bearman99

Try dried fruit and such.......err, wait, that's tea!

So, I am 47 years old and I decided (finally) I want to live. This is new......
First, a little personal history.
In 1966 I was born significantly underweight. I almost killed my Mom when I was born (I was always a handful :-) ). She ended up having a historectemy because of it. This was the only point in my life I was underweight or normal weight. Shortly thereafter I was always "pudgy" or "stocky".
In 7th grade I plumped up even more and at 5'7" entered high school at 230lbs. I kept gaining through sophomore year up to 250lbs. I graduated High School at 270lbs. The lowest I have been since 1984 was 280. The highest was (estimated 350ish) and I was there within the last 2 years.
In 2000 I was admitted to the hospital with (BS 964 - yep and I wasn't in a coma) inability to sleep, peeing all the time, and a skin infection that was pretty nasty.....yep, diabetes T2 was with me now. I remember being prescribed a diet where I could eat 2C of raisin bran and skim milk along with some fruit.....but I digress towards a scathing diatribe about 2000's accepted dietary guidelines.
Now all along I have had high blood pressure. Pretty much since high school it was high. I, being a guy and purposefully choosing to ignore the silent things, didn't do anything about it for quite a while. In early 2011 I was fatigued and tired all the time. I had also mysteriously gained 30 lbs in about 6 weeks. So I went in to the hospital "not feeling well" and when the nurse checked my blood pressure hit the emergency call channel to have me admitted immediately (240/180 will do that).....I was in AFIB and it turns out had heart failure from Fluid build up. I lost a bunch of weight after this getting down to 290 (from 340ish), getting my heart back into sinus rhythm. According to my cardiologist he is amazed at my hearts recovery back into what is considered "normal" with my pumping ability (his words not mine) "fully recovered".
So I have Hypertension, Diabetes, Hyperlipidia, borderline Kidney issues, and gout. I am on 11 medications for hypertension and 3 meds (incl Lantus) for diabetes. My Mom had hypertension really bad all her life too, died from cancer though nothing related to the heart.
And it was just a few months ago (my ability to live in denial is EPIC) I finally woke up and said to myself "I want to live"....not just live like in living to an age, I mean actually live life like this is it and not a dress rehearsal.
So here I am scheduled for surgery on Dec 24 and a self-pay to boot (direct exclusions suck).
I am a bit scared of the surgery. I am very scared of me. My ability to live in denial and ignore things that should not be ignored is well refined and dangerous. My Mom 35 years ago has a gastric bypass and she lost 150 lbs and eventually keeping 100lbs off while using OA as her lifelong counselling until her death in recent years. My Mom's sister had the same surgery lost 100 lbs and 2 years later gained it all back plus 50 lbs.....which one am I (says my fear in my head).
I have been trying to not drink 30 min before, during or 30 min after a meal....holy crap I had no idea how much I used liquids to wash food down. This of course adds to my trepidation and general unease.
So, I want to live. I have had two major health warning shots in my life. I believe the Sleeve will aid in this life change. I am a bit scared.
Thank you for reading. Now, off to read all the good info on this site. I will share more as it happens.

So far, in my morning daily yogurt I add Metamucil clear and miralox (dependent on consistency of the last BM). This seems to have helped with regularity. MOM with a glass of Water chaser should do the trick. Water is needed for MOM to do a cleaning on the system.
What a shitty subject.

So, I am 47 years old and I decided (finally) I want to live. This is new......
First, a little personal history.
In 1966 I was born significantly underweight. I almost killed my Mom when I was born (I was always a handful :-) ). She ended up having a historectemy because of it. This was the only point in my life I was underweight or normal weight. Shortly thereafter I was always "pudgy" or "stocky".
In 7th grade I plumped up even more and at 5'7" entered high school at 230lbs. I kept gaining through sophomore year up to 250lbs. I graduated High School at 270lbs. The lowest I have been since 1984 was 280. The highest was (estimated 350ish) and I was there within the last 2 years.
In 2000 I was admitted to the hospital with (BS 964 - yep and I wasn't in a coma) inability to sleep, peeing all the time, and a skin infection that was pretty nasty.....yep, diabetes T2 was with me now. I remember being prescribed a diet where I could eat 2C of raisin bran and skim milk along with some fruit.....but I digress towards a scathing diatribe about 2000's accepted dietary guidelines.
Now all along I have had high blood pressure. Pretty much since high school it was high. I, being a guy and purposefully choosing to ignore the silent things, didn't do anything about it for quite a while. In early 2011 I was fatigued and tired all the time. I had also mysteriously gained 30 lbs in about 6 weeks. So I went in to the hospital "not feeling well" and when the nurse checked my blood pressure hit the emergency call channel to have me admitted immediately (240/180 will do that).....I was in AFIB and it turns out had heart failure from Fluid build up. I lost a bunch of weight after this getting down to 290 (from 340ish), getting my heart back into sinus rhythm. According to my cardiologist he is amazed at my hearts recovery back into what is considered "normal" with my pumping ability (his words not mine) "fully recovered".
So I have Hypertension, Diabetes, Hyperlipidia, borderline Kidney issues, and gout. I am on 11 medications for hypertension and 3 meds (incl Lantus) for diabetes. My Mom had hypertension really bad all her life too, died from cancer though nothing related to the heart.
And it was just a few months ago (my ability to live in denial is EPIC) I finally woke up and said to myself "I want to live"....not just live like in living to an age, I mean actually live life like this is it and not a dress rehearsal.
So here I am scheduled for surgery on Dec 24 and a self-pay to boot (direct exclusions suck).
I am a bit scared of the surgery. I am very scared of me. My ability to live in denial and ignore things that should not be ignored is well refined and dangerous. My Mom 35 years ago has a gastric bypass and she lost 150 lbs and eventually keeping 100lbs off while using OA as her lifelong counselling until her death in recent years. My Mom's sister had the same surgery lost 100 lbs and 2 years later gained it all back plus 50 lbs.....which one am I (says my fear in my head).
I have been trying to not drink 30 min before, during or 30 min after a meal....holy crap I had no idea how much I used liquids to wash food down. This of course adds to my trepidation and general unease.
So, I want to live. I have had two major health warning shots in my life. I believe the Sleeve will aid in this life change. I am a bit scared.
Thank you for reading. Now, off to read all the good info on this site. I will share more as it happens.

So, I am 47 years old and I decided (finally) I want to live. This is new......
First, a little personal history.
In 1966 I was born significantly underweight. I almost killed my Mom when I was born (I was always a handful :-) ). She ended up having a historectemy because of it. This was the only point in my life I was underweight or normal weight. Shortly thereafter I was always "pudgy" or "stocky".
In 7th grade I plumped up even more and at 5'7" entered high school at 230lbs. I kept gaining through sophomore year up to 250lbs. I graduated High School at 270lbs. The lowest I have been since 1984 was 280. The highest was (estimated 350ish) and I was there within the last 2 years.
In 2000 I was admitted to the hospital with (BS 964 - yep and I wasn't in a coma) inability to sleep, peeing all the time, and a skin infection that was pretty nasty.....yep, diabetes T2 was with me now. I remember being prescribed a diet where I could eat 2C of raisin bran and skim milk along with some fruit.....but I digress towards a scathing diatribe about 2000's accepted dietary guidelines.
Now all along I have had high blood pressure. Pretty much since high school it was high. I, being a guy and purposefully choosing to ignore the silent things, didn't do anything about it for quite a while. In early 2011 I was fatigued and tired all the time. I had also mysteriously gained 30 lbs in about 6 weeks. So I went in to the hospital "not feeling well" and when the nurse checked my blood pressure hit the emergency call channel to have me admitted immediately (240/180 will do that).....I was in AFIB and it turns out had heart failure from Fluid build up. I lost a bunch of weight after this getting down to 290 (from 340ish), getting my heart back into sinus rhythm. According to my cardiologist he is amazed at my hearts recovery back into what is considered "normal" with my pumping ability (his words not mine) "fully recovered".
So I have Hypertension, Diabetes, Hyperlipidia, borderline Kidney issues, and gout. I am on 11 medications for hypertension and 3 meds (incl Lantus) for diabetes. My Mom had hypertension really bad all her life too, died from cancer though nothing related to the heart.
And it was just a few months ago (my ability to live in denial is EPIC) I finally woke up and said to myself "I want to live"....not just live like in living to an age, I mean actually live life like this is it and not a dress rehearsal.
So here I am scheduled for surgery on Dec 24 and a self-pay to boot (direct exclusions suck).
I am a bit scared of the surgery. I am very scared of me. My ability to live in denial and ignore things that should not be ignored is well refined and dangerous. My Mom 35 years ago has a gastric bypass and she lost 150 lbs and eventually keeping 100lbs off while using OA as her lifelong counselling until her death in recent years. My Mom's sister had the same surgery lost 100 lbs and 2 years later gained it all back plus 50 lbs.....which one am I (says my fear in my head).
I have been trying to not drink 30 min before, during or 30 min after a meal....holy crap I had no idea how much I used liquids to wash food down. This of course adds to my trepidation and general unease.
So, I want to live. I have had two major health warning shots in my life. I believe the Sleeve will aid in this life change. I am a bit scared.
Thank you for reading. Now, off to read all the good info on this site. I will share more as it happens.

3 week checkup today
Surgeon, nut and NP were all overjoyed with my weight loss.
I am now moving onto mushies....yay.
46lbs loss since Thanksgiving, 22lbs lost in the last 20 days from VSG surgery.
Exercising on treadmill 20-30 minutes 6 times a week out of seven (allow myself a skip day).
Diabetes is held in check with diet and exercise - not yet "cured" but no need for meds when eating this way and exercising.
Averaging 680 calories per day, 33 cho, 99g pro, 19g fat, 84oz liquid daily.
Only downside is after I charge the hill and get into my work after 6-8 hours I hit a wall and have to basically lay down.....I was told today this is normal through about 6 weeks post-op.
Anyway, the journey is underway. Thrilled to be here, thrilled to be heading a healthier direction.
I wish everyone happiness and great health.

5. If you are a jackhat and going to think you know more than your surgeon and nutritionist and decide to eat foods ahead of schedule. If you cannot comply to the exact surgeon instruction in the first month - don't do it. Or at least shut up about it when you do not comply and things don't go perfect.
Just sayin

Best decision I ever made.

Here I am 8 months later and 103lbs lighter.
All meds have been reduced and over half of them have been eliminated. Not sure normal BP will happen with zero meds but a huge improvement from where I was. I still have fat to lose and it is slow going now as well as it occurs in spurts. Frustrating at times.
I eat between 1200 and 1500 calories on average. I get 80 to 150g Protein. I have pretty much eaten everything just in way reduced proportions.
My new worries revolve around using alcohol. I have been enjoying imbibing spirits and this worries me I might get taken in by a different addiction than food.
It probably relates to the somewhat disappointing reality for me. When I imagined losing 100 lbs that I would then have rainbows, happy leprechauns, constant happiness, women swooning on me, and all my issues eliminated. What a delusional fool I was/am. Life still sucks at times.
I am grateful for many things. The sleeve has brought me more face to face with me. I have MORE raw emotional me than before. This is daunting at times.
Zero regret so far. I am active trying to get political machine to help pay for bariatric surgery in the US. For those ready and with serious medical weight related issues it is the way to go.
Anyways, today I broke through with 103lb lost so I thought an update was in order.

So, I am 47 years old and I decided (finally) I want to live. This is new......
First, a little personal history.
In 1966 I was born significantly underweight. I almost killed my Mom when I was born (I was always a handful :-) ). She ended up having a historectemy because of it. This was the only point in my life I was underweight or normal weight. Shortly thereafter I was always "pudgy" or "stocky".
In 7th grade I plumped up even more and at 5'7" entered high school at 230lbs. I kept gaining through sophomore year up to 250lbs. I graduated High School at 270lbs. The lowest I have been since 1984 was 280. The highest was (estimated 350ish) and I was there within the last 2 years.
In 2000 I was admitted to the hospital with (BS 964 - yep and I wasn't in a coma) inability to sleep, peeing all the time, and a skin infection that was pretty nasty.....yep, diabetes T2 was with me now. I remember being prescribed a diet where I could eat 2C of raisin bran and skim milk along with some fruit.....but I digress towards a scathing diatribe about 2000's accepted dietary guidelines.
Now all along I have had high blood pressure. Pretty much since high school it was high. I, being a guy and purposefully choosing to ignore the silent things, didn't do anything about it for quite a while. In early 2011 I was fatigued and tired all the time. I had also mysteriously gained 30 lbs in about 6 weeks. So I went in to the hospital "not feeling well" and when the nurse checked my blood pressure hit the emergency call channel to have me admitted immediately (240/180 will do that).....I was in AFIB and it turns out had heart failure from Fluid build up. I lost a bunch of weight after this getting down to 290 (from 340ish), getting my heart back into sinus rhythm. According to my cardiologist he is amazed at my hearts recovery back into what is considered "normal" with my pumping ability (his words not mine) "fully recovered".
So I have Hypertension, Diabetes, Hyperlipidia, borderline Kidney issues, and gout. I am on 11 medications for hypertension and 3 meds (incl Lantus) for diabetes. My Mom had hypertension really bad all her life too, died from cancer though nothing related to the heart.
And it was just a few months ago (my ability to live in denial is EPIC) I finally woke up and said to myself "I want to live"....not just live like in living to an age, I mean actually live life like this is it and not a dress rehearsal.
So here I am scheduled for surgery on Dec 24 and a self-pay to boot (direct exclusions suck).
I am a bit scared of the surgery. I am very scared of me. My ability to live in denial and ignore things that should not be ignored is well refined and dangerous. My Mom 35 years ago has a gastric bypass and she lost 150 lbs and eventually keeping 100lbs off while using OA as her lifelong counselling until her death in recent years. My Mom's sister had the same surgery lost 100 lbs and 2 years later gained it all back plus 50 lbs.....which one am I (says my fear in my head).
I have been trying to not drink 30 min before, during or 30 min after a meal....holy crap I had no idea how much I used liquids to wash food down. This of course adds to my trepidation and general unease.
So, I want to live. I have had two major health warning shots in my life. I believe the Sleeve will aid in this life change. I am a bit scared.
Thank you for reading. Now, off to read all the good info on this site. I will share more as it happens.

I too can eat anything / everything at this point.
This is for the rest of my life and if I try to make it in my mind where I will never eat another "bad" food I know where that will head.....sabotage for me.
I am trying to be easy on the guilt / blame / emotional stuff as being hard on myself led me to internal psych beat-downs which led to even more obsessive behaviors.
The keys so far have been never having liquids 30 before, 30 after the meals and getting my Protein first. It seems to be working.
Sorry to hijack, but, I know for me being a diet Nazi on myself will not work long-term. All of my changes are forever changes and I am at peace with it. I hope all of you are at peace too.

I always viewed the diet recommended as a guideline. In general, the less carbs the better chances of long-term success.
I DO find if I eat/drink carbs the hunger hits me more.
I do find that getting my 100-130g Protein keeps me satiated. If I choose to have alcohol or higher carbs I am dealing with the smack in my head calling me to want to eat more. The best is to find YOUR carb limit YOU can live with.
I knew going in that if I restricted everything this would fail for me. It is a rare day my net carbs go over 100.
I wish you health and happiness and hope you find what works for you for life. This is not a quick fix but merely a tool, a very powerful tool, but still, just a tool to help.

So, I am 47 years old and I decided (finally) I want to live. This is new......
First, a little personal history.
In 1966 I was born significantly underweight. I almost killed my Mom when I was born (I was always a handful :-) ). She ended up having a historectemy because of it. This was the only point in my life I was underweight or normal weight. Shortly thereafter I was always "pudgy" or "stocky".
In 7th grade I plumped up even more and at 5'7" entered high school at 230lbs. I kept gaining through sophomore year up to 250lbs. I graduated High School at 270lbs. The lowest I have been since 1984 was 280. The highest was (estimated 350ish) and I was there within the last 2 years.
In 2000 I was admitted to the hospital with (BS 964 - yep and I wasn't in a coma) inability to sleep, peeing all the time, and a skin infection that was pretty nasty.....yep, diabetes T2 was with me now. I remember being prescribed a diet where I could eat 2C of raisin bran and skim milk along with some fruit.....but I digress towards a scathing diatribe about 2000's accepted dietary guidelines.
Now all along I have had high blood pressure. Pretty much since high school it was high. I, being a guy and purposefully choosing to ignore the silent things, didn't do anything about it for quite a while. In early 2011 I was fatigued and tired all the time. I had also mysteriously gained 30 lbs in about 6 weeks. So I went in to the hospital "not feeling well" and when the nurse checked my blood pressure hit the emergency call channel to have me admitted immediately (240/180 will do that).....I was in AFIB and it turns out had heart failure from Fluid build up. I lost a bunch of weight after this getting down to 290 (from 340ish), getting my heart back into sinus rhythm. According to my cardiologist he is amazed at my hearts recovery back into what is considered "normal" with my pumping ability (his words not mine) "fully recovered".
So I have Hypertension, Diabetes, Hyperlipidia, borderline Kidney issues, and gout. I am on 11 medications for hypertension and 3 meds (incl Lantus) for diabetes. My Mom had hypertension really bad all her life too, died from cancer though nothing related to the heart.
And it was just a few months ago (my ability to live in denial is EPIC) I finally woke up and said to myself "I want to live"....not just live like in living to an age, I mean actually live life like this is it and not a dress rehearsal.
So here I am scheduled for surgery on Dec 24 and a self-pay to boot (direct exclusions suck).
I am a bit scared of the surgery. I am very scared of me. My ability to live in denial and ignore things that should not be ignored is well refined and dangerous. My Mom 35 years ago has a gastric bypass and she lost 150 lbs and eventually keeping 100lbs off while using OA as her lifelong counselling until her death in recent years. My Mom's sister had the same surgery lost 100 lbs and 2 years later gained it all back plus 50 lbs.....which one am I (says my fear in my head).
I have been trying to not drink 30 min before, during or 30 min after a meal....holy crap I had no idea how much I used liquids to wash food down. This of course adds to my trepidation and general unease.
So, I want to live. I have had two major health warning shots in my life. I believe the Sleeve will aid in this life change. I am a bit scared.
Thank you for reading. Now, off to read all the good info on this site. I will share more as it happens.

Isopure RTD
Homemade crockpot chicken broth
Home made Jello with the cooling Fluid being isopure
Used 2oz jello shot cups (2oz ea) for easy grab n go on the jello
Panera bread Soups - broth only
Gatorade G2 as Water tastes weird to me now
SF popcicles

Hunger still happens. I just fill up easily if I follow the rule of Protein first and stay full the longer I wait to drink after I eat.
If Protein shakes are not working try solids.
I have 2 shakes a day to get ample Protein for me (90-130g/day) so I consider my protein supplemental not the main course.
Play with it, find what works for you.

I always viewed the diet recommended as a guideline. In general, the less carbs the better chances of long-term success.
I DO find if I eat/drink carbs the hunger hits me more.
I do find that getting my 100-130g Protein keeps me satiated. If I choose to have alcohol or higher carbs I am dealing with the smack in my head calling me to want to eat more. The best is to find YOUR carb limit YOU can live with.
I knew going in that if I restricted everything this would fail for me. It is a rare day my net carbs go over 100.
I wish you health and happiness and hope you find what works for you for life. This is not a quick fix but merely a tool, a very powerful tool, but still, just a tool to help.

Okay, here's one guy's perspective... I'd prefer to know what to expect beforehand. The surprises hidden under our clothes could "spoil the moment" if they are not expected. Besides, if you're anticipating intimacy, perhaps you can work this into "the talk" you probably want to have anyway. STDs and protection are not comfortable subjects to discuss, but we still need to have the conversation, right? So why not roll this into that already not-so-sexy pre-intimacy convo? If he's still on board, great! And if not, then you may have learned something about him while limiting your vulnerability. I wish you the best of luck -- hopefully he's a keeper!

So, I am 47 years old and I decided (finally) I want to live. This is new......
First, a little personal history.
In 1966 I was born significantly underweight. I almost killed my Mom when I was born (I was always a handful :-) ). She ended up having a historectemy because of it. This was the only point in my life I was underweight or normal weight. Shortly thereafter I was always "pudgy" or "stocky".
In 7th grade I plumped up even more and at 5'7" entered high school at 230lbs. I kept gaining through sophomore year up to 250lbs. I graduated High School at 270lbs. The lowest I have been since 1984 was 280. The highest was (estimated 350ish) and I was there within the last 2 years.
In 2000 I was admitted to the hospital with (BS 964 - yep and I wasn't in a coma) inability to sleep, peeing all the time, and a skin infection that was pretty nasty.....yep, diabetes T2 was with me now. I remember being prescribed a diet where I could eat 2C of raisin bran and skim milk along with some fruit.....but I digress towards a scathing diatribe about 2000's accepted dietary guidelines.
Now all along I have had high blood pressure. Pretty much since high school it was high. I, being a guy and purposefully choosing to ignore the silent things, didn't do anything about it for quite a while. In early 2011 I was fatigued and tired all the time. I had also mysteriously gained 30 lbs in about 6 weeks. So I went in to the hospital "not feeling well" and when the nurse checked my blood pressure hit the emergency call channel to have me admitted immediately (240/180 will do that).....I was in AFIB and it turns out had heart failure from Fluid build up. I lost a bunch of weight after this getting down to 290 (from 340ish), getting my heart back into sinus rhythm. According to my cardiologist he is amazed at my hearts recovery back into what is considered "normal" with my pumping ability (his words not mine) "fully recovered".
So I have Hypertension, Diabetes, Hyperlipidia, borderline Kidney issues, and gout. I am on 11 medications for hypertension and 3 meds (incl Lantus) for diabetes. My Mom had hypertension really bad all her life too, died from cancer though nothing related to the heart.
And it was just a few months ago (my ability to live in denial is EPIC) I finally woke up and said to myself "I want to live"....not just live like in living to an age, I mean actually live life like this is it and not a dress rehearsal.
So here I am scheduled for surgery on Dec 24 and a self-pay to boot (direct exclusions suck).
I am a bit scared of the surgery. I am very scared of me. My ability to live in denial and ignore things that should not be ignored is well refined and dangerous. My Mom 35 years ago has a gastric bypass and she lost 150 lbs and eventually keeping 100lbs off while using OA as her lifelong counselling until her death in recent years. My Mom's sister had the same surgery lost 100 lbs and 2 years later gained it all back plus 50 lbs.....which one am I (says my fear in my head).
I have been trying to not drink 30 min before, during or 30 min after a meal....holy crap I had no idea how much I used liquids to wash food down. This of course adds to my trepidation and general unease.
So, I want to live. I have had two major health warning shots in my life. I believe the Sleeve will aid in this life change. I am a bit scared.
Thank you for reading. Now, off to read all the good info on this site. I will share more as it happens.

Here I am 8 months later and 103lbs lighter.
All meds have been reduced and over half of them have been eliminated. Not sure normal BP will happen with zero meds but a huge improvement from where I was. I still have fat to lose and it is slow going now as well as it occurs in spurts. Frustrating at times.
I eat between 1200 and 1500 calories on average. I get 80 to 150g Protein. I have pretty much eaten everything just in way reduced proportions.
My new worries revolve around using alcohol. I have been enjoying imbibing spirits and this worries me I might get taken in by a different addiction than food.
It probably relates to the somewhat disappointing reality for me. When I imagined losing 100 lbs that I would then have rainbows, happy leprechauns, constant happiness, women swooning on me, and all my issues eliminated. What a delusional fool I was/am. Life still sucks at times.
I am grateful for many things. The sleeve has brought me more face to face with me. I have MORE raw emotional me than before. This is daunting at times.
Zero regret so far. I am active trying to get political machine to help pay for bariatric surgery in the US. For those ready and with serious medical weight related issues it is the way to go.
Anyways, today I broke through with 103lb lost so I thought an update was in order.

Here I am 8 months later and 103lbs lighter.
All meds have been reduced and over half of them have been eliminated. Not sure normal BP will happen with zero meds but a huge improvement from where I was. I still have fat to lose and it is slow going now as well as it occurs in spurts. Frustrating at times.
I eat between 1200 and 1500 calories on average. I get 80 to 150g Protein. I have pretty much eaten everything just in way reduced proportions.
My new worries revolve around using alcohol. I have been enjoying imbibing spirits and this worries me I might get taken in by a different addiction than food.
It probably relates to the somewhat disappointing reality for me. When I imagined losing 100 lbs that I would then have rainbows, happy leprechauns, constant happiness, women swooning on me, and all my issues eliminated. What a delusional fool I was/am. Life still sucks at times.
I am grateful for many things. The sleeve has brought me more face to face with me. I have MORE raw emotional me than before. This is daunting at times.
Zero regret so far. I am active trying to get political machine to help pay for bariatric surgery in the US. For those ready and with serious medical weight related issues it is the way to go.
Anyways, today I broke through with 103lb lost so I thought an update was in order.

Yes. Summer is great though- I am comfortable in 85deg weather.
Wisconsin February already has me freeked out thinking of it.

Here I am 8 months later and 103lbs lighter.
All meds have been reduced and over half of them have been eliminated. Not sure normal BP will happen with zero meds but a huge improvement from where I was. I still have fat to lose and it is slow going now as well as it occurs in spurts. Frustrating at times.
I eat between 1200 and 1500 calories on average. I get 80 to 150g Protein. I have pretty much eaten everything just in way reduced proportions.
My new worries revolve around using alcohol. I have been enjoying imbibing spirits and this worries me I might get taken in by a different addiction than food.
It probably relates to the somewhat disappointing reality for me. When I imagined losing 100 lbs that I would then have rainbows, happy leprechauns, constant happiness, women swooning on me, and all my issues eliminated. What a delusional fool I was/am. Life still sucks at times.
I am grateful for many things. The sleeve has brought me more face to face with me. I have MORE raw emotional me than before. This is daunting at times.
Zero regret so far. I am active trying to get political machine to help pay for bariatric surgery in the US. For those ready and with serious medical weight related issues it is the way to go.
Anyways, today I broke through with 103lb lost so I thought an update was in order.

WOOHOO!!!
That is fantastic. Gratz man!
It is exciting and I am glad you shared your fantastic news.

I do have lots of gas. It is not painful but it is loud in the belly and coming out of the backside.The releasing of gas has been loud and voluminous. I look forward to that decreasing.

I used to get pissed at this but then I thought about it, it kind of is an easier option which is why most of us do it. Let's just start being honest with ourselves.
The only time I've noticed myself getting offended at someone's ignorance though is when they use that idea that it's an easier option to trivialize my opinions about weight loss. As if I have no say in the matter at all. As if I didn't risk my life to lose 100+ And honestly, it's usually the fattest people who do that because their addicted to their own vices and I challenge them. And I've literally said to someone 'don't you dare trivialize my experience and hard work because you can't handle it.'
Shut them up real quick. You have to re-find your power when you make decisions like this. People are only bullies if you let them bully you.
When you lose weight, no matter how you do it, everyone will internalize and personalize your experience to them.