DadTo2

You look stunning! That is an inspiring accomplishment! Congratulations!

One piece of advice from me (I dropped 25 pounds before my surgery) is to use MyFitnessPal.com. It is (to me) the best way to keep track of what you eat, and how much you eat. I honestly did not realize how many calories and related items (carbs, Proteins, etc) I was taking in a day until I started recording everything I ate and drank. This one thing really was a huge help to me. Just to let you know, I did NOT do any fancy diet plans. I ate what I wanted to watching portions (portion control) and making sure I did not go over my calories. If you want to start having a support system, click the link in my signature. Once you're on it, try to stick to the calories it recommends. As you lose weight you will be asked to adjust your calorie intake. Another bit of advice: Exercise. I don't care if you simply take a stroll around the block or do what I did and build yourself up to walking 5 miles or biking 10 miles at a time. Simply start moving. This will help tremendously. You CAN do this, if you WANT to. I wanted to and did. Eric

Just remember the most important rule about having WLS (in my opinion): Everyone loses differently. Everyone loses at a different pace, men tend to lose faster than women (just ask my wife!) and everyone's journey is not the same! It is different. You've lost 58 pounds since your surgery (at 4 months out!) and you're down to 204! That is awesome! As for not losing for a couple of weeks, stalls are normal. My wife had a 3 week stall and then started losing again. Don't be hard on yourself, and don't compare how you're doing to others. Best advice I can give you at this moment. But you are doing great! Keep it up! Eric

Before I google it, sounds very much like LARP. I have several friends who participate in it (LARP) and i was in the SCA for over 20 years before dropping out. Much fun! Edited to say: Sounds really cool. I may have to check this out up here in my neighborhood.

Swordsmanship? The only people I ever knew who practiced that were Fencers or in the SCA. What's the story on swordsmanship?

It's still way too soon for me to get in resistance training, so for me it'll be biking or walking. I will be pushing myself this weekend to get in 8 miles on the bike in one instance, then try to maintain that for a while. I was sleeved a little over two weeks ago. If I walk, then I'll do my best to get back up to five miles a session.

Laura, I can tell you that the pain pump bag on the left side is something I had to deal with and take out when it was empty. It really was no big deal. Actually didn't hurt at all. My wife, who was sleeved a month before I was also had to do the pain pump bag and she took it out herself. Didn't hurt her either. That part should be fine for you. It actually is a lot more mental than physical. Now the drain on the right side? That's a much different story. They took that out of me before I left the hospital and I thank God for that! That was not a pleasant experience at all, but I lived through it! So can you! I can't really speak of the shots as I only had one that I am aware of in the stomach while I was awake, but I've had bee stings that hurt much more than that shot. You'll make it! Believe me and the others on here that you'll do fine and make it through this. You've already done the hard part: making the decision for a new and better life! Eric

That is amazingly awesome!!! Congratulations of everyone of them!

I was sleeved June 19th. Lost 25 pounds before the surgery and 35 pounds in the 16 days since my surgery. My personal goal is 180. Not sure what the doctor will say, but I am looking forward to being at that weight!

We have two girls, 9 and 13 and we told them the absolute truth. Mommy and Daddy were going to have the same surgery a month or so apart, so that we'd both have a better tool at losing weight and getting healthier and that we would be here longer for them. My oldest was fine with it, and my youngest was okay with it after a couple of days of reassuring that everything would be okay and that we showed her exactly what would happen and how long things would be.

You're not alone. I don't feel physical hunger either and I am two weeks post op today. What I am doing is to actually schedule my meals at times and then take my meals then. I usually do Breakfast between 7 and 8AM, lunch between 11:30 and 12:30 and then dinner around 5:30 to 6PM or so. Be sure you are getting in enough Protein. Everyone is different on this. Me personally, I am shooting for 70 to 90 grams of protein right now, and between 80 and 100 ounces of fluids while I am on my liquid phase (for another week, then on to mushies). I made the mistake of depriving my body this past Saturday and believe me I was tired, cranky and really run down. I won't make that mistake again.. Also, Welcome to the Forums and congrats on your new life!

For the first few days post op I had no problem getting liquids down. I was easily downing 8 ounces or more an hour. Now that I am exactly 2 weeks post op, I am easily up to 16 ounces at a time. I am logging between 8 to 10 eight ounce glasses of water a day and could probably drink more, but I am trying not to. I want to keep it at about 80 to 100 ounces a day for now.

I had the Caribbean Cooler flavor for breakfast and it was good. I'm still on liquids so I am mixing mine with cold water only right now. I still have other flavors to try as well. I'll post as to how those taste to me as I try them.

Today is the my first day back to work in the office since being sleeved two weeks ago and everyone says I look great and everything, but what one of the senior managers (the CTO actually) that I work with on a daily basis just said made the day perfect. He told me that he walked by earlier while I was talking to another co-worker and then walked by again, thinking to himself, "Who is this guy? New hire?" and after a third pass he stopped and walked up and finally recognized me! Not too bad of a Monday for me.