VSGAnn2014

Nope, I'm not nouveau fat. But that big change must have been freaky for you.

Whenever I see patients urging others to "be honest" I LOL. As the saying goes: You do you, and I'll do me.

I thought not drinking with food was going to be tough. But it's not. And yes, I did practice it for a few months prior to surgery. First of all, you'll find it a good idea because very early post-op (even during the puree phase and then soft foods an then during real foods) you simply won't feel like you have enough room in your very small, very swollen stomach for both food and liquid. You'll also be VERY motivated to get the most out of your sleeve. After all, you / we are all doing this to lose weight. Yes, there are a few idiots out there who try to "cheat" from Day One, but most of us are really trying to follow our instrucs well. There are some meats you will eat that are dry -- and in those instances, just take a little (little!) sip of something to keep it from sticking. I also used sour cream to avoid dry meat sticking. I'm nearly a year out, and I still don't drink with meals 95% of the time. I may have a few sips of wine at dinner, if I haven't finished my pre-dinner 4 ounces of wine. But that's about it. And those few wine sips haven't made me yearn to drink with food all the time because I really do like the feeling of restriction I get by eating only 6-7 ounces max of food at a time. That's my experience. I think you'll find this easier than you think.

I am tickled for all those banders who have had long-term success. Very happy for you all. You're champs in my book. But there are so many other banders whose stomachs and other body parts have been damaged by the band -- or for whom the band has been a pain (literally) or for whom the band has been simply ineffectual in aiding significant weight loss. I'm so glad I didn't bother with it. More specifically, I'm glad my surgeon's office discouraged me heavily from seriously considering it. (I'm a sleeve patient -- love it. Lost all my weight in 8.5 months post-op and am now 7 pounds below goal and maintaining easily.)

I probably wouldn't type this except it's after 1:00 am and I've seen this topic debated / discussed so many times on WLS forums up to now. Lately, when this topic comes up, I just think to myself, "Fuck everybody who asks and niggles and hints and pries about how I lost all my weight. I did this for my benefit, not theirs. They can figure this shit out for themselves if they really want to. Most of you guys agonize about this way too much. Take care of yourselves. You don't owe coworkers or random strangers anything on this front -- either your truth or your weight loss cheerleading.

I have multiple and simultaneous responses to seeing folks who are obese. Like many former fatties I feel true fear about returning to that life. I've been at goal for only 3.5 months, which BTW is the longest I've ever NOT started regaining weight! I also reject the aesthetics of obese bodies. I was NEVER into the BBW scene. I truly despised being overweight. There's nothing about it I like at all -- in myself or others. Nothing! But because I know so very well after decades of being overweight or obese just how exhausting and painful (physically and mentally) it is to be heavier, I also feel a tremendous empathy with those who are carrying so much extra weight. l know that they're my tribe. If you haven't been overweight or obese for long parts of your life you literally cannot imagine what a hard way of life that is. It's probably similar to other tribal loyalties (like the town or state where you grew up, the sports team you root for, your own family members) -- if your tribe sucks you are certainly willing to complain about it. But you will NOT tolerate hearing other tribes' members bitch about how much your tribe sucks. (I suspect my feelings are more complex than this, but those are some off-the-cuff thoughts.)

Thanks. Our food choices will hinge on which nutrients we want to maximize / minimize -- calories, carbs, fats, or Protein.

It's a good thing I didn't tell anyone about my surgery "in confidence." Because if I had and they'd blurted it out in public, violating my confidence because "telling the truth is never wrong," I'd have cut them a new asshole. @@Sanstan ... your world may be a black or white one, but I can imagine hundreds of scenarios in which blurting out "the truth" is wrong, stupid, hurtful, destructive, revengeful, dangerous or illegal.

A month should be fine. Line dancing isn't exactly digging ditches.

Well, bless their hearts!

IMHO, 8 ounces of skim milk is very nutritious with: 80 calories 12 carb grams 8 Protein grams 0 fat grams And Fairlife skim milk's macronutrients are even more attractive: 80 calories 6 carb grams 13 protein grams 0 fat grams

And y'all sure don't iterate.

Thank you, @@AZDee .

In yoga class, you look down and don't recognize your own legs! This morning. I swear to God!

Taking colace, miralax, and other Fiber / laxative aids for a few months won't make you dependent on them for the rest of your life. And also drink more Water. When you're eating more, you can add more high-fiber veggies and fruit to your diet. Beans help a lot, too. So do whole grains. But all that comes in due time. Oh ... and adding a probiotic capsule to your daily meds will also help. Shockingly so, in my case!

I'm almost 70 years old and a 5'5" woman. I was sleeved 8/18/2014. Highest weight was 235 (lost 20 pounds pre-op), weighed 216 day of surgery, then lost another 65 pounds post-op to reach goal (150 pounds) at 8.5 months post-op. I've since lost another 7 pounds and have been floating for several months at 143-144. My maintenance calorie budget is 1750 calories, and I usually hit 100 grams of Protein each day. Honestly, I thought the whole thing was easy-peasy. I move, move, move. I walk, go to the gym, yoga class, and clean the house like a new bride. During the weight loss phases, I ate pretty clean (protein, veggies, fruits, whole grains). Now, I'm allowed a few treats, but do not go hogwild. I plan and track all my food / drink on My Fitness Pal. I wear a Fitbit, which is quite motivating to keep moving. Frankly, I think, on average, older folks have an easier time of it with WLS than younger folks. We have more discipline, more patience, and are motivated by health goals, not dress size goals. Although that bit's nice, too. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I didn't tell anyone (other than hubby and two faraway friends) -- because I knew my business associates, friends and extended family regarded WLS as weird, and I didn't have the energy or patience to tolerate their ignorance and judgment. And knowing all those people very well, their judgment was not a possibility, but a certainty. However ... you're in a little different situation. Assuming that your medical practice is a general one and that you see the same patients fairly often, the majority of your patients (70% of American adults are overweight or obese) are going to ask you, "How did you lose all that weight?" And by the time they notice, you're going to feel like everyone else here -- that WLS is the best thing since sliced bread. And you're going to feel conflicted about whether to share your very good news with them about what could also really help them (assuming they wouldn't be high-risk WLS patients for physical or other reasons). However, if you're a specialist who seldom sees the same patients more than 2-3 times, that's a different situation. So, gee, I dunno what you're going to do. Maybe you just need to do the old T-chart (pros and cons) analysis. Good luck to you. You have every right to choose which way you want to do this. BTW, you also don't have to decide right now what to do -- you can not tell early on and then tell others selectively later on. However, if you tell your staff early on, they'll blab everything to your patients. That's one thing I've learned -- doctors' office staff members have astonishingly little discretion about their doctors' lives. It's really a little freaky.

Does she have Alzheimers?!?

Yeah, no. Life / health / personal growth and almost every other experience we undergo as human beings is seldom that categorical or linear. Life is full of experiences so much more diverse than that misleading "First X, then Y" promise of a single cause of a single effect. And there certainly aren't any absolutes with regard to "health." Like all other conditions and attributes of human life, "health" is a matter of degrees and a collection of attributes we get to redefine. Because multivariate iteration.

Yes, that's it! So far, that's my only weight loss pet peeve.

Jesster, if anyone deserves an "easy time" with surgery, after all you've endured, it's you. Congratulations!

Here's what works for me: 1. No Cookies in the house. 2. I plan 3 meals a day and at least 2 Snacks, which contain both Protein and carbs. 3. I plan my food for the whole day every morning in My Fitness Pal. If I change my plan or eat something different during the day I record it immediately -- and usually rejigger my day's plan to accommodate the change. 4. I eat my meals / snacks about the same time every day. 5. I work really hard to get my 64 ounces of liquids in every day. Really hard. 6. Hot tea is more soothing than room temp or cold liquids. 7. Did I mention there are no cookies in the house? 8. When I get the "munchy anxiety" I stand up up and walk around the house or the porch or outside for a few minutes. It helps calm me down. 9. I use breathing exercises (slowly in and out) to get myself back in the moment. 10. If I forgot to say it, we don't keep cookies in the house.

Sheesh! Not very impressive.

I also don't count "net carbs," just "total carbs." That's the definition of "carbs" I used in my earlier posts in this thread.

I love Peanut Butter. But it's a huge trigger food for me. And it's enormously high-calorie. Almost 100 cals / tablespoon. And ... and ... and ... the amount my eyes think a tablespoon of peanut butter is is really almost 3 tablespoons! (sigh)