blashlee

@@leag78 Don't take this the wrong way; I don't know you or your friend. But almost all of your replies seem to be defending her or your friendship. Almost as though you have to convince us that she's a good person. Or perhaps convince yourself? Someone can have great attributes and only have one flaw; for example if i have a wonderful husband who helps with the house, rubs my feet every night before bed, and surprises me with random gifts and flowers for no reason those are great attributes. But if the one bad thing about him is that he's completely unfaithful to me and will cheat on me given the opportunity, do those good things about him outweigh the bad? WLS is a long, hard road. I'm pre-op and already having issues with my social circle because of my changing eating habits and my avoiding alcohol. My friends don't invite me out anymore, I guess they figure whats the point if she can't eat and drink with us? Also, when I do go out people are always pushing me "one little drink won't hurt. Don't you have a cheat day?" They're excellent people, always there for me when I need someone and have opened up their homes to me and made me feel like family. But pushing me to drink when I'm under a doctor's care not to is just wrong. Offering me food I can't have and trying to justify it by saying "everybody deserves a cheat day." is not supportive to what I'm doing. It's going to be really important that you have support for your choice to have WLS and the journey you're on. If your friend isn't supportive or if you're afraid your friendship with her will change because of your decision, then the best way she can support you is not to stand in your way. I'm not suggesting you stop being her friend, but perhaps you won't be able to rely on her for support as much as you were hoping considering how close you are.

Breast augmentation is something I've been considering forever, even before surgery. I've never been that plus sized girl who has big boobs to match big everything else. I have a big tummy and virtually no bust in comparison. My doctor recommends people wait about 18-24 months post bariatric surgery before considering any plastics. But I'm already down a cup size maybe more just from my pre-op diet, I dunno if I can be happy for 2 years with no boobies LOL

@JustWatchMe that's what I feel too. I think something like this would be too new to have conclusive results on. And I'm not fond of the idea of having a foreign object in my body that has to be removed all the time. Not wanting a foreign object is why I didn't want to have a gastric band. What if I get tired of having to go in and have it removed and reinstalled? What if I move away and there's no doctor nearby that can perform the procedure? Too many questions for me. Not that bypass is the best method, but between me and my doc it's what we think is best for me, and they've been doing it for over 30 years with a very low mortality rate. "If it aint broke..."

@@VSG butterfly Thank you for sharing! Good luck I hope you get your approval soon. Mine was really quick but I've known other people who've had to wait. Now that I'm approved and just awaiting further instruction, anxiety is slowly settling in, but it's mostly overshadowed by excitement.

I'm 27 and having gastric bypass on April 6th. I know exactly how you feel; I've never been completely comfortable with my body. I don't like to be intimate with the lights on, I don't like to be seen undressed. Those are all issues that you'll have to battle mentally even once you've lost weight. I've lost weight in the past, and in the mirror I still saw a fat girl. Your head has to catch up with your body as far as your self image. I've also been told by my surgeon and other WLS patients that being younger gives an advantage as far as skin elasticity. Make sure once you're able to really exercise that you incorporate plenty of strength training. Cardio is great for burning fat, but with your new tool you've already got that going for you. Cardio bodies tend to be thin but lack definition and curves (not all, and this isn't meant to insult anyone who just does cardio, every body is different). For women, building lean muscle mass gives us curves and shape, not bulk. And having more muscle keeps your body naturally burning off more fat. Good luck and congrats on your journey.

@@MariaElena1983 Thanks for sharing. I'm finding it easier to talk to with some people. I'm going to tell my closest family and closest friends in person and then everybody else will just find out as I go along. Now as I've told more people, what I don't want is for someone close to me to find out from another source. I'm definitely not ashamed of what I'm doing; just with everything on my plate right now I don't need to try to digest (see what I did there?) someone's negative opinions or nosiness or whatever. I intend to be an open book about it; a lot of people have WLS and hide it from their family or friends, I'm not sure where all the shame comes from, I hope to be apart of the change in people's attitudes and perceptions of it. It's helped so many people live happy and healthy and longer lives, I'm glad to be one of them.

I would take them back. I was fitted for running shoes and they made me go up half a size to account for natural feet swelling, and I realized by the time I do my run in September, they're more than likely going to be way too big so I'm returning them and will get refitted in the summer. Treat yourself to new shoes when you've reached a milestone on your weight loss, or when your current shoes start to get too big.

I'm definitely proud. It's a very big and permanent life changing decision. It wasn't easy to make and it wasn't easy to succumb to the fact that diet and exercise just doesn't work for me like I want it too and I need some extra help. I'm just not in the mood for the judgment or ignorance that comes along with it. Weird questions or comments etc. Or the "shunning" (intentional or not) that can come along with major change. People are so uncomfortable with change. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that if someone is unhappy with me for changing for the better then they can kick rocks. It's crazy though; people are perfectly accepting if you starve yourself to goal or take dangerous supplements like Hydroxycut to lose weight, but if you go the medical or surgical route you get side eye. So annoying.

@@MisforMimi Yasss girl! Make sure you share your progress pics with us! We have a pool at my apt complex and since it's community I don't use it, I hope to make some use of it this summer as well!

This is what they sent me.

Tinkerbell 10K at Disneyland 05/09/15 (I will be 5 weeks post op, hopefully it goes well) Disneyland Half Marathon Labor Day Weekend 15' (I will be 5 months post op and I am already training) Will probably sign up for more 10K or Half Marathons next year depending on how these go.

Have you tried ordering any powders to mix up? I have a few favorites: Strawberries & Creme Premier Protein (Found at costco.com, these are ready-to-drink no mixing required) Cellucor whey Red Velvet Cake Batter (powder) Quest Nutrition vanilla Milkshake & Strawberries & Cream (both powdered but mix up to be very thick) Isopure unflavored is good to mix into existing foods and drinks. Its hardly noticeable and doesnt change the texture on things. Isopure Vanilla Creme & banana Creme, both powders, great taste but lack a bit in texture. They're very watery. Best advice I can give you is to taste different Proteins and get a few flavors to keep in rotation so that you don't get tired of them or get bored. Good luck!

My surgery is scheduled for 4 days after my birthday. I'll be on the all-liquids phase of my pre-op diet. Everybody's already asking me what I'm doing for my birthday. The answer? Preparing for my rebirth. Cake is delicious and previously I would have glady eaten a huge chunk of cake for anybody's birthday. I'll have a Protein shake in a fancy glass and stick a candle in it to put out. I know it's going to be difficult but it's what I've gotta do.

@@leag78 smoking among other bad habits isn't just a bad idea if you're looking into having surgery, but it's actually dangerous. Smoking is inherently dangerous whether you're having surgery or not, but in regards to having bariatric surgery, if you're doctor is performing the procedure laproscopically, you're going to have 5-6 large incisions that need to heal, along with the healing that will be occuring inside of your body. Smoking puts you at risk for blood clots, which can seriously impede your healing and cause complications. You really have to stop and consider whether those few cigarettes every once in a while are worth that. Perhaps you and your sisters could find other ways to bond with each other besides bingo, which seems to be your smoking trigger. And also are they aware that you're not supposed to be smoking? Perhaps they should be and then they won't enable you by sharing their cigarettes with you.

Cinnamon Roll Quest Bars are my love affair. The Nutrimart stores in my area give you an empty box to fill up with 12 of whatever flavor you'd like for $24/box. I believe GNC and Vitamin Shoppe sell them individually also. Thanks for sharing this for free samples!

I love Coronado!! It's so beautiful. I can't wait to be able to go and enjoy it the way I deserve to. For now I walk/run around it and it's my happy place. In about two years I may be relocating so I hope to get out there as much as possible before I leave.

@@Djmohr Only my parents, boyfriend and closest friend (who previously struggled with weight and is fully aware of my journey) knew before insurance. Now that my insurance as been approved and I am about 6 weeks out from surgery, I've told more people but only those closest to me. One is a friend I've known for 12 years whose wedding I will be in about 3 weeks post op; another I've told has been very supportive and is coming to visit for the summer so I didn't want to surprise her, I felt I should be honest. I think I just need to tell people that I am closest to, otherwise I will feel like I am lying. I'm pretty much an open book, but I'm not sure how well this news will be received by most people I know. Perhaps I will take it day by day on a person-by-person basis who knows and who doesn't. It's not that it's a secret, I'm excited and proud of taking on this huge life changing decision. I just know not everybody is going to look at it that way.

try Quest Nutrition recipes. They have a lot of recipes with their Protein products that look fantastic. I've made cupcakes with their protein powder; they were a little dry but only because I didn't have one of the ingredients the recipe called for and tried to substitute (fail on me)

Quest Protein Powder in Vanilla & strawberry Premier Protein in Strawberries & Creme Cellucor Whey Protein in Red Velvet Cake Batter Isopure banana Creme Isopure Vanilla creme Isopure Alpine punch (RTD, not the powder) Isopure unflavored These are Proteins I've tried so far and all have great flavor and consistency. I tried Cellucor Cor-Fetti Cake Batter and found it a bit too sweet.

@@SleevedNFree thank you, I will! I haven't found a local support group that I'm happy with just yet so this site has been really helpful.

Hiiiii. Black girl heavy in San Diego, CA (worst place to be overweight, all this damn beach and I don't even enjoy it LOL) I'm having RNY on April 6th, I just found out I got my insurance approval and stamp of approval from my PCP today. I am excited, relieved, terrified, nervous, anxious and ready all at the same time. Thanks yall for sharing your stories <3

I'm 27 and I'm having RNY on April 6th. I explored surgical options years ago, but there was a lot of hoop jumping with my insurance, and to be honest, I didn't have the right mindset. I viewed it as a quick fix to my problem and my weight mostly bothered me for cosmetic reasons. To be honest, I'm glad I waited until I was a little more mature and developed the right mindset, even though it meant gaining an additional 30 lbs and enduring a little bit of embarrassment and shame. I knew people who got WLS young and ended up gaining all of their weight back. I think when you have a weight problem in your younger years, it's harder to get in control of, especially if people around you don't have a weight problem.

I just got one today, would love to have some Fit Friends arhughes87@gmail.com

My surgeon's office books a date while approval is pending because the OR can fill up quickly. It's best to have a date and have to reschedule or cancel than it is to wait and not be able to get a date. Congrats on getting your date!

I have been approved and im scheduled for April 6th. Let the countdown begin!