Rainbow_Warrior

The joy of the yuletide ... finding out a best buddy received an all-time best chance for xmas. I envisage applause and many, many questions.

>> What are you treating yourself to once you hit your goal weight? Comfort comes free, I guess. My WLS will bring ** better fitting clothes, ** more space in the driver's seat, ** less fear of my body breaking chairs, ** fewer dopey remarks from nasty people, ** fewer concerns about the judgments and assumptions people make about fat/obese people, etc. That green one is one I know a lot. People have regularly assumed that because I'm morbidly obese, my work is lazy or substandard BEFORE they get to know me at a workplace. In all my jobs in all my locations, I was eventually understood to be a conscientious and very effective employee. Several line-managers and bosses assume laziness and indolence in the first instance. So, I want people to make fewer assumptions about me on first impressions ... not being obese will take one very visible issue and its compound assumptions off the table.

My plan is to hang at the hospital for as long as they will have me. I am in no rush to go home. The care and support is always welcome.

Absolutely. Big DITTO!

Given the propensity of savvy crooks/burglars who glean info from 'extremely open' posters on FaceBook, I can see where he's coming from.

Firstly, this ... My ideal mass for my height is about 74kg (the red line on the graph). The graph charts about 25 years. There's the yo-yo effect over and over (the thick blue line). Lose a lot; gain it and some extra; repeat; repeat; repeat. I ate when happy, when sad, whenever ... but I would peter out eventually from work stress, change of role, new worksite ... whatever. I tried 11 months of a supervising dietitian and a 26 days per month swimming program. In the end, joint pain ... knees and ankles from carrying around more than twice my ideal mass. Then, the very last consideration ... I turned 61 and the cut-off for bariatric surgery is 65. It was now or an early death. Seven grandchildren need me around. I'm well insured. I can afford the 'gap' payment and the extras required. I'm trading cash for a chance to enjoy a slimmer, longer future.

Nifty analogy. Well put!

Pureeing cooked meat in a good blender with the right amount of liquid 'media' is pretty easy. Do you have a good high-torque blender?

Ditto to MFP!

Stephanie, I am not in search of any intimate relationship for three reasons: (a) already happily married, (b) at least 15000km separation between Newcastle, Australia and NY ... AND (c) you're around a decade younger than our five kids. If, in light of all that, you'd like an older (but not elderly) male's support and the chance to bounce ideas, etc., you're welcome to ask. My comment in relation to your original post is to say, "get the mechanics of your weight loss and surgery happening and revisit relationship thoughts some months into the future. Reach out if you feel the need. The worst I can do is offer an opinion or answer a question frankly. Best wishes!

It is up to you entirely. IANAD ... so, this is just my thoughts as a 23-25 year yo-yo dieter. If you feel you are really ON TRACK ... as opposed to all your other dieting regimes of many years ... then, by all means, stick with it. But will you be okay if you hit a plateau or setback? The bariatric surgery route will give you the opportunity to push into an area where weight control and, eventually, weight maintenance will be more within your control. None of this is set in stone. Only you will know what your perseverance and resilience limits are. The balance of probabilities say I have a better chance with my layman's assessment. Ultimately, it's your say. Your risks. Best wishes, whatever you choose.

Nice feeling, eh? My wife has dropped from Size 26 (Aug 2016) to Size 18 (Sept 2017) with the help of a gastric balloon and a style of 5:2 eating. She's sure a Size 16 is in sight before November! Congrats ... a good place to be. (Love your smiling ID pic!)

In my current state (162kg), my belly almost touches the steering wheel when I'm driving. (SEE PIC) Theres 20mm (0.8 inch) between me and the bottom of the wheel with the seat right back. I well remember a 100mm (or 4 inch) gap when I was down to 131kg in early 2016. I want that feeling and better. It'd be nice to give the passenger behind me some leg room. :-) The eventual hernia op next year will help too. A great NSV to look forward to ...

Just thought that, on the last Sunday before my surgery on Thursday, I'd show you where I was up to now (4:20pm on October 8th, 2017). Will get sleeve op this week. And, probably between January and Easter, I'll have the hernias sorted. LOOKING FORWARD TO BIG CHANGES in these profile pics. The red/pink shirt was tailored to fit me in late 2006 when I'd reached about 185-186kg. It's looking baggy now that I am 162kg. And, from 11.5 years ago ... when I was at my all-time high (almost 192kg or 422 lbs). The T-shirt is a XXXXXXL (6XL); I have it somewhere. Might get my wife to take a photo of me in it before surgery too.

These are the last couple to have arrived this weekend ...

An old favourite ... You've all heard of WWJD ... "what would Jesus do?" It's also "what would Jesus drive?" The bible clearly implies that Jesus owned a Honda.

Even more ... These ones based on show biz names ...

More groaners Sunday morning.

Have you told the nursing staff or doctor that the meds are affecting you this way? I think you need to.

Whatever your original post was has been deleted. Moderators? Or you?

Five sleeps to my Thursday morning (12th Oct) gastric sleeve surgery. Have reached the stage after 3.5 weeks of so much liquid protein that I got to 9pm tonight and pretty much had to force myself to consume the last two shakes of the day. It's coming up 11pm Saturday now and I've had 2.5 shakes, a pot of tea, two litres of tap water and a bowl of stir fried veggies. I have no room left. I think I'll just go to bed.