Danny Paul

That is a very good strategy, one I use myself.

I never drank but always had a diet soda. Post surgery the diet soda is out and plain ol' H2O is my go to drink.

Costco brand multi vitamin and Calcium Citrate pills. B12 sublingual. That's it.

160 is my "Red Line" weight. When I reach that I know it's time to re double my efforts. I weigh my self every Friday between 4Pm and 8PM. Don't know if the times make a difference but it's just my routine.

I would say go back to the basics. Get an app like Baritastic and start logging in what you eat. Start out with trying to get your 80 grams of protein first. I try get my proteins from fish or fowl. Eat slow, drink liquids 1/2 hour before and after your meals. Get in at least 64 ounces of water/liquids. Stop the snacks, processed foods and anything without nutritional value.

Two and a half years ago I embarked on my weight loss surgery journey. The six months that I needed to complete all of my pre requistes went by pretty fast. A test for this, a test for that, conferring with this person, etc etc. ( You guys know what I mean) It all culminated with my gastric sleeve surgery in August 2017. Fast forward two years and I lost 63 lbs and gained better health. Long gone are the multiple medications I had to take in order to survive. The Meds helped with my heart condition, diabetes, high blood pressure , gout , and other assorted chronic conditions. Unfortunately, the same medications that helped me with those chronic conditions were wrecking havoc on my liver and kidneys. The panacea to help with my chronic conditions and save my vital organs was to lose weight, adopt a healthier lifestyle and maintain the weight loss. . When I say lose weight I meant a good amount of it, 20 lbs was not going to cut it this time. I have been on maintenance for 17 months. For me, it's a struggle everyday. I attend Over Eaters Anonymous meetings and meet with a therapist once a week. I am trying my best to maintain my new found health as I know the insurance company will not give me a do over. My wife who has monitored my journey and has a few chronic conditions herself has recently had her gastric sleeve surgery. As we do with so many other things in life we are doing this together. A friend of mine who is quite over weight and suffers from chronic conditions also had gastric sleeve surgery and he is experiencing a rapid weight loss. Hey looks very different. A very close friend and his wife also seeing my result with WLS both recently has gastric sleeve surgery. The wife is experiencing a rapid weight loss the husband is losing slow and sure. Prior to their surgeries I counseled them on the pitfalls of relying on surgery alone for long term success. I know three people that had WLS in the past and all three told me that they gained all the weight back and then some. Surprisingly all three work in my various doctors offices. These people are close to medical advice and two are medical professionals. I told my family and friends about these three ( I got permission to tell their stories but I left out the names) and warned them against having the surgery if they couldn't commit to a new lifestyle. They only had one shot at it as insurance would probably not pay again. It was better to wait to get WLS than to rush into it unprepared. So far all four are doing well. I speak to my friends at least twice a week to lend support and guidance. This also helps me to keep on track as I find that these conversations help reinforce my good habits as well. My couple friends suggested that we should get together as we have talked on the phone but haven't seen each other in person for a few months. They recommended we meet at a restaurant we frequented in the past and indulge in appetizers. I asked them why are we planning to meet in a restaurant? That would be like asking recovering alcoholics to meet in a bar for sodas. We need to stop the cycle of using food as a social event. We need to think of food as fuel for the body not as a diversion to socialize. They both are only out six months from WLS and they should rethink their relationship with food. In the end we met at the Botanical Gardens for a leisurely stroll among the flora. I'm so glad that I had the experience of WLS and that I am able help others achieve better health with theirs. For me, I still have a long road of recovery ahead of me and I take it one day at a time. I stopped eating processed foods, eat mindfully and now instead of living to eat, I eat to live. Good health to everyone.

One of the things that I've stayed away from after surgery is processed foods. I realized that I use a lot of Splenda which is not good for me. I tried Stevia but I didn't like the taste. While watching a You Tube video I learned about Monk Fruit Sweetener. It is natural sweetener and it is many times sweeter than sugar. I bought a bag of it at Whole Foods. After using it, I had the most intense stomach cramps and diarreha since my surgery. It turns out the Monk Fruit Sweetener was mixed with Erythritol. In fact, erythritol was listed as the first ingredient with Monk Fruit Sweetener listed second. Lesson learned, I went on Amazon and found 100% Monk Fruit Sweetener. This stuff is so sweet it comes with a tiny scoop. I use it daily and find it to be my go to sugar substitute. On a side note, the first bag of Erythritol/Monk Fruit Sweetener does have a practical use. A friend recently had WLS and like us all is experiencing constipation. I squeezed a few lemons, added water and the Erythritol/Monk Fruit Sweetener. No more constipation. (Wish I had this stuff when I was going through my bout of constipation)

It will be two years since my Gastric Sleeve Surgery and it has been one remarkable journey. First off for myself, on the day of my surgery I weighed in at 221lbs. I took a combined 11 pills a day for a heart condition, diabetes, gout, GERD, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other assorted ailments. Today I take one pill for cholesterol everything else is under control without medication. In a little over seven months I acheived my goal weight (lost 63lbs). Since then, I have maintained my weight loss flucuating 3lbs up or down. I set a "red line" weight where if I hit it I will go into overdrive so as not to pass it. I have never done that in the past. Subsequently, I always regained the weight I lost. I also found out that I am a compulsive eater. The surgery fixed my stomach but not my brain. I needed to work through this so, I go to a therapist and I attend Overeaters Anonymous (OA) meetings. It's a struggle for me everyday and I need to practice mindful eating. Throughout this journey I have inspired three friends and a family member to get WLS. I have a support group there that helps me and them immensely. I attend the monthly support group meetings offered by my surgeon as well as attending OA meetings. Clothing wise, I went from an XL to a medium. One other thing that I learned about myself from this process is that I am was a compulsive shopper. When I started donating my larger clothes to the church I found out that I had scores of pants, shirts and other clothing items. I didn't realize the extent of my compulsive shopping. Today, I have a few shirts, pants and other clothing items. My closets and drawers are so much more manageable. I used to frequent restaurants as much as 3 x 4 times a week. I rarely eat out anymore as I feel very uncomfortable in restaurants even at two years post surgery. I also stopped eating processed foods which is a staple in restaurants. At a group meeting someone asked how many calories each of us were taking in and for the most part the reply was, I don't count calories, I just try to get my 80 grams of protein in each day. That pretty much sums up my eating process as well. I find that eating dense proteins help to give me feeling of fullness and I don't eat too much. As for the restriction, it has lessened somewhat over the two years but it is still there. I need to eat slowly, be mindful of what I eat and never ever try to eat around the restriction. I eat the same thing every day since I make poor food choices. I don't find this to be a bad thing as I look at food as fuel for the body and not as a source of pleasure. I used to live to eat now I eat to live. My friends who have had WLS can't eat the same thing every day and they crave variety. Unlike me, they can make better food choices. It's been two years and in the world of bariatric surgery I'm still in the infant stage. As I go into year three I'm hoping that I can maintain the weight loss as my health really depends on it. In closing, I feel so much better than before my WLS. My health which was my main concern has gotten so much better. It's so much better that I decided to forgo collecting social security and wait until later as I feel that I will live much much longer. To all of you, good luck with your weight loss journey and most of all good health.

Money well spent

As one who went to restaurants 3-4 times a week post surgery I find myself feeling uncomfortable in them today. I don't go to restaurants that much but when I do this is my plan of action. Who ever I'm with I tell them to order two meals that they want. I take one and eat what I want or what I can of it. I then have the rest packed and the other person takes it home. I have my foods that I eat at home and I know that I won't eat the left overs. So as not to waste food I give them to my dining companion.

Good luck as for me I can't believe it will be two years when I had the same feelings you're going through. Exciting times ahead just remember, this is only a jump start to a wonderful and healthy life. It's you who determines if you will be successful.

A family member had WLS a month and a half ago. He as well as others (me included) stepped on the scale only to find a weight gain. Then when told not to step on the scale every day and weigh only weekly did he find his weight loss to return. In a nutshell, nothing to worry about and if weighing everyday STOP and weigh weekly.

That's one key factor most people miss completely, processed foods. I stopped eating processed foods right after my surgery. It has made a great difference in my initial weight loss and now my maintenance. As usual Fluffy has some great points in her post. By gaming the system or as the pros say, Eating Around Your Restriction you will not be successful and thus you will not get the long range health benefits. Seaweed and tofu are good but make no mistake, you will not be able to sustain such restrictive diet. Look at this forum and get receipt ideas. Research receipt ideas on line and try to go to support groups where there are people in the room who can assist you. Good luck and good health.

As an Asian American and bariatric patient who's family once owned a take out restaurant my advice is to, STAY AWAY FROM THE CHINESE FOOD. It is not healthy in the least bit. Between the fats, sodium and other flavor enhancers you are basically eating fast food. After WLS I have stayed away from fast foods. Unless you want just plain steamed chicken and veggies (skip the rice) there is nothing good to be had by eating Chinese take out food. Now is the time to reset your "food universe" get rid of the bad foods and introduce the healthy foods that will help with long term weight loss maintenance. Your over all health is improving and by working on mindful eating and making better choices that good health will stay with you for a long time. As NYjenn wrote.......... Good luck and good health.

I buy the Costco multi vitamin. Stacks up to all the rest and much cheaper.

Good Job so far and good luck on your surgery.

My story doesn't have to do with being pregnant after WLS it has to do with blessings in disguise. My son was six months old when my wife told me she was pregnant again. Wow, we were dirt poor and having another mouth to feed felt like a monumental task. My wife said we were going to have another baby. How could we mange? We already had a six month old and barely getting by. How could we make it with another baby?Well, our second child turned out to be a little girl and I have been in love with her for 40 years. I have been blessed with my two children and I thank my now ex wife for making that monumental decision all those many years ago. You'll know what's best for you and whatever decision you make I'm sure you'll be ok with it. Sometimes we get blessings in disguise. I know I did.

Slimfast, that is a blast from the past. I remember me and the guys at work using that stuff to lose weight in the 90's. It always worked at first then the weight always came back. I don't think there is a bariatric surgeon or nutritionist that has Slimfast on their post op menu.

I had the opposite problem constipation. As Orchids stressed be careful not to become dehydrated. Very difficult to hydrate three days post op as drinking liquids on a good day is not easy. A call to your surgeon wouldn't hurt.

Talking to a friend of mine who had WLS. (He is one of the few that knows about my WLS.) Since we haven't seen each other in awhile he suggested we meet to catch up on things. He suggested that since we both don't eat much we can meet at a diner and just get a bowl of soup. I asked him why he chose the diner to meet. He said that we used to go there all the time and that was usually the place we would meet. After WLS I'm trying my best to change my bad behaviors as it pertains to food. One of them is not going out to eat 3-4 times a week. I prefer to stick to a meal plan that allows me nourishment and has healthy choices. I told my friend that we are so hardwired to look at a food experience as a way to socialize. Couldn't we meet at a park on a nice day to chat? Is there any other place we can meet that does not involve food? I also don't eat processed foods and he doesn't either. I reminded him that the diner serves soup from a can it's not made in-house. So, it's a highly processed food that will do neither of us any good. In the end, we both realized that we have such a long way to go in order to deprogram ourselves of many years of thinking we need food to socialize. I understand that there will be times that we will need to be in a food to socialize setting such as weddings, birthday parties, etc. I don't think we two friends need it, not at this stage of our lives. We both needed WLS due to our compulsions to over eat. We eventually met up at a park. We both commented on how hard the bench has become since we had our weight loss.

It's a choice everyone makes for themselves there is no right or wrong here.I told a handful of people. Today, almost 21 months out those same few people are the only ones who know. My main reason for not telling everyone, I was afraid that I would lose the weight and regain it. I didn't want everyone to see that I failed at weight loss surgery. I had lost weight in the past only to go back to my old obsessions and regain it and then some. I really didn't know if I would be a long term success. Today, I struggle everyday to maintain the weight loss. I'm grateful for the surgery and the health benefits that I reap from the surgery. I've witnessed both the failures of those who didn't keep the weight off and more importantly those who are maintaining the weight loss. For me, losing the weight was the easy part, the surgery did it's job. Maintaining the weight loss is my job and as I said, it's a struggle each day. I take it one day at a time and if I'm successful today, then I build on that success the next day. If I fail by eating something that's not in my food plan, I regroup and redouble my efforts the next day. On day at a time.Those I have told have kept my "secret" and three have followed me by having WLS. Of the three one has told everyone that he had the surgery. As I said at the beginning of this response, It's a choice everyone makes for themselves there is no right or wrong here. Good luck and I wish you success and great health.

In addition to looking and (I'm speculating here )feeling good you seem to be maintaining the weight loss. Great job all around. Good luck on your continued success.

Green, I use the same method somewhat. Instead of a range I use 160lbs as my "Red Line" weight. If I go over 160lbs I reevaluate and push myself to drop below it. Pre WLS when I lost weight I would let a 2lb gain slide. That turned into a 4lb gain and before I knew it I was up 20lbs and I just gave up. I'm trying my best not to repeat the same mistakes of the past. Only time will tell if I am successful.

I use my fryer multiple times during the week. I cook mostly chicken and fish in it. I like that it's simple to use and a quick clean up. Here's a tip if you don't already know. There is a round parchment paper that has holes in it. It was originally made to be used in steamers.(bought on Amazon) Place one on the bottom of the fryer and spray oil on it (I use olive oil) it cuts down on cleaning.

I recently attended a fraternal organization dinner where I ran into a friend who I haven't seen in over 20 years. We were seated at the same table and a conversation soon ensued. It turns out that he had gastric sleeve surgery six months ago and has lost close to 90 pounds and needs another 30 to get to his ideal weight. He said at the rate he's going it shouldn't be a problem. I don't tell many people about my surgery and I didn't inform him. When I go to these types of affairs I eat my food at home as per my food plan and usually don't eat at the function. I do utilize a tip that I found here on the forum, I put some food on a plate and move it around as I have my conversations with the people at the table. It seems no one realizes I'm not actually eating. My friend seated next to me who had WLS was eating a good amount of food. Even if I was eating I could not eat the amount that he was and I'm post op close to 20 months. At dessert time he had a sample of a few desserts as well. As the night wore on I asked him about his WLS. He told me that it was the best thing he ever did. When asked about the amount of food he could eat he stated, " I don't deprive myself and I can eat anything and still lose weight." I told him that I heard that there was a "honeymoon" period where you lose a certain amount of weight and that's it. He told me that it was part true but as long as you watch what you eat and exercise portion control you can continue to lose weight. He said that most people who regain the weight deprive themselves and eat too much of whatever they want and that he eats what he wants but does not eat too much of it. I mentioned the desserts and he said that he eats a little bit of this and a little bit of that but he won't eat a whole cake like he used to. He said he's through with the yo yo dieting and that he plans never to be over weight again. One final question to him, where did he get all his advice and information from. He said his surgeons office works closely with each patient and gives them one on one training to be successful. What are other surgeons telling their patients? This guy looks to have been given a bad plan of action.