blizair09

Focus all of your energy on being successful. Trust me, I've lost 225 pounds and not a damn soul has said one negative thing to me. How could they? I look fantastic, am in better health than they likely are, and am having my 20s in my 40s. Your success will be the ultimate conversation starter. If people are snarky or rude, let than drive you to work even harder. The feeling on the other side is worth it all! Hang in there!

Google three week stall. In my experience, stalls are very common. In fact, during my loss phase (I got to goal at 1 year and 4 days post-op), the periods of stall vastly outnumbered the periods of loss. It is just part of the process. Hang in there. Stick to you plan and make the right decisions and the weight will come off. Good luck!

My advice is to ask your surgeon. In my case, I abstained from alcohol for the entirety of my six month pre-op diet program and the first three months post-op. I brought it back with the okay from my surgeon (whose only advice was to "try" anything at home before I went public with it). I pretty much only have red wine, and only when I am traveling or having dinner out. And I monitor those calories very carefully. I haven't had one issue from it. I met my goal at 1 year and 4 days post-op, and have been maintaining at 10 pounds below goal for 5 months now. Do keep in mind that I am insanely particular about what I eat, so that factors into the situation. Wine is my one indulgence (if you can call it that)...

I am constantly having to pee and it has been that was since the surgery 17 months ago. You'd think I was an elderly guy at night. Lol. I drink a lot more water and water-based drinks (like tea) post-op since I gave up carbonation (specifically my beloved diet coke). That is what it is about.

To be honest, the mental battle of this journey is a lot more difficult than the physical battle. You have to change your relationship with food to make it positive and healthy. You don't need to worry about what you CAN eat after the surgery (specifically after the diet progression after the surgery), but instead you should worry about what you SHOULD eat after the surgery. I have a horrible carb addiction; therefore, I have minimized them (less than 25g per day) since six months BEFORE my surgery. I am 17 months post-op now, so I haven't had more than 20-25g of carbs on any one day in almost 2 years. Do I love bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar, etc.? Of course, I do. But I am choosing not to eat those things because weighing 170ish pounds at 6'0", and wearing small shirts and 31 waist pants is more important to me than any food and drink. And notice that I said that I HAVE a carb addiction, not that I HAD a carb addiction. I feel it is the same situation as an alcoholic has with booze. I will never be "cured" of it; I can just manage it. I say all of this to you to encourage you to get your head in the right place before the surgery as you still have a little bit of time. Immediately post-op, your body is trying to heal, and that is a full-time job in itself. If you don't prepare yourself for the mental battle and work on changing your relationship with food, you likely won't be successful long term. Wishing you the best!

Congratulations to both of you! I know your support of one another really helped you both along in your journeys. Keep up the great work!

I'm 17 months post-op, and a typical meal for me is 3 oz of dense protein (chicken, pork, beef, or salmon) and 1.5 oz of green vegetables. I do this about every 2 hours. By the end of the day, I'm usually at about 150g of protein.

i"m 17 months post-op. To be honest, I have made it a policy to never eat until I am "full." I have always eaten specific amounts to meet specific calorie and macro quantities. Even at this point, a typical meal for me is 3 oz of dense protein (chicken, beef, pork, salmon, etc.) and 1.5 oz of green vegetables. I repeat every 2 hours. (Save for breakfast where I have 1 jumbo egg scrambled with 2 oz of chicken breast and 1 piece of bacon).

I'm 17 months post-op. I lost over 100% of my excess weight, got to my goal at 1 year and 4 days post-op, and have been maintaining almost 10 pounds below goal for over 5 months now. If you eat and drink how you are supposed to eat and drink, you won't regain. I know that a sedentary person at my size (6'0" 173 pounds) needs around 2100 calories per day to maintain his weight; therefore, I keep my calories around 2000 each day. I follow a keto way of eating, so I keep my carbs below 25g per day and my protein around 150g per day. I don't consume sugar, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. I had to make food fuel in my life and I changed my relationship with food to embrace an eat to live philosophy. I had to do that after having a destructive relationship with food for 40 years. I understand that neither the keto thing nor the eat to live philosophy is for everyone, but the fact remains that if you eat within the proper parameters, you shouldn't regain weight. Frankly having an active, healthy social life beats the hell out of any food and drink any day. I am living my 20s in my 40s and having the time of my life!!

I am 17 months post-op, and still follow a keto way of eating. I have target macros and I keep everything in that range every day (less than 2000 calories, less than 25g of carbs, around 150g of protein). I don't eat sugar, pasta, bread, or rice and I don't drink soda (or really anything carbonated). I have eaten like this throughout my journey, and it is just what I do now. I have made food fuel, and I eat to live only. It has made my life a lot better. I can eat a little bit more at a time now (but I still don't exceed 3oz of dense protein at one sitting), but since I control what I consume so carefully, it hasn't made a difference.

Hey, Steve. I weighed 397 pounds when I started this journey. I lost 100 pounds during the six month insurance required pre-op diet program, and got to a 180 pound goal at 1 year and 4 Days post-op. I have been maintaining at 170-173 for months. It is the best thing that you can do for yourself IF you are willing to put in the work. I could care less about food now. I eat to live and that’s it. I find pleasure in so many other things. (Wine being one of them, so don’t worry about that...) Best wishes moving forward. Surgery can change your life if you want it enough.

@336Mike — I completely understand where you are coming from. I am so proud of what I have accomplished, but I have my moments where it doesn’t feel real. Btw — the picture with your son is awesome. I have a few pictures from before my journey that I treasure. And I keep the picture of me on the day I started my journey in my phone to always keep me honest!

Great news! It is SO nice when you ease into only seeing the surgeon’s people once a year. I do my PCP in March and the bariatric people in October. It beats the hell out of monthly appointments!

Chocolate is the only flavor of PP that isn’t sickeningly sweet to me (ironic as I have historically not liked chocolate). I’m probably not going to invest in these others as I imagine they’ll be too sweet for me, too.

I’ll be honest. I am a nearly perfect WLS patient in almost every way EXCEPT for taking vitamins. I am 17 months post-op and have never taken them regularly. I have labs run every six months and everything is perfect. I’m certainly not advocating for you to not take your vitamins, but I have been just fine. (But I might just be a weird case...)

I’m in a 30 or 31 waist depending on the pants.

Congratulations! That's awesome.

I'm 17 months post-op (today, actually). I eat completely for fuel now. Yes, I do like the things I eat, but it is mostly dense protein (3 oz of chicken breast, turkey, ground beef, pork or salmon) and 1.5 oz of green vegetables. I have 1 jumbo egg and a piece of bacon every morning, and some days I'll have 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with 1 T of sugar free strawberry preserves mixed in. That's it for me. I do have red wine when I am traveling for work (which is pretty often), but other than that, my food life is about meeting certain macros. The tradeoff is that I lost over 100% of my excess weight and have been maintaining below goal for months. I'm much happier with my life now, so I am good with it.

I have and never had any regrets. My life is fabulous and I wish I had done this long before I did.

Google three week stall. This happens to everyone. Focus on following your plan and continuing to change your relationship with food. The weight will come off in its own time. Remember this journey is a marathon -- not a sprint.

You've been here 5 minutes. How dare you imply I have no discipline; go back and read some stuff and get the sense of my journey. No, the surgery didn't do it all. It supported me. And while you are at it, think about why SO, SO many people never get to goal or immediately regain. (And look at some statistics while you are at it.) You are entitled to your opinion, but if you think that the surgery alone gets you where you need to go, we'll see where you are in a year or so. And, by the way, I always, always acknowledge that I have had surgery. I also point out that I lost 100 pounds during my six month pre-op diet program, and lost the rest after the surgery. Read the COUNTLESS threads about people keeping it a secret where I have said that. Please block me. I will do the same. I will have no further interaction with you.

I think you might be taking real talk and facts for judging. Yes, most people on here have food addictions. I certainly do, which is why I had to work VERY HARD to get where I have gotten. And notice that I said "do" and not "did." I do have an addiction and that is why 17 months post-op, I still watch what I eat, keep my macros in check, and track everything that goes in my body. I appreciate people being real and honest. I especially appreciated it when I was pre-op and newly post-op and had a long, long journey ahead of me. When I hear anyone say that they'll change their behaviors after surgery, it sends up a red flag, and I am going to say something. That's how a support group (even online) is supposed to work. The fact of the matter is that the surgery alone does NOTHING. It takes your commitment and hard work to have any success. That is no judgment. It is a simple fact.

I'll be honest with you -- I would NEVER want anyone to operate on me without knowing the true and honest picture of my health. It is too important. You can't change what has happened. I will say that post-op, many of these decisions (around eating, drinking, and smoking) become life and death decisions. It is a very, very big deal. And aside from that, if you don't do what you are supposed to do and change your relationship with food, you won't be successful long term anyway. I wish you luck, but you have to help yourself before the surgery or anyone else can help you...

@Mattymatt Thanks, man. Happy almost birthday. (My brother's birthday is March 2 and my best friend's is March 4.) I'm 42. When I was heavy, I looked about my age. Now, I can pretty easily pass for 35 or 36. I'll be honest -- almost all of my dates and hookups these days are 22-28. I'm not even looking to date younger guys, it just seems to always work out that way. (I think it is the beard, lol.) You'll be amazed at how quickly things change as your body changes and you gain more confidence. It is one of the most fun parts of the journey. Thanks for the kind words!

@Mattymatt The surgery can be the catalyst that literally changes your life. I can't even begin to capture how incredible my life is now. I had a lot going for me before, but those physical issues were always a burden and a concern. Now they aren't. I'm literally having my 20s in my 40s. It is an amazing life. This can be you, too if you work hard and want it bad enough!