IcanMakeit

it's good training to be exposed to such stresses
re: "Other than bringing foods that I can eat and enjoy, what should I do to keep my head in a good place so that I don't get irritated and say something snarky?"
the odds are you will be taking as much snarkiness as you will be handing out.
People really get more involved in their OWN eating, and learning how to manage your own independent needs is reasonable.
"Socializing" as an art form separate from being excuse to overeat, is something Bandsters have to learn how to accommodate anyway.
Be prepared with your OWN survival goods and all will be well. Learn to adapt to what's available as well. The Soup choices at various delis are a resource at a certain phase in my own postOp strategy.
Special prep request to waitresses are usually handled well too, if you take them aside and quietly say something on the order of "I've recently had stomach surgery and must follow a certain process for a while". They always cooperate.
Cheers on your journey.

There are grocery stores about anywhere there is town (well, except for a resort I went in Wisconsin on a business training week - the nearest grocery was like twenty miles away). Use your Google head to locate grocery stores along the path you are traveling.
Last year (pre-op) I took a three day trip with my daughter. She is a vegetarian. If we stopped at McDonalds, we both got salads and I had chicken with mine. Yes, I had a few of her fries and did not feel bad about. We got Thai takeout, and she got her usual noodley something and I got a dish that was mostly veggies. We ate a small family restaurant and she got a Portobello mushroom salad, and I got a grilled Portobello sandwich. We took Snacks in a cooler: cheese, fruits, coconut Water, plain Water, etc.
We also packed dry Snacks like Protein bars, Peanut Butter crackers, and nuts.
Your best advantage will be to plan ahead, so that you can have some control. You might be able to eat similar to what she eats with modification to suit your post-op concerns.
Also, if you can anticipate what places you might be stopping, plan your eating around what they offer, supplemented with the O K goodies you bring. And if you have a couple of fries, who cares. Relax and enjoy your trip!

I am planning a long road trip with a non-dieting friend over a four-day weekend next month. We'll be staying at a cheap motel with donuts and pastries for "breakfast" and stopping at convenience stores for driving Snacks and soft drinks. I want to be a fun traveling companion, not a Debbie Downer about food. So I'm planning to prepare by buying Quest bars to pack with me, bringing my Protein Shakes, and keeping acceptable snack foods and drinks in a cooler.
I am just worrying that either I'll let the goodies she's eating bother me or that I'll bother her by not joining in. I'm usually pretty ok with other people eating foods that I can't have, but this will not be just one afternoon. This is four whole days. Other than bringing foods that I can eat and enjoy, what should I do to keep my head in a good place so that I don't get irritated and say something snarky?

What an inspiring story. Congratulations on your fantastic weight loss. How wonderful that your father is still here for you and backing you up all the way!
It gives me hope that you admit to having made mistakes along the way, but you are still successful over the long term.

I read somewhere that there is no such thing as starvation mode and that our bodies do not adjust to maintain on whatever reduced caloric level we maintain. Those studies may convince others, but I'm not persuaded. I have experienced what you describe more than once.
Because of that, I was afraid to get the sleeve or a bypass. I thought the initial year of extremely low caloric intake was unwise and would not lead to permanent weight loss. But after researching and reading so many success stories, I realized that even if a super low calorie diet isn't the perfect solution, when you combine it with bariatric surgery, for many people it works for the long term.
I think bariatric works because while you have some months with little or no appetite, you can train yourself to make better food choices and make that your new normal. You also realize that you need a lot less food than you previously thought. No solution works if you don't work with it.
I believe either surgery can result in good long term weight loss. But for me, the malabsorption of the bypass was a negative, not a positive aspect of the surgery. I am 60 and I thought the effects of possible malnutrition might be drastic at my age.

Only you know the answer to your question as it pertains to you. For myself, although I also love the taste of good food, I don't miss being tempted to overeat because the food tastes good. I'm still only two months out and no sweets or starches are currently allowed, but I'm looking forward to the future when I hope to enjoy healthy food choices 99% of the time and have a taste of cake on my birthday without the urge to have seconds. There are many on this site who advocate 100% compliance with the program 100% of the time. They say that most people who keep the weight off for the long term adhere to that policy. I don't think that would work for me. I enjoy family celebrations that include fabulous foods. I don't want to be so strict that I don't ever allow myself any indulgences. I just want to be mindful and accountable, not a food nazi. I believe the sleeve will help me achieve that goal.

What an inspiring story. Congratulations on your fantastic weight loss. How wonderful that your father is still here for you and backing you up all the way!
It gives me hope that you admit to having made mistakes along the way, but you are still successful over the long term.

What an inspiring story. Congratulations on your fantastic weight loss. How wonderful that your father is still here for you and backing you up all the way!
It gives me hope that you admit to having made mistakes along the way, but you are still successful over the long term.

I told everyone.
But the comments I get the most this last week make me sad .... You look great. Looks like it's working. Keep at it because I know too many people who had the surgery and just gained it all back.
Frustrating.
So yesterday I got pissed off at someone who is way bigger than me when she said it. And well here was my responses
So what surgery did they have ? I'm not sure
What did you see them do that caused this gains ? Well they ate very little like you but when they went back to normal eating they started regaining
What so you mean normal eating? So like when will you eat normal again?
Normal? What's normAl? Wings, dips, pizzas, etc? Uh yeah. Well like never if I can help it.
This isn't a cure it's a lifestyle change and it sounds like the people you know failed because they didn't remember the prime directive.

Only you know the answer to your question as it pertains to you. For myself, although I also love the taste of good food, I don't miss being tempted to overeat because the food tastes good. I'm still only two months out and no sweets or starches are currently allowed, but I'm looking forward to the future when I hope to enjoy healthy food choices 99% of the time and have a taste of cake on my birthday without the urge to have seconds. There are many on this site who advocate 100% compliance with the program 100% of the time. They say that most people who keep the weight off for the long term adhere to that policy. I don't think that would work for me. I enjoy family celebrations that include fabulous foods. I don't want to be so strict that I don't ever allow myself any indulgences. I just want to be mindful and accountable, not a food nazi. I believe the sleeve will help me achieve that goal.

From Wikipedia:
5:2 diet
The 5:2 diet, or fast diet, is a diet which involves calorie restriction for two non-consecutive days a week and unconstrained eating the other five days. The diet originated and became popular in the UK, and spread in Europe and to the USA.[1] It is a form of intermittent fasting.[2]
The diet is claimed to promote weight loss and to have several beneficial effects on health; however, there is little evidence about its safety and effectiveness.[3]
Description
The diet specifies a low calorie consumption (sometimes described as "fasting") for two days a week, which should not be consecutive, but allows unmoderated[4][5] eating for the other five days.[6] Men may eat 600 calories on fasting days, and women 500.[7] A typical fasting day may include a Breakfast of 300 calories, such as two scrambled eggs with ham, Water, green tea, or black coffee, and a lunch or dinner of grilled fish or meat with vegetables, amounting to 300 calories.[6]
Proponents say that fasting for only two days a week may be easier for dieters to comply with than daily calorie restriction.[6]
Evidence
See also: Fasting § Health effects
There is limited evidence of the diet's safety and effectiveness.[3]
According to NHS Choices, people considering the diet should first consult a physician, as fasting can sometimes be unsafe.[3]
Reception
The diet became popular in the UK after[1] the BBC2 television Horizon documentary Eat, Fast and Live Longer [8] written and presented by Michael Mosley was broadcast on 6 August 2012 and many books on the diet quickly became bestsellers, soon after.[9]
The diet has enjoyed media attention and celebrity endorsement,[10][11] but its critics have called it a fad diet.

Current weight: 172

As a medical technologist please do not confuse a phlebotomist with a medical technologist. I perform the tests and deal with the instruments. I am certified in my field and hold a BS in my field.
That being said those questions that the phlebotomist asked you were inappropriate as a medical provider and should be brought up with the lab manager or director so that this person can be educated on what is appropriate so that he/she does not ask the same questions to the next person. No medical personnel should express their feelings about a procedure unless it's your dr.
I'm sorry you had to deal with this unprofessionalism.

The thing is that everyone thinks because this is elective that it is their business to make a judgement. But these people don't know your personal history, or how many times you have tried to lose weight or anything. People are jerks. But shake the haters off. Your body, your decision, your life.

I had the same thing happen while having my labs drawn. The tech noticed all the work the Dr ordered and asked "are you having that stomach surgery?" I said yes and she proceeded to tell me every horror story she ever heard because of course she has no first hand knowledge. I was completely caught off guard and mad. That was the first and last person outside of my household and two close friends that I told. I find myself wonder would she had done the same thing if I was having open heart surgery.

I think it is just something we have to accept. People who have not/are not having WLS just don't understand. They have not lived our lives and don't realize it is our final straw.
People who are obese and make those comments are, in my opinion, jealous of the fact that we took the final step. Maybe they can't afford the surgery or their insurance doesn't cover it, or they are not ready to commit to such a drastic measure. Normal weight people think we can just pull away from the table and lose weight without help. They may be right, but I wouldn't have been gaining and losing weight for 37 years if that were the case. They definitely don't undersstand. Don't get me wrong, I love my normal weight friends and family - most of them are - but they are in a different boat!
People want to see others fail, because it makes them look better. Not saying it's right or wrong, just the way it is. Well, ok, it is wrong. But we cannot control what others think. Hopefully, we all made this decision for OUR lives and OUR health. I, for one, really don't care if I am the topic of gossip. And if I fail, I've been there, before, too. My true supporters will stand by me and help me along the way, no matter what. The ones who want to see me fail have bigger issues than I do and I don't really need them in my life!

I don't have a problem with discussing my surgery with my family or close friends. But I don't want my work colleagues discussing my weight or intimate details of my health. So at work I just said I was having surgery with no other description. I started dieting (and losing a great deal of weight) long before my surgery, so the changes since surgery are not so extreme. If people ask me about my diet and exercise program, I tell them. Once they hear how strict it is, they quickly lose interest.
I don't feel like I'm doing a disservice to other obese people by not revealing my surgery to all. I'm not losing weight any faster than I did pre-surgery. (Although it's true that I am counting on the surgery to help me maintain the weight loss by teaching me to eat less overall.)

Weight this morning, 175.

You win the internet for today with one of the best posts I have ever read on this site! Thank you for reminding me to Celebrate and enjoy my small victories. You are absolutely correct. Even if I don't lose another pound, I am so far ahead of where I was six months ago, I should be dancing, not complaining. I tend to go all "Eeyore" all too often.
I should print out this post and place it on my bulletin board.

I did. I'm not sure why this is even a question, but it comes up from time to time. This isn't a joke. I wouldn't give a newborn anything other than breast milk or formula; I viewed my stomach as a newborn and only gave it what it was "allowed" to have.

Wait. He had credibility at some point? I missed that.

From Wikipedia:
5:2 diet
The 5:2 diet, or fast diet, is a diet which involves calorie restriction for two non-consecutive days a week and unconstrained eating the other five days. The diet originated and became popular in the UK, and spread in Europe and to the USA.[1] It is a form of intermittent fasting.[2]
The diet is claimed to promote weight loss and to have several beneficial effects on health; however, there is little evidence about its safety and effectiveness.[3]
Description
The diet specifies a low calorie consumption (sometimes described as "fasting") for two days a week, which should not be consecutive, but allows unmoderated[4][5] eating for the other five days.[6] Men may eat 600 calories on fasting days, and women 500.[7] A typical fasting day may include a Breakfast of 300 calories, such as two scrambled eggs with ham, Water, green tea, or black coffee, and a lunch or dinner of grilled fish or meat with vegetables, amounting to 300 calories.[6]
Proponents say that fasting for only two days a week may be easier for dieters to comply with than daily calorie restriction.[6]
Evidence
See also: Fasting § Health effects
There is limited evidence of the diet's safety and effectiveness.[3]
According to NHS Choices, people considering the diet should first consult a physician, as fasting can sometimes be unsafe.[3]
Reception
The diet became popular in the UK after[1] the BBC2 television Horizon documentary Eat, Fast and Live Longer [8] written and presented by Michael Mosley was broadcast on 6 August 2012 and many books on the diet quickly became bestsellers, soon after.[9]
The diet has enjoyed media attention and celebrity endorsement,[10][11] but its critics have called it a fad diet.

This is why the nutritionists caution us to measure our food. Right after surgery, you often don't really feel full, even after a larger amount of liquids or soft foods than you really should be having at once. Please be careful. At this stage you are still delicate.

I also got a new bike (bright pink) with a little pink bell and a basket on the front. After having not been on a bike for about 20 years, it was daunting at first, but now I ride it every day to work, traffic notwithstanding. You will have a blast.

Down 142 pounds since surgery dec 2013!! So happy!!! 62 pounds until personal goal weight!!! 94 pounds until Dr's goal weight!!! Was at a stall for about 2 weeks off and on!! Last week down 12 pounds!! I work out 3 times a week for 2 hrs!! Doing a bootcamp and just trying to stay away from sweets my downfall!!! Went from a size 30/32 to a size 18/20 ( I'm very tall ).. Just overall happy!! Thanking god everyday I have had no set backs or illnesses from surgery
SW 438
HW 454
CW 312