TakingABreak

Welcome to Onederland! I can't wait to join you. about 40 more lbs to go!

I loved regular muscle milk before surgery. But after, there were too many calories and carbs in the regular, so I tried the light version. OMG, it was like drinking watered down skim milk. It was disgusting. So if the regular muscle milk is overbearing for you, you actually might like the light.

During my preop diet, my husband ate out the whole time. I still had an appetite and I told him that I didn't care what he ate, as long as it wasn't anywhere near me. So he would go out and get food and then eat it in the car on the way home. I was a royal b*tch about that. Looking back, probably too much so. But for after surgery, I prepped a lot of freezer baggies of food that he could put in the crock pot. I put all the ingredients, like I would put straight in the crock pot, and froze them in gallon size bags. I labeled the bags with how long to cook, and POOF, he had dinners every night. I also had surgery in January, and we use the crock pot a lot in the winter. If I had summer surgery, he would probably just grill out. I also made tons of soups with my Vitamix and froze them for my purred stage. It saved me big time! Vitamix has some extremely good smooth soup recipes. And FYI, you don't have to have a Vitamix to make these soups. Any blender could work.

Can I ask you what specifically scares you? I can try and ease your fears but it's hard when I don't know what scares you. There is very little risk associated with the surgery itself. If your fear is around whether you can conform to the program afterwards, only *you* know if you are ready. Have you hit your rock bottom with dieting and trying to loose weight the "conventional" way? I promise you, my only regret was not doing this sooner!

My pulmonologist said that clotting risks can continue for up to 8 weeks after major surgery. Make sure if you go back to a desk job to get up every hour and walk for 5 minutes. My surgeon actually lost a patient close to when I had surgery due to a pulmonary embolism from being too stationary for too long. She also lived far from the nearest hospital.

Wow! Incredible!

I see. I didn't have that problem. My incisions were up higher on my enormous stomach. I had plenty of room LOL

Love your description. LOL I might be taking that acronym.

I did and I always did them in my stomach. I’m used to taking insulin so it never bothered me.

Very very true. I think people should know ahead of time that it is OK and Normal to have a difficulty with emotions afterwards. Let’s face it, our friends and family aren’t professionals and we should have someone to talk to about the ups and downs.

Yes. Many people report an increase in pleasure. This is due further penetration and flexibility. But yes, your pubic area...could get smaller. Mine was always very pudgy.

Here's my top 10 tips! Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something that you know you like. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery. Don't use protein shakes before you absolutely have to! I made the mistake of supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to. Start incorporating exercising (even if its just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if its already a habit. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. Its not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus its a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, (which I haven't reached yet, so I rewarded myself 7lbs early) I already bought myself a really nice full length mirror.

I'm glad this is a safe place to discuss these things because there is so much that comes from having WLS and its good to have a sounding board. I hope things improve for you soon!

Believe it or not, the recovery isn't that difficult for most patients. I had a 5 day hospital stay due to my bowels not waking up, and I developed shingles as a result of the stress on my body. And even with both of those things, I don't consider recovery that hard. The most difficult part is the pre op diet. It really messes with your emotions and sense of normalcy. I compared it to quitting smoking. I didn't know what to do with myself. I was so accustomed to eating with everything. Our whole day is designed around eating. And then of course there was social occasions. Once I got past the 2 weeks of liquids, things turned around quickly and I found it easy to oblige by the diet after surgery. But those 2 weeks were rough. This surgery is an emotional battle, as much as it is physical. I think counseling should be required after surgery, but most programs don't have that in place. Ultimately, best decision I've made in life. I would jump through a hundred hoops and go through all the pain over again to have this experience. Congrats on finally coming to this decision.

This is such a hard one. I don't know how much more I'll need to loose to feel like I've succeeded. My surgeon and I set a goal of 180lbs, which is high for my height, but I don't know if this will be low enough in the end. Ultimately if I get to under 200lbs, which is 132lbs loss... I'll feel like a winner. I may not look the way I want to, but my health will have improved immensely.

I had a very very full face and a HUGE neck. I was very worried about the "turkey neck" scenario. A couple vets recommended Bio Oil. I bought it from Walmart and I'm in love with the results. My skin has never felt so hydrated. I keep getting comments on how clear my skin is and how my make up is so smooth. I think it's helping with the age appearance of my skin from the weight loss. I use the oil twice a day. I let it really soak in (20 mins) before applying any make up or before going to bed and risking it rubbing off on my pillow. I thought that the concept of oil on my face would never work for me. But it doesn't leave a residue for very long and the smell is mild. The best part is that for facial products, it is fairly inexpensive. I've bought beauty cream for much more in the past.

Okay, forgive me while I try and explain this..... *MEN BEWARE* *GRAPHICS AHEAD* I don't know the medical terms, but my pubic area, was always pretty fat. I always felt like it was very puffy. Now that I'm loosing, I feel like that area is getting smaller, and the "form" isn't the same. Sense it isn't your sex drive that has changed, I wonder if your vagina shape, size, form.. has changed enough to where you have to adjust. Things that once felt good (positions, ect.) maybe won't anymore or will take some adjustment. Food for thought!

I will say. I've gotten rid of most processed food. We only eat fresh meat and veggies. So these packages from Gardein are the exception to the rule. I like that they are always hanging out in my freezer for a day when we went too long without going to the store. I can make them quick on the stove top or the toaster oven. I do a lot better sticking with things if it is easy.

I think this approach is great! My scale has been not reading right for almost a month now. And the relief of stress to not have it around has been wonderful. Good for you!

I know the feeling! I was running out of stuff that even fit at my surgery weight. So it took awhile before I needed to get rid of anything or buy anything.

I'm having slightly elevated cholesterol levels. My doctor recommended a list of things to help naturally lower it. 1. Adding in soy protein. Gardein is completely cholesterol free. 2. Fatty Fish a few times a week. (I eat Wild Salmon mostly) 3. Fish Oil Supplements 4. Tree nuts These are just the ones that I wasn't already doing. I exercise regularly and keep my carbs to a minimum. So while I agree that I'd prefer to have chicken over soy meat. I'm replacing about 30% of my protein with soy to see if it impacts my cholesterol levels.

Its easy to forget that our loved ones go through the same journey that we do. Its hard enough to support ourselves but then to remember to support them as well. For her, this is unchartered territory and the unknown could be frightening. But I think you guys will both come out better than you were before. Best of luck love!

The I confess post is my absolute favorite, but you don't see it anymore in the feed. So I'd like to get one going again. I confess that I had a kid's size movie theater popcorn last weekend. And I loved every kernel. I confess that I bought a full length mirror because I'm becoming more vain. I confess that I still wear larger clothes because it makes me feel thinner I confess that.... *CRINGE* I look at larger people differently now. I used to empathize, but now I think to myself..."GET OFF YOUR BUTT!"

I am too, but even my husband said that the “fish” was better than real fish. You wouldn’t even know you were eating soy meat.

As promised! Pictures of all the clothes we are selling! Before you say it....it’s ridiculous!