Rainbow_Warrior

1. Cinema seats squeezing me extremely tightly at some cinemas. i.e. enduring pain to see a movie. 2. The last 75-80 times on a plane having to ask for a seat belt extension. 3. My nine year old grandson asking (innocently) why I wobbled when I walked with him. (2013-4) 4. Realising that in 24 years, I could do little to beat an OBVIOUS addiction to foods that was just too hard for me to deal with. 5. And finally, my son-in-law having the surgery 26 months ago and dropping from 208kg (462 pounds) to 100.5kg (224 pounds). If he can beat food addiction and failed dieting, so can I.

It's all a matter of whether your friends are 'temporary', 'seasonal' or 'rusted on'. Some of the time, a big change in a person affects the power dynamic. Whisper43 is right ... they may have become insecure as you've become more pleasing to the eye. They might be upset that you've 'accelerated' your confidence.

I said Newcastle NSW to be general. I'm on the lake at Toronto. (I note you wrote your comment two years ago.) My op is at Lingard on Oct 12, 2017.

I know these pics are two years old but they are excellent. Be proud.

Such a range of ages and life experiences on this forum. I am able to pick and choose who I tell about my upcoming surgery (Thur Oct 12). Depending on which "audience" and what I know of his/her/its 'positivity' or 'negativity' is how much I share about my choice to go with my gastric bypass. The people I tell everything: My wife, my daughter and her husband, my three siblings, my mother, my best-man and his wife, a couple of long-term colleagues. My son-in-law is my hero. He had his surgery in mid-2015 and at 188cm (6'2") he's more than halved his body mass ... originally 208kg (459 pounds) and now, 26 months later 101kg (223 pounds). My best man and his wife have had FIVE gastric sleeve surgeries which they have failed to succeed with. His wife nearly died a couple of years ago as a result of a personal choice gone wrong. While she's currently weigh-loss surgery shy, he isn't and is having his gastric sleeve next Monday (11th Sept 2017). I also have some overseas friends who have been internet "pen friends" and "confidants" for 20-30 years. We are linked by sharing lots of our lives with one another. The people I tell nothing: There are some people I see regularly who I just can't be bothered to tell. Even though I mix with them (not always by choice), I won't say a word as they are so negative to anyone who is different, i.e. obese, black, Asian, protestant, catholic, islam ... Most of these people are the type who treat me okay face-to-face when they need my professional or personal help but I am aware that they slag off about my weight or other people's religion or perceived beauty (or lack of it). I don't need their 5h1t or their opinion so I'll tell them nothing as he new version of me emerges. - - - I have no qualms about having my surgery here in the Newcastle-Lake Macquarie area as it's fine by me.

Yes, I started watching it before I saw your announcement. For anyone who wanted a quick link with searching, go to: http://bit.ly/2vJ9uZf This lists the series (almost) from beginning to end ... it's nearly in order on the FAT DOCTOR Youtube page.

G'day from the east coast of Australia. I joined yesterday and have spent much of the last 16-17 hours familiarising myself with the site and its forums. Tomorrow my time, Monday 4th Sept at NOON, I meet with my surgeon to finalise my gastric sleeve surgery date. (It's Sunday 3rd Sept 2:30pm now, the afternoon of Fathers' Day here. Waiting with bated breath for this exciting 'path to the better future' for me. Regards, Rainbow_Warrior

Hear, hear to that. I was just commenting on Nestles' morality/ethics. I object that most bariatric surgeons and websites put Optifast VLCD shakes up as the recommended ones. This weight of numbers pushing for Optifast masks the fact that Nestle have "bad form" across a lot of the world. How dare they ask $AUD79.95 for 18 sachets of weight loss shake powder when they sell the confectionery (Kit-Kats, lollies and candies) and many the high-fat pre-fabricated meals available in my supermarkets! These evil profiteers will advertise and promote foods that lead to the problems then be on hand to sell a solution.

The other thing that p15535 me off about Nestle selling Optifast to obese and overweight people is the contradiction of morals/ethics. How dare they ask $AUD79.95 for 18 sachets of weight loss shake powder when they sell the confectionery (Kit-Kats, lollies and candies) and many the high-fat pre-fabricated meals available in my supermarkets! These evil profiteers will advertise and promote foods that lead to the problems then be on hand to sell a solution.

I find the whole issue clouded by the "clout" of Nestle. This huge Swiss company has very cloudy ETHICS. I object that most bariatric surgeons and websites put Optifast VLCD shakes up as the recommended ones. This weight of numbers pushing for Optifast masks the fact that Nestle have "bad form" across a lot of the world. Despite the fact that Optifast's shake formula/contents is little different to the competitors' products, they are the #1 in so many recommendations. NUTRITION wise, on most critical ingredients they are pretty much IDENTICAL. The killer is where it hits the wallet. Optifast products are 15% to 40% MORE EXPENSIVE than some mass market competitors. Nestles has a slick website but difficult questions from members go unanswered. I am old enough to remember the food and health scandals of the 1970s and 1980s in Third World countries ... problems exacerbated by Nestle "rewarding" nurses, midwives and health professionals to have new mothers "switch off" to breastfeeding and on to baby formulas DESPITE the exorbitant costs. (Profit over commonsense by Nestle!). I will take this up with my dietician next visit. Unless she or my surgeon can give me good reason, I plan to try the ALDI shakes or Optislim (cheaper competitors by many $$) or Isowhey (the effective value shake my son-in-law used before and after his gastric sleeve op).