starfish108

Hi All!
It's been one year since surgery. I am a slow loser but have lost about 60 lbs so far. It's been an amazing journey and I am so happy with this decision; the best decision I have ever made in my life. I have learned a lot about myself in this process and also what is working for me and what is not. Definitely the first 6 months are very critical and one should really stick to the eating plans and exercise plans.

I am learning about my vices and my emotional eating habits. The addiction to food can be overwhelming. Now I have found that the human tastebuds take a few days to get accustomed to a taste. When I cut out the process foods and junk foods, the first few days are hard. But then it’s easier to stop and the cravings reduce. It’s amazing how we as humans adapt. Now that I am eating less and healthier, weight is just coming off and I am not craving. I had a bad patch around Christmas time when I was eating SO much. I couldn’t control it. But Then I started slowly changing my habits, and then it became easier. One thing really helped me: fasting.

The 5:2 method of intermittent fasting has been a life saver. I do at least one full day of fasting per week. This has been the single most helpful thing for me. One doesn’t need to eat a lot to survive. All the evidence out there about fasting is amazing and true. Watch the BBC documentary: chocolate, cheese, meat, and Sugar -- Physically Addictive
Fat Sick and Nearly Dead Sugar the Bitter Truth Metabolism and Nutrition: The Inside Story of Obesity So far so good guys! I am thankful to this forum as a support. Looking forward to year two!!

I am also about 6 months out and have lost about 40 lbs since surgery. Seems slow, but I am happy with the gradual loss actually. I had a RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) test done and found that for my body, the amount of calories I would burn in a day is 1260. This is quite low, even the doc said some people are just made that way. Anyways, not a justification, but good to know that sometimes you're battling nature too.
I am doing well, I avg about 900 cal a day and I exercise regularly. I must admit I am totally not eating healthy. I just eat what I want, but much less. Snacking has been an issue, but I still lose 1-2 lbs a week. Anyways, Hope it continues. I am sooo happy with this surgery and would NEVER want to go back to the way I was.

Hi There,

What does stress do to you? For me stress would always cause me to eat. And I would eat all the wrong things, but at that time I found it comforting. That was in the past. I have been tested with stress over and over the past few weeks. I have learned that I now deal with stress in a different way. food is not my source of comfort. I tend to want to exercise, and my exercise is walking. It is amazing how walking makes me feel so much better, and dealing with the stress is easier. I have walked EVERYDAY for the last 8 months--never missing a day--I used to walk 4 to 5 days a week. In Sept 2012 I challenged myself to walk everyday for a month. It just became a habit, and now I am still walking. I am sure there are many of you out there that have your own ways of dealing with stress.

After having sleeve surgery with Dr. Aceves in 2008, my life has change 100% for me. It seems like we as society do everything around food. We have Holiday’s, and it always involves food, we go out with friends and it is always involves food. Sometimes we tend to give food to our kids to make them happy too—food seems to be the answer for everything in the world we live in! I just want you to know that all of these things can be managed, and you can learn to deal with being around food. You have to make a permanent lifestyle change. That change means eating healthy foods, eating small amounts of food. I suggest that if you are going to any social event or meeting with friends, try to plan ahead. If you have some idea of the food that is going to be there, that is helpful. You can also offer to bring something—make it a healthy snack or food that you can eat. Introduce other people to good healthy foods that taste yummy too! Yes, I have a desert now and then, but only a small amount of it. I never feel deprived.
So if it is stress or a Holiday, these events all very doable. The best way to deal with them, is to make a plan. You can eat before you go, bring things to where you are going that are healthy and taste good. It is amazing once people figure out that you can eat healthy, and the food can taste great too, it solves so many issues in life. It takes time to learn to deal with these things, but I am always here to help you and support you and to cheer you on to become successful in your weight loss journey.

Don’t let fear paralyze you. We are all out here to help and support you. I had some wonderful people help me when I was having a difficult time. I laugh now because if anyone would have told me that a nice long walk would feel better than food when I was stressed out, I would have thought they were crazy! It works for me. What do you do about stress and attending social events that involve food?

If you are sitting out there trying to make up your mind about have Weight Loss Surgery, it is the only thing that has ever worked for me. I lost 105 pounds and have kept it off. NEVER ever give up on your dreams to lose the weight you want to lose and become a whole new person that is happy and healthy!

When I upped my calories from 500 to now at least 800-900 I started loosing weight. I wonder if its a metabolism thing, you need to find your optimal zone. Try different foods, mix it up a bit.
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10 lbs in 2.5 weeks ?!! Psssh that is rapid weight loss !! Good job !!!!! My surgeon says to go for 2 lbs a weeks so I think you are doing great !

Thanks for your honesty! I am also extremely out of shape and need to start up the same thing. I am one week out at present, but time is going by....

Hey Guys! I decided to crest a YouTube channel to document my journey! Comment and subscribe ! I love this community this far. You guys are GREAT!!!
Check out this video on YouTube:

Sugarfree Popsicles for sure
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Thanks for your tips. Tofurkey slices are a good idea.
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Hi TES,
Thanks for your post. I am on day 8 post op and am also a vegetarian. I have taken off 2 weeks from work and I see why it's needed. Like you say, I don't have total mental focus just yet. I am still struggling with abdominal pain and am taking Lortab liquid just at night, otherwise getting out of bed and movin is very painful.
After leaving the hospital we are on Stage 2 of the diet, which is purée and soft foods. I admit getting Protein has been hard. I like all your veggie suggestions though. I usually have a shake (which counts as 2 meals) and then 2oz Soup with a laughing cow wedge, maybe 2 tbs Greek yogurt, and maybe 2 tbs soft Indian kitcheri (like Dahl n rice). Legumes and Beans also count as Protein but if your still being careful to only consume liquid maybe you can purée them. Protein is a challenge, but I am doing my best. I haven't heard about its being related to rapid hair loss if you don't have enough the first two weeks. The other thing I am gonna try soon is getting egg whites and making a soft scramble.
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Great article! Not only is ghrelin, the appetite stiumulating hormone, off-the-charts in some of us, the food industry is modifying "foods" to be addictive. Check out this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/food-addiction-could-it-e_b_764863.html
Processed foods and sugary foods are biologically engineered to be as addicting as hard drugs. No wonder it's hard. It's a combination of scientific factors that got some of us to the place we are at.
Not as simple as "diet and exercise" ....

Great article! Not only is ghrelin, the appetite stiumulating hormone, off-the-charts in some of us, the food industry is modifying "foods" to be addictive. Check out this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/food-addiction-could-it-e_b_764863.html
Processed foods and sugary foods are biologically engineered to be as addicting as hard drugs. No wonder it's hard. It's a combination of scientific factors that got some of us to the place we are at.
Not as simple as "diet and exercise" ....

Great article! Not only is ghrelin, the appetite stiumulating hormone, off-the-charts in some of us, the food industry is modifying "foods" to be addictive. Check out this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/food-addiction-could-it-e_b_764863.html
Processed foods and sugary foods are biologically engineered to be as addicting as hard drugs. No wonder it's hard. It's a combination of scientific factors that got some of us to the place we are at.
Not as simple as "diet and exercise" ....

Hi I had surgery on the 11th and have been in major pain, nauseousness, dry heaving, I feel like
My gut has been ripped out (well it has). 2 days in the hosp now home. On Lortab too. I cannot eat or drink anything, get so sick it comes right up.
Gas also has been there but the worst pain is in the abdomen where I think my stomach was cut.
I feel like I use that area to get in and out of bed and it's excruciating, I get worried I may develop a hernia.
Has been very tough for me, I did not expect such a hard time. Was thinking I would breeze through this having read all the success stories. Like I said there's no pain on earth I have experienced like this post op pain. praying it gets better.
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Leaving for the hospital soon. Totally nervous ! I am hoping to blog about my experiences.
???? Wish me luck! Thanks everyone!
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Leaving for the hospital soon. Totally nervous ! I am hoping to blog about my experiences.
???? Wish me luck! Thanks everyone!
Sent from my iPhone using VST

Leaving for the hospital soon. Totally nervous ! I am hoping to blog about my experiences.
???? Wish me luck! Thanks everyone!
Sent from my iPhone using VST

Leaving for the hospital soon. Totally nervous ! I am hoping to blog about my experiences.
???? Wish me luck! Thanks everyone!
Sent from my iPhone using VST