Bobby46

I am about to say something that will make some people mad......but keep reading.....just giving my point of view. Don't want to make anyone mad. This is just my experience.
I used to get soooo mad at people who said WLS is the easy way out...............
I have been on just about every single weight loss program known to man kind. About 37yrs worth of it. I have lost and I have regained. Most of us have traveled together on that same stinking road, I'm sure. WLS has been the easiest for me. Yep, I said it. My surgery was so easy. No pain. Recovery super fast and super easy. I was very blessed. The weight just fell off. I didn't struggle with emotional issues regarding food. I didn't cry. I didn't fight it at all. So to me this has been the "easy way" considering all the other avenues I ventured down.
WAIT......That being said......
I am only 5 1/2 mths out. I have hit a stall, a huge one.....about 6 weeks now. So....about 6 weeks ago #%^& got real!
I understand why people who don't have weight issues.....or those who do and refuse to face it......say that this is the easy way out. To them they see surgery 1 day and weeks or months later people are 1/2 their size! Easy peasy.
No one outside of this experience will ever understand how difficult this is. They just wont. I really doubt we will ever make anyone understand that WLS is just as difficult as any other weight loss program out there. We will never be able to show them the hard part.....the fight in our heads and the fight to avoid certain foods, maybe forever. They only see that the weight came off fast and that equals easy because dieting without surgery is a slower process.
Little do they know.....little did I know....the real work begins when that grace period ends. For me I had 4 glorious months of "easy". But, I realize the rest of my life this is going to be one difficult fight!
My 600lb life to me is inspiring and sad. I worry that the general public is just gawking at them. Makes me sad for them. They may be inspirational to those of us who struggle with weight.....but I feel they are just entertainment for those who don't.
I've never watched the other show about the young woman who is "happy" as a very obese person. But, there are issues there. In my opinion, no one who becomes obese...with or without medical issues....is "happy". They adjust to it, accept it, and make the best of it....but I guarantee that if there was a "miracle pill" that would turn her into a thin, healthy woman, she would take it.

I am about to say something that will make some people mad......but keep reading.....just giving my point of view. Don't want to make anyone mad. This is just my experience.
I used to get soooo mad at people who said WLS is the easy way out...............
I have been on just about every single weight loss program known to man kind. About 37yrs worth of it. I have lost and I have regained. Most of us have traveled together on that same stinking road, I'm sure. WLS has been the easiest for me. Yep, I said it. My surgery was so easy. No pain. Recovery super fast and super easy. I was very blessed. The weight just fell off. I didn't struggle with emotional issues regarding food. I didn't cry. I didn't fight it at all. So to me this has been the "easy way" considering all the other avenues I ventured down.
WAIT......That being said......
I am only 5 1/2 mths out. I have hit a stall, a huge one.....about 6 weeks now. So....about 6 weeks ago #%^& got real!
I understand why people who don't have weight issues.....or those who do and refuse to face it......say that this is the easy way out. To them they see surgery 1 day and weeks or months later people are 1/2 their size! Easy peasy.
No one outside of this experience will ever understand how difficult this is. They just wont. I really doubt we will ever make anyone understand that WLS is just as difficult as any other weight loss program out there. We will never be able to show them the hard part.....the fight in our heads and the fight to avoid certain foods, maybe forever. They only see that the weight came off fast and that equals easy because dieting without surgery is a slower process.
Little do they know.....little did I know....the real work begins when that grace period ends. For me I had 4 glorious months of "easy". But, I realize the rest of my life this is going to be one difficult fight!
My 600lb life to me is inspiring and sad. I worry that the general public is just gawking at them. Makes me sad for them. They may be inspirational to those of us who struggle with weight.....but I feel they are just entertainment for those who don't.
I've never watched the other show about the young woman who is "happy" as a very obese person. But, there are issues there. In my opinion, no one who becomes obese...with or without medical issues....is "happy". They adjust to it, accept it, and make the best of it....but I guarantee that if there was a "miracle pill" that would turn her into a thin, healthy woman, she would take it.

Snowkitten, I totally get it! I am also 8 mths out tomorrow. For the last few weeks I have not tracked what I've been eating and I've had my hand in the candy jar...literally! I exercise about 5 days a week and I keep telling myself that I'm doing great because of the exercise, but I'm closing my eyes to the carbs that I have been shoveling in my mouth and the lack of good protein!!
I did great until a few weeks ago. About the 7 mth point I started feeling completely normal...like I haven't had surgery at all. That "I got this!" feeling. But, I don't. I know there's still restriction but I know I'm eating around it. I have my small meal but I push around the veggies and add a spoonful of Pasta. Or I just don't plan and eat what I can grab. Not tracking has made me feel like I've been eating mountains of food. It makes me feel out of control.
My son is in a lot of sports and is in boy scouts. We hit the road running at about 5 most nights and don't get in until around 7:30. So we hit fast food. I don't think that is a bad thing for me. I usually get a small chili from wendys or a plain chicken sandwich and just eat the chicken. Or I get a small salad with low fat dressing. Always bottled Water or sugar free tea to drink 30 mins later. But....last week I crossed over to chicken nuggets! I ate 4 of them and gave the rest to my son. The point is....I'm slipping. I am losing control and I watch myself do it. I let myself do it. I confess....I had it so easy up until now. Mentally, physically and emotionally easy. Easy surgery. Easy control. Easy weightloss. Well....now the work begins for me. I am determined to fight it. Yes, I have moments when I feel like a failure. I do. But....If I don't pull myself up by the boot straps and get back on this horse RIGHT NOW. Then its only going to get harder for me. All holidays are over and no birthdays until August. No excuse to have junky food in my house. Its NOW. I am forgetting the past few weeks and moving on!
I also agree with Jamielogical....don't worry about set weight goals. This is your body and no one else out there is like you. I am so glad my doctor has not set such high goals for me. His philosophy is still the ....you didn't put it on in a year, youre not going to take it off in a year....even with surgery. I'm hard enough on myself!

nursemate2.
I agree that not following a healthy diet is what got me here. I will make healthy choices in order to finally lose the weight and feel wonderful for the rest of my life and hopefully avoid horrible health issues. Massive amounts of unhealthy food was the way lived before. Never again.
But....for me...it is so hard and so unrealistic to live my life without ever having the foods I enjoy ever again. I have deprived my self of food since I was 9 years old and it did nothing but make me fat and frustrated. For me, if I am told "never again" when it comes to anything in life, it makes me want it all that much more.
I will eat a cheeseburger (without the bun because it gets stuck a little not because they said no) I will have a small piece of cake at a birthday party and I will drink a cup of coffee with Creamer every morning.
What I will guarantee I will do for the rest of my life is eat healthy and make wise choices 99% of the time. I will enjoy the unhealthy choices every now and again. That's a promise.
Life is short.

No relationship right now. No sex. The only thing messing up my hair right now is me taking a nap in the middle of a Sunday afternoon! Dang it!
I am starting to think about dating and sex once again.....its been about 2 yrs for me. I am hoping I can deal with this body once I'm closer to goal. Its a scary thing for me. I'm also a divorced, single mother of a 13yr old boy....we're very close. Dating is not something he wants me to ever do again as long as I live lol. So I have some things to work on, I guess.

You know what I really love?....How skinny people believe that weight gain and weight loss is just a simple thing....eat less and exercise more. Period. So easy, right? Why didn't we think of that? Gheez!
I told my niece....an exercise aholic and nutritionist, 3 mths after. Her first comment...I wish you would have told me before because I would not have let you have the surgery and I would have made you go to the gym. Really? I am 23 yrs older than you and in that 23 yrs I lost and gained around 100lbs. I understand the calorie in/calorie out thing sweetpea.
This whole weight loss/gain thing is way more difficult than the 2+2=4 formula so many skinny people think they have figured out. 1+3 still equals 4, so does 5-1 and 8-4......doesn't matter, it all still equals 4. Our decision on how to get this weight off shouldn't make a difference to anyone. Its no ones business.
Oh....and just wait. Rude people will continue to be rude and get pretty stinking good at it. I just heard....you had surgery 7 mths ago and you're still fat? Are you doing what your doctor told you? You should be skinny by now! That was my mother!!!!

You know what I really love?....How skinny people believe that weight gain and weight loss is just a simple thing....eat less and exercise more. Period. So easy, right? Why didn't we think of that? Gheez!
I told my niece....an exercise aholic and nutritionist, 3 mths after. Her first comment...I wish you would have told me before because I would not have let you have the surgery and I would have made you go to the gym. Really? I am 23 yrs older than you and in that 23 yrs I lost and gained around 100lbs. I understand the calorie in/calorie out thing sweetpea.
This whole weight loss/gain thing is way more difficult than the 2+2=4 formula so many skinny people think they have figured out. 1+3 still equals 4, so does 5-1 and 8-4......doesn't matter, it all still equals 4. Our decision on how to get this weight off shouldn't make a difference to anyone. Its no ones business.
Oh....and just wait. Rude people will continue to be rude and get pretty stinking good at it. I just heard....you had surgery 7 mths ago and you're still fat? Are you doing what your doctor told you? You should be skinny by now! That was my mother!!!!

Even if I had that kind of time to exercise everyday, there is no way I could do it! I exercise 45 minutes to an hour at the gym and I am so done and so ready to take a shower and get on with my life. Within a week if I didn't have Jilian Michaels, Bob Harper or the "flavor of the day" trainer, screaming at me to keep going, I wouldn't. That is a ridiculous amount of exercise for the average, non-athletic, person to follow through with. I also guarantee those contestants on that show are not continuing with that kind of rigorous exercise plan once they are back home without the screaming trainers in their faces everyday. And....what kind of doctor would even suggest that over weight, out of shape, potentially, very unhealthy people get up and exercise 3 to 4 hours a day?! Was he even slightly serious? Good grief!

Hello! I have my 6 mth apt next week as well. I also have been on a weird stall lately. Well, since just after Christmas. I got to 195 Christmas morning....my goal at the time. Now I am at 187. I have fought harder for these last 8lbs than I did for the previous 60! I seem to stay put, gain 1, lose 1, stay there, gain 3, lose 2, stay there......just up and down and down and up. Hoping to get some insight from the nutritionist Tuesday.
food wise....doing well. Yes, dense things I cant eat much of. But veggies are easier to fit in daily now. I still can only eat about a cup of food at a time. Think that's my new norm. Water still a struggle. I was a gulper before and drank about 5 or 6 bottles a day. Now that I have to drink a lot slower I tend to put the bottle down and forget to pick it up again until I'm ready to gulp....which I cant. Still figuring that out.
I'm lucky...no pain from the surgery. I've been blessed to have an easy ride so far. Knocking on wood that continues!

Snowkitten, I totally get it! I am also 8 mths out tomorrow. For the last few weeks I have not tracked what I've been eating and I've had my hand in the candy jar...literally! I exercise about 5 days a week and I keep telling myself that I'm doing great because of the exercise, but I'm closing my eyes to the carbs that I have been shoveling in my mouth and the lack of good protein!!
I did great until a few weeks ago. About the 7 mth point I started feeling completely normal...like I haven't had surgery at all. That "I got this!" feeling. But, I don't. I know there's still restriction but I know I'm eating around it. I have my small meal but I push around the veggies and add a spoonful of Pasta. Or I just don't plan and eat what I can grab. Not tracking has made me feel like I've been eating mountains of food. It makes me feel out of control.
My son is in a lot of sports and is in boy scouts. We hit the road running at about 5 most nights and don't get in until around 7:30. So we hit fast food. I don't think that is a bad thing for me. I usually get a small chili from wendys or a plain chicken sandwich and just eat the chicken. Or I get a small salad with low fat dressing. Always bottled Water or sugar free tea to drink 30 mins later. But....last week I crossed over to chicken nuggets! I ate 4 of them and gave the rest to my son. The point is....I'm slipping. I am losing control and I watch myself do it. I let myself do it. I confess....I had it so easy up until now. Mentally, physically and emotionally easy. Easy surgery. Easy control. Easy weightloss. Well....now the work begins for me. I am determined to fight it. Yes, I have moments when I feel like a failure. I do. But....If I don't pull myself up by the boot straps and get back on this horse RIGHT NOW. Then its only going to get harder for me. All holidays are over and no birthdays until August. No excuse to have junky food in my house. Its NOW. I am forgetting the past few weeks and moving on!
I also agree with Jamielogical....don't worry about set weight goals. This is your body and no one else out there is like you. I am so glad my doctor has not set such high goals for me. His philosophy is still the ....you didn't put it on in a year, youre not going to take it off in a year....even with surgery. I'm hard enough on myself!

Even if I had that kind of time to exercise everyday, there is no way I could do it! I exercise 45 minutes to an hour at the gym and I am so done and so ready to take a shower and get on with my life. Within a week if I didn't have Jilian Michaels, Bob Harper or the "flavor of the day" trainer, screaming at me to keep going, I wouldn't. That is a ridiculous amount of exercise for the average, non-athletic, person to follow through with. I also guarantee those contestants on that show are not continuing with that kind of rigorous exercise plan once they are back home without the screaming trainers in their faces everyday. And....what kind of doctor would even suggest that over weight, out of shape, potentially, very unhealthy people get up and exercise 3 to 4 hours a day?! Was he even slightly serious? Good grief!

Honestly. You just have to get rid of the things that you know you can not control yourself around. All of it. Period. Dot. The end.
WLS does not control our addiction to food....it only controls how much of it we can eat at a time. So we have to decide what can and can not be in our homes and offices. Its hard as hell but you can do it!
I have a very physically active 13 yr old son in the house with a healthy body weight and a healthy appetite to go with it. He eats constantly! I have a cupboard with a huge bowl of snack food for him to eat as he pleases. I only fill it with stuff that upsets my stomach or things that have never appealed to me. He has complained lately that I haven't been buying the chocolate covered granola bars he loves.....I told him he can have those at his dads or school, they will never occupy space in our house again! He is learning to live with the change....and he is surviving! And he is eating more fruit and vegetables also! Change is good for everyone!

Snowkitten, I totally get it! I am also 8 mths out tomorrow. For the last few weeks I have not tracked what I've been eating and I've had my hand in the candy jar...literally! I exercise about 5 days a week and I keep telling myself that I'm doing great because of the exercise, but I'm closing my eyes to the carbs that I have been shoveling in my mouth and the lack of good protein!!
I did great until a few weeks ago. About the 7 mth point I started feeling completely normal...like I haven't had surgery at all. That "I got this!" feeling. But, I don't. I know there's still restriction but I know I'm eating around it. I have my small meal but I push around the veggies and add a spoonful of Pasta. Or I just don't plan and eat what I can grab. Not tracking has made me feel like I've been eating mountains of food. It makes me feel out of control.
My son is in a lot of sports and is in boy scouts. We hit the road running at about 5 most nights and don't get in until around 7:30. So we hit fast food. I don't think that is a bad thing for me. I usually get a small chili from wendys or a plain chicken sandwich and just eat the chicken. Or I get a small salad with low fat dressing. Always bottled Water or sugar free tea to drink 30 mins later. But....last week I crossed over to chicken nuggets! I ate 4 of them and gave the rest to my son. The point is....I'm slipping. I am losing control and I watch myself do it. I let myself do it. I confess....I had it so easy up until now. Mentally, physically and emotionally easy. Easy surgery. Easy control. Easy weightloss. Well....now the work begins for me. I am determined to fight it. Yes, I have moments when I feel like a failure. I do. But....If I don't pull myself up by the boot straps and get back on this horse RIGHT NOW. Then its only going to get harder for me. All holidays are over and no birthdays until August. No excuse to have junky food in my house. Its NOW. I am forgetting the past few weeks and moving on!
I also agree with Jamielogical....don't worry about set weight goals. This is your body and no one else out there is like you. I am so glad my doctor has not set such high goals for me. His philosophy is still the ....you didn't put it on in a year, youre not going to take it off in a year....even with surgery. I'm hard enough on myself!

Have you tried those Sargento Snacks that have cubed cheese, almonds, and craisins in small, divided containers? I did, and they are great! Each snack contains about 190 calories, and is very convenient. BUT, I am cheap! So I went ahead and made my own. But first I had to aquire some reusable containers with dividers. I looked high and low for a small. portable container like that, but no luck in the normal food container section of the store. I ended up in the BABY food aisle, near the formula section. There I found several brands of baby formula (powdered) containers that have three divided sections - PERFECT for the snack container I was looking for! It is about 3" x 3", the top comes off and has a small pouring spout (if you want to carry just nuts....you can pour them out this way).
This is a perfect way of carrying with you Snacks such as the above mentioned, Jerky pieces (I like to cut them into bite-size pieces with a kitchen shear), dried fruits, nuts, salami chunks.... the list is endless. I'm not sure if the divided sections keep out moisture from the other sections, so beware of that. The containers run from about $2.50 and up (each). I just got the generic brand, and got a half-dozen of those. Mine have 3 sections. I plan to fill 2 sections with the nuts and fruit (I am measuring out 1/2 ounce of each), then store them in the pantry until I need to take them somewhere, then fill with cheese or meat the remaining section just prior to leaving for my destination. The container has plenty of room for multiple portions, for longer days, or if someone wants to share! Enjoy and have fun with this!!!!

I have to start this out by saying I am absolutely a success. I have lost 100lbs, weight I would have NEVER lost had I not had the VSG surgery. I do not regret for one minute making that decision. What I am regretting is where I have put myself right now. I did not use my tool to the best of it's ability early on. I used the sleeve to lose the weight for the first 10 months. I didn't even try to exercise. I was more active, yes. But I was losing and I was happy so I didn't put much effort in. My eating was under control for the most part during that time too. As time passed and weight loss slowed then stopped I did start to go to the gym. I figured I rode the sleeve as far as it would take me and now it was up to me. Except I stopped that too after a short while. I wasn't seeing many results and my schedule got in the way. Yes, I made excuses. Now I am in a horrible head space and I am trying desperately to figure out how to change it. My weight stays within a 5-7lbs zone, but that is still over 70lbs from my weight loss goal. I am still clinically obese. I have a friend who had surgery two months after mine and he is within 20lbs of his goal weight, and has lost over 200lbs! Of course there are differences in our lifestyles that attribute to that. First he is a male. He is also a gay male that does not have children. He gets up at 4am every day and goes to the gym to work out for 2.5 hours. I cannot do that, period. I have a six year old daughter that deserves time with me, not being bounced from daytime daycare to the daycare at the Y each and every day. ( and I would have to go AFTER work, not before) My friend struggles to with his eating, but his extreme exercise routine has made the difference for him.
I am feeling sort of depressed because I am coming to terms with my food addiction. I have to admit I totally shammed myself and the doctor in my psych eval pre op. I honestly didn't know the depths of my addiction until recently. I said all the right things and, at the time, believed I had a handle on it all. But if I was so truly self aware then how the HECK did I get to 316lbs?? Anyway, my eating has been off the charts of late. I eat entirely too big of portions. I eat a lot of wrong choices. I graze. All the things we learn not to do, and cannot do early after surgery, I have fallen back into. My very first inclination that I was going to have problems was hunger. Mine did not go away. Yes, for some time it seemed to have taken a back seat. I had a lot of swelling during my healing process, so my early restriction was crazy tight. I thought I had won a lottery because I never wanted anything and , if I did happen to get hungry, one or two bites and I was done. Well that all went away as soon as the swelling did. I felt hunger, real hunger. I tried to play it off as head hunger. I did all the tricks, drank more. Made myself wait to be sure I was really hungry and not just thinking so. I tried to distract myself. But it was real. I was hungry, too much. Then about two months or so out I made my first major misstep, I ate carbs. I just wanted to see if I could, what would happen. I will tell you what happened. The carbs went down very easy and created no issue. I didn't get sick. They didn't make me feel over full or bloated. What they did do though was end my ketosis phase and make my carb addiction kick right back in. I have battled now for over a year to try to stay away from those bad carbs with varying success. Some days I got it and some days they got me. Recently I have been trying to be mindful of my eating. I have connected with a group of old high school friends who have either already had WLS or are in the process. It has, at least, made me more conscience of what I am doing. Even though having this surgery is major and effects the rest of your life, it is also easy to go about living your life to the point you sort of forget you have done it. You go from the early days/ weeks/ months where it consumes your life to a place where it is in the back of your mind. Anyway, I am trying really hard to pay closer attention to my self sabotage. ( I am the QUEEN of that apparently!) Today I decided to log my intake. For those early out that probably seems obvious. But honestly I wasn't much of a logger, I didn't have the time. I just used my head, made wise choices and relied on the sleeve to keep me in line on portions. That was all well in good until it stopped working! Anyway today I have made a very conscience effort to be aware of exactly what I am putting in my mouth, and to tell you I am shocked is an understatement. After eating lunch I decided to tally things up so far. Being as honest as I could ( ok- I left off my coffee with a bit of Creamer in it but that was all) I figured up what I have put in my mouth today. At this point I have consumed 980 calories and 26.6 grams of fat, and I haven't even had dinner yet. I didn't tally carbs because I know they are high. These numbers are not through the roof or anything but....Given the fact I still have weight to lose they are too high. And the fact that I have really tried to be good today, and this is how bad I have done, it just boggles my mind. What the heck happened to me? Where is all the excitement I had early on? Why am I having such a hard time getting back to where I need to be?
As I write this I already figure some responses are that I should seek a therapist, and I really probably should. But given my finances that isn't in the cards. I am not looking for justification or anyone to say it is ok to be this way. I am just being as open and honest as I can because that is who I am. Maybe my struggle is not as uncommon as I think and maybe someone else out there can relate. I would love to hear from those folks. And if someone knows a magic switch I can flip to get my head back on right, PLEASE tell me!!!! LOL

Snowkitten, I totally get it! I am also 8 mths out tomorrow. For the last few weeks I have not tracked what I've been eating and I've had my hand in the candy jar...literally! I exercise about 5 days a week and I keep telling myself that I'm doing great because of the exercise, but I'm closing my eyes to the carbs that I have been shoveling in my mouth and the lack of good protein!!
I did great until a few weeks ago. About the 7 mth point I started feeling completely normal...like I haven't had surgery at all. That "I got this!" feeling. But, I don't. I know there's still restriction but I know I'm eating around it. I have my small meal but I push around the veggies and add a spoonful of Pasta. Or I just don't plan and eat what I can grab. Not tracking has made me feel like I've been eating mountains of food. It makes me feel out of control.
My son is in a lot of sports and is in boy scouts. We hit the road running at about 5 most nights and don't get in until around 7:30. So we hit fast food. I don't think that is a bad thing for me. I usually get a small chili from wendys or a plain chicken sandwich and just eat the chicken. Or I get a small salad with low fat dressing. Always bottled Water or sugar free tea to drink 30 mins later. But....last week I crossed over to chicken nuggets! I ate 4 of them and gave the rest to my son. The point is....I'm slipping. I am losing control and I watch myself do it. I let myself do it. I confess....I had it so easy up until now. Mentally, physically and emotionally easy. Easy surgery. Easy control. Easy weightloss. Well....now the work begins for me. I am determined to fight it. Yes, I have moments when I feel like a failure. I do. But....If I don't pull myself up by the boot straps and get back on this horse RIGHT NOW. Then its only going to get harder for me. All holidays are over and no birthdays until August. No excuse to have junky food in my house. Its NOW. I am forgetting the past few weeks and moving on!
I also agree with Jamielogical....don't worry about set weight goals. This is your body and no one else out there is like you. I am so glad my doctor has not set such high goals for me. His philosophy is still the ....you didn't put it on in a year, youre not going to take it off in a year....even with surgery. I'm hard enough on myself!

Snowkitten, I totally get it! I am also 8 mths out tomorrow. For the last few weeks I have not tracked what I've been eating and I've had my hand in the candy jar...literally! I exercise about 5 days a week and I keep telling myself that I'm doing great because of the exercise, but I'm closing my eyes to the carbs that I have been shoveling in my mouth and the lack of good protein!!
I did great until a few weeks ago. About the 7 mth point I started feeling completely normal...like I haven't had surgery at all. That "I got this!" feeling. But, I don't. I know there's still restriction but I know I'm eating around it. I have my small meal but I push around the veggies and add a spoonful of Pasta. Or I just don't plan and eat what I can grab. Not tracking has made me feel like I've been eating mountains of food. It makes me feel out of control.
My son is in a lot of sports and is in boy scouts. We hit the road running at about 5 most nights and don't get in until around 7:30. So we hit fast food. I don't think that is a bad thing for me. I usually get a small chili from wendys or a plain chicken sandwich and just eat the chicken. Or I get a small salad with low fat dressing. Always bottled Water or sugar free tea to drink 30 mins later. But....last week I crossed over to chicken nuggets! I ate 4 of them and gave the rest to my son. The point is....I'm slipping. I am losing control and I watch myself do it. I let myself do it. I confess....I had it so easy up until now. Mentally, physically and emotionally easy. Easy surgery. Easy control. Easy weightloss. Well....now the work begins for me. I am determined to fight it. Yes, I have moments when I feel like a failure. I do. But....If I don't pull myself up by the boot straps and get back on this horse RIGHT NOW. Then its only going to get harder for me. All holidays are over and no birthdays until August. No excuse to have junky food in my house. Its NOW. I am forgetting the past few weeks and moving on!
I also agree with Jamielogical....don't worry about set weight goals. This is your body and no one else out there is like you. I am so glad my doctor has not set such high goals for me. His philosophy is still the ....you didn't put it on in a year, youre not going to take it off in a year....even with surgery. I'm hard enough on myself!

I noticed is that the thought of Pasta, bread and rice bring an image of gooey paste in my mind. They told me that those things gum up and can get stuck easily in the beginning. So that image is very vivid in my mind. I still have a few bites of Pasta with veggies every once in a while. But I stop when I think about it.
I don't crave cheeseburgers, pizza, nachos much anymore. I might have a little bite of the topping of a pizza or a bite of a cheeseburger without the bread. But one bite is enough to realize its not healthy for me and it doesn't taste as good as I remember it once did.
I honestly crave veggies now. When I am asked to go out to dinner I start thinking about what kind of roasted veggies I can get. I think that eating healthy for so long now has actually made me start craving healthy over the unhealthy way I used to eat.

Metabolism, metabolism, metabolism. A deficit of 3500 calories causes you to lose a pound and a surplus of 3500 calories causes you to gain a pound. The thing that makes some people gain/lose at different rates is their basal metabolic rate. There are all sorts of calculators and estimators to determine your metabolism, but unless you have a true metabolic study done, there is no way you can know exactly how many calories you are burning from day to day, and therefor it is impossible for you to determine how much of a deficit or surplus you have.
"3500 calories = 1 pound" is NOT BS.
Having no way to know how many calories you are truly burning each day is what causes the confusion.

Mmmmmm..... I don't agree.
Disclaimer. I am not a doctor, a nutritionist nor do I have any formal training in what I am about to say. This is my opinion only.

I have a REALLY hard time with the idea that some people hit 200+, 300+, 400+ pounds eating "normal" sized portions of good choices. I see that claim here all the time and I personally can't wrap my head around it. I am not saying that they aren't correct, but it is my opinion that they may be (MAY BE!) in a bit of denial on what they are eating, how much they are eating or what a "normal" portion is. I also wonder how many calories they are drinking. I do agree that 800 calories worth of doughnuts is going to affect you differently than 800 calories worth of lean chicken breast as far as building muscle, clogging your arteries, affecting your organs, etc. but as far as weight ...

What I do NOT understand is how a surgery like the sleeve or band will help someone who is already eating a calorie deficit, yet we hear that here all the time. On more than one occasion I've seen people write that they never ate more than 1200 calories a day and they gained massive amounts of weight for (insert reason here), yet now that they are sleeved and eating 1200 calories a day, they are losing. How is that possible?

I can see it if they have had bypass as that is malabsorbative, but the sleeve/band is only restrictive. I could easily (well, not easily but I could) eat 4000+ calories a day with my very tight sleeve if I ate crap all day without stopping. My ability to eat large portions has been reduced drastically. If I overeat, even by a bite, I am miserable. I am forced to slow down, eat smaller bites and chew they heck out of my food or I will slime and vomit.
I think quality of food does affect us, but I think the overall science of calories in/calories out is on point.

Snowkitten, I totally get it! I am also 8 mths out tomorrow. For the last few weeks I have not tracked what I've been eating and I've had my hand in the candy jar...literally! I exercise about 5 days a week and I keep telling myself that I'm doing great because of the exercise, but I'm closing my eyes to the carbs that I have been shoveling in my mouth and the lack of good protein!!
I did great until a few weeks ago. About the 7 mth point I started feeling completely normal...like I haven't had surgery at all. That "I got this!" feeling. But, I don't. I know there's still restriction but I know I'm eating around it. I have my small meal but I push around the veggies and add a spoonful of Pasta. Or I just don't plan and eat what I can grab. Not tracking has made me feel like I've been eating mountains of food. It makes me feel out of control.
My son is in a lot of sports and is in boy scouts. We hit the road running at about 5 most nights and don't get in until around 7:30. So we hit fast food. I don't think that is a bad thing for me. I usually get a small chili from wendys or a plain chicken sandwich and just eat the chicken. Or I get a small salad with low fat dressing. Always bottled Water or sugar free tea to drink 30 mins later. But....last week I crossed over to chicken nuggets! I ate 4 of them and gave the rest to my son. The point is....I'm slipping. I am losing control and I watch myself do it. I let myself do it. I confess....I had it so easy up until now. Mentally, physically and emotionally easy. Easy surgery. Easy control. Easy weightloss. Well....now the work begins for me. I am determined to fight it. Yes, I have moments when I feel like a failure. I do. But....If I don't pull myself up by the boot straps and get back on this horse RIGHT NOW. Then its only going to get harder for me. All holidays are over and no birthdays until August. No excuse to have junky food in my house. Its NOW. I am forgetting the past few weeks and moving on!
I also agree with Jamielogical....don't worry about set weight goals. This is your body and no one else out there is like you. I am so glad my doctor has not set such high goals for me. His philosophy is still the ....you didn't put it on in a year, youre not going to take it off in a year....even with surgery. I'm hard enough on myself!

Snowkitten, I totally get it! I am also 8 mths out tomorrow. For the last few weeks I have not tracked what I've been eating and I've had my hand in the candy jar...literally! I exercise about 5 days a week and I keep telling myself that I'm doing great because of the exercise, but I'm closing my eyes to the carbs that I have been shoveling in my mouth and the lack of good protein!!
I did great until a few weeks ago. About the 7 mth point I started feeling completely normal...like I haven't had surgery at all. That "I got this!" feeling. But, I don't. I know there's still restriction but I know I'm eating around it. I have my small meal but I push around the veggies and add a spoonful of Pasta. Or I just don't plan and eat what I can grab. Not tracking has made me feel like I've been eating mountains of food. It makes me feel out of control.
My son is in a lot of sports and is in boy scouts. We hit the road running at about 5 most nights and don't get in until around 7:30. So we hit fast food. I don't think that is a bad thing for me. I usually get a small chili from wendys or a plain chicken sandwich and just eat the chicken. Or I get a small salad with low fat dressing. Always bottled Water or sugar free tea to drink 30 mins later. But....last week I crossed over to chicken nuggets! I ate 4 of them and gave the rest to my son. The point is....I'm slipping. I am losing control and I watch myself do it. I let myself do it. I confess....I had it so easy up until now. Mentally, physically and emotionally easy. Easy surgery. Easy control. Easy weightloss. Well....now the work begins for me. I am determined to fight it. Yes, I have moments when I feel like a failure. I do. But....If I don't pull myself up by the boot straps and get back on this horse RIGHT NOW. Then its only going to get harder for me. All holidays are over and no birthdays until August. No excuse to have junky food in my house. Its NOW. I am forgetting the past few weeks and moving on!
I also agree with Jamielogical....don't worry about set weight goals. This is your body and no one else out there is like you. I am so glad my doctor has not set such high goals for me. His philosophy is still the ....you didn't put it on in a year, youre not going to take it off in a year....even with surgery. I'm hard enough on myself!

Snowkitten, I totally get it! I am also 8 mths out tomorrow. For the last few weeks I have not tracked what I've been eating and I've had my hand in the candy jar...literally! I exercise about 5 days a week and I keep telling myself that I'm doing great because of the exercise, but I'm closing my eyes to the carbs that I have been shoveling in my mouth and the lack of good protein!!
I did great until a few weeks ago. About the 7 mth point I started feeling completely normal...like I haven't had surgery at all. That "I got this!" feeling. But, I don't. I know there's still restriction but I know I'm eating around it. I have my small meal but I push around the veggies and add a spoonful of Pasta. Or I just don't plan and eat what I can grab. Not tracking has made me feel like I've been eating mountains of food. It makes me feel out of control.
My son is in a lot of sports and is in boy scouts. We hit the road running at about 5 most nights and don't get in until around 7:30. So we hit fast food. I don't think that is a bad thing for me. I usually get a small chili from wendys or a plain chicken sandwich and just eat the chicken. Or I get a small salad with low fat dressing. Always bottled Water or sugar free tea to drink 30 mins later. But....last week I crossed over to chicken nuggets! I ate 4 of them and gave the rest to my son. The point is....I'm slipping. I am losing control and I watch myself do it. I let myself do it. I confess....I had it so easy up until now. Mentally, physically and emotionally easy. Easy surgery. Easy control. Easy weightloss. Well....now the work begins for me. I am determined to fight it. Yes, I have moments when I feel like a failure. I do. But....If I don't pull myself up by the boot straps and get back on this horse RIGHT NOW. Then its only going to get harder for me. All holidays are over and no birthdays until August. No excuse to have junky food in my house. Its NOW. I am forgetting the past few weeks and moving on!
I also agree with Jamielogical....don't worry about set weight goals. This is your body and no one else out there is like you. I am so glad my doctor has not set such high goals for me. His philosophy is still the ....you didn't put it on in a year, youre not going to take it off in a year....even with surgery. I'm hard enough on myself!

I am a single mother of a healthy weight, active, 13 year old boy. He has a sweet tooth and hollow legs! He is constantly hungry. I really don't preach to him about what he eats. Since he was a little guy I have taught him 1 healthy snack and then 1 not so healthy snack if he wants one later. If I see him with a snack cake I always ask if he has had something healthy yet....and he usually shows me his apple core. I raised him on chicken, salmon, roasted vegetables and whole grain Pasta or brown rice, no pop. There are always granola bars, snack cakes and chips....but he knows what he is allowed and I really don't think he thinks too much about it.
He knows I had surgery to control my weight. We talked about the whys and the hows. The whole 9 yards. He knows he can ask me all about it whenever he chooses. But, he doesn't dwell on what I eat and I don't hound him about what he's eating.
I think kids hear you when you speak even when you are convinced they didn't hear a word. I also think they follow you when they see you doing something....whatever it may be. They just see the things going on around them as completely normal. So if you just go about your day as healthy as possible they see that as how its suppose to be. Just like they know they have to brush their teeth and wash their faces everyday....its just normal.

I can not even imagine loving someone so deeply that a stupid scar would change that.
I don't know you, I don't know him. But....if a friend of mine confided in me that her husband was not attracted to her now because she has a scar then I would scream at her to tell him to get the hell out of her life. Seriously! I would tell her to not sit around and hope that he might change his mind, to hope that that a$$hole might reconsider his love for her. Good grief. Is he so wonderful that you should sit patiently while he weighs the pros and cons of being with a woman with a scar? Life is short. Find someone who loves you unconditionally.