BSU

LOL, geez thanks!

No, seriously thanks. Yeah, pretty big change. Went from like size 58 pants to now 38. 5XL shirts to now XL , and knocking on L.

You look incredible! I've been looking at all of the transformation pictures and yours is one the most drastic I've seen!

One year out.

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One year out.

@@mi75

How often do you exercise?

What exercises do you do?

Are you meeting your Protein and Water goals?

If you are sedentary most of the day you might not need so many calories. Some people have sit-down jobs. You don't burn too many

This.

1,100 actually seems a little low to me if you are working out regularly. It is counterintuitive, but sometimes you need to eat more to lose.

Try mixing it up a bit. Average 1,250 for a week combined with working out and see what happens.

Week 3 stall. Totally normal. Stay on the plan. The numbers will start plummeting soon.

I kept it quiet at first.

After a while it becomes obvious that something is going on and you get tons of questions on how you are doing it. I usually just said "eating better, eating less" to the casual enquiries. If I felt like sharing, I might say more. I have only rarely been asked directly about surgery. In those cases I say, something along the lines of "well yeah, I thought that was obvious".

lunch meat Quesadilla. Two soft corn tortillas, Sliced ham or turkey, some pico, and half slice of cheese.

You can make the same thing as a taco without the cheese.

Grilled chicken sandwich from a fast food place with no mayo or cheese and half bun.

Guacamole, lettuce and pico on a crispy taco shell.

Steak or grilled chicken with steamed broccoli.

Egg whites with salsa or pico.

There is a great deal of unnecessary hand-wringing over soda.

Clearly, it is not good shortly after surgery. The carbonation can cause havoc with your smaller healing stomach. Also, caffeine has a slight diuretic effect which works against you in getting in your liquids and staying hydrated.

Also, non-diet sodas are empty sugary carbs. Not exactly in line with our new healthy eating plans.

However, long term, I see no harm in diet sodas. The carbonation simply isn't that strong. It is not going to stretch your stomach. You may burp, that's it.

I've heard theories that the artificial sweeteners can be counterproductive, but I am unaware of any actual proof on the matter.

My experience has been that diet soda is fine. I drink it all the time and have been consistently losing.

I'm with you. Things are going well. I'm getting down close to my "best ever" weight.

I get dramatic reactions from people who have not seen me in months. That's always an affirmation.

I think I am on my third belt and I only have two holes left. Second or third pair of jeans and I am going to need a new pair soon. I dug some old "too small" clothes out of the garage that I had forgotten about and they were way too big. Almost all of it went to goodwill.

I'm about 20 lbs from my "best ever" clothes. They are all from "normal" stores. I remember thinking how cool it was to walk into Eddie Bauer or just about anywhere else and be able to buy something.

The height/weight charts say my ideal weight should be in the 180's. That was absurdly laughable before. Now it seems just optimistic.

Oh, and I called about getting a life insurance policy and it looks like I may now qualify even with the weight loss being so recent. Next year, I should be able to get a really good rate.

Another thing, my kids' friends no longer see me as the "fat dad". They'd never say anything, but I know it was embarrassing.

I no longer have to buy an extra seat on airplanes and seat belt extenders are completely unnecessary.

I haven't been to an amusement park yet, but I know I could fit into any ride easily now.

Yeah, it rocks.

It is major surgery. It will take some time to recover and heal.

Some people have had serious complications, but that is not the norm.

Also, keep in mind that the surgery is only part of the process. It will get you started, but if you do not change your eating habits long term you will not succeed.

Depends on how much you have to lose. Also greatly depends on how well you adapt to the new lifestyle.

I'm shooting for 180 down by the one year mark. Ultimately, I hope to make it even lower. May take another 6 months on top of that. We'll see.

JDJ4R on myfitnesspal. I'll send you an invite.

I also try to go low carb. My NUT said 100 grams or below.

Avoiding pastas, potatoes and sugars altogether and very careful with breads and tortillas.

My doctor said there was no medical reason to not drink caffeine.

NUTs can be a little drastic. No caffeine ever again! No soda ever again! No bread ever again! You will drink Water and eat broccoli with dry white meat chicken for the rest of your life!

Actually, not so much. Yes, you need to make a lifestyle change and no you can't eat and drink like you used to. However, you do not have to go on the nutritionist nazi diet.

Caffeine can cause you to lose Water, so in the early months when you are struggling to get your liquids in, it is a bad idea. Carbonated beverages and bread can be bad while you are healing, but you may tolerate them just fine later.

Hard chairs hurt more now. Less cushioning.

I also feel cold more easily.

Tacos work for me. They are a treat. Two crunchy taco supremes with no shredded cheese are only 340 calories.

As a rule, corn tortillas, even crunchy corn, are better than flour.

Doesn't hurt as long as you pick it back up.

I'm off this week for medical purposes. Going back to the gym on Friday.

It gets better. The intense cravings subside. Hang in there.

Yep, normal stall around week 3. Soldier on. You'll be fine.

Why four weeks? That seems too long. Some take longer to heal than others, but you may find that one week off is plenty.

The hernia idea sounds good.

I use almonds for a snack between Breakfast and lunch. The trick is to eat just a few. No more handfulls like in the old days.

Sounds like you've got a good system.

You are exactly where I am at. I had surgery June 17th. I am almost at goal so am happy with my success so far. BUT I am worried as I seem to be able to eat anything now. That is not necessarily a good thing.... ????. I am afraid my old ways will come back with a vengeance! I have a very limited capacity for food intake, so that is helpful but will that eventually be an advantage that will also dissipate? I continue to limit my carbs big time.... But not sure I can hold out with that new lifestyle. I sure couldn't before I had the surgery. I love the way I look now and don't ever want to go back to my 'old look!' I wonder as you do... Do I need to count calories, eliminate carbs, or what to maintain my weight now?

I'm still in weight loss mode, but when I reach maintenance, I expect it to look very much like weight loss mode, just with more calories.

Exactly. It has to be a long term lifestyle change, right? The sleeve was a great tool, but its effectiveness diminishes. It eventually comes back to us, the same us that previously got fat over and over again.

I am also thinking I will be logging and counting forever.

1500-1600 calories is a lot! Is that what your Dr recommended?

Yes, but guys have an advantage there.

Somewhere around 3 months or so. No problems.

I would echo the eat more or eat less comment. Don't go crazy, but sometimes you actually need to eat more. Take a realistic look at your calories and reset your target (up or down as needed). Try it for a week,

Physically no problem, but the calories are high. I have had pizza maybe three times in 6+ months since surgery and each time it wasn't very satisfying. You can have 600-900 calories in pizza and it is just a tease. #Not worth it.

Hate to say it, but if you have to go to a pizza place, get a salad.

It is a unique question. How many committed weight lifters have this surgery? Has to be a small minority.