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@@Cdominguez, Try not to be nervous. It is really about getting you registered, getting current blood samples which they usually do again the day of surgery to check for infections, Iron count etc, urine samples and giving you info you need. Good luck! I hope you have a safe surgery and speedy recovery.

@@sgc, Congratulations on taking steps to get healthier! Any exercise is better than none so if you have to do it in 3 sessions go for it! Also don't forget about the benefit of just plain walking. It is how most of us start and you will find that it is beneficial for many reasons. Your weight starts to come off and you build endurance each time you take a walk. I wish you the best of luck!

@@Daveo, Happy Birthday! Congratulations on your incredible weight loss! There is so much great advice already posted so I don't have much more to offer other than to reinforce what others have said. You seem like a really sweet guy and your girl is waiting for you! Be yourself and get yourself out there. Someone else said this as well, women (even the most beautiful ones) have insecurities. Every girl looks for their Mr. Right, someone to treat them with respect, someone to be good to them throughout their life, someone to love. She is out there alone and waiting for you! Seize the day! Your day is coming, I am sure of it.

I am right there with the others, there is nothing you can do to prevent it if you are one of the unlucky ones. There are some things you can do to ensure it is worse and that is get your Protein in every day, watch your Iron counts and take Biotin which will help with regrowth. I am one of the unlucky ones and have had massive hair shedding. Thank goodness I had an extremely thick head of hair. I now have about 1/4 of the hair I once had and it is still shedding 10 months post op. The shedding will stop when the weight loss stops. The thing is, I would rather have thinning hair vs. my unhealthy self that I had before. I can put a wig on if it gets bad enough. For me, it is totally worth it. One hint, cutting your hair shorter does help to make it less noticeable.

@@Jerr_Bear LMAO! I love that you took the speaker out of that thing. I, like you would be mortified that it announced my weight, especially when I was at my biggest. I think I would have smashed it a long time ago. Hang in there!

@@fit2cmygirlsgrow You will do great! It is an exciting time for you now. As your health gets better and better and you find you can do things you could not do before. Good luck to you!

Hi Dub! I have consciously chosen not to post before and after pics of myself. In fact I have avoided even putting an updated pic on my Facebook page. For me this is one of my incentives when I get to goal. I have 29lbs left to go and have lost 116. I know how much I have changed in the last 10 months and cannot wait to share it but it is one of the things driving me to get to my goal. Along this journey you have to set incentives for yourself. I hated having my pics taken because I was so big. Especially in my face. Last week my son saw me for the first time in 2 months and said Mom your neck is so skinny! Now I love having them taken so I can look at the changes in my face and body. But I want to unveil it when I reach my goal as a gift to myself. So for me, I wait. It may seem silly to some folks but it drives me, I hope you understand

I am guessing that this is exactly what they want you based on what your sheet says to do but it sounds very low. Did they give you an idea of what Protein shakes to use? Geez, I was on a complete liquid diet for 10 days but could have 4 to 5 shakes per day on top of all the other clear liquid stuff. Towards the end I felt like my brain was very fuzzy. Homemade chicken broth became my best friend. Good luck, you can do this! My hubby is doing it right now. He is trying to lose weight and needs to past his sugar addiction. He wanted to see if this could jump start him.

Is this happening to you consistently? I have gone on line myself because I have had 2 episodes of my sugar getting very low. My issue does not happen consistently so I have done nothing about it at this point. I am hoping this is just a fluke. When I went on line to better understand hypoglycemia in gastric bypass patients, it talked about the vicious circle that happens. The best way to treat it is to change your diet removing most if not all carbs. This will stop that vicious circle. I would definately see my doctor asap and then meet with the nutritionist for diet instructions. Not to scare you but This can be a very serious issue if it goes untreated. In severe cases they have had to reverse weight loss surgery to resolve it but this is in severe cases only after they have tried everything else. Call your doctor and good luck!

It's usually that first BM that can take quite a while before you go. For me I went 10 days without one then after that it was probably every 3 days. I am 10 months post op and still have constipation issues. Just make sure you get your liquids in, it will definitely help. Also, my doctoral me use a dulcolax suppository which will help you go very quickly. Just make sure you talk to them first.

@@khaled, Most of us struggle in the first couple of weeks with Protein. The important thing to understand is that you must have protein to heal so you need to get after that asap. I had a similiar issue until I found one I really like. I use Premier Protein ready made shakes. They actually taste pretty good and they don't have that overly strong taste of Protein powder. Because they are premade, you also don't get the grit. You can buy them at costco or Sam's and some Walgreens have them in smaller packs. Also Syntrax nectar in the grab and go packs are better than most as well. The fuzzy naval flavor and the Caribbean cooler is excellent made with Water. The vanilla bean torte made with milk is very good too but you need to use a cup with a shaker ball. I hope you find a solution that works for you because besides water, protein is very very critical to your health. Good luck!

You might take a few moments to think about what you say Chuckster and the approach in which you say it. Yes, I am offended by your choice of words as you describe yourself. Mostly because you clearly assume that every obese person on here is exactly like you were. This in itself is what set me off. I truly believe your statements can do more harm than good on a site like this. I just hope any newbies do their research so they understand the risks. You state that the mortality rate for the medical field in general is high, that may be true but the numbers for WLS are quite low. Well, I have news for you, we are all different and have different issues. I was not a glutton, nor was I lazy. I was able to lose the weight many times only to gain it back over the long haul. I happen to have several auto immune diseases and a metabolic disease that all works against me every single day. I worked 70 hours a week, would come home and cook a healthy dinner for my husband and I. I then would go for a long walk or hop on my treadmill. I did not sit my butt on the couch and hang out and stuff my face. I believe there are many people just like me that go go go and do not sit on their butts. I understand your need to share your story, it is quite incredible. I believe there is a better way for you to share it without offending people by assuming we are all just like you. Clearly you think you have all the answers, the truth is when it comes to the success of WLS on an obese patient you clearly don't have all the information. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you continue to do well. For now I choose to spend my time helping those who need and want it. I won't waste another minute on your opinions of the medical field and weight loss surgery.

Yes, yes and yes! I was told by my spine surgeon that they see a lot of Bariatric surgery patients. There a few reasons why: 1. All the fat actually supported your spine and now that it is gone your posture changes. 2. You are likely much more active which is obviously a good thing 3. As the weight leaves, everything sort of falls down, that changes the way you you walk, sit and stand. I have been battling a degenerative spine ever since I was in my late 20's which was when I gained a lot of weight. Unfortunately I waited too long to lose my weight. Recently I had to undergo a 3 level spinal fusion in my cervical spine. This was my 4th spine surgery in the last 14 years. The reality is, obesity really damages your body if you wait too long to do something about it. Oh, by the way once you lose the weight in your butt, your tailbone sticks out and it hurts like heck to sit for too long.

I was 6 months post op before my pouch tolerated salad. Now I eat it everyday of course with Protein on it. If I eat just a garden salad I won't stay full for very long. I crave fresh vegetable salad with a grilled chicken breast. Yum!

The only thing that gives me some relief topically is BioFreeze roll on. I have severe arthritis in my spine. In fact I just had a 3 level cervical fusion 8 weeks ago. I take Tylenol and following bypass surgery, it actually helps. Unfortunately my weight loss has actually caused my back to be more painful. My doctors tell me this is pretty common post weight loss because all the fat was actually providing support. Also you carry yourself different and your more active. On a good note, ankles and knees are much better. Good luck!

You can get those Quest bars at your local GNC as well given you are leaving in two days. They are filling and will give you the Protein needed. Have you tried beef jersey or turkey Jerky. It is a great source of protein and you can carry them in your purse. You have to make sure you chew them well but it works great for traveling. Can you get some cheese sticks and put them in your purse as well. Of course nuts will also work. Good luck on your trip! It sounds like a lot of fun!

My only concern was intent. There are so many people that come to this site that look for support as they make the very difficult decision to have weight loss surgery which could be life saving for them. Some of these folks are scared and in the moment need help affirming their decision. Many will decide not to move forward not realizing that not doing anything will likely be much worse for their health. In some cases, like mine, I had one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel. My kidneys were failing. When I say having WLS saved my life, It is the truth. Everyone has their own opinion, I hate to see people lose their battle with obesity. I have had several friends die from complications of obesity including my own Mom. She was only 66 years old. My intent is only to help others when and where they need it. I am just trying to understand the intent of the original poster.

Congratulations on your weight loss and new healthy lifestyle! It is always great to hear stories like these. I am currently working with my husband to help him do the same and it certainly isn't easy. It also isn't easy for me. I fight for every pound lost. I lost hundreds of pounds over the years, the most at one time being 95. I would do a fairly good job only to gain it all back and then some. Now every time I lose a pound I know it will be gone forever because I have a tool that helps me. For me, surgery literally gave me my life back and it was the best decision I ever made for myself. I am the healthiest I have been in my life as well. All of my previous medical issues are gone with the exception of one, I damaged my spine. I would not have been able to lose this weight without surgical intervention and not because of my eating habits. What I am wondering is, what are you hoping to gain from The folks on this site? Why do you believe that losing weight without surgery is healthier? If you are assuming that it is because you did not have to have your insides rearranged I would argue that losing and gaining over and over again is not healthy. Although this may have worked for you, I know I could have lost the weight, I simply proved over and over that I could not maintain it. I know that if I follow the plan, I will remain healthy. I am just curious why you would post to this site? Are you looking for support or simply a platform to make those that are considering weight loss surgery second guess their decisions? For many that use this site, weight loss surgery will save their lives. If you are looking for support, that is fantastic and this group will always jump in to help. Please let us know what you are struggling with.

For me fish and chicken worked well as long as it was the breast and not overlooked. I could also handle ground beef. (This of course was in the soft stage). Turkey breast also worked for me if it was not overlooked and sliced thin. It took about 4 months before shrimp worked for me and even now sometimes I have trouble chewing it small enough. I am now 10 months post op and still struggle with pork. I tolerate really lean tender cuts of beef like filet mignon. (I know how sad! LOL) If I do eat pork it is usually a piece of pork tenderloin.

Chicken was on my soft good list. Thank goodness I did well with it because it took some time before I could process shrimp effectively.

Glad I missed it too. sometimes I wonder why people like this can even get a show. Ridiculous!

Wow! That is absolutely fantastic! Congratulations on your new NSV!

@IcanMakeit@VSGAnn2014 You guys are very motivating! Thanks so much for the kind words. I am looking forward to getting to goal and seeing what happens. I have already won in my eyes so every step closer to that goal is fantastic. You could say, I will have my cake and eat it too! LOL. Minus the cake of course!

This weekend I had to go shopping. I was down to one pair of jeans and 5 tops that are literally beginning to hang on me. For my birthday I received a gift card to Victoria's Secret and some cash to buy clothes because my family knows I needed them badly. I wanted some new work out clothes, Lucky Jeans and a top or two. I never imagined that when I went to try on clothes that I would be able to fit into a size 12 or a large! When I started this journey I was a size 24 pants and a 26/28 top! I still have about 30lbs I would like to lose so I am now even more excited about where I will end up. When I started on this journey I was looking for improved health, that was my main goal and it was a good one. It never dawned on me that I would even care about clothing size because I hated the way I used to look and could not even imagine myself being smaller. Well I definately achieved my better health goal and now I can actually see myself getting to a healthy weight and looking fabulous in clothes again. Woot woot!

Yup, staying off the scale will keep your sanity! I of course never follow that plan but have learned not to get all e cited when the scale doesn't move. My longest stall was 28 days and yes, you will have many along the way. In the first week you are still dealing with all the fluids they pumped into your body before surgery. Give it another week and you should see progress. Anyone here of the 3 week stall? Sometimes it comes at 3 weeks, sometimes a week of two later but almost everyone has one. This is your body adjusting. You will have many stalls along the way. I don't call them stalls unless they last longer than a week and I don't lose anything during that week. You have to remember your weight fluctuates all the time, that is why you should weigh at the same time of day and the same circumstances every time you weigh. I weigh first thing in the am right around the same time every morning. Also, don't use the scale as your only barometer for success. You should be considering how you feel, how your clothes fit and measuring as well. Remember, you did not become obese overnight and you will not get thin and healthy overnight either. I personally use my clothing to assess my real progress. Good luck everyone! You are all doing great!