Andrew0929

It probably is the sugar along with the carbs in the granola bars. Interestingly , the wasabi peas appear to be as big a problem for me.

HW: 314 SW: 278 CW: 174 TPL: 140 TPG: 139 Down 1 pound this week

At 8 months out I continue to be cold all the time. Have a heater at work to offset the AC and wear warm clothes around the house as everyone else insists on cranking the AC. Still not used to this as I used to wear shorts in the winter.

Yes, the pre op diet is terrible and it was the worst part of the process for me . Due to weight gains when close to surgery my Dr made me do a 3-week pre op diet, which was horrific. Just follow their instructions and it will be worth it in the end. The doctors know what they're doing and this is great way to begin the process of losing lots of weight.

I'm dealing with the same issue. I met my own goal recently and my Dr really didn't establish his own goal for me. The BMI numbers don't work for me as I have a naturally muscular physique (hidden beneath the fat for many years). I am rather boney at this point and several are encouraging me to stop losing weight now but I want to work on reducing my love handles more. I've heard the same thing from my nut and Dr that my body will naturally stop losing weight at some point but I'm not believing that as I think I'm in control of whether I continue losing based on net calories. If I continue to increase my workouts and don't increase my calories, I know I'll continue losing. I was hoping for better guidance from my nut and Dr regarding when to stop.

Hummus has been one of my staple foods post op. Lots of nutritional benefits but of course it's the delivery mechanism that usually makes it a problem . For that reason I've always just eaten it plain with a spoon and love it .

I've had to deal with some similar issues with my wife. She was the one pressuring me to take action on my weight problem and was completely supportive throughout the process . However, while she's only about 30 pounds overweight, she makes terrible food choices and barely exercises, which is what she's hounded me about for years . Now she loves to point out that she didn't have 85% of her stomach removed and my comeback is that the sleeve doesn't provide any help for selecting the right foods and at my stage that is my primary challenge. I've pointed out that she's setting a bad example for our overweight daughter, eating lots of junk, but that's backfired as now my daughter is throwing the 85% stomach thing in my face too. I realize I have a huge advantage with my restriction but the food choice issues are difficult when I'm surrounded by junk food.

Interestingly, my turkey neck surfaced after about 80 pounds down and now at about 139 pounds down it's not nearly as bad. Not sure why but I drink lots of water and exercising a real lot.

Everyone is different, but I've not thought about wanting to be fat again even for a fraction of a second. In fact, I'm afraid about regaining as I have in the past. I love being healthy and having lots of energy.

As of this morning I met my goal of reaching 175 pounds, down from an all-time high of 324. My journey has not been easy as I had some complications and a second surgery early-on, but I have no regrets about being sleeved and continue to be thankful for this opportunity . While many are pressuring me to to stop losing weight, I know that I need to lose at least another 10 pounds as my love handles are still begging for attention.

I can relate to your feelings. I was sleeved 12/10/2013 and on 12/14 was rushed to the hospital and almost died (BP was 60/25 and EMT could not get IV in me). I had internal bleeding and had a second surgery 12/15. For about 2 months I regretted having the surgery in a very big way and thought I would never change my mind. At about 3 months out I began to feel really great and my regrets disappeared quickly. Now at 8 months out, down 139 pounds which was my goal, I can confidently say that I would do the sleeve again without hesitation even if I knew about the second surgery ahead of time. Be patient and follow all prescribed instructions. Things will get much better ...

HW: 314 SW: 278 CW: 175 TPL: 139 TPG: 139 Down 1 pound this week and met my goal this morning. Not sure what my final goal is now, as many are pressuring me to stop losing, but I'm thinking 165 might be good.

I neglected to mention that I told my mom I was having surgery for a hiatal hernia ...

I didn't tell my 83 year mom about my WLS and am sure that was the right decision. She's been hounding me about weight loss my entire life and always has an abundance of bad advice. This would have been a nightmare ... Interestingly, she keeps saying that everyone must think I had "that surgery", but I'm sure she doesn't know as she's not shy about expressing her opinions.

I use CalorieCount on an iPhone and through the web to log food, Water, and exercise. I tried MFP but the library of food items was lacking. I've been very pleased with CalorieCount.

Congratulations!! You should be very proud of yourself for this great accomplishment.

I'd like to see some statistics on later-stage leaks. With the overall probability for a leak being so low the later- stage ones must be extremely low. Also I wonder what the causes are for later-stage ones.

HW: 314 SW: 278 CW: 176 TPL: 138 TPG: 139 Down 1 pound this week ... 1 more to goal.

My funniest moment post-op was something that happened a few months back after losing 120+ pounds. I discovered a bump under my chest on the side and my wife was pressuring me to go to the ER. I called our ins co nurse line and they said to go to the doctor if it's not gone in 2 weeks. After hanging up I found a similar bump on the other side. When at a cardiologist appointment the next week he laughed and said that was the bottom of my rib cage.

I am most proud of being an athlete again after 35 years of steady weight gains. I peaked at 324 pounds and am now 176 pounds. I'm running, lifting weights, playing tennis and golf and running up stairs effortlessly. 8 months ago I was huffing and puffing after a short walk.

I started wearing size 48 (below belly) and now 8 months post op wearing size 34. Also went from 3x/4x to Medium shirts. While 34 was my goal I still would like to lose a little love-handle. I expected to be wearing Large shirts but Medium seems to fit better now. Still shocking myself when I look in a mirror ...

I've continued to log and monitor my calories, carbs, Protein, and other nutritional info. At 7.5 months out my appetite has increased noticeably and I'd definitely eat more if I weren't counting.

HW: 314 SW: 278 CW: 177 TPL: 137 TPG: 139 Down 1 pound this week ...

I'm 7.5 months post-op and have been taking Vitamins in the form of 3 tiny capsules each day. I gagged on the chewables and the thought of the liquid stuff makes we want to gag. While I seem to be doing ok with the 3 tiny capsules, they smell and taste terrible. Since I've be able to take other larger pills without a problem, I was thinking of going back to taking full-sized centrums again. Anyone else go back to full-sized vitamins?

HW: 314 SW: 278 CW: 178 TPL: 136 TPG: 139 Down 1 pound this week ...