Creekimp13

I eat normally now, and I love it. 1200 calories a day. I'm never hungry. My energy is awesome. But you know...there's a big difference between eating "normally" and eating the way we used to. I used to think it was "normal" to drink a 2 liter of Pepsi over the course of a day, and have...ya know....5 or 6 slices of bread in a day (what's a few PB and J sandwiches?)...maybe some fried chicken...and dessert? Booyah! Bring it on...big servings and seconds, please. And pass the Doritos, dammit....TV means snacks! Yeah, no. What I used to perceive as normal...and what I now realize is normal....are two very different things. My advice...(take it or leave it)... Really figure out what normal is gonna look like for you long term. Do some research. Talk to your nutritionist. Create a new healthy normal. Be very careful of extremes and extremist thinking. Eating the crazy number of calories I used to eat...ain't normal. But eating starvation level calories long term isn't normal either. (I realize for many folks this is a necessary step in the process) Avoid extremes and work toward sane moderation. "Normal" isn't that far away:)

One reason I refuse to do a carb restricted diet....is that I know I can't do it for a lifetime....I feel like crap without carbs. If I do keto? I know myself enough to know that eventually I'll fall off that wagon. I have adjusted to healthy carbs, though, and have even learned to love them:) We all have some things that we know are our Achilles heels. I don't want to give my Achilles heel leverage in my life anymore. All the habits I'm building right now...I'm building on the basis of....this is a lifetime change. This is a diet I can love for a lifetime. This is a diet I will never feel deprived on while I'm eating it. It's hard to build your forever diet. But I'm hopeful. I'm tired of diet fatigue...where I push, push, push, until I break....because of my unrealistic expectations. I'm tired of deprivation until goal...it doesn't work. You starve yourself until hit goal and you go....Finally, I can EAT! And then you screw yourself. It's crazy. This time around I'm going slow and steady, I'm keeping my expectations sane, and letting myself enjoy every meal, every little victory, every stall. LOL:) For the first time, I really feel like I'm going to succeed for a lifetime. Because I am so done with that diet yoyo ****. f**k that. I love my forever diet. it makes me feel strong, happy, and like success....is inevitable. Even if it takes a while.

Ketchup does have sugar...and eliminating carbs is the way you shrink your liver. So it's really important not to eat carbs during the presurg diet. That said....if you're eating a very small amount of ketchup...say, under 25 calories worth...I think you'll probably be ok. But yeah....pre op diet...means very very very few (read almost no) carbs.

I was freaking starving. Could have gnawed my own leg off by one week after surgery on just protien drinks and clears. Crazy hunger didn't go away until around three weeks post op when I started eating about 1000 calories per day. Since then? I've felt terrific. Have been maintaining and losing well on 1000-1200 calories a day. Will stay here for the first 18 months, or until goal...when I'll start figuring out maintenance. 25 pounds to go! Woot!

When you think about your anxiety about surgery....try to flip it in your mindset...to instead focus your anxiety on obesity related conditions you are more predisposed to suffer by remaining obese. That way....you can feel relieved you're doing something to prevent them. I know that sounds a little bizarre....but it worked for me. Why be scared of a surgery with extremely low mortality that you've prepared for, had tests to ensure your safety, etc.... When you should really be a LOT more afraid of remaining heavy and carrying much more risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. Be afraid of the more likely threat.

No, but if your A1c hasn't come down a bit....your doctor will wonder if you've been following your diet, or if your liver is shrinking. Best plan: Follow your diet strictly...and your A1c will look better than last time...and your doctor will be happy.

Call your surgeon's office. Ask if you can take a little xanax on the way to the hospital. (obviously not if you're the one driving. LOL) My doc let patients take a little xanax. I'm usually a nervous nelly about medical procedures, but I surprised myself and didn't need "courage in pill form" . You might surprise yourself, too. Truthfully? Having that xanax in my purse and knowing that I *could* take it....was almost as good as taking it. Placebo is good medicine sometimes. Plus...you know...I have a xanax for the next time I fly. LOL. Win, win.

Woot! Great work!

To be considered a success, patients have lost 50% of their excess weight in 24 months. Having "weight loss failure" is defined by losing less than 25% of your excess weight in 24 months. We're not talking reaching goal weight. We're not talking percentage of starting weight. We're talking....percent of EXCESS weight. Say you're a 250 pound person who has 100 pounds to lose. If you reach 200 pounds, you're in the success category. Say you're a 400 pound person who has 220 pounds to lose. If you reach 290 pounds, you're in the success category.

Sadly, it's actually about 11%. 24 months after RNY, about one in ten people have failed to lose weight. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25591162 This is why taking behavior modification very seriously is so important.

Congrats!

Another vote for Smooth Move tea. Works great. But you don't want to overuse it.

Your concerns are universal. And yes, many if not most of us really struggle to lose weight.

Many many many people who are successful were obese kids. Most of us probably have an endocrine element to why we're fat. Most of us have genetic fat cards in play, too. But All of us...undeniably....have terrible eating habits. (or have had them) Ultimately, the surgery is just a tool that helps when we finally decide to step up and take responsibility for our behavior. Unless you are committed to changing your eating habits and lifestyle habits....no, surgery will not help you. yes, a lot of us have genetic handicaps in this game....for some people it's just flat out easier than others. Younger people are going to have it easier than people going through menopause. People with health and mobility issues are going to have it tougher than healthier fat people. But the only factor that will guarantee failure....is not taking responsibility for your eating behavior. Everything else...you can overcome.

I had good luck with melatonin.

The boobs are the first to leave. LOL:)

Just make sure you're staying hydrated. So much flu going around! Please take care of yourself and feel better soon!

On the advice of my team, I've eaten 1000 calories a day since 3 weeks out. These days I eat between 1000 and 1200, but typically closer to 1200. I feel God awful eating under 1000 calories a day, and refuse to do that to myself. Also...there's research that suggests that after weight loss surgery, people on very restricted calorie diets will lose weight faster, but people eating 1000-1200 will lose just as much weight by 18 months...AND....at three years post-op will have less regain than their super-restrictive diet peers. The idea is that super restrictive diets after surgery create a lower metabolic set point, and that you need more calories to create the hot burning metabolism you want to carry you for a lifetime (or at least a metabolic set point conducive to coping with a normal caloric intake). I'm part of a research study with a major research hospital that is investigating this issue further. I walk 5-6 mils a day, and get a variety of 3 pretty stiff cardio work out each week. I feel better than I have since I was 20. I can run up flights of steps again. My energy is crazy good. PS...I also eat a ton of unrefined carbs:) Beans, Whole grains, Fruits.. Mayo Clinic Diet. Lotta ways up this mountain:)

It's all based on weight. No way to tell ya without your stats.

Matty, maybe you should check to make sure you're not running a fever. Are fluids staying down ok?

I've tried a dozen different kinds...I like PP the best. Dont know what to tell ya. LOL. They're all kinda awful. At least PP caramel in coffee tastes great:)

Nice!

Elliptical is one of my favorites, too:) Hubby got me one for my birthday last year and I use it regularly:)

https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/kidneystones_prevent

Meant to say it's a lot "harder" these days to get that heart rate up. Which is really cool cause it means I'm achieving a little more heart fitness....but tough because I have to work so much harder than I used to get get my cardio minutes, more bursts, more push, faster, longer...more sweating and panting. LOL. My resting heart rate used to be in the high 70's, low 80's. These days, I'm in the high to mid 50's most days:) Has been really cool to watch that number come down.