*Lexie*

Here are a few things I was looking forward to and can now do: cross my legs comfortably, go running, wear my wedding ring. Things I'm still looking forward to: running a marathon, going zip lining, wearing single digit sized clothes, have a normal BMI.

That is so cool! Are you going to do it?

Boys are dumb!

Those unsupportive people will come around. The good news is, it's much easier to get back on track now. Not like you can go eat a whole pizza or anything. Go back to the list of foods your doctor gave you to eat at this stage along with the frequency in which they told you to eat. I believe you can eat out at this stage with a little planning. Most places have Soup. One yummy item I would have was Taco Bell pinto's and cheese with a scoop of ground beef. That was 2 or 3 meals for me but it tasted like Taco Bell goodness and it was high in Protein. For me, I'm trying to teach myself that I'm no longer "on a diet" or "off a diet". I'm changing the way I eat. And the way I eat now is structured meals, protein first, healthy 90% of the time. But I do allow for the occasional treat. That's part of life, not realistic to think you'll never go out and order something at a restaurant that you love.

My doctor said that studies show that post op patients that exercise regularly lose 10% more of their excess weight than those that don't exercise. I have not seen these studies. But I would like to have that extra 10% so I'm exercising regularly. So far I've lost 71% of my excess weight.

@@Babbs Good for you!! I did a 5K a few weeks ago and what a rewarding feeling to cross that finish line. It's addictive!

Interesting article.

I tried topamax before surgery and it didn't do anything for me. They said it would reduce craving for sweets and soda. My soda still tasted amazing. Hope it works better for you.

Completely normal. You should get your energy back around week 4. My doctor suggested taking the first 4 weeks off work simply because of the fatigue. But it does get better, I run and do all sorts of cardio now and have loads of energy.

I couldn't see it until I lost around 50-60 lbs. That seems like the time everyone else started noticing too.

@@JustWatchMe Love this post. You can try easing into this change so it's not as scary. Maybe start with staying away from fried foods at dinner. After you get comfortable with that, then start changing lunch. I have a problem with grazing that I'm working on improving. Right now, I'm focusing on sticking with 3 meals and 2 Snacks. Once I can stick to that consistently, I'm going to cut down to 3 meals and 1 snack.

@@wannaBthinsoon Holy cow, how'd I miss that diet? Popcorn is my favorite food. Pretty sure I wouldn't have lost a pound. For me, it was the disgusting lemonade/cayenne pepper fast. My stomach turns just thinking about it.

Very interesting thread, I actually read every single post. I guess there's comfort in knowing I'm not the only one that was a bit crazy. I can't think of a specific example of food I ate so I'll share some old crazy thinking I had. I had a theory that once you hit a certain number of calories (not sure what that number was), your body would no longer be able to store the excess calories as fat. So if you go off the wagon, may as well go all the way off and eat everything. Then get back on track the next day or following Monday.

I had the sleeve but right after surgery, I wished I had gotten the bypass. The reason is because I like sweets and the sleeve doesn't typically stop you from eating sweets. Luckily for me, I can't eat ice cream (I think I'm lactose intolerant now) or anything really rich. It's very helpful for cake to make me feel like crap. No desire to feel bad = no desire to eat cake or ice cream. But I can eat plain chocolate, luckily I do't eat it very often. You keep that dream of running a marathon, you should be able to do that regardless of which surgery you choose. I am training for my first marathon right now. Excited and a little terrified.

I never understand why a doctor would expect such high weight loss prior to surgery. 10-15 pounds, sure. But 40 seems tough. But either way, here's what I suggest. Breakfast - Protein shake lunch - Protein Shake dinner - Lean meat and vegetable No processed carbs. This isn't easy but you will drop weight quickly.

I have felt this way from the very beginning. Hoping but never quite having faith that I could hit my goal. Then the other day I bought a pair of size 10 pants. When I lost weight years ago, I got down to size 8's. Getting into those 10's made me realize that I'm actually pretty close to hitting my goal. Shoot, when did that happen? My suggestion is to put your head down and focus on 10lbs at a time. 6 months or so down the road, you'll look up and realize how close you really are to your goal. Stay focused and stay on this site, even when you feel like you're not learning anything new. It will keep you motivated.

What a great story. What you will be capable of will be completely up to you now.

@@ShrinkingPeach @@Weighting2BeFree Personally, I don't like ground turkey. I get super lean (96%) ground sirloin from an organic butcher and it's as lean as most ground turkey that I have checked. But, of course, you could try it with ground turkey if you like it. From My Fitness Pal Ground beef - 96% lean - 35 calories/6g Protein per ounce ground turkey breast Jenny-O extra lean - 30 calories/7g protein per ounce

Beef jerky is a big one for me. I can get 15g of Protein for 80 calories. I try to keep my portions low because of the sodium. I also like cottage cheese. One of my favorite high protein meals is to make taco salad with super lean ground beef, 2% shredded cheddar, light sour cream, lettuce and tomato. Just mix it up and eat it. High protein, low carb and it tastes like I'm having a treat.

@@Stevehud Love this line, "food is what you live ON , not what you live FOR." I am learning that right now and it's an adjustment. I'm getting there though.

Popcorn has always been one of my favorite foods. Post surgery, I've had to be very careful with it and don't eat it very often. Movie popcorn is off limits, it makes me sick. I think it's all the oil. Skinny Pop or Smartfoods light white cheddar are good and both around 35 calories a cup. If you prefer homemade, a good option is adding a little oil and salt to 1/4 cup of kernels and put in a brown paper lunch bag. Put in microwave for 2 minutes and serve. Makes about 3 cups which is more than I can eat but it's the easiest way to make a small amount of popcorn.

Have you had WLS? If so, you shouldn't need diet pills. If you go back to the basics, you should be able to start losing again. I took phentermine before I had WLS and it did work until my body got used to the medicine but that takes 6 months or so. It's pretty effective the first few months.

Good luck!!

Sadly, I can't tolerate spicy foods (8 months out). They make me promptly throw up. The doctor says eventually that will go away. I'm waiting for that day, I absolutely love spicy food and miss it.

Welcome! Those first few weeks are rough but it gets better.