MisforMimi

Brilliant!

@@DLCoggin, I can't say enough how much of a "game changer" your posts are. So relevant to my experience and I haven't even had surgery yet. I cannot tell you how many times I have embarked on unrealistic and therefore unsustainable exercise regimes!!! I don't know if it correlates with the whole food thing, but it feels like the exact same thing as with the new diet. The build-up, the start, the early success, the plateau, the disappointment, the slack off, the complete and screeching halt, the feelings of guilt and sadness for "failing" yet again. And it wasn't until I read your post that I saw the same pattern with exercise that I exhibit with food and diets. Its almost identical! I am learning slowly that I can succeed with small measurable goal-setting and even friendly challenges with myself. In the past, its always zero to 60, couch to half marathon with me. So, thanks for giving hope that there is another way possible.

Just a reminder this happening this Sunday!! A Seattle-area BariatricPal Local Chapter Meet-up. Hope to see a good turn-out! WHERE: Lyons Den Café WHEN: Sunday, November 16, 2014 10415 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell, WA 98011 (425) 892-8954 TIME: 3:00 PM For questions, contact hosts Kay Feather at kayfeather304@gmail.com or Michelle L. at lotus_mimi@yahoo.com or 206-227-2063

Just a reminder this happening this Sunday!! A Seattle-area BariatricPal Local Chapter Meet-up. Hope to see a good turn-out! WHERE: Lyons Den Café WHEN: Sunday, November 16, 2014 10415 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell, WA 98011 (425) 892-8954 TIME: 3:00 PM For questions, contact hosts Kay Feather at kayfeather304@gmail.com or Michelle L. at lotus_mimi@yahoo.com or 206-227-2063

Just a reminder this happening this Sunday!! A Seattle-area BariatricPal Local Chapter Meet-up. Hope to see a good turn-out! WHERE: Lyons Den Café WHEN: Sunday, November 16, 2014 10415 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell, WA 98011 (425) 892-8954 TIME: 3:00 PM For questions, contact hosts Kay Feather at kayfeather304@gmail.com or Michelle L. at lotus_mimi@yahoo.com or 206-227-2063

Just a reminder this happening this Sunday!! A Seattle-area BariatricPal Local Chapter Meet-up. Hope to see a good turn-out! WHERE: Lyons Den Café WHEN: Sunday, November 16, 2014 10415 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell, WA 98011 (425) 892-8954 TIME: 3:00 PM For questions, contact hosts Kay Feather at kayfeather304@gmail.com or Michelle L. at lotus_mimi@yahoo.com or 206-227-2063

Just a reminder this happening this Sunday!! A Seattle-area BariatricPal Local Chapter Meet-up. Hope to see a good turn-out! WHERE: Lyons Den Café WHEN: Sunday, November 16, 2014 10415 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell, WA 98011 (425) 892-8954 TIME: 3:00 PM For questions, contact hosts Kay Feather at kayfeather304@gmail.com or Michelle L. at lotus_mimi@yahoo.com or 206-227-2063

Just a reminder this happening this Sunday!! A Seattle-area BariatricPal Local Chapter Meet-up. Hope to see a good turn-out! WHERE: Lyons Den Café WHEN: Sunday, November 16, 2014 10415 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell, WA 98011 (425) 892-8954 TIME: 3:00 PM For questions, contact hosts Kay Feather at kayfeather304@gmail.com or Michelle L. at lotus_mimi@yahoo.com or 206-227-2063

You.go! That's awesome prices!!! :-)

I'm blessed to have my weight equally distributed on my body. No place jumps at you out more than the other...It's a legit blob over here.... But at the end of the day I'm still 38, with hypertension, borderline high cholesterol, and borderline diabetic. My mother has all full blown disease processes of all my borderlines, plus a pacemaker for afib. My father has all the diseases except he's not obese, just unhealthy and and an amputee due to complications of his diabetes. And people close to me know this (I recently told a close old friend)...The writing is on the wall...I'm on a one weigh ticket to destruction if I continue down this path (pun intended). And the response I get from are :you ain't even big enough for the gastric bypass!! My response in the moment and I've decided I'm keeping it: I've always dreamed of living to 100 and I won't get there like this. Not even close... What do you guys say when people say you are not big enough or are undeserving of weight loss surgery in some other way?

@@Essence46, you got me cracking up! I want a coach purse...lol

Phew! Glad I'm not the only one who is an admitted foodie. I love local, good quality, organic when I when I afford it. Love the neighborhood farmers markets. I cook all of the meals, it is our division of labor. My spouse has been unemployed and that has taken the some of the load/joy off and it's nice to come home to some delicious paleo slow cooker that we will all be able to enjoy. Combined with a bread (for them) and/or salad and veggies, they are meals I'm confident I can enjoy after surgery. I'm a member of a small foodie-ish potluck group that meets quarterly, that I love. Overindulgence is not the focus and I'm the largest person in the group. We pick a different country cuisine each time. I hope I can still enjoy those. It's funny how this is my last holiday season before surgery and I'm still not looking forward to it. I'm completely uninspired to cook, and Celebrate actually. Hmmm.....

I think I got it! Pettit pouchet, little pouch in French! :-)

@@CowgirlJane, I don't know it's supposed to be cold. I hope you can make it. We're meeting solidly at the end of the afternoon. :-)

Oh no @@DylanRae, we are meeting next Sunday the 16th! I hope you can make it back. We'll be in the reserved rooms in the back! :-) Thanks for the catch @@CowgirlJane!

Can I just say I LOVE BariatricPal??!! I wasn't turned off completely but I think the majority of my support will be from this place, my good friends that have had surgeries and a local support group I'm starting with another BP member. That's just me. Not so great things that happened: -One person (who had not done a great deal of research but had a 12/16 surgery date) dominated the meeting with his wife. I felt like we were being held hostage. -The facilitator was a substitute for the regular person and lacked facilitation skills. -A woman who was there supporting her husband who was a couple years out said something rude to me about after I have surgery I'll be cute, too, like the thinner woman next to me who happened to be post-op. Luckily I was thinking quick on my feet and said "I am cute now but thankfully I'm not here to be cute, just healthy." Shut her up pretty quick!! -I was struck how normal people seemed to act and feel at differing stage and everyone talked about the lethargy, I was expecting boundless energy about week 4 of post-op LOL -People were trying to convince me that I needed to take 6 weeks off work, when I simply asked how much they had taken and if they felt like it was appropriate for the work they did. I really hate unsolicited advice. Great things that happened: -I actually went -I saw/met a guy who was 3 years on maintaining 235 lb weight loss. Whoa! -Learned and confirmed a lot of things I've read here and other places -Only one person there had had a complication with their surgery with my same surgeon and it was an ulcer that was being resolved. -Got great tips for surviving holidays All in all I would say it was well worth the hour and a half of my time. It was another snapshot of the process. Allowed me soak in more of the "it's gonna be ok" vibe even though certain people were annoying to me. If available to you, I would highly recommend attending a post-op support session from a place you're planning to have surgery.

Look forward to seeing you there! Yes we are still meeting. The only thing I works say is that parking can be a but tricky but there is a post office across the street that is closed on Sundays.

Great job!

Pretty before. Pretty after. :-)

Girl I'm working my way through some Trader Joe's bon bons. Nothing else too crazy. I do want to eat at a burger spot here in Seattle. They have small grass feed burgers with gourmet toppings. I've always skipped the fries. After that I'm good......My pre-op diet will probably start during Christmas time.

@@*Lexie* That's great. There is the once a month session that is not very well attended. The lady that made the rude comment is the wife of this patient but she has 30 years of nursing experience. She has good information obviously poorly presented and I get the sense that she's part of the reason the meetings are not well attended at least for that location. Anyhow, I'm all for 12 step recovery and I may show up at a real OA meetings in the future.

I love this site SO much, too. I will say, sometimes people are haters, dude. I have no idea why that nurse would go there, but in the end that's not the concern. The goal is to have the surgery (and have someone else foot the bill if possible) and if they are going to pay for the mindfulness classes, CBT and whatever that is only going to benefit you because you (we) need it and like it or not you proved it by gaining the weight back over emotions (anger, frustration, sadness, resentment????). This going to be an unlearning process for all of us- unlearning the ways and habits that don't work and serve us that we have heavily relied on for so many of our excess pounds. By staying in this place of resentment (taking rat poison (ie excess food) waiting for your medical team to die) is not going to get you your surgery and this or an incident similar is going to happen again and again to you (us/me) until we get it right. A lot of people look at emotional or compulsive eating like a disease similar to drug addiction but I think its like cancer. Once you have the disease you have to stay on top of it, follow a healthy lifestyle and hope its stays in remission. We always have to mindful of it. We just came to the planet this way. So, here's the rephrase: @@TatorTot, we believe you can be successful at this and we want to give you some additional tools to help you along the way. We want to offer you some cognitive behavioral therapy to help change your way of thinking and some happy, hippy dippy zen mindfulness classes. We think doing this extra bit of Eastern practice will give a balance of tools in your toolbox to keep your cancer in remission. And keep in mind, tatortot this Eastern stuff is really cutting edge for the Veteran's Administration but we believe in expanding our mission and resources to help folks just like you. We also what the highest return on our investment for all parties involved including you. OK: what's your response now???? Mine would be to go get some Protein drinks and start following a pre-op diet to loose the regained weight and get to work on the classes

@ Can you speak to ages, compliance and how many years out the 4 people you are comparing are? I'm curious.

@@HarleyGirl4 Hey, I have a couple of thoughts (note I am pre-surgery) 1) If there is any way to go to a (post-surgery) support meeting at the facility prior to making a decision, it will be truly enlightening. I would also say to take your time with this, its a big decision. You want to feel you are making the best choice - like your choice is coming from deep within and like its the loudest voice in your head. Can you move your date back without too much hassle? 2) Ask the surgeon about his stitching technique. Some do one and some do "double-stitching" 3) Without knowing your age and co-morbidities its hard to know but I went thinking I wanted the sleeve but as I began my research, I knew I need a negative feedback loop to keep me away from certain trigger foods. I needed the surgery that would give me the best chances to be a lower weight. I have lost weight before without surgery and maintained it for a while right at the percentage of the average EWL for sleeve patients at 3 years out in my surgeon's practice. For me, that would put me at about 200 or sdo lbs and frankly I wanted more weight loss because if I'm going to go through surgery for weight loss (and to get healthy, to get off medications) the lower my weight, the better my chances. Also, my chances of resolution of my high blood pressure is better with the bypass. I want off my meds! in general, the lower my weight, the lower my blood pressure.