OKCPirate

I did everything I could to get in the best shape I could going into surgery. For a month after it was an hour or more of walking per day. Your stomach staple line is healing, you put a great deal of stress on your core when you lift anything to heavy. The next month added the elliptical trainer and slowly added interval training. Light weights. The next month increased weights at a rate of 10% per week until I hit my max. Then I started C25K and hot yoga on month three. Slow ramp up, exciting results.

Umm, strange new noises will be the new normal. Let the staff know.

@@AmysShrinking - Thanks for sharing that story. It was especially touching.

My girlfriend has fibromylgia. It is difficult to manage. But it does require exercise, and healthy eating. When I see her getting into a high stress no exercise cycle because of life I know it will flair up. If it flairs up we know it's going to take three weeks of serious concentrated work to get her out of that place. You can do anything for three weeks. Write a plan and stick with it for three weeks. Break the cycle and then re-evaluate. My best non-judgmental advise.

We have a right, and possibly a duty to correct our mistakes of the past. There is bankruptcy for those who blew it financially. There is divorce for bad relationship choices. And there is WLS for those of us who at some point made bad food decisions. Without these remedies, people would be forever punished for some bad decisions. These are tools. They don't free you from future responsibility. They just give you a new start. AND IT AIN'T ANYONE'S BUSINESS

I rang in New Year 2014, OU won the Sugar Bowl, and we wandered down to the "gay" part. And some things can't be unseen. The poor lady I was with was born and raised in a very small town in Oklahoma, and that was VERY new to her.

The only problem with NO is the lack of quality restaurants . Still one of my favorite places to visit. Oh, BTW I'm not hitting you up for a date dude. I don't walk "that far" down Bourbon St.

@ - I'm not sure it is a simple as "he dumped me because I got fat." My GF and I challenge each other all the time physically. We are both 53 and we both want to be there for each other in the long haul, and that means taking care of ourselves. In many relationships the weight gain is an overt sign that something else is wrong. I know there are superficial jerks who would leave because things are not as perky as they used to be, but I also know women who quit taking care of themselves, their homes, their relationships et.al. (same could be said for guys, but we are usually the more superficial sex) so the reason for leaving is all of the above, but since everyone else can see the weight, they assume that is the cause.

@@LipstickLady - oh, no fair, if I hadn't of made the car battery joke I would have beaten you to the punch

@@BobbyD - hmm, you could try a car battery, jumper cables, apply to forehead...NO bad idea, don't do that. Get rid of your scale and stick to a tape measure and how your clothes are fitting? Just take a couple of months off and monitor by different means.

@@1975hoss - where are you going and how are you getting their? This would change my suggestions. Think moist Protein.

@@Alex Brecher - I'm with you. @@Beck90 - there is a real art to plastics. WLS, can be screwed up if someone is really incompetent (and I remember one guy who was a flat out dangerous criminal in TJ). I have a friend who does Medical Tourism and she has several in SA she is very comfortable with. I'm just glad it's my upper thighs that need the most attention. There is only one person who will see that recreationaly.

Creme of Wheat would be a better choice. I think I really stuck to yogurt. I just didn't want to waste limited space on carbs. Though I do think I had some Underwood chicken salad based on someone's recommendation. Wasn't my cup of tea.

YES!!! Me, me, me. That's what I did. It was great, much cheaper and it was a huge PRIVATE room. You could walk around easily. I hate sleep studies, all it does is guarantee a horrible night's sleep. But why not ask them to hold off on it post surgery? My sleep changed dramatically when I lost about 20% of my body weight.

Most of us had the same feelings. Some because surgery is just scary. Some because it will lead to inevitable change with our relationship with food. Some because it might change their family relationships. You have a couple of weeks, so might I suggest: http://www.amazon.com/The-Emotional-First-Aid-Kit/dp/0976852659 Very helpful to me to help ID the cause of the anxiety. Good luck, can't wait to see your progress and remember what you are experiencing is normal. I hope your surgery was as easy as mine.

Jamie I'm sorry to hear about the divorce. It was one of the hardiest things I've gone through. And it's akin to the same fear you have pre surgery. Excited about moving on scared about starting again. Good luck and I hope your ex is reasonable in the process.

Major claim needs major proof. Many people bought into the idea of shark cartridge to stave off cancer because "sharks don't get cancer." Well that was proven not to be true, sharks get the big C too. I don't object to a vegie diet...(it's not because of my love of animals, I just can't stand plants)...I prefer really good, organic non-processed food and as many plants as I can eat. But that is my preference, not because of a belief that it will do anything good or bad.

@@Alex Brecher - I'm with you. When I was a kid, my mom and all the other women around me always pushed all the kids to "Be on the Clean Plate Club." So it is tough for me to say "full, that's it." I actually bought smaller plates post surgery. It's that strong of a drive even today. Damn growing up in the 1960's and '70s

1- Can I do the things I want to do? ...re: no embarrassing walks of shame because I couldn't get into a ride, or was too heavy to do something. I don't care about a number, I want certain results. 2- biggest challenge will probably be alcohol. I can't get drunk or even feel much of a buzz with this sleeve, so its difficult to tell when I have had too much 3- Get it done sooner. To succeed you must do four things...Plan, Prepare, Act and Evaluate.

Lost my Vitamix in the divorce, but it is awesome. To tell the truth for Protein drinks/smoothies I just just a a cheep Hamilton Beach that was recommended by a WLS guy...http://www.target.com/p/hamilton-beach-single-serve-blender/-/A-50296740?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Appliances%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Appliances&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9026283&gclid=Cj0KEQjwjoC6BRDXuvnw4Ym2y8MBEiQACA-jWTPjHVaH4aoH_3S71jCQYC2ea-Ci47Fz0t8FAKE5Lc8aAqqU8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

I get it. I don't know many things until I start googling. But these were fascinating to me:

@@Alex Brecher - I am with you. I pack many things when I travel because my biggest fear is boredom. But having multiple contingency plans helps me relax.

@@Alex Brecher - that is the great question. Your answer seems to point to your behavior: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/theres-no-such-thing-as-free-will/480750/ You can blame your genes, glands, lack of self control, and even blame the media and cultural forces beyond your control or you can own up that you messed up and had WLS to fix the mistake. . I am of the mind at this point to say "who freaken cares?" We are fairly sure that once we have fat cells that have grown to a certain point, they will continue to grow back until we take action and create a new set point. I think you can make a good case that compulsive gambling, spending, drinking, eating were all egged on by clever marketing. All are destructive behaviors and most who engage in it know intellectually that it is destructive. But there seems to be some parts of our brain we can't control. I wish I could give a definitive answer, but the more I keep learning about brain behaviors, the more I have to give up my dogmatic answers and say "you know we are just starting to figure this out."

Wow, this has gone REALLY south quick