Dub

Mine has been very helpful thus far. There really was a lot of basic stuff covered. Stuff that, like you said, was covered in school along the way. Basic stuff.......the very basic stuff that I've neglected or ignored all these many years. I'm looking forward to my next visit.

Guess what? You ARE the beautiful girl in the picture. You are just a wiser and battle tested version of her. You know how to get back there and you WILL do it. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and advice. I am better for hearing it.

I use imgur. You can take pics with your cellphone.....open the app......select the pics and have them saved into imgur. You copy the URL link for any given photo and paste it into your thread. Imgur can be accessed via your computer very easily, too.

I don't know what to say. I've yet to have my surgery, but I'm sure I'll have lots of conflicted feels leading up to it. I only know that I'm doing it to help me get to where I want to be......and to help me stay there for the rest of my life. I think that if I keep that in mind things will remain more clear. I hope that you are able to gain total clarity and get in touch with why you want to have the surgery and what you believe the benefits will be in your life. The night before any type of surgery is nerve-racking.....I assure you. i remember being antsy as hell the night before I had an ankle tendon repaired. I had an awesome surgeon and things were fairly textbook leading up to it. I was worked up for no reason whatsoever. Surgery is not something we have every day......and can get us weirded out.

I really wish I could understand this judgement of your peers. We're all in the same boat. We're either awaiting surgery or have had surgery as tool to aid us in making life-long changes. We've all been called lazy or worse by someone at some point because we chose to use this tool. I thought we were here to support each other, not shame each other. I was not trying to be judgmental of anyone having WLS. Not at all. I was looking at what he posted and thinking that of everything he said he did.....if he's held it together for 4 years......was that he corrected his thoughts as well as his actions. He also put forth tremendous effort (or stated he did). My statement was that most folks here do the same things and are successful.......however there are some that seem to be lazy.....not wanting to expend the effort.....and waiting for a miracle. I'm sorry, but I don't know what else to call it. Some of the folks say it about themselves. They don't hurt....they just don't like exercise. "I just want to lose the weight and not worry about going to a gym" (recent post) They don't like the diets the nutritionist puts them on and are posting about eating pizza instead. As I stated....this is some......not most. Surely you've seen these type of posts. Not lazy that they've decided to have WLS. Lazy that they don't utilize the help we are being offered by our teams of nutritionists, phycological help, exercise training before and after the WLS. Lazy that they seem to only want the surgery and that's it. Hopefully the bariatric staff is able to hold off and help them further before surgery. I've seen a few posts like this on here. To use your boat analogy.......we all are in the same boat in the sense we are either waiting for surgery or living after surgery.....all in the same boat, yes........most of us are eager to grab a paddle and row as hard as we are able while some of us are not.

@@Jerr_Bear , you are a better man than me. I'd have thrown that mofo down in the driveway and driven over it. I can see me right now with a talking scale.......I step up on it and it speaks, "One at a time please". Aww.....hell no ! It'd been destroyed ASAP.

Maybe I'm just a jerk......but his reasons for drinking don't matter to me. The facts are what matter to me: He was driving insanely through a neighborhood, after drinking, lost control of his vehicle and crashed into lady's home.......a lady that had to dive for cover and was almost taken out by him. This lapse of judgement is not something that I'd allow in a surgeon. Could I forgive the fool? Perhaps. Would I ever want to associate with him or allow him to operate on me? Absolutely not. Like I said.....maybe I'm just a jerk.

Damn. Just damn. I'm usually a wordy hombre.......but find myself at a loss at the moment. All I can say is that if I ever had any doubts......they are gone now. You have fired up my passion for this process. I'm ready to join you with my own before and after pics......not the before-during-before-during fad pics I've got now. Before: During: And a couple of months ago: You have provided fuel that motivates me tremendously. THANK YOU !!!!!!!! I'm really looking forward to comparing Christmas card pics from this year (near time of surgery) to those of next year. Looking forward to it in a way that only you fine folks can understand.

Forgiving crowd around here. He could have easily killed the woman watering her lawn.....or any number of people on that day. Killed. Ended the woman's life...... There is no way in hell that I'd alloy a fool like that to operate on me. No way whatsoever. That type of lapse of judgment is simply not acceptable from someone who will be operating on you. Good call, OP.

Just saw your video. I can only imagine that it's tough when you've gone through everything only to see the scale show numbers you don't like. One thing all the veterans around here say is that that there will be periods when the scale doesn't move like we want....but progress is still taking place. Take a look at @@Queen P photos. Amazing !!!!! Those Atkin products give me fits, too. The sugar alcohol inside don't agree with me. I've found that when I use Atkins shakes and bars that my weight loss slows down. They tend to have more overall calories than other types/brands. Best of luck to you. Hang in there. You'll be leading the way for the rest of us in a couple weeks. Hope the drain is now out and you are more comfortable.

Ouch. Did they also limit how many breathes of air you could have, too ? 20 grams ????? @@choosehope asked if it was a typo. I agree. That'd be something to confirm with your medical folks this morning. I'm not far enough along in the process to have discussed the pre-op liquid detail with my program folks yet, but 20 grams total sounds harsh. 20 grams per meal sounds more realistic, but again.....I'm ignorant at this stage of the game.

Amazing. Simply amazing. Your surgery date is roughly a year ahead of when mine is tentatively scheduled. I watched your video and thought, "Look at what she's done in 8 months......it's going to work and be a huge relief for you, too". Thank you for taking the time to make the video and share it with us here. This type of evidence is very, very inspiring. Amazing. Simply amazing. Your surgery date is roughly a year ahead of when mine is tentatively scheduled. I watched your video and thought, "Look at what she's done in 8 months......it's going to work and be a huge relief for you, too". Thank you for taking the time to make the video and share it with us here. This type of evidence is very, very inspiring to folks like me who are pre-op and looking ahead. Amazing. Simply amazing. Your surgery date is roughly a year ahead of when mine is tentatively scheduled. I watched your video and thought, "Look at what she's done in 8 months......it's going to work and be a huge relief for you, too". Thank you for taking the time to make the video and share it with us here. This type of evidence is very, very inspiring to folks like me who are pre-op and looking ahead. Amazing. Simply amazing. Your surgery date is roughly a year ahead of when mine is tentatively scheduled. I watched your video and thought, "Look at what she's done in 8 months......it's going to work and be a huge relief for you, too". Thank you for taking the time to make the video and share it with us here. This type of evidence is very, very inspiring to folks like me who are pre-op and looking ahead. Amazing. Simply amazing. Your surgery date is roughly a year ahead of when mine is tentatively scheduled. I watched your video and thought, "Look at what she's done in 8 months......it's going to work and be a huge relief for you, too". Thank you for taking the time to make the video and share it with us here. This type of evidence is very, very inspiring to folks like me who are pre-op and looking ahead.

Best wishes for you !!! The verdict is stil out on The Chuckster. He's yet to post up pics of his awesome achievements....but, then again neither have many others on here.

Shows that I'm current on: Game of Thrones Son's of Anarchy Breaking Bad Justified Walking Dead Power Complications Longmire Alone True Detective

You, sir.....are the 4-Hour-Pirate !!!!!!!!

I chose the elliptical because of the stress to my knees. I went into the store for about week straight and decided on this. I'm just curious about iFit. I know I will have to wait a bit before using it regularly. I'm making a walking plan now! I've been getting moving a lot more. Each break at work, I'm walking. It's actually exciting. I think that would be fun. But with Ifit you can race people. Have you seen a video class before? Would be really good to make use of your treadmill. I know it was an expensive thing to get and not use. That's what I was worried about with picking that. It's actually taken me about 2 months to come to a conclusion. It has a 30 day money back guarantee. Not all of them have weights. I watched some so I think it should be okay for me. We'll see. " actually exciting." Taking control and action towards reaching your goal is hugely exciting !!!!!!

Sorry. Didn't realize you'd had previous WLS surgery. You're being unsure is fully understandable. You've been through all this before and for whatever the reasons you now find yourself going through them again. You mention becoming excited and waiting for the new you to emerge. You now know it's a longer process.....not something that just occurs one day as if by magic. It's understandable. You'll get through this thing and will make progress.....steady progress. Push yourself hard and the progress will come.

I'm a few months away from my surgery....so I can't really offer any insight to that aspect. I'm over twice your age and can offer a load of life insight. I will offer a brief story: My sister and I share the same genetics. We both got the family curse. She had bypass when she graduated from college and began working. She enjoyed wonderful health following the surgery. She's had excellent health throughout her 20's and 30's. Fit, trim and healthy. I went a different path. Fad diets....tried most of them. Initial results were good.....but there just wasn't a sustained benefit. Fads are just that....temporary. The very best results I've had were when I did the trainer-gym work. A balance of cardio and weight training was the ticket. I'm now......at over twice your age.......FINALLY going to do the bypass to help me get the weight off and be a powerful tool to keep it off.....along with the gym work and active lifestyle. You are wise and will profit hugely from this by accepting this graduation gift. Take it and run with it.....literally. Enjoy a fit and trim 20's, 30's, 40's and every decade that follows. Other folks will be along to school you on the techinques to adapt to the surgery......but take it from this young guy trapped in an old guy's body......profit from this surgery and embrace whatever minor discomforts or hurdles it presents at the beginning. You'll reap the rewards for the rest of your long and fun filled life.

Outstanding !!!! Success stories like yours and the pics to prove it are powerful. Super powerful.

I understand that bigtime. Believe me. That was the same plan I had until fairly recently. There was no way in hell that I'd talk actual weight numbers with my wife. She knows I'm a big guy......why shock her with a number. I did the same thing with my blood pressure numbers, too. I figured that one day down the road.....once I'd cleared out all my too-big clothes from the closet.....we'd kick back and I'd come clean with my stats at their worst point. Plan didn't work out so well, though. She drove me to an unscheduled visit to the spine doc.....hoping for some relief. She wasn't content to sit in the lobby....but came back through me every ugly step of the way.....saw the weight when I stepped on the scale.......saw the blood pressure......etc. Recent weight loss had both numbers improved.....so it wasn't bad. Her reaction was a non-event, too. Your husband may or may not have a clue what the actual number is. I fully understand your reasoning for hanging on to it. It's not a number that you're at now......or a number that you'll be at for more than a day or so. Sounds like you are humping it hard to lose what you can lose. That's the ticket. 50 pounds off is a super jumpstart. No matter what.....no matter the obstacles and distractions......keep after it. You'll gain momentum leading into the surgery that will propel you to success. What you've done has taken powerful drive. The ambition that you've demonstrated hasn't been lost on him. He's just in need of some insight and education. You are the best teacher for this. 19 years is a long, long time......yet it seems to go by swiftly, no? You've been through a lot together, no doubt. I'll bet you'll get through this, too. He's in need of some schooling. He's possibly thinking the best way to support you is to encourage what he sees....you working hard to lose the weight and he'll keep encouraging that. Maybe there's a way you can coach him up on how best to help you. It's a tough road and nobody gets there alone.

Yup. Yup. Yup. This is EXACTLY why I questioned the intent. Quack. I missed it the first time around. I'm slow like that.

Chuckster, again, good job on the results. No.....great job on the results. You've really accomplished something substantial. 146 lb lighter and you've been there for four years. That is exceptional. You found the tools to do it. I'm guessing that's what we all are doing.....finding those tools we need. The stats below your name say that you just joined but had surgery this past March. Somewhat confusing. Why did you join here these past few days and enter the information that you entered ? This makes your initial post seem odd. This was lost on me at first. I was blown away with your results and didn't see this. As far as being healthier now vs having the surgery......that is truly only for you to decide. I felt the exact same way when I lost 125 lbs. I thought that I'd have made a mistake having WLS. I also learned a lot of lessons that I thought I'd not learned otherwise. Well....I've since learned a heap of other lessons.....and learned to appreciate many more viewpoints. Weight loss and living healthy longterm has different paths to get there and different circumstances for each of us. I'd submit that getting there is the initial goal. Whatever path we take to get there....whatever tools we employ......all secondary to getting there. Assuming we all get there......we've simply made it to the starting line. Then the real journey begins........maintaining healthy living. It's then that I'm guessing we'll all have more similarities than differences: small & frequent meals, quality food-not garbage, active lifestyles, etc. Being to maintain this lifestyle is the true test of being "more healthy". I can say that without a shadow of doubt.....I'll be "more healthy" this time around with the bypass as a tool. Anyone that cares to argue with me can do so 10-15-20 years down the road. We'll see then.

Howdy everyone ! I want to pick the brains of our veteran WLS folks. I'm quite sure that I"ll experience much relief from knee and back arthritis after I'm 12-24 months post op. I'm very encouraged about this and am counting on it as one of the many benefits. My question is that for times when the pain does return and I don't want to address with prescription pills....is there a topical medication that you've experienced success with ?

Elliptical can be tough to just jump up on and get going with. I suggest walking on treadmill several times a week for a couple months before the elliptical. It'll get your tendons ready for the elliptical workout. On the flip side....the knees are less stressed on the elliptical than you may think.

Thanks Blue. I'm sorry to hear that DJ. Losing 115 lbs would hopefully provide relief from pain.....that is tough on a whole different level. I hope your recovery goes well.