samnyc

Thor "Shut off your brain" fun summer movie

Ha ha..this is a good question. I'm quite a bit away from goal but I agree, one can get a bit obsessive about the whole weight loss journey. I'm sure other things will pop up....new house, remodel, job, car, world peace. I'm planning to make some career and geography related changes so I'll be obsessing about them.

Chris, Thats amazing! Congratulations. You've absolutely put in a lot of effort and should be proud. Was all the weight loss after surgery? I see you're in my neighborhood (I'm a couple of blocks from Lennox Hill). Where do you go for boxing?

"Real Age" came out to be 37.3, actual age is 36. Not good.

I was a bit extra sensitive to spices and salts for a few weeks after coming back to "real" food but no problem from there on. I eat pretty spicy food (Thai, Mexican, Indian) on a regular basis. Just because I'm eating little doesn't mean it has to be plain or flavorless!

This.

My surgery was on 11/23/2010. The BMI and starting weight I have listed are as of that date. Actually just today I hit a big milestone and my BMI fell under 40!!

My doctor suggested the bypass at first as well because of my high BMI but I flat out said no and that was that.

Sorry, misunderstood the question. Not sure if Tikcetmaster or some site like that would have the arena details.

Look at seatguru.com. They have exact dimensions for all plane types for each airline and also recommendations for which row has more space etc.

Anyone experience slow down of weight loss due to the heat? I went from 17lbs lost in June to 6lbs in July! Same food intake, same routine, I track everything I eat everyday. Someone give me a logical reason because at the rate of 6 lbs/month it will take me another two years to loose the extra weight!

I had the optifast diet too. I don't remember exactly now but I think I did it for one week.

I had no pain or difficulty in getting it out. I was anxious but it was a complete non event.

Thanks. My total calories are usually around 800-850 and Protein around 80-90, a bit lower than yours (I'm at 8 months out) , maybe I should up them a little and see if that speeds up the loss. Do you track carbs?

Paul - That's amazing! Congratulations!! You've done really well and should be proud. I remember a few months ago we were almost neck to neck in terms on pounds lost but you've really pulled ahead. Do you mind sharing your daily calories, carbs and what kind of workout you are getting in. Thanks.

I'm a guy but I was at almost 500lb. I had the surgery last November. I'm at 324 now.

I usually have regular or low fat, not fat free. Its more tasty, filling and gives more calories. Just have to keep an eye on portion size.

My goal was to loose 35 lbs and get to 324 by 7/4, which I got to today. Goal achieved!!. Now, I only have another 126lb to go...sigh.

This is just my opinion (which is usually wrong anyway) but I don't think this operation is the right answer for you at this time. No matter what, for the sleeve to be successful, you will need to follow certain guidelines, give up certain foods etc. This will mean thinking about what you are eating, how much you are eating etc. quite a lot (at least initially, till the habits become ingrained). It seems you have a different way of looking at food, which is working for you. Maybe just keep using that and see if you can get progressively healthier. After all, some people are able to get healthier without WLS.

I think you are right. Pride has a lot to do it. Your brother probably knows he needs to make a radical change, but won't admit it if someone else if pointing it out to him and will only get defensive. I was that guy till a few months ago. I was at 500 lb and while I was fortunate enough to not have any serious medical issues, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I did. However if someone gave me any advice I would get pretty defensive. Ultimately I had to come to the decision of getting the surgery and making the changes I needed to, no one could force me. Give your brother advice, but also give him space and time to come to the decision on his own.

Same as LilMissDiva said, I was not mentally prepared for being so tired and exhausted initially, I understood that it would pass, but the first couple of weeks were tough. If I knew what was coming I would have taken more time off from work. I would say it took around 4 weeks for the aches, pain and exhaustion to go away.

I usually have some sparkling Water when the urge for something carbonated hits.

Welcome brother. You are on the right path for sure. I am 6'2" and was 497 lb the day of my operation in November of last year (no pre op diet). I've lost over 150 pounds already. While I still have a long way to go, my quality of life is already much better. I had flown a month ago, and while I may still be spilling into the next seat I didnt need an extender. I was completely shocked as this was the first time in 8 or 10 years that I had not needed one!! There will be small victories like this very day. Good luck.

Ha! Thanks. Where in NY are you?

I'm 6 months from my surgery now and everything is going pretty well. I've lost over 150 pounds. Of course because I started at such a high weight, I'm only half way to my goal. Weight loss was very fast at the start and has slowed down considerably. I get around 800 calories. I had hit a stall a couple of months ago when I was getting around 600 calories and increasing my intake to 800 helped with the weight loss. It might be time to up the calories again. Overall the Sleeve has been great, there was no way I was going to loose so much weight in such a short time frame. Even more importantly, all the right habits have become ingrained in my lifestyle - what I eat, tracking, walking etc. I just don't think about it too much, its just part of my day. Even if the weight loss stays slow and I only loose a few pounds (I've gone from 30/mo to 20/mo to about 10/mo) a month I'll be perfectly content. The difference in my quality of life is tremendous, even if I didn't loose a single more pound, I would declare the operation a success. Living in NYC, and being able to walk around and climb up the subway stairs without panting and sweating has been awesome. Unexpected good decision: Saving all my clothes while I was gaining weight meant I haven't had to buy new clothes since I've been dropping a pant size every 2-3 weeks. Regret: Not having the operation sooner!