OKCPirate

The special forces have a dictim...amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they can't get it wrong...But the key word in this is "practice:" repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it. When you think about it pro-football players only work one hour a week. All the rest of the time is preparation for work. They are the best in the world, yet they know they have to keep working, learning and keeping their skills going (and anyone who saw the Colt's game Sunday) and yet they still make mistakes. So practice so you can't get it wrong, but remember it is practice.

Here you go...

@@magnificent2015 - when I looked into funding this last year I realized that all the co-pays, my estimated costs would have been over $2500. And depending on how things were coded, the costs could have been much higher. A friend who does Medical Tourism suggested that I should look at self funding in Mexico. $4500 flat fee, none of the stupid classes etc. And to tell you the truth I think the BIG private room was worth the extra costs. Everything was clean and the people were great. (And they don't have all those machines that go beep all the time). So wrap this in to your equation. Hope you get more specific answers.

@@hollybower that's easy silly head winning the lottery of course!! kathy Kathy, I feel like I did win the lottery when got below 220 and off of the CPAP and BP meds and could fit in my old army uniform.

@@redsohare - Looking forward to seeing you on the other side. I noticed that nearly everyone freaks themselves out a couple of days before. You should. You are about to alter your life, and we pray for the good...or even great. I really recommend reading this post: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/195065-you-know-you-lost-weight-when/ It will remind you why you are on this journey. Good luck, best wishes. In a month you will be totally "why didn't I do this years ago."

@@BigViffer - I like using Trader Joe's ice coffee in GNC's no sugar chocolate Protein powder. A little vanilla extract, to really kick it up a notch, half of a Oikos triple zero coconut or vanilla yogurt. Better than a Starbucks frap. 260 calories, 33g of protein. Yes, it has caffeine.

Dang it, I can't remember why I thought it was relevant

Liquid organic stevia Ice coffee concentrate (for my high protein fraps) Good luck chuck

Tastes better too once you get used to not eating processed stuff

@@chuck415 - she might be ok with it after you show her this post: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/219760-sex-oh-my-god-sex/ <baddda bing>

@@Miss Mac - That is a great summary, well done. Not that I live up to that, but still very good.

Cool, a good guy and surgery. Good luck this week. Hopefully the guy prospect will keep the inevitable last minute freak out in check (the "why in hell am I doing this?" moments seem to hit everyone). All packed? Good list here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/352909-packing-for-the-hospital/?hl=packing#entry3973759. I'd add gasx strips are great (you can use up to 4)

Glad the band didn't slip. Hats off to you.

Toss in exercise and hormones and you have the great quagmire of obesity Very good article @@jess9395 thanks for sharing. http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness-pictures/how-many-calories-do-olympians-burn.aspx#01

@@Dub - Take heart, I had my son and four of his college buddies over at my house to watch football Saturday and I grilled up one heck of a spread and they even liked my re-fried bean dip with Greek yogurt. So life is great albeit in smaller quantities.

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch - well there is a reason they won't give you a rental car until you are 25, just saying

@@Dub - I was born at Shaw AFB in SC and despite some time in San Diego, completed HS and College in NC, and for those who do no believe (or conceive) that anyone in their right mind would add 19 cups of sugar to a gallon of tea...well they can. (you know when you have it right when the spoon doesn't rest on the side of the glass). However I can express with certainty that there are equally unbelievable unhealthy foods everywhere. I'm just glad that I no longer partake.

no first hand advice, but wonderful idea, and I would love to hear about your unique experience

@@BLERDgirl - you are not kidding. A helpful hint, every morning I pull a scoop of Protein powder and add little bits of it to my coffee, yogurt and other foods. I log it at the end of the day based on how much is left in the scoop. Yes I am obsessive about protein, but when you notice hair loss, you tend to get that way.

@@laguerr13 - debunk the myth that you can't get bigger muscle after 50 Who started that myth? Pfft. I'm doing things at 52 that I couldn't do in my 20's. And now that I have the wisdom to put these things in perspective, I highly recommend them.

Yep, it is a cause for freak outs, magnisum supplements help and so do stool softeners. (And we all mentioned it in the small print before you had the surgery) It's really OK, things will start moving again in a few days.

@@refocus - I started smoking and chewing tobacco when I was 16. At 49 I came home to Oklahoma at the height of allergy season was outside smoking and started all the coughing and had a Sudden Moment of Clarity..."dude this is your respiratory future if you keep smoking." So I quit. Three weeks cold turkey. But while I didn't "need" to smoke (after 3 weeks your body's need for the nicotine hit goes away) I still found myself very unfocused and I could not concentrate. I did some more research and found out just how odd the nicotine drug is on the system. I chose the least harmful way of getting nicotine without going to tobacco and that was vaping. One in ten American's adults now vape and 50% of smokers have quit using it (20 times greater success rates than gum, Patches and other drugs). So I do recommend it. I was showing COPD symptoms prior to the vape and those are all gone. I have now seen long term data that shows that all respiratory damage done by smoking reverses with vaping. I was self pay in Mexico so I didn't have the "no nicotine" restriction that many here have faced. Smoking/tobacco is hard on the stomach and will make healing more difficult. Vaping didn't have any noticeable negative effect. So talk it over with your doctor.

@@Lexuskela - It's not just the ladies, I teared up when I read this. I get it. I was trimming my bushes and just jumped up on the stoop and it hit me, I had not done that in 20 years. It's those little things we had not done in so long that just make me so happy I had this done.

@@rickm - Quality definitely trumps quantity. Great advice. The nice thing about the sleeve is I can go to Whole Foods buy 1/4 pound of grass feed beef/bison and make two meals of it. Yes it's expensive, but for $5 for two meals of quality meat can you complain? Really?

I am in the minority, but I liked Isopure No Carb, you can try at GNC before buying a bunch of them. [NOTE: There are a bunch of people who can't stand this, so please try before you buy (I liked the green tea the best) and many dilute]. I also use pipingrock.com whey isolate, dissolves well no taste. For that needed chocolate craving, I use GNC's Lean shake (stevia is great).