OKCPirate

Walk, get in the best shape you can, poke around on the board for info and inspiration and be prepared for an amazing journey. Good luck.

It's a stall, great job so far, your body will catch up and you will start losing again. These things happen. You working out yet?

I'm actually finding the thrift and consignment shops more interesting as I lose weight. I found two where there are very high end clothes in OKC. When I went there at 305, there were not many options, but in the 220's...oh tons of great buys. I found a shirt that I really liked at Nordstroms but they wanted $280 for it. $5 at 2nd hand store - obviously had never been worn. It's one of my "go to first date shirts". . So most of this obviously depends on where you live and your life style, but the basic message is: 1) Don't invest in clothes during the transition. 2) Dress your age, not what you wore last time you were this size 3) Don't work on Wall Street unless you have $15K to invest in clothes 4) Look for a good tailor if you can What was not mentioned was you can get your belts taken in at any shoe repair store. Saved about $200 worth of belts on that one. Oh, and if you served in the military... keep an old uniform, it feels really cool when you can get back in it again.

I came back from the Sugar Bowl (the irony kills me) at 305, and had lights flashing in the side of my eye. I was scared it was a stroke. My doc upped my blood pressure meds, my eye doc was an old friend and she just had a great conversation...it was like a warning light on the dashboard. The weight needed to go. After six months of Weight Watchers I heard a pod cast on obesity by accident and they mentioned WW has only 8% success, but WLS 80% - and I called BS. Then I looked it up, found the research by the Cleveland Clinic and realized - dang they are right. So then I found a good place to have it done. With my goofy schedule, I only had one point in time to get it done, last November, so I set up the date and have not looked back. Did my first 5K, and climbed a mountain (http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/346873-once-a-wish-now-done-what-makes-you-proud/). What an amazing transformation.

@@joatsaint - isn't it great when you are walking and you realize "the pain has gone away" when I realized my knee pain had gone away I damn near jumped for joy.

@@choosehope - I did as much as I could pre-surgery, everyone's results are "untypical" since you are unique, just like everyone else. @B52 is my hero on this site, amazing transformation, but there is also @ who is overcoming major health issues to get to where he is. The stories from people at very different health perspectives is what keeps me grounded. Just Celebrate your victories at your different rate of speed. We will celebrate with you.

We all know it's scary as hell the night before, but we also know the blessings on the other side. It's an amazing ride. Just don't buy new clothes during the transition, just eat the pride, go to consignment and thrift stores, because you won't be buying those clothes, just renting them. Oh, save some big clothes (see: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/345874-fun-use-for-big-clothes/) Good luck. Can't wait to hear how you are doing.

@@atontor - you look great dude, I hope you enjoyed the heck out of your summer stud

Indeed it will be better...but respect the sleeve

Great job, you look wonderful and you should feel so proud of your hard work. Congratulations.

I used it on clear liquids, and had no problems. Big thing, no carbs, no alcohol, shrink the liver. I think you are good. Good luck, can't wait to hear how you do on the other side as you begin your new life.

Done, thanks for the heads up

Mix in a half a scoop of Protein powder in with your soup to boost the protein. Calories are not as important in the first few weeks as long as you are not feeling weak or have a headache. Fluid and protein are vital.

Pacific organic Roasted red pepper and tomato soup and Imagine Portobello Mushroom soup. Both are in a box and they are great. Mix in some plain Fage Greek yogurt for extra Protein. Great stuff.

@@jess9395 - I have four kids, three of whom have moved out...hint: as they move out convert their rooms into something else - no boom-a-rangs

I loved the green tea, but many people don't like it at all. Moral of the story, don't buy anything in bulk until you know you like it. If you have the powder and you are cheap like me, I just mix in with my regular Protein shake until its all gone.

@@Dub - d*ck Just kidding, but you got me to read the post. Enjoy your coffee Dub.

@@lorilove - Congrats on your progress to date. It's still cracking me up that everyone is missing your posts where you clarify that you are not walking 8 miles a day at present (possibly you should edit your original post so people don't comment that it is excessive) But doing the eight miles PRE-surgery is great because it makes recovery easier. I took it slow and easy for the first month and once I started adding in real food and got my routine going, it made the rest of it much easier. Give yourself some grace, you will get back your stamina. Took me about six weeks, but since I got it, I have not looked back.

I stuck to green tea for 6 weeks, and now have one cup of coffee in the morning with stevia, Vietnamese cinnamon and Protein powder. Alcohol I waited three months. I have found I can tolerate wines and distilled beverages. Also tried one beer, let it sit for a while to get rid of most of the carbonation. It was OK, but just not interested in beer any more (and I was a big beer snob). Be careful with alcohol. Some find the sleeve makes them get drunk quicker. You are smaller, so your BAC level is not going to be the same after a drink. And there is a bunch of evidence that some people shift their dependence from food to alcohol after weight loss, so be careful.

@@laguerr13 - "LEARNED through research and listening to others who were successful" Very important point. I don't take council from whiners and complainers. But I did pay attention to potential downsides of the surgery and what I could do to mitigate the risks. And to some degree I was humbled into remembering that WLS is a tool, not a magic wand which would take away my responsibilities by listening to the laments of those who were not success, but when I listened carefully, most of them gave clues why it wasn't working - and usually it was because they were in front of the TV eating junk. But for the most part I concentrated my time listening to those who were doing great and copied them. And I keep learning many things on this site. I also enjoy the daily motivation of others who are on the same journey.

No, no problem at all. I'm sorry to hear that about you. If someone knows of a link between smells and WLS, please let me know, but I don't know of any. If it has grown from an aversion to a phobia, there are some techniques to help you overcome: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/phobias-and-fears.htm

I love going to Whole Foods and buying 1/4 pound of the best quality meats and fish I can find. You know the really expensive, grass fed organic stuff. When you are eating for your sleeve you can go quality over quantity. I never travel with out my Protein powder, almonds, beef Jerky in my carry on. I really enjoy Monster Muscle energy drinks when I am on the road - too many calories for everyday, but they are great in some situations (like after blowing through 6000 calories on a mountain climb -- story here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/346873-once-a-wish-now-done-what-makes-you-proud/)

@@The Candidate - Get a caliper and tape measure for measuring body fat on Amazon. The cheap plastic ones will be ok. You will initially lose many pounds, and then you will stall. If you catch the exercise bug as many of us have, you will start building lean muscle mass and you may stall again. But you will be less likely to lose your motivation when you look at your measurements and see the loss of body fat. I'm glad I did both, lose skin sometimes makes the tape measure tests less effective. I figured that out about three months post surgery, you will be utterly amazed at where you will be around New Year if you figure out your body fat now and then. Glad you are home and all is going well.

This is my opinion based on my observations of testimonials and stories of WLS patients that I read prior to getting my surgery - most of the hoops that third party payers (people with insurance) are forced to jump through are ways of weeding out those who are not motivated to properly use the tool. Part of the testing is CYA stuff that we do in the US to prevent lawsuits. While this is an observation, it is obviously not universally true...there are some highly motivated people on this site who jumped through the insurance companies hoops to have their surgery, and they did so quickly to get the show on the road. But if you were motivated enough to put your own money into WLS and go down to Mexico, odds are you are highly compliant and ready to make the change. So which ever route you take, self-pay or insurance, those who make it through the initial process, eh, already have skin in the game. The people who are not disciplined enough to get through all the steps, are probably not good candidates, and those who have someone else do all their work for them, or were pressured into surgery are often the biggest whiners that "it doesn't work." It's just a tool, you still have to do the work.

Quality Soup helped, Isopure Protein, as much exercise and walking as you can do. The point of the pre-op liquid diet is to shrink the liver as much as possible so the surgeon has an easy route to the stomach. So no carbs or alcohol. The week before the surgery stinks, and it's not easy for the next two weeks, but it's just beginning steps on a longer journey. The rewards have been well worth it. There are many inspiring stories on this site and those stories helped me get ready and continue to inspire me to do more for my health. Ultimately WLS is a tool, you still have to do the work. But it is a very good tool.