Daydra

Don't know how long it's been for you, but it is going to take some time for your brains interpretation to catch up to reality. You hear a lot of comments like this in Weight Watchers meetings and other weight loss groups. That's why scale numbers and measurements can be so important as we lose, because our brains just don't get it right away and we can get discouraged because our perception is that we haven't done well enough or changed enough or whatever. It also works in the reverse. People can sometimes be shocked when they realize how heavy or how big they've gotten because they're brain takes awhile to catch up. Totally normal. Good luck! Just keep surrounding yourself with things that show how far you've come: pictures, clothes, whatever.

Congratulations on your hard work and success! Something else to remember... some might not say anything because they don't want to make you uncomfortable either. Maybe they aren't entirely sure and don't want to create an awkward situation for either you or them. Who knows? I'm usually asked if I've lost weight after I've had a gain of a few pounds, which is totally par for the course. Memory is so fallible that you can never really tell...

I gotta admit, that's the only thing that I'm really terrified about. I'm not sleeved yet, but I'm not really worried about complications or recovery or even adjusting to the diet. I am only really scared that I'm going to go through all of this just to start gaining weight again. I keep having to remind myself that I've already made most of the changes that are required to convert to a "normal-sized person lifestyle", but just need to get this last piece of the puzzle done so that I can be successful long term. I lost 115 pounds within the last few years and put 50 of it back on, which is what made me consider surgery again. I think we're all going to have some level of lingering fear that we could gain it back. I think that's what tells us that it's important to us and just might be the thing that keeps us on track in general. For me, the key is going to be to continue food journaling and weighing every day so that if I'm up a pound or three and can't attribute it to unusually hot weather, a higher than normal intake of sodium, or hormone flux, I dial things back or do an extra couple workouts before it gets out of control. It's still going to be hard, but I know that we can do it. I think that it's the people that get lulled into depending on the sleeve and not paying attention to food and exercise that are at highest risk for gaining. Well, in the world according to me, anyway...

Yes. I've ordered a couple times within the last month or so. No problems at all. I ordered one of the sample packs (the second time, to get the flavors I didn't choose the first time) and they had one flavor backordered. They shipped what they had immediately, and the flavor that was backordered came just 2 days later. They legitimately could have held the order until it was complete, but chose to pay the additional shipping costs to make sure as much of my order as possible got to me as quickly as possible. I have been pleased.

Yes, essentially. The Bodymedia claims to be 90% accurate. I feel extremely comfortable with their claim based on my own experience. I've used the earlier versions since 2009 and have never ever felt led astray. I am totally with you on the upgraded pedometer!!!

In my opinion? Nothing. It all depends on how much data and how accurate you want your device to be. I usually just buy service for a year at a time. It makes it more like $4/mo. There are a lot of people that aren't interested in the level of data that I am, and would be perfectly satisfied with a device that doesn't have sensors and doesn't require a subscription. I switched for a short time to the Weight Watchers device (can't recall the name right now) and was really really disappointed because I was used to so much more information than the WW device could provide.

Had mine done a week and a half ago or so. Wheeled me into the OR, I laid down on the bed and they put in the IV. Once I was situated (they didn't put anything in my mouth at that point, just made sure I was comfortable, the anesthesiologist told me he was pushing the meds. I got some fuzzy vision, then prickly warm cheeks, then nothing until I woke up in recovery. I was coughing pretty hard, but didn't have any pain. My throat did start to hurt shortly after I woke up, but lozenges were effective. The sore throat pain was not a big deal. A lot like getting over bronchitis or something. Gargle with warm salt Water and use lozenges, and you'll be fine. My throat was sore for a few days, but I didn't gargle like I was told to, and I was having some pretty significant post nasal drip, which gives me a sore throat anyway, so I don't know how much was actually the procedure. Good luck!

Congrats! I'm sure you'll do great!

Congrats to you! I'm at the same clinic, but not until the 23rd. Chock is my surgeon. Who did you pick? Best of luck! Hope you are doing okay with your pre-op diet! I've tried to do a practice run a couple times. First try was an epic fail (I hadn't figured out which Protein shakes I was willing to drink...), and today, I nearly made it to dinner! (I'm sure my failure to adhere had nothing whatsoever to do with it not being critical until next week!)

1 - Thanks! I might try that trick if I wear something that I really don't want it to show! If I'm wearing something that it really bothers me that it shows, I'm likely going to be standing around trying to look pretty, anyway, so some moderately inaccurate measurements aren't going to be a big deal anyway. 2 - Those dirty birdies! I knew I would end up having a reason to buy a new one before the old one wore out!!! Ah, well, such is technology... Thanks for the info!

Wow. I'm sorry that you are having to deal with all of these difficult aspects of your life right now. I have to strongly disagree with some of the responders. You are not responsible for your husbands insecurity. You should not be made to feel guilty about seeing to your own needs. And you are in no way responsible for what your husband chooses to do. I expect that in therapy, that will be brought up. What you do need to do, is determine what you are willing to put into the relationship and what you are willing to accept from the relationship. If you aren't happy in the relationship, that's okay, you just need to decide if you are willing to work on it or not. If not, that's okay too. I would just recommend against having an affair, no matter how appealing that might sound occasionally, because that will just create a whole new level of complication in the relationship and in your own mind that will be difficult to deal with. I do agree with the other posters regarding the drug making... That sounds like much more than a relationship problem, and hopefully you will address what precipitated those actions in therapy. Best of luck

You make a particularly good point in this post. All the things that led us to be overweight to begin with are still there. I've recommended therapy in other posts, but I literally think it's a good idea for every single person that comes to this place of needed surgery get at least some therapy. There are a million different reasons we got here. It could be medical, it could be emotional, it could be bad habits, or something else. Unfortunately all those things create or are created by some baggage that will need to be dealt with, and a professional is a really appropriate place to talk those things out and get help with developing strategies. And let's face it. For most of us, the psych eval we do to get authorization for the surgery is a complete joke as far as a real assessment of mental/emotional status goes. They are just looking for any reasons that might outweigh the benefits that are likely to be gained by going through surgery. Mine was a 30 minute phone conversation. Anyway, with the heartfelt desire for each person going through this to have the best experience and the best chances for lifetime success, I would urge all to find a therapist to consult when you are feeling like things are tough, or you are not sure how to address any particular struggle. You don't need to think that you will get sucked into some weekly appointment. Most therapists let you determine how often you feel like you need to go. It might be more often at first, then later you will probably only make an appointment when you feel like there is something that is bothering you. Make use of all the resources available to you. Don't forget to consult your nutritionist or the staff at your surgery center as well. Best of luck to all!

Try one of the chicken Soup protein supplements. I've been using unjury. It's really not bad, though it is really, really salty. If that's what you're craving, though, I'm sure it would satisfy. I also found that since you drink/eat/whatever it warm, you get a little bit more satisfying sensation from consuming it. www.unjury.com. I think there are a couple other brands that do a chicken soup Protein powder as well, but I'm not sure which ones off the top of my head. Good luck to all of you struggling with the pre-op! I'll be there in a couple weeks myself. I'm working on strategy right now...

Awesome! I know you will love it! Good luck!

Oh, and I have a Motorola Droid Razr Maxx hd android phone and have no trouble with any linking. If you want smartphone functionality, you need to buy the Link model. If you would prefer using a watch-like monitor, you can get the Core model. I just checked on the website and the Core model is 25% off right now. My interpretation of the difference in individual accuracy between something like the Fitbit and something like the Bodymedia... Fitbit has to rely on calorie burn assumptions based on the average person with the height/weight data entered into your profile. Bodymedia can actually measure how hard you are working, which may not be the same as the average person with your measurements.

I was unimpressed with the fitbit. I have used a Bodybugg for several years and just upgraded to the newer Bodymedia Link. It is a sensor that is worn on the back of your left arm with an armband. I'm extremely confident in the accuracy of the monitor (except for sleeping. It's way off for sleeping, but I would expect anything would be off for me, because I have a sleeping disorder and I spend a lot of time reading in bed at night waiting to go to sleep.). It is a triple axis accelerometer with skin temperature, galvanic skin response, and heat flux sensors (just sounds sexy and technical, doesn't it?). I love the amount of data that it provides. I could tell you for any 6minute segment of the day how many calories/minute I was burning. I was using the bodybugg (which is basically just the older version) while I was really dedicated to weight loss and triathlon. The data, tracking, and interface helped me to lose 115 pounds. I knew every week what my weight loss was going to be based on my downloaded data and my food log long before I ever stepped on the scale. I have 2 complaints about the Bodymedia: 1 - it's not invisible, so I sometimes have to explain that thing I'm wearing (but that can be fun sometimes, because people think it's cool) and 2 - it's not waterproof, so I can't use it to measure calories I burn during a swim. MyFitnessPal interacts with the Bodymedia interface. You can link your accounts and use MFP to log your food if that's what you're comfortable with and it will be transferred to your Bodymedia interface so you can look at all your other data. I can't say enough good things about the Bodymedia... but I guess I'm a bit of a geek...

Wow, I wish I could help, but I envy you your ability to stick to a mostly unprocessed diet. I've always had this ideal of sticking to whole, unprocessed foods, but inevitably at some point it just seems like too much work to fit into my lifestyle. Best of luck, I expect it will take a significant amount of research to figure out what recipes and products will give you what you need after surgery, but I know you can get it worked out! It takes a lot of determination not to become complacent and let processed foods into your diet. Best of luck to you! I would love to hear what strategy you decide on!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Thank you so much for making this post. Your success is absolutely awesome and will be an inspiration to all. There are so many people here that seem to be frustrated with wherever they are in their journey, whether they don't feel like they are losing "fast enough" or whether they are in a stall, or whatever. I know that reading your post and seeing your photos will inspire them to keep going! (Myself included, I'm sure, as I begin to lose after surgery this month! I was once a 30/32 as well.) Really, congratulations and great work!

That response would be a red flag for me... I don't like either of the possible things I can think of that a response (or lack thereof) like that would signify: Either the surgeon has had patients die and doesn't want that information widely known (worst case, obviously), or simply is reluctant to give you ALL the information you need. Neither of which would be acceptable to me, personally. Best of luck

So, how do you respond to the following? "You could lose this weight if you really wanted to...you just need to have more discipline, not surgery!" You just need more discipline to stop wearing those hideous shirts... Ass. "You shouldn't mess with what God gave you - he gave you a big stomach - that's what you should keep!" Pretty sure this 49" waist size didn't come out of my mom's va jay jay... "It's all just a fad....hopefully, you'll 'come to your senses' before the surgery!" You're an idiot. Do you even read? Oh, you've got a little drool right there... "Why would you want to do that - you could just go to Weight Watchers and get the same results!?!" You ever been to a Weight Watcher's meeting? It's like a freaking class reunion! Every few years all the same people are back to try again because this time it's going to be different. I've had some strange comments thrown at me in the last few weeks - I need some decent responses to shut these naysayers down!!! **reposted from "Deal with what God Gave You and Other..."

I've decided too many people SUCK... I deleted my FB page months ago because I decided I like people a lot better when I DONT know what they are thinking all the time. Seriously, though. I am so sorry both to all of you that have had to deal with negativity from the ignorant and hateful folk and to those of you that feel inclined to "hide" it because of your expectation of receiving negative responses. I was fortunate to only have to deal with my dad's negativity, but he's negative about everything ("Hey dad, I get to go waterskiing with some friends today!" Initial response: "Don't let the tow rope get wrapped around your arm. It will get amputated!"), so I was fairly well prepared to roll my eyes and move on. All of my friends and coworkers have really been super and supportive. They've all known me for years and watched me start doing triathlons and lose 115 pounds (then gain 65 back...) and know that I have definitely busted my rear working on my weight for my entire life, so they are just happy for me at this point. There is another post similar to this one that I responded with some fun snarky comments. I'll try to find it and repost it here.

It's the Roid Rage talking...

unjury products are at www.unjury.com Most of them are reasonably palatable. Even their vanilla isn't terrible (why oh why is vanilla sooo hard to get right???), though I haven't found a vanilla that is actually good. BJs Bariatrics www.bjsbariatrics.com has a sampler pack for the Syntrax Nectars that is only about $15 for 11? packets of flavors you get to choose. They try to make shipping as reasonable as possible. I prefer the fruit juice flavors to the sweets personally. I really did not like the apple flavor in particular, though. I found the unjury chocolate splendor to be too sweet. I would have rather had it with 12 or 16 oz of milk instead of 8. I haven't tried the classic chocolate yet. I imagine I will prefer that to the splendor. But, who knows which I will prefer if mixed with Water instead? Good luck!