Beni

Ginger, I read Kindle takes insoluble fiber (not the same as soluble fiber such as metmucil) It's hard to find but she adds it to her shake and keeps her regular. Amylynns' doctor has her taking a different type of Iron which upsets the stomach less. Do you remember what level of B12 you were taking, in sublingual form (I think I read you were doing sublingual)? My recommendation was for 500 mcg. I noticed my drops (the only dosage I could find) are 5,000 mcg.

Like with anything, practice makes perfect. I have been eating without drinking at meals for about 3 weeks now. I tell you it is easier then you think. The main reason you had to drink with your meal before was you needed the liquid in order to wash the food down. Without it you have to eat much much much slower which actually causes you to feel full eating a smaller portion. In my opinion the drinking with my meal contributed to my weight gain. If you take a bite, chew a couple times and wash it down with a drink, you can eat a whole plate in 5 minutes. If you have to chew enough (20 to 30 times per bite) to swallow without a drink, after 20 minutes you eat 1/2 of the plate and you are full. It's amazing. I wish I knew then what I know now.

I have an idea about "food with mom" this works for pea soup or anything else When visiting mom bring a 1/2 cup measuring cup and explain to her, after having weight loss surgery, your doctor said, it is very important to eat in portions that size every time you eat because everything is healing inside of you (not busting your stitches). Later you will be able to eat more (later, hopefully will never come) The visual removes the: 1. "Have a bit more soup" suggestion that we all know is coming or "is that all you are going to eat?" to follow. She doesn't have to know that's all you eat 3 times per day. It is open ended in the sense there is the potential that you will have several more meals that size through out the day. We know you don't. 2. Tell mom her soup is delish and you would love to take some home to freeze for later. Tell her how her soup is the best thing ever and you are the luckiest person alive to have a mom who makes the best soup. Good luck

I believe the terminology is as follows Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) also known as Bariatric Surgery Types: 1. Gastric Bypass also know as Roux-En-Y (RNY) 2. Gastric Sleeve 3. Lapband ETC, there are a few other types but you get the idea

@@walkin'onsunshine good to hear from you. Ouch the gas sounds bad. Good to know about the Water. It seems like it goes right through you. I was expecting drinking to be somewhat uncomfortable. The lack of hunger is normal from what I read. I am sure it feels good to be home

I have to admit, I did eat a few things that I know I would miss but ate in small portions here and there because I didn't want any weight gain.

I did water aerobics for years but developed achilles tendonitis doing it. But if you are careful you can manage, I was jumping too much.

Hi AuriP, how are doing today?

Thanks everyone for the support regarding my insurance approval. A October Loser sticks to it true and true! Bread, really. You are the bravest woman I know Amylynns

Lol, tacycakes. Layknee yesterday with "eat what?" and you today with Panera advertising.

INSURANCE APPROVED It's official the 28th is ON. Remember all that worrying about the stupid NUT notes. What a waste of time, it turns out she was right

Nun Ginger Snaps, has a ring to it. That is so funny. My mom is also a few thousand miles away, this is how I can get away with not telling her. Later we'll see.

@@dc0520 I am not sure what WLS you are thinking about but lets look at this in a nuts and bolts kind of way. In all Bariatric surgeries your stomach goes from the size of a football to the size of an egg. What do you think? Are you likely to lose weight under those circumstances? Sometimes a visual is all I need. This is going to be easy peezy. The hard part for me is going to be how likely is it that I am going to like my new circumstances. I'll have to figure out a way of having fun because an egg sized "fun" is not enough. I do have something to add to this, I did take a wonderful Special Education class in College that talked about classroom behavior modification. In order to successful change a students behavior you have to : 1)reward the new behavior. 2)replace it with something else. For example, the student gets free time or a token for computer time after accomplishing class work. But also if you want a student to stop doing something annoying you have to give a replacement, like you can't kick the chair in front of you but you can kick the chair wide rubber band under your own chair. Think replace/reward. We probably should talk about this as a group. We needs some good ideas.

Wow, you have accomplished so much already. I started this process on the first week of July but didn't make my decision until September. I have not even had a month to wrap my mind around the concept that this is happening. I have lost 9 lbs (4.5 KG) which isn't a lot but a victory for me. But I am a fast student! I think you are going to do amazing, and so will I and I am not one of those always look on the bright side kind of people. I honestly think if you do your homework, educate yourself and know what you are getting into with a good plan ahead there is no reason NOT to be successful. There is no other way to achieve success, besides dumb luck. But really how often does that happen? Like never!

Yes, my husband calls me "The master of the hypothetical horrors." I tell him, I have a nice thing going here. Because I think of the worst first and it's not likely to happen, I always come up on top with a most pleasant surprise. If things do go wrong I don't fall to pieces. The WORST is when things go much worse then expected. I can't deal with that. Well, I can, but not well! The down side is I probably spend too much time worrying about my scenarios while I could be doing something more productive. But then I tell him, we all can't be perfect like you. End of convo, lol

Thank you for mentioning the heating pad. I'll go dig mine up and have it ready. I have a nice little list to discuss with my doctor at pre-op consult and Patches are on it. Glad to know you are resting comfortably at home. We all have been a talkin' away wile you were in the hospital. Couldn't help but notice 490 conversations on this Topic. We are a nice and chatty bunch, and I LOVE IT!

Okay, I'm having your recovery. I would like a "no big deal" with a side of protein shake, please. Lol

Great, you have already worked through one of the big worries - surgery. Now you can focus on the next big one, fear of failure. I think knowing your enemy is half the battle. Knowing what you are up against and how you react to things is needed in other to develop strategies to deal with WLS. The good news is, in the short term your surgery will be doing it for you. Hopefully you'll develop some good habits in the first year that will hold you through. But we also have to recognize this is not likely to be easy. I think, a little bit of fear is a good motivator and a healthy reaction to have, don't you?

Thank you cowgirl for calling it like it is. recovery is going to suck. I need that! If everyone tells me it's not so bad, or that it's only a couple days, I'm going to think I'm the only one having it hard and that will make me depressed. I have to get mentally ready and expectations are such an important component of this. A boxer has to get mentally prepared for a fight, not that I enjoy boxing, quite the contrary.

SBB, great to hear you are home. Sorry for your loss of meds on tap. Ruff, in the real world, no? I want me some. But this too shall pass. Distract yourself as much as possible. In just a few days you will be feeling so much better, everyone says so. I know you are not hungry but that Protein shake will have to go in. You need it to heal. We'll be here for you if you need us.

No doubt about it, this is a fantastic support network. you will learn so much and let's face it nobody knows what you are going through but others like you.

Feel like that? Neh! Better answer - all the time. Fear of the unknown is part of the human condition and at times it grips us to paralysis. You have done it before, but Lapband is not for everyone. Look at the statistics for Sleeve WLS. You should be able to at least be in the ballpark of average results. If you can live with that you will be just fine. If you would like to do better, you will have to work harder. I tell my teenage son, who at times doesn't put forward his best effort at school. He will start a quarter and say "I'm going to do better." I always tell him to do better you have to do something different. To want is not enough. Isn't a definition of insanity, to do the same thing over and over but expect a different result. Surround yourself with the best team for success. Know thy self and make a plan for you that will allow you to do so. Psychologist, trainer, etc. Let's not forget success builds success. I firmly believe the surgery will provide so much help in the short term, you'll be caught up in the weight loss ride for a while. If you want this badly enough you will get there. Also, ask yourself, what is the alternative?

Super common from what I read.

Yes, I am going in with eyes wide open and it is very scary. I draw a parallel on this to childbirth. I remember as an expectant mother that other mothers, including recent ones all came up roses as well. When asked "how your delivery went?" Every single person said it went really well. For me it was the most horrible gruesome thing I had ever gone through and mine was a fairly normal delivery. Really well, is not what I would describe childbirth as. Yet, I would do it again. But I felt lied to by everyone, even my own mother, who probably was the most honest of the bunch. Everyone seems to think everything is wonderful and rosie. It is odd to me, as I am not wired that way. If you ask me I will tell you the truth. It will be a balance answer about pros, cons, and what the expect. After that experience I tend not to trust others assessments. I read between the lines and have to dig a hole to China for the truth. I fear I may not be able to cope and that I will be miserable all the time more then anything else. But the alternative is just as bad. Obesity kills and robs you of the chance of having a normal life. So, I have to give it my best shot. It is a leap of faith into the great unknown but it is also a leap of HOPE, one that I do not possess in my current situation. I hope things will workout in the end just like having a baby. Mothers do die in childbirth, some have horrible complications but we all know it's worth it. Many before me had WLS and they ended up okay. Look at everyone on this site post surgery. They are real and their stories inform our futures. You can't grow (in our case shrink) unless you try.

That's funny.