Matt Z

On the webpage, click the drop down next to your name in the upper right hand corner, select "Account Settings" then select "Signature". To change or add your surgical information (so you can go from pre-op to post-op) you click the drop down next to your name in the upper right hand corner, select "My Surgery" you can add/change info on that screen as well (that info goes under your name/image when you post.

I was told to stop as well, due to potential complications, including thinned blood. If you were told to stop, then stop. I wouldn't risk it personally... but you do what you have to do... I would just consult your surgeon/surgical team before doing anything that could jeopardize your surgery. Good luck!

That sucks that you can't tolerate meats... Have you asked your surgical team about it? Are you able to consume other protein heavy foods? Cottage cheese, yogurt, etc? How's your water consumption? Your tag block says you've lost 108 lbs since Dec 27 already, that's pretty epic! Things to factor in, when we get older and thinner the basal metabolic rate slows, meaning the baseline calorie requirement for someone to exist without any added exercise (ie if one slept in bed all day long) lowers. So we have to keep adjusting that calorie target or increasing exercise to combat the reduction in the basal. Also, muscle mass increases causes increases in daily caloric requirements, so weight lifting for mass can be helpful in fat reduction. Good Luck!

First and Foremost, no one is going to lose weight like someone else. We are all unique and our bodies will shed fat differently and at different rates. And it's important not to focus strictly on the weight number. There are plenty of days for me where my weight doesn't move or goes up, but my body fat decreases. Take the last 3 days, I hit 260, then climbed to 260.8 and today I'm still 260.8, BUT my body fat had decreased .2%. So if I was looking ONLY at weight, I'd more than likely be getting frustrated because I didn't appear to be making progress, even though the body fat reduction shows that I am indeed still losing. Now, yes, you need to eat, you **NEED** to be eating 6 times a day and should be getting a decent amount of calories (1200 I believe is the most common target area) You can add plenty calories and not carbs with ease... it's called protein. 1 oz of lean beef has 71 calories 1 oz of Salmon has 59 calories 1 oz of chicken breast has 47 calories 1 oz of egg has 44 calories Not really hard to add a few oz of meat or get some extra protein powder here and there throughout the day to up that calorie and protein count without adding a single carb. And water. Your body cannot process fat without enough water to do so, this is another reason why we are pushed so heavily towards water, because we need a certain amount to stay hydrated AND we need additional water so our body can use it to break down fat for use.

First and Foremost. You got this. Secondly, freak out... it's fine, everyone does in some way shape or form, even if they won't admit it. It's going to be a challenge, but, the best things comes from persevering from a challenge. You've got everyone here to lean on. My biggest advice, is don't focus *JUST* on weight. I don't know how often I gain a little but still drop body fat. Even today, I'm up .8 lbs from yesterday, but down .1% body fat. If we only see 1 tiny part of the puzzle, we can't even begin to understand the whole picture. Good Luck!

You need to take control. When you start thinking about food you need to stop the thought process ASAP, think about why you had the surgery in the first place. Ask yourself what's more important to you, your health or whatever food you are obsessing about. Obsessions need corrective cognitive adjustment in order to get past it, and only you can do that. Sure you can go see a shrink and they'll tell you what to do, but, in the end, only you can actually do what needs to be done. Clearly you don't like the behavior, and you are worried about what it's doing to your overall health, So, disrupt the thoughts as soon as they pop up. Me, I lived for food. It was how I was raised. Food, was, everything. I've gone out of my way to confront food and make the choice to no longer want it. It's not easy, but it does work. You just have to KEEP DOING IT. Eventually your thoughts about food will change, you just have to travel that path. Overall, you know what you really want. So, make it happen. You control you, not food.

So the alcohol and fatty meats aren't a great thing if you've got a fatty liver, but, more than likely you didn't cause enough damage/increase in those 2 occasions to cause any real issues with surgery. Most certainly stick to your liquids for the next 3 days and I'm sure things will be just fine. Just remember, afterwards for the best outcome, you should try to find other, non-food/alcohol methods for stress relief. Just stay focused, You got this!

If I had to guess... more than likely you'll be fine. Were you told you had a fatty liver or other issues going into the pre-sugical diet? Which surgery are you going in for?

Pea Protein is slightly higher in calories, just something to be aware of, also depending on what brand of protein you've been using, a different (potentially higher quality) brand of whey might help out.

If you weren't scared... I'd be curious if you were human! Good Luck! You got this!

I told/tell everyone. I get it's personal, but it's also YOUR journey so their opinions don't matter... so telling them isn't going to change that fact for me. I just knew that I'd be out for a long time, and people would question why I was out anyway. And when I came back, I'd be eating differently and looking differently, so the questions would arise then as well. For me, getting in front of it all helped allow me to control the narrative and prevent anyone that might try to spread rumors from doing so. Clearly it's an individual decision, I just wanted to take complete control over what was being said, so I just laid everything out on the table.

Weight is just 1 number, and should not be the sole metric in which you base your WLS journey on. You could be gaining weight and dropping body fat... odd, but it happens to me pretty much every other day. Have you tried to change out your protein to something different to see if that helps with the diarrhea?

So amazing and inspiring! Congrats!

You could do the "reset" (doing the pre-op diet again). Are you still paying attention to your intake? Are you working out beyond whatever you do in your normal day to day? As we lose weight and get older, our Basal Metabolic Rate (the amount of calories we burn just existing) drops, so what got you to lose those 70+ lbs, isn't quite going to cut it any longer. I'd say get back to focusing on what you SHOULD be eating and drinking, make sure you hit those protein and water requirements and start doing some exercise at least 60 mins a day! Count your intake, make sure you are expending more calories than you are consuming and you should start to see some progress again! Good luck! It's a long haul marathon with lots of surprises and set backs... but as long as you stay focused and get back up, you'll be just fine. You got this!

Thoughts... Sounds like you are doing the best thing for yourself. Advice, stick to your guns and good luck!

I was banded back in 2011, I wanted to revise to the sleeve, but was advised against it, I was revised to bypass on March 21st and I couldn't be happier!

You'll be fine. I cheated a bit on my pre-op. Plus, not all pre-ops are the same. There are lots of generic pre-ops, and those tuned to the patient. Mine was super generic, like, the nurse didn't even bother to check anything other than my BMI before prescribing me my pre-op diet. Just do your absolute best to stick to the diet and make sure those slip ups happen as little as possible. Avoid fats and alcohols and you should be doing just fine. Good Luck!

The ones I'm taking are 10,000 mcg, Natrol Biotin Fast Dissolve Tablets. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R80OXI0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm wondering if it's just me, but lately, I have these moments where I don't recognize myself as me. I've sidestepped to avoid someone I saw in my periphery only to realize it was myself in the mirror I was seeing. I've had times sitting around with friends where, I just don't recognize the body I'm looking at. I've taken photos of my holding something and it took a second to realize that was my hand. It's not a bad thing overall, just really really weird and I was curious if it was just me or if others were experiencing the same "not my body" moments.

A big factor that people miss is that as we get older and as we get thinner our Basal Metabolic Rate decreases, and we *NEED* To make sure we take that into account. As stated, if you are having issues, TRACK TRACK TRACK! If you are burning more than you are consuming then you WILL lose weight. As far as intake, everyone is going to be very different, but you still should focus on hitting your protein goal first before ANY other foods, and you still need to be consuming upwards of 128oz of water a day... can't lose fat if you don't have the water required for your body to process the fat. Now, you posted in the Bypass section, but your description says you are a lap band patient. Do you have the band or have you revised to the Bypass?

I tried something with my pre-op diet that worked out VERY well. I was allowed sugar free jello and watermelon on my diet. So, I took 1 cup of watermelon and liquefied it, boil the 1 cup of water required for the jello then add the jello and mix as instructed, but then rather than add in more water, add in that 1 cup of liquefied watermelon, then you can either set them up for popsicles or put them into plastic cups and freeze them. They create this awesome frozen, Italian ice style treats with no added sugars and minimum calories!

They sell chewable biotin as well, I take 1 of those a day.

So awesome! Congrats!

2 days post op... most places keep you in the hospital for 2 days post op (I had surgery on a Wed morning and didn't go home until Friday afternoon). I know my day 3 post op, it still really sucked, sure I could get up and walk a little, but I was VERY tired and really couldn't move much at all and things still hurt very much, I couldn't imagine getting up and down from sitting over and over let alone actually have to think and "be present", You are not allowed to pick up more than 10 lbs for several weeks typically. This sounds like a very bad idea overall, Have you discussed this with your surgical team? If you haven't, you REALLY REALLY REALLY need to.

Hey Sasa, I'm 5'9, currently 260. Down 50 lbs since my pre-surgical check in on March 2nd, I was revised from the Band to Bypass on March 21st. Good luck!