doobie31

Was traveling home yesterday and spent a few hours in the airport. Brought out the laptop to do some work. About a half hour into it I realized I was actually using my laptop on my LAP for the first time. I have a lap!!!

Had my surgery on June 21 and just had my six-month surgeversary. Everything has gone so smoothly. I didn't even realize it was 6 months until someone reminded me. Anyway - 6 months in and I'm down about 110 pounds (including the pre-surgery liquid diet). Here's a Before taken in April and an After taken a week ago (with the help of some shape wear, because extra skin is a real thing)...

Had Surgery on June 21. Lost a total of 88 lbs since pre-op (61 since surgery). It's been so much easier than I feared. No complications whatsoever. Everything is going great. But I've hit a plateau. I am at the same weight now that I was 3 weeks ago. Really the first plateau I've had. I've read enough to know they happen and it's not a reason to panic. I did have a 10 day vacation in there when I didn't track at all though I'm confident I ate well. But other than that and another short vacation, I've tracked every single day since surgery. So I'm not panicking. I know I'm eating right and the weight loss will return. And I'll be very happy when it does. Until then, I'm not panicking ... really, I'm not. Really. 😂

Only one month into this thing, but so many happy changes already. Decided to get out of the office during lunch today. Instead of feeling the back pain and just finding someplace to sit, I ended up wondering over to the mall across the street, getting in a few hundred steps and buying my wife a nice birthday present. All with zero back pain. I feel so free.

Incredible and inspirational.

My two week liquid pre-op liver shrinking diet was by far the hardest part of this process for me. Everyone hates it. It is terrible, no sugar coating it. But if you can get yourself through that, good times ahead. Good luck!

I was obsessed with watching restaurant food challenges during my pre-op liquid phase. Since surgery, I've grown addicted to watching cookie shows. The mind is a weird thing.

I'm in the soft food stage trying to make sure I get in my protein, so I tried this black bean spaghetti I found on Amazon. Note: It's black SOY beans, not regular black beans. But I'm really enjoying it. And 2oz is 25g of protein and only 19g of carbs.

What a fantastic idea!

2.5 weeks post-op. 3rd day on soft foods. So many people say they have no interest in eating anymore. I am not that person. Still look forward to every meal.

That chart is wonderful @acopas! Thanks for posting that. I'm not worried about it, but seeing that makes me feel even better. And my energy, strength, mood - all doing very, very well. This is just a part of the process.

I'm only 2 weeks post-op. I'm not supposed to be stalled already! I'm a daily weigher and have been 395 or 396 since last Saturday. It's actually not bothering me that much. I'm tracking, so I know I'm doing things right and this just happens. I've expected it, just not this soon. But I am ready for some more rapid weight loss. Waiting patiently.

Welcome to the 3 new June posters. How are things going so far?

The transition to soft foods today hasn't been as much fun as I expected. I've had breakfast and lunch, total 400 calories, plus 44 ounces of water and I'm full!!! I guess real food is a little more filling than purees. I rarely felt full during purees. But I did really enjoy the egg beaters and refried beans I've had today. Maybe tofu for dinner if I can handle it.

I was literally scared to eat my first meal. Just a cup of egg beaters with a little spaghetti sauce and parm (I'm a vegetarian). Ate very slowly, took me an hour to finish. But no issues at all and so happy to have real food and do some chewing!

Just had my two week post-op appointment. Doctor is very happy with everything. I've now been cleared for soft foods - yaaaaaaayyy! I thought I'd be on soft foods for 1-2 months, but doctor said do it for 2 weeks then I can move on to the final rest-of-my-life stage. Very happy with how things are going.

I'm only 2 weeks post-op, so what do I know ... but if the inches are coming off, sounds like you're still progressing. Do you ever measure your body fat %? If it's going down but the weight is staying the same, I'd think that means you're gaining muscle which is wonderful. While weight is the easiest thing to measure, ultimately less fat is a more important goal than fewer pounds, isn't it? All that said ... you mentioned the snacking. So you probably know what else is really going on.

Amazing transformation already!

I think I envy you, but I'm not sure. What a different life! Is your energy level still pretty decent with so little in you?

I feel very lucky to have gotten off to a good start. I know many people have not. But pretty much everyone eventually finds their footing and get things running smoothly. So hopefully you're not getting too down over things, they always get better.

Two weeks post op-today. Lost 39lbs since I started pre-op liquid. 14 pounds since surgery. TBH, my post-surgery weight loss is a little slower than expected, but that's probably because of the 25 I lost on the pre-op. I also gained 5 overnight in surgery (liquids) so had to lose that. So while I'm a tad disappointment, I'm not unhappy. I think it was unreasonable hopes given the circumstance. Overall, 39 lbs in a month. I am very, very happy.

I have another friend told the same thing. But she was much smaller than me, so I was wondering if that's why. Regardless - I would've killed for that. The pre-op was the hardest. On the upside - my dietician said instant mashed potatoes were fine for pre-op, so I'm enjoying the heck out of a really bad four cheese mashed potatoes with protein powder right now.

Last night I dreamt I woke up and mindlessly went to the kitchen and had a plate of white rice with ketchup. Wolfed it all down before I remembered I'm 13 days post-op still in the puree phase. I panicked having no idea if I should try to throw it up, is it going to make my stomach explode ... No idea what to do. And it was the 4th of July so I couldn't call anyone. When I woke up and realized it was a dream, I was very relieved and had a good laugh.

As you found out, I'm on purees. 200 cals from protein powder alone (50g). Then cream of wheat, soup, yogurt, pudding, peanut butter powder and food boredom making up the rest.

Exactly! I'll start feeling on top of the world, making moves I haven't made in years, then come crashing down. But no surprise on 500 calories a day. We'll both get there and be better than ever. I can't wait.