Fanny Adams

Thank you Dr Schulman, I appreciate you taking the time to answer.

Dr Schulman I am still in the middle of my weight loss journey but I am looking ahead to the future. I know that I will need a breast lift when I am done, but I am not sure what type of lower body surgery would be best. I have generally carried my weight very evenly and don't have specific problem areas that stand out more than others. I do have a hanging pannis but this is receding as I lose weight. However, I do have two very specific problems that could interfere with surgery results. Firstly, I have a large scar (>10") from fallopian tube surgery performed about 20 years ago. This runs underneath my pannis across the top of the public line and really accentuates the droop of the pannis. For this reason, I'm thinking that a pannelectomy (sp?) would be appropriate. Secondly, I have a large scar (almost 18")that starts to the right of the centre of my spine and about 2-3 inches below my bra line, and goes around the right side of my body to the front, finishing just above the hip bone. This is from a major kidney operation that I had 35 years ago. This accentuates the fold of fat on my waist line, when seen from behind, and makes me lean towards the idea of a lower body lift. Is is possible to have these scars removed or disguised in any way as part of one of the other procedures? Which procedure would be most appropriate to incorporate this into? Or will I end up with THREE scars, no matter which way I go?

I love Pam Ayers!! Her accent really makes the poems too, so if you've ever heard her and can "hear" her voice as you read, it makes the poems that much funnier.

You've (or someone has) already paid for the wedding trip and you said that it was non-refundable (especially if it was someone else!) To me, that would make my decision for me. If the reason you have to wait for a year is because of your surgeon's inflexible calendar, find another surgeon! If it is because you will have just started a new job and don't want to ask for time off up front, talk to them about it and see what you can work out. As someone else suggested, you can get away with a minimum of time off, if you schedule the surgery for a Thursday morning and plan to be back at work on the following Wednesday. That's only 3 days off work but 5 days recovery time. I think you might be uncomfortable and it will be a little tough to go back that quickly but it is do-able, several people in here have done it! If they are good HR people, though, they will tell you to go ahead and do the surgery and take the time you need to recover. In that case, I'd schedule it for a Friday afternoon if you can and just take the following week off, giving yourself both weekends and 9 days total recovery time.

Get thee to a lingerie shop, immediately!! And then, screw up your courage and find a photographer who will take some tastefully sexy glamour photos. Those photos that the doctor took are specifically designed to show up your worst, partly to help you convince your insurance people and probably partly to help convince YOU so that you'll do the surgery anyway, even if you have to self-pay. They might be brutally honest but they are in no way meant to be flattering. I think you'll find that with some nice lingerie, especially a good bra to support the girls and maybe a nice babydoll and penoir set, you'll look fabulous and learn to feel sexy again. Getting a photographer to take the glamour shots might be a scary thought, but seeing yourself in that setting will do wonders for your confidence, even if you never show anyone the pictures and just keep them to show yourself. Don't forget that the doc's pics were taken in the harsh artificial light in his office, probably without any thought of you presenting yourself in a flattering way. It is unlikely (I'd guess) that any possible first time sexual encounter would be under those harsh conditions. It's much more likely that it would be under soft lighting (candles are SO flattering!!), with you looking your best, so the reality will be MUCH closer to the glamour shots than to the doctor's pics.

Thanks Ann. NSV = Non Scale Victory - a celebration of all those little things that come with losing weight, apart from seeing the numbers move on the scale (eg new clothes, being able to tie your shoe laces and breathe at the same time, etc). Size 10 eh? Whoohoo! Congrats! I'm sure that feels WONDERFUL!

I went to update my ticker today but when I clicked on it, it only took me to a graphic image of the ticker in a new window, not to the Ticker Factory update page. I had to go into Edit Signatures, right-click on the ticker in the editing window (not on the display) and choose Open Link. Choosing Open Link from anywhere else, e.g. on a post I've made, just brings up the graphic. Also, I noticed that when I first go into Edit Signatures, the ticker displays in the preview at the right size but after about 1-2 seconds delay, it resizes itself a little bit smaller and the numbers don't display clearly any more. I've noticed in other people's tickers that their numbers aren't showing clearly either. Have you done something to force this resizing? Is it possible that this is why the link isn't working properly?

I tell anyone who seems remotely interested :thumbup: I haven't quite gotten to the point of stopping strangers on the street and telling them, but I've been tempted! LOL! I like educating people about what it means, how it works, why it was necessary for me, plus I'm just so excited about this journey and a very open person anyway, so there's no way I could have kept my big mouth shut :crying:

Well done on your success too - 40kg in 10 months is an awesome achievement!!

Another possibility is that you are in ketosis from going on a high protein/low carb diet. Being in ketosis does cause bad breath and body odour - one reason why I don't follow the high protein/low carb style of dieting. There's no question that the Atkins-like diets work - you do lose weight - but I think there are other problems associated with them, with the odours only being one of many. Still, in the pre-op phase, you are looking to shrink your liver quickly, so as to make the surgery easier for the doctor and reduce the chance of bruising your liver or accidentally nicking it in the op. It's worth the inconvenience in the short term, but for me personally, I prefer a balanced healthy diet in the long term. Weight loss isn't as fast, but it is steady and I know I'm giving my body all the nutrients it needs without requiring supplements or the dangers that I believe are associated with high protein diets.

I could be completely wrong here, but I am sure I have heard the words "I matured at a much younger age than my peers" from many women in here. This makes me curious - is there a link between early onset puberty and obesity? For myself, even though I didn't start to gain weight until my late twenties, I suspect the tendency might have always been there, as I started "changing" at only 9 years old and got my first menarche at about 10 & half. By 12-13 years old, I was fully physically mature, sporting a C-D cup and rounded hips, even though I was only 115lb. So....at what age did you ladies hit puberty? (Sorry fellas, I just don't see how it could apply but if I'm wrong, please let me know.)

That works for "cat" too...just sayin'...

Just don't look at the turkey neck thing that's happening! :thumbup: I'm loving that I'm losing the triple chin but I'm not so sure that the wrinkled neck is a good substitute - I've never had wrinkles before!! *cries* PS: Ooops, forgot to say thanks for the compliments - appreciated :thumbdown:

I've posted this in the main pics thread, but you did ask, so I thought I'd copy the post here: Ok, I haven't posted pics before because my progress has been slow, but I can finally see a bit of a difference in my face. Before at 275lb: Now at 220lb (orange shirt is my "high visibility construction worker" uniform that I have to wear at work, else you wouldn't catch me dead in that colour!):

Ok, I haven't posted pics before because my progress has been slow, but I can finally see a bit of a difference in my face. Before at 275lb: Now at 220lb (orange shirt is my "high visibility construction worker" uniform that I have to wear at work, else you wouldn't catch me dead in that colour!):

Quote: Originally Posted by *Susan* I refuse to eat cat Too easy.....no comment.... ROFL!!

Congrats on your date! Dr Watson is good like that - he went out of his way to make my surgery date convenient for me, as I work away on a mine site 8 days in every 14. Re your question: it depends upon your restriction and whether you want to keep it tight or take it gently. I prefer my restriction a little on the loose side - it does mean that I eat a little more than some bandsters, but I don't have problems with any type of food as long as I'm careful to eat slowly and chew thoroughly. I've never been much into junk food and sweets, so I don't have a huge challenge making good choices as long as I get full on the meals I eat. Other people might like to be more restricted, so that they eat less and don't have to struggle with food choices, but they pay the price of being more sensitive to food types and having PB problems. My average meals are around a cup but I can eat an entree at most restaurants - couldn't manage a main meal though! I like going doing the Chinese banquet thing with family too, as I can have a small spoonful of everything and not feel like I've missed out and still walk away full and satisfied.

Froggi, did you see the news article about that new frog discovered in South America? Here's a link: The incredible purple frog that's one of 24 new species discovered in South America | Mail Online It has the most AMAZING colours!

Don't forget the "extra protein" line!! :biggrin:

You know it's probably not nice of me to say so, but I have a very hard time believing people when they say they only eat 1/4 cup 3 times a day. Do they really use the proper cup measures for that? I mean, look how small 1/4 cup is!! Who could think living on 3/4 cup for an entire day's food intake was a healthy way of living? I take such comments with a fairly large pinch of salt :biggrin:.

Congratulations! It sounds like it has been an uphill battle for you and you have done tremendously well in maintaining or losing even small amounts, without the proper restriction. Now that you're feeling it, I hope the future yields some quick losses to reward you for all your hard work.

LOL! I think I have a grand total of 5 pairs of shoes in all - 1 pair of steel-capped men's workboots (I work on a mine), 1 pair of runners, 1 pair of leather thongs (flipflops?) and umm... umm... 1 pair of ratty old wedge slip-on sandals and umm... umm... ok, make that 4 pairs of shoes all up :ohmy: *edit* And a pair of cheap zip-up black ankle boots! So yeah, five pairs!

Don't forget that an average is just a statistic and there are people who reached 100% of their goal and those who have achieved 0% in that range. There's no reason why you can't be one of the 100% if you work at it :ohmy:.

My two best friends are my mother and my daughter...which is wonderful but also a bit sad in a way.

The trick is small sips and often. You won't be able to slam down a half gallon of water, like you might do now when you get thirsty, so if you are working outdoors and sweating a lot, keep a sipper bottle with you and sip at it constantly.