Creekimp13

Whenever I'm complaining about the scale not moving fast enough...my husband always say....You know, sex is good exercise. He might have ulterior motives. But he's right, it is. It's cardiovascular...has some extra incentives. Why not? If you have a partner, think about the caloric benefits of being spicy a little more often. The average person burns about 144 calories for a half an hour of sex (including massage, pre-sex silliness, etc) So think about it....if you added sex every day....that's an extra thousand calories you're burning every week!

Wow, beardman...how cool that you're doing it together! Best wishes:)

Bellabloom, did you have gastric sleeve or Roux-en-Y? I have read there are more lifetime side effects associated with Roux-en-Y. More danger of dumping, more danger of vitamin deficiency.

Daily. Do you have a fitbit yet? For me, wearing a fitbit has been an absolute godsend. Instead of having a set exercise goal, I have a burned calorie goal daily. Doesn't matter how I get those calories burned...tons of walking or a couple of good spurts of cardio and moderate walking....what matters is that I get 3000 calories a day burned. (My bestie burns 2500 a day and has really good success) At the end of the day....what matters most is a calorie deficit between what goes in and what goes out. To lose one pound in a week, you need to burn off 3500 more calories than you eat. For two pounds..7000, so about a thousand more calories burned each day. In 12 weeks, you've lost 38 pounds! That's pretty awesome! Be patient with yourself and your body, but keep tracking and finding ways to up the calories out side of the equation. For me...the Fitbit (or any other device that can track your expended calories) is the best way to track that and improve the number.

Try adding exercise. Get a fitbit, and bump your steps by one or two thousand a day. Take the stairs, park farther out, all that stuff. Consider adding a gym class. Calories in -vs-calories out....the bigger the deficit, the better your chance for seeing it on the scale. Good luck!

I know what you mean, Annedavi...about wanting to do it while the kids are busy. My daughter comes home from college for two weeks at Christmas, and i'm so happy that I'll be done, and not have her visit ruined by surgery or being fresh into recovery. By the time she's home, I'll probably be on soft foods and making some good progress. Hope so, anyway:) I'm making Thanksgiving dinner for people on Thursday and can't eat any of it. LOL. Today is the first day of my liquid diet. So far, so good....but I can't say it isn't kinda challenging. Lots of tea. Lots of broth. Lots of jello. At least I'm really busy....that helps. I'm right there with ya...wishing you survival of your holiday and an excellent outcome for your surgery! Feel free to stay in touch about how things are going...I'll be on your same timeline and wouldn't mind having someone else to compare notes with:)

They tell you to walk...to prevent blood clots, to increase circulation and aid in healing....everyone's always saying...walk. Keep walking. But here's my question, how much is too much walking? Like...from Day one of surgery......can anyone give an estimate of how many steps they're doing per day? I want to push myself to keep walking, but not insanely, you know?

I get that your hair will fall out quite a bit and there's really nothing you can do....but has anyone ever tried treating with Rogaine before surgery to encourage new hair growth so that your hair looks a little thicker even while it's thinning out? I know a lot of people swear by Biotin, and I'll probably use that, too. But what about Rogaine? Any thoughts or experiences?

It's not ME I'm concerned about. I don't feel picked on. I've got a pretty good self image, and I'm kinda bomb proof about physical comments. Who doesn't want to be called "too small"? That's a novelty I sort of enjoy! No, what I'm getting at....is that I have a lot of fat friends and family. Love these folks. Everyone addresses weight issues when they're ready. Some people choose not to at all. I'm 100% ok with everyone's individual right to choose, and everyone's own process and time frame. I'm just trying to figure out how to finesse my news in a way that's gonna express that. I feel a little like that one person in a group of friends who likes to drink together a lot....who admits they're an alcoholic and seeks treatment. It makes people uncomfortable and sort of forces the issue. And while I realize it's not my problem, I'm trying to come up with a strategy to minimize discomfort.

That's not what I've heard, Mark. Most people report losing a ton of hair regardless of their protein intake. Many say it does grow back. I hope you have good luck and minimal shedding. And I hope I do, too:)

Talk to your doctor's office. Be honest and see what they say.

I remember from one of the overview seminars I attended, a lot of people were really upset about the idea of having to see a psychologist as a prerequisite. (My surgical group requires it) I thought it might be helpful to talk about the appointment and let others know that it's really no big deal. I went in and did a big long questionnaire. The themes seemed to be centered around trying to discern how much of a role depression, anxiety and addiction play in your life. When I talked to the actual counselor, she was awesome. Very nice lady who wanted to ask me about my history with weight and weight loss, wanted to know what my motivators were for losing weight, and wanted to know what my support at home was like. I was a little resistant at first, but now I think the psych evaluation is a really good idea, and that everyone who can swing it should seriously consider doing it. Food addiction is tough...when you take away the food, it leaves a hole that could be filled by another more dangerous addiction. You need support, and you need someone who can help if you run into trouble half way through this major lifestyle change. While I don't really foresee having to continue counseling, myself....Having a relationship established with someone who knows my history a little just seems like a purdent preventative measure. It really wasn't that bad, folks. Piece of cake. And a really good idea.

My report said I suffer from anxiety and depression.....but that that I manage them well, employ a lot of good strategies for coping with them, and that I have a good support system in place. In my case I thought this was a pretty accurate representation of my mental health. I was not required to do any other follow up unless I felt it would be helpful. Essentially it said....looks like you're doing pretty good, and are aware of a few challenges you are predisposed to. If we can help, we're here for ya.

My liquid diet isn't so forgiving. Just clear liquids, protien shakes, and one 100 calorie serving of a list of three things...also liquid in texture. LOL. Fun! I start tomorrow, and am cooking a full dinner for family Thursday. Will be hell on Earth. LOL...but I'm getting creative. I'm simmering some sage and thyme and onion and celery in my chicken broth (which I will strain off), having cream of potato soup for my one 100 calorie thing, and some diet cranberry juice (the 5 calorie kind) Voila! Liquid diet Thanksgiving!

Went in for my 6th appointment on November 11 (my insurance requires 6 months of medically supervised weight loss and dietitian appointments). I figured....ok, I finally have everything done.....now I'll have to get into the next liquid diet class and they'll have to push paperwork for insurance....so we're talking, what? January or February, right? Wrong.... The office called me that afternoon and scheduled my surgery for December 5th! Feel like I've been running a marathon since...getting labs, x-rays, EKG, liquid diet class, buying all the stuff I need. Tomorrow I start a two week liquid diet. Surgery December 5th. Had my first medical weight loss appointment June 6th. Time flies. Might seem like it takes a long time...and there certainly can be a lot of hoops to jump through....but I'm sort of in shock that I'm already here and ready to go. Got my letter in the mail from my insurance last week that I'm approved. Final hurdle crossed...it's showtime. Wish me luck. Good luck to everyone having surgery this month, wishing you the very best.