Dub

My surgeon and I had a wild time on scheduling my surgery. He was traveling and could either do mine sooner.....or postpone for a month. I was very fortunate that he moved it up for me. The result, however, was an early 1st post-op appointment (6 days) and a delayed 2nd (4 weeks). I stayed on the liquid diet until after the 4th week's appointment, thus I skipped the pureed portion. I'm grateful for it because I wasn't tempted to mess with some of the junk that I see some folks include during pureed stage. My stomach was able to heal for a bit longer and all went well. Zero complaints.

It's gut-check time. You are just getting your dose early on. You will forever be surrounded by temptation and various paths to failure. You are just getting a plethora of them brought to the forefront right now. Too bad he has to be your s.o. for doing so. Doom on him. Remind him of it next time he wants to get busy. Hit 'em where it hurts.

Similar experiences as @@Inner Surfer Girl mentions. My bariatric program provided a list of the exact recommendations. I've since gone off the reservation and been dabbling at GNC and finding better deals and more specific products.

@@Bluesky1 Any words I could offer here would be insufficient. Prayers are sent. I am so sorry.

Wear the black & white one and rock it. Looks great on you.

Any dude who slows down his truck....rolls down his window......and yells out at you is an imbecile and possesses no game whatsoever. You saw him at his finest moment right there @@stacyrg1 Now.....if a guy is running along with you and compliments your effort without hounding you.....then you may have encountered a higher life form than the dipshyt in the truck.

It sucks during pre-op diet.....but this is simply a TEMPORARY situation. Gut check time. Don't cheat yourself. Stay strict. There is a safety reason for this diet. YOUR safety. Don't cheat yourself. Yes....you will be on the liquids for a short period after the surgery as your new stomach heals. You will then transition to other foods and soon be able to eat whatever you wish. It's up to you to chose wisely and select foods that will support your weight loss goals. I skipped the pureed stage because I felt it was a pitfall. There simply wasn't anything I wanted to eat in that state.....I stuck with the shakes an additional time period and then transitioned to soft fish, grilled chicken and etc. Enjoy the weight loss you'll see if stick with the pre-op correctly. Space out your allowed shakes so there aren't periods of hunger. Stay highly hydrated. Stay active. Stay outa the kitchen......let others fend for themselves. Stay focused on the countdown and being strict. If you absolutely have to cheat then do so with an additional shake only....don't open the door to temptation with other junk. It gets much, much easier after the surgery. I assure you.

Excellent advice from BigTink2LilTink !!! I'm a bit taller than you and was heavier at the beginning of my bariatric process. You are doing well to lose all that you can prior to surgery, too. Great job, man. Great job. You sound like I did....just want the weight to be gone and not caring if it's pre-post op loss....just getting it off. 100 additional pounds off after date of surgery is a stretch goal, at best.....but one that could be achieved if you were strict....really strict and disciplined in all aspects of your life. My advice is to start the gym now....don't wait. Get in there now. Start some weight training pre-op....will help you heal up faster and you can go in for cardio very soon after your surgery. Take care not to injure yourself.....careful observance to proper lifting form is crucial. I suggest machines as they have a built in range of motion. Use a weight that allows you to get 10-12 reps and do 4 sets of each exercise. Stretch carefully before and after.....stay hydrated. Wipe down your gear when your are done with it and don't camp out on it. Stick and move. In 30-45 mins you should be done. Get plenty of rest and stay strict with your pre-op diet. 100lbs the first 3 months is a big goal, but you can do it with motivated discipline. I wish you the best and hope you crush the goal and get where you want to get. I wish I had done this a long damn time ago.

We got your back @@CowgirlJane Heal up and have fun. Don't worry about the whiners.

LMAO at post #10 Too dang funny !!!!

@@christinems4280 Thank you so much for posting your experiences and concerns. I find that it's damn hard to get the loss we seek and hit our Protein goals.......without supplementation of protein powders. To eat that much ends with more additional calories than I really want. Great advice and strategy has been forthcoming in your thread. Good stuff.

A whole lot of awesomeness in this thread. Amazing results. Truly amazing.

Success.......was making the decision that I could use the help the sleeve surgery would provide. It took a lot to convince me that it was the correct path to take. Everything that's occurred since........ be it a big thing or small....are reinforcements that decision was one of the best I've made in my life. Parking in furthest spaces from store/work entrances.....when just a few months ago my orthopedic doctor completed the handicap parking documentation for me and urged me to obtain a permanent handicap sticker/license plate. I never followed through with it. Returning to the gym, even if it's just doing cardio at the moment. It's nice to be surrounded by folks bettering themselves and feeding off the energy in the place. Getting rid of unwanted weight....a long way to go....but not as far as I've come. This really was reinforced last week. I had a semi-formal event that I was planning on attending. I dress casually for work....and for leisure. Rarely do I wear a suit. Dug through the closet and tried on 6 different suits. Each of them looked ridiculously oversized. No way they could be altered enough to ever fit again. Even a couple of sport coats were clown sized. Laughed my arse off at the discovery. Attended anyway in khakis & a tie. Was a tad underdressed but had fun anyway. Looking forward to spending some "suit money" down the road when I get closer to goal. Looking forward to some other "size-check" moments, too. Plane seats.......amusement park rides.....etc........

Shrimp 'n sausage would hit the spot !

Sure wish i could watch the rest of the game.....and then the Panther's game later on. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!!! Duty calls and I'm just not feeling it tonight. Hoping another cup of java and a hot shower will be get me motivated.

A few minutes after becoming coherent in my hospital room. Sprung and ready. Couldn't be helped. My surgeon had 4 smoking hot med students with him during my pre-op appointments and throughout my surgery and first post op visit. They were all leaning in....hair down...surgical gear off....leaning in and speaking soothing voices as I woke up. I thought I'd died and was in greener pastures for a second.

Relaxing a bit this afternoon....sipping coffee and watching the Patriots-Broncos game......about to go get ready for a long night shift at work. Wife is doing son's laundry and found that I'd left a load of my stuff in the dryer and forgotten about it when it was done. She walks into the den where I'm chilling....holding up a graphic t-shirt...skulls and stuff all over it. "Hey,.....is this JP's shirt (our 16 year old XL shirt wearing teenager) or.......is it......your's ?" "It'd fit him, but I don't think he'd wear something this scary looking". "Mine.........shirt is mine" sez me. "Oh........okay". Walks off.....then comes back and looks at me again. "Really ?". "Yup. My shirt. Sorry, forgot to get my stuff outa there". "No....that's okay.....it just looks.....much different than what you normally wear", she says before leaving me to the game. I wanted to jump up and give her my best Leslie Chow pump & spray gesture and announce, "A whole otta stuff is different !!!"....but settled for a shoulder shrug and returned to the game. Little T-Rex better keep his paws off my new clothes, too.

Convenience, laziness, timing and poor habits were my downfall. I'll start with poor habits. No game plan.....no structure for meals, timing and lack of structure. I've worked shiftwork for decades and lived off fast food to & from work, cafeteria and vending machine junk while there. Horrible arrangement. I didn't monitor calories in vs calories out......had no clue where I generally was....just did as I pleased. No strive for balanced macros....just whatever tasted good. I did not weigh very often and had no plan for taking corrective action when the scale results said that clearly their should be. I worked hard and indulged hard in hobbies....golf, hunting & fishing with buddies. All three had bad aspects to them, too. Golfing at a beer-a-hole pace all day packs on the calories. Same with fishing. Days in the woods usually included a mid-day trip to a local country restaurant where we'd all eat horribly. So much was upside down with how I lived. I look back an see all this and simply laugh heartily. It feels good to have taken each of these and put solid plans down now to address each. I'm engraining the right way to live now.....it's becoming habit. It feels good and is getting the results I was hoping for. Now....being around my same buddies and family members.....I see in their actions all the wrong I was doing. It scares me to think that I was leading the pack in my excessive indulgement of everything. It was not my time to die, I suppose.....at 47 I was spared the heart attack or stroke that I certainly could have expected. So stupid. Now....I've sort of become more of a lone wolf.....working on my new habits and refining things. I"m still on great terms with my old pards....but "selfishly' having my "me-time". I reflect a lot. I consider where I was and where I want to be. I'm happy again. My first reaction to most things is laughter and finding the humor in situations. The stress and pressure of my job is at an all time high.....truly a pressure cooker. A number of my counterparts have left because of it.....yet I stay.....calm and ready for the challenges and know that I've always given my best....and now my best comes even easier. I'm not even 4 months past my sleeve surgery yet I feel 20 years younger but 20 years wiser at the same time. It's an interesting state of being and one that I am tremendously grateful for.

Same here ! That would be too tough for me......gotta have meat !!!!

Somewhere around the 8-9 week mark I started to enjoy grilled food again. Now, at 14 weeks everything tastes great....it's just that only have a desire for meats, cheeses, fibrous vegtables and some occasional nuts. I have zero desire for candy, sweets and carby stuff.

You've been well advised by the above posts. It will go away in a few weeks. When I hear my new stomach make noises now....I know it's talking to me....telling me to get my big arse in gear and go walk some laps and sip some Water.

13+ hour rotating night & day shifts here. Water is truly never a problem. I always have a Yeti cup full of ice water near me at home or in my vehicle.......at work I always have a water bottle in hand. Usually wear cargo pants at work and slip the empty bottle in a pocket until I get to a filtered source to refill it. Never let yourself get thirsty. It's a constant intake....or at least it is for me. Admittedly, I drink 2-3 cups of coffee on my night shfits and try to overcompenstate for it with more water intake.

South Florida.........you've incurred the envy of every state in the nation !!!!! Cross dem legs and enjoy it. Good stuff.

Bigtime sushi lover, here. 4 months post-sleeve and I've yet to try it post-op. Closest thing I've had are some wasabi almonds. Not very close, at all............ I'm just not wanting any rice. No desire. Now.....the raw salmon & shrimp would be killer.

Having to make it a Protein shake as I'm getting ready to go to work soon. Gotta love shiftwork. I will say this.....Laughing hard at the interplay between you and your boss and the actual size of his "stack". Great moment.........