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I focused my efforts on walking, walking, walking initially. Like you I could not get up a simple flight of stairs without feeling like my lungs would literally explode. I purchased a treadmill and a recumbent elliptical bike. I started slow and ramped up to more time and more resistance every day. I got to the point where I was actually able to run. Pushing myself a little everyday. Take it slowly and if you feel pain back off a little and then try again. In June I ended up having some surgery on my cervical spine. That was the end of my cardio workouts. In November I had more back surgery and in February I had a shoulder surgery. During this time I had to focus 100% of my plan on diet. I did get to goal but I lost so much muscle mass that it is scary and I am in pain every day. I am working with physical therapist now to build my strength back. I cannot wait to get back on my elliptical and treadmill and get my groove back. Best of luck to you! You can do this!

For me it has actually been more expensive. Eating good quality fresh foods vs. all that processed crap is definitely more expensive. My grocery shopping bill has gone up, not down. Now with medications it has been a wash. New Vitamins replace the prescriptions.

I hope all goes well today and you are on the road to recovery!

@@VDB, @@KindaFamiliar It is very nice to have a guys perspective that isn't my hubby because he of course will always tell me I look nice. Unless of course I look hideous in something, then he will tell me, which I do appreciate! Anyway, thank you for sharing your opinion, it definitely gives me more confidence.

I am 100% with @@BarrySue on this! I refuse to watch that show for every reason she articulated. My biggest fear is gaining my weight back. I choose to believe that I am way better educated about real nutrition and because of this I make better choices. I know that regain is 100% my responsibility and with the help of my new smaller stomach I can better control portions, the rest of the battle is all about choices. I do not want to be one of those bypass patients that claim this surgery doesn't work and I know that it does but I have to put in the effort. The folks on the biggest loser simply don't learn that they have to make good choices everyday, they actually lean that they can simply stop eating and work out 6 hours a day. What they don't know is that the older you get, the harder it becomes to lose even a few pounds. I know this because it happened to me. I was a rock star at losing weight. I would lose 80 lbs go back to old behaviors gain that weight back and then some believing that I could simply diet and lose it all again. I can remember when I went on Atkins, it was so easy to lose that 60lbs and I was never hungry. I would think, I will just do that again. When I tried, I would lose 5 or 10 lbs and then gain it plus another 10. Then I turned 45 and couldn't even lose 10lbs. I wish the best for the young lady that gained her weight back. I totally feel for her.

Honestly if there is something I want or crave I will usually have a few bites and I am satisfied. For me, there have been a few days in the last 20 months in which I felt like maybe I was over indulging and I called it a slip. So far, my strategy has been to immediately get back to the basics. About a month ago, we had traveled and during that time I made some food choices that were not the best. I gained 2lbs over a period of 3 days. I got back home and immediately went back to my safe place where I make good choices and control myself. Within 5 days I lost those 2lbs and lost another 2 on top of it. So for me the rule of thumb is, if I slip I immediately go back to the plan.

@@NewAngela Fairlife is a very good option and by the way it is lactose free.

@@nursey10465 I am 19 months post op and still have to drink 1 30 gram Protein shake per day. I have good restriction and have a hard time getting enough dense protein at my meals. I am allergic to legumes and my pouch does not tolerate eggs which I am still sad about. You do what you have to in order to stay healthy.

@@Sajijoma I would definitely challenge your nut. You are likely in starvation mode. I went through the same thing at 7 months out. I was at 800 calories, 70 grams of Protein. I was doing an hour of cardio everyday. I stalled for 28 days, I was beyond frustrated. Both my trainer and nut told me to eat more and exercise less. They took me from an hour down to 30 minutes and had me add healthy Snacks. I was required to get at least 1000 calories but could go as high as 1200. I rarely got to 1200 but consistently got to 1000 by adding high protein and good carbs like fruit. I added a half cup cottage cheese with some fresh strawberries or peaches. It did the trick. After a 28 day stall I knew something was not right. I began loosing at a nice pace. About 2lbs per week. That was the longest stall I ever had.

Wowser! You look fantastic. You were beautiful before and now you look stunning and healthy! Congratulations!

@@yami17leth I am so sorry you are having struggles with hubby. My husband is extremely supportive so I know that I am lucky. Given that, he still eats like crap and brings junk food into my house. I feel like I cannot ask him to change because I chose to have surgery. I had hoped that seeing my success will get him to the same place over time, The reason I tell you this is because I had to decide whether or not I could change my behaviors regardless of what crap food is in my house. I decided I wanted to get healthy and so I literally convinced myself that I could do it and I have. Now, there is one place where I have literally put my foot down and that is I do not ever eat crappy fast food so if he wants it, he has to go get it himself and if we go out to eat it will never be at a place like mcDonalds. He understands and allows me to pick the restaurant. It has worked for me. In the very beginning (first 8 months post op), I stuck to the plan 100%. I never strayed for fear of dumping. Now, on occasion I can and do have chicken noodle soup! LOL......or something along those lines.. The important thing is that I am in control of what I choose to eat, not him. He respects what I have done and is very proud of me because I make decent choices 98% of the time and that is half the battle. In terms of fighting cravings, that will be there always. Sometimes you will give in to it but the majority of the time, stick to the plan especially this early post surgery. Best of luck to you!

@@RNY-Gal Thanks so much for sharing your story. You are doing fantastic! I had a very difficult time losing anything pre op. Keep us posted on your progress. I am excited for you to experience life after weight loss surgery. Life is so fun now as a normal weight! You get to experience so much more of it!

@@beachgal2935 Wow! Stunning! Congratulations!

@@nursey10465 I think you just figured out your issue. Water and Protein is essential to losing and staying healthy. I learned this very early on as well. As soon as I was able to get a minimum of 48 oz. of water, I noticed my weight started dropping rapidly. The same is true of protein, your body needs it badly. I learned in the beginning to literally hold that water cup in my hand and sip until it was gone. I start in the am even now with 2 16 oz bottles of water. I get my 48 before lunch every day. The cup is in my hand and I would sip about Avery 15 seconds or so until it simply became a habit. The same thing with my Protein shake. I literally hold it in my hand and sip on it until gone. For some reason when I set that cup down, I forget about it. Your body is likely in starvation mode. You need to get a handle on this and when you do, you will see a significant change. I promise!

drinks can be a little tricky post op. The biggest thing is to stay away from any caloric drinks. You want your nutrition to come from good food and you only have so much room in the budget. I will say that figuring out what works best for you can be tricky. I only drink room temp Water and hot tea. The reason for the room temp thing is because anything icy cold actually causes my pouch to seize. I know, that sounds horrible but it's simply uncomfortable. This is really at its worst in the am, I could probably tolerate icy cold later in the day but I simply have learned over 19 months to drink my water that way. I am highly sensitive to any artificial sweeteners, they cause severe migraines so that is why I stick to water. Hot tea is also very soothing. Occasionally I will have my chocolate chai tea with hot milk as a treat but that adds carbs so I budget for it. There is 0 sugar in it but the milk adds carbs. I promise you will figure out what works for you and you will be fine with it.

The right carbs are an important part of your diet. Without them your body and brain simply doesn't function well. Good carbs come from fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese...... It is difficult to find prepackaged foods that don't have hidden bad carbs in them. Especially Soups. Soups and stews are some of the best foods early on. I began making homemade soups minus the potatoes, Pasta and rice right away. At about 6 months out I began adding some whole grains like barley to my soups in small amounts. I have learned to make large batches of food and freeze them in me sized portions. Now that I am at goal and trying to maintain I am ok to add a little whole grain bread, brown rice and even a small amount of high Protein pasta. This week I had a craving for my famous home made lasagna but I wanted to tone it way down from the many layers of lasagna noodles and I really wanted the real thing. I decided to make mini lasagna in a cupcake tin so that I could freeze all the other portions. Instead of using lasagne noodles I used 2 wonton wrappers for my pasta. Because wonton wrappers are so thin, it allowed me to fill up the cup with more of my meaty sauce and delicious ricotta/Parmesan mixture. I got two layers and topped it with a small sprinkle of shredded mozerella. Let me tell you, they were absolutely delicious! 1 lasagna cupcake and a tiny side salad. Now I have a bunch in my freezer that I can simply bake off when I want them. My husband was bummed because he loved my lasagna before. Then I made him two for lunch the other day and he told me it tasted the same as the real thing and he liked the fact that the pasta got crispy on the edges. Re-engineering recipes is so much fun now! It's best to try to stay away from prepackaged processed foods which then allows you to add good carbs through veggies and fruit. And when you get to the point where you are close to goal adding in whole grains for a meal here and there is controlled by you.

@@Pinkgirl1234 You are doing fantastic! It took me 18 months to lose 147lbs. There were some months in the very beginning where I lost about 20 but there were many many months where I lost less than 10 lbs. in fact I had a couple of months where I lost less than 5. I did not have a revision went straight for bypass. I think the great thing about losing it a bit slower is that you really are forced to be very diligent about your diet which builds very good longer term habits. At least that is what I have told myself. My husband and children point how my choice of food has changed for the better. My youngest son who is very fit has even learned some great habits from me. He worked hard at staying fit before but has learned better nutrition from me. Who would have thought I could teach good nutrition? I was 310lbs and malnourished! I think the slower you lose, the more you are forced to focus on your behaviors. Now I am just hoping to learn to maintain. I have not figured out my sweet spot yet. Best of luck to you but you really are doing fantastic!

I used to literally hate hate hate shopping. Now I actually think I could become addicted if only I had the budget to support that addiction. I could spend all day, every day simply trying on and buying new clothing. It is my favorite thing to do, Who knew this would happen and I am just getting started! I cannot imagine being post goal weight for 2 years!! I have a hard time purging items that I love and fit me great. This is Lind of funny but I had a gorgeous sleeveless designer top when I was 310lbs. I absolutely loved this top and didn't want to get rid of it. I even thought I could get it Tailored from a size 26 to a size 10/12. I finally gave in two weeks ago and put it in the goodwill pile. I was sad but hubby promised if I got rid of it, he would let me go shopping. That top made it off the hanger and into the goodwill pile in less than a second. He laughed at me! I ended up buying 2 new complete outfits - Calvin Klein and Ann Klein. I love how their stuff fits me.

Depending on the surgery you had, it is likely not real hunger. In both the sleeve and bypass they cut the portion of the stomach that holds the hunger hormone. Many times dehydration feels exactly like hunger. The first question I would ask is are you getting a minimum of 48 oz. of Water? If you are then the 2nd thing it could be is reflux which is very common with the sleeve, not so common with bypass. If you had either of these surgeries you are not feeling hungry this soon. Now, I will say that your head is half the battle. Head hunger can happen almost right away and I do remember being frustrated because I so badly wanted to chew something. That will continue until you get to soft foods. If you have head hunger the best thing to do is do something to take your mind off of it. I crochet or read or take a shower. Incidentally if you have had bypass Everytime you eat or drink something your stomach will make loud obnoxious noises and so far that has not gone away. I am nearly 20 months post op......I call her the grouch pouch and she is gurgling right now! LOL!

Welcome Mike! Glad you joined us!

Why the heck do my pictures turn sideways? Anyone know how to fix it?

LOL! Isn't it wonderful? Who knew!

I don't think drinking too much water at least what you described would be a problem. If you are worried give your doctor a shout. The best thing you can do for yourself is be very well hydrated. Most people struggle with this at least the first week but some don't.

@@Tommy Joe I am glad to hear you have chosen to move forward! I have had many people share their friends stories of failure after weight loss surgery. I worked with people who had it done and gained their weight back. I have also met many many people who have chosen to have WLS and it changed theirs lives for the better. The reality is, the surgery provides the tool. You are in charge of what you put into the tool. I honestly never in a million years thought I could lose 147lbs! I, like you lost the same 70 or 80lbs over and over always gaining it all back until I got to a point where my metabolism no long functioned properly and I couldn't lose anything. My fight was never ever about portions. I never ate a lot to begin with but I did eat all the wrong things! I was 310lbs and malnourished! I decided I was going to make a difference. I started immediately changing behaviors. By the time I had my surgery I was set up for success. I absolutely love good food. Not junk......good homemade quality Proteins and vegetables. Because I eat so little I work hard to make sure what I do consume is both delicious and healthy. I am now at a healthy 163lbs. All of my comorbitities are gone! Having bypass was the best thing I have ever done for myself. If I had any regrets it was listening to all the horror stories that made me afraid to fail again. If you want to feel better, then it is time to take control. You absolutely can do this!

Isn't it grand to see yourself after such a great loss! Congratulations!