Rogofulm

That's great! Keep it up!!!!!

Personally, I'd choose to stay away from potatoes or other starches. I'd ask about the soup of the day. You can have anything that's not starch-based. I discovered that even broccoli-cheddar soup works, as long as you're not also having starches. Also, if you like and can tolerate chili, that's a great choice at restaurants too. A quick look at their menu shows that they offer a white chicken chili. I'd ask for it without the rice garnish. With French onion soup, I just take out the bread and croutons, or ask for it without them. I know you're still in the early stages, but restaurant eating is actually pretty easy. Once you can eat regular food, the formula is: Skip the bread and cocktails, you won't need an appetizer, order a meat dish and replace the starch with a second vegetable, and skip the dessert. You'll still take half of your meat and most of your veggies home for tomorrow's lunch!

Congratulations on getting "Un-Super-Sized"! The BMI chart I used, had me starting at Class III Obesity. Since I liked to make (and achieve) every possible milestone, I celebrated: Class II obesity, Class I obesity, Overweight, Normal Weight, every 5 pounds lost, every 10 pounds lost, every 5 pounds left to goal, every 10 pounds left to goal, every quarter of the way to (or from) goal, every third of a the way to (of from), halfway there, and every one of the last five. And, of course, every shirt or pants size. It's insanely obsessive, but it makes it fun to achieve so many milestones. And by "celebrated", I mean with a fist pump, not a treat.

Thanks for your response! Anybody who successfully maintains their weight loss for 8+ years deserves to be applauded!!!

Okay, so here we are at (or slightly below) our goal weight. Now what? We've been existing on Protein and green veggies for a long time, but now we need (or want) to stop losing, stabilize our weight, and start maintaining. So many questions come to mind, but let's start with these: If we just keep eating the same way, will our bodies find their "set point" weight and remain there, or will we continue to lose until we're too thin? If we need to add some variety (uh... carbs) back into the picture, which ones are a good idea and which are a bad idea. I mean, some choices are obvious: good = quinoa, barley, oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat Pasta, and sweet potatoes. And bad = white bread, white rice, white pasta, white potatoes, and anything containing refined sugar, right? But what else should we think about? What about corn and peas? What else works or doesn't work? As long as we stayed in ketosis, fat and calories didn't seem to have much of an effect on our weight loss. But now, if we knock ourselves out of ketosis by adding in more carbs, will those fat calories start to work against us and cause weight gain? In other words, if we've been eating tons of nuts, cheese, and butter and still losing, if we keep eating them the same way in maintenance will they start causing weight gain? The tricky (but wonderful) part of this is our permanent restriction. How do we make room for new foods, while still taking in enough protein? Eventually we do start to get more hungry. What do we do about an increasing appetite that makes us want to eat between meals? Who's been there, who's there now, and do you have any tips for the maintenance newbies? Thanks, and congratulations to everyone who is beginning or succeeding in maintenance!!! Rog

Thanks so much for setting this up Alex! For those of us trying to figure out how to hold on to our weight loss, this will be a valuable resource!!!

Because now the sign says "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS"!

Okay this one's kinda convoluted, but... When you're acting in a play... And the script calls for your character to change clothes onstage... And amazingly, you're not self-conscious about stripping down to long-johns in public... And then you're supposed to put on pants that are too tight... So you go out and buy a pair of pants in a size you haven't been able to wear for over 40 years.... But you still have to "act" like they're too tight, because they actually fit... And then you realize, OMG, I'm a 32" waist now instead of a 48!!!

Greek yogurt = great choice! Mashed potatoes = eh... not so much. Try to stick with the great choices!

By six weeks out I was solidly on on solid food. We took a 10-day vacation to New England and our goal was to get sick of lobster. Guess what? It worked! I ate lots of shellfish (not fried), and Soups and such. But the main trick I learned while driving around a lot, beef Jerky (and almonds) can keep you satisfied. I know... jerky sounds like the antithesis of everything French, but if you bring store-bought sealed bags, they will stay fresh and it will help you make it through. At your stage, one 3.5 ounce bag is easily a meal! You're not going to believe this, but a quick search turned up a TripAdvisor thread about taking beef jerky into France. How funny is that?!! So have fun, and make good (read, protein) choices! Okay, here you go.... http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187070-i12-k1158057-Beef_jerky-France.html

Guy here. Pre-surgery, I could go to a steak house and have: bread, split an appetizer, salad, 12-oz steak, baked potato, side veggies, and split a dessert, all with 3-4 glasses of iced tea. Now, not quite a year post-surgery, I go to the same restaurant and have: no bread, maybe split an appetizer, no salad, 4-6 ounces of steak, a bite or two of veggies, no starch, no dessert, and nothing to drink. And I'm stuffed! I know it doesn't sound like much fun, but it's fantastic to get filled up on much less food – and you have great leftovers for lunch the next day!

I'm having pretty much the same experience your wife is worried about. I overshot my goal and she thinks I'm getting "too skinny". She's pretty upset with me. I'm trying to figure out what works to stop the losses, and maybe even gain a few pounds back, but it takes time. If I can just keep her calm, everything will be okay. My plan all along was to get to goal quickly and then figure it out. I'm there now, and working on that next step. But instead of going crazy and eating "the old way", I'm taking baby steps to test each new food to see how my body reacts. Just like figuring out the most effective ways your body loses weight takes time, it will also take some time to figure out what works and what doesn't to maintain. I just need to keep reminding her that I'm not trying to lose any more weight, and that she needs to be patient while I figure this out. She doesn't feel threatened, because we're totally devoted to each other. It's just that she didn't marry a "skinny guy", and still hasn't completely adjusted to my new size yet. But this is a good reminder to all of us who have had bariatric surgery that our weight loss affects our loved ones too, and we need to be sensitive to their emotional needs as well.

Thanks so much, @@erp, that's a big help! It's interesting that we're both 5'6" men, and that your bounce range is about 10 pounds below mine. How did you come up with that, or is that just where your weight kind of stabilized on its own? Even though I've added some carbs back into my diet, I'm still losing tenths of a pound every few days. I wonder if it would stop by itself at some point?

Oh, come on, you've got to be kidding! Anybody on this Forum NOT answer 'yes' to pretty much all of these questions? If anything, answering 'yes' should be a qualifier for the surgery, not the other way around. Can't wait to hear how this one goes. And if it doesn't go well, find another therapist who understands weight issues. Good luck!

What do your post-op instructions say about this? If you didn't receive any instructions, check with your doctor or nutritionist. They should give you guidance about how to eat after weight loss surgery.

Check out this thread on BP, and good luck! http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/338601-restartpouch-test-works/?hl=%2Bpouch+%2Btest#entry3825494

Congratulations on your anniversary and your weight loss! Keep it up!!!

Good for you! You have already begun using one of my best tips... Believe in the "new you" that you see in the mirror, and never look back over your shoulder waiting for the "old you" to drag you back. Let that person... in the "fat suit"... fade away into history. Good luck!!!

Beef and turkey jerky!!! You can buy a 3.5 oz. bag almost anywhere, and it's a meal!

I try to not drink anything for 30 minutes before meals, and 45 minutes afterwards. It's worked so far...

Excellent, enjoy those NSVs! And set yourself tons of mini-goals, they're fun to achieve and can really help keep you motivated!

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 pounds will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches will continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. 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! (Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

I'm so excited to hear that the 5-Day Pouch Test works, that I'm tempted to go off my program just to give it a try...NOT! But I'm sure keeping it in my Bookmarks for the day when I need it! That, and the 5:2 diet which a lot of people swear by for maintenance.

Bring your own food that you know you can eat. And brink your own drinks too. Depending on what phase you're in when the parties happen, you'll bring different foods. And don't give in and say "the heck with it". The stronger you stay, the more ingrained the good habits will become, and the more successful you'll be. Drink a Protein shake in the car on the way. Bring a pitcher of Crystal Light that you can use to keep filling up your glass. Once you're on "real" food, have protein-based Snacks with you, like Jerky, nuts, cheese, etc. If you absolutely have to eat at a party, eat the cheeses and meats without the bread. Take it as a challenge to make it through each event without straying from your program. And when you do, claim it as a victory! Good luck!!!

This is a great place to get support and advice, but as others have said, it can be hit-or-miss depending on what your question is, and when you post it. Please keep in mind that we are not medical professionals here. (At least most of us aren't.) We are patients, just like you, who share from our personal experiences, or from what we have read or heard. If you have a serious medical issue, you should always consult a medical professional. Good luck!