COsleeveDude

Since surgery on July 17th I've went from a Big and Tall men's 48 inch waist to a regular 40 inch waist. From Levi's 559's (relaxed straight) to 505's (regular straight). Which is nice not only because it's a smaller, slimmer size, but also because big and tall clothes cost more than regular clothes.

I've had regular pizza and Pasta a few times, starting around week 6. Just eat what you can handle and limit your intake. And don't eat it too often. There are always ways to make Italian healthier: leaner meats, more vegetables, low-carb//vegetable pasta, whole-wheat crust, half/low-fat cheese, etc. Good luck.

Sorry for your loss. I would suggest you plan time to stop, get out of the car and walk around for 5-10 minutes every couple of hours. That will help with any discomfort and reduce the risk of any potential post-surgical blood clots. You will probably have some noticeable weight loss by then, anywhere from 5-20+ lbs, depending. But, maybe not enough to have to field a ton of inquiries about what you've been doing if you don't feel like it.

After doing my research I never really considered the other options. If I couldn't have had the sleeve I would not have had weight loss surgery. To me, the sleeve is the best mix of benefit-risk. For most, less complications and malnutrition than RNY, and no risk of anything slipping or eroding like with the band. The only real leap you have to make with the sleeve is that it's not reversible because a large chunk of your stomach is gone forever. But I don't think anyone would ever go back to normal upon reversing the other surgeries. Good luck with your decision.

Human flesh..but, you know, only in a pinch.

Single in Colorado here. Although I would say that's by choice, not because of my rapidly fading fatness. I actually like women with some curves.

If you can fall out of love, you can fall in love again. My guess is most of us will face challenges again down the road. It took me several tries in my 20s of trying to quit smoking to finally be fully successful and kick it forever. I don't think success is impossible, I think PERFECTION is impossible. And when we think perfection is the goal then we risk ruining the whole thing over a few mistakes. If we get used to making and managing imperfect decisions as part of the path to success, that one bump wont be a sinkhole. But, just my opine. We should all check back in 2-3 years and see who is wrong. And then make them cry.

Just wanted to make a few comments about "fear" of food and healthy eating. I am one of those people who believes that guidance is advice, and mileage varies. That having been said, there is a difference between eating healthy and trying to be "perfect." And I think a lot of people, after weight loss surgery, are striving to be perfect, both physically and mentally. But, as we all know, life is not perfect, not an all or nothing proposition. After we have surgery we tend to think that our new life is somehow meant to be a reboot leading toward doing away with all the old joys associated with food, as if food is the enemy. Do you not fear your most formidable foe? The one that tried to ruin your former life? I won't let that happen to me, and so I decide based on guidance what is right for me. But there is a flaw in this logic, in that learning is experiential, and after the sleeve the food experience is different. If you don't know your new enemy as well as you knew your old enemy, you're gonna lose. I do believe that if you don't learn to eat more like a "normal" person long-term, you will probably fail. Because if you can't accept the fact that imperfection is part of daily life, then you will continue to live with an all-or-nothing attitude about things that lead to weight gain: food, exercise, having a "perfect" body, and so on. Life is about f**king up and getting back on the horse. It is okay to f**k up occasionally, but it is not okay to f**k up consistently. It is okay to gain some weight, but it is not okay to gain back too much weight. It is okay to eat a cheeseburger once a week, but it is not okay to eat a cheeseburger every day. It is okay to skip one day of working out, but not two. The sleeve is meant to help us increase self-control while we learn not to eat as much. That's it. And so, after some of the sleeve effects wear off, we're gonna choke when faced with real life situations if we don't learn to eat unhealthy food in moderation.

You might still be able to have beer. I have some occasionally, I just don't have more than one and I have to drink it slow.

Yeah, it's a reasonable goal. I weighed 337 in April and dropped almost 40 before surgery. Now I'm down to 260-ish, lost 40 since surgery, I expect I'll drop another 30-40 before it levels off. My suggestion would be to lose 15+ lbs before surgery. Shoot for at least 1-2 lbs a week by working out, cutting out sugar and caffeine and reducing your carbs and overall calories. You'll be glad you did, because by the time surgery rolls around you'll be well on your way to your goal. And your recovery will be much smoother if you get in shape and lose some weight before surgery. Here's what I always think: If I hadn't lost the 38 lbs before my surgery, I would weigh 300 now instead of 260. BIG difference. Give yourself that head start if you can. Good luck.

Get some banana-flavored Protein Powder to mix with your other Protein drink flavors:http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2549705 I mix the more expensive version of that protein with chocolate protein. It improves the taste, increases the variety anyway.

Digital is better for recording the readings. Here's an old thread with a link to what I use: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/48802-i-need-a-scale

Sorry to hear that. He can only sabotage it if you let him know it bothers you. Don't.

I'm single, too. Not stopping me. There's a fine line between celibacy and sanity.

There are a lot of opinions on protein. Whey is "better," IMO, but here's my abbreviated take on protein sources: Chicken and egg whites should be your primary sources from food. Throw in some red meat, fish, seafood and related a couple of times a week for the iron, fish oils, etc. Soy if fine, but limit intake because it can mimic estrogen. For supplements, try and find a good whey power protein that consists of high quality 100% whey protein isolates. If you're into working out, add a slow-digesting casein protein drink before and/or after bed to help keep your body from using your muscle as food.

Not to overplay the amateur psychologist here, but my experience with guy friends is that short guys and really thin guys seem to have more issues with self-esteem and confidence than guys of more average height and weight. Maybe even moreso than fat guys in some ways, because being thin and/or short isn't considered "macho." It's also hard for really thin guys to gain weight, maybe even harder than for fat guys to lose weight. And it's impossible to get taller.

I don't know about for women, but for guys it definitely gets better. "Bigger" penis, more stamina, increased sex drive.

Try some liquid vitamins for a few weeks until you can start trying regular vitamins.

My take is there's an overzealous bias against carbs. There's a big different between low-carb and how far some people will go toward eliminating carbs. I've found in my pre and post-surgery weight loss that I lose much faster and feel better when I have some carbs. I tend to cycle them, meaning I'm not afraid to eat them when my body tells me I need some. I try and stick with things like whole grain breads and brown rice, but I've had white Pasta and white bread here and there. Different things work for different people. So I say, especially if one "stalls," try adding some bread and see what happens. Can't hurt as long as you don't eat too much too fast.

I workout 5-6 days per week: 3 days of heavy weight training with 1-2 days of rest in between lifting days with modified Olympic lifts at the core: hang cleans, push-presses, squats. 5-6 days of cardio: 20-30 minutes after weight training, 30-45 on off days. I do either elliptical machine or walking/running intervals (sprinting then slowing down until I get some of my breath back, basically), and heavy bag/boxing/jump rope 1-2 days. I also throw in some rowing occasionally.

The Kaiser Denver, Colorado area class is only eight weeks long. Weird how it's different in different places huh?

You might wanna show your math on that one. If 200 is your ideal, for example, you need to basically divide it in half before multiplying. Ex: 200/2.2 = ~90.9 x 1.5 = ~136 grams/day

Congrats. I had pre-hypertension. My blood pressure has now been within a few points of "perfect" at all of my post-op visits. It's nice to see positive, quantifiable medical effects that aren't just numbers on a scale.

Face, neck and inside the abdomen were the first I noticed. Then it started to show up everywhere.

It's funny how subjective taste can be. I really haven't found a Protein drink or bar so objectionable that I couldn't finish it, but some are definitely much better than others. Muscle Milk being the prime disgusting example I can think of. Nice thing about the Isopure Carb Free is you can mix it with Crystal Light and drink it over the course of the day. A nice break from the thicker chocolate and vanilla Proteins.