Tony B - NJ

I stopped using mine about 3 months after surgery and have not touched it since. After losing significant weight, you may not need it at all. I obviously would check with your doctor, but it is not uncommon.

you look fantastic

I had my surgery because of a little girl. My granddaughter has had such an impact on my life that I did not want to be limited in any way in the way that I interact with her and I wanted to make sure I was around when she grew and became a young woman. She was 4 when I made the decision and the last year with her has been exceptional and now, having lost over 100 pounds I know I am going to be able to continue being active flying kites, riding bikes, running around, crawling around playing on the floor etc, etc.

Go to Poshmark.com. You can buy slightly worn clothing for pennies on the dollar for some really good designer names. As a man, I have bought Polo, J Crew, Banana Republic, Zegna etc. After I grow out of them I sell them to someone else on the app and buy something new. It is a really good way to have really nice clothing that even if you could not resell them, you pay so little that it is worth it. You can make offers on things to get them for prices you can afford. Many times they accept much lower prices.

You have to stay strong and stick to the program. If you cheat at this stage, when you can eat, you will be cheating then and losing the effectiveness. Try taking some different foods and puree them so you can eat. At this point you should be able to puree any vegetable, eat pea soup, puree some tuna or chicken etc. I was eating foods like this at this point without a problem. How about tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup etc, etc. There are many options that can keep you satisfied. You can also get some protein powder that is unflavored and mix them into these things previously mentioned.

Everyone pretty much nailed it here. It is gas...some get relief from heating pads, others get relief from moving. I walked a lot in the first week or so and it really helped with that for me.

I could not do the shakes much more than a few months. I went to other forms of protein like the Unjury chicken soup which is 20 grams in a glass of warm water. Much easier to deal with the taste. I also like the protein bars that have low calories..there are a couple out there. Be careful of the keto bars though, they have higher calories. The brands I use have between 130 and 140 calories which is right about where most shakes are. The unjury is only 90 calories or so.

I think you will be fine....only the first day or so is an issue for the physical part of things. After that, if you need help or advice, that is what we are all here for. We have gone through it and can ease your concerns or tell you how we got through various things like stalls, vomiting, bloating, constipation etc, etc as well as understand all the Non Scale victories you will inevitably come across.

First of many, many stalls you will see over the next year or so. It is a process...trust the process and you will be fine.

On the right track seeing a psychiatrist. Looks like you need another distractions outside of baseball. I am a huge sports fan as well and I know the feeling when your team lets you down. Since my surgery I am really into bicycle riding which helps with my anxiety and gets my head in the right space, not to mention makes me trimmer and in better shape all around.

Just stick with it. Eat what you can and try again in a couple hours to get in what you need for nutrition reasons. This gets better, it really does.

good luck.

I rarely eat enough to get to my restriction. A 4 ounce can of tuna does not get me there but any more than that and it will hurt and be uncomfortable. Just eat what your teams tells you to eat, no more and no less. You will develop habits that are way more important than the physical restriction. Again, I rarely if ever reach the restriction. It is working for me since I have lost over 100 pounds and my BMI is almost in the normal range now.

Not too sound like a broken record, but Built bars are what I use when I need to have something with me to get a little nutrition and protein. I am particularly fond of the salted caramel and the coconut. At 140 calories and 17 grams of protein, they work very well in my diet.

Just don't give the stalls any thought at all. I stressed through them and drove myself crazy since my surgery exactly one year ago today. I managed to lose over 110 pounds. I am currently in a two month stall and it is not bothering me...I am sticking to my routine, getting my protein and water, doing my exercise and it will eventually pass. Or maybe my body is at the weight it intends to be at...which is fine. But you will being losing again if you are not at target, just make sure you are sticking to your calorie, water, protein and exercise plan.

You look amazing!

I drink coffee all day every day and have since the month after I had surgery. It has not had any negative impact on me and I am not going to stop drinking coffee. I have complied with everything I was told to do but cutting out coffee is a bridge too far in my mind.

One items that I tried and still use that kills two birds with one stone is Oikos Pro Yogurt. It has 20 grams of protein so you get a shot of protein along with the puree type meal. I still use these for breakfast nearly every day.

I have been stalled for a couple months now. I lost 113 pounds and coming up on a year. I am trying everything...increased exercise, increase protein, more water, less water.....maybe I am just at my new setpoint.

Got a new one yesterday. I had lunch with a former coworker who I have not seen in years. He told me how I looked good and all then said that he noticed I was not constantly hiking up my pants like I had done nearly constantly in the past. I had not really given it much thought but it is true. Now that I have no belly to push down my pants I have no urgency to keep hiking them up. I did not realize how noticeable it must have been.

I went from a 3X shirt to a medium slim fit and I still feel like I am a fat guy. I have lost 110 pounds and am my lightest weight since high school (179). I am getting a little less paranoid about my weight and when people tell me I lost half of me, it helps me realize that I am not longer that guy. It gets better.

Interesting. I am not going to give in though. I am still going to try to have ice cream from time to time because I just like a guilty pleasure every now and then. I will beat the dumping. I will just start with smaller portions and go until I know where the point is where it bothers me. Thanks.

Good luck. You will not regret it as long as you do what you are told to do and MOVE as much as possible. Walk as much as you can and you will see the pounds fall off. Surgery alone can make you lose weight but you have to develop a lifelong commitment of exercise and eating right while you have the surgery tool to get you rolling in the right direction.

I don't know if it is dumping, but I get sick after eating ice cream about half the time to the point where I do not want to eat it at all. About 10 minutes after eating it I get light headed, dizzy and the cold sweats. I usually end up vomiting it up

None of this is a really big deal. Poppy seeds are not going to cause you any major issues or discomforts. I ate food with poppy seeds in it right from the beginning. I didn't even know it was an issue. I would not even give it a second thought and would have some more right now.