McButterpants

Hey, Tiki. I know how you feel...I was sleeved on 11/14, so we are probably close in surgery dates. I vowed today I would scream if I saw another Protein shake...Then I had to drink one. I got about 1/2 way thru and couldn't finish it. I'm released to do puree tomorrow, I'm lucky. Hang in there over the weekend. You're so close to December 3rd. Sending positive thoughts your way.

RJ, Your journey has been like no other that I've heard about. In your writing to people in this forum, you are always respectful and you provide a unique perspective. You are a valued member of this community. I'm sorry to hear about your most recent setback. That has to be frustrating for you. I am sorry you're going thru this, but you will get thru it. Sending you best wishes for a speedy recovery! Keep on fightin', sweetie.

Kind of like staying away from the drive-thru's!!!!!!

What a great feeling! Congrats on your NSV and OMG - look at how much weight you've lost. Thanks for sharing!

I am going to go thru my closet this weekend. (My husband counted 52 t-shirts before we left for surgery - wow, that surprised me.) I, too, have a weird attachment to my fat clothes. I have clothes from size 10 - 22. The 10's are about 17 years old. (In fairness, two of the items are the outfit I wore when I met my husband - I'm keeping those). I have a couple of pairs of jeans that still fit, but my tops are getting too big. I talked to my husband about getting just a couple of things, so I don't feel like I'm wearing a sack when we go somewhere...He agree with one caveat...For every article of clothing I bring in, I need to get rid of 2. Heck, if I just get rid of my t-shirts, I'm good getting 26 articles of clothing! Oh hell yeah!!!!!!

I think Starbucks is no different than any other choice you will need to make during this marathon. I'm a moderation type of a person...I won't be able to go to Starbucks every day as I would like to and have in the past. It will be a treat. Starbucks has some great alternatives to their full-fat, sugar-laden drinks. For me, success means making a plan each day and sticking to that plan. If you plan on going to Starbucks, maybe incorporate and additional walk afterwards or some extra time at the gym. I'm two weeks out tomorrow - I can't get a short down before it gets cold anyway...I drink about 1/3 of it and toss the rest. I hate throwing it away! :-)

I'm going to address your concern about stomach cancer which may or may not happen...I was concerned about this because my grandmother passed away from stomach cancer and that was the first thing I though of when the doctor suggested the sleeve. Here's how I reconciled that concern. The VSG was originally designed as the first step in a two step process for patients that were severely morbidly obese - we're talking the 500 pounders. They would perform the VSG, then once the patient lost some weight, they would perform a gastric bypass. What they found was this was a good surgery for people who weren't as heavy and even some of those original candidates didn't need the bypass. So, my theory is, there is a Plan B if something goes wrong with my sleeve. You can go to a bypass if needed.

I'll expand on my response above... I started out my journey hoping that insurance would pay, so I went thru the hoops with a local doctor - doctor evaluation, NUT and social worker meetings and lab work. I am glad I did - I'm a datahead, so the more information I have, the better. My surgeon also has a series of about 8 hours of pre-op videos on the psychological impact of this surgery - they are awesome. It really helped prepare.

I probably could have helped put on a Christmas dinner one week after surgery. I couldn't have done it alone or even the majority of the preparations...

Hey, Jayson. I was sleeved on 11/14, so we're close in dates. I have no issues getting about 8 ounces down in an hour and have for quite a few days now. Water can go thru your sleeve quickly. I still can't eat a whole egg, however - I don't feel pain, but I can feel "not really hungry anymore". I'm taking that as my cue to stop. It's about 3/4 of the egg with some cheese on it. I agree with above, you just need to listen to your body and figure out what your signal is.

I had to provide my doc with EKG and bloodwork prior to booking a date. I had to answer the psych questionnaire. I didn't have a requirement to talk to their NUT prior to surgery, although she was available to me if I needed something. I only had to do a 2 week pre-op diet. I arrived in his office the day before surgery and attended an information session where they detailed what was going to happen on surgery day and then the NUT gave a presentation. I then met with the doc for about 20 minutes. Four days after surgery, I went back to his office for a follow up and he released me to travel back home where I will start seeing my local doc.

Yeah, my policy had the exclusion as well. My surgeon suggested talking to the Human Resources Department to see if there was anyway they would pay for the Weight Loss Rider - I have no idea how much that costs, but my company wasn't willing (they are actually increasing our rates by 13% next year for the same coverage). If your husband is willing to talk to them about it, it may be worth a shot. They worst thing they can do is say "no". Good luck, sweetie!

Great job, Mel!!!!!!!

I took measurements before surgery...It's nice to see the inches melt away, especially if you're at a stall on the scale. I measured my neck, bicep, bust, chest, waist, hips, thigh and calf.

You look fantastic! I love your new "do"! Wishing you continued success!!

Look at you rockin' that dress!!!!! You have a beautiful family and you all look so happy. You look gorgeous!

Butterthebean has a great link in his signature that states in clear language why stalls happen...it's worth a read. Here's the link: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.UpVYpxaTNdg

I'm glad this thread was resurrected! What a great inspiration, Big Frank. Thanks for sharing (even it if was last year!). I wish you continued success!!!!!!

The scale has never been my friend and weight loss surgery hasn’t helped our relationship. When I diet, I tend to weigh every day, perhaps multiple times during the day (a mid-afternoon weighing will have to take into account being fully clothed and if I ate recently or if I just drank a lot of liquid). When I am not dieting, the scale sits there, neglected and collecting dust. Since we arrived back home on Friday (five short days ago), I have probably weighed 12-13 times. Yes, that’s averaging over two times per day. This is not a healthy behavior. Here’s what happened yesterday…I weighed in the morning and the scale said I “only” lost a half of a pound since the morning before. I think a normal person would log that and move on. Not, me and probably not many obese or formally obese people. I thought about that measly little number and wondered what was wrong with me the entire day. Why didn’t I lose more? I calculated my total weight loss. I calculated my loss since surgery. I calculated my loss since Friday. Over and over and over again all day long. Then I had a mid-afternoon weigh-in, subtracted for clothing and it was about the same and still feeling disgruntled. Why do I do this to myself? It makes no sense. I get hung up on the numbers that the stupid scale says – I relinquish all power to that stupid scale. When you look at it in reality, there is no possible way I am not losing weight. I am only taking in about 500 calories per day. My body right now (without exercising) burns at least 2000 calories daily. There are about 3500 calories in a pound. That calorie deficit adds up quickly, especially once you add in a walk here or there or start incorporating exercise. So why do I care so much about what that evil, bathroom-dwelling scale says? How can it have so much power over me? We need to Celebrate our non-scale victories (NSV’s). These are those little wins you get that are not necessarily related to the scale. Just in the past couple of days, I have had some. I tightened my FitBit Flex up by one notch (this means my wrist is smaller today than it was a few weeks ago when I got it). I tried on my winter coat last night and it fit. A few weeks ago, it was uncomfortable to zip up with just a t-shirt on, so I only used the Velcro fasteners to give me more room. Last night, not only could I zip it, I could have probably worn a sweatshirt and it would have still been comfortable. So, what am I going to do about it? I’m going to have my husband hide the scale. It will come out once per week on Thursday’s for a weekly weigh-in, then back in hiding it goes. As for my brain…I’m not sure the hubs can hide that. Do you do this to? How often do you weigh?

Thanks, Roo! The hubs hid the scale this morning...no weighing until my official weigh-in date, Thursday, then it's being hidden again for a week. Isn't it funny how our rational brain knows what's right, but that fat girl in our minds takes over and taunts us? It's true what they say, the doc operated on the tummy, not the brain. Congrats to you and your success! I hope you're recovering well.

Agree with the above, you need to stick with your doctor's plan and I would be surprised if that included anything SlimFast... Also you should choose a quality protein whey isolate - Premier Protein, Unjury, Nectar, etc. They are light on carbs which is important, but more importantly, the contain quality protein which is vital at this stage. Be kind to your new tiny tummy!

I was just thinking about you this morning - hadn't seen any posts from you in a while. Welcome back!

Sounds like something is hinky in Whoville with the pricing you're getting. Fly to Vegas for Dr. Umbach (Newsweek Showcase's #2 Bariatric Surgeon in 2012, I think). There are cheap flights from everywhere. I paid $11K. Was sleeved 2 weeks ago. I can't say enough good things about the folks there.

Celebrate! I can probably count 2 or 3 times in my lifetime (44 years of age) where I can recollect the kind of cake that was served at an occasion. Make memories of your celebration with your family and friends...not the cake & ice cream. That cake you were going to eat is going to last about 10 minutes and you won't remember it the next day.

Been having that issue myself. It was 5 days after surgery (last week) when I told my NUT that I hadn't poo'd. She freaked a little. I got a probiotic and some Metamucil and that got things moving. I went a couple of times the following 3 days, but since then, nothing. Now, I'm having that same feeling, but having a hard time getting things moving, if you know what I mean...I've tried the probiotic and Metamucil again, but nothing. Hubby suggested a cup of real coffee - I laughed at him, but he may have been onto something if it worked for you guys.