Jonathan Blue

Check out this video of my journey. Also the other links below will show you to other areas where I talk about my journey and you can get in touch with me personally with any questions. I am more than happy to talk with you if you need any advice or help. It is truly the most amazing thing I have ever done. I am one year out and down almost 210lbs. I am doing things I never dreamed possible. The only thing I will urge you to do is to do your research. You need to know exactly what you are getting yourself into. I researched all aspects of the different kinds of surgical options, the preparation, recovery, hospital experience, and diet. I knew exactly what I was in for both good and bad. In this process, knowledge is power. I promise though, if you do this, it will be the single most amazing thing and gift you can give to yourself. The process will be the most incredible journey and you will meet some of the most inspiring people you will ever get to know. There has not been a day that has gone by, good or bad, since my surgery that I have not regretted not doing it sooner. You are still young and can enjoy your new life and your new body. If I can help in any way or you have additional questions, please let me know. I am an open book. You can contact me at the links below and be sure to check out the video of my journey so far. http://youtu.be/7lhcbypslHQ @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

I would recommend trying to stay as active as possible in the next few months. Building up your cardiovascular endurance will go a long way in reducing the risk of complications with surgery. The stronger you are the better. With that being said, I would not worry too much about a number on the scale. It is a guide, but far too often we get obsessed with the number. Try instead to be in the best shape you possibly can be. As far as diet and the holidays, I recommend cheating lol. Let me clarify this a little. Stick to your plan through the week or a set number of days, work out hard and eat right. Then once a week or on holidays, allow yourself a cheat meal or a cheat day. This will allow you to enjoy the holidays without regret and also begin ticking off some items that may be on your food bucket list. These are foods that wouldn't be good for you or wise to eat post surgery. You will be surprised how little you want them post surgery. The funny thing for me was I did my surgery the beginning of November last year and would need to miss Thanksgiving. One of my bucket list meals was a thanksgiving dinner with the family. Keep up the hard work. Your surgery will be here before you know. Once you get through this and the surgery itself, the hardest part of your journey is over. From there its time to still work hard, but you can begin to enjoy your new body. You will very quickly discover how amazing your body truly is. I am so excited for you. If you have any questions or I can help you out in any way at all please let me know. You can contact me through one of the links below. Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

Do not despair. You need to realize you have traumatized your body and it is still recovering, even a month later. There may still be a little residual swelling even cause your weight loss to not be as much. I think that is about how much I lost the first month and maybe 30 lbs. by the six week mark when I went back to work. I have a very active job and I can tell you that once I got back working the weight started pouring off. I promise once all the restrictions about lifting, protecting your abdominal muscles, and doing more than just short walks is lifted by your doctor, you will start to see the weight fall off if you get active. Now I am not saying go out and start training for marathons or anything crazy, all I am talking about is determined walking for an hour a day, or swimming in the pool. At first you may not be able to do the full hour, but work your way up to it. Everyone's journey is different. Look at the victory in the fact you lost 17lbs in a month and haven't had to push yourself like crazy to do. I bet you didn't even really feel like you were starving yourself. I know for the first several months I was never hungry and was always having to force myself to eat my next meal or snack. I was almost sick of food by the end. So please do not fret or give up hope. You made the right choice, the journey will just take time. The more active you become the more you will lose. This is just the beginning of the rest of your life and what will be a truly amazing your for you. Take the time to enjoy it and the small victories along the way. If you have any other questions or I can help with anything at all, please let me know. My contact information is below. Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

Congratulations!!! 200 lbs. is no easy task. I know you must have worked super hard to get here. I know you probably feel like a whole new person. Keep up the amazing work! Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

I love making a psychological game out of it. My server would come at the end of the meal and their reactions, to me, would judge the type of person they are. Some were real people pleasers. These are the ones that were always asking what was wrong and how they could correct it. I have even had managers be sent to me by the server to make sure I was alright. I always tried hard not to laugh. Next are the ones who are comfortable in their service. They just bring me the box and move on. They do not ask if everything was alright. These are the overconfident narcissist. The final one is the one who is comfortable with themselves in a neutral sense. They are the ones who will ask if everything was alright and when I say that it was, they just bring me the box. Try it some time when you are at a restaurant. Another thing to try, if you are not the most honest, would be to complain and get the meal for free. I do not recommend this. Have fun playing this little game and seeing the looks on your servers face when your whole meal looks almost untouched. Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

Skyhawks35, I am here to comfort your frail nerves lol. I loved sugar. Especially Mt. Dew, Cookies, cakes, pies, and candy. You named it, I loved it. The surgery has a unique way a playing with your taste buds and it changes them almost immediately. It is very weird. I have talked to many patients and they all agree with what happened to me. Right before surgery I was drinking the Zero Calorie Gatorade G2 and Zero Calorie Poweraide. It was something I could drink as a part of my pre-surgical diet and I was pounding it down by the gallon. Literally, the day they started allowing me to drink liquids again, they gave me a G2 to drink. I took one sip and almost spit it out! It was so sweet it was actually sickening. I found that after that moment and almost to this day, I still have to dilute my G2 half in half with Water. I have no idea what it is, or what mechanism is triggered in the body to cause this, but many post surgery patients discover that a lot of the foods they eat taste different. I used to love pickles and now, a year later, I still can't stomach them. As far as sugar goes, with the fact that I was seemingly more sensitive to sugar products, I have tried to not introduce them back. I stick to sugar free products whenever possible. I have found that a lot of sweet treats taste way too sweet so I have to find toned down versions of. The good news is, because it no longer tastes good, you wont miss it as much. Every persons body is different and will react in different ways, but expect your taste buds to change almost instantly post surgery. Use these changes to your advantage such as with the sensitivity to sugar. Believe me, you will be doing so many amazing things as you progress there will be times when you will forget about it entirely. I have a long list of good sugar free treats for all occasions. Let me know if you have any additional questions. If I can help in any way at all please let me know by contacting me at one of the links below. Don't be too concerned about the surgery. I know you will do amazing and it will be the start of an epic journey that will change your life. Take time to enjoy the process. Jonathan Blue @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

To Everyone, Everybody's journey is different. Every body is different and will react differently. Ideally you want to drink shakes 3 times a day, but initially the idea will be to just do what you can. I know when I was trying to get Water and Protein shakes down post surgery my life revolved around always sipping on something. It was a giant pain in the butt. It just takes time to get the timing of everything down and to get your body used to it. I would recommend taking the little 1oz. plastic cups that come with a medicine bottle and use that to make sure you drink that amount of liquid every 8 minutes. It will seem tedious and possibly drive you up the wall, but believe me it will help. My doctor told me to count the number of oz. of Protein shake I took in a day towards the total amount of liquid I would need to take in. In the end just take your time and try to constantly be sipping on something. For those that feel they are taking in too much, you are not. Consider yourself lucky you do not have to deal with trying to get down your daily water or protein. Be sure you are at least taking half an hour to and hour to drink your full shake so you don't stretch out your stomach, but other than that just keep to your plan. It will work out in the end. I promise. Everyone keep up the hard work. For those of you who are just recently post op, welcome to the rest of your amazing life. This will be the most exciting and life changing experience you will ever experience. Take the time to enjoy the journey. If you have any additional questions or I can help in any way please let me know. I will do what I can. You can contact me at any of the links below. Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

Great job getting in to work with a personal trainer. They will definitely help you reach your goals faster. I had the same issue happen to me when I started working with my trainer. We did a lot of body weight resistance work and muscle building. I became really frustrated when I felt as though I was losing ounces instead of pounds. It was really frustrating. Then my nutritionist pointed out to me that even though I was losing weight, I was gaining muscle which weighed more than the fat I was losing. That was why it was looking as though I wasn't losing anything. My doctor told me that building muscle from working out is a lot like saving for retirement. You don't see the scale change much, if at all, while you are doing it, but in the long run it will pay out in spades with larger weight loss. This is just like retirement. You don't see the advances in money right away, but when you are ready to sit back and take it easy that money you put aside initially goes to work for you. So, when you are building muscle now you will not see the desired results on the scale. In the future this muscle will go to work for you burning more fat, even while you sleep, by boosting your metabolism. Just like saving for retirement. So please do not loose heart. Everyone at one point in time will deal with a plateau. Here are some tips to help. The biggest piece of advice I could give you is to find other ways to measure your success beyond weight. Things like using "goal clothes." These are clothes that barely fit or don't fit at all. Every time you are having a bad day or you think you are getting nowhere, put them on and realize that they are fitting better. The shirt or pants may button when they wouldn't before. Because of this you know your still getting smaller even though the scale is not showing a loss. Another way is to take pictures throughout your journey. Every time I am having a rough day my wife will send me a picture taken of me prior to surgery with the simple phrase "Look how far you've come" attached. Another way to measure your progress is in all the things you are capable now that you couldn't do just a week or a month ago. Far too often I find myself obsessing over what the scale says and it is programmed into us from the beginning to rely on that number because everything is based on it. This number will always move quickly at first but eventually your body will begin to go through cycles. Give it time. I would be more concerned if you went a month or two without an results. I actually had to go back to see my nutritionist after seeing that over three months I had only lost 8 lbs. I freaked out. We were actually able to determine that I had not been eating enough calories for the amount of exercise I was going. I was starving myself. I followed her advice and upped my calorie intake. Over the two weeks after that meeting I had lost 16 lbs.! Keep working hard and in the end your hard work will pay off. I promise. I have lost over 210 lbs. with the surgery and have faced plateaus and rough Patches. I have even gained weight at points, but I am still a success in the big span of things. This is your journey to take so make it your own and don't worry about the number. Worry about the results everywhere else. In the end a number is just a number. How you feel is priceless. If you have any other questions or I can help you in any other way please let me know. You can contact me at any of my sites below. I also urge you to like and follow and of these you will find helpful. Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

Iptreg, Thank you so much for the kind words. It is great to know that people notice the hard work I have put in. I am doing what I can to be a hope and an inspiration to others like myself and those going through the surgery process. To answer your question... I know that right now you are probably sitting at home and getting really antsy. You want to get out and start doing all the things you said you were going to do once you lost weight. Believe me, I know, my wife would have to hold me back from running out the front door and was constantly asking me if what I was carrying around was more than the 10lb. limit the doctor put on me. I first off would urge you to be patient. There are some amazing things that will be happening to you over the next year so take this time to get ready to hit the ground running in a few weeks when the fitness ban has been lifted. In the mean time, my doctor encouraged me to move a little every day and slowly increase it each time I did. What my wife and I made a ritual of doing, was every evening when she got home from work we would go out. We would go somewhere like Walmart, Meijer, the Mall, or even the park if it was nice. We would just take a leasurely walk, maybe do some window shopping and a just enjoy being out of the house. This was a great thing for me because it got me out of the house and it helped me keep from getting too claustrophobic and stir crazy. It also got me moving. Because Christmas was around the corner there was plenty to see. This would be my biggest piece of advice. Once the doctor lifts the exercise ban I would suggest you do what I did. I was a member of a health club with a pool. Every day I would go and walk up and down the lanes. I would walk in walk that came to just above my belly button and I would trod on for as long as I could. As soon as my stomach felt sore, I would stop. It didn't matter if it was 10 minutes or 40 minutes. I was just moving. Eventually I got the go ahead about the 6 week mark that I could begin working with my abdomen more and that is when I started swimming traditional laps. If you have any other questions let me know. I love being a help to others. Also be sure to check out my Facebook page, blog, and Twitter. I will be continually posting updates on my journey. I will also be posting post surgery tips, recipes, and product reviews. @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue Gear Up, Jonathan

I know exactly what everyone above is dealing with. I became suddenly lactose intolerant about 4 weeks after my surgery. What worked for me was switching to almond milk sugar free for a couple months and things have resolved themselves on their own. Other options would be soy milk, coconut Water, or just using water. Be sure whatever option you choose that it is relatively low to no sugar as this could cause dumping syndrome. The other thing I found that worked well for me was switching from unjury, which the bariatric nutritionist recommended for me, to Isopure Zero Carb. They have these in premade bottles or just a regular powder. They have the traditional chocolate, vanilla, strawberry flavors which I find like most brands that have these flavors taste better with milk or almond milk. The real gem with IsoPure is the non-traditional flavors. Early morning my stomach sometimes cant handle the heavy chocolate of vanilla, so I reach for my go to flavors or pineapple orange banana or peach mango. Both of these still taste amazing mixed with just water! I know that dealing with the stomach distress is a pain and can be very discouraging. I want to encourage you to talk to your nutritionist and also start experimenting with various Protein drinks and combinations. Every one is different and no two weight loss journeys are the same. I want to encourage you to keep forging ahead and if there is anything I can do for all of your or if any of you has questions, feel free to contact me at one of the links below and I will do what I can to help. Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

Let me say first off you are not alone. All of us have dealt with eating too much at one point in time or another. Me personally, I still struggle with putting way more on my plate than I am able to eat on a regular basis. I know when I do I tend to eat more than I should. I need to work to only take as much as I need each meal. To your question, eating that fast will not make you gain weight in and of itself. It does however have the ability to stretch out your stomach faster because the food is not taking its time to move through it. Over time you would wind up inherently being able to eat larger and larger amounts which could cause you to lose weight. Here are a couple things that worked really well for me post surgery. Firstly, the best piece of advice I every got is probably one of the strangest bits of advice that worked super well. You need to eat off of baby silverware. I just went to the baby section of Meijer and bought a pack of plastic silverware. It will keep you from taking too much in one bit at a time so it will actually take you a little bit longer to eat. It will also make you well aware of the amount of food you are taking in in a bit. I should only fit on the spoon. Another thing to this is to try to make a point to chew everything at least 10 times before swallowing. You will need to work at both of this for a bit while you get used to it. It took me a week or two of eating to get fully comfortable with it. The other tip would be to divide your food serving into two or three sections and eat one section every ten minutes. If you find you still want to go after it before the ten minutes is up, put it in another room and just enjoy some dinner conversation. Eating slowly will require you to eat very mindfully over the first few months, but before you know it the process will be second nature. You are not alone in your dilemma. Every surgery patient here would be lying if they said they had not dealt with this exact same issue. Keep strong. It is a process. I know if you take these tips to heart you will do well. This is the start of your new life and your amazing journey that is solely yours. Embrace the journey and enjoy the ride. In the coming months you will learn things about yourself and you will be amazed at what you and your new body are capable of. I wish you the best of luck. If you every have any additional questions I will do what I can to help you out. You can contact me at any of the links below. Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

I know exactly what you mean. For the first few months I think I looked at the scale every day. It was nice because it was always going down. However, I do caution you to try to only check once a week. The problem is that checking every day became a habit for me and now that things are plateauing and fluctuating a little more this far out from surgery, it can be very discouraging. The foods will also work themselves out over time. One thing that helped me with things like chicken, was finely chopping it up about the size you spoke about and turning it into a chicken salad using a combo of low fat mayo and fat free sour cream. After a bit you could even add chopped up bits of veggies depending on your likes. If you get in the pool I would encourage you to start with simply Water walking. Find an area about the same depth, (preferably about belly button) and just start with a determined walk forward. When you get to the end instead of turning around, walk backwards. This will work a slightly different set of muscles and help with your balance quite a bit as you loose weight. If you have any other questions at all I am an open book. Feel free to contact me at any of the places below and I will do what I can to help you out. Best of luck buddy! This is the start of your new amazing life. You will find things you are capable of that your never dreamed and I am so excited for you! Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

The liquid diet prior to surgery is honestly the hardest part of the whole ordeal. If you can make it through that, you can do anything. I remember my wife saying I was a cranky mess for the whole week and biting everyone's heads off. It will pass and sooner than you think. Then it is on to enjoying the rest of your amazing life. I would honestly say if you are not seriously attached to anyone prior to surgery to avoid getting involved at this stage in the game. You need to take then next several months to focus on you and what you need to do to accomplish your goals. I know if you do, you will do amazing. Not having outside distractions makes adjusting to your new life a lot easier. Once you feel comfortable with how you are handling everything a few months out and your weight loss is well under way, then for sure start dating. One thing interesting that you may find is that when you get further out from surgery and a lot more active, what you are looking for in a significant other may change drastically. (Such as activity level, interests, etc.) If you are a lot more active you might not like a sit at home and relax kind of person you may find attractive now as an example. I wish all the best with your surgery. I know you'll do amazing. Congratulations on this step and welcome to the beginning of the rest of your amazing life. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to get in touch with me. I included links to get a hold of me below. If there is anything I can do to be of help or encouragement, just let me know. Jonathan @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue

Here is a video chronicling my journey so far. It is a little long, but it tells the story and my feeling heading into surgery well. I urge all of you reading to check it out and provide feedback. I want this to be the best it can be so it can be a help and motivation to others trying to change their lives. (I know there are a few grammatical errors in the video that I am working on correcting) https://www.youtube....h?v=rkW6KmJRgHc To learn more about my journey, find motivation, and experience life together, follow me on Facebook and Twitter below. This is truly and amazing journey and I am always open to help anyone as they work through this life changing experience! @Fat2FitBlue Blog: http://wakingupfromh...s.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook...ealjonathanblue Best of Luck, Jonathan