cinwa

Welcome to Thinner Times Suzie! I never did much of any sipping. But I've never been a gulper either - I just took a reasonable mouthful of fluid.

Welcome to Thinner Times Robert! Doubts are normal but in reading your post, you already laid out your reasons for going through with your WLS. Sleep apnea and a fatty liver don't go away on their own and you already know that like most of us, you're an accomplished yoyo dieter - probably ending up a littler heavier each time. No pasta! I had pasta salad with EVOO and garlic for my dinner last night (with grilled shrimp). I loved it pre-WLS and I still love it now but it was not the bucket-full I ate pre-op. I also had half a glass of red wine later in the evening (about 2.5 oz) and it was delicious. Having bariatric surgery didn't stop me eating the foods that I love - it helped me gain control of how much and how often I ate them. You could try doing it on your own but how many more years are you going to waste trying to lose weight only to gain it all back (and probably a few more pounds for good measure)?

Welcome to Thinner Times! Best advice I can give is to read all you can and ask questions. The more information you have from people who've walked-the-walk, the better position you'll be in to make your decision as to which surgery is best for you.

Welcome to Thinner Times StrongButterfly.

Welcome to Thinner Times Samantha. I wish I could help with the Tricare timeline but they seem to differ. Having said that, I'm fortunate in that all my medical care is done at a military treatment facility. The seminars/classes took close to 5 months to complete before I was given a surgery date (2 weeks or so later).

Welcome to Thinner Times Gwen - sorry to be bringing up the rear.

Welcome to Thinner Times Deanna. I'm with Jen on your doc. That attitude is inexcusable - we don't all come out of the gate dropping huge amounts of weight. And the rate at which we lose weight isn't an indication of long-term success either. To show you that, I'll attach a copy of my weight loss chart post-op. I had my surgery 24 September 2007. As of yesterday morning, I weighed 123 lb (5'5" - I have a below small frame).

That is an amazing transformation Heidi - congratulations - you've done a fantastic job. And kudos to you for being off your diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and pain meds.

Hang in there Jane. It was months before I could drink/eat anything colder than room temperature. And to be honest, after all these years, my pouch still prefers warm food and drinks. Anything colder than room temperature gives my pouch a tooth-ache type sensation.

Welcome to Thinner Times zepedaj. You'll be fine - just get back on plan and stick to it like glue.

Checking in to see how you're doing Shelley.

Welcome to Thinner Times Moises - sounds like you're off to a great start.

I count my blessings every day Cindy. My mother died early due to obesity related issues (high blood pressure, diabetes ) and without my WLS, there is no doubt that I would have gone down the same road.

Welcome to Thinner Times Martha. The pre-op liquid diet can be tough but keep focused and load yourself up with as much liquid as you can. Hot drinks like Celestial Seasonings teas can be more satisfying than cold ones - I like their fruity flavours best. Keep focused and when the going gets tough, jump on the forum - read all you can and have a moan if you need to. Most of us have trodden that path. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Congratulations Cindy! Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words ..... you are looking amazing.