lollyfidy1965

I highly recommend reading the book "The End of Overeating". In it, the author details how the food manufacturing industry intentionally manipulates the content of sugar, fat, and salt, in order to make foods cause a chemical reaction in your brain that is identical to the reaction triggered by cocaine and heroine. If you're "craving" foods high in these, you are simply exhibiting the evidence of food having become (literally) your drug of choice. I became so furious, while reading this book, and that anger made it much easier to avoid those foods before and after my surgery. I'm 4 months post-op now, and have cleared all the junk from my system. It's very rare now that I give junky foods a second thought.
Be strong, and don't give in to the desire...it is simply your brain wanting that rush of chemicals. The longer you avoid it, the easier it will become!

I highly recommend reading the book "The End of Overeating". In it, the author details how the food manufacturing industry intentionally manipulates the content of sugar, fat, and salt, in order to make foods cause a chemical reaction in your brain that is identical to the reaction triggered by cocaine and heroine. If you're "craving" foods high in these, you are simply exhibiting the evidence of food having become (literally) your drug of choice. I became so furious, while reading this book, and that anger made it much easier to avoid those foods before and after my surgery. I'm 4 months post-op now, and have cleared all the junk from my system. It's very rare now that I give junky foods a second thought.
Be strong, and don't give in to the desire...it is simply your brain wanting that rush of chemicals. The longer you avoid it, the easier it will become!

180 is my "goal weight"... LOL I hope all goes well for you, throughout the entire process!

I highly recommend reading the book "The End of Overeating". In it, the author details how the food manufacturing industry intentionally manipulates the content of sugar, fat, and salt, in order to make foods cause a chemical reaction in your brain that is identical to the reaction triggered by cocaine and heroine. If you're "craving" foods high in these, you are simply exhibiting the evidence of food having become (literally) your drug of choice. I became so furious, while reading this book, and that anger made it much easier to avoid those foods before and after my surgery. I'm 4 months post-op now, and have cleared all the junk from my system. It's very rare now that I give junky foods a second thought.
Be strong, and don't give in to the desire...it is simply your brain wanting that rush of chemicals. The longer you avoid it, the easier it will become!

I highly recommend reading the book "The End of Overeating". In it, the author details how the food manufacturing industry intentionally manipulates the content of sugar, fat, and salt, in order to make foods cause a chemical reaction in your brain that is identical to the reaction triggered by cocaine and heroine. If you're "craving" foods high in these, you are simply exhibiting the evidence of food having become (literally) your drug of choice. I became so furious, while reading this book, and that anger made it much easier to avoid those foods before and after my surgery. I'm 4 months post-op now, and have cleared all the junk from my system. It's very rare now that I give junky foods a second thought.
Be strong, and don't give in to the desire...it is simply your brain wanting that rush of chemicals. The longer you avoid it, the easier it will become!

I highly recommend reading the book "The End of Overeating". In it, the author details how the food manufacturing industry intentionally manipulates the content of sugar, fat, and salt, in order to make foods cause a chemical reaction in your brain that is identical to the reaction triggered by cocaine and heroine. If you're "craving" foods high in these, you are simply exhibiting the evidence of food having become (literally) your drug of choice. I became so furious, while reading this book, and that anger made it much easier to avoid those foods before and after my surgery. I'm 4 months post-op now, and have cleared all the junk from my system. It's very rare now that I give junky foods a second thought.
Be strong, and don't give in to the desire...it is simply your brain wanting that rush of chemicals. The longer you avoid it, the easier it will become!

It depends on the size of pants. You have a larger range of weight variability in a size 26 than you have in a size 16, so you'll have to lose more weight to get into a 24 than you will into a 14. It took a loss of nearly 75 pounds for me to drop from a 26 to a 22. Once I got into 20's I only had to lose about 12-15 pounds to get into 18's comfortably. Don't despair!!! Keep working hard, and the results will come!!

Pasta, bread, potato, and rice are specifically not allowed by my plan through the first six months post-op. After that, they are strongly discouraged...because they're simple starches, and not particularly good food choices (and for many of us play a large role in why we ended up needing surgery in the first place). Ask your nutritionist....my bet is they'll tell you to avoid them, and to focus on Protein, rather than carbs.
Best of luck

Pasta, bread, potato, and rice are specifically not allowed by my plan through the first six months post-op. After that, they are strongly discouraged...because they're simple starches, and not particularly good food choices (and for many of us play a large role in why we ended up needing surgery in the first place). Ask your nutritionist....my bet is they'll tell you to avoid them, and to focus on Protein, rather than carbs.
Best of luck

NO
The first 6months or so is when you will lose the fastest but you continue loosing as long as you continue eating properly and exercising.

Let me preface this by saying that I have 1 true friend that has been there for me right or wrong & through thick an thin. The people I am talking about here are our more casual "friends".
I am finding that since my lifestyle has changed so dramatically that the people I use to hang out with aren't so appealing anymore. I am not interested in being one of the first people to review the new resturant. And when I talk about wanting to go rock climbing they look at me like I have 2 heads.
Finding new friends that have similar interests is my newest venture. I'm not trying to get rid of my old friends, but, let's be honest. I really don't have much in common with them any more.
I want so much more out of life now. I simply cand afford to to spend a lot of time with people whose high point for the week is a pizza and a 12pack. I'm not canceling them as friends, but I really do want/need more.
Has anybody else found this to be true?

... is you can stop in the middle of the road, eat a snack, make a phone call, take a break, take a picture and there's no one around to see you other than the cows.
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Very surgeon-dependent. My surgeon strongly recommends all medications be liquid, chewable, crushable, etc for at least the first year....and always, preferably. Anything "gummy" is supposed to be avoided altogether. (If you don't understand why, put a Gummy bear in a glass of Water, and watch what happens to it!)

I've decided that I'm not ever going to call them "stalls" again. From now on they are to be known as "Adjustment Periods"....because that is, essentially, what they are. We lose weight so quickly, and then our bodies need a bit of time to adjust to the new reality of things. During my "Adjustment Periods" I typically lose inches...which I don't do while I'm in a rapid weight loss phase. In the end its all good....lose weight, lose inches....get healthy!!
All the best,
Laura

I've decided that I'm not ever going to call them "stalls" again. From now on they are to be known as "Adjustment Periods"....because that is, essentially, what they are. We lose weight so quickly, and then our bodies need a bit of time to adjust to the new reality of things. During my "Adjustment Periods" I typically lose inches...which I don't do while I'm in a rapid weight loss phase. In the end its all good....lose weight, lose inches....get healthy!!
All the best,
Laura

I've decided that I'm not ever going to call them "stalls" again. From now on they are to be known as "Adjustment Periods"....because that is, essentially, what they are. We lose weight so quickly, and then our bodies need a bit of time to adjust to the new reality of things. During my "Adjustment Periods" I typically lose inches...which I don't do while I'm in a rapid weight loss phase. In the end its all good....lose weight, lose inches....get healthy!!
All the best,
Laura

When I had my surgery, on June 19th, I was in a snug 26 jeans, and 5X top.
Today I'm in a fabulous 18 jeans, and XL top...with some Large tops fitting, as well!

Just as a side thought....when better to learn to deal with the reality of food being around you than before your surgery?? Like all the other behavior changes we were encouraged to make prior to surgery (eating with tiny utensils, using small plates/bowls, taking tiny bites and chewing the living daylights out of them, putting our fork/spoon down between bites, limiting sugars and increasing Protein, etc etc), living with the sights and smells of food is going to continue...for the rest of our lives. The earlier you learn to live in harmony with them, the easier your life will be, when you REALLY can't indulge in the foods that go along with them! You might consider reading "The End of Overeating"....a great book that will make you think twice about what your co-workers are eating. It really helped me come to terms with my own reaction to commercials, smells, etc...because what I was seeing/smelling became almost revolting to me!

After a nearly two week long stall, I'm finally losing again!
Down to 248 today! 13 pounds to go!

After years of having to buy adjustable necklace chains, I am now able to wear an 18" chain!! My neck has gone from 18" to 15" since June 26th!! Now...if I could just get the scale to show something less than 251!!!!! ;-P

I will be 3 months post-op on Tuesday, and have lost 51 pounds (hopefully 52 pounds by Tuesday!).
More significantly than the weight loss, all indications of my being pre-diabetic have disappeared!! I'm thrilled with the results of my surgery!!
Laura

After years of having to buy adjustable necklace chains, I am now able to wear an 18" chain!! My neck has gone from 18" to 15" since June 26th!! Now...if I could just get the scale to show something less than 251!!!!! ;-P

For what its worth, I sent an email to "Alex" voicing my opinion.....that I don't know what happened, but that Gustavo was one of the "sane and serious" people using this site, and that he's missed by his "friends". Crazy.

For what its worth, I sent an email to "Alex" voicing my opinion.....that I don't know what happened, but that Gustavo was one of the "sane and serious" people using this site, and that he's missed by his "friends". Crazy.

For what its worth, I sent an email to "Alex" voicing my opinion.....that I don't know what happened, but that Gustavo was one of the "sane and serious" people using this site, and that he's missed by his "friends". Crazy.