billho

I didn't drink coffee for a while but after a few months, I started a daily routine of getting a large cup, where about 2/3 can be filled up with my Keurig coffee and the rest of the room I pour in my Premier Protein shake. The Cafe Latte flavor is perfect, but sometimes I mix it up with chocolate or vanilla. It takes me a while to finish it and that's all the coffee I drink in a day. The rest of the day, I usually drink Gatorade Zero.

My surgery was on 9/21. Starting weight was 284, lost 38 before surgery, now 204, so 80 lbs down. I haven't been this light for over 20 years. I have been working on the last 10 for two months, but it is slowly coming off. I do a lot of walking/jogging (average about 11,000 steps a day) and I try to break it up into one long one each day, with 5 more short ones spread over the rest of the day. I haven't done any weight lifting, but I know I need to. I eat mostly what I want, and focus on high protein/low carbs, but much lower portion sizes than I used to. I need to work on snacking, which I do too much of. My life has changed with my new size- I learned how to ride a motorcycle and got my license. Also, I joined my local volunteer fire department and am going through some training. I also can do so many things with ease now that used to be very difficult.

sorry for derailing this thread, but when I took that picture, I didn't realize how wrinkly my head was. I have loose skin everywhere, including I guess the top of my head.

This is me, 4 months postop... but I was bald before surgery.

actually, I forgot something- they give you a $55 credit to get a fitness tracker, whether or not you choose the Apple program. So they end up paying you $32 if you do the required walking. Not a bad deal. Of course, if you can't do the program, you have to pay back the money plus the service charge, so you'll need to make sure that you can do it.

My dog has learned that every time I get out food, there is a good chance that I will give her some. But, lately, I have been trying to focus on getting out the right amount, so the last two dinners, she has been disappointed.

I have been stalled for over a month. I got below 210 back around Thanksgiving (206.8) after I got COVID, but as soon as I started feeling better, I popped back to about 212 and have hovered between 208 and 210 ever since. Well, finally after a long month, I am finally down to 205. After three days in a row of lower numbers, I feel like the stall is broken and "onederland" is right around the corner.

We have four great kids now, but along the way, there were three miscarriages (miscarriage 1 > kid 1 > Kid 2 > miscarriage 2 > miscarriage 3 > kid 3 > 5 years later *surprise kid 4). Nobody seems to talk about them until you go through it yourself and it is more common than you realize. It was really hard on my wife and I wish had been able to show the loss and grieve better with her. I was the stoic and strong one and that was exactly what she didn't need. I think it would have been much better for her and our relationship if I was able to show more emotion while we were going through it. Those were really tough years.

Contrats! it's a big milestone and I can't wait to get there myself. I hit a stall at 210 and have been stuck here a month but I know it will be here eventually if I keep working.

Like others have said, you're probably safer going into the hospital than almost anywhere you may go. Everything is sterile and the likelihood of catching something is super rare. Now, if you go to Walmart or the grocery store...

my class got canceled last weekend after the instructor wasn't feeling well. Fortunately, they were able to squeeze me into the class this coming weekend. So, delayed by one week. I did, however, go to the local college stadium parking lot on Saturday and practiced some basic riding and got the feel for it. I never got over 35 mph, but it was fun and I didn't hurt myself.

The hardest thing I have had to learn is to only get out what I can eat and that it's OK to stop when I'm full. My dog has been enjoying this time because she knows that it is a good chance she'll get to eat half my meal every time I get out food.

Yeah, I had COVID a few weeks ago and the one side benefit is that I dropped 6 lbs while I was sick. But, now that I'm feeling better, I have put every one of those back on, which is super frustrating. I am acknowledging that I have been eating whatever I want, too many carbs, and not exercising, so I know what I need to do. It was just nice to see the scale going down every day without trying. Now I have to put in the work...

I have been wanting to learn to ride for many years. I have an old Honda 250 that was my father-in-law's that my 18-year-old son rides, but I didn't want to get on it when I was heavy. Now that I'm a bit smaller, I am taking the Motorcycle Safety Course this weekend and will get my license endorsement. I'm looking forward to finally doing this.

not sure if these count as low carb/low fat, but their sugar content is low. I like the Costco Kirkland protein bars. They have several flavors, but my favorite is the brownie/cookie dough box. They are more expensive if you buy them online, but a little bit cheaper in the store. The ones I have in my house right now are a few different flavors of Pure Protein bars. Here is one of the labels:

Before my surgery, I was really good about measuring everything and only eating what was allowed. But since my surgery in September, I just get my food (high protein, low carbs) in a portion that I think I can eat, but I eat slowly, and as soon as I get that uncomfortable feeling, I stop and give my plate to my dog🐕. She has learned that she'll get fed something good every time I eat, so she stays right by my side waiting for it What I end up actually eating is a fraction of what I used to eat, and still about half of what I think I can eat now. I think the most important thing that I can do is to train myself to put my fork down when I am full and not feel obligated to clean my plate.

I had COVID last week and all I could eat without getting sick to my stomach were carbs. I managed to drink one protein shake and one protein bar every day, but anytime I tried to eat something normal with meat or a vegetable, I could eat maybe a bite or two before I felt sick. I did manage to keep down some crackers and a few chips or some things I wouldn't otherwise want to eat. Fortunately, the total quantity was still pretty low and I still lost weight (actually dropped 5 lbs last week). I'm trying not to stress about it, but I certainly don't want this to be a habit when my appetite returns to normal.

Yeah, I'm cold all the time. Maybe it is the 77 lbs of blubber I used to carry around that is gone now. The other thing is that my butt hurts from sitting too much. I have no padding there anymore and I have to get up and move more often. I had to add a cushion to my office chair.

When I started this journey back in the summer, based on recommendations here and other places, I got the RENPHO smart scale. I'm very happy with it so far. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083S5W3PD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm resurrecting this thread- I was wondering about this and a quick search shows you guys have had this discussion before. I have been wearing size 11ee, but lately, my feet seem to slide around a bit in my shoes. I went back to a pair that was normal width and they seem to fit better. For years, I was a 10 1/2 D and I am wondering if I'll go back to that. I think I still have some in my closet.

I weigh every morning. I have a Renpho scale and I like to see the trend lines, even if it goes up and down a little between lows. I've noticed a pattern that right after I hit a new low, it bounces up a half pound or so for a few days until I settle back to the lower number.

I lost 18 pounds in my first month. Sounds like you're right on track.

I didn't tell my work anything. I took 4 vacation days and didn't offer any other details. I was super tired for a few weeks, but was able to hide it since I'm working from home until travel is opened back up. The good thing is that I was already starting to increase my exercise program and focusing on diet before my procedure, so now that I have lost weight (and it is now obvious on zoom calls), I don't think anybody suspects anything. I'm not going to hide it if anybody asks point-blank, but I don't feel it is information that I need to broadcast.

I think the key point is this is a one-time thing and if I make a habit of it, I'm going to be right back where I started.

That happened to me last week. I am usually very strict about my diet, but last Friday night, I got a bag of tortilla chips and ate way too many over a few hours and felt like crap afterward. I weighed the next morning, expecting to see the number be a few lbs. higher, but lo and behold, I dropped like 3 lbs. Go figure.