McButterpants

I laughed when I read your post - could have been written by me!!!!! I, too, have a cabinet full of supplements that I purchased after I started watching his show. I bought two bottles of raspberry ketones and were never opened. Selenium tablets. Mineral supplements because Vitamins weren't enough. I could go on, but you get the point. I stopped watching after I looked at the sticky notes on my desk listing my next purchases I wanted to make! LOL.

I'm 12 weeks now - It depends on what I take in, but it's about every 2-3 hours. My breakfast (egg w/ cheese and a turkey sausage) keeps me filled up for about 3 hours. My shake w/ fruit doesn't last as long, maybe and hour or two. One thing you have to distinguish post-op is if you're truly feeling hunger or if it's acid disguised as hunger.

I dreaded telling my parents - my mom has struggled with her weight her entire adult life and my dad is fit as can be. My mom was so supportive - she said if she had to do it all over again, she would have surgery. That surprised me. She cried because she knows I have been worried that I will follow her same path. My dad teared up and asked a lot of questions. "Are you sure it's come to this?" "What exactly are they going to do to you?" "Have you talked to your doctor?" "You love food, are you sure you're going to be able to give up the things you love?" (my answer to that was, "Dad I've eaten enough bread for a lifetime. It's time to stop." He didn't want me to go thru with it and expressed his concerns - I was deeply touched by his reaction. Today, my parents are on board 100%. My mom tells me weekly (at least) how proud of me she is. My dad asks me questions about my diet and he can see me work out at the gym. He can tell if I eat something that doesn't agree with me. He actually calls this a "necessary medical procedure" now. I laughed when he said that.

Lisa you will lose weight rather slowly, over months. My husband has lost 50 lbs., no one has noticed. I have lost 50 lbs. It came off slowly. We are dieting. We quit drinking. We quit eating full dinners when we went out a couple times. We eat no carbs, no sugar. Our diet is working. No need to lie about anything. We changed the way we eat. Works for us! Good luck!! Seriously, no one said anything to me about losing weight until I hit the 50 pounds mark - on that day, I had two people that said something. Granted it's winter and I'm wearing bulky clothes, so it's less noticeable than if it was summer. The first to comment was our financial planner, whom I haven't seen in months. He said, "You look like you've lost weight." I said, "I have and thanks for noticing and commenting. It's been hard work." That was it. Later that day the mom of one of my son's friends said, "You look great. You've lost a lot of weight." Again, I thanked her for noticing and saying something. She asked how much I've lost and I told her. That was it. Before surgery I was also worried about social dinner situations. What would I say to people who notice I'm not eating much. No one has commented on how little I eat. At times a waiter or waitress may ask if everything was OK with the meal because I didn't eat much and I say, "It was really great, my eyes were just bigger than my stomach." My brothers and their families haven't said anything about my weight loss and they didn't say anything at Christmas when I are virtually nothing at Christmas dinner. The fact is, we think about our weight a lot more than other people do. I always thought people viewed me as the Fat Girl. In reality, I viewed me as the Fat Girl - that was my identity. I realize now, my brothers think of me as their sister, not their fat sister.

Welcome, Kate & Heather! Congrats on your decisions. This is an exciting time. You will find a lot of really great information provided by some really great people on this site Best of luck to you!

My pre-op diet was 2 weeks - I was allowed 2 shakes and a lean and green meal. I lost 6.5 pounds.

Smart move on the disability if you're still not feeling well. When you say you're struggling with liquids are you struggling with Water or your Protein shakes?

I love Tarpon Springs! I was about to say, "great restaurants" but then realized it would contradict my earlier rant about my relatives obsession with eating at them. It is quaint and quirky. Think we'll go there soon, close drive for us. The restaurants are wonderful - Mr. Souvlaki's Greek Chow Mien. OK - that was pre-surgery McButterpants talking!

Yep, me too. Sometimes I get frustrated when I spend 30 minutes preparing a meal only to sit down and take a few bites and be done. Sometimes I WANT to eat more, but my tummy won't let me. It's a good thing, but, WOW it can be frustrating. A few weeks ago, I got really hungry. I waited too long between meals. I was ravenous. I wanted to eat fast and I wanted to eat more. I looked at my husband and said, "Oh my god, I am so frustrated right now!" Of course in about 10 minutes I felt better, the food was settling in my stomach. Then I thought "it's working. It's doing what it's supposed to do."

I'm at 12 weeks right now - here's a typical day for me: Breakfast - Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patty scrambled egg topped w/ shredded cheese Snack -

Thanks for starting the thread, Ribearty! Here are my goals for February...It's a goofy month for me as I will spend 9 days traveling in San Francisco. No gym to work out in as we rented an apartment. I have explored the city on foot like never before and am loving it!!!!! My butt and legs are tired from all the hill climbing! So here's my plan: 02/02 - 02/10 - 10,000 steps per day 02/01, 02/22-02/28 - 16 days at the gym 4 miles per day (64 miles) and 16 days lifting

Yes! Support groups are important. Networking here is good stuff, too. We're all going thru the same thing and it's great to communicate with people that just like you. While my husband is really supportive, he doesn't understand my food issues and my want to lose weight faster than I am. You're not alone. I am 12 weeks post op yesterday and I have such a different outlook today than I did at 4 weeks. I feel so much better - physically and mentally. I consider myself a slow loser, but I've come to terms with that. I'm at a lower weight today than I have been in 15 years. That amazes me. This journey is chalk full of ups and downs - I truly wasn't prepared for the emotional stuff. I was all ready for the surgery and the physical aspects. I have had to address emotional issues with food that I have never addressed before. It's all good stuff, but it's hard. You're going to do great - you're off to a great start. Just keep working your plan and everything will fall into place.

Not me...I almost backed out the day before surgery. And the morning of, while in admitting, I thought to myself, "I could walk out of here right now and only be out $500." I was scared to death. I was angry - angry that it had come to this, angry that I had to have surgery to lose weight. I talked myself off the ledge by thinking about the reasons I wanted to have the surgery in the first place. This is a life changer - it really is.

Hi there. I am no alarmed at anything you said - it seems like you're following your doc's plan. It's all good stuff. At week 4 I was at about 18 pounds, so not far from you. A couple of suggestions for you - 1. Don't compare your weight loss with others - this is hard, I know. Your journey to 241 pounds is different than my journey to 256 pounds. We didn't get here the same way and we're going to lose it differently as well. 2. Take your measurements if you haven't already. I was surprised, really surprised, at the number of inches I lost. I lost inches when I wasn't losing weight according to the scale. 3. Look at your body - really look at it. See HOW you're losing weight. Take pictures of yourself. I can see I'm losing weight differently than before when I would diet. I attribute that to losing FAT. 4. Are you cleared to walk? I was cleared to walk immediately after surgery - nothing strenuous, but walking. I walked a lot. 5. Most importantly, be kind to yourself and your new tummy. We all want to lose faster and are expectations are high. Your body is going to lose weight at it's own pace. All you can control is what you put into your mouth - continue to follow your doctor's plan. Best of luck to you - hang in there. You're body is going to catch up - I promise.

I just watched an episode of Dr. Oz - the first time in many months. He had on a woman who weighed 56 pounds. It was horrifying to see her and her condition. Then I got to thinking about all the other Dr. Oz episodes I've watched and realized they were all about losing weight in some way, shape or form. And I agree, he promotes really expensive products that aren't available anyone living outside NYC or L.A.!

Hi there. Yep, I'm sorry to say...You're completely normal! :-) My emotions were all over the place. I told my husband if he doesn't like my attitude right now, wait 5 minutes and I'll have a different one. I kept trying to think about all the reasons I was doing this - it made it easier. I also thought about post-surgery life when I went to bed. What I was going to look like in a year. What kinds of clothes would I wear. Surprisingly, that made sleep better. Rather than going to bed with fear in my mind, there was hope. You're going to do great! Best wishes.

Hi there. Yes, I went to Dr. Umbach - traveled there from out of the area. It was a great experience. Couldn't ask for a better team.

This is such a personal choice - everyone has their own reasons for doing what they do regarding telling people. Some can shout from the top of a mountain, "I had weight loss surgery!" Others, like me, keep it to themselves. Here's my story - I told 4 people...My husband, son, parents and best friend. I chose not to tell others - I live in a small community and have seen how some "friends" talk behind others' backs. I didn't want that. Here's the thing - I've lost 50 pounds now and my brothers and their families haven't commented on my weight loss. I have had a couple of people recently comment on my weight loss, but haven't been put in a position to explain it or even really talk about it. I got some compliments and it was left at that - no need to elaborate. I've been in situations where I have had to eat with business associates and friends and no one has commented on how little I eat. These were both things I worried about before surgery - having to explain the rapid weight loss and the amount of food I eat. We all just need to do what's best for our individual situations.

If it doesn't go away, contact Dr. Umbach's office - they are more than willing to help! He's a great surgeon and has a great staff. Congrats on your loss so far!

I used to live in Tarpon Springs - loved that little quirky town! It has a great sense of community. I don't miss summers there, but I do miss the winters!

Wonderful post, Sandee! At 12 weeks post op (has it really been that long????), I can say I feel awesome. Better than I have in years - not only physically, but mentally. I wake up in the morning and feel good - no headaches, no aches and pains (unless I had a hard workout the day before LOL), and I look forward to what the day has to offer. I no longer feel like I'm trudging thru my life - I'm living it and I'm happy. That's a 180 degree change from 4 months ago. This is an amazing journey - I know that it's not all sunshine and lollipops every day and I have ups as well as downs, but I can tell you the good/great days outnumber the bad ones 10 to 1. I wish you all the success and happiness!

Love it!

I live in the purple area - yep that's cold. I'm visiting San Francisco right now and it's 50 and rainy and cold. I need to take a trip down to Florida to thaw out!!!!

Well said, Jane! Celebration - I like that! I will add for the OP...Sometimes for me, eating a royal pain. It's more of an inconvenience. There have been times that I've taken 30 minutes to prepare a really great dish and get it on my plate only to look at it and not want to eat it or taking a few bites and not being hungry any more. I would like to eat more, but I can't. While that's a good thing, it's frustrating. Other times, I have found great enjoyment out of eating. It's weird. I enjoy certain foods so much more - I have to eat slower and really savor the food. Eating has taken a whole different place in my life - right now, I eat for fuel, I don't eat for enjoyment any more. It no longer has a hold on me. And, like Jane said above, I am no hungry all the time. I don't think about food all the time now. It's liberating.

Gas is normal...Walking was the best way for me to get rid of it. I used Gas-X strips, but those didn't help as much as the walking.