macadamia

I think he was trying to be funny... and also, do you really trust a man who lives in a state that is neither a road nor an island?!?

And it's where the Simpson's live too...

So, there I was in Salt Lake City last Friday for my psychology test, third pre-op nutritionist, and psychology interview. (I started the pre, pre-op diet June 29, 2018, and have lost 17.8 pounds so far.) After the interview, I had a ticket to see the comedian, Pablo Francisco, at Wiseguys Comedy club in an SLC suburb. While I was driving from the hospital to the club, I passed several places where I could have eaten but did not stop. At the club, I ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich without the buffalo sauce and no french fries. I planned to just eat the meat and watch the show. When my plate arrived, it had fries and I just unconsciously started eating them. By the time I noticed what I was doing, I had eaten half of them. Well, I stopped and started eating the chicken sandwich, bun and all. In between bites (I was practicing to eat slowly), I would sometimes eat another fry, until they were gone. So, I had the intent of eating just the meat and ended up eating all the fries and bun too. But wait, there's more... After leaving the club, I was driving north and stopped at a Del Taco and ordered a spicy chicken burrito, a chicken soft taco, a macho (large) fries, and a bottle of water. A couple of hours after consuming all of that, I needed to stop for gas and a bathroom break. When I came out of the bathroom, I walked past the donut case and bought two chocolate iced long johns. I also got a chocolate milk. For the rest of the way home, I had intestinal cramps (I'm lactose intolerant) and had to stop a couple of times to "relieve" the gas - I was not sure if they would be dry or wet, so I took no chances. I got right back on the horse on Saturday morning...

I like crooked water, myself...

I completed my psychological test and interview on Friday, July 13, 2018. The test consisted of many small bundles of stapled-together questions, arranged by different categories. After completing them, I was given the MMPI (which I have taken almost every year since 1985 because of my job and security clearance). That took from 10:30 am until about noon. My nutritionist appointment (1:30 pm to 2 pm) ran over a bit, so my interview started about 2:15 pm. It ended at almost 5 pm. She was extremely thorough. Near the end of the interview, she said she was going to suggest that I get some counseling for the upcoming bariatric surgery and for after. She also said that this will not delay the procedure at all, but will align me with help, since my support structure is very small and all out of state (apparently, my dog does not count... I beg to differ). Because of this, I assumed that everyone was offered this additional assistance. After reading your post, I guess that is not the case.

How do your clothes feel since May? Weight is your body mass, corrected to Earth's gravity. Fat or muscle is irrelevant. With you working out, you could be at the point where your weight is currently stable but your body fat is dropping and your lean muscle mass is gaining. Here is an example that I remembered when I was being interviewed by the psychologist yesterday. When I entered the US Navy in July 1985, I weighed 196 pounds. When I left boot camp ten-weeks later, I weighed 196 pounds, but I had lost four inches on my waist. A pound is a pound - a pound of feathers weighs exactly the same as a pound of lead. The difference is the volume. Fat has more volume per pound mass than muscle.

My little buddy... Kong. He'll be 14 on August 20, 2018, and I've had him since December 4, 2004.

I was born and raised in Peoria, IL. Back in the 80s, when I was in high school, there was a food poisoning incident at one of the Peoria restaurants. They were forever known by my friends and me as "Choak and Puke."

I have not eaten at Chipotle since the South Park episode where they parodied Billy Mays selling Chipotlaway. This product removed the blood stains in your underwear caused by eating Chipotle... LOL

Which one allows meat and leather shoes? I'll stick with that one if they were the only two choices on the planet... luckily, they are not!

Thank you for this review. I was suspicious about their shakes. I found a great price for Premier Protein shakes at Sam's Club in packs of 12 - $16.66. That's $1.39 each, which is even cheaper than the 18 pack at Costco ($28.99, $1.61 each). Sam's has a sale, ending today for 12-packs for 12.66 ($1.06 each), limit three per membership. I stocked up earlier in the week.

My surgerical team said I can eat veggies except lettuce for now but they said cooked. But I’m wondering about other ones because I don’t get to see them for another 3 months and it’s very hard to reach them on the phone since it’s a hospital in nyc. I understand that it's a pain in the a$$ but they are your best bet for when you can advance your diet. Asking here is a good stop-gap measure when you are looking for information, but remember, every case is different. Your team knows your history and can give advice accordingly. Cooked veggies and fruits are less likely to get caught on scar tissue within your digestive system. Small bowel obstructions are not fun (I've had 13 of them since 1995, two requiring surgery to clear). It's not worth the trouble. Don't get me wrong, please - I'm not saying to not ask questions here and look to others for advice. But, speaking from experience, other than me, my doctor and surgeon know me best. I trust them and listen to them. and lettuce is terrible cooked... I've tried (because of my other surgeries, I am not supposed to eat any veggies or fruit raw, nor can I eat any nuts, ever (too much scar tissue in my small intestines) - I truly miss romaine lettuce salads)

What does your surgical team say?

Well, I'm in if it ever comes to fruition, that is after I have my surgery, of course... (-: oh, and the catering bill will very very small - just saying...

Congratulations! Way to go!

You are very welcome.

I am wondering that same thing. Maybe when I get to 200 pounds, I'll want to go to 185, or bulk up to 215... I'm not sure at this point. I have not weighed less than 200 pounds since 1985 when I was 19.

Would you say you are over-doing it? It's possible that you are just exerting yourself a bit too much. I'm still pre-op so I cannot speak to VSG pain, but I have had four major abdominal surgeries since 1995 - three open with a midline incision and the fourth. laparoscopically. I can tell you that any abdominal surgery is a huge strain on the body and pain is sometimes a way for the brain to tell you to ease up a bit. If you had laparoscopically, they still had to move things around inside your abdomen to access everything. As for when my pain subsided, it was different for all four. I sorry I do not have any more concrete answer for you... hopefully, others will chime in.

How long do you freeze them? I'm afraid they will explode in the freezer...

That's a great idea... now if I could only remember to set my 30-minute timer for drinking after eating... baby steps!

I've hardly told anyone that I'm in the works for this surgery. What I've found is similar to when guys are talking about cars: Everyone knows someone who has had a crappy experience with whatever car you are talking about. They are to be avoided by all means. I happen to drive a BMW and when my boss found out that I drive that brand, he went on about a three-week bender on how they were the worst cars on the planet. He quoted facebook (the devil) and cited numerous examples of why they are terrible. But, he had no evidence, nor has he ever driven one, let alone owned one. Why am I telling you this? Last year, a person from work (not in our department) had bypass surgery and word got around. My boss lit into a tirade about how it was a cop-out, that he was not that big - just lazy, etc... It got old fast. He is one person that I will never talk to about anything to do with this surgery. I have as little to do with him as work etiquette allows. I guess my point is that there will always be people who are with you and there will always be people who are against you. It's been my experience that I am much happier when I do not associate with those who are negative all the time. I can handle people with differing viewpoints, just not when they discount mine in the process. You are doing this for yourself and what you believe is the best course of action for your situation. Only you can make that choice. You have to live with it, not them. <drops $0.02 on the table and sidled away...>

Amazing transformation! Very inspirational!

I turned 52 on July 2! So, it was a good day for both of us! Keep up the great work and remember, it gets better...