Rivka7NV

I have been told that after so long I will be picking up something to wear underneath my clothes like Spanx or other support under garment. However, when I look at the prices, I am thinking it might be easier to just wear loose fitting clothes. I know I have to stabilize for 18 months before I can have any skin or tissue reduction. What do I do in the meantime? Can anyone give me a clue as to what the normal course of events will be?

Not worried in the least. Those that are your friends will accept what you eat and don't eat. Those that don't and try to tempt you into eating and drinking, are not your friends. Kick them to the curb. Drink plenty of water and if it gets to be too much, go for a walk or leave early. For the sake of your health, you need to change your life. Sometimes that means walking away.

I was not making a judgment call about you. I was responding to someone whose post seems to have been removed.

Hoping052017, Thank you! I am the original presenter of the line of thought that with changes in the body come changes in our personality because of changes in our mental attitude. I was perplexed that someone would associate my statement with personality disorders. I chalked it up to cognitive dissonance. Thank you for responding. You understood and reiterated my sentiments.

Of course, you will have sagging skin. That is a good thing because it means you are in compliance with all the tools you were given and taught to use. By that I mean not only your bariatric surgery but also you are exercising, drinking water, eating the right foods. Start documenting your saggy skin problems - excoriated skin, yeast infections, trouble moving. Do so in your own diary but discuss it each time you talk with your doctor. I would even go so far as to request that they put that in your chart. By doing this, the insurance company can see that it is hindering a healthy lifestyle and creates discomfort for you. They might just decide to pay for it in part or in whole. Start saving your pennies, nickels and dimes for the surgery. My research showed that most doctors will not do the skin/fat reduction surgeries until 18 months after the surgery. I am looking forward to mine because I am going to have them tuck, suck, clip, nip and do whatever else can be done to my body so that I can have the body I have always wanted.

The purpose of the pre-op diet is to get rid of some of the fat around your liver so it is easier to move aside and get to the stomach. One cannot make up for lost time but you can move forward and pay strict attention to the 3 major factors - water, exercise and food intake.

I too am looking for a buddy and am open to looking forward to anyone who is about to go through WLS of any kind. I will figure out a way that we can talk mono-a-mone.

I too am pre-op and looking for a buddy. I will try to figure out how to get my email and phone to you if you respond and say yes.

Find a WLS group or pal. I am looking for a pal. I have friends but none of them have gone through WLS surgery but, for the most part, they are supportive. Those that don't are without my presence any longer.

Vinegars - Raspberry, Pear, Fig, Pomegranate, Cider, Red wine, Rice. Try them in your broths. Water enhancers can be combined with decaf teas or plain water. Syrups can be used with protein shakes as long as they are sugar-free. They can also be used in your decaf coffee. Gelatins (sugar-free) can also be used in your protein shakes. Use about a 1/4 of a teaspoon. You can also use these for a snack. Any spice or spice mix without salt or sugar.

Talk to your doctor (PCP) but just on a preliminary level with no medical training, I think the stress of losing a kidney and most of your stomach is a bit too much to ask your body to go through. Donors have to be in tip top shape. VSG or GP eliminates that possibility for you. I don't know about visa versa but look at it this way: Do you really think it is ok to give up your life and health so that someone else can be happy and healthy? Health needs to be about you first then others.

Family be damned! 99.9% of the time they speak from ignorance about weight loss in general, and weight loss surgery to any degree. Go find some books on WLS. Weight Loss for Dummies and anything by Kent Sasse are valid sources. Remember, it is your life not theirs.

Do you have a juicer? I have a food processor, an old blender and a bullet type blender but no juicer. Do you need a specific machine? Can you make it up ahead of time and freeze it? What do you do with the pulp?

When I first responded to this discussion, I believed this was about relationships but viewing some of the responses, it obviously is not. If your heart, mind and soul are not part of the equation, then, by all means, get up off the table and go find the nearest d**k poke you can. However, if this is about revealing yourself and who you ultimately will become in all your glory to the love of your life then I would wait for the final you to be presented to the world.

Watching it now.

You sound like the VSL would be perfect for you but your BMI needs to be above a certain point. It is 35 with other problems and 40 without. Your friend probably gained weight because she was not compliant. VSG is only a tool that will help you lose 50-60% of the weight to a HEALTHY goal weight. You need to be compliant for the rest of your life. Chugging will be a thing of the past. Carbonation and chugging stretch out your stomach which may be a problem if you want to stay in compliance. You will have to remember that your stomach does not have teeth so you will need to chew until the food is liquefied. My doc wants me to walk 10,000 steps per day (about 5 miles) by the time I have surgery. Your surgeon might have a different goal. In fact, you will have to commit to exercising for the rest of your life. You will want a variety of exercises for different days. I walk every day but I will also be doing yoga and dancing. You will have a pre-op diet which gets you down to or close to a clear liquid diet BEFORE surgery. This is to get some of the fat away from your liver so it is easier to move your liver aside to get to your stomach. It will take a month on this diet. After surgery, you have a month or more before you can eat real food again. Once you have lost the weight, you will have loose skin and might want to get a tummy tuck and other procedures to get rid of it. Document, document, document. I may be possible to have your health insurance pay for it if there is a medical record history of who it is affecting your life. Rivka

Holy Love Handles! Get 2 gallons of ice cream and binge on your favorite Netflix series! Its only 5 lbs to a BMI of 35 and you can sleep sitting up!

I think the raise in each level of BMI is not that great if you look at the chart on the CDC website. Get a gallon of ice cream and set an appointment with the doc. I don't know what OSA is so can't really comment on that part.

I am so happy to read this. If you did not connect with the nutritionist you saw then, by all means, find another. The insurance might not cover the next one but I would think it would be well worth the money to get the knowledge to be the best you can be. and a big hug from me! Perhaps a baked omelet which you can cut up and eat over a period of days. Or how about turkey bacon or sausage. In Israel they have salad for breakfast and some cultures have what we would consider dinner during for breakfast. Just remember protein first and a minimum of 60 grams of protein per day is necessary. How about a meatloaf or nut loaf? There is tofu. How about stir-fry? At any rate, I am on your side and so is this group. We will walk through this together. Oh, yes there is a recipe book or two out there for us. Maybe they can give you some ideas.

Not to worry, KK, it is part and parcel of why we gain so much weight. Long story short, we have all the gherlin being produced in our stomachs and you are fighting against your own body when you try to resist sweets. Instead of driving yourself mushugana, out of the world crazy, just practice delaying satiety of your cravings by 15 mins. The next time try 20 minutes. If it becomes impossible to ignore then grab a piece of fruit and some water.

My doc says the average is 2 weeks for gastric sleeve if it is a desk job. Depending on your age and physical well-being before going into surgery, your time might be less.

The problem is that pizza is full of fat even without the cheese plus you are eating carbs. One of the requirements for my surgery is attending a class with a bariatric nutritionist and going to a support group. On both occasions, it was made very clear that bread and fruit will be out for at least the first 7-8 months for fruit and the first year for breads. The reason for this is that you want to avoid dumping. While it does not happen as much with sleeved as it does with by-pass, it does happen. So ask yourself if you would enjoy taking the risk of going through the dumping syndrome experience. You know. Sweats, nausea, vomiting or even explosive diarrhea before getting to the bathroom. That did not happen to me but it did happen to someone else who was not compliant. You have given yourself the beautiful gift of a future of health and beauty but your gift (surgery) is only a tool. Your compliance with the program is accountable for 40% of weight loss. Sure go look at all those people on Instagram eating pizza but ask yourself if they are bragging also about their progress and successes in weight loss and physical agility.

By the way, don't go for fast. If you are on a time crunch then it would be best to do it after the date than to mess yourself up permanently by being so much in a hurry you harm yourself. Remember the difference between the old bull and the young one? Be the old bull.

Consori just came out with a really neat blender you might want to consider. You can find it on Amazon. COSORI Smoothie Blender Personal Juicer, High-Speed Single Serve Food Fruit Maker Mixer System with Travel and Sport Bottles, Silver/800W. Very worth the price.

My doc wrote two or three good books on the subject. He is listed in my profile. Or get some of the books mentioned in the earliest of posts for pre-op sleeve patients.