Dub

There were a number of reasons why I was NOT going to try to hide the details of my surgery. First.....the final straw for me in deciding to have the surgery was when I inured my back in April 2016. I missed 6 weeks of work....and was miserable when I returned. It was no fun at all. Having the surgery was a countermeasure to help my back heal and hopefully avoid such pains in the future. I wanted my employer to understand the action I was taking. I had my sleeve + abdominal hernia repair and returned to work in 3 weeks. I anticipated losing 200+ pounds and telling folks that I was simply watching what I ate and exercising seemed like a disingenuous way of handling it. The questions and probing have all but ground to a halt. I simply hear, "Good job" and "Way to go, man" now. No real questions. I've been open and honest about my experiences with folks.......especially the ones who are considering the surgery themselves or have family members who are. I suppose it all depends on your BMI and other details. I started at a BMI of almost 60 and plan to reside in the high 20's by year's end. Sorta hard to hide this. It may be very different for folks with a smaller gap to cover. YMMV. Regardless.....I remain very grateful and pleased that I took the leap and hope you have the results you wish for, too.

It was a big nonevent for me. Zero hassles and easy recovery. I'd do it again in a second. See you on the Loser's bench later today. You'll do great.

I had less than stellar backing from my insurance company and was in a rush to lose a pile of weight due to a back injury that had me shut down. I wound up self funding the sleeve surgery and was able to really speed up the process leading up to surgery. The surgery was a breeze and I have zero complaints. I also had an abdominal hernia repaired during the sleeve operation. The hernia took a few weeks to heal enough for me to return to work and even longer to return to the gym. Had I simply had the sleeve surgery only......I would have been back walking a couple miles of day by the end of the first week. Exercise gets my metabolism elevated and helps in every way. Close to 4 months post op and the weight loss has been steady 85 lbs since surgery on top of 55 lost prior to surgery. Feeling much better and have a high level of confidence that I'll reach my goals and live there. My only regret was not doing this much sooner.

Different plans cover different amounts. You'll have to contact your provider to get the specifics. I can absolutely say that having this surgery in October 2015 has helped my knee problems and reduced my stress level in so many ways.

Make sure to keep your blood pressure monitored, too. I found in those early weeks mine was running low for the first time in my adult life. Weight loss plus my normal daily meds. The meds were adjusted....cut in half. I felt almost immediately better. Easy to get dehydrated, too. Always have a bottle of Water within reach !!!!

It certainly happens to most, if not all of us. I know it sure did for me, too. I go through week-long stretches where the scale doesn't move.....or worse, it moves upward a couple pounds. I can't explain it, either. I'm a fairly early riser even on my days off. I weigh almost daily when I'm up and after I've taken a whiz. What I've done to mitigate these stalls is to ensure I'm tracking my food intake on my fitness pal or fitbit. Track everything for a week or so and look for areas where you may be getting in calories at levels you didn't realize. A recent example with me was with cheeses and nuts. We'd had house guests over a long weekend and there were many types of Snacks and grazing foods laying around. I didn't have any chips or anything but I did enjoy the cheeses and nuts......and long after the visit was over with. Stuff is very calorie dense and there really is no need for me to snack at this point. I still have them on occasion, like during the Super Bowl yesterday.....now, I simply count them as meals and measure the portions. There have been countless "stall" periods for me. I simply stay strict to my plan and try to amp up the daily walking. I've yet to hit 70K steps in a week......but I have recently exceeded 60K. It can be tough on work days.....long shifts and all. Hang in there and know that even if the scale doesn't move a bit, and you are staying on plan.......there are positive changes taking place in your body. You may even notice clothes fitting loose yet the scale is stuck. It happens to me all the time. Be your own best advocate.......coach yourself......push yourself......but encourage yourself.

Well......I really wish I had some before pics. I don't. I am experiencing some thinning at an accelerated rate. Time between hair cuts is prolonged for certain. I'm 47 years old. My father was totally grey by his late twenties and so was his father. Mom's dad was bald by his late 40's. I should be happy to be where I'm at, I suppose. LOL. These pics were taken when I was around 125 lbs down....3 weeks ago. I started taking product from GNC, Men's Ultra-Nourish Hair around the time the pics were taken. Verdict is out on the effectiveness of it. I'm hoping to get to my goal weight and not go bald or have gal bladder issues in the process. Staying hydrated and getting my Protein & Vitamins is all I can really do.....just hanging on for the ride.

I stuck with Protein shakes through the first 4 weeks. I then transitioned to light flaky fish and chicken. One of the absolute staples in my diet are the little foil pouches of flavored tuna. They have been outstanding work lunches.

Every flavor of Chike Nutrition's Protein powder has been great to me. I mix it with Water and ice. All good stuff. The only Protein Powder I've run across that I didn't like was unjury strawberry. It was horrid and I threw the can away after trying to choke down the first few ounces of it. That being said, other folks here rave about it. Just goes to show how tricky and varied our tastes can be. Post-op I feel that I could really enjoy the more bland flavors best. Sipping things slowly really gives you time to register the flavors. The stuff that is overly sweetened or overly anything really stands out more post op. Bariatric Advantage has some bland powders that worked well for me, too.

I've had 7 surgeries that required anesthesia. It's no biggie. I was a little more apprehensive about this last sleeve surgery + umbilical hernia repair due to a back injury that was hurting pretty bad. Fears of pain and laying in awkward positions post-op. Turns out it was not bad at all. My surgeon had ordered a Valium for me to take upon arrival. I was chilled out and relaxed throughout the hours leading up to surgery. Perhaps you can have such a conversation with your surgeon. The meds they used on the surgery were out of my system very nicely as I woke up in the recovery room. I was fairly clearheaded and awake when I made it to my room. I could hear the doctor telling my wife that my sleeve went in textbook style and I did great. Overhearing that was very reassuring. You are going to do great and it will simply be like taking a nice nap.

It can be confusing and it's something that I wish the NUT's would expand upon in the seminars. One reason I think they don't is because of the different types of surgeries the audience may be having. Bypass vs sleeve. I remember going through a weird period at the 3-7 week post op where I was not feeling great about things. I was not really happy with the current menu redundancy and limited flavors or textures. What I grew to understand is that was just a temporary state. I now can safely have whatever I want to eat. The key is to eat in accordance with my goals, which right now is weight loss......so for me, sugar, Pasta, bread, pizza, starches and non-Fiber carbs are carved out of my daily eating. chicken, fish, steak and Vitamin supplementation are the rule of each day. It's a breeze and I no longer have desires to each the stuff that doesn't support my goals. My body feels like it's firing on all cylinders and really getting tuned up. You'll find what works for you.....stuff you can tolerate and still stay in weight loss.......stuff you can't. You'll have to determine how to best apply your learning toward a daily plan. There are no absolutes, simply the new ways and new healthy habits. I wish you the best and look forward to seeing you get the results you are after.

Lost 55 prior to surgery. Am almost at the 4 month mark now and have lost 85 more since surgery date.

I don't get enough sleep and it tells on my back. Last night, for instance......last huge glass of Water during the SB halftime....allowing plenty of time for it to pass through my system. In bed and asleep right around 11:00am. Up at 2:00am.....dozed restlessly until 3:30am and couldn't stand it anymore. Up and having coffee now. Nervous about developing issues at work this week. Once this is resolved I'll probably sleep great next weekend and beyond.

Awesome story !!! Saleslady: "Yes, that's right, you're too small for this store" LMAO. Great stuff right there. Well done on the jacket, too. I had a moment like that Friday night. Finally was cold enough to need a jacket and was going out for an evening out. Didn't really want to wear my everyday coat and reached for a leather coat that I'd planned on wearing for Winter of next year. Yeah....it fit and zipped and everything. Crazy. Wore it with pride. NSV's are great. Also hit a new low weight the next morning. ​Keep on killing it. I know you are working really hard in the gym and the energy has to be feeling great.

Sort of a downplayed Super Bowl for me this year. Brought some job paperwork home and got done this afternoon......very early start to the workweek in the morning. Grilled some brats, wings and chicken breasts & chicken dip last night so just having leftovers tonight. A couple wing drummettes and some dip & celery and I was done. The tribe is feasting on the stuff and some frozen appetizers that they cooked. Ordinarily I'd be pulling for the Panthers in this game.....but I want to see Manning go out with this win and retire. Huge respect for him.

When I road tripped for a week a couple months back, I took a an ample supply of Quest bars, low sodium beef jerky and premixed Premier Protein vanilla & chocolate shakes. I was in my own vehicle an tossed my cooler in the back seat and filled the remaining cooler space with bottled Water. Everything went fine.

I can't really advise others on whether or not to go for it.....but can only say that I'm very glad I did.

Went out last night and finally had some cold enough weather to warrant wearing a jacket. The jacket I wore was one that I was hoping to be able to wear by next year's Winter.........but I can fit into it just fine now. Very pleased with this development.

I wan't really able to prior due to back injury. There is absolutely zero doubt in my mind that it would help me to have been able to, though. My last abdominal hernia repair was 4 years ago. The day before the surgery I did a total body workout and hit every major muscle group. I guess you could say I sort of peaked in that workout. It came after 8 months of hard training. It was a super intense and fast paced workout that spanned some 2 hours. Muscle soreness was setting in the next morning as I went in for my surgery. The recovery was tremendously easier than the same surgery a few years before....done when I wasn't really doing any type of formal exercise. Unfortunately, it appears that I'll have to have yet another hernia repair in the future as the last isn't holding. Surgeon wants to monitor it and me to put it off until I'm cruising around at goal weight for a while. I'll exercise hard right up until that surgery, too.

8-9 weeks was when I started feeling really charged up and getting my energy back. It took the related abdominal hernia repair that long to heal to the point where movement wasn't a pain. Went back to work at 3 weeks and was sorta out of it.

My son begged me to take him to a Breakfast buffet not too long ago. We went and had some eggs & a grilled pork chop. Didn't finish either, but such is the case these days and I'm perfectly fine with that. I sat there and watched little guy eat like he'd been starved for a week. It is unreal how much food he puts away when he's onto something he likes. It his funny to me as he has a BMI of 19. What wasn't funny was as I looked around at the patrons seated near us.....I quickly noticed how overweight we all were. My son was the only person in our section that was even remotely close to being "normal" weight. I'm talking 40-50 people here......and everyone was large. I don't normally people watch.....but sitting in restaurants finds me filled with idle time. After a while I was over that place and ready to scramble out of there. Seeing folks return to the food lines over and over was almost making me ill. It was a stark reminder to what life used to be like for me. Now....I'm part of the stick & move crowd and so grateful for it. A small tasty meal and I'm done. I'd honestly rather order coffee and Water when I go to restaurants and simply sit and drink while others enjoy their meals. I"m perfectly content in doing this. I do find myself sitting at the bars much more often when I go out to eat. I don't necessarily have drinks, but it's just much more interactive than being trapped at a table and waiting for others to eat for an hour or two. Chatting with the bartenders and other folks.....sports on televisions, etc. Much more enjoyable for me if those I'm going with don't mind. Going on a cruise in a couple months and will be laughing inside at all the grazing that goes on. Ironically the last cruise I went on found me dead in the middle of Atkins diet. Drank like a fish in the comedy club & casino every night.....layed around the pool and hot tub all day.....ate some killer food but still lost 5 pounds on that 7-day cruise. The secret was getting up early every morning and killing it in the gym......every single morning. Seeing the sunrise across the ocean from the ocean while walking the upper deck walking trail was a great start. Thanks. You are really doing great. Seems like it was just last week you had your surgery and now look at your progress ticker. Doing great. Fried & greasy stuff is not good on me either.

Mmmmmmm....I love dead animal flesh. I eat high protein, high fat, real foods. Nuts, cheese, veggies, meat, eggs, seafood. Most fruit disagrees with me as do rice and potatoes. Carbs are pretty limited to Beans and an occasional dessert. But dead animal flesh is my favorite. If it's red meat, rare... Oh! Edit to add. Almost three years out and healthy as a horse. I'm pulling up a chair to your table. chicken, fish, steak & etc for me as well.

I haven't yet read the other replies to your questions.....I probably should have done that before responding. I was 478 last June 2015. I was 422 in October 2015 when I had my sleeve. This morning I was 337. Could I have delayed my time of having the surgery and lost more on my own before ? Sure could. Do I wish I had? Heck no. My only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner. My goal was to lose weight as quickly and safely as possible. The sleeve supports this goal in a powerful way. Delaying it is pointless. Those percentages are simply numbers applied to a wide range of folks with a wide range of circumstances. You can blow those numbers away......look around here and you see folks doing it all the time. Strictly adhere to your plan and you will kill it.

Dub, how did you do it? I'm wrestling with this issue now, and it's really throwing off my motivation. I would love to learn how to shift my own perspective. It was a natural order of things for me, I suppose. The real struggle was finally getting my head wrapped around simply having the wls. Tossed the idea around for a few years. Even that was a simple & easy decision once I injured my back. Knowing that it'd not likely heal at the weight I was....and if I proceeded with surgery....it wouldn't be much fun trying to recover at the weight I was. Was consulting with another surgeon over another matter at the time. Both the spine guy and the other surgeon said the same thing......if you have wls you will not need our services.......SOLD ! Now that the weight is coming off I can see where there may be a need for further plastic surgery to deal with a couple areas. No biggie. I'll get 'r done and go from there. It'll be like slamming the door on my heavy past and enjoying what comes next. Fun times.