Little Green

And you know I did!!!!!

Thank you so much

Thank you! I'm using Huel unflavored protein and MRM Veggie protein in a couple of flavors. It's not that they taste bad, but they're protein powders. It's just how they taste lol. Contrast that to some delicious black beans and baked sweet potato... OMG lol. Stopping there before I go any further with that fantasy...

Oh ****. When I originally read the post I thought it was a PHOTO she sent you. I had no idea she actually mailed you all that crap. OMG! I think even with the filters on these posts the word I want to call her would get me kicked off the boards, but yeah. That is unbelievable. The best revenge will be living life as a happy, healthy, active, trim individual.

Also I have therapy tomorrow and my poor therapist is going to be getting an earful

I had high platelet readings for several years and always bugged my doctor about it. Finally she was just like IT'S PROBABLY FROM INFLAMMATION YOU DON'T HAVE CANCER, OK???? And now I feel better. Hee hee! Sorry doc!

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I am the same way about my blood work, wanting explanations for things that are out of range or don't look right and I have definitely annoyed my saintly doctors by asking! However they have always treated me with respect and answered my questions, so I am sorry you are feeling brushed off. Do you have a PCP/family doctor that you could see and ask them to repeat the labs or give you some better explanations? And, are you supplementing with B12? That is one of the required supplements on my program, so that could explain the high reading. I have dealt with weird TSH readings for years. Omg. Up and down and up and down. When I was a teenager (16 I think) my endo put me on Synthroid, at 20 my ob/gyn took me off. I changed ob/gyns when I was 23 and she put me back on it. Almost 5 years ago I moved and found my current PCP and she repeated the labs twice with normal TSH levels and took me off. (I go to PP for my annual and birth control now, so they're not evaluating my labs.) SO...... I really don't know what the f-ck is up with the TSH tests and why they are so wonky for people. To be honest unless you decide to visit your PCP and get the labs repeated, I would not worry about it - you will get new labs at 6 months or shortly thereafter and can compare then. I know it's frustrating not to have answers! If you have symptoms then certainly ask for more help but I'm honestly not sure anyone, medical professional or not, can be confident in what that test reading actually means. Honestly. I was told as a teenager the thyroid never recovers function and you will always be on Synthroid. Soooo... yeah. *shrugs* Good luck, ladybird!

So far I'm liking MRM Veggie protein, but it's only available online. Someone recommended Orgain to me which is available at Costco. Are you allergic to cow's milk or does that include plant-based milk as well? My favorite is soy but there's almond, rice, coconut, hemp, flax, etc. - all kind of milk!

Clothes: I'm bringing overlarge pajama bottoms and sweat pants in case I get cold, a lightweight robe, and a loose-fitting dress for discharge day. (I wear dresses almost exclusively so I didn't buy it special or anything LOL.) Entertainment: I'm bringing my phone, headphones, and Kindle along with necessary chargers. Toiletries: I'm bringing my standard travel hygiene bag. It's small and has everything I need for overnight, including chapstick and lotion. I'm also bringing my own box of tissues because I blow my nose constantly and can't handle the rough hospital tissues (husband has spent a loooong time in hospital so I already have experience with this!). Supplies: I'm still building this list. I know I'll be bringing a heating pad. I'm asking my surgeon's office for opinions on an abdominal binder and might bring that. I might bring an eye mask - historically I haven't been able to sleep with them but the meds might be strong enough to overcome that. So I'm kinda in the in-between in terms of level of packing, lol. Not going with nothing and not going with a whole suitcase. We stay a minimum of two nights in my program so if I really need something I didn't bring, my mom can grab it for me and bring it the 2nd day of the hospital stay.

It's a great point, BigViffer. Yikes. I'm not sure that personally I'd want to remain married to someone whom I had to convince to stay with me using financial incentives (or threat of disincentives). Just the thought of having to say this to my partner would make me want to leave.

(It's day 1 of my liquid diet and I shouldn't be arguing due to increased risk of cutting a b***h so I may bow out! LOL!)

Jeez, y'all. This thread won't die! Can we all just agree that increased dependence on alcohol is a risk after surgery due to various factors, that encouraging others to go against their surgeon's guidelines is unwise, and that some people will still go their own way, with or without complications, and it's not possible to argue them out of it?

I'm keeping lists of stuff I want to do, from the mundane like being able to go up the ladder into the attic to the more ambitious like a difficult 8-mile hike my friend has scheduled for September. I'm hoping checking off stuff like that will help satisfy the goal-achieving craving. I'm also going to only weigh myself once a month to try and control the dopamine rush during my weight loss phase. Hoping I have the willpower to resist, lol...

Veggie soup or stew blended will be a great consistency - nice and warm and savory. I'm starting my liquid diet tomorrow and already dreaming about my first blended soup about a month from now. Good luck!

I'm so sorry you're going through this! I can't help much, but I know that my surgeon recommended taking vitamins with a meal or snack to minimize nausea. Good luck

Sorry Raffi. I'm all for humor and sarcasm, bawdy jokes, even offensive humor, and I'm known to be blunt on occasion. I just think there are too many people looking for ways to excuse bad behavior for me to see the humor in this post, which I feel could add fuel to the fire for some. I'm wishing you all the best, though, and hoping to get excellent results like you have as well! Take care.

Even if this is true, should people on this board be required to decipher the hidden message among the barrage of macho "I do what I want" talking points?

Yeah, you're hilarious, Raffi.

It took me awhile but I finally found it

Hmm. To me it definitely comes off as bragging about the rules not applying to him. The title literally says, "I'm doing everything wrong... and shrinking." The implication there is he's still losing weight despite not following any of the guidelines and has "no regrets" according to his OP. So yeah, I don't think we're just being too sensitive by taking what he's said at face value. Giving the middle finger to the surgeon's rules is not only stupid but dangerous. And Raffi has been loving the attention his post has gotten. "Badge of honor," and all that. So I'm really not interested in finding ways to excuse it as him framing his post in a way he didn't intend. Personally I'm having surgery to lose my excess weight and permanently maintain that by completely overhauling the lifestyle that has been making me sick and fat. But that's just me.

Not sure it's good to fantasize about our favorite unhealthy foods while we're trying to focus on changing our diets! LOL

This is more of a rant than a question but I'm feeling so frustrated with getting my surgery date. I found out I was approved on 12/27 but I needed to get a test done to check for a certain type of bacteria. I waited and waited for them to call and schedule it but they never did so I finally got ahold of the right department and had the test today. I called the bariatric office today to see what the timeline would look like once the surgeon receives the results and, unfortunately, spoke to my least favorite coordinator, who is very rude. He basically gave a non-answer and said that once the surgeon gets the results they will "eventually" call me. I wouldn't be so worried about the date except we were trying to get it done in time for my husband to be off work to be with me. He's been on disability for almost two years after a severe accident and we're trying to balance getting him back with my surgery. The deadline for him to return is 2/20. I'm so afraid he will have to go back to work and won't be able to take time off and won't be able to even see me since my surgery is 1.5 hours away from home. I'm so frustrated!!!!!!! I see so many people say, "I found out I was approved! My date is X!" And here I am a month after approval with no idea of my date.

I DESPERATELY want Thin Mints but if I did order them they wouldn't be delivered until after my surgery. So no Thin Mints for me Hmm... I'm going to have a "final meal" before my liquid diet starts Thursday. I haven't had anyone yell at me and tell me I'm not committed to changing my lifestyle so I should postpone surgery yet - any takers????

No, you're definitely not! As you have gained weight your body chemistry has changed and many factors are in play in your body that are designed to keep you overweight. It's crazy how different our bodies are, metabolically, compared to normal weight individuals. The surgery resets us metabolically. (Some studies have shown improved metabolic markers after surgery even for people who don't lose very much weight!) And the junk food we all eat (ate!) was literally engineered using top-secret additives and ingredients to increase pleasure, influence your neural pathways, and keep your hand moving to your mouth. Get angry at the food industry and use that anger to rebel against it by eating whole, nutritious foods instead. Surgery will make that much easier. I use the analogy of climbing a mountain. When we're obese it's like we are climbing it with a gigantic boulder on our backs, weighing us down and preventing us from going very far. Some tiny subset of people are so strong they are able to make it to the top, but most of us never will. Surgery takes the boulder off. We still have to do the climb ourselves - there's no chair lift to the top - but it gives us the opportunity to actually be successful. Here's a wonderful video from Dr. Matthew Weiner about deciding to have WLS: