Rainbow_Warrior

I choose to no longer eat rice ... don't have steamed rice, fried rice, etc. I avoid pretty much all crumbed and battered foods and most deep fried. I enjoy chips/fries but only four to six at a time with a meal these days. Too many empty calories.

Chicken. Just does not taste/feel right.

It's a bit early to consider but, in a few weeks, if things are not progressing, you could try the VSG Sleeve Reset ... Ask and I'll cut and paste it for you if you can't locate it on Bariatric Pal.

I know the feeling. I swim 2+ hours most days and do gym/weights 3 or 4 times per week. I cycle 35-65 minutes 4-6 days per week. My energy burns make me extremely hungry, I have a lot of 1850-2300 calorie days when I should (logically) stick to 1100-1200 on my big days. I have been around the 105-109 kilogram area now for five months. A few messages ago I posted you the RESET DIET ... I should work at it myself. I actually restarted it Monday 9th Sept ... 50 hours ago. Best of luck.

It's entirely possible. Have you tried the recommended "GASTRIC SLEEVE RESET"? Here is a cut 'n' paste: Complete Five-Day Bariatric Reset Diet The Five-Day Pouch Reset is a "reset" diet for people who have had gastric bypass surgery and might be starting to regain weight. Step 1 Drink only liquids for the first two days of the five-day diet. You'll need to drink at least two litres of water in addition to low-carb protein shakes. You can drink as many shakes as you want; the point of the first 48 hours is to take a break from your eating habits. By getting all of the nutritional needs from liquids, you'll be forced to pay attention to how often you were eating, snacking or simply grazing. Remember: The goal during this phase isn't weight loss, but mentally re-setting your habits. You can't make your pouch smaller through changes in diet, but you can learn portion control. Step 2 Eat only protein the next three days. On day three, you'll eat "soft protein" such as eggs and cottage cheese. On day four, you'll eat "ground meats" -- such as meatloaf and hamburger. On day five, you'll eat "solid proteins" such as chicken breast or a piece of fish. Limit condiments, such as salsa or mayonnaise. Foods should be as dry as possible -- which will help you gauge how full you are. You're allowed to eat as much as you'd like and as often as you like, but you must stop eating 15 minutes after you start. Do not sit and eat for longer than 15 minutes at any point during the final stage of the diet. Step 3 Do not drink any liquids 30 minutes before eating or with your meals. Liquids can help push foods more quickly through your pouch, allowing you to eat more than you should. Many facets of the five-day bariatric pouch reset diet are similar to the post-op diet followed right after surgery. Tips Plan ahead because the diet restricts the types of food you can eat. Make sure you have the foods you need on hand. The goal of this diet is to make you conscious of your food choices and stop mindless eating. Warnings According to the National Institutes of Health, "bypass surgery alone is not a solution to losing weight. It can train you to eat less, but you still have to do much of the work. You will need to follow the exercise and eating guidelines that your doctor and dietitian gave you."

Great feeling, eh? I am 23 months post-surgery. 15 months ago, I took 19 bags of clothes (9XL, 8XL, 7XL, 6XL, 5XL and 4XL) to the charity shop to help needy people who were big plus sizes. Currently around XL or 2XL depending on brand and fit ... so contemplating when to get rid of a few remaining 4XL and 3XL garments. I keep the track pant bottoms as I can slip them on for the pool or the gym despite their bagginess but I not how much the "swim" on my smaller body now!

I bought my cruiser bike in late January and built up slow and steady for almost two weeks ... 15 minutes out, then 20, and 30, and soon 45. Then on the coolest summer Sunday in February, I rode west out of town and took 57 minutes to reach the roadhouse near the main freeway. (16km or 10miles). I drank some of my water and most of a 600mL Coke Zero . Time away from home? A few minutes shy of three hours. I took a two week break from rides over 50 minutes before trying again. Fortunately for me (and the other 230000 residents) the city council has an extensive cycleway-Greenway network so I try out lots of places these days. Cheers to your preparation and practice.

Ditto all those ... My lower abdomen rubbed the lower edge of the steering wheel for many years. VSG 23 months ago. It took all of four months for the space to appear. My arse ('ass' for American readers) eventually shrank so much that I actually had to move the driver's seat well forward (about 7 of the 15 notches) ... and still I am 200mm-250mm (8"-10") away from the steering-wheel. My knees are crap but I swim daily for exercise. 20 laps of the (25 metre) pool used to take about 65-70 minutes of wading and padding when I started in 2015. Last Sunday (25th August), I timed myself ... 130 laps (2.05 miles or 3.25km) of breaststroke in 161 minutes. I've gone from 9XL, 8XL and 7XL tops/shirts in various brands to 3XL & 2XL. Down to 117cm (44") jeans/slacks already but on a plateau because of excess hard flab that exercise is not now shifting. Living on 1650-1850 calories a day. After my apronectomy (due in the next 5-8 months), I expect to wear size 40" (102cm) pants then lower myself to 36" (92cm) in time. Thanks for sharing your achievements. I have dropped about 1.5kg (3.3lbs) since March but have not updated the signature JPEG.

I had a very similar experience last night (Friday 28th June) at the liquor store. A man with whom I'd worked on a three-month project in 2011 (when I was in the mid 170kg range ... or 380 pounds) saw me for the first time in eight years. "Oh, f***, I knew the voice but I had to look twice. Sh**, you must have lost about 70kg, pal ... you look amazing," he announced. I confirmed that I was about 65kg lighter but extremely muscly these days thanks too my pool and gym programs. I chose not too discuss my October 2017 surgery as the store had some people I'd rather not have shared info with. It made my day when DARREN heaped so much praise on me ... vocally and with his eyes and his massive jaw-drop.

I know this feeling. (2014-2017) I used to stop drinking (any liquid at all) by 7:30pm/7:45pm and have a long pee before departing the main part of the house for the bedroom. I used to go to bed around 9pm/9:30pm but wake up with bladder pressure (and have to pee) around midnight and usually two or three more times before 7am. These days, I occasionally wake around 2:30am-3:30pm maybe once or twice per week. My VSG surgery has given me better sleep ... but my wife appreciates the silence of the night with me NOT getting out of bed through the night 20-30 times per week. Relative bliss!

I know what you mean. I bought discounted end-of-season WINTER clothes (on very low-priced special pricing) at the end of the last Australian winter (July-August, 2018) ... 3XL and 2XL garments ... down from two years ago when I was 9XL/8XL sizing. As the autumn is having colder nights and much cooler mornings now in late April 2019, I am pulling this stuff out of the drawers to begin wearing it AND THEY ARE "SWIMMING" ON ME in most instances. I have dawdled to lose only about 12kg (26 pounds) in the last nine months but my upper body is more muscular. And yet, despite the seeming waste of the money, I'm pleased with the extra NSV feel of fat lower down being replaced by muscle higher up. My exercise physiologist says that my body's centre of gravity has moved UPWARDS 19mm in 9 months but that my sense of balance (which was 'terrible' before my weight-loss surgery is now "borderline excellent".

Yes ... I had "bath sheets" [a.k.a. giant towels] that at 400+ pounds would barely go around me. And now, 17.5 months post-VSG, I can wear a standard towel around me. Nice feeling.

This is a factor. It's so true. As an obese man, the humid summers on the Australian coast were horrible on many, many days. Coming into summer now with our spring temps of 25C to 32C (77F to 90F) with humidity 70% to 95%, I am much better off. My regime of lots of daily swimming and "no perspiration left to give" is better. But, oh, the mild winters we have here with daytime temps of 16C to 20C (61F to 68F) after overnights of 6C to 11C (43F to 52F) left me quite cold getting up to swim each morning. I've never felt cold more than a couple of dozen times in thirty years before last winter (June-August here in the southern hemisphere). This winter was my worst ... I felt cold on FIVE or MORE days per week regularly and for the first time since my childhood, I needed extra night blankets. I even bought and electric blanket and an electric throw rug to try to hold back my personal cold. The youtube videos and the weight loss surgery forums were MOSTLY pretty clear about this feature of post-WLS.

Correct. Even when one feels like not going, just getting there is part of the process. I have had a lot of days (like today, Saturday 20th Oct at nearly 10am) where I really don't feel like kicking off my morning in the pool. But, if I just get in the car and drive the 8 km to the pool, it will be getting the routine started. The other thing is, I can feel like 5h1t some days and really think I don't want to swim, but just getting in the pool and doing that first lap or two sparks the right mindset within three to five minutes. You are so right about right time of day ... I prefer 5:30am to 9:00am on weekdays but, on Saturday, with the pool so cluttered with learn-to-swim classes near opening time, I often prefer early afternoon. And, Sundays 7am-10am is excellent at my swim centre. You remarked, too, about speaking with the front desk people. I'd say the same thing about the regulars in the pool too. I have a rapport or friendship with quite a number of weekday morning swimmers and a nodding acquaintanceship with others. People will remark next day if they haven't seen you the day before. (I had to stay home to let a plumber in last Monday so I swam from 11am-1:30pm instead and, when I went to the pool on Tuesday, at least seven or eight regulars sought an explanation or asked if I'd been unwell.) And, of course, if you feel hurt/pain/strain, just take it slowly or modify your workout or do a different exercise that day. I have been known to wade chest-deep for 2 hours or more if I have muscle-strain or muscle-tiredness from a long session the previous day.

Perfect advice. Swimming (even slow breaststroke) brings back a muscular upper torso in reasonable time and the pool allows one to operate oblivious to the knee and ankle pain of other cardio exercise. I have been doing 2.5 to 3.5 hours per day at the pool for over 11 months now. (Have only missed two days since I started.)

For me, almost any food. Nothing known yet that I can't eat after one year. I drink "shiploads" more water. My meals these days fit in a bowl or a side plate. If I eat out, I make sure I take a couple of ziplock bags or a tight-lidded "chinese" container. I inevitably cannot eat a main meal in one go any more. I usually order an entree only if the choices are suitable.

Not far from Newcastle NSW, @elcee. Had my VSG 368 days ago ... one year anniversary last Friday. What are your key questions?

Yes ... a lovely feeling. I have been able to buy a handful of items off the rack since May this year and I will be looking forward to more in the new year ... my winter clothes will need an upgrade ... Winter clothes here (Australia) are required mid June to mid August (daytimes) and late May to mid-September (evenings).

Yes ... the dreaded seat belt extension on aircraft. I think that I am in range of the regular seat belt now. Asking for the extension always felt majorly embarrassing for me.

Yeah ... nice to have to tighten the band or to put more holes in a belt. I also like that my business shirts are "swimming" on me ... very loose ... and the necks are so loose ... 5cm (two inches) or more too large now.

I find less of a problem ... or FEWER problems. I'm just choosy about where I eat out. I have also learned to take a number (usually 3 or 4) ziplock bags to bring home uneaten food. I sometimes remember to put a so-called "chinese" container into my carry bag when I go out. All this helps me have a second AND/OR third chance to eat some purchased restaurant/cafe meals. But, nine times out of ten, I know where I am going and I either know the menu or have looked it up on line and have a contingency plan for what I will order or what I will ask for. For my interstate trip, I will make a carry card that says I am "Dr Exxe's" patient with a "special condition" and make it look official to hand out to any officious looking "maitre de" or "floor manager". <GRIN>

Yes ... almost exactly my (male) experience. * Down to just one medication now ... apixaban/Eloquis ... and that won't change any time soon * My knees and ankles appreciate that I've shed more than a third of my mass/weight in 52 weeks * Yep ... the bath-sheet is too big now when it would not quite go around me 15 months ago. A regular-sized towel is enough to dry me adequately after a bath or shower or time in the pool. * Aeroplane and bus seats have room left-over * My driving position in the car is not cramped by my obesity like 12-25 months ago. My seat belt is NOT all the way extended as in the past. * My shirts/tops are down from Australian 8XL/9XL (USA 5XL) to 2XL/XL (USA XL). Ditto underpants ... from 7XL to 2XL now. * My slacks/trousers are down from 177cm/172cm [about 70 inches] waist to 122cm/117cm range [about 45 inches] I gave away 19 shopping bags of "super big" clothes and 22 pairs of slacks/trousers to the charity shop in the last few months. Once the plastic surgeon removes my excess skin before xmas 2019, I expect to shed another two to three pants sizes. I also noticed that my feet lose weight/width proportionately with my upper body. I no longer need 4E shoe widths. I can get by with E or 2E in leather shoes and regular joggers/trainers/tennis-shoes.

I find that the crockpot (a.k.a. bench-top slow-cooker) is great. I can toss in a range of medium to high fibre vegetables and a few 40 gram home-shaped meat-balls and cook them overnight and divide them into small and medium meal-lots. Some are casserole consistency while others tend to be more like soups. I can usually aim to have 10-15 serves done overnight about once every two weeks.

Ditto that. I have been 112kg to 115kg now for about five weeks. My waist is smaller. My muscles are bigger but I am in constant fluctuation with liquid consumption (coffees and water) versus appetite related to exercise. I expect that, by mid-November, I'll fall and stabilise around 109-110 as the Australian summer weather kicks off pre-xmas.

I can understand that. Mentally and job-wise, I feel like the same person I was a year ago ... competent, capable, busy, etc ... BUT NOW NO UNDERLYING WAY FOR CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES to assume I am a lesser person BECAUSE I am now much closer to "normal" size. It should NOT happen but people do treat me better now than a year or two years ago. As I shrink month by month, I am very aware of just how much verbal and visual discrimination there is targeted at FAT/OBESE people ... much of it by people who are themselves increasingly oversized or overweight compared to a generation (or two) ago. Physically, of course, I feel like a legend ... I can breathe really well. I am quite fit as, between two to three hours per day (seven days per week) of swimming and three 90 minutes (or longer) gym sessions per week, I am stronger, better balanced and quite muscly. Many of my bones now appear "at the surface" of my skin. I have some quite hard upper body muscles and a very hard, strong chest. I am off all but one medication and will be looking to steadily stabilise my mass/weight between 84 and 89 kilograms (185-195 pounds). The surgeon says he will put together a plastic surgery team in 10-12 months to remove my loose abdominal skin and some remaining stubborn "hard" fat.