SuperDave

Keep it up! The longer you resist the urge the easier it becomes. You have got this! It will be worth it all in the long run!

March is a long way off. You will probably have better luck finding people as the time gets closer. Many people only schedule surgery 2-4 weeks out. Best of luck with your weight loss!

My first stall was 2 weeks. Just do what you are supposed to do and it will pass. No worries! It is not the end of the world!

I used a baby spoon my first month post op. Now I have graduated to a small but almost normal sized spoon. Baby steps!

You don't have to tell them you had weight loss surgery. It is none of their business. Or you could point out that in fact this is an extreme measure, and you were willing to do whatever it takes to reach your goal. Anyone in business should know that one person is not as effective as a well organized team with a plan. You, your surgeon, nutritionist and support group make up that team. Mostly though, I wouldn't worry about it all too much. In my real life experience, people are shocked at first when you make a big change, but they quickly adapt to the new you and forget about the past. I would hope that upper management at a large company has better things to worry about than one of their peers losing some weight.

It is most likely because I have developed thick skin from being fat all my life, but I really do not care what people say to me. I don't get easily offended. I don't go on the defense. If anything I'll make a joke and move on. My favorite line right now is, "it sucks that a person can lose 180 pounds and still be this fat!" I have found that in most cases people are not trying to offend, so why take offense? I have enough important stuff in my life to worry about without adding peoples comments in to the mix. Just my humble opinion.

Awesome! Keep up the great work!

I just bought 2 cases yesterday! Bad timing on my part.

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!

They sell these in giant bags at costco as well. My wife's favorite snack!

Just to be completely honest here, I was surprised at my post-op pain level. For some reason I went in to surgery thinking it wouldn't hurt. But on the bright side, it only took a couple of days before I felt much better, and I barely remember it now. So my advise is to hang in there! Everything gets better and easier really quickly, and it has all been very worth it at this point! Best of luck on your surgery!

+1 on MoM! It works like a charm! I have learned to take a half dose, otherwise it works too well!

My guess would be that the date from the insurance company is an estimate. However, now that you are approved it shouldn't take long. I had surgery 3 weeks from the day I got my approval. I could have done it faster, but I was on vacation and didn't want to start my pre-op liquid diet yet!

I should add, it takes most people a while to hit their Protein and liquids goals after surgery. There is nothing unusual about that. Don't think "I didn't have 60 grams of protein today." Instead think "I had 5 more grams of protein today than I did yesterday!" You will get there!

For me, walking for 20 minutes after eating relieves a LOT of gas. Also the slower I eat and the smaller the bites I take, the less gas I seem to have. Break your 3-4 bites into even smaller bits. Make it 10-12. Use a baby spoon! It does get better, but the gas thing is just going to be a fact of life for a while after surgery. Most important is to not get discouraged. You are in control of this journey. Focus on Protein, liquid and walking, (or whatever exercise you choose.) Don't focus on the scale. Do what you know you have to do and the results that you want will happen! It will all be worth it in the long run!

Of course losing 10 pounds by the end of January is possible. Probably not easy, but definitely possible. You didn't say much about your current eating habits, but you could definitely bump up the exercise. You can do this. The holiday eating is over. Get rid of the treats that are still in the house, recommit yourself and go for a walk. You have got this!

@@scstxrn - Thanks for the explanation! I feel slightly smarter than I did mere minutes ago. It's going to be a good day!

This will be the menu for today, if I ever actually get out of bed: Breakfast: Spinach and cheese omelet. As a side note, it is really hard to make a one egg omelet, but it can be done! And, it is adorably tiny when finished! lunch and dinner: Grilled chicken and broccoli, just because it is already cooked and portioned and will just need to be popped in the microwave. Which reminds me, it is amazing how fast 2-3 ounces of food heats up in the microwave compared to what I used to eat. Snacks: Protein shakes and a few nuts. One last observation, I never liked cashews before surgery, now I think they are my favorite nut. Is that weird?

Somehow that turned into a very disturbing image in my mind! LOL!

@@scstxrn - I have zero idea what NSV means, but I love what you posted! Excellent work! Keep it up!

Yes, there is abuse of WLS. There is abuse of EVERYTHING! I think I can safely state that most of us here abused a buffet at some point in our life. However, that was our choice. I'm sure most of us did not want to be questioned about our decisions either. I would even go as far as saying that having weight loss surgery to lose "only" 50 pounds is a much better choice than having another piece of fried chicken. Dammit, now I want some fried chicken!

I would agree that you cannot judge without knowing the whole story. I lost 150 pounds on my own before surgery. Many thought I should stop there and be happy with what I had done. The surgery was to help me finish strong and keep the weight off. What a person and their health care providers decide is right for them is really between them and is nobody elses business.

Well...that is a picture I want to see!

Looking great! Keep it up!

I would guess the lean cuisine for lunch is probably causing a lot of your digestive issues. At 26 days post op I was just finishing up eating only pureed Protein foods and protein shakes, and starting on 2 ounces of soft protein (chicken or fish mostly) and a half ounce of cooked veggies per meal. Actually that is what I'm still eating, except I'm up to an ounce of veggies. You should really concentrate on protein and liquids. There are ways to get your protein in besides pre-made shakes.