blizair09

You're welcome. But, last time I checked, I am not a lady! :-)

Fat is a key ingredient in my low carb way of eating and to my success and has been since the very first day. But you can't couple high fat with high carbs. If you have both, it will backfire on you quickly. That's how most of us got morbidly obese (or worse) anyway...

What a way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! Best wishes!

Too many carbs for me. I focus my diet on lean protein.

You are just in the "three week stall." Google it and you'll find lots of information. Your body is healing right now, and you won't likely get an accurate weight in the first month. You just need to keep meeting your protein and water goals each day, and stay off the scale if it is going to upset you. The weight will start to come off again soon, but it won't be linear, and will often be quite erratic. Good luck!

I've been following this same way of eating since I finished the food stages at 2 months post-op. I have upped the meat amounts from 2-3 oz over the course of those 5 months, and raised my calories from 900 to 1200-1300. I have always kept the carbs at 20 or below. I cook a week's worth of chicken on Sundays and use that all week. I do the same thing with the green beans. Everything else, I cook as I need it. It is routine now, and just how I live my life. I have lost 193 pounds so far (99 pounds during my six month pre-op diet program, and an additional 94 pounds since my surgery on September 28, 2016). I am just a little over 20 pounds away from goal.

Sure. I eat the same thing every day. Meal #1: 1 scrambled egg with 2 oz chicken breast Meal #2: 4 oz of cottage cheese with 1 T sugar-free strawberry preserves Meal #3: 3 oz chicken breast, 1 string cheese, 5 ParmCrisps Meal #4: 3 oz salmon with 1 oz green beans Meal #5: 2 oz hamburger steak (90% lean) with 1 oz green beans Meal #6: 3 oz chicken breast with 1 oz green beans Meal #7: 2 oz chicken breast with 1 string cheese Meal #8: 4 oz of cottage cheese with 1 T sugar-free strawberry preserves I drink 32 oz of water after Meal #1 and again after Meal #2. I drink 16 oz of water after Meal #3. I drink 16 oz of PowerAde Zero after Meal #5, and 8 oz water mixed with 8 oz of PowerAde Zero after Meal #8. (I give the 30 minutes before and after meals as well.) This comes out to 1200-1300 calories per day, 20 carbs per day, and 120-130 grams of protein per day.

I have kept my carbs at 20 or less every day for the past 13 months. I'm not changing that until I get to my goal, and I doubt I will let them go up to much after I enter maintenance in a few months. Carbs are what got me to 400 pounds, so I have to avoid them like the plague.

Too many carbs for me...

I limit my carbs to 20 or less per day. I have been at that level for over 13 months now.

First off, you are not healed. It takes months for your stomach to completely heal, not 17 days. Healing is your body's top priority in these first few weeks. Nothing about your weight is going to be accurate for at least a month post-op. Second, as far as your weight loss goes, you are just in the "three week stall" that almost all WLS patients go through. Google it. You'll see plenty of anecdotal information out there. That being said, you need to make meeting your protein and water goals your full time job right now, and stay off of the scale. If you stick to your plan, the weight will start to come off in its own time. This journey is a marathon, not a sprint, and the weight isn't going to come off rapidly in a linear fashion. Wishing you the best!

How many calories are you taking in per day? Carbs? Protein? How much water are you drinking every day? Are you tracking your food and drink?

Hi, When I met with my surgeon's NP for the first of six monthly pre-op diet program visits in March 2016, she told me that I would likely be a model patient because I was healthy, young, and male. I'm 41 years old (40 at the time she said that), so the "young" is relative. But there is a lot of truth in what she said. It gets pointed out a lot on this site that men have an easier time of it than women when it comes to surgery and weight loss. Some people who comment on here really piss me off a lot with their lamenting about it because I feel like they act as though men who are successful aren't really busting their ass to be successful, but regardless, there is some truth to the fact that being young and male gives you an edge in this game. I say all of this to say that since you are young (as in 22 young) and male, this will likely work to your advantage. Also keep in mind that the vast majority of WLS patients are women. I'm not sure of the number, but I want to say that it is in the 80% range (but I could be wrong). So, you're going to read way more about WLS and women than WLS and men. I can tell you that the whole surgery process was a piece of cake for me. My recovery was swift and rather uneventful (other than experiencing some serious fatigue for a couple of months), and the weight has come off steadily pre- and post-op. At your age, you'll kill this if you are willing to devote yourself 100% to doing what you need to do at all times. I weighed almost 400 pounds when I started this journey 13 months ago. I'm almost below 200 pounds now, and I only have about 20ish pounds to get to my goal. The same thing can happen for you if you work hard and want it bad enough Good luck as you decide how to move forward!

I do it every day, so it is just a routine now. (I do cook all of the chicken on Sundays and use it all week since I eat that more than anything else. Also, I do a big batch of green beans once a week and just measure them out and warm them up.)

I remember that day. And now, I am on the verge of being below 200 pounds. You'll get there, too! Keep up the good work!

I've been on this diet, more or less, since 2 months post-op when I finished going through the food stages. At 2 months post-op, most of the meats were at 2 oz rather than 3 oz, but over the months I worked my way up to 1200- 1300 calories. I still have about 20 pounds to lose, so I am still in weight loss mode. I have definitely trained myself to look at food as fuel and nothing else, but it helps to actually eat things that you like. I plan to continue to eat this way long-term, making adjustments as necessary when I enter maintenance in a few months.

I was horribly anxious right up until the moment they knocked me out. It is completely normal. But, I'll tell you that nothing about the surgery experience itself was even remotely as bad as I had built it up in my mind to be. Yes, the first few days post-op were difficult, but all-in-all, it was not a bad experience at all. Nothing can completely calm your nerves, but do your best to relax, prepare, and take the plunge. Good luck!

You should move forward when your plan tells you to move forward. Your stomach is healing, and the liquid diet is in place for your own protection. Good luck!

Best post of my day!!

I would say "you're entitled to your opinion," and then walk away and prove them wrong. Your long-term success will be your best response.

I agree with you completely. I won't drone on as I have posted about this many times before, but I have told anyone and everyone about my entire journey (including the surgery) since I began the six month insurance-required pre-op diet program 13 months ago. And my reasons for transparency are rooted in my own accountability and the education of others. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I won't act as if I do. (And I've lost nearly 200 pounds. There is no "secret" to be kept anyway...)

Yes, in my opinion, you'd be wrong to eat a crab cake and baked potato. You're going to want a lot of things as you continue with this journey, and a lot of the time, you just can't have them. The surgery is just a tool; it is continuous good decisions about food and drink that are the key to success long term. Good luck!

I don't focus on feeling full. I focus on eating specified amounts of food (e.g., 3 oz of lean protein with 1 oz of green beans, or 4 oz of cottage cheese). I estimate my stomach capacity to be about 6 oz, so I never get close to being "full." I also weigh anything and everything that goes into my body. I've been doing it since 6 months before my surgery and I imagine that it is something that I will always do. I can't imagine that I would have had my success without my food scale.

I would say that a natural stall has some to do with your situation, but not meeting your protein and water goals each day is likely part of the problem as well. You have to meet those goals. This is the only way you can speed healing and get the calories you need to nourish your body and lose weight. I know protein shakes are no fun, but you need to force them little by little (or eat whatever your plan allows at your current stage). Same thing with the water. You can get to 64 oz by sipping all day if you have to. The early days post-op are not the most fun days of the journey, but they are important ones if you want to be successful long-term. Good luck!

Yay you! Keep at it!