Ruth1ess

I know those are more like milestones, but they're also rewards to myself. I also want to be a dresses person I might go a little crazy with the clothes.. but I don't even care!

Love your attitude! Here's my post: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/360035-the-start-of-my-new-life-in-2016/ And here's my list: Things I just can't wait for: - Stamina! Being able to explore all day and not have to stop to rest my aching feet and knees. - Traveling comfortably. Airplane belts that fit. Not having to squeeze between people in a restaurant. - Forgoing that first assessment when entering a room where I look around to see if I'm the fattest person there... you know what I mean. - Summer dresses!! -Cute shoes and cute clothes. Not having to shop in Lane Bryant for everything. -If I need something, being able to simply go to the store and get it. Explaining to my boyfriend why I couldn't just go into the mall and get a winter coat was embarrassing. Not being able to buy emergency clothes in Central America.. ugh. Packing light and buying clothes wherever I travel to would be a real possibility. - -Theme park rides. I love roller coasters, and the last time I went, it was touch and go whether or not I fit in the seat. -Boots that fit my calves! -Skydiving -Being able to do more than a couple sets of stairs without my knees starting to hurt -Enough room to snuggle comfortably on the couch with my boyfriend -GoRuck Tough!!

Talked to my nutritionist.. she said it's possible I could get my surgery as early as late march! March 9th --- done with my last class, surgery request will be submitted to insurance that day. 8-10 days later -- Approval, then scheduling There's a wait list here at Mayo Clinic for gastric bypass, but many more surgeons that perform the sleeve. I could get right in once I'm approved!

It's my understanding from reading other threads that your feet aren't necessarily fat, but there is less stress and strain on your arches, so they are able to recoil a little or bounce back from how flattened they were with the extra weight. This accounts for having 'shorter' feet after losing weight.

I've considered it! I have a few YouTube heroes since this began, Clusie L being my favorite. I just don't know if I'll have the time. Do you have a YouTube channel yet?

Anyone else feel like they're about to win the lottery? Like, this kind of weight loss is something I've dreamed and wished for and now it's about to come true? It feels unreal.

I have a goal of GoRuck Urban Ops by this fall (did it last year as well), a normal GoRuck Light the end of 2016, and a GoRuck Tough in 2017. GoRuck Ingress Light/Urban Ops http://www.goruck.com/goruck-x-ingress/c/81 GoRuck Light http://www.goruck.com/light/c/26 GoRuck Tough http://www.goruck.com/tough/c/25

I'd considered it but always brushed off surgery as 'too drastic' and 'last resort'. Well, I'm at my last resort now. You fill your mind with things like "I'll never reach 280" or "I'll never reach 300".. the last time I weighed was I was 280, then suddenly I weighed in at 293. I panicked seeing the scale so close to 300. Every time I attempted to lose weight, I was losing a few then regaining higher than I'd ever been before. I was afraid to try again. I was suddenly isolating myself and afraid to meet new people. I avoided meeting my boyfriend's family (all Asian) because of perceived cultural judgment of overweight people. I didn't meet up with friends I hadn't seen in years when they came to down. I made excuses and started staying in. None of this is like me at all I also travel frequently, flying every 3 weeks or so. Airplane seat belts kept getting tighter and tighter, and now I struggle to buckle them. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I was afraid to ask for a seat belt extender because what if they didn't have any? How would I explain why I got kicked off the plane? Between seeing myself get so closed to 300 lbs and not being able to buckle my seat belt, I knew something had to be done. Starting a family is somewhere in my near future, and I don't want to be a fat bride nor do I want to have problems conceiving due to my PCOS. It's time.

Great ideas and great recommendations, thank you all! Eating slower is something I've become painfully aware of this past week, especially. I always drink with my meals because it helps me get down food faster -- a full lunch with a Protein + 3 veggies will take me about ten minutes to finish because I eat so fast! I've started moving my Water away from me when I eat and counting the chews (at least 20) to slow me down. That's something that will take me awhile to get used to. I haven't specifically been told to cut out my caffeine by my doctor and NUT. I have one 8 oz coffee every morning, but I have been alternating it with tea. Is cutting out caffeine something that is advised by most surgeons? I know it can increase cravings, but it's never had that effect on me and I drink it in moderation, so I've never worried about it before. I've always continued it through other diet plans. Water.. is a continuous battle as well. I never get enough water, but, I've been working on always keeping some in front of me to get used to slow, continuous intake. Sips, as is recommended after surgery. MyFitnessPal is always a must.. ninjarutabega if you want to follow Prayer.. also a continuous battle. A will and living will is a great idea. I haven't pursued these things before. I've started looking at broths and mixes that look good to me, including instant miso, swanson's, and dissoluble Fiber. Going back to Netflix to watch anything having to do with weight and dieting.. including re-watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead as well as the All of Me bariatric special. Exercise... working out a plan. Bought a fitbit yesterday to track and increase my steps, and act as a silent witness as I climb stairs at work. Visiting planet fitness sometime this week to renew my membership and begin a cardio routine. Trying not to obsess but both enjoying and hating the anticipation @@Dub Those numbers are killer, congratulations! I'm settling in somewhere between 160 and 175 as a goal weight for myself. it's still kind of a dream to realize this time next year, I could be close to that.

So far so good I've identified that I use food as a 'reward' for doing well in other areas of my life, as well as stress eating to feel better. Working on rerouting those triggers with other behavior. I drink one beer every week or every other week, or not at all, down from 4-5 weekly. Don't do sugary drinks, never have since living a low carb lifestyle. The occasional diet soda if I feel the craving, but that's rare. I don't do sugar replacements/sugar alcohols. Splenda is a migraine trigger for me, and sugar alcohols are bad for the gut, so I cut them out completely to get my palette used to natural sweetness instead of overly sweet fixations. I've found some Vitamins I like and can tolerate. I've been playing with Protein powders and just bought some unsweetened pea protein, excited to try that. I'm an overachiever... next!

I'm ready now too!! Here's my intro post, I'm going to be updating it along the way.. will also post here! Looking forward to having friends going through the same kinds of things! http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/360035-the-start-of-my-new-life-in-2016/

Thank you so much for the thoughtful responses. Biohack.. nice term! I guess you're kind of right there. I've been able to lose 60-70 lbs a few times during my lifetime, and maintain it for a few years after. It always creeps back, something always happens, and I always gain back more than what I lost. That's the pattern I want to break with the sleeve. I can lose the weight on my own, but, it won't stay off and I know that. That's why I'm excited for the sleeve as a long term solution to always be with me on my journey. I've been using the calculator the same way. I'm just not really sure if our bodies work that way. I guess I will just have to find out for myself through my own experience at this point, since it doesn't really seem to be something that other people have done. I realize the numbers don't mean much, but, consider it boredom from waiting.. to overanalyze and see if this is really the best way or if I can somehow optimize results along the way.

I wholeheartedly understand that the sleeve is a tool and that what I put into this is what I will get back from it. I understand there are major behavioral and life changes ahead for me if I am to succeed. I also understand that the numbers my doctor gives me are averages and aren't to be relied on. I've put a lot of thought and research into this decision. I am also very aware that the numbers are from excess weight, not total weight, as I specified in my original post. Specifically, if I were to put off the sleeve for another 6 months or so in theory and I lost 40 more lbs, I'm curious if the sleeve would kind of halt at the same place as if I had started now, or if I could expect a greater weight loss overall. I'm trying to get the greatest benefit from my new tool as I possibly can, I know it can be a lot more frustrating towards the end. I can't really determine what my 'normal' is right now, as I've slowly put on another 20 lbs or so in the past year. I'm looking for opinions and any life experience that may be able to shed some light on my question as I ponder

I appreciate your thoughts. Still looking for an answer to the question, though!

I'm expecting my sleeve date to be somewhere in April appropriate since it's my birthday month! I don't use FB, though, just here and G+

Did anything ever happen in Jacksonville?

Anyone have a favorite scale they use? I feel like splurging and the one I have now is horrible.. the most basic you can get and only works half the time! I'm probably going to be spending a lot of time on this sucker..

Good luck on your journey!

I have yet to be sleeved, but my body seems to do that when I'm trying to lose weight. I'll gain three lbs, then lose 5. Gain 2, lose 6. It's a weird process, but it's what my body wants to do even when I'm doing everything right.

Big step for me... I needed someone to act as caregiver and take me to my bariatric classes, so I told my grandma about my plans on Tuesday night. My fear was that she would be judgmental, tell me I didn't need it, tell me I just need to eat less, etc, as she's done in the past. She's always the first one to comment on my weight. Reality was, she started crying and hugged me. She thinks WLS is a great idea, supports me 100%, and literally cleared her schedule for me. She says she's been praying for something like this as she's been worried about my health. I was able to reassure her that I was not pre-diabetic as I had also feared, my bloodwork all came back really good, and my blood pressure is still 112/72. I cried a lot that night -- her acceptance meant a lot to me, and now I have someone to hold my hand through the process... and not just anyone! I respect her more than anyone else in this world.

I did low carb for a long time. I try to avoid the sugary veggies (corn, carrots) and focus on the deep greens. The super sweet fruits are to be avoided as well... bananas are a killer. Melons and berries are your best bet to keep the carbs down, and like someone else said above, fiber! Any fiber you can subtract from the carb count.

I have a prenatal Vitamin that I'm taking prior to surgery, but, I'm wondering how I'm going to get this giant pill down after. Is it OK to crush these? I don't see why not, as it's not an extended release.

When's the last time you lost 28 lbs in almost two months? Sounds like you're doing amazing!

@@Sammysmiles Cool!! I wondered if there were any other Mayo patients on here My first class is on Feb 16th, then March 9th is my last one. I'm also hoping for an April surgery. I don't have a follow up with Dr. Lynch beforehand, though. He said he wouldn't see me until after the surgery. I'm sure we'll see each other at one point or another Do you know if there are any support groups local to Jax?

Wow! I can't imagine waiting 6 months. I just decided a couple of weeks ago to pursue surgery and it's already too long! I'm ready to start my new life I've done: psych eval consultation nutritionist oximetry bloodwork/EKG I get clearance from the sleep doctor in a few minutes, have a non-sedation endoscopy next week. I'm hoping to have my surgery date after that, because all that will be left is classes in February and in the beginning of March.