Rogofulm

My doc emphasizes lean Protein, lots of fluids, and keeping carbs as low as possible. Seems to be working...

If you keep following your program, it will work. There will be stalls, but the long-term trajectory will be down, down, down. Keep up the good work!!!

After 30-45 minutes, start sipping on a nice big glass of something. My doctor told me that, especially early on, when I feel hunger, it's often really thirst. It worked for me - give it a try!

What a cool idea, I'll give it a shot! Thanks!!

I'm sorry that you are in an awful situation. But it sounds like having the surgery might set you on a positive path. As others have said, at least you still have him for insurance and to help out with the kids while you recover for a week of two. After that you'll be on the mend and getting healthier and more energetic every day. And if afterwards he goes, don't let it sabotage your program. It's really important for you to have your head in the right place for this to work, no matter what else is swirling around you. If you think stress will lead to making bad food choices, you may need to reconsider. Because that will add additional guilt to your plate. But if you go through with it, I would hope as you feel better physically, you'll feel better emotionally too. Best wishes!!!

Yup, 5: 4 in a row and one a littler higher.

Okay, here's my formula: I'm all-in with my doc's guidelines to minimize carbs and focus on lean Protein and fluids – AND take all my Vitamins and supplements. I have one 30g Premier Protein shake every morning to kick things off, a 24oz tumbler of Fluid (Crystal Light decaf iced tea) throughout the morning, lean protein and maybe a few veggies for lunch, another 24oz tumbler of fluid throughout the afternoon, a healthy (low-carb, no starch) dinner, one last 24oz tumbler of fluid throughout the evening, and maybe a couple of Snacks, like low-cal Greek yogurt, as needed. I haven't had a bite of processed sugar since surgery, and don't miss it. I don't really worry about calories because they take care of themselves, and my secret weapon "comfort" snack (or meal replacement) is beef Jerky (low-fat and tons of protein). I try to walk 40 minutes per day, and try to go to the gym on Saturdays. Lather, rinse, repeat. I go to tons of social eating events and quite a few restaurants, but always plan ahead in order to control what goes in my mouth. If necessary, I bring my own food and drink. And I Celebrate each and every scale and non-scale victory while focusing on enjoying the ride. So far, so good! You may notice that this involves a somewhat selfish, or self-centered approach. I kind of think that's necessary in order to always keep your program as one of your top priorities. Stuff happens along the way, but we can't let it derail our journey. Don't leave the possibility of failure as an option. That's "old thinking". A positive, I'm gonna do this, no matter what! attitude really helps. Good luck!

All riiiight! Congratulations!!! Follow your program and it should keep coming off for a while. Enjoy the victories!!!

Thanks for your concern. Listen, I've started hundreds of diets over the years, and look where they got me – miserable and unhealthy. So I've decided to go with a modern technique that's proven to be the most effective weight-loss tool there is. It'll still take a lot of hard work, but I'm optimistic. I'm really excited about it and I hope you'll be happy for me too. It's really a pretty cool procedure! If you're interested, I can tell you about it... I find that most people are hooked at this point and want to hear more. I know you don't really want to talk about it, but information is what gets people on board. And then they stop judging.

Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the weight will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. If you're interested, here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again like crazy! (Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the weight will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. If you're interested, here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again like crazy! (Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

During my first week I had difficulty with the lower part of my stomach. Then during the second week I had trouble with the upper part of my stomach. In both cases, my doctor's office said it was related to swelling from the surgery and that it would go away. It did. If you have severe pain or discomfort, call your doc or go to the hospital. Otherwise, it's probably just a temporary situation. And always get your fluids in every day!

Congratulations! You look great, and I'll bet you feel even better!!!!

Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. In fact you may be getting near the end of it. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the weight will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. If you're interested, here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again like crazy! (Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

I know I look better than before but emotionally, I have yet to find peace because I still secretly fear that this is a just a dream and I will wake up most of my weight back. Wow, @@erp, you expressed it perfectly! This is why we have to work so hard to get our heads right during the journey towards our goal. Ironically, if we do everything right, the day will come when the compliments fade, the exhilaration of fitting into new sizes diminishes, and our surgery will stop doing some of the heavy lifting. And from then on, comes... the rest of our lives. Just like watching children grow up, we need to try to embrace and Celebrate each success, each time we make the right choice, each scale and non-scale victory, each compliment, each disease we overcome, each ache or pain that goes away, and each milestone we achieve along the way. Every time someone say, "OMG, I didn't recognize you," I'm overjoyed, because that means the new me is coming to life. I hope and pray that you (and so many others) can learn to accept your success, not as a step towards the next failure, but as a well-earned and entirely positive outcome of your WLS decision; and focus your energies on maintaining that success by looking forwards and not backwards. We all deserve it! (Whew, I guess your statement above really moved me!)

A couple of things... First, you may be experiencing The Dreaded Week-3 Stall, only a little later than most. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the weight will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. If you're interested, here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again like crazy! (Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!) But even more importantly, make sure you get in 64+ ounces of water every day. I know it seems counter-intuitive, since stalls are often caused by water retention, but it's really important! And please, please, don't focus on others "splurging" while you don't/can't. That's deprivation thinking. Try to reinforce that what you're doing is making healthy choices and finding a new way to live. Once you get past this stall, everything will look a lot rosier! Good luck!!!

on my bucket list.....skinny jeans!!! lol! I tried on a pair of 34-waist, straight-leg jeans last... and they fit!!! But just barely, so I didn't buy them. Think I'll wait until they don't cause major muffin-top. Okay, now THAT goes on my muffin... I mean, bucket list.

ROTFL!!!!!