built2livenotexist

Professional smoker. Love smoking; the only thing I hate about being a smoker is rabid non-smokers. I quit very temporarily for the surgery, also using vapor and resumed smoking as soon as I could. I definitely smoke more since the surgery. I've never tried any of the prescription quit aids but I've known people who quit for good using them. I'm currently of the 'one thing at a time' mindset and I only stopped for as long as I did so that I could have the surgery. If my surgeon had done nic testing, I'd have been screwed. The best advice I can give is that if you want to quit and can't do it on your own, ask for help from your doc or surgical team.

Oh and I get in 100g protein daily without fail.

I almost 10 weeks out and use MFP. I average around 850 calories per day, 23g(or less) net carbs and 30g fat. I sometimes increase the calorie intake or fat intake but learned the hard way about keeping the carbs under 30g.

I got mine at Costco. It's digital and I weigh everything I eat at home and log everything in MFP.For liquids and softs(yogurt, cottage cheese, almond milk)I use measuring cups. One of the most important lessons I've learned thus far is how much my eyes and brain tell me I'm hungry for and how that translates tangibly to my new tummy. I have never weighed out a total of more than 6 oz of food and depending on what it is, I usually can consume about 80% of it. For me, although I have the best of intentions and the lack of capacity to gorge myself, the act of being responsible around food, taking time to plan for meals, weigh them and sit down and actually chew my food, is a big deal. I was never ever mindful of what I put in my mouth before this journey began and weighing and logging my food is an important part of being accountable for my own success.

I had a mishap with my app due to keeping my ex husbands last name but being remarried after the fact and never changing my name legally. I didn't find out that the app was on hold until 2 weeks before I was to fly out. I got the needed documents, and expedite fee and overnighted it. Got my passport 4 days later. Good luck.

I am so grateful for this thread. My Uncle died very early Christmas morning after a brave battle with ALS. Christmas was cancelled at our house and we jumped in the car immediately to be with my Aunt. It was a 10 hour drive from home to middle Georgia and I was unprepared and frazzled. I haven't been overeating but my choices have been limited, especially during the drive down(Christmas day;most things closed) I did get to a local grocery to grab a few things, but trying to manage my program away from my own fridge and kitchen has been hard. I've logged my food and managed to stay under 1000 calories but I was really feeling awful about some of the choices I've made over the last week. I'm grateful to see such encouraging posts about getting back on track.

Had a great experience with him. He was kind, attentive, and answered all my questions and concerns pre and post op.Puerta Vallarta was beautiful and my surgery was a success(Sleeved October 22nd, down total of 44lbs)

" You don't look nearly as wide as you're walking away."

I'm not sure why more people don't use Genepro, but I love it. I've been using it since after surgery and so far so good. It may be because you have to order it online and some folks don't want to wait. I've seen skeptics and downright haters of this particular product because it seems unbelievable to them that it could do what it claims to do. Kinda like my grandmother the first time she saw me with a cell phone.

50 lbs is equivalent to the average weight of an 8 year old child. Perhaps it doesn't seem like a lot to some people but it is a lot especially when you consider the weight being lost is comprised entirely of actual fat. The idea of judging someone's motivations or worthiness when it comes to having WLS, seems a little ridiculous to me. I know for myself that people scrutinizing my body, weight and eating habits (and what I chose to do or not do about it) is just as inappropriate now as it was 50 lbs ago....and the 50 before that.

Mushing it up in your mouth and getting it soggy is not what I would focus on. I would check your list of approved foods and see if ANY food fried in fat is on that list. There is a reason that we re-introduce foods in stages. At two weeks, out I would seriously follow the directives your WLS team has given you so that you can make the most of the tool (sleeve) you have.

I've been working with my therapist for a few months now specifically around my relationship with food, my body image and how that translates into some of the behaviors that have lead to poor health, not just with food but other things as well. If I were ever charged with being unkind to my body, I'd get the chair for sure. What has really helped me deal with some of the emotional issues has been 2 really great books that I would recommend to anyone interested in self-help and who struggles with the mental part of this battle. Breaking Free From Compulsive Eating and When Food is Love: Exploring the Relationship Between Food and Intimacy, both by Geneen Roth. Both of these books really spoke to me and have helped me to recognize many of the underlying issues that are married to my self destructive nature.

I totally get it. I am 8 weeks out and down a total of 38 lbs and although others see a big difference, I just don't see it. I've had some pretty awesome NSV's (being able to cross my legs, fitting into clothing that I haven't worn in over a year) but a previous poster had mentioned looking in the mirror and seeing the weight that still needs to be lost. That describes my outlook perfectly. It's hard not to compare yourself to others, whether on this board or IRL. I just try to internalize what the more experienced sleevers post over and over.....be patient, make sure to get in my protein and water, follow my program, and move my body. I'm not allowed to have nuts yet but I had some veggie chip( 1 freaking oz) and it was like I fed the beast. So...no more veggie chips.

I honestly started with shapewear around 8 or 9 days out. I've got a B belly and the incision sites were right above the waist of my pants and the sites would get sore when the fabric would rub against them; even with yoga pants. The shaper sucked me in and put a barrier between the incision sites and the waistband. I wear the Flexees line(wear your own bra) one piece shaper from Maidenform which I typically find at Kohls or Macy's. Love it so much more than Spanx brand.

My mother always told me "Can't nobody ride your back unless you bend over. "(Southern charm, right? ) I do get it. I've been in a situation where where I've made someone a priority and they only looked at me as a possibility. Yuck. It's ironic how I want to be treated a certain way(or so I claim) but have, on more occasions than I'd care to admit, accepted less than that. It's like I laid out the welcome mat that says, "Desperately want to be loved, but will accept lukewarm affection and any form of emotional unavailability, instability or personality disorders! " Thank heavens those days are long gone. I'm sure your dating life will get better when you feel better about yourself. People will treat you better when you treat you better.

@@orionova! Holy hog balls I know that hurt! When I first got my piercing about 15 years ago the same night I got it it got caught in my hair in my sleep and was ripped out. I still remember the shock and pain of that! The labret piercing was easy peasy and healed very quickly but those cartilage piercings are horrible.

@LipstickLady....I just love you. Awesome tips.

I see a therapist weekly for about an hour and a half and have been seeing this particular therapist for about 18 months. She employs both DBT and CBT techniques and has really helped me to become aware of not just who I am, but who I'm not, my life experience and more importantly how that transfers over into some of my behaviors, and responses to stressors. I've learned that a lot of the messages I've believed about myself, my worth and my body are seriously off-road and we've been working weekly on these specific issues since before surgery. I was diagnosed with an eating disorder but whether someone has this diagnosis or not I think that there are always underlying issues that are unresolved. In my opinion, when you're killing yourself forkful by forkful slowly over a period of years or even decades, there is a disconnect with self.

I had to remove both my nostril and labret piercings. I was prepared because I went through the same thing when I had my tubes tied in 2011. I, too, prefer the plastic, temporary jewelry. You should be fine as far as the hole closing but put it back as quick as you can(couple days) because the thin mucous membrane in your nose can close pretty quickly. I lost my nostril stud in the shower while washing my face a few years back. I procrastinated on getting a new one and wound up having to do a re-pierce after only 3 weeks and this was years after the initial piercing. It was open on the surface of the skin but not inside the nostril. Now, I always carry 2 spare pieces of jewelry just in case one is lost.

I'm not sure that I would've taken the same course of action. I have to admit that ever since deciding on and having the surgery, I am much more aware of the morbidly obese people with whom I come in contact. This surgery is a huge deal and the decision to have it wasn't any easier to make than it is to comply with all of the requirements that come pre and post op. I can't imagine looking at another person, in whose shoes I've been, and thinking " Why doesn't she do something?" or " Why doesn't she just have the surgery?" Everyone isn't a candidate for this surgery and some people just do not have the resources to afford it. There are some who have committed to obesity as their fate; some who have given up. I remember the shame and embarrassment of not being able to or wanting to stop killing myself with food. On many occasions, I caught the judgemental looks of others as I was lifting the fork to my mouth. I had many people express what they called 'concern' about my weight. I called it being a judgy dbag. I'm not sure if you were fair or not; she'll never know that you didn't give her directions because of her being overweight. Previous posters are probably right about her finding it anyways. What I am sure of is that I didn't have the answer for myself or the motivation until...I did. I don't expect anyone else to.

I've been out twice since surgery(Max and Ermas and a local pizza joint) both times occurred within a week (family in town) Both times I ordered a protein based sandwich without the bread, condiments and because I was on soft food at the time, no raw vegetables. On one occasion it was a huge (for my sleeve) serving of deli turkey and the other was a 4oz grilled chicken breast. I substituted out the fries with cottage cheese which I never got to anyway. I also consulted MFP firsthand so that I could choose wisely. And really important is to ask the server questions..is the chicken grilled with butter, is the applesauce unsweetened, is the syrup in the peach tea sugarfree, etc.