DropWt4Life

I am about 2 months out, and can't say that I have tons of energy. I really have to overdose on b12 just to have energy for my gym workouts. That 2,000 mcg per day is a life saver. I think that I might be tired, because I started waking up 1 1/2 hours earlier M-F so that I can get the kiddo to MS volleyball practice at 6am. I just can't get used to it. Oh well, it will all be over in November, so I hope that my energy levels start to increase soon after that is over and done with.

OutsideMatch.....What do you mean Halo Top Ice Cream ( a proper portion not a pint). Don't you know...a pint is a proper portion? J/K. I love that ice cream. I haven't had any since before pre-op, but I will definitely indulge in it at some point in the future. As far as sweets go, I'm with you monalyssa33....I loved fruity candy. Any flavor of Skittles and Mike and Ikes used to be my favorites. I won't eat them now though, because they are straight sugar. At least there is protein in Halo Top. My wife's birthday was last weekend. I had a bite (just one) of double chocolate cake, and didn't really like it. It was too sweet, and the chocolate actually had a fake chocolate taste even though the frosting was made from real whipped milk chocolate. I guess my sense of taste has changed. That is a good thing though, because I didn't even want another bite of it. Blizair09, that is a good idea. I have had cottage cheese with peaches, but never with preserves. I have some Smuckers sugar free strawberry preserves in the fridge. I think that I am going to have that for snack (or a meal) tonight to try it out.

Congratulations blizair09 on reaching your goal, and on dropping a staggering amount of weight in the process! You are an inspiration to us all, and a reminder that it is possible to achieve your goals, no matter how much you have to lose. Keep up the good work, and don't drop off. I know a lot of people tend to move on to bigger and brighter things once they reach goal, and weight loss ceases to become a big part of their lives. We want and need to hear from you veterans that have lost the weight, and kept it off. Your input is invaluable for us that are in the shoes that you once wore. Congratulations again!

Age, size and genes brother....Those are the biggest determinants of how much excess skin you will have in the end. Your age and genes determine the skin elasticity. Younger people tend to have more than older people. If you have great genes, you might also have great skin elasticity. Size can cancel out all of these. If you lose 2-300 pounds, it would be a miracle if you had no excess skin. I am down 73 pounds since June, and have no excess skin so far. I have about 35 pounds left to lose, so we will see if I luck out. Weight lifting will not make enough of a difference, but can help a bit depending on where your fatty tissue resides. If you had nothing but fatty arms, and built biceps and triceps, it could help. You definitely aren't building enough muscle to really help your midsection if that is where a lot of your fatty tissue resides. Ultimately, what you will end up looking like in the end should be the last consideration of having this surgery. Your health is way more important. I wish you the best on you journey.

I wish that I could say that I would never drink again, but that just won't be realistic for me. However, I hope to limit myself to 1 or 2 every once in a while. As far as the steak goes, it is harsh on my stomach. A grilled Cauliflower steak, marinated in Teriyaki sauce sounds good though!

Fast....I feel your pain. I also feel as though I used to gain weight super easily. I used to drop 4-6 pounds every week by eating well only to gain it all back with 1 cheat day. This surgery has really worked for me. I was ready for it as I am sure you are. You are going to do well, and maybe, just maybe.....new friends can look at your husband and say...How did you get her? I wish you nothing but the best in your journey!

My high weight was 326 in June, but I started my pre-op at 314 on 7/22. I am at 253, so that makes 61 pounds since then, and 73 pounds overall. I've got 33 pounds left to achieve my goal, so we will see if I can make it happen in the next 3 months.

Congratulations! You look great! Keep up the good work!

Date: 9/29/2017 CW: 253.6

It is just my opinion, but I would schedule the surgery for the 1st week of January, take the time off, and use the vacay. Short-term disability usually has a wait time. Mine is 14 days before coverage kicks in. You will probably be back to work within 2 weeks, so it might be more hassle than it is worth. Besides, it can take up to 8 weeks for your companion to get his/her passport in the mail. That will take your timeline out to the end of December anyway. I have also seen co-workers lose jobs over being gone from work too much. Many employers frown on taking extended time off after your vacay has been used. FMLA guards against this, but it is very hard to prove if they say that your work quality has suffered. I didn't tell co-workers or Facebook friends. I didn't even tell my employer. I felt that it was none of any of their business, especially since I was self-paying for the surgery. I also didn't want HR to leak info throughout my company. It shouldn't happen, but does nonetheless. Also, a lady at work had GB surgery about 5 years back. She told everyone at work. She got tons of support from everyone.....Until she started regaining weight back. Then it became brutal. Now, she is still down a lot, but noticeably larger than her smallest weight. Everyone talks badly about her now. When she takes a plate home at company functions, people stare and talk. Had she not told anyone, she would not have had to put up with as much scrutiny as people lose and regain weight all of the time. That is just the people at my company, and your co-workers might be different. You sound like you've got it together, and I wish you the best of luck.

I am assuming that you are pre-op. Correct me if I am wrong. More information is really needed to answer your question effectively, but I will take a stab. Also, keep in mind, no advice here should take precedence over the advice of your doctor/NUT. If you are on a basic pre-op diet, instant soup should be fine. I would try to find a lower sodium one to keep your levels from skyrocketing. If you are on the liquid phase, you should strain out the little food bits as they aren't liquid of course. The broth is really what you should be aiming for. Post op, you will have to adhere to a liquid diet for at least a few days to allow your new stomach to heal. The same guidelines really work here as well. For as long as you are on the liquids only diet, strain out the food bits. Once you are able to have full liquids, you can blend this up if you want. If this instant soup has noodles, etc, you probably want to strain that out. Bullion works just as well, and there is nothing to strain out. I heated up some water and dumped a chicken bullion in it. If I decided that I wanted a bit more flavor, I would add some chopped cilantro to it. I would strain out the cilantro, but just wanted the flavor. Anyway, good luck on your journey!

I actually rode the Scream, which is a ride that goes up maybe 80-100 feet in the air and then drops you to the ground. The shoulder restraint came down and I had to hunch down for the seat belt to be applied. As the ride started lifting us into the air, my seatbelt popped open, and the shoulder restraint lifted up. At 12 feet in the air, I tried to jump so that I didn't fall out at the height of the ride. Everyone was screaming. Needless to say, they stopped the ride and brought us back down. I dodged a bullet that time, and have refused to even try to ride if the seatbelt didn't EASILY fit in the future. I had taken the walk of shame a few times before, but this was my last straw. That was 4 years ago. I hope you and your daughter enjoy many memories of tackling the biggest and best coasters ever!

Fluffy...I love that idea. I used to love bomb pops growing up. Fudge and banana were my favorite. I will definitely give this a try. Thanks!

Awesome! Maybe you will have it in time for winter! I wish you the best of luck!

Whether or not you end up having loose skin, it is a good idea to hire a trainer to show you how to workout. I think that genes and age are the main drivers of skin elasticity. You appear to be young, so that is good. I will say that the amount of weight lost definitely plays a role. If you meet goal and lose over 2/3's of your body weight, you should have loose skin no matter what. I don't think weight training is going to help with that, because you just can't bulk up that much. You might feel better about yourself nonetheless. Besides, you are doing this for health. Everyone focuses on the vanity aspect of it. Take care of yourself, do everything that you can to drop the weight, add in weight training to tone where you can, and then......If you need some nipping, tucking or lifting....Get it. Life is too short to not live it to the fullest! Oh yeah, I wouldn't tell my personal trainer that I was having surgery unless you just want to. You might only be working with him for a few weeks anyway, and it really is none of his business. Also, no matter how hard you work after surgery, he is going to remember you as the lady that had surgery, not the lady that has put in work to reach her goals. Just my 2 cents.

When I hit my goal weight, I am going to plan a trip to an amusement park with my daughter and ride every ride! We all have season tickets to Six Flags Fiesta TX in San Antonio, but I always sit out while she rides with friends. Have taken the walk of shame too many times to count. I am sure that I can pretty much ride anything that I want now, but I am going to wait anyway. I think we will hit up Holiday in the Park in December. I should be at goal before then the way I am going now. As far as food, I won't reward myself. I already eat anything and everything that I want. I made a promise to myself that after surgery, I was going to eat what I wanted and not diet any longer. Now that I am a little further out, I do that although I must admit.....I don't crave many things that are bad for me. I do crave veggies though, all of the time. All kinds. So far, I haven't craved sweets, so that's a big plus. Oh yeah....A wardrobe shopping spree! I am already running out of clothes. Everything that I own is baggy on me, and I have gotten rid of 2/3's of my wardrobe already. It will be nice to wear something a bit more fitted and not saggy.

I think that I have tried most of the foods that I used to eat, including fries. Still love them, but I am content with 2 or 3 instead of a jumbo serving size. My vice has always been pizza. I ate it once per week, every week. I finally broke down and purchased the 9" cauliflower pizza crusts from Cali-flour foods. I loaded one up with veggies, a tiny bit of pesto, and a sprinkle of mozzarella. It was awesome! Could only eat 2 slices (4 ounces total), but it totaled only about 150 calories. Don't think that I will ever try the real thing again. As for not losing weight or stalling....Every time that I hit a stall, I up my calorie count a bit. I am super active, so I probably need more calories than I consume anyway. My stall usually breaks within a week. If your stall is not breaking, you need to re-evaluate your diet. Are you snacking too much? Are the snacks even healthy and lower calorie foods? Are you consuming too many calories? Are you drinking your calories? I don't think that you will stall for long on 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day unless you are pretty close to your goal, although I have been known to be wrong before. Track and weigh your foods. This will help you to know exactly how much you are eating. If you are drinking your calories, stop. Remember that this journey is all about making better choices. If you are eating pizza, burgers, etc., choose healthier options. Get baked chicken instead of fried chicken. You get the gist.

Welcome! I think that you will find this forum invaluable for information and support on every aspect of your journey. It is also a way to get into contact with buddies that may be having surgery at the same time and place that you have chosen for your surgery. I can already see a big change in your appearance. Congratulations. You are well on your way to a successful journey. Keep up the good work. Surgery day will be here before you know it.

I no longer chew 20X per bite, and I no longer take 25-30 minutes to finish a meal because of this. I sometimes have regular 'Almond Joy' creamer with coffee (1Tbsp only) instead of Sugar Free. I eat less protein and more veggies and ancient grains at every meal. Usually 1 1/2 oz. per meal of protein only. My stomach has a harder time with protein, and I NEVER ate a lot of it even before surgery. I also don't like the constipation that I get from being on a protein centered diet. I do drink a Premier Protein shake to increase my protein amount, but would definitely not get over 40g of Protein daily without it. I eat more fruit than I am supposed to. Sometimes I will make a meal of it. Watermelon, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, a squeeze of lime and mint. My go to combination. That is it. I really think from reading all of the earlier posts that Doctors' plans vary A LOT. Things that are no-no's on one plan are acceptable or even encouraged on another.

Don't fret about needing surgery. It is a hard pill to swallow, but at least you are actually doing something about your situation. There are people in this forum that waited until they were in their 60s and wish that they could have had it done decades ago. You will do well, and have the rest of your life to live the way you have always wanted to. Your health will greatly improve as well. One thing that I will tell you is if you are a caffeine drinker (coffee, soda, iced tea), let it go now. You will get the withdrawal over with before surgery. You don't need to be going through withdrawal while recovering from surgery. Trust me, you will thank me later. Also, stock your shelves with drinks (zero calorie), protein shakes, soups, etc. now. Get your heavy lifting out of the way. That way you won't need to do this later. Good luck!

I will say that although surgery does make things easier, it is NOT the easy way out. Maybe it levels the playing field so that you aren't as hungry or can't eat as much as you did before. You can still SLIDE your way to obesity even with the surgery. My cousin has had GB and is about 250 pounds. She was about 300 pounds before, lost 125 pounds, and then gained back 75 pounds. My cousin had the surgery to save her life, and it just might have. She could be well over 400 pounds now if she didn't have it. She eats the way she has always eaten. She eats fast food often, and grazes on processed snacks all the time. She just eats way less than she used to. She is also not active. She has never been active. Last year, she admitted to me that her restriction was still there, but it was difficult for her to make good choices like it was right after surgery. She had surgery 10 years ago. If it were the easy way out, she would be at a normal weight right now. She wouldn't have regained well over half of the weight back. You see, most of us didn't just eat when we were hungry. We snacked a lot as well. I took a nutrition course that said that a habit of snacking on processed snacks and sugar could account for up to 30% of our excess body fat. Since these are sliders, surgery won't help with this. It also won't keep you away from the drive- thru if that is your thing.

I think that eating is a chore for most of us in the liquid stage. There is no enjoyment in it. It is rather boring. Once you are a post-op and past the liquid stage, it can get fun again. You get to start eating a more normal diet. At 7 weeks out, it is just as much a chore as it was pre-op. The chore now is in spending an hour or more cooking just to eat next to nothing. Now, I get to make a meal that I used to just devour. I weigh my portion, and eat only that amount. I made a spinach, tomato, red onion and avocado salad last night with taco seasoned veggie crumbles/black beans on top. No dressing. I had 1 1/2 ounces of spinach, 1 ounce of tomato, red onion and avocado mixed up, and 1 1/2 ounces of the taco mixture. It was great. It was filling. It was a whole 1/2 cup of food. It was a lot of work for that 1/2 cup of food. That is okay though. I made enough for about 10 meals. I portioned the taco mixture out, and froze it. Now I don't have to do that work anymore for a little while. Whenever I want it, I just have to thaw it out, and make a little salad to mix it with. I think that I have enough cooked food leftovers to last me almost a month and a half. That is good, because I just don't feel like cooking at times. I think I must have saved at least $600 by not eating out the last 9 weeks! It is awesome! That surgery will pay for itself in no time!

If you are constantly getting some type of protein in, and fiber as well, you should not experience hunger. I made sure that every 2 hours or so, I was eating or drinking something. I never got hungry. Before cooking meals, I had a protein shake. I then would not be hungry when dinner or breakfast (on weekends) was ready. I did a 2 week liquid diet even though I only had to do 1 week. I lost 25 pounds during this time, because I was determined to make it work. My advice would be to get your mind right. This is for you, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You've just got to look for it. We've tried and failed at every diet we've ever tried our entire lives. This tool is worth the trouble and hardships, because it tips the balance in our favor. It may sound crazy, but self-talk works wonders. Everyday, wake up and look into the mirror. Tell yourself that you are beautiful...That you will work hard to achieve your goals that day.....That you are worth happiness.....That you are going to SUCCEED! It will happen for you. Good luck on your journey!!

9/22/2017 Current Weight is 257.6

I agree. I am a little OCD as well. I am usually so proud of that 1 or 2 pound loss that I have to post it first chance I get. Some people place their stats in the body of their post, and that works for me as well. Whenever Alex gets around to updating this site, it would be nice if he maybe includes a tutorial on how to update your profile.