Jonathan Blue

Each person will have their own unique answer to this. As for me, the only regret I have, is that I did not do it sooner. I did have to be in the right head space to be as successful as I have been (down 210lbs), but on the whole, There are no real regrets. I have loved not being as reliant on food as it controlled my life before. Now food is simply a fuel I must have in order to do all of the amazing things I have been doing. My life still revolves around food, just in a different way. Now I have to plan out my day to make sure I am taking in all of the nutrition I need to succeed. If you keep with the determination it sounds like you have now to lose weight, once the revision is done you will knock off that last little bit with no problem. I am so excited for you.

@@anaxila, I know it can be very difficult putting yourself out there. We all deal with pain associated from our weight and worrying about what others think of us behind our back. I have horror story after horror story of chairs breaking, needing to buy special work uniforms, and being rejected for dates because I was too fat. I was the one that was invisible to everyone other than I was the elephant in the room. To tell you the truth even though I am down over 210lbs. I still feel like that guy sometimes. Right now, being a high profile executive, you know how important positive self talk can be. I want you to stop thinking about what if the surgery doesn't work. IT WILL WORK. If you follow the plan and rely on the others on here for help and advice, you have no choice but to succeed. I have a blog and there are three special posts on there about how I prepared for surgery, as well as a host of other great articles about my journey and ways to stay motivated. There are even some healthy cooking demos. I really recommend you check it out. The link is below my signature. I think the prepping for surgery posts will be especially good for you to read over. Things will change as you lose weight and the confident inner person that you weight has kept quiet will start to emerge. That is an amazing time and people will definitely take notice. In the last year I have gotten two promotions at work and been invited be a part of several committees just because my personality has emerged and become one that people just want to be around. I think its awesome. It is the true me that has always been there, just covered up by fat. It will be absolutely amazing and I am so excited for you. Use what people say as motivation to help you succeed. There will always be negative people. It is how you deal with them that affects your success. If you need anything at all, my contact information is below. I will do what I can to help you out.

Another great pre and post workout drink is watermelon juice, fresh with the pulp. It does have a bit of sugar from the watermelon, but studies have shown it is very good at speeding muscle recover after an intense workout. It is also a great way to hydrate. It is one of my "go to" post workout drinks. I also agree with the other on the compression tights or even just the socks. They go a long way in reducing fatigue and leg pain. I am glad to hear you have ordered a pair. I know the simplest solution you already know. Start of slow and work your way up. It might be a good idea to start with walking or working on an elliptical until you cardiovascular endurance is up a bit. Another thing my trainers focus on with me a lot is body weight resistance training. By building those muscles, even if you take some time off, you will be a lot stronger coming back than you would have been. Plus, muscle burns fat a lot faster and will work even while you are sleeping. If you have not added weight training of some kind into your workouts, I think it would do wonders for you. The other thing I do a ton of is swimming. I lost almost two thirds of my weight by swimming alone before adding weight training or running. You can push yourself hard, but there is no heavy impact on your body. Plus a good long stretch and soak in a hot tun post workout also does wonders for loosening up stiff muscles. If you have any additional questions let me know. I will do what I can to get you the answers you need.

People are noticing the hard work you are putting in. Focus on that. I agree it was a very odd comment. A lot of times I think this happens because people are not really sure how to bring up a weight loss compliment without it coming across funny or awkward just like your situation. I would look at this interaction as a positive thing and not dwell on it too much. Know that your hard work through this journey is paying off and people are beginning to take notice. Use that as your fuel to keep working hard for bigger and better results.

I agree with @macman. The other brand which is available at whole foods is Justin's. They only have one ingredient, much like the grind it yourself stuff, I like that in the nut butters I use. It will be hard to get away from some fat with it being a nut butter, but avoiding those with added oil is a great way to reduce unnecessary fat and sugar.

It is a very personal decision as to whether to tell people you are having surgery or not. What works for some will not for others. What is ultimately important is your own comfort with sharing. If you don't mind me asking, why do you not want to share this with others? Do you have a strategy in mind for when people start asking how you are losing weight so rapidly? For those that choose to keep this journey to themselves, questions will still arise and may already be coming up. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to have a plan on how to react and deal with the various questions you may get. That way you don't over share in the moment or say something you did not necessarily want to divulge. I know it is a very personal experience and choice that is as varied as the people who have the surgery done. When I had my surgery I let everyone know. There were plenty of detractors, but I went after them with the facts or just wrote them off as people I didn't need to keep around. I liked being open because it kept me accountable when I got back to work and around others. I knew I had to eat right and tow the line because everyone was watching. I had no choice but to succeed because of the number of eyes that were on me beyond just my own grit and determination to be successful. You are about to undertake and amazing journey and it is always great to have companions along the way. Be sure to rely on the forums and members here as a source of information and encouragement. There will be times, even when everyone knows, that you will feel a little along because others will just not get it. Just don't forget that we are all here for you, cheering you on!

Try not to give to much stock to these people. They will never fully understand what it means to go through the journeys we all have. To a large extent even those who support us and try to understand never full will. I have been lucky in that not too many people have really said much to me about how it is "taking the easy way out:" For those who have I spend time to educate them on facts. Being 260 lbs overweight the chances of me dying before I was 40 was extremely high. Traditional diets had failed. If I had found a traditional diet somewhere along the line that would work, statistically the chance of losing all of that 260 lbs and keeping it off for at least 5 years is less than 1%. Granted, there are some who are able to do it (like Jared from subway), but if you look at how they did it, they usually didn't have traditional jobs and spend four to six hours or more a day working out and moving. Far too often this is just not a feasible way to live when you have school, work, children, or many other responsibilities. The odds improve greatly when your weight loss is aided by one of the surgeries. For the sleeve that percentage of those that lose it and keep it off for 5 years is about 75% and with gastric bypass i know that percentage is closer to 85%. I emphasis that it was a TOOL not a solution. My body's hormones and insulin levels were fighting every attempt I made to lose weight making it far more difficult than a normal person with normal hormone levels so I needed something to get my body out of the way of its self. Then as far as an easy way out ask them to tell you what sounds easy about, going with liquids only for two weeks until you are irritable and just want to die, only to have someone punch six holes in your stomach to mangle your stomach and intestines turning you into a Frankenstein of sorts. From there spend 3 or more days in a hospital dependent on pain medication to be able to move around that first week. Finally, once you are home you only can sip liquid, slowly add baby food, and eventually after six months may be able to take in a cup of food six times a day. All during this time you are in constant threat of dehydration, malnutrition, reliant on Vitamins every day for the rest of your life. This is all if everything goes perfectly with the surgery and don't get me started on if it doesn't. I bet you can imagine. It all sounds horrible, but the pain and heartache of dealing with all of this is nothing compared with the pain of not being able to walk down a flight of stairs, or play with your children, or even take a walk. Now on top of it, I have to deal with an @$$hole like you who has no clue what they are talking about. I did this to save my life. My life needed a drastic change and to do so quickly, safely, and effectively, with the greatest chance for success, this was the tool I chose. That is typically what I have told the few who have brought up the easy way out scenario. I know why so many people choose not to tell others and I can agree with your reasoning. I personally chose to tell everyone because it keeps me accountable and gives me a stronger drive and determination to succeed. The choice to tell is very personal and there is no right or wrong answer. To anything we do in life there will always be detractors. I just urge you all to not just get upset and walk away. I urge you to get upset and fight back with the facts. It is a lot harder to argue with. As always, if I can help you out in any way with advice, guidance, or just a shoulder to cry on. I am here for you all.

Knowing your pain management plan post surgery will allow you to reduce complications and get out of the hospital soon. I have included some helpful tips from a hospital pharmacy insider... ME! I often times get asked what is the biggest piece of advice I could give someone for surviving their hospital stay. For me the answer is a hands down no brainer. CONTROL YOUR PAIN MEDS! Nurses and hospital staff will be in and out to see you, but you need to realize that each nurse probably has four to six other patients all vying for attention. It is your responsibility to take your pain management into your own hands. You do not want to mess around when it comes to managing your pain! If you are in pain you will be unable to get up and walk. The longer you take to begin walking the greater your risk of complication and the longer your hospital stay. In this case DO NOT BE A TOUGH GUY! Wuss out and take the meds. You will be constantly asked during you hospital stay what your pain level is. It will be on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being no pain at all and 10 being the worst pain you have ever felt in your life. Be sure to answer honestly. DO NOT TRY TO BE MACHO! 3 to 5 on this scale is considered pain, but tolerable. If you drop below a 3 many doctors will begin reducing pain medication. Above 5 and they may begin increasing. The doctors and nurses want you in the blissful middle zone of 4 to 5. It should feel as though you have a bad muscle pull in your stomach, but no sharp or stabbing pain on a continual basis. Your pain post-surgery will most likely be controlled in one of a two ways. The first is with a gloriously blissful device known as a PCA pump. This is a machine in which a syringe of Morphine or Fentanyl (depending on what your doctor and a hospital pharmacist deem to be appropriate) is placed to be administered to you at the push of a button. The best part is that you have control of the button! The machine can be set to allow you to administer the dose yourself every so many minutes; usually half an hour. The other way your pain will be managed is with an injection of morphine or fentanyl? This is pretty straight forward and don’t worry if you are scared of needles. This pain candy is injected into your IV. Once you get past the injections or PCA pumps, usually once they take out your IV, you will most likely be weaned onto an oral pain medication of some kind. Many surgeons prefer Percocet for this application, but you may also be given an oral morphine. There is really no major difference between these in terms of effectiveness though there are other consideration that your doctor and a hospital pharmacist will use in consideration of which to give you. It will be your job in the hospital to stay on top of when you get your pain medications. Here is what you need to know from an insider. I work as a pharmacy technician in a hospital so I am familiar with the workarounds. Here is the rule of thumb. The PCA pump will be available to you at your discretion and will most likely be hooked up before you wake up from surgery or shortly after, but injectables last about two hours and the oral liquid lasts about four. That is a very short window and you need to be sure to talk with your nurses and find out how long each medication is good for. I made it a point to let my nurse know half an hour before each medication was due. This will allow them plenty of time to get your medication to you before time runs out. If the medication is not stocked on the floor then it will be delivered from the pharmacy and will take time. You want to give your nurse plenty of time to make this happen. Your nurse will not always remember when your pain meds are due so it will be your job to remind them. Remember, they have five other six people all needed medicines and all needing extra special attention so it is possible that you could be forgotten if you do not speak up. I am positive some nurses found me annoying, but other said they really appreciated the fact I was trying to stay so consistent with things and remind them. They key here is to be very nice and just let them know you are trying to stay on top of things since you know how the pharmacy works. Nurse’s love blaming the pharmacy for delays and they will love you for not blaming them. Far too many people do. Running out of pain medication is a lot like falling off a cliff. You go down fast and it takes a while to climb back on top of it. So do yourself a favor and make sure you understand how long your pain medication will last and what types you are on. Make it a point with one of your final doctors’ visits prior to surgery to discuss what their plan for pain management will be and specifically which drugs he likes to use and why. With this in particular and your weight loss journey in general, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! The power to finally begin taking control of your life. That is what this amazing journey is all about. This will be a great way to practice in the hospital before you get home and the real work begins!

I definitely agree with @Jols. You need to talk with your surgeons office. Around the six week mark you are typically able to begin regular exercise, but you still need to be very wary of your core muscles. I would recommend if you are insisting on beginning to work out you need to read your body and take it easy for awhile until you get used to the added workload on your abdomen.

I often times get asked what is the biggest piece of advice I could give someone for surviving their hospital stay. For me the answer is a hands down no brainer. CONTROL YOUR PAIN MEDS! Nurses and hospital staff will be in and out to see you, but you need to realize that each nurse probably has four to six other patients all vying for attention. It is your responsibility to take your pain management into your own hands. You do not want to mess around when it comes to managing your pain! If you are in pain you will be unable to get up and walk. The longer you take to begin walking the greater your risk of complication and the longer your hospital stay. In this case DO NOT BE A TOUGH GUY! Wuss out and take the meds. You will be constantly asked during you hospital stay what your pain level is. It will be on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being no pain at all and 10 being the worst pain you have ever felt in your life. Be sure to answer honestly. DO NOT TRY TO BE MACHO! 3 to 5 on this scale is considered pain, but tolerable. If you drop below a 3 many doctors will begin reducing pain medication. Above 5 and they may begin increasing. The doctors and nurses want you in the blissful middle zone of 4 to 5. It should feel as though you have a bad muscle pull in your stomach, but no sharp or stabbing pain on a continual basis. Your pain post-surgery will most likely be controlled in one of a two ways. The first is with a gloriously blissful device known as a PCA pump. This is a machine in which a syringe of Morphine or Fentanyl (depending on what your doctor and a hospital pharmacist deem to be appropriate) is placed to be administered to you at the push of a button. The best part is that you have control of the button! The machine can be set to allow you to administer the dose yourself every so many minutes; usually half an hour. The other way your pain will be managed is with an injection of morphine or fentanyl? This is pretty straight forward and don’t worry if you are scared of needles. This pain candy is injected into your IV. Once you get past the injections or PCA pumps, usually once they take out your IV, you will most likely be weaned onto an oral pain medication of some kind. Many surgeons prefer Percocet for this application, but you may also be given an oral morphine. There is really no major difference between these in terms of effectiveness though there are other consideration that your doctor and a hospital pharmacist will use in consideration of which to give you. It will be your job in the hospital to stay on top of when you get your pain medications. Here is what you need to know from an insider. I work as a pharmacy technician in a hospital so I am familiar with the workarounds. Here is the rule of thumb. The PCA pump will be available to you at your discretion and will most likely be hooked up before you wake up from surgery or shortly after, but injectables last about two hours and the oral liquid lasts about four. That is a very short window and you need to be sure to talk with your nurses and find out how long each medication is good for. I made it a point to let my nurse know half an hour before each medication was due. This will allow them plenty of time to get your medication to you before time runs out. If the medication is not stocked on the floor then it will be delivered from the pharmacy and will take time. You want to give your nurse plenty of time to make this happen. Your nurse will not always remember when your pain meds are due so it will be your job to remind them. Remember, they have five other six people all needed medicines and all needing extra special attention so it is possible that you could be forgotten if you do not speak up. I am positive some nurses found me annoying, but other said they really appreciated the fact I was trying to stay so consistent with things and remind them. They key here is to be very nice and just let them know you are trying to stay on top of things since you know how the pharmacy works. Nurse’s love blaming the pharmacy for delays and they will love you for not blaming them. Far too many people do. Running out of pain medication is a lot like falling off a cliff. You go down fast and it takes a while to climb back on top of it. So do yourself a favor and make sure you understand how long your pain medication will last and what types you are on. Make it a point with one of your final doctors’ visits prior to surgery to discuss what their plan for pain management will be and specifically which drugs he likes to use and why. With this in particular and your weight loss journey in general, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! The power to finally begin taking control of your life. That is what this amazing journey is all about. This will be a great way to practice in the hospital before you get home and the real work begins!

@@Vabeachlady , I needed pain meds the whole time I was in the hospital and then for about two weeks after. I probably could have stopped earlier, but I wanted my recovery to be as pain free as possible. The less pain I had the more I could move around and the faster I would actually heal. Over the two weeks of oral percocent, I took the full amount religiously for about a week, then I kept on the same every four hour schedule and just reduced the amount I was taking. Then I started venturing out into the world of taking longer between doses. @@tfarr I agree completely. Getting intubated was my biggest fear. The good news is that you will be asleep when they do this to you and you will also be asleep when that take it out. You will have a bit of a sore throat for a couple days, but nothing too bad. You will honestly be more concerned about everything else going on around you and being particularly drugged to notice.

I highly recommend you check out my series of blog posts on how I prepared for surgery. The link to the blog is below my signature. I take it from the physical, mental, and spiritual sense. You really don't have time to do much about the physical side, but the others will be invaluable to you these next few weeks as you deal with the liquid diet and beyond. I am super excited for both of you and cannot wait to hear all about your amazing journey!

Sounds fantastic. I may need to steal this recipe.

Congratulations! Best of luck and keep us updated on your progress!

During your stay in the hospital you will be poked and prodded so much, that the little things like that will barely be noticeable. Plus, you will be doped up on pain medications so that will make everything much more tolerable. The biggest thing I can recommend in the hospital is to stay on top of your pain medications. Find out how long they are supposed to last and let your nurse know half an hour before they are due. Usually injections last 2 hours and oral liquids last 4. I work in a hospital and know that if they are out of stock of a particular medication on the floor it can take some time to come up. That is why I was always trying to give my nurse a heads up in advance. Be polite though. They sometimes get distracted with everyone and everything they have going on and can forget. It is your job to gently remind them. Coming off of pain medication is a lot like falling off a cliff. Once you start to go down, you do down fast and it is hard and takes time to climb back up. That is why I suggest staying on top of it all.

I agree with the isopure. The zero calorie versions have no sugar, no carbs, and 25 grams of Protein for a scoop which is half a serving. They are also only 105 calories a scoop and have some flavors that taste just fine with Water such as mango peach and pineapple orange banana. I highly recommend these especially if you are getting tired of the standard vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. They have plenty of other amazing flavors as well.

There are several sugar free or no sugar added instant oatmeals that are worth a shot. The other big recommendation is definitely to perhaps cook on the weekends or just prepare a normal size meal during the week and then put into pre-portioned tupperwear containers. They make little half cup and cup size containers so just buy a bunch and you can package several at a time and know you are on the right track. I would strongly suggest you check out my blog. I have begun putting up recipes and cooking demos on there and there may be something there you would enjoy. Two of my early on favorites were the Protein fruit smoothie and the pureed cauliflower- alfredo style. The link is below my signature. If there is anything else I can do to help, or you need more recipes, and have additional questions, please let me know. I am here for you!

I would be happy to mentor you and answer any questions I can. Feel free to check out my older posts on here as well as check out my blog using the links below my signature. See if you think we may be a good fit or if I would be someone you would be interested in working with. I love helping others realize how truly amazing they are and guiding them through this amazing journey! I am an open book so let me know.

That whole thing sounds a little fishy. RNY has had many years of proven success. I agree that there is a risk of complications and things not turning out well, but the risk has decreased as time has moved on. More advanced and safer ways of doing the procedure are around. I strongly encourage you to read me three part posting on my blog about how I prepared for surgery. I think it will help to clarify some things. The link is below my signature. If you have issues viewing it just message me. It sounds to me like he may be trying to do two things. The biggest one is that if he is a pain management doctor and you lose weight and get better, then he would lose a patient and the income they generate. You need to realize that by you staying pain, you are keeping in wealthy and in a job. Not all doctors look out for their patients best interest. This may not necessarily be the case, but you just need to realize we all put on own lens and spin on how we view surgery. The other thing is that it sounds like his religious beliefs about "unnecessary" body modification are playing a role here. It should not be his place to impose his religious view on you whatever they are. His job is to present you with options. I don't believe he would call you RNY doctor to talk him out of surgery, but there is a chance he would to protect his interests. The nice thing is that if your RNY doctor has agreed to do the surgery, hew would not do so unless he felt it was medically appropriate. He would more than likely argue the case with your pain doctor and ultimately still do the surgery. He also is looking to make money so if he can safely do the surgery on and verify that it meets standards of medical necessity, he will. You may also need to seek out a new and more supportive pain management doctor. The surgery is a ground for a lot of debate among individuals and medical professionals. Some will argue its cheating and taking the easy way out. I can tell you it is not easy, but if you follow the plan laid out by your doctor it works amazingly well. Others think that you should just try harder to lose weight. Still others are just scared of what they do not understand. My in-laws were even really concerned about me having the surgery, not because they were scared for me, but they were concerned about how it would affect their daughter. The decision to have surgery is a personal choice and one you should not take lightly. I do not think you are and it sounds like you have done your research. Just remember at the end of the day, it is your choice.I applaud you for taking those first steps to reclaiming your life. This is a truly amazing journey of discovery. It will not always be easy, but in the end I can guarantee you that it is completely worth it. If you have any questions or if there is anything I can help you with at all, please contact me using the links in my signature line. Or you can message me on here! GOOD LUCK! I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!!