Dub

Finding a new 2XL coat in the closet this morning. It's been in there forever. Cut the tags off and am wearing for the road trip today.

Watching the videos was mandated by my program. Good call on their part. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

For me it was very simple......I needed the ability to take Advil or other nsaids. Surgeon was very educational and helped me decide to sleeve. Glad I did. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It was something that was occurring before I realized it. More specifically, it was something was occurring and stirring change in me before I realized it. Throughout my marriage we were always a Beauty and the Beast couple. She was the good looking side of things. I was the workhorse outdoors lover who only occasionally would grab a haircut, shave and dress nicely for date nights. A real life Duck Dynasty couple without all the fun aspects of the show, lol. It was how it was and I was fine with things. The year leading up to my surgery was a tough one....not so much for me....but for the family living with me. I was an ass. A complete and total ass. A couple years before I ripped out ankle tendons while golfing. Surgery to repair...."No more golf, Big Guy" was surgeon's advice. Damn..there goes something that I really, truly enjoyed. Gone. So were forays into woods. Knee problems and other problems kept me from hunting, too. Then I had a scare with some pulmonary issues. More doctors. More restrictions. Then the blessed back injury occurred. Knocked me outa doing anything but the most basic...shower....sitting in chair....and labored effort to get around house. Weeks and weeks of this. So pissed off at not being able to be active. Couldn't make it to work for almost two months. Everything I was before was now on hold. Ill tempered and angry. Crash diet engaged due to not burning any calories. Spine surgeon advised bariatric surgery as first step....I proceeded with scheduling it but was skeptical. Couldn't eat or drink like I used to now either. Hard to live with. A real s.o.b. Resentful and not accepting the new low I'd slumped to. Hell, even my dogs didn't want to be around me anymore. No humor. No supportive comments. Just a great big fat old minus sign sitting in a chair and watching the world move around him. FAST FORWARD to the sleeve surgery and the weeks afterwards.....hope is flooding in. I'm feeling much better and I can see how things really are improving with my health. FAST FORWARD three months......wow.....wow.....I'm feeling much better. It's like I've been kidnapped and then brainwashed into a positive thinking person and dropped back off at home. Problem was that much strain had occurred in marriage over prior 18+ months. I'd been such a negative person....could find no joy....irritable and quick to snap of with short comments. Now all the sudden I was happy and firing on close to all cylinders.....close. Then....the new attention from others began to be noticed. It was a nice and welcome feeling compared to the mess I'd made of a 20+ year marriage. It was a pleasant distraction and something that I needed to experience in order to get to another level of awareness....to better examine myself and the life I wanted to live. I've always been a guy who is resistant to change. Maintaining the status quo was a tremendous goal.....especially when I was grossly overweight and so unhealthy. I was fighting to maintain "normal status"....as sad of a state as it was. The new me.....healthy version....unburdened from pain and fear of health issues......secure in my own skin....the new me was all about making needed changes to get to the life I want. I want to grow into new capabilities and better embrace my roles as father, mate, son, boss, employee and friend. It took the post wls realization that I was not the old me in order for me to better see what life could be like if I reached for it. The attention you mention was something that helped me raise my eyebrow and look around.....look ahead and made me say "Hello, Life.....I'm coming at ya". Those attentions were a paradigm shift for me as I realized that healthy living was a wonderful thing.....but that I wanted it all....to live healthy but with shared passion and desire.....and that it is attainable so long as I keep moving forward and putting in the effort to grow and to accept and facilitate change. Preach on, brother. You were the one that warned me about the wild times that may ensue from the hormone dump and adrenaline rush. You were spot on. It was like being on a 'wonder drug' full of feel good & energy.

Very well said.

I generally do mine on the grill on a pan that has raised ribs. I'll let the fish soak in Frank's Red Hot....then take out and hit it with whatever rub catches my eye for that cook. Just before serving it I'll squeeze lime juice and some lime zest on it.

I miss nothing about being grossly overweight. There was nothing healthy about it. I was at risk for heart issues and a liability to my family. Leaner, lighter, happier and ready to enjoy life's challenges now. Never again.

My sleeve surgery was in October 2015. It didn't take long for me to lose track of what I was most excited about after wls. No kidding. So much was rushing at me and all of it good. It was a slam trip to have to repeatedly clean out the closet and take clothes to Goodwill and the like. This summer found me using borrowed or rental kayaks and enjoying hours slipping around the nearby Savannah River or Augusta Canal. Fishing or simply enjoying being out there. I have a fairly decent mountain bike that I'm looking forward to riding this winter. As a tall guy, but no longer a "bigger & taller" guy, lol, I'm looking at car choices for my next car....some of them are radically different than I once considered when I was Sasquatch sized.

I really have grown fond of Mad Hunky Hot Whang Rub. http://madhunkymeats.com Their brines are excellent, too. I run my grill 300-350 degrees and start with them over direct heat and then move them over to the side. Many great ways to sauce it. Frank's Original Hot Sauce, Sriracha, orange marmalade and butter mixed together makes a nice sauce....carbs in it...but not too bad if you go easy on the marmalade.

@@DubI respect your wisdom but I have to question you on this one Dub. School me please. The dirt rubbing was a joke. Pickle juice is serious medicine for sore muscles, though. Not the sugary stuff....but standard no-carb pickle juice. Drink a cup of it down......slam it down as best you can. It was a strange the first couple times I tried it.....but now it's a go-to move if I'm having prolonged soreness. I don't know why it works.....or if it does for everyone.....I only know that it helps me. I was skeptical at first due to the nature of the pro-tip about drinking pickle juice. It was bro-science kicked around by some hulk looking dudes in the gym. A lot of the widsoms, bro-science, that they were talking about was generally categorized as foolish.....but this little gem was genius level thinking on their part.

I feel your pain. Drink some pickle juice and rub some dirt on it and you'll feel better.

Okay I think I'll just grab some Magnums.... I don't want to risk getting pregnant but I like to have a good time!!! He just gotta deal with it Magnums ??? Much respect.

Only person who's ever victimized me was...................me. And I'm kicking his ass on a daily basis.

Dub, don't do that, have some class, there are ladies present. It's all good, bro. Thick reference tools seem to be in favor 'round here. Did someone reference girth?? I LOVE girth. Damn. GIRTH. Girth was implied...... Synonyms and Antonyms of thick 1having or being of relatively great depth or extent from one surface to its opposite <a thickboard was laid across the pit>Synonyms chunky, fatRelated Words blockish, blocky, bulky, dense, hefty, thickish; broad, deep, wide Dub, don't do that, have some class, there are ladies present. It's all good, bro. Thick reference tools seem to be in favor 'round here.Did someone reference girth?? I LOVE girth. Damn. GIRTH.Old saying... It's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean... I prefer to believe both count Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Know this.....as a fat guy....there are lots of bouncy waves involved, lol.

Thankful..... So many things.....where to start ? Thankful that I live in country where my freedom and safety are assured to by the U.S. Armed Forces, the finest people on Earth. They have afforded me the opportunity to turn my life around. Due to their vigilance and bravery I have been able to focus on such details and have choices and say so in trivial matters. This perspective sure makes my aggravations seem much smaller and easier to deal with. I am very thankful for all members of my family. I look at my teenage son and see reflections of what I've done right while on this world. He's strong, vital, introspective, caring, savvy, a strong supporter of others, self sufficient, strong work ethic, considerate and looking ahead at piloting his own ship. I am thankful for those that have come before me and helped to shape and galvanize my resolve and demonstrate how to get through tough times with grace and faith. I am thankful for the current and future times with my parents, sister and extended family. So many great times ahead. I am grateful for the time I had with my high school girlfriend who I went on to marry and start a family with. She's certainly stuck around with me through some less than stellar times and helped me to see that change was needed in my stubborn thinking.....and stuck around while these changes took root. I am very thankful for the catalysts for my current physical state. These were pain and fear. Yes, I'm thankful for pain and fear. It took near constant pain and fear brought on by diminishing abilities and sense of loss to help fan the flames of motivation to make a change in my approach to living. This led to embracing the idea of weight loss surgery and seeing it it through. Now....a year and a month later.....I am Thankful for this morning....which finds me preparing to go in for a long day on a stressful job.....but with the security to know that I am not defined by this, or any job. I am a guy with options, abilities and credentials to make career changes. I am thankful for being comfortable with the concept of change. I am thankful and confident of knowing the kindness, love and supportive feels of people who are helping me see and shape a new future. I am thankful for the bottom line determinations made by two of my doctors in that past weeks....that my organs, vitals, etc are uber healthy...more so than ever and that the joints that cause my daily aches can be replaced with new parts for me to try to wear out in the decades ahead. I'm thankful for the new and creative ways that are coming to mind on how I'd like to wear these new joints out.....wickedly fun..........

Dub, don't do that, have some class, there are ladies present. It's all good, bro. Thick reference tools seem to be in favor 'round here.

I waited almost 3 months. Very careful. Test drive things slowly and make sure you add the calories into your daily tracker. There is an impact to weight loss....just as it would be if you ate stuff that wasn't on plan.

The snacking thing becomes a non-issue once you reach the point in your post op where you are eating solid foods that comprise your three meals per day. I never experienced any type of increased motion sickness or anything of the like. I hit my first amusement park last August. Rode the "monsta" ride they were known for. The last thought that came to mind as it slowly inched it's way up and over the initial climb, "Dude....you are insane for getting on this thing.........". I couldn't wait for that damn thing to stop. I wanted off. Never again. Never again. So an hour later I'm back in line..................

And in this thread we are flexing our vocabulary muscles. I'll be right back.....grabbing my Webster......

The thing that appealed to me about the sleeve is there are zero foreign objects being placed in my body. There are no ongoing fills required. There is no worries about the band slipping or causing abrasive damage to my stomach. I'd asked my pcp about the band in my initial days and he tried to steer me in either the sleeve or bypass direction. The two surgeons I consulted both said they no longer do bands and both encouraged me to have the sleeve or bypass. The sleeve allows me to continue the use of nsaids which I rely on for arthritis in knees that was not improved even after losing much of the weight I wanted to lose. Very easy surgery and recovery were my experiences with zero ongoing issues or anticipated issues. I have very limited experience with horses but simply couldn't imagine any type of problems posed by a sleeve. It's simply a smaller stomach.

So....you took permanent steps to give you leverage over being in better control of your health and well being.......and your wife has bugged out on you.....and you've found someone you really like. I would think it would become fairly evident that something was different in that your way of eating and ongoing weight loss is effectively shedding pounds. If you really saw future times with this person it seems to be one of the things you'd share with her. Supremely doubtful that she'll judge you by this...if so, then....better to know now and move on. I think we all feel somewhat defined by our wls in the early days as it's such a huge change for us. As time passes the new ways of eating and hopefully the increased activity just become the norm and we don't feel so compromised by our health. I think it becomes much easier to share with people as time passes.

I'm a bit fan of straw drinkers.....

Damn.......lmao at this thread. Here's the deal.....the boxer briefs that I've tried just don't provide the banana hammock support that is appreciated. They are fine for fun times.....but for long days at work.....gimme my Buck Naked briefs and another cup of coffee. It ain't sexy....but it's how I roll.

Such a great concept that I really feel like my NUT and doctor didn't really drive home. It's true, though. As a sleever.....one is simply delaying having certain things. My final meal prior to starting my pre-op was thin crust supreme pizza from Pizza Hut. It was such a different food from my normal low carb eating that I'd been doing at that point that beginning the liquid diet the next day was a welcome return to low carb eating. It was a greasy tasting mess that just didn't deliver any positives....but yet I did it anyway. Now....13 months past surgery, I can have pizza without issue. I order it for the family once a week if not more. I almost never touch it and it's no biggie. I'd rather have other items that are on-plan. Food....while fun to grill and cook....is only fun to eat for me when the nutritional breakdown is congruent with my goals.