FinallyBecomingMe’s Posts
Youll gain weight. If you're 190 lbs whats your issue? Sounds like a very healthy normal weight.
People in the know ( voice coaches etc) say rest Ur voice ... whisper ... drink honey w tea all day before a performance.
it works ! I would only allow surgery as a desperate last resort.....
Wow is this scary Jen .
Im a sorta singer too ( i front a very popular rock band currently but i starred in many musicals as a kid ) .
One of the questions ive asked is is it my GERD that gives me that low whiskey growling alto voice people find sexy n attractive ?
i dont think anything should stop U from having Bariatric surgery.
Yes the voice does change and you have to work with it but U will accommodate to that and probably like me enjoy appearing and performing on stage much more . 
I told noone but my business partner about my surgery ( so he could visit me and drive me home ) twelve years ago.
i didnt want their uninformed opinions nor their judgment belittling my eventual and permanent weight loss.
Im still below goal weight, ridiculously healthy and finally starting to try for and achieve my life long dreams . (((()))) hugs
Good Luck on Surgery Day ! Follow docs orders about walking and blowing and youll heal a lot quicker !
I bought Ikeas best springs and a foam topper I think mattress for about $479 I think for a queen for Brooklyn and also for Florida .
I liked it so much I bought the same for Long Island - and im equally comfortable wherever I go .
I really liked bamboo / no outgassing plastic mattresses to but they were way out of my modest price range .
No experience with this other than my ankles swelling up ( a bit) when I drive for days from South Florida to New York.
Just wanted to say I feel so much sympathy for you and pray you and your docs will figure out the cause .
Getting those big kidney stones out sooner rather than later is probably a good idea too.
hugs and best wishes
Hey ! Im an apple shape too and there ARE advantages- like nice legs which are a Very hard spot for most people to lose from .
We have an accountability thread on the RNY board where a ton of us post our menus and planned exercise every day and also our failures.
It really helps me at least realize what in my life is overall wrong ( like huge amounts of stress in my case) that lead to overeating and under exercising.
Many of us also work with a therapist in order to live our best lives .
Regarding food - I would try eating as clean as possible for a few days and posting and meanwhile researching weigh****chers ( and other plans ) which work for maintenance for many Bariatric veterans- and obtaining the fitness equipment , music and outfits to encourage daily exercise and then starting .
Walking is FANTASTIC and safe and you dont even need sneakers to do it just normal clothes and comfortable shoes.
I try to get out there in midday even in the winter for an hour or so calling it my lunch break !
(((()))) hugs - weve all felt the way you described!
Youre here now and yes you can come back even better and healthier and leaner ( if you prefer) from this !
Youre in NY now right?
I can recommend a wonderful Bariatric team for you in Manhattan who have an entire floor at one of the best hospitals in NY.
They will work with you to immediately get insurance approval and will do everything your insurance requires counseling, blood test, heart test wise on site and quickly. Dr. Parikh the head surgeon has over 15 years daily experience and he did an amazing job on me both with the surgery but particularly with caring followup.
Every six months I receive a text that its time for my blood draw and the detailed results are painstakingly explained to me and vitamins prescribed if i need them.
In addition the team helps qualify their patients for panniculectomies , medically necessary skin removal sand lymphodema treatment without insurance complications and again in the safest and best hospital without copays if at all possible
Whether its the cold or the ? hidier? clothes when weather turns is the WORST time of the year for me snack temptation wise.
Ive been struggling not to indulge in full fat sweets and real cheese ( which is half butterfat 
unfortunately) not to mention those devil-made 
? baked? rippled potato chips ?
What are your favorite HEALTHY and LOW CAL snack go tos this season?
mine are old fashioned ? kettle cooked ? ( but the kettle is actually a teflon coated electric cooker bottom with a wire thingy to toast and roll the corn kernels making them taste nutty) popcorn made without oil and raisins w butter buds ( freeze dried butter solids 100% fat free- sold as popcorn topping but i use it in everything) and sometimes mixed with lowfat microwave popcorn .
A huge bowl is hours of munchtime and you wont wear it ( or regret it ) the morning! Kids and guests love it too ! 
here is the ? old fashioned? popcorn maker i use ( $21 bux from Walmart)
2) spanakopita ( fresh spinach and fat free feta filled phillo dough pastries or roll) . Phyllo dough is very easy to make virtually fat free ( i use spray oil , plain breadcrumbs or ground hazelnuts sprinkled between sheets and a bit of butter buds for flavor) and a sweated golden chopped onion, three cloves chopped garlic toasted, a bag of fresh spinach and a package if fat free feta and 1/2 package fat free kraft mozzarella and greek spice mix ( or salt n pepper) for the filling)
3) air fried sweet potato fries
4) hot fat free or very lowfat soups - super filling and warming and very low calorie.
5) fat free low sugar and high protein (Kodiak mixes! ) homemade baked treats in small quantities ( had to consciously train myself to do half and quarter recipes) - like fresh fruit cobblers and crisps , mini muffins, ginger cookies even occasionally sugar free brownies.
6) believe it or not Lettuce! You can eat a ton of it and Romaine for instance or chopped cabbage stands up great to warm low cal dressings like Thai peanut sauce or Miso/ ginger/sesame.
what are YOUR fall favorites?
I too was an extreme " lightweight " ( lol 
I had eighty lbs to lose!)
Which I am MUCH happier and healthier feeling keeping off 12 years post op along with my co-morbities high blood pressure and diabetes neither of which I need to medicate anymore.
Most " lightweights" qualify for bariatric surgery because of serious and life shortening co morbidities . Its very important health wise to get rid of those if at all possible and bariatric surgery very often succeeds in doing that - a virtual miracle !
Eat Chinese food and salty snacks the night before your weigh in ....keep eating salty and sipping liquids until you step on the scale -
bet you end up 35 !
good luck !
I would google free Bariatric classes near me . Many weight loss surgeons hold informational classes where they show the various types of surgeries available , discuss the pros and negatives of each and answer questions.
If you post here your approximate geographic area members will tell you about their experiences with various local Bariatric docs .
(((()))) Good luck starting your exciting journey to a new healthier life !
In my hotel room I have this tiny little refrigerator which I stuffed full from the first day.
I hoard food like I?ll never get any more !
Im about to go on a four hour hike in an Eco Park and I packed literally three buns ( one sugared) about a pound of cold cuts and condiments , fruit , drinks ?. I mean enough for a WEEK lol!
And don?t try to take it away lol! 
of course I won't actually eat it - it just makes me feel safe . Crazy right?
Since they've been moved to the front and center aisles of most vitamin stores .... CBD products must be prone to shoplifting-which means , to me that one , they're effective and two, they're expensive.
anything that works to relieve chronic pain will make desperate sufferers act desperately- just look at how intensively the OTC pain reliever aisle is monitored in any drug store .
They say innocent and long suffering seniors on fixed incomes are the ones store security most often catches ( and I pray releases too) . What a hairball - especially after we took most prescription pain meds away without substituting anything else
Usually I'm Way too busy to be bored - I just run from pillar to post until I drop basically but now that I'm stuck in this hotel room for a week I'm realizing I don't deal well with boredom.
Honestly my first ( old ) impulse is to put something in my mouth though I'm not remotely hungry and it's definitely not mealtime 
.
My second impulse is to fix something fancy involving food and then eat three bites - for instance last night when I felt this way I walked about an hour there and back to the local supermarket bought rotisserie chicken salad greens fat free dressings various types of artisanal cheeses and fresh rolls and then made a lovely salad of which I ate ... well , very little.
I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it nor that it wasn't healthy I just wish I could enjoy other things like reading ... like taking a nice shower with scented body wash - maybe treating myself to a pedicure.
These things somehow don't occur to me ... the feeling of emotional comfort is always somehow food related - and if you saw how much good food I've accumulated in my hotel room - a bag of popcorn , fruit, cereal, herbal tea ...
I'm not complaining I'm just wondering how you persuaded yourselves to focus your comfort- attention away from food and what you actually do for yourselves that's not food related and feels good . Thanks ((())))
My personal experience is that I no longer struggle with overeating 12 years post RNY . As a result my weight is amazingly stable and remains at a very low but healthy number for my height.
To my own great surprise 
I find I no longer need nor turn to my ? comfortable ? or slightly bigger clothes because my weight literally doesn?t fluctuate ( and even the doctors scale repeatedly confirmed it )
But I continue to hoard food and am still quite food obsessed in the sense that I must eat exactly only what I desire at any given meal.
I do notice that some veterans still struggle and of course aging makes all our metabolisms slow down .
What has been YOUR experience after the honeymoon period is over ?
The Grrrl with me in my hotel who got a minor body contouring procedure also had a VSG ( sleeve ) and wow !! She lost and kept off 150 lbs !!!
She looks absolutely Gorgeous by the way - 5'10" beautiful young face ramrod straight posture long legged small waisted figure to die for and really no excess skin .... and she's not a teenager either.
As far as health complications she doesn't know what they are Thank God.
I honestly didn't think you could keep off big numbers successfully with just sleeve but guess what I'm totally happy to be wrong and this young lady ( and new friend I hope ) is just a walking, talking example of an amazing success. 
Hi Anne!
So great to hear you're still doing so well after all these years ! We were kind of surgery sisters and sisters and companions in early recovery as well if you remember.
It hasn't been all smooth sailing for me - I suffered a nasty divorce a few years after wls ( had nothing to do with my weight loss the marriage was also post op) and the financial and other pressures led me to drink more than was good for me for a while let's put it that way :) . Feeling middle aged didn't help a bit either frankly - I felt LOST as a formerly " beautiful " woman who didn't feel worthy of maximum attention anymore.
Instinctively I didn't want to cling to what really never was .... ( since I was mostly fat in my " best " years ) but I couldn't figure out the next chapter . I think I'm doing that now ... temporarily alcohol free ( and loving it ) - more energetic, hopeful, adventurous and optimistic. I find I'm booking trips I only dreamed of ... living each day to the fullest, giving my creative impulses their head ...just having fun. Had a great health scare this year too which helped scare me straight. So far so good - no real adverse consequences yet . Fingers crossed.
I know someone here who underwent the ? rose ? procedure which sounds like a more invasive version the ESG you?re describing. She lost about 25 lbs I believe.
I agree with a previous poster though - you can also try just re- starting your pouch yourself by imitating the way you needed to eat post op - liquids to purées to mashed foods ?. If you do that for a week your pouch shrinks and you will feel full with much less food . (((()))) I believe it?s called the ? pouch test ?
Batwingsman · 3 replies · 4782 views