Brent701

I did manage to lose 7lbs the first week and I didnt do anything drastic. For me the key to it all is sustainability. I am contemplating going back on the unjury protein shakes to atleast have on hand. I really liked them and they were effective meal replacements.

thanks for the encouragement. My post op weight loss experience was too easy. The weight fell off and I had no interest in food for around a year. My plan to get back on track is to cut out the last things I reintroduced. I fully expect it to be much more difficult this time from the physical aspect but I dont have the same mental attachment to food that I did so the mental side should be easy.

I am a little over 3 years post op now. The past year I put no effort in to maintain or monitor and only this week got back on the scale for the first time and the results are what you would expect. I gained back 40lbs. The biggest difference in year 2 vs year 3 is the return of hunger. The sleeve prevents me from overeating at meals but it will not stop grazing and if you eat calorie dense highly processed foods you will not get restriction. This is a frustrating setback and I have no one to blame but myself. The honeymoon doesnt last forever and when it does wear off you will have a battle if you did not form good habits.

Protein fills me up. I dont have many carbs with meals usually those are for snacks. Favorite exercise is trail hiking.

I dont separate eating and drinking, that really only lasted for me the first 3-4 months. I drink about as much as I used to which isnt very often but its rarely ever beer as it really fills me up. Alcohol still hits fairly quickly when I do drink. Portion sizes stabilized at around 12 months and has remained the same. As a whole I feel I have made sustainable changes for the long term and largely retrained my brain on portion sizing.

This week is my 2 year anniversary. I am at 255lbs now which is down 110lbs from where I started my journey. Off my dead lows which was 243 but very stable 250-257 area. The 2nd year was very different from the first year. My portion sizing has stabilized. I generally eat what I want with the very firm reminder every time I forget about my surgery. I still get the most restriction from proteins and snacks offer little to no restriction. I never made it to my initial goal weight wise but my quality of life dramatically improved. I am able to move around and do things I wasnt before. I bought an ATV just before the pandemic hit and that kept me very busy last year when the world shut down. I cant imagine riding at my old weight. My current goal remains to exercise more while maintaining my eating regimen. Exercising is seasonal for me more likely to do it in the spring/ early summer and fall than I am during hottest parts of summer and winter when its cold but thats just me. Unfortunately I did stop updating the weight chart spreadsheet I was using but I do get on the scale but its more like 2x a month at most now and thats just to make sure I am on track. I will check this thread for a few days so feel free to ask me anything.

There are some fantastic people on this thread that have helped so many people along their journey including me when I was still visiting the site daily last year. There is the a right way and a wrong way and Mikey let the response you got here prove that this is not the right way.

To Mikey’s credit he has been consistent with his attitude for a year now. Always a bit self centered and very matter a fact. Very much his way is right yours is wrong. A bit of a narcissist. He went from an awkward fat man to a confident skinny man. Outside of the WLS community this behavior is called being a d**k.

Mike has anyone ever said that you resemble Gus Hansen the poker player!?

This has to be a troll ego boost post.

I did my initial consult with plastic surgeon in mid Feb. Going to try to get insurance to deem it medically necessary because of the rashes being caused with the loose skin. My goal is to be at goal weight once I go in for the procedure and coming out of it I will be a good amount below it.

I chart my progress in a spreadsheet. For me it helps to visualize the rate of loss better. Weight fell off for the first 6 months without me even having to try I lost right at 100lbs. The next 7 months I have lost an additional 18 lbs and am now just 18 lbs from the goal weight. Expect the rate of loss to slow down as you lose weight as your body becomes more efficient. Its all about the amount of deficit you are putting your body into. When you are 120lbs overweight its easier to create that deficit compared to only 20lbs overweight. Its not realistic to expect the rate of change to remain constant. You have to work harder and harder to lose at a constant rate the closer you approach your goal. So either work that much harder or be prepared to take the small losses and inch toward the goal. I hope this perspective helps.

wow Mikey this is really impressive. You are unrecognizable! You were a skinny man trapped in a big man's body! I hope to join you soon at goal weight.

For once I agree with Mikey! These are deep rooted issues that still need work. Stick to the plan and avoid self sabotage.

Jake you keep outdoing yourself. I am so proud and happy for you! You just plain outworked everyone for your results.