actual surgeon... He's the only one from his team of doctors that hasn't told me that i HAVE to quit. C'mon, he even said the hospital had nicotine Patches they could supply me with. And I know for a fact that he's an excellent surgeon. But everyone else: "you have to quit". But just like you don't know if you'll ever pick it up again (I hope not, but I understand you're being realistic), I don't know if I'll be able to stay away from nicotine completely, but I hope I can. Sent from my iPad using VST

[quote name="Lisa ]Having a good quality unit will make ALL the difference. And by good' date=' I mean, it's a variable voltage unit. By being able to change the voltage on the unit, you can adjust the throat hit and the higher quality juices just have a better flavor. She uses a Provari set up ( provape.com ) with a tobacco flavored juice called Tribeca made by Halo. If you live in, or near, a major city you should check to see if there are any vape stores so that you can go in and try it. We are in the Los Angeles area so there are many!!! Good Luck!![/quote'] Thanks again! I visited the provape.com site, and the price is definitely out of my range right now (I'm paying for surgery out of pocket), but I did find another option, no variable voltage, but something to try. Ordered a kit with two different juices, hoping one of them will have a good-enough flavor and kick to fend off the cravings for the real thing. Even if it doesn't, it'll be good to have something to put between my fingers and in my mouth when I get anxious (could also use a straw and inhale clean air, but i'd rather have something with nicotine nearby... Just in case). Sent from my iPad using VST

Thank you, Lisa. I've seen that "vape" word a few times on VST, and once looked into it (not well enough) and was led to the same old electronic cigarettes. I have an e-cig, but find that my cravings for nicotine come more often when use it and, for some reason, I cough every time I inhale even though the nicotine-filled "filter" is full-flavored like my regular cigarettes. I'll definitely look further into this whole vaping thing. Sounds like it could be a good replacement to the real thing, before I give nicotine up for good. Thank you so much for your input! Sent from my iPad using VST

April 10th, here I come!! I can't wait: - 'til May, when I can see some results. - until I can happily own a swimsuit. I live in the Dominican Republic AND there's a pool in my backyard and do not own one. - until I can finally enjoy going to the beach. - until I can stop acting like an agoraphobe because I refuse to go out looking like this. - until I can post my before and after pictures to the forum. - until I don't mind having my photo taken. - until I can smile without my cheeks making my eyes small. - until I can finally like myself. - until I can see what I REALLY look like. - until I can finally stop window shopping and actually shop for clothes at my favorite stores! - until I can, once again, take my clothes off for someone. I just can't wait.

I'm so excited!!! Just wanted to share.

I just went through all 31 pages of this thread and still want to see more! You're all sooo inspiring. I love how the eyes pop open in all the 'after' photos (I hate how my cheeks make my eyes look small when I smile). I'll know my surgery date by the end of the week, looking at all the before & after pics has made me all the more excited/anxious. I can't wait to be able to post my pics in this thread. Congrats to you all!

Laura, I too wonder what type of medication I'll get. I'll post it as soon as I know. Bee, when they did the abdominal sonogram they found two very small gallbladder stones, yet all my urine tests are completely normal, and the gallbladder itself looked normal (except for the stones). I wonder if they have anything to do with my lazy stomach.

Hello to all who read this, although I'm new to the forum and this is my first post, I've been spying on you guys for a while. (Sorry! ) I still don't have a date for my surgery, I've been doing all the pre-op exams/blood work, et al. and get the results of my last exam in three days. I have some concerns about some of my results and am wondering if any of you have been through this. I had my gastroscopy done 16 hours after my last meal (no liquids either), and the photos showed my last meal virtually intact (yes, I know I have to learn to chew more) still in my stomach -- 16 hours later! The gastroenterologist said I have an extremely slow digestive system, obviously, and that she could help me with medication. I have an appointment with her the day after tomorrow and I guess we'll discuss that, but she's not part of the bariatric doctors team who'll do my surgery. So I guess my question is, will I have to go through some lengthy treatment before surgery in order to fix whatever's making me keep all my meals in my stomach for hours on end? Will I get rejected for surgery because of my lazy digestive system? I can only imagine having to eat once a day after surgery 'cause my stomach will always be full... Or being declined for surgery, which would be an awful blow. If it were up to me I would have had the surgery two months ago. So, has anyone else had an extremely slow digestive system? If it helps, I'm 34, 5'5", 220 lbs and my metabolism runs at -10 mph as well. I look forward to getting more involved in the forum, and thank you for reading.