CHM

Give me pecorino romano, or give me death!

I was raised by chronically dieting parents at a time when aesthetics were very important to the whole family. My father, grandmother, and aunts always had a snarky comment for what I was eating or drinking, frequently shaking their heads and reminding me I had "such a pretty face". I don't remember ever being unaware that I was larger than my cousins and entirely unacceptable. My mother dragged me to regular sessions with a dietician when I was 7 or 8, where I was given a meal plan that outlined more food than I could even eat. The family soon got its way - I was bulimic by 10 and anorexic by 15. My thinking at the time was very all or nothing, and the only way I could overcome the anorexia was to switch from 'nothing' to 'all' and not think about it. Obviously, obesity soon followed. The sad part is, I came across an old photo album just the other day while unpacking a box, and upon looking at childhood photos of myself, I'm not even sure I WAS overweight. Maybe by BMI terms I was, but I wasn't really fat. No, I wasn't a dainty thing like my cousins and most classmates - I was muscular and solid. I still am. Just a different body type is all.

I just want to thank all of you ladies for your feedback. I really do appreciate you all sharing your experiences. Some people may get freaked out when they hear less than ideal stories, but the more information I have the calmer I feel, so you have all helped greatly. April 1st is my day, and I am not rescheduling again. Time to get this done!

I do weigh daily, and have since I was 10. I used to completely obsess over the number on the scale, but my mentality changed as I was preparing for surgery and I became much more detached from the results, which has been nice. There is a lot to adjust to post-surgery, and I like being able to identify patterns in how eating behaviors affect weight. Like many others, I only record the weight on Mondays - the rest is just to keep an eye on things. I've proven that I can handle the fluctuations and the stalls without losing my mind, so I see no harm in continuing.

What a wonderful day. You're doing great!

My surgeon's office considers my starting weight to be what it was the day of my first appointment. I consider it to be what it was the day I decided to pursue surgery and scheduled an appointment (which also happened to be my highest weight).

They're both just adorable. That little Bella has the sweetest face. Its funny that you call her a wookie - hubby and I refer to our yorkie/shih tzu as "Baby Chewy" when his fur grows out and he's overdue for a grooming.

It's not really anxiety. It's more pain management.

So I did reschedule for 2 weeks from tomorrow. I also asked about a prescription sedative to relax me, but the Dr called me back and wanted me to just take something OTC, so I wasn't happy about that. [emoji35]

I could never control when my cycle started with the NuvaRing. I tried a couple times, but I would just get breakthrough bleeding after a few days that would last until I took the ring out. Not fun. And remind me to book a follow up ultrasound to check that it's placed right. I am entirely uninterested in a membership to the 'pregnant on IUD' club. Lol

I do not track my cycles - given that my Drs are not certain if I've ever actually ovulated in my life, there didn't seem to be much point. I've run the gynecological gambit: paps, HSGs, polyp removals, D&Cs, a cervical biopsy, an endometrial biopsy, countless transvaginal ultrasounds...and what I've learned is that my pain tolerance ends where my cervix begins. Im certainly not expecting the IUD insertion to be a walk in the park, but I know it will be worth the trouble once everything settles down.

Well if anyone is going to the bigger feet, let it be the man. I think I would cry... Lol

I think what I need to do is put a container of assorted vitamins everywhere I might possibly be: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, livingroom, car, purse, in-law's, etc. That way wherever I am when I think of it they'll be right there. Having to go to another room to get them increases the chance that I'll get distracted given that I have the attention span of a squirrel. Lol I've read up on both of them and the deciding factor for me was the effect on the menstrual cycle. Paragard tends to make periods heavier and more frequent, while Mirena tends to make them lighter and less frequent. I'm accustomed to maybe one period a year, and I'd like to return to that. The monthly periods while on the NuvaRing were just annoying, though I've read that the periods may be stronger with either IUD in the first couple months while the body is adjusting to it. As long as it levels out, I'll be happy. Well there's a wild experience. Lol. You are now the second person I've heard of who has fallen pregnant while using an IUD. I hope everything turned out safely for you. Here's hoping I stay in the 99.8% and don't join you though!

I never understood the straw ban. I get the theory behind it and all, but don't you swallow air every time you drink anyway? Its extremely unlikely you're going to have nothing but the beverage in your mouth when you swallow from a glass. Or maybe I just drink weird, I don't know. Unless you're at the very bottom of your cup, it seems to me that straws would make it LESS likely you'd get air in your stomach, since there is none under the liquid line. Plus straws keep you from gulping.

Okay so 2 people say its worse than an endometrial biopsy. That procedure had me bedridden for 3 days, cramping badly for 2 weeks, and traumatized to the point that my uterus would spasm literally every time I laid down for 3 weeks. Its funny, I have one of the highest pain tolerances of most people I know, yet somehow I just can't handle the internal gynecological stuff. My gyn jokes that he'd hate to see how I'd handle a pregnancy. I think I'm going to rescedule so I don't have to give up my weekend. I don't get out much, and I'm really looking forward to it. Lol. I can't say I'm not scared now, but I'd still rather know what to expect. Thank you all for your input.

I wouldn't call myself a dog expert, but oh goodie, I get to talk about my pupples! I have 2 yorkie mixes: Cole, a 7 y.o. yorkie/shih tzu, and Alice, a 2.5 y.o yorkie/maltese. Both are very sweet and snuggly and go out of their way to do cute things that they know will make us laugh or love them up. Cole is a very calm, 'dignified' type of dog. He is not very playful - he just wants to be around his people, or sitting perched somewhere that he can keep an eye on what is going on around him. Alice is just fun - she is always up for playing with us or her brothers. If no one has time for her at the moment she's just as happy to entertain herself - she'll roll her own ball around to chase or toss her toys up in the air then either catch or pounce on them. Neither likes kids - they hide as soon as they hear little feet or voices. Both are wary of strangers and unfamiliar dogs, but are always excited to see those they've met before and decided are 'safe'. Neither really barks much unless there's actually something to bark at.

I'm not going to lie...I suck at taking my vitamins too. Just like I sucked at taking my blood pressure meds before that. I keep moving my vitamins all over the house thinking "Maybe if I put them here I'll remember." Its something I'm working on. Lol Fingers crossed that I share this experience.

I was required to lose 25 lbs pre-op, but ended up losing 86 lbs over the course of my 3 month supervised diet. Its a boring tip, I assure you, but all I did was what they told me to do. I was told to track my food (I use myfitnesspal), limit to 1200 cals/day, get in 70-90g of Protein, and exercise as tolerated. These numbers would likely be different for you, being male. The calorie restriction was absolute hell for the first week, but I gave myself some leeway to ease down, which made it more manageable. Soon enough my body was used to it. I wasn't insanely precise about it - some days were higher than 1200 and others were lower. As long as it roughly averaged out, I just let it go. Exercise was difficult for me to begin as well - I was just so out of shape and winded so easily. Plus I just didnt want to. I started by walking to the mailbox to get the mail every day (we have a large yard, so this wasn't just 5 steps outside the door). When I could do that without getting winded, I extended my walks to the corner and back. Then to the next corner, then around the block, and so forth. Now my dog and I take a 3 block walk 3-4 times a day, about a third of which is uphill. Focus on doing what you're able to do, as you're able to do it. In the end, just do the best you can. Anything you can do is more than you're doing now and will help get you to where you want to be.

This. Some insurance companies don't have extensive requirements and approve as soon as you meet the basic criteria. Some require a 6 month medically supervised diet first. Mine required a 3 month diet. Some normally require a diet but will waive it to expedite if you're over a certain BMI. Its all variable and entirely dependent on your specific insurance plan.

Thank you. And yes, I guess it has been about 6 months total now - I started in mid-late September.