LonghornNiner

So I finally got this weight thing in order. For years it's been a struggle but I have kicked its ASS!!!! My metabolism is for the first time in my entire life on track and normal. I eat and I gain and I work out and eat right and I lose and I maintain. I am now building muscle and I am stronger and faster. I am happy. Despite the struggles, I am happy. Maybe not completely satisfied quite yet because I can't quite conquer love but happy with myself for the first time in a long time is well worth the effort I give everyday to keep on going and succeeding. Hope everyone had a great holiday!! I just got off work and I am going to relax with a Protein Shake and some tunes. The pics I am posting are as recent as a couple days ago at work when I was passing out and today before I head out to the gym.

Well I did have a camera with most of my before pics and middle pics but she took the camera. I told her she could have the old me if that's what she wanted. The new me she will never have. Here is a cam pic I took a year before surgery.

It felt great!! I posted a while back about my girl leaving me after 10 yrs because of my weight loss. Well in the state of Texas we were married and so I had to get a divorce. An actual divorce. She left the state and I had to do it alone and yes it was awkward but I did it. It wasn't something I really wanted under my belt but it is what it is. I am now at 160 and I feel great and I am ready to move on. So thanks to my friends on here for your support

In a good mood today :-)

Congrats!!! Good luck your journey Right now shouldn't be about what other people think. Your recovery and health are important for the success of this surgery. In time I am sure you will be able to share your story with friends and family and if they are truly friends and family they will embrace it. Have a great day and good luck in recovery

Looking real good my friend!

Thank you doll

You are super hot! If I wasn't married and we lived in the same area I would be hitting you up for digits! Her loss! Clean slate! Great job

O wow you're so sweet lol!! Thanks for the compliment and with sweetness like yours, you're husband is one lucky man. Hopefully one day I find the one I supposed to grow old with :-)

Hey 8 months out

Before

Wow bro you look great!! Looks like you're hitting the gym hard!! I go everyday but sometimes I find myself going twice because it feels so good. Congrats man!!

You are TOTALLY sexy! Congrats on your success! Sorry your heart has been broken but I have a feeling you will meeting many women who will be interested in getting to know you. Take your time and enjoy the attention your new body and confidence will bring.

pre-surgery weight 325; surgery date 2/28/2013; surgery weight 307; 8 weeks past-op weight 281.4; 12 weeks post-op 274; 4 month post-op 266.2

Thank you very much for the compliment :-) You're quite attractive as well!!

Lookn mighty fine;)

Thank you very much. I actually blushed ha ha!

Easy way my ass!! Sorry for the language but I became so fed up with that crap about it being the easy way out. I hardly think having more than half your stomach removed, eating less than 800 calories a day and aches and pains to make even the toughest man shed some tears is EASY!! What we did was save our lives and that my friend takes dedication and a strength no one outside of weight loss surgery will experience. The only thing that matters right now is your happiness and health and if they don't want to be on board with your happiness and health, to hell with them. Sorry but I went through the same thing with some people including my girl who couldn't handle the change and left me after 10 years but I love myself and I love that I will live longer and no one is going to take that from me. Good luck in your journey and know that you're not alone and we are here for you :-)

^{you do looking amazing and CONGRATS!!! I am 3 pounds from my goal and I feel good :-) 2 of the pics are before and there are 3 of me after. You can really tell in the face with my weight loss ... so people tell me lol}

Yesterday was what would have been my 10 yr anniversary. It was a long day. I actually volunteered to work on Sunday so my mind would be elsewhere. Yes I know, LAME! Working on Sundays isn't my idea of fun seeing as I already 7 days a week anyway. One thing however shadowed this day I wanted to forget. I am 3 pounds away from my goal. It has taken me a lifetime to reach this goal. I look in the mirror and I feel good. I smile. But I wish this moment could of been shared with the person I spent the last 10 yrs of my life with. We are now not even friends. She asked me to cancel her cell phone services and take her off my insurance. She is now forever gone and it hurts. I wish I didn't have to share my success story with this but it is what it is. I must now move on. I must now focus on the future. I hope to find peace of mind. Success with this surgery has given me hope. Maybe hope will lead me to my soul mate one day. I wish everyone success in their journey. It's now easy and life will throw you some major hurdles but the end result will bring you joy like no other. I am not a huge picture taker because I still have this small insecurity about pictures but I took a picture of myself last night and I did really for the first time in my entire life, feel sexy lol!! I know that may sound corny, feeling sexy and all, but when you've never had that feeling and then it hits you like a ton of bricks you take it. I don't care what other people think, I am loving myself for the first time and complimenting myself makes me feel good Ciao and a great evening to you all .. I'm ALMOST THERE!!! and YOU WILL TOO!!

I know this may sound corny, but it is a good poem, and I've found it very accurate.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you figure out which one it is,

you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,

it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty;

to provide you with guidance and support;

to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend, and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,

this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,

because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;

things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,

and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown

Thank you for this! Reading that poem makes sense in more ways than one to me.

Find a good therapist, if nothing else, find WLS support groups to attend. They will keep you busy, you'll meet people and make friends. I'm sorry she did this, but I have to agree with everyone else, this is about her, not you. Change scares people, you making this change threatened her, scared her....something. Can I ask you, is she heavy? Could this be insecurity? Good luck to you.

No she wasn't heavy. We had been having issues for a year when I started my journey to surgery. I lost 30 pounds before surgery. Eating right and hitting the gym twice a day. She was so supportive and happy. She even called me sexy and I felt good about myself for the first time in my life. I just don't understand. I gave her 10 years and she took it away in a 10 min conversation.

I prepared myself for rejection...but that doesn't mean it didn't feel like I was taking a bullet. However, to the person who really cares, it won't be that big of an issue. There may still be some things to work through in regards to how heavy I used to be, but the same could be said of any issue regarding my past. I shared my experience because I don't want to see anyone lose their confidence over something like this...Do not be ashamed of what used to be...you have changed it!

I agree and I myself hope to find that one person. My goal with love was to always use the advice my grandparents would give me to seek out my soul mate. My grandparents were married 66 years before my grandmother died. My grandfather lived everyday after that loving her more and more. That, my friend, is truly what love should be about. She may have broken my heart but not my spirit.

I'm 29, newly single and newly sleeved in South Louisiana as of May 27th! My fiance' passed away last summer and I haven't dated anyone since. I'm down 26 pounds so far. I still have quite a ways to go, but I'm looking forward to the possibilities this journey presents. I guess the cliche' dinner dates will be quite different as I've already had to explain to a couple of colleagues over lunch the reason I couldn't finish my food. So far, everyone has been very positive and supportive (at least to my face LOL)!

Wow I am truly sorry for your loss and I wish you the best of luck in your journey!! Congrats on the weight loss so far

^{I appreciate all the comments. Thanks for the information. I never thought I'd need a therapist for this. I have spent the last 10 years loving this woman. I do not know anything else but that. Our anniversary would of been on the 7th of this month. I just wish this was a nightmare and I'm going to wake up and see her next to me.}

I posted here a week ago about how my girl of 10 yrs left me for someone else because she felt I looked to different and felt different. I wasn't the same man she fell in love with. I have been torn apart since that day and the guilt of getting the surgery and losing weight and causing her to leave me is eating me alive. I barely eat and I just can't sleep. I work 2 jobs and I have been working triple shifts to keep my mind busy but my body is just giving up. Can anyone offer some kind of advice on what to do to put my mind at ease. I just want to find peace again. I don't know how much more I can take of this. I'm sorry for being weak but I don't know where else to go or who to talk to anymore.

Alright my fellow Singletons...Ya know that thing we all dread? Just happened to me....about an hour ago...Now I have only talked to this guy for two weeks or so (so it's not like heavy emotions were involved) and he made the comment that this one girl wouldn't leave him alone and when I asked what was wrong with her, he said it was that she was too big. Like 280 pounds....I asked him "Would you totally freak out if I told you I used to be that big?" and he said "No, "used to be" is used to be." I should have known this was too good to be true. Today, he saw some pictures of me when I was at my heaviest and he FREAKED OUT! He even told me "I'm freaking out, you were really large." and I told him "If you can't handle it, I understand, but you had better let me know becuase there are plenty of people that can handle it." well...we went back and forth and I was (admittedly) a little on the defensive... he asked me "How big are you now?" and I told him I was 208 lbs (77 lbs down in 4 months *woot* *woot*) and what my goal weight was and all this stuff but I just felt like he was patronizing me at this point. It was humiliating, and I have to tell you, it made me HOPPIN' MAD! I could chew ten-penny nails right now. I told him I was done with the conversation and he said "I think someone is being a little oversensetive." and I told him "well, I told you before that I had issues with this type of thing, so how do you think I should act?" and the HE said "I don't know, maybe I should just quit talking to you because I don't want to keep hurting your feelings." A real peach isn't he? I told him "No, don't you use my feelings as a scapegoat. If you can't handle how big I was, then you tell me the truth!" (like seriously...grow some balls) well he didn't say anything and I said "nevermind...whatever makes you feel better", and that was the end of it.

Listen, I am a very emotional person and I am totally a cryer. But even though my feelings were hurt, the biggest thing I feel is anger! I went back to my Facebook and almost deleted every fat picture of me I could find...but then I stopped...there are memories in those pictures, and even though I was very large, I still love myself...I love myself NOW and I love myself THEN too! That large person is a part of what made me who I am. I know it sounds silly, but to someone that really cares, it won't matter all that much!

This is just my little testimonial...Y'all, if I can survive that, ANYONE can! So if anything like this ever happens to you, DO NOT LET SOMEONE MAKE YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT YOURSELF!!

I am sorry you had to deal with the ass end of my gender. I've recently had to deal with an issue myself and it is quite difficult sometimes to understand why people do the things they do. My girl of 10 years left me last month for someone else. She told me I had changed to much. She told me I look and feel different and she wanted to move on. For the last 3 weeks I have felt so guilty for losing 110 pounds. I have felt so ashamed for changing myself because that's the reason she left me. Because I changed for the good. I do things now that I thought I never could. I wanted to grow old with her. I know it sounds corny but I didn't expect this from surgery. I knew some things would change but I never imagined it would be this. Even other people such as co-workers, family and even some friends treat me differently. Almost as if I was invisible before and now all of a sudden they want my company. It is heavy on my heart that people are this way. But you know what, I do me. I have learned that I need to focus on myself and I have done that. Despite the issues at hand I work 2 jobs, work out twice a day and just stay positive. Thank goodness for my dog Oreo Thanks for sharing your post. It's always easier to talk to someone about something when they have to deal with BS as well. Good day to you.

That's a good question regarding us not getting married and there is an answer I do not mind sharing. Her father has been incarcerated since the 2nd year of our relationship. On the 5th year our relationship I asked her to marry me. I took her to the place we first met and wore the same outfit and did all the same cute things that made her fall for me. It was perfect. She said no. She told me she wanted her father to give her away and that we had to wait. Her father is to be released next year. I respected her wishes. Why would I question the one I love. I accepted her condition and we chose to remain gf and bf. She wore the engagement ring all these years. I did not ask for it back. It belongs to the one it was meant for.

Thank you very much for your kind and encouraging words. Congrats on the success you've had and good luck in your journey as well ~Isaac~

You know when I first thought about getting this surgery I had all these visions of me doing things I could never do because of weight or health issues. In these visions I had my best friend and wonderful gf of 10 years by my side. I never thought in a million years she would leave me. 3 weeks ago I wake to find her in the living room crying. I ask her what's wrong and she proceeds to tell me she can't take it anymore and she told me she was seeing someone else. She told me it was her and not me for all this happening. I begged her to tell me why she would end a wonderful relationship like this and she told me I changed to much. I do not look the same or feel the same to her. I am not the man she fell in love with anymore she said. I have lived for this woman for 10 years. I woke for her and went to bed with her on my mind. She was my first for everything. Why would she do this!!! I am a better man now. I will live longer. I am no longer on insulin. I did this all for us. I do not know what to think or do. I am lost and I am broken. I even got a second job with all this energy and saved money to get her a cruise for what would of been our 10yr anniversary next month. I just wish I could have peace of mind right now. I didn't know where else to write about this so I am sorry for complaining here. All I want is an answer to why this happened. Even though I don't regret the surgery, I feel so ashamed and guilty for not thinking about how my weight loss would make her feel.

Is it even possible to stretch your stomach after 2 months?

How would you know if you stretched your stomach back to it's original size? Like what would be the symptoms? I'm curious because I am 2 months post op and I am eating like I'm a year post op. I am getting in good portions with no issue and even though I am continuing to lose weight very slowly, I have this worried feeling that I might have stretched my stomach some. I feel fine so I guess I am just curious. Thanks in advance.