eazye

Bawse52, you are so right, noticed "the return" as well.... I was 185 when I started college in '97 so i am not far removed and remember what SHOULD be there but wasn't at 317! I guess Elvis had not left the building after all!

Funny you say that, I experienced the same thing on vacation amonth ago. I thought I was eating a ton, and eating poorly, basically because there was so much BAD food available in the vacation house, but when I returned, I had actually lost a pound or two over the week.
I just posted about this earlier today, when I find myself eating more, I think I am actually getting the right amount of calories because I can actually increase my weight loss with the right foods despite the added intake. As you mentioned, smaller and more frequent meals through the day.... I think we all may be a little guilty of, at first, not eating enough to continue weight loss effectively. I know I am guilty of just getting about 900 calories a day which slows my losses. But I ramp up to about 1200 calories a day, which feels like I am pigging out because I am constantly eating something (healthy), I begin to lose more weight.

So I am not big on the little victories as much as I am at getting to my goal, but as of late, I am struggling to find clothes that fit and I am spending a TON on clothes so I can continue to go to work on a daily basis. That sucks but is also a great sign of success so far.
I actually just purchased a couple dress shirts from Men's warehouse in XL slim fit cut and they actually fit the way they are supposed to! And, jeans I just bought a month and a half ago have been retired and I just picked up 2 pairs of 36" waist, straight leg (not loose) jeans that fit very well. I have not been in a comfortable 36" waist pair of jeans since probably 1998.
I also went out with some buddies the other night and ran into some friends I had not seen in about 4-5 months and they didnt recognize me.
All this combined is a great confidence booster becasue there are times when I look and still see the fat kid in the mirror. Granted, at 208, I am still not "skinny" but it sure beats 317!

I have had success with a bottle of Water with Mio flavoring. Yeah, it is not crunchy but if I ge a whole bottle of water down and it tastes like something else other than plain water, I am not adding extra calories but still getting something that tastes good. I know that option is not for everyone but it does help me. Also, I keep my stationary bike in the living room and will ride it at night, generally after 8 or 9pm. This has helped keep my mind preoccupied as well as adding extra aerobic activity to my daily routine. Now, I cant ride the bike multiple consecutive days because I ride it on a very difficult level and on a hill program so I get jelly legs after 2 straight days of riding. But, regardless, try replacing the food grazing with something healthy that keeps your mind preoccupied. It sounds like you are bored at night and food used to be your time filler prior to surgery.

So I need to clarify that it is not 84 lbs since surgery, it is 35 before the 2 week pre-op Optifast diet, 20 lbs in the two weeks of Optifast, and then 29 in the 6 weeks since the surgery. Either way it is 84 lbs since the end of Feb/beginning of March. I feel great and am about 45-50 lbs from goal at this point, 185 was my HS athletics and military weight (6 ft tall). I keep thinking to myself that I took the easy way out becaue I have worked my butt off in the past to lose weight, and always have, just could never keep it off. Now I am losing with only basic gym time and I never feel hungry.
Although I am only down 4 inches on my jeans, it is deceiving becasue I have always had big muscular legs that carry a lot or weight in them so I tended to be much heavier than I looked. In fact, my family was floored when I was up to 317 at one point, they all thought I was around 250.
Anyway, it is nice to shop for normal clothes instead of being forced to wear the limited options of a 40+ inch waist. Not sure if any of you experienced this but my clothes went from possibly being too small but not looking terrible, to not fitting at all. I dont feel I had a period in there where the stuff fit me correclty.
The little NSVs are awesome, shopping for "normal" clothes, people noticing and actually willing to say something because it is noticable, the complete lack of desire to eat the wrong foods, and the amazing amount of energy I experience now. I am looking forward to participating in the obstacle course 5k races (Warrior Dash, Run For Your Lives, etc....) that my wife has started doing but I am going to be very cautious on that since I have a twice torn ACL (a big contributor to the sedentary life that led me to 317 lbs). I am just excited by the fact that I WANT to do these things. I have that desire now, it is awesome!
No pics yet, just never think to take them, but I will get some in here soon.

So I need to clarify that it is not 84 lbs since surgery, it is 35 before the 2 week pre-op Optifast diet, 20 lbs in the two weeks of Optifast, and then 29 in the 6 weeks since the surgery. Either way it is 84 lbs since the end of Feb/beginning of March. I feel great and am about 45-50 lbs from goal at this point, 185 was my HS athletics and military weight (6 ft tall). I keep thinking to myself that I took the easy way out becaue I have worked my butt off in the past to lose weight, and always have, just could never keep it off. Now I am losing with only basic gym time and I never feel hungry.
Although I am only down 4 inches on my jeans, it is deceiving becasue I have always had big muscular legs that carry a lot or weight in them so I tended to be much heavier than I looked. In fact, my family was floored when I was up to 317 at one point, they all thought I was around 250.
Anyway, it is nice to shop for normal clothes instead of being forced to wear the limited options of a 40+ inch waist. Not sure if any of you experienced this but my clothes went from possibly being too small but not looking terrible, to not fitting at all. I dont feel I had a period in there where the stuff fit me correclty.
The little NSVs are awesome, shopping for "normal" clothes, people noticing and actually willing to say something because it is noticable, the complete lack of desire to eat the wrong foods, and the amazing amount of energy I experience now. I am looking forward to participating in the obstacle course 5k races (Warrior Dash, Run For Your Lives, etc....) that my wife has started doing but I am going to be very cautious on that since I have a twice torn ACL (a big contributor to the sedentary life that led me to 317 lbs). I am just excited by the fact that I WANT to do these things. I have that desire now, it is awesome!
No pics yet, just never think to take them, but I will get some in here soon.

Neilsleeve, nail on the head my friend, nail on the head! I feel the exact same way and am approacing the "diet" thing the exact same way. If I want it, I eat it...just WAY LESS! I am 2 months out, eat just about anything I want when I want it. If I am craving something, I will take a bite or two, it satisfies me, then stop eating it because I am not hungry for it anymore. Did I take in 20-30 extra calories, probably....is it going to hurt me, absolutely not, in fact, I will burn off 20 times that when I ride my bike or go play with my daughter, or go do something physical that I couldn't do previously. It is all about using your head, staying diciplined, and living your life, not deprivation. I am not going to spend my life being terrified of food!

Neilsleeve, my doc and nutritionist both said that you need to void the Water before hand because it fills you up and you will not get enough food in you to get proper nutritian. Drinking immediately after will then push the food out too soon. So, what you posted above is exactly what my medical people told me. I dont generally drink while eating unless, like you mentioned, the food is dry and needs a little liquid to help it go down, or if I am sipping a jack and diet coke. I think they dont want you downing a 20oz bottle of water while chowing on a hamburger. Sometimes in the medical profession they need to spell things out for people because, inevitably, people do dumb things. I dont think what you are doing, if kept in moderation, is hurting a thing.

So I need to clarify that it is not 84 lbs since surgery, it is 35 before the 2 week pre-op Optifast diet, 20 lbs in the two weeks of Optifast, and then 29 in the 6 weeks since the surgery. Either way it is 84 lbs since the end of Feb/beginning of March. I feel great and am about 45-50 lbs from goal at this point, 185 was my HS athletics and military weight (6 ft tall). I keep thinking to myself that I took the easy way out becaue I have worked my butt off in the past to lose weight, and always have, just could never keep it off. Now I am losing with only basic gym time and I never feel hungry.
Although I am only down 4 inches on my jeans, it is deceiving becasue I have always had big muscular legs that carry a lot or weight in them so I tended to be much heavier than I looked. In fact, my family was floored when I was up to 317 at one point, they all thought I was around 250.
Anyway, it is nice to shop for normal clothes instead of being forced to wear the limited options of a 40+ inch waist. Not sure if any of you experienced this but my clothes went from possibly being too small but not looking terrible, to not fitting at all. I dont feel I had a period in there where the stuff fit me correclty.
The little NSVs are awesome, shopping for "normal" clothes, people noticing and actually willing to say something because it is noticable, the complete lack of desire to eat the wrong foods, and the amazing amount of energy I experience now. I am looking forward to participating in the obstacle course 5k races (Warrior Dash, Run For Your Lives, etc....) that my wife has started doing but I am going to be very cautious on that since I have a twice torn ACL (a big contributor to the sedentary life that led me to 317 lbs). I am just excited by the fact that I WANT to do these things. I have that desire now, it is awesome!
No pics yet, just never think to take them, but I will get some in here soon.

So I need to clarify that it is not 84 lbs since surgery, it is 35 before the 2 week pre-op Optifast diet, 20 lbs in the two weeks of Optifast, and then 29 in the 6 weeks since the surgery. Either way it is 84 lbs since the end of Feb/beginning of March. I feel great and am about 45-50 lbs from goal at this point, 185 was my HS athletics and military weight (6 ft tall). I keep thinking to myself that I took the easy way out becaue I have worked my butt off in the past to lose weight, and always have, just could never keep it off. Now I am losing with only basic gym time and I never feel hungry.
Although I am only down 4 inches on my jeans, it is deceiving becasue I have always had big muscular legs that carry a lot or weight in them so I tended to be much heavier than I looked. In fact, my family was floored when I was up to 317 at one point, they all thought I was around 250.
Anyway, it is nice to shop for normal clothes instead of being forced to wear the limited options of a 40+ inch waist. Not sure if any of you experienced this but my clothes went from possibly being too small but not looking terrible, to not fitting at all. I dont feel I had a period in there where the stuff fit me correclty.
The little NSVs are awesome, shopping for "normal" clothes, people noticing and actually willing to say something because it is noticable, the complete lack of desire to eat the wrong foods, and the amazing amount of energy I experience now. I am looking forward to participating in the obstacle course 5k races (Warrior Dash, Run For Your Lives, etc....) that my wife has started doing but I am going to be very cautious on that since I have a twice torn ACL (a big contributor to the sedentary life that led me to 317 lbs). I am just excited by the fact that I WANT to do these things. I have that desire now, it is awesome!
No pics yet, just never think to take them, but I will get some in here soon.

Oh, hit the 100 lbs lost mark as of this morning! Woohoo, about 30 lbs to goal!
I forgot, to mention Janette, I have a stationary bike that I ride hard for about 30 min about 4-5 days a week. I ride a hill program at a higher resistance level so it gives me a mix of effort. Once spring gets here, I am getting a bike and will start mountain biking to tow path riding and will start participating in the Warrior Dash/Run For Ya Lives type of obstacle course runs that my friends do. That is, if my torn ACL will hold up to it.....

This little girl right here....

So I need to clarify that it is not 84 lbs since surgery, it is 35 before the 2 week pre-op Optifast diet, 20 lbs in the two weeks of Optifast, and then 29 in the 6 weeks since the surgery. Either way it is 84 lbs since the end of Feb/beginning of March. I feel great and am about 45-50 lbs from goal at this point, 185 was my HS athletics and military weight (6 ft tall). I keep thinking to myself that I took the easy way out becaue I have worked my butt off in the past to lose weight, and always have, just could never keep it off. Now I am losing with only basic gym time and I never feel hungry.
Although I am only down 4 inches on my jeans, it is deceiving becasue I have always had big muscular legs that carry a lot or weight in them so I tended to be much heavier than I looked. In fact, my family was floored when I was up to 317 at one point, they all thought I was around 250.
Anyway, it is nice to shop for normal clothes instead of being forced to wear the limited options of a 40+ inch waist. Not sure if any of you experienced this but my clothes went from possibly being too small but not looking terrible, to not fitting at all. I dont feel I had a period in there where the stuff fit me correclty.
The little NSVs are awesome, shopping for "normal" clothes, people noticing and actually willing to say something because it is noticable, the complete lack of desire to eat the wrong foods, and the amazing amount of energy I experience now. I am looking forward to participating in the obstacle course 5k races (Warrior Dash, Run For Your Lives, etc....) that my wife has started doing but I am going to be very cautious on that since I have a twice torn ACL (a big contributor to the sedentary life that led me to 317 lbs). I am just excited by the fact that I WANT to do these things. I have that desire now, it is awesome!
No pics yet, just never think to take them, but I will get some in here soon.

I am now about 11-12 weeks out and I am down 98 lbs. So far so good, I keep having lots of mini stalls where I dont lose for about 4-5 days and then I lose 2-3 lbs over a 2 day period. Despite the slowing of weight loss, I am very happy with the results being 2 lbs from that triple digit loss and only a little over 30 lbs to go until goal. I am hoping to be at goal of 185 before X-mas which makes it right around the 5 month post-surgery mark. I think it is going to take a lot of dedication to exercise to get there because the diet is a habit now and is easy to sustain. We will see.... So far, besides my wife and daughter, this is the best thing I have ever done for myself!

I am now about 11-12 weeks out and I am down 98 lbs. So far so good, I keep having lots of mini stalls where I dont lose for about 4-5 days and then I lose 2-3 lbs over a 2 day period. Despite the slowing of weight loss, I am very happy with the results being 2 lbs from that triple digit loss and only a little over 30 lbs to go until goal. I am hoping to be at goal of 185 before X-mas which makes it right around the 5 month post-surgery mark. I think it is going to take a lot of dedication to exercise to get there because the diet is a habit now and is easy to sustain. We will see.... So far, besides my wife and daughter, this is the best thing I have ever done for myself!

Neilsleeve, nail on the head my friend, nail on the head! I feel the exact same way and am approacing the "diet" thing the exact same way. If I want it, I eat it...just WAY LESS! I am 2 months out, eat just about anything I want when I want it. If I am craving something, I will take a bite or two, it satisfies me, then stop eating it because I am not hungry for it anymore. Did I take in 20-30 extra calories, probably....is it going to hurt me, absolutely not, in fact, I will burn off 20 times that when I ride my bike or go play with my daughter, or go do something physical that I couldn't do previously. It is all about using your head, staying diciplined, and living your life, not deprivation. I am not going to spend my life being terrified of food!

This little girl right here....

Neilsleeve, nail on the head my friend, nail on the head! I feel the exact same way and am approacing the "diet" thing the exact same way. If I want it, I eat it...just WAY LESS! I am 2 months out, eat just about anything I want when I want it. If I am craving something, I will take a bite or two, it satisfies me, then stop eating it because I am not hungry for it anymore. Did I take in 20-30 extra calories, probably....is it going to hurt me, absolutely not, in fact, I will burn off 20 times that when I ride my bike or go play with my daughter, or go do something physical that I couldn't do previously. It is all about using your head, staying diciplined, and living your life, not deprivation. I am not going to spend my life being terrified of food!

Neilsleeve, nail on the head my friend, nail on the head! I feel the exact same way and am approacing the "diet" thing the exact same way. If I want it, I eat it...just WAY LESS! I am 2 months out, eat just about anything I want when I want it. If I am craving something, I will take a bite or two, it satisfies me, then stop eating it because I am not hungry for it anymore. Did I take in 20-30 extra calories, probably....is it going to hurt me, absolutely not, in fact, I will burn off 20 times that when I ride my bike or go play with my daughter, or go do something physical that I couldn't do previously. It is all about using your head, staying diciplined, and living your life, not deprivation. I am not going to spend my life being terrified of food!

Neilsleeve, nail on the head my friend, nail on the head! I feel the exact same way and am approacing the "diet" thing the exact same way. If I want it, I eat it...just WAY LESS! I am 2 months out, eat just about anything I want when I want it. If I am craving something, I will take a bite or two, it satisfies me, then stop eating it because I am not hungry for it anymore. Did I take in 20-30 extra calories, probably....is it going to hurt me, absolutely not, in fact, I will burn off 20 times that when I ride my bike or go play with my daughter, or go do something physical that I couldn't do previously. It is all about using your head, staying diciplined, and living your life, not deprivation. I am not going to spend my life being terrified of food!

Neilsleeve, nail on the head my friend, nail on the head! I feel the exact same way and am approacing the "diet" thing the exact same way. If I want it, I eat it...just WAY LESS! I am 2 months out, eat just about anything I want when I want it. If I am craving something, I will take a bite or two, it satisfies me, then stop eating it because I am not hungry for it anymore. Did I take in 20-30 extra calories, probably....is it going to hurt me, absolutely not, in fact, I will burn off 20 times that when I ride my bike or go play with my daughter, or go do something physical that I couldn't do previously. It is all about using your head, staying diciplined, and living your life, not deprivation. I am not going to spend my life being terrified of food!

Neilsleeve, nail on the head my friend, nail on the head! I feel the exact same way and am approacing the "diet" thing the exact same way. If I want it, I eat it...just WAY LESS! I am 2 months out, eat just about anything I want when I want it. If I am craving something, I will take a bite or two, it satisfies me, then stop eating it because I am not hungry for it anymore. Did I take in 20-30 extra calories, probably....is it going to hurt me, absolutely not, in fact, I will burn off 20 times that when I ride my bike or go play with my daughter, or go do something physical that I couldn't do previously. It is all about using your head, staying diciplined, and living your life, not deprivation. I am not going to spend my life being terrified of food!

I should follow up my post with saying that I still get my Protein in, minimum of 65-75 grams per day, so after that is when I may fit in that special something that I just have a craving for but can't really eat much of. Getting in your Protein will prevent you from wanting the junk food. Just dont substitute that pan of brownies in instead of that chicken breast! That is not what my point was and dont think neilsleeve was getting at that either. Point is eat right but dont be afraid to treat yourself in moderation if you can tolerate it.
One of my favorite junk foods is ice cream but over the past 2 weeks, I discovered I can't tolerate it and was sick for a few hours the 2 times I tried it. Tried it once and felt bad, tried it again just to verify it was the ice cream and not something else...sure enough, same results even in moderation. I guess I will hang up the ice cream indulgence for now. Boooooooooooo!

Neilsleeve, nail on the head my friend, nail on the head! I feel the exact same way and am approacing the "diet" thing the exact same way. If I want it, I eat it...just WAY LESS! I am 2 months out, eat just about anything I want when I want it. If I am craving something, I will take a bite or two, it satisfies me, then stop eating it because I am not hungry for it anymore. Did I take in 20-30 extra calories, probably....is it going to hurt me, absolutely not, in fact, I will burn off 20 times that when I ride my bike or go play with my daughter, or go do something physical that I couldn't do previously. It is all about using your head, staying diciplined, and living your life, not deprivation. I am not going to spend my life being terrified of food!

Malisima69, I know what you are feeling as I felt the same, as many above have mentioned. But, if you are dedicated and you are diciplined as it sounds you are prepared to be, you will not fail the surgery. I, just like you had a few months to prepare and I took every word the doctor and nutritionist said to heart and listened to them! And, I am getting the results to prove it with 95 lbs lost and I am 2 months into my surgery. I lost 50 from March to July and then 45 since the end of July when I had surgery. I am 40 lbs from goal and feel great.
Now, there were times I felt like I was failing because, as I have always done, I weigh myself daily, usually 2x a day (morning and night). I will go a week at a time with no weight loss and then 5 lbs drops off over 2 days. This is how I have been the entire time. Initially, I lost 10 lbs in the first week after surgery then went 2 weeks w/o losing a pount. I felt like I was going to be the failure you fear, but that broke and I started losing again. I lost 20 in the first month, and then 20 in the second month, and now another 5 in the past week. Like I said, nothing for about 4-5 days, then 5 lbs drops over 2 days. Then another stall for 4-5 days and then another 5 lbs off. It goes in spurts for me and can be a little frustrating at times. But, I am measuring it based on how my clothing is fitting me, how I look in the mirror, and how I feel. Even when the lbs are not coming off, my clothes continue to fit looser and looser so I know I am losing inches. It is a mystery to me as to where it is going if I am not losing weight other than to attribute it to muscle gain through extra physical activity (walking and biking)....but I dont care as long as I look and feel better. If I stay at 220 lbs and my waist gets smaller and my legs get smaller and I look and feel better, so be it!
Trust that it will work and do your part to help it work and you will have great success with it. You can't fail if you do your part to make it work for you. I can attest to this as I went on vacation 2 weeks ago and knew for sure I would gain a little back as I was not careful as to what I ate or how often I ate. I did find that I just couldnt eat to excess and came home from the beach with a 2 lbs weight loss. AMAZING difference from past experiences with vacation.
TRUST IT! TRUST IT! TRUST IT!!!!! DO YOUR PART AND IT WILL WORK!