4me4them

Bummer...hang in there...it wont last forever (although it probably seems like it will).

My husband of 29 years was reluctant at first. I was kind of like you in that I had thought about it awhile before I told him I was going to pursue it. He wanted to be supportive but again, like your situation he thought it was extreme and was worried about me undergoing such a major surgery. I asked him to attend the seminar with me and that we would talk more about it after that. The seminar, led by the surgeon opened his eyes to the wider array of health problems being morbidly obese can cause. For him, that was the turning point and I now have his full support. He went with me to my first NUT appointment and also to the first consult with the surgeon. In fact, he is doing the 3 month diet with me... I don't know what I would have done if he ultimately told me he couldn't support the decision. For what it is worth, I think you are taking the right approach with your boyfriend....slow and steady. I wish you nothing but the best as you proceed and will send positive thoughts your way that your boyfriend will see WLS the way that you do. Beth

So I have an active husband. He used to be a runner but now he is a cyclist. He goes on these really long Saturday morning rides, sometimes he can be gone 5+ hours. I'd gotten into a bad habit of having a big unhealthy breakfast on my own, playing on the computer, snacking all morning and then fixing another big unhealthy breakfast when he got home and of course sharing it with him. What a difference 1 week makes. As I said last time, I had my first NUT appointment on last Monday. 1500 calories, watch the carbs, move 30 minutes every day. I'd totally forgotten how much I actually LIKE being outside early in the morning...here in AZ in the summer that is the only time to exercise! Yesterday morning, after a couple of nights of really hard rains I thought I heard a flock of ducks...seriously...in the southwest desert. So I start walking and I'm thinking that when I get to the really big wash (a wide area that collects rainwater for all you non desert folks ) along my way, I would see the ducks. Imagine my surprise when I got there and I couldn't SEE anything...but the noise was definitely coming from the wash. A little internet investigation after I got home taught me that there is a species of frog here that only mates one time a year...usually after the first few monsoons. I never would have heard that sound were it not for my decision to pursue WLS. Which brings me to the title of this blog entry...THIS Saturday morning I got up when hubby left (before 0600), did my 30 minutes had a healthy breakfast, cleaned the dining room, packaged some pre cut veggies.....all before 0830...LOL. Hang in there if you are struggling...keep pushing forward and you too might "hear the frogs". It's never too late to make a new habit. Next time I'll have my craft table all set up and I'll share a picture. It is my "keep Beth distracted when head hunger strikes" plan. Beth

Wow...you look amazing...I'll keep that idea of a side by side in mind for when I get discouraged. How could you NOT be encouraged with visual evidence like that! Congrats on your hard work!

So glad you found out what it was and are doing better!

Consider my fingers crossed for you!

Congrats on being on the other side!

Welcome! This is an awesome site and you will find lots of support. It was my looming 50th (in August) that spurred me to take control as well. I'm not as far along in the journey as you are...I just started my 3 months supervised diet and because of a preplanned vacation/work load I'm shooting for surgery in early December. I'll look for your posts! Beth PS am in AZ where it is finally raining some!

Hi, welcome aboard! I'm relatively new to the site myself I am required to lose 5% of my weight on my own before my surgeon will operate so I didn't have the experience you had. Just started a minimum 3 month supervised diet...I would advise asking specifically WHY they said that just to confirm that A) that is what they meant and/or you heard right! Good luck, you will find lots of folks willing to share here on the site. Beth

I don't meet your criteria but I will look for your posts and offer what encouragement I can. I just had my first nutrition appointment and am hoping to have surgery at the end of November...

Congrats on getting this far! I wonder if this is kind of like having a baby, you can read books, listen to advice....but until it happens for realsies it's hard to imagine and plan for...At least that's what I'm thinking as I start this journey.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing, as someone just starting I LOVE stories from real people who have been successful!

@ Sparklingbeauty53....love love love the idea of the dream box....I'm gonna get a plain cubby paint it with inspirational phrases/mantras and clean out my closet this weekend. The dream box will be full by Sunday...lol Thanks!

First of all CONGRATULATIONS! You are where I hope to be in 3-5 months. I'm not a natural pessimist....really I'm not although this post will seem like I am. I have been wondering lately if I've put too much stock in "being motivated" and "having willpower" and the like. Here's what I mean. My NUT apt was on Monday, so Tuesday was day one of the 3month supervised diet...and one of my goals for the month is to move 30 minutes most days. So there I was on the couch last night thinking...well, even if I dont' go tonight because I don't feel like it (not motivated) I could still get in most days....isn't most day 1 over half? Then I smacked myself upside the head (gently) and took my butt outside because here is what occurred to me...I don't have to want to for any particular reason at any particular time....I just have to do it. NIKE got that one right. Having said all that, I hope I didn't offend you...totally not my intention...my inspiration is my granddaughter who is 18 months old. I want to be able to visit her no matter whether her house has stairs, go to the park and play with her...and if necessary raise her (I am her guardian if anything happens to my daughter).

Tear Bear, I just started this journey so I can't speak about the other side. I do have some of the same worries...in fact Monday was my first nutrition session and she asked...so what are your triggers....for me being tired, happy, sad, celebratory, bored...I could go on and on...I don't need a reason to eat! I Just.Like.Food. For me, I'm using the 3 month supervised diet period to work on my triggers and begin my new relationship with food. I look at surgery as an opportunity to develop a Brand New Relationship with food. It's not lost on me that the diet after surgery is very similar to a baby....liquids, mushies, soft food and then real food. I can tell you that I was surprised by how freeing having the nutritionist give me specific targets for calories, carbs and Protein...I don't have to wing it anymore! So, I kinda rambled in this one....I think worries are natural, healthy and will occur all along the way. For me, I'm more worried about having a healthy life with my grandkids and my husband...just sayin You can do it!

Hang in there....being reviewed is better than denied...

Man, that is horrible. Can you cancel your day off? Maybe you could ask if there is a psych in your hometown you could see. Hoping it works out for you....Beth

So yesterday I had my first nutrition appointment and my initial consult with the surgeon (Dr. Galvani). I thought I was going to have to do 3 months supervised diet, but apparently I wouldn't have to (because of my BMI). However I want to do my surgery in early December (good time to be off work) and so I'll do 4 months with the NUT. Dr. seemed agreeable to my timeline, and the insurance coordinator was not concerned about my approval. The NUT was a hoot...enough energy for all of us! My husband went with me and so she included his calories/targets as well...he only gets 300 more calories than I do...I was surprised. So here is what it turns out my first month targets are: 1. 1500 Calories a day 2. between 125-150 grams of Carbohydrates (will go down in the following months but she figured out pretty quickly I'm a carb-a-holic) 3. between 80-90 grams protein 4. minimum 30 minutes daily moving 5. lose weight (no target pounds given) It was very liberating for me to get some guidelines to follow. I know that may not make sense, but I've been winging it for so long, actually having a target to shoot for that I know will ultimately result in weight loss is kind of cool. I'm using my fitness pal to log my food and we will call it up at my next NUT visit on 04 August. For the first time in a very long time....I believe I can do this! Beth

Congrats! Purging a closet must be an awesome feeling...I can't wait to get there!

Hang in there! Prayers heading your way...

So my 19 month old granddaughter has been here since 30 July. She is awesome, fearless and a perpetual ball of motion. I tried to keep up and with granny naps I did pretty good. One thing my daughter wanted to do was take her swimming for the first time. This posed a huge problem for me in that I haven't worn a bathing suit in public in many many years. I had resigned myself to sitting in the chairs watching and consoled myself with the thoughts that "NEXT year (after surgery and losing weight) I would be able to get in the water and play. And then it hit me....Callie will only have ONE FIRST TIME! So I did what grandma's everywhere do and put the bathing suit on, jumped in the water and played with my granddaughter attachment=46130:Callie at the pool 5.jpg] And yes, that is my arm! I have my first consult with the surgeon and nutritionist today...am excited to get started.

So valuable lesson learned, if you don't log every day there is no way to remember! It was not because I was avoiding what I ate...I have my 19 month old granddaughter with me this week and I just plain haven't had the time...suffice it to say it was not always healthy.

So a couple of Saturday's ago I had to go to traffic school. I was not a happy camper. I have had exactly one ticket in the over 34 years I have been driving... a speeding ticket in 1983 coming back from a Barry Manilow concert (and yes I was a party animal in college ). So imagine my surprise when I got a ticket through the mail. My town has invested a lot of money in red light cameras, speed cameras and such. They even have a van that they park unattended in sneaky places. My picture from three angles, not coming to a full stop before making a right on red. $171.00 for the ticket and $185.00 for Defensive Driving School later I found myself sitting in a small conference room at a local hotel I thought had closed, with 15 other folks to take an 8 hour class. So here's what I learned about my weight that Saturday...I am the worlds champion at rationalizing my behavior away. As folks were coming in we were all like "what did YOU do". So I spin a tale of being sick (we had had the flu for 3 days and I was on a ginger ale run), it being really early in the morning (yep, 0525) and there being no one else on the road (true, just look at the picture). And as I told the story for the 3rd time I had my epiphany...I was telling all that extra information to somehow justify that I had indeed broken the law instead of just saying, I ran a red light and owning up to it. I do that All The Time with eating. Have you ever thought (or even told someone): I really didn't eat lunch, so this pizza is lunch and dinner I worked out really hard this morning, so this donut is not so bad I'm starting fresh on Monday, so the Dairy Queen Sunday night is just a last treat I forgot my lunch, am pressed for time, so of course I had to get the fried fish sandwich through the drive through I could go on but I think you see the pattern. I have developed a great ability to rationalize because it is easier than taking responsibility for my eating actions. Last week, there was a thread in the forums about logging your food intake. I have never been very good at that, because I didn't want to see what reality was...can you say denial. But here's the thing, if I don't get over this mental speed hump, I lessen my chances of having a successful outcome. I go see the NUT for the first time in just over a week and will begin my 3 month supervised weight loss at that time. That doesn't leave much time! So this week I'm going to log everything I eat...in my blog...for realsies! This should be an interesting experiment because my daughter and granddaughter are coming in on Monday and we have the 4th coming up of course so that means I have to fix BBQ Ribs right?

Thursday 2 scrambled eggs, 2 slices toast, 1 cup coffee 1 ham sandwich on gluten free mustard bread with mustard, avocado and sprouts 1 cup unsweetened starbucks iced coffee with 1 scoop chocolate protein powder