Babbs

Same here! Just now for dinner I had two ounces of ham, a whole egg and a small peice of whole grain toast! That's like almost a "normal" person portion?! Other days there is NO WAY I could eat that much! Just goes to show how important the 'what' is going into our mouths as opposed to the 'how much' because it can vary so much!

I just love this quote because it's so true! Let's be honest. The first, oh lets say, up to 5 or 6 months, the weight comes off almost organically. It's a matter of physiology. Your calories are dramatically decreased no matter what you eat, so the weight will come off. I think that's when people get into the trap of thinking this surgery has cured their obesity because "They can eat whatever they want and still lose weight!" But that's when it gets tricky. The body adjusts to the low calorie intake, and will pretty much slam on the brakes with weight loss. That's why it's so important to go into this with an attitude of change. Change in eating habits. Change in exercise. Change in overall lifestyle. Otherwise, you will have lost the 60% or so excess weight the docs say you will, but you won't get to goal and you certainly won't keep it off. It's really up to you how far you want to go with it. If you say you're going to make it work, it will work. Period. Oh, and your fears that it won't? Totally normal. We've ALL had them.

I have to use that chant daily......

BEAST MODE, BABY!!

That may be a little high IMO. I was at about 1000 at 8 months. The most important question is: Are you losing on 1300 calories? If so, I would say you're good then.

@@bellabloom All good points!

I'm going to play devils advocate here. I do see what the OP is saying. In the 18 months I've been on this forum, I've seen many people who are just starting out with the surgery proclaiming how all they want is to become a healthy weight, then turn it into a "How skinny can I get" contest the closer they get to goal. Frankly, it's disturbing. They go from one eating disorder to another on the spectrum. Heck, I'm a little guilty of it. I see people the same height weighing less than me and think "Well, if they can get down to x, then why can't I?" Some of us almost get addicted to losing weight. I've been in weight loss mode for well over a year, and it's a hard habit to break. But I'm not afraid to eat, and I don't go off the rails over normal weight flucations my body does. I'm not obsessed with being as thin as I can get. If I lose the 5-7 pound bounce I want, so be it. If I don't, I'm at a healthy, sustainable weight I'm happy with. I'm afraid that if I go too low, it won't be realistically sustainable. And I refuse to live like that.

@@CowgirlJane And let's be honest. There isn't one person who you would meet and knew your story who wouldn't be convinced that WLS is absolutely the right thing for certain people. You are living, breathing proof of that. Can we all just borrow you to take you around to all these nay sayers to shut them the hell up?

@@rnsamantha We are 2 peas in a pod! Although I'm much further out than you, I discovered recently I could drink diet soda without it hurting anymore. Well, the floodgates were open! I was in Reno last week, and I was drinking diet soda after diet soda while I was gambling. I figured it was better than drinking alcohol.... Well, needless to say, when I got home, I bought a 6 pack of Coke Zero. Although I don't believe the old wives tale about carbonation stretching your sleeve, I just can't see any good coming from drinking too much of that crap. Like you said, slippery slope. I pride myself on eating clean most of the time. There is NOTHING clean and unprocessed about diet soda! I ended up giving my Coke Zero to my grown kids for their house. No mas for me!

@@LipstickLady Well, good on you. I, on the other hand, cannot have chocolate or ice cream within a 10 foot radius without wanting to eat it until gone. No amount of restriction can stop me, either. So for now, I must abstain or gain weight. Call me weak. Call me an addict. But that's the way it is for me. Now, where's this cake we've been speaking of?

And as always, @@CowgirlJane said much more eloquently what I meant to say

@@Sophie74656 You've got a good point. But I still FIRMLY believe that the 'everything in moderation' thing is a crock. If you're going to have the surgery, you COMPLETELY change your eating habits by eating a clean, non processed, very low carb, low sugar diet 95% of the time to be successful. I'm not saying to never have a cookie, but over time, 1 cookie turns into the whole box. If that wasn't the case with most of us, then why the hell did we have to have surgery? You can't have your cake and eat it too. Figuratively speaking.

Oh boy I could have written your post for the last couple of days. I've been feeling the same way, except I know what I want...and it's CRAP. As we speak, my hubby is going out to a business dinner that I didn't feel like going to. I told him I'd just fend for myself at home. What was I thinking of eating? A GRILLED cheese SANDWICH. I've discovered some amazing low calorie 11 grain bread that I'll indulge in every once in a while, and as you can see, it's turning into el slippery slopo. I wasn't going to eat at all if I couldn't have my grilled cheese, but I came to my senses and had my costco chicken skewers with a little pesto. I still want my grilled cheese! *Stomps foot*

Unfortunately, full on food addicts can't do anything in moderation. The 'everything in moderation' thinking can sometimes get people into trouble. What happens when the restriction wanes and hunger returns (because down the road it does happen) and then there is nothing to help moderate things? People gain weight, that's what happens. Sometimes it's just best to abstain from certain trigger foods. Sad, but true.

How very sad. Unfortunately, I see this happen all too often.

@@bellabloom I actually started at a lower weight than you, lol. I'm just a SUPER slow loser. I always say I have the metabolism of a koala bear, lol. I had surgery in August of last year and it took me a year to lose 85 pounds. I'm at goal right now more or less, but would love to lose 10 more for my bounce, although it may take me another year, lol. It's all good, though. Even if it doesn't happen, I'm happy where I'm at. I look and feel healthy.

I agree with @twinhappy...sometimes there is no amount of excersise that can help certain areas. I have been running and doing strength training for the last 8 months with good results....except my tummy. It's a hot mess. Between having 2 giant babies and getting up to 235 lbs I carried mostly in my stomach, I'm afraid surgery may be my only option. I'll see how I feel in a year or so whether I want to deal with another surgery

@@Nikkip35 Has your mom kept the weight off? My favorite YouTube doctor, Dr Weiner, says that people who have immediate relatives (father, mother, brother, sister) who were successful with their surgeries are a lot more likely to be successful with their own Good news, hu?

My highest weight was 235. I have gone up and down in my weight my whole life, but at 47, it was finally taking a toll on my health. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and pre diabetes and put on meds. I didn't want to die early from heart problems like both my parents, so I decided to do something once and for all. I knew quite a bit about WLS already because my husband had an RNY 8 years earlier and was very successful losing 100+ pounds and keeping it off.

The only thing I brought was my phone, slippers, and a comfy pair of sweat pants so my butt didn't hang out of my gown as I was walking the halls. The hospital provided everything else. Good luck!

First rule of changing your eating habits: NEVER use food as a reward. Why can't you reward yourself with clothes, a new purse or a manicure instead? To lose and keep the weight off after surgery, you have to learn to not be so food focused. Why not start now?

Sometimes I can't get over how fast men lose weight. So unfair!

Risk vs benefit my friend. The risks are low (-1%) The benefit from me having surgery and losing almost 90 pounds, becoming healthy as a horse, and feeling completely normal at over a year out except for some much needed restriction (100%) I'll take those odds.

Yeah, it's pretty much a well known fact that the BMI chart is flawed. It doesn't take into consideration several factors; Muscle mass, bone density, fat distribution etc.... That being said, I chose a goal weight sorta based on it just as a general marker. I've also been this weight before, and knew I felt pretty good at it. At 5'5" and 147 pounds, (high "normal" range of BMI) I hardly consider myself a "twig" either. I look and feel very healthy.

Awesome! Looking great! And probably feeling even better!