Chris R

I have done it before myself - to a point! In the past, I've lost up to a total of 83 pounds at a stretch, before losing my motivation and gaining it all back, and then some. I've lost as much as 40 pounds in 8 weeks before, dieting on my own, but I could never keep it up for the long haul. I feel that this is the tool that's going to keep me going until I get where I need to be, and then help me stay there permanently!

It's easy to forget to take smaller bites and chew well - old habits die hard! But believe me, if you don't, your body will remind you pretty quickly. You'll get that feeling like the food is sticking right THERE in your chest! Fortunately, that little occasional reminder has been enough to make me to slow down, take smaller bites, and CHEW, and I have never yet had any worse problem than that temporary discomfort.

Chris, thanks so much for sharing. I do know how lucky I am and appreciate it every day. Sounds like you found the right one. All my best wishes to you.
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Yes Chris R,
Thank you for sharing your experience. It means a lot to be able to hear others stories.
Laura

To the OP and so many others who've posted here with husbands and wives who love you just as you are:
You are all truly blessed! I have always believed that this kind of relationship is what love is all about. You love the person inside, not the shell that holds them. It may be a little off topic, but it made me want to share this story.
I've been overweight pretty much my entire life. I was overweight when I met the father of my children, as was he. I outweighed him even when we met, but he was also obese. We dated for 5 years. We dieted (Weight Watchers) together for 6 months before our wedding and lost about 60 lbs apiece - him close to goal, me still about 100 lbs overweight. It didn't take long before we were both back up to our highest weights, and two children later, I was 200 lbs overweight.
I should have known things weren't right when he said this - I don't remember when - "If you ever get over 350, it will be over."
After 17 years of marriage, I returned from a visit to my parents with our two children (he didn't come because he had to do side work), and he told me the next day (the day after our anniversary) that he wanted a divorce. He said there was no reason other than he didn't love me any more. (I discovered later the real reason that he finally had taken the step - she lived next door.)
After that, I gained even more weight, finally reaching 450 lbs. I'm sure that depression over the divorce was a contributing factor. It took over a year after the divorce before I felt ready to date again. I had a few dates from online dating sites, but no matter how much in common we seemed to have in chatting online, or how much fun we seemed to have together on our date, once they met me face to face, I wouldn't hear from them again - it seems my weight was too much for them, even though I identified myself with the website descriptor reserved for "fat" women - "big and beautiful", and had an up-to-date picture of myself posted. Of course, my picture was only from the shoulders up...
I finally did meet a wonderful man (also online) for whom my weight was not an issue. We talked on the phone for about a month and a half before we met, and had honest conversations about my size. (He told me after I 'confessed' that he could tell that I was a big woman even from the shoulders-up picture.) Although he is close to "normal" weight, he once weighed over 400 lbs. (He lost the bulk of his weight very quickly due to a parasite and a medical condition.) We met when I weighed my heaviest, and it was magical from the first date. I started looking into WLS about 6 months after we met - not because he wanted me to do it. In fact, he was very worried about me having surgery to lose weight, and constantly reassured me that it didn't matter to him, that I was beautiful just as I am - however, he would support me in whatever decision I made.
We have been married just over a month now, and I'm even happier knowing that I will be healthier and live a longer life with a man who loves me for what's inside. We're both looking forward to me being a size at which I will be comfortable enough in a plane to travel to Europe, where I have never visited, though he has many times, and my knees will be healthy enough for me to walk and have him show me everything!
Hold onto those who love you, and trust them with your whole heart! Their support will be invaluable to you on your journey!

To the OP and so many others who've posted here with husbands and wives who love you just as you are:
You are all truly blessed! I have always believed that this kind of relationship is what love is all about. You love the person inside, not the shell that holds them. It may be a little off topic, but it made me want to share this story.
I've been overweight pretty much my entire life. I was overweight when I met the father of my children, as was he. I outweighed him even when we met, but he was also obese. We dated for 5 years. We dieted (Weight Watchers) together for 6 months before our wedding and lost about 60 lbs apiece - him close to goal, me still about 100 lbs overweight. It didn't take long before we were both back up to our highest weights, and two children later, I was 200 lbs overweight.
I should have known things weren't right when he said this - I don't remember when - "If you ever get over 350, it will be over."
After 17 years of marriage, I returned from a visit to my parents with our two children (he didn't come because he had to do side work), and he told me the next day (the day after our anniversary) that he wanted a divorce. He said there was no reason other than he didn't love me any more. (I discovered later the real reason that he finally had taken the step - she lived next door.)
After that, I gained even more weight, finally reaching 450 lbs. I'm sure that depression over the divorce was a contributing factor. It took over a year after the divorce before I felt ready to date again. I had a few dates from online dating sites, but no matter how much in common we seemed to have in chatting online, or how much fun we seemed to have together on our date, once they met me face to face, I wouldn't hear from them again - it seems my weight was too much for them, even though I identified myself with the website descriptor reserved for "fat" women - "big and beautiful", and had an up-to-date picture of myself posted. Of course, my picture was only from the shoulders up...
I finally did meet a wonderful man (also online) for whom my weight was not an issue. We talked on the phone for about a month and a half before we met, and had honest conversations about my size. (He told me after I 'confessed' that he could tell that I was a big woman even from the shoulders-up picture.) Although he is close to "normal" weight, he once weighed over 400 lbs. (He lost the bulk of his weight very quickly due to a parasite and a medical condition.) We met when I weighed my heaviest, and it was magical from the first date. I started looking into WLS about 6 months after we met - not because he wanted me to do it. In fact, he was very worried about me having surgery to lose weight, and constantly reassured me that it didn't matter to him, that I was beautiful just as I am - however, he would support me in whatever decision I made.
We have been married just over a month now, and I'm even happier knowing that I will be healthier and live a longer life with a man who loves me for what's inside. We're both looking forward to me being a size at which I will be comfortable enough in a plane to travel to Europe, where I have never visited, though he has many times, and my knees will be healthy enough for me to walk and have him show me everything!
Hold onto those who love you, and trust them with your whole heart! Their support will be invaluable to you on your journey!

Thanks for your story. Im so glad for you. Congrats.

Wow, is that ever the truth!! In some ways, the surgery does make it easier to succeed - I'm not quite as hungry, feel better eating less, etc. However, it is harder in some ways because you can't just change your mind anymore. We are forced to stick with it, we can't take a break, for the most part. We have invested a lot of blood, sweat and tears into having a major surgery and the subsequent recovery, and made a committment to ourselves, so it has a sense of "last chance" associated with it for many of us. Considering all that, there is pressure to not fail. For someone like me who has a lot to lose and does not lose it super fast, I have to be motivated because it's a long journey. And because I don't want to fail, I am practicing self restraint - the surgery did not give me that or motivation. It's a great tool, but success comes from within.

I am only 9 weeks out and am able to get at least 60 g of Protein in most days without doing any protein supplements. On the occasional off day, I make a fruit smoothie and add some unflavored Protein powder if I'm having trouble getting enough in.
My NUT told me it's better to eat your meals than drink them! Focus on high protein foods first, and you certainly will NOT have yo drink Protein shakes for the rest of your life.

I am only 9 weeks out and am able to get at least 60 g of Protein in most days without doing any protein supplements. On the occasional off day, I make a fruit smoothie and add some unflavored Protein powder if I'm having trouble getting enough in.
My NUT told me it's better to eat your meals than drink them! Focus on high protein foods first, and you certainly will NOT have yo drink Protein shakes for the rest of your life.

I am only 9 weeks out and am able to get at least 60 g of Protein in most days without doing any protein supplements. On the occasional off day, I make a fruit smoothie and add some unflavored Protein powder if I'm having trouble getting enough in.
My NUT told me it's better to eat your meals than drink them! Focus on high protein foods first, and you certainly will NOT have yo drink Protein shakes for the rest of your life.

I have done it before myself - to a point! In the past, I've lost up to a total of 83 pounds at a stretch, before losing my motivation and gaining it all back, and then some. I've lost as much as 40 pounds in 8 weeks before, dieting on my own, but I could never keep it up for the long haul. I feel that this is the tool that's going to keep me going until I get where I need to be, and then help me stay there permanently!

I am only 9 weeks out and am able to get at least 60 g of Protein in most days without doing any protein supplements. On the occasional off day, I make a fruit smoothie and add some unflavored Protein powder if I'm having trouble getting enough in.
My NUT told me it's better to eat your meals than drink them! Focus on high protein foods first, and you certainly will NOT have yo drink Protein shakes for the rest of your life.

Mine told me you want to look for the most Protein with the least volume - since your smaller stomach can't take large amounts, and you need to make sure you get your Protein in.
I use the Syntrax Nectars because there's 23 g protein per scoop, and you can mix it with as little as 8 oz of Water or milk (up to 16 oz.) With milk, that gives it an additional 11 g protein boost. They have a lot of different flavors, and you can get sample sizes to try them out. My favorites are Double Stuffed Cookie and chocolate Truffle (yes, I'm a chocoholic) but they also have several fruit flavors.

I found it more sickening than amusing. Apparently the patients have an open port into their stomach? Sounds like it's begging for an infection. I agree with the reviewer who said it's an enabling machine, and horrifying!

I really think what anyone who is contemplating this surgery must do is weigh the potential risks and benefits of getting the surgery against those of NOT getting the surgery. For myself, though I had never even considered having weight loss surgery an option before I started the process last year, I finally decided that if I didn't do something "drastic" to lose weight, I was quickly going to reach the point where I was no longer mobile, and would probably not live long enough to see my children grown, married, and with children of their own. My BMI was over 68. I had type II diabetes, my blood pressure was borderline high, and I have severe arthritis in both knees (no cartilage - bone on bone) which made (still makes) every step painful.
I'm 50 years old - too "young" (and still too heavy as of yet) to have my knees replaced, but hoping the weight loss will help me bear the pain longer. I still have too much pain to walk for more than maybe 10 minutes. I will seek that surgery when my orthopaedist says I've lost enough. However, I have been off all diabetes and blood pressure meds since surgery, and those levels have been great! I'm down a total of 100 lbs since starting the process not quite a year ago, 40 of those since surgery 9 weeks ago. I feel much better about my chances of living long enough to help care for my future grandchildren in my retirement, and be able to keep up with them, too!
So the surgery was well worth the risk for me. If my weight was not causing the other health problems? I really don't think it would have been.

As of today, I've lost 100.6 lbs since I first began my gastric surgery program on May 5, 2012. I lost 60 lbs in 9 months pre-surgery. I've lost 40 in the 9 weeks since surgery on my 50th birthday, February 12, 2013.
I feel more restriction now, 9 weeks out, than I did at 3 weeks out. I'm no longer using Protein Shakes regularly, though I do occasionally add unflavored Protein powder to a smoothie when I need to get a little more protein in. I shoot for about 35% protein, 35% carbs, and 30% fats, and under 1000 calories per day.
I still have a long way to go - another 200 lbs to goal - but I feel confident that I will get there. I never used to think I wanted surgery to lose weight, but after losing up to 85 lbs at a stretch at least 3 times before in my life, and then gaining it all back again, plus more each time, I'm glad I made this decision and found a tool that will help me keep this up for the long haul!

I'm going to miss eating whatever I want, whenever I want. I'm going to miss Chili's, Outback. S & S Cafeteria, Chick-fil-a, and all the other restaurants that have become a part of my daily routine.
That being said, I won't miss them enough to stay fat. I want to buckle my own freaking sandals. I want to go hiking with my hubby. I want my son not to make some passing comment about my weight and how I use to look. I want my hubby to be able to pick me up. I want to walk up the one flight of steps at my college without sounding like I ran a marathon. I want to walk like a person, not a penguin. I want to look down and see my panties. I want to have a waist again. I want to see my jawline. I want women to stop looking at my husband and then looking at me like they don't get it. Forget food. Life is too freaking short.

Congrats!
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Congratulations!

As of today, I've lost 100.6 lbs since I first began my gastric surgery program on May 5, 2012. I lost 60 lbs in 9 months pre-surgery. I've lost 40 in the 9 weeks since surgery on my 50th birthday, February 12, 2013.
I feel more restriction now, 9 weeks out, than I did at 3 weeks out. I'm no longer using Protein Shakes regularly, though I do occasionally add unflavored Protein powder to a smoothie when I need to get a little more protein in. I shoot for about 35% protein, 35% carbs, and 30% fats, and under 1000 calories per day.
I still have a long way to go - another 200 lbs to goal - but I feel confident that I will get there. I never used to think I wanted surgery to lose weight, but after losing up to 85 lbs at a stretch at least 3 times before in my life, and then gaining it all back again, plus more each time, I'm glad I made this decision and found a tool that will help me keep this up for the long haul!

Congratulations!!

As of today, I've lost 100.6 lbs since I first began my gastric surgery program on May 5, 2012. I lost 60 lbs in 9 months pre-surgery. I've lost 40 in the 9 weeks since surgery on my 50th birthday, February 12, 2013.
I feel more restriction now, 9 weeks out, than I did at 3 weeks out. I'm no longer using Protein Shakes regularly, though I do occasionally add unflavored Protein powder to a smoothie when I need to get a little more protein in. I shoot for about 35% protein, 35% carbs, and 30% fats, and under 1000 calories per day.
I still have a long way to go - another 200 lbs to goal - but I feel confident that I will get there. I never used to think I wanted surgery to lose weight, but after losing up to 85 lbs at a stretch at least 3 times before in my life, and then gaining it all back again, plus more each time, I'm glad I made this decision and found a tool that will help me keep this up for the long haul!

As of today, I've lost 100.6 lbs since I first began my gastric surgery program on May 5, 2012. I lost 60 lbs in 9 months pre-surgery. I've lost 40 in the 9 weeks since surgery on my 50th birthday, February 12, 2013.
I feel more restriction now, 9 weeks out, than I did at 3 weeks out. I'm no longer using Protein Shakes regularly, though I do occasionally add unflavored Protein powder to a smoothie when I need to get a little more protein in. I shoot for about 35% protein, 35% carbs, and 30% fats, and under 1000 calories per day.
I still have a long way to go - another 200 lbs to goal - but I feel confident that I will get there. I never used to think I wanted surgery to lose weight, but after losing up to 85 lbs at a stretch at least 3 times before in my life, and then gaining it all back again, plus more each time, I'm glad I made this decision and found a tool that will help me keep this up for the long haul!

As of today, I've lost 100.6 lbs since I first began my gastric surgery program on May 5, 2012. I lost 60 lbs in 9 months pre-surgery. I've lost 40 in the 9 weeks since surgery on my 50th birthday, February 12, 2013.
I feel more restriction now, 9 weeks out, than I did at 3 weeks out. I'm no longer using Protein Shakes regularly, though I do occasionally add unflavored Protein powder to a smoothie when I need to get a little more protein in. I shoot for about 35% protein, 35% carbs, and 30% fats, and under 1000 calories per day.
I still have a long way to go - another 200 lbs to goal - but I feel confident that I will get there. I never used to think I wanted surgery to lose weight, but after losing up to 85 lbs at a stretch at least 3 times before in my life, and then gaining it all back again, plus more each time, I'm glad I made this decision and found a tool that will help me keep this up for the long haul!