LittleBill

Congratulations! It is a huge step, but one I am glad I took. I think you will be too. Good luck with it!

I don't think this can be emphasized enough. Too many people are preoccupied with physical appearance. Some of the most beautiful people (physically speaking) have some of the worst personalities. They are full of nastiness and contempt for others. On the other hand, those who are more "homely" are often more generous in spirit and much more pleasant to be around. Every person should be evaluated by their character. I posted a while ago about being in Walmart and seeing boatloads of fat people everywhere. Aside from my usual irritation at being forced into a crowd setting, I mainly felt sympathy for many of them. Treating people badly because of their physical appearance is a sure sign of a shallow personality. I did my best not to be that way before, and I will continue on that way.

Just keep doing what you are supposed to be doing. One day you will look at yourself and say, "Wow, when did that happen!?!"

Yeah, anesthesia can do it. I couldn't pee at all for hours, and they had to catheterize me twice. Once the stuff wears off, you will probably be fine. At least you are getting a trickle. That's a good sign.

I had a minor close call today, which would have been not much more than really annoying, but annoying and a waste of time all the same. I did dodge the bullet at the very last second though. In the attached picture, you can see two bags. One is slightly smaller than the other, but they are both about the same shape, and coincidentally, weight. One is my camera bag, which is stuffed full of camera gear for hobby/semi pro work. The other is a backpack Mrs. LittleBill gave me and which is stuffed with my gym clothes. I was running around the house, trying to get out the door with a bunch of little stuff to do before I did. I was in a hurry, and kept forgetting this little thing, or that, and had picked up and put down my backpack with my gym clothes several times. Finally, all was in order, and I was running out the door. I grabbed my bag, opened the door, turned to check the lock, and had a surreal experience. I stood there holding my gym bag, while looking at it sitting on the dining room floor 10 feet away. It really messed with my head for a few seconds. Then I looked down and realized I had come very close to walking out the door with my CAMERA BAG. It would have been pics and it didn't happen if I had gotten 10 miles down the road to the gym and then noticed the problem. As it was, I was able to rescue the situation with very little effort, but with the realization I almost did a really embarrassing thing. Of course, if I had, I probably wouldn't post about it - at least not for a few months, anyway.

Dub, this dish is great! We had one similar to it for a while, but it was too hard to get inside the bottle to clean it. I can fit my giant paw inside this one. Mrs. LittleBill bought it at PetCo or PetSmart - one of those chain places. It is not a pretty sight, that's for sure. I think if anyone saw me open a bag of cameras, they would rise up, band together, and stuff me into a locker before I even got a chance to explain myself.

@@Djmohr Well like I wrote, I dodged a bullet here. But there have been times when actual bullets have been involved, like when I get to the range and find out I forgot the magazines for a particular firearm, or I have ones that are close but no cigar...

Thank you. If I tried to take pictures though, I might have been exposed for being negative. They might have said unprintable things

I cannot help you. I am not there. My suggestion is just that, not a panacea. There are ways to work around things, but you have to find them yourself, not rely on strangers.

How many Germans does it take to screw in a light bulb? One. We are very efficient, and we don't have much of a sense of humor. I write this as being mostly German in my ethnic extraction.

P.S. Mrs. LittleBill gets mad at me every time I play this song. But I love her anyway.

I am not really one for extramarital sex, but that is just me. I do not judge you. This may sound simplistic, but turn out the lights. I write that as one who has been married for 33 years. It is all about the experience, and not about the looks. A pretty woman is not always the best lover. If you are good at it, they will be too. Consider this. I do not say you are ugly. I am just giving you this for perspective.

This is more mental than physical. Read what Dub wrote. Then read it again. And again. Then do it. We can offer direction and encouragement, but in the end, it is up to you. You can do it. You just have to decide that you want to.

I have that meme in the flavors of a$$h0le and idiot. I generally try to stay away from those terms - except in private conversations. I've actually told people on various forums point blank that I am not allowed to write what I think about them because of the forum rules. It usually gets the point across. I made this version after someone here came all unglued on me for what she took to be a serious post when it was humorous. I sprinkle humor everywhere, but it is usually not hard to tell which is which.

What the heck. Why not? I made this meme for another incident, but never used it. So I'll just trot it out now.

@@summerset It doesn't really bother me. I would actually prefer a blocking method similar to Facebook, where I don't have to see them at all, and they don't see me. I was a moderator on a board with at least as much drama as this one, and I had to wade through all the crap anyway to see who was deserving of a time out, or a ban of some sort, and who was the injured party. I get along with most people, but there are some serious buttholes here. I just ignore them the old fashioned way.

@@Djmohr Since you were wondering...

We are far enough out that the cops have to look on a map to find us. And I have that from a cop that was here for an accident in front of the house one time. And the neighbors are blissfully unaware. They don't hear the alarm on my shop if it goes off, and a lot of the time they don't hear us shooting guns! Hey, don't forget to crush the cans on your forehead before throwing them on the floor, then all you need are peanuts where you can throw shells on the floor with some sawdust, jk don't eat peanuts. LOL You are alot of fun to chat with. Sent from my 0PM92 using the BariatricPal App You're tempting me you know...

@@gowalking So, you laid down the law - no ifs, ands, or butts! What part of PA is your son moving to? He might not be all that far from where I am.

@@suzzzzz I think part of it is people looking for someone else to endorse bad decisions so the guilt isn't as bad. I suspect people think, "Well, if I can get other fat people who are allegedly losing weight to say it's okay, I can get away with it!" But that's just my opinion.

Haha, I read through a lot of those posts, and then have the debate of "Can I answer this post?" vs "Should I answer this post?" A lot of times I just close the window and move on, depending on the vibe I get from the OP or some of the other answers. Good post, and good information!

Just to add one more little bit of perspective to what everyone else has already written... Mrs. LittleBill and I were driving along yesterday, and passed a school. It was up in the mountains where I grew up. I said, "There's all the happy kids in school, stuck in there for the long, hard, dreary wait until the next holiday. When I was a kid, we all prayed for snow, which was our only hope for release." January and February can be tough. The big holiday season is over, it is winter out for many of us, and that means ice, snow, dark and cloudy days, etc. All of this can weigh a person down on top of everything you have to deal with in life and your recent surgery. If you have some time, perhaps this might be an opportunity to get out and meet some people. Volunteer somewhere, join a club, or just hang out in a coffee shop somewhere from time to time. Now, as your life is changing, you have a great opportunity to shape it in a direction you would like. Good luck with it!

Yeah, but the last time he said something was before I started losing weight! That's what makes it weird. I've got two public engagements coming up in the next three weeks, and with people who know me well. In the past I made my weight a bit of my personality, my schtick if you will. It was immortalized on a DVD we sold all over the world. When I say hundreds of people have mentioned weight and size to me, I do not exaggerate. It is usually a comparison of skill at what we do and size of belly. If you've read even a few of my posts (and I know you have read some of them) then you can probably imagine the humor that goes along with this. It will be interesting to see if anyone says anything then, since my last appearance with these folks was also before I started losing. With this crowd, I may have to fess up, or they'll think I'm dying of cancer or something.

This morning I paid a visit to my barber. He noticed that my head had lost enough weight that my hair follicles were closer together than they used to be. Haha, not really! But I did go to the barber. And I slid right into that chair instead of going in like a cork into a bottle. Now, this is the guy who has been saying to me for a long time, "Haven't you lost some weight? This collar is going around your neck a lot looser and easier these days." At least, he used to say that - right up to the point where I actually started losing weight! He hasn't said a word for months now, and I am down 124 lbs. Maybe he figures it doesn't matter. Maybe I need to find someone with better eyesight. I have high standards for the person who wields sharp instruments around my face and neck. But now that (what's left of) my hair is cut, I should get back on the scale. I might have lost another 1/64th of a pound.

Try this first instead.