Skywalker

@Nothingupmysleeve: Honestly I don't know how this misunderstanding occurred. Either he doesn't want me to get the surgery for personal reasons, or he didn't listen to me, or he doesn't think I'm telling the truth. I normally get along well with this guy, but he wrote the following things in the psych letter that aren't favorable to approval: “She showed up to the interview drinking a Starbucks non fat iced mocha with cream” (I do this occasionally, and this was one of those days. And it wasn't cream, it was light whipped cream, but whatever) “She drinks iced tea and sees nothing wrong with this” (I told him I drink unsweetened iced tea as much as possible, it helps me hydrate and get my Water intake. I don't know why he missed the unsweetened part) “This provider is concerned she may not have sufficient understanding of good nutrition and meal planning to help her maintain a lower weight after surgery” “…..this will be a very difficult adjustment for her” “….she has only recently made some changes necessary for success after the surgery” (Not sure why he put down these things. I have told him that I've been on some kind of diet and exercise for many years, the most recently being Weight Watchers from 2012 to now; I studied nutrition, bought special foods and logged everything. I lost 30 lbs. with great struggle but due to hunger and busy schedule gained it all back. The way he writes it's like I've never tried anything.)

Who gives a s***, Suzy? This is your big insecurity, not anyone else's.

This is a topic that's been on my mind for a while, and one of the driving factors leading me to WLS. I remember not too many years ago having the "full" life experience--hiking, taking family pictures, going on cruises, etc.--and not having to be ashamed of myself for any of it. Recently, I've withdrawn from most of those things and put my life on hold because of weight. I've already decided that, about a year down the road when my weight loss makes me feel like a human being again and I want to dress up, get out, and walk, I'm taking the family for a trip to Disney World. I plan on having the full experience--rides, souvenirs, and of course, pictures taken to commemorate the event. What, if any, is your big plan for when you reach goal? It could be 5K, cruise, or anything....

Hi, Thought I'd get a head start on this forum. I am an AF vet -- military police (security forces) -- and always thought that my weight loss success was in my own hands. I've just recently come to the conclusion that this is one battle I can't overcome by myself, no matter how hard I try. Thus the appointment I just made to have lap band surgery. I am also a member on other veteran's forums, and have worked around the VA (and gotten healthcare there) for several years now. I look forward to meeting you and hearing your stories. I checked with the VA, but at least in Colorado, they have no benefits/schedule for weight loss surgery, so I'm funding this one myself. I have been through the VA MOVE (Motivating Obese Veterans Everywhere) twice, with no success. Fun fact: my supervisor at the VA had the Lap Band procedure several years ago with great success, and referred me to my current physician, who is also a veteran and a graduate of the Air Force Academy. I'm hoping I get my life back, so to speak, and hoping that this is a new start for me. I am married to another AF veteran -- who has just tipped the scales at 270 lbs -- but since he is on blood thinners for life, he is weary of any surgical procedure. I will see how it goes with me, and perhaps he will be open to something similar in the future. I look forward to meeting you all and sharing this journey together.

Lots of people have commented on my weight loss, however, invariably they follow up with "did you mean to lose weight?" They ask because they're making sure you're not sick, like with cancer/chemo or something. The first time my husband did Weight Watchers with me, we both did very well. After about 30 lbs, he got some compliments, but also his boss said, "You're trying to lose weight, right?" I would just take it as a compliment, especially since most weight loss attempts (at least with standard dieting) tick off incrementally and aren't even noticed.

Not to be snarky with you Susysleever, but I'm a CNA, and if I were actually practicing/working, I'd consider myself to be in the medical field. What else would it be, anyway? It doesn't matter whether someone is a Dr., nurse practictioner, RN, CNA, orderly, whatever, if they work in a hospital or something, they're in the medical field. I've found many RN's to be extremely rude, by the way (apologies in advance to the ones who are actually nice people who don't eat their young), and I'm fairly certain that you would get your hackles up if an M.D. talked to you this way.

It might have to do with your decreased intake of food, or body changes. Regarding the decreased intake of food, carbohydrates/glucose is brain food, so a reduction in that (as well as a reduction in portion size) can cause some fatigue and blues. Regarding the body changes, I remember distinctly each time I got out of the hospital (first time for giving birth, second time for gastroenteritis), I felt depressed. I think my body knew it had gone through something and was sending some strange signals to my brain. I didn't feel "right" for several weeks or months until I snapped out of it and felt like myself again. I'm actually planning on having some sort of depression after I get the sleeve; it's surgery after all. But I would still go talk to a Dr. or therapist if this depression doesn't subside.

Damn....this isn't weight related, so I'm not sure it belongs here, but my husband and I have a "friend" we've known for about 15 years, and in the time we've known him he's basically bled us dry when possible by having us cover his meals, run him on errands, and use our car (he has no car, he doesn't feel like getting one). He has major issues with money and delinquency. Despite my desire to be independent, he keeps coming back into our life every couple years. He'll start out nice, but move in quickly, like by suggesting we take out loans or go into business together. When I shy away from the idea he gets hostile and will call off plans to visit, saying things like, "You helped me readjust my priorities. I will NOT be extending my summer trip to see you." Arguing with him is pointless. Worst of all, when he throws these temper tantrums, he waits a couple months and then contacts my husband, saying, "Is she still mad at me?" and acting like I'm the mean one, trying to completely ignore his own behavior and deflect it to someone else. Apologies in advance if this isn't the right thread, but how the hell do I deal with someone like this?

We have a place near us that can make really unique pizzas like that. I think it's called Angelo's. I always like to try mine with artichoke hearts and goat cheese if I can. I also, for the record, love Round Table's Chicken Garlic pizza (with white sauce), although I've only been able to find that chain of restaurants in California...

For high protein? Have you been doing any meat, such as turkey bacon or Spam? I also really, really love hummus--it tastes like tangy refried Beans. Might make an interesting addition.

A good point. Eating 3/4 of one slice of pizza or one piece of pizza, while filling for the WLS person, is seldom enough for those who haven't had the surgery. I think I had 4-5 pieces of pizza last night. But on Weight Watchers, a person could easily lose weight having just one piece of pizza per meal (it's at most 10 points). It's just hard (without the surgery) limiting your intake to that.

So with the sleeve, what does consuming pizza feel like? Do you get through half of one slice and then feel extremely full and bloated? Or do you pick off the cheese and just eat that?

Sounds like your late aunt saw the inner beauty and didn't succumb to all the stupid antics and stereotypes everyone else did.

I could, too! Love that my mom used to say she was going to put a lock on the refrigerator! How sweet is she? I understand how some parents have their hearts in the right place trying to get their kids to lose weight, but I guess the ways they can go about it are a bit psychologically damaging. I'm all for putting overweight kids in Weight Watchers as soon as possible--I think it makes people aware of their foods, their values, and teaches really good eating habits (if followed, obviously). So are you guys OK out there at Ft. Hood, Ashley? Staying safe I hope?

I just wanted to throw this thought out there, because I've been thinking over the last couple weeks about the difference between legitimate hunger and head hunger. In the past, I have not done well on Weight Watchers because I would be out of points at the end of the day, and my stomach would still be hurting/growling. This is something I expect WLS to fix. Now, I think this kind of hunger is different from the hunger where you are bored or you are celebrating a social occasion, and you have that extra slice of pizza or extra beer because you can (you have room for it), and it just tastes so good. An anomaly I've experienced, however, is this--whenever I have the flu, especially if it's accompanied by a fever--food is the last thing on my mind. And that's a good thing. I'm not ever hungry, I'm tired, and I'm preoccupied with keeping my nausea down and minimizing my sore throat, so I tend to only want diet 7-up, and have to remind myself to eat Soup. As a person who's not gone through WLS, having the flu is when I find it the very easiest to follow a diet, and not to obsess about food. I can sometimes lose a good five pounds during these weeks, because food just doesn't mean anything to me, and I'm focused on other activities of daily living. So my question to people who have had WLS--do you now feel like how I've felt in the past when I had the flu? Like your hunger signals are gone and you are just ready to focus on other things? Or do you still try to down that extra piece of chocolate cake and then experience discomfort? I'd be interested in hearing your experiences.

That's a good idea. Before the surgery, I'm going to stock up on Protein drinks (the kind they've been talking about at Costco), and probably soups/juices. After the surgery, I hear people referring to protein a lot, so I think getting a major stash of jerky (again, from Costco) will probably be good to keep in the house and last me a long time. I bought a $500 whole food/vegetable blender, so I might end up using that a lot. I like the blended vegetable drinks now, but have found that after 1 hour my stomach starts growling and asking for more (usually carbs). I hope surgery can cure that particular physical hunger.

I guess that would be a good thing. It sounds like (if I'm understanding you correctly), it takes just a couple bites after WLS to get to the same "OMG, I can't handle any more" sensation that would take a non-WLS several bowls to achieve.

Come to think of it, my Dad said something pretty rude to me several years back. I was gaining weight (depression or whatever), and when I was up at his mountain cabin with him, I commented on the fact that I was a little cold. He got a smirk on his face and said, "Surprising you are cold, with all the excess insulation." Really, it doesn't matter whether I'm 130 or 300 lbs, sometimes my feet have poor circulation and that comment wasn't needed. His wife, I guess, likes to brag here and there that she's dropped 5 lbs. Most people will ignore her or give her an atta boy. One day Dad said, "You've lost 5 lbs so many times, I'm surprised you don't just disappear." Maybe he needs a little bit more work on his consideration/people skills.

I understand your fear, I have had the same one myself. If it helps you, turn the thinking around this way--there is a far greater danger of mortality if you don't have this surgery (such as from heart attack, stroke, etc.). That being said, WLS is usually a very smart, responsible decision for better health, so don't beat yourself up over that. My friend got the Lap Band and got back in shape because she wanted to be there for her kids and grandkids, and she's much better now. We will all keep each other in our thoughts prayers. Blessings and try not to worry about it too much, S

I look forward to having more hummus, and I bet that is great with it being so thin and so full of Protein (and tasty!). I would imagine it makes someone gassy however, being made of Beans.

She sounds like she was maybe not a very good friend. As I'm sure your appetite has decreased with surgery, I would take a bite of each of her offerings, then get a to-go container to pack up the rest. If she gripes that you haven't eaten it all, say you are not hungry but look forward to having it for your next couple meals, as you are exercising portion control. No one should take issue with that--portion control/discipline is, after all, droned on about constantly in today's society.

Like I said, I lost my health ins. So no doctors for another two months. Im off my meds, and if you look at the numbers it appears I shouldn't be dehydrated. I think it's more that I'm not sufficiently hydrated. How much more does one have to drink before their pee doesn't look radioactive? Is there any way you can hop onto Medicaid or just buy a temporary plan through a health exchange in the meantime?