JThompson72

Random comment about eating out on dates:
Since I am loud and proud about my WLS, a date not knowing isn't an issue BUT there's plenty of things you will be able to eat and it won't seem strange! Some days I can eat a full 6oz steak and a side. Or a good portion of a salad. You won't need highly obvious micro portions forever. I think it's all workable as far as eating out. You can order off the "healthy" side of the menus and it's usually lighter fare with smaller portions anyway.

Let's be honest, it depends on how attractive you are. It's also easier if you are female. All sites have good quality people. As an unattractive male, I used Bumble the most. I never get responses on eHarmony or Match so at least with Bumble I don't have to put in any effort and get the same results. The one site where women actually approached me was OkCupid but those were transgenders and dominatrix.
Ultimately, the best site is petfinder.com. Found my soulmate there.

Congratulations on your success!

Hey guys decided I would post some pics and my story. I’m Mike and I’m 37 from Montreal. Waited a full 5 years to get this surgery. Best decision I ever made.

Surgery was Nov. 22, 2018 and I’ve since lost over 180 lbs! I work out 6 times a week; cardio, swimming and various exercises.

let me know what you think!

mike

So I've really been struggling with wanting more and more food (even if I've just eaten) and my ability to deny myself is just not there right now. I talked to my PA at my surgeons office and she prescribed Contrave, to help with feeling more satisfied with what I eat and less cravings. It was way too expensive so we went with a compound pharmacy. Still expensive but I'm willing to pay it for a couple of months if it will help. I started it last week, at one capsule daily. Beginning tomorrow, I will take two daily, The week after, I will take two in the morning and one at night then the next week go to two in the morning and two at night. Thats a lot of pills! I just bought a pill organizer from Amazon.
I've tried weight loss pills and shots in the past, pre-sleeve, and had very little success with them. Generally, its not my appetite that is the problem - I have never had to be hungry to eat. So, when my PA asked how I felt about taking something to help with cravings and feeling more satisfied with what I eat, there was a moment when I nearly said no, no more weight loss pills. But I didn't take the extreme step of surgery only to still be a slave to food. So I said yes and that is why I'm willing to pay for these pills if there is a chance they will work.
I should mention that I allowed sugary sweets back into my life a few months back and I'm now back to being a complete sugar fiend. The sugar may be responsible for the shaking and the nervousness as I've continued to eat them (but just this one time I say nearly every day). Each day I'm not going to eat it and each day I do it again even knowing what it does to me and ignoring signs from my body. Last night, however, my body put its foot down and said no more in the form of the worst dumping episode I've experienced. If I hadn't recognized it from milder previous episodes, I might have gone to the ER thinking I was dying. I used to wish I would dump like gastric bypass so I wouldn't eat sweets. What was I thinking??? All the sugar is in the trash now and I'm writing about last night in an effort to make sure I remember it and don't pick up the sugar again.
Contrave is Naltrexone and Bupropion (sp). Buproprion is Wellbutrin, which I took years ago to help me quit smoking so I knew I'd tolerate it pretty well. And I am. No negative side effects so far other than maybe nervousness or jitteriness. I notice my hands shake but not all the time. And my jaw clenches but I am a pretty nervous/worried/anxious person even without meds. And this may be due to the sugar or a combination of meds and sugar.
The first couple of days were a little weird in that I was kind of unsteady feeling for the first few hours but not enough to keep me from doing stuff. That has gone away other than the shaking. Also for the first couple of days, I had very little appetite and felt pretty wishy washy about eating and what I ate. I also got full quicker. As in, can't take another bite full. My appetite is now back to normal along with the cravings. Something that may be totally unrelated is my stomach has started to feel a little burny right before I get hungry (stomach growling). That is new. I am wondering if maybe thats my stomachs new way of feeling empty. I take 40 mg of omeprazole daily. Possibly I am eating less without realizing it because I'm eating so badly.
I am down 1 pound from last Sunday, despite the sugary sweets and not totally sticking to my planned low carb diet.
Today I start taking two capsules daily so I'll take the 2nd one tonight. I'm curious to see how it effects me. I am hopeful that as I add more, it will curb my appetite again but mostly I'd like it to dull the food obsession and cravings. They are bad now but I've been fighting them since surgery - they never left me. I literally dreamed of hamburgers during my clear liquid stage. Sometimes, I think they are worse after surgery than before. Or maybe I just feel them more now cause I can't indulge them the way I used to.
Sorry this is so long. I wanted to write out how I'm doing with the Contrave for myself and maybe for anyone who is interested in it.

True Keto is high fat, moderate Protein, extreme low carb. I have been keto for quite a while. I do very traditional Keto and use calculated macros, which are calculated according to my weight/height/ etc.
I started Keto when I was struggling with regain and got some not-so-good health updates that finally kicked me into action and got the ball rolling.
I have done really well, losing 40 lbs almost effortlessly. I have lost all of my regain, but I'd like to go another 20 to get to my ultimate goal. Hopefully by the end of summer I'll be there.
I also incorporate Intermittent Fasting into my regimen and do this when I feel like carb creep is getting to be an issue. It works wonders and has definitely helped with my loss. My doc is all for it, and very supportive of the whole thing.

I don't know that you'd have to go completely back to the beginning (i.e., liquid diet, pureed diet, etc), but go back to eating Protein first, then non-starchy veggies, and then, if you have room, a small serving of fruit or whole grain carbs.
I'm thinking it might be too drastic to suddenly drop your calories to sub-1000, which would set some people up for a binge. Maybe try to figure out what your current calorie intake level is, and then lower it gradually (by maybe 100-200 calories per day) every week or two until you get to the level where your weight starts to drop off again.

Well, I'm 3 years out RNY. I got down from surgery weight of 335 to 265, gained back to 300, there since then. I do not follow the rules at all. My fault. I was not a good candidate for WLS, but I slipped through. My surgeon, last I saw him, was very crass and kinda cruel so I wont go back. I have to make peace with that and go back but I'm deathly afraid. In therapy working on it. I failed because I knew what I was getting into and couldn't/wouldn't go with the program. I'm in a much better place now, and am reading for the umpteenth time the Agaston South Beach Diet that my surgeon puts all his patients on. I'm quite amazed at the damage I've done and am doing to my body and heart, etc. I've started cleaning my house of toxic foods and am trying to budget a proper shopping list. It's not easy, never expected it to be. I just didn't know I'd go so far from the right direction. I'm mad at myself. But I'm learning in therapy how to turn that into good energy and productive power. It's all up to me. It's all in my hands and that horrifies the crap out of me. But the facts I'm reading about proper diet/nutrition are scaring me into compliance. I'm excited but terrified to jump back on board. I've forgotten a lot. I hope this all makes sense.

To fail something means you have played. Every sports team has not won a particular play a particular game or even a particular season. Yet they are still playing. We are playing this thing called life. If you are reading this then you are breathing living and winning. Still in the game. No one medical procedure defines ones whole existence. I am not a failure because I needed a filling in the tooth or a root canal or even a crown I have had cavities that crumbled. Intern I am not a success because of a root canal or WLS. It is way more complicated than that. Now broaden your sense of who you are - you are more than just WLS person and take a long hard look at who is on your team. Do you have a supportive coach? Do you have cheerleaders who Celebrate each tiny success? Do you have a mentor or someone who’s been there done that? The sports teams practice all the time change the players all the time the coaches all the time and sometimes sit out a game or season. If your negative self talk and head trip is to nasty another player or the referee may call it. And yeah the egos are bigger and taller than the Empire State Building. Get a game plan and keep on playing. The fact that you are here says your playing.

I took Contrave. The dose is 2 pills twice daily but I only took 1 twice a day. It worked great, I had no side effects. I lost 30 pounds. It is very expensive though. My insurance didn't cover, with the manufacturer drug card it is $92 for a bottle of 120.

I am a crazy cat lady. Here is my cat child making my lap hot as heck when I got home from working out today. She is 8 and a bit of an ahole, but- I wouldn’t trade her for anything.

I'm a big ol cat lady! My three brats are having a hard time after surgery cause they're not allowed to sleep with me or lay on me like they usually do.

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I guess with him you are a Cat Lady Emeritus. Okay we still 💘 you even if you are back in the Kitty Closet again!

I'm a cat lady currently disguised as a dog lady. From the time I was a little girl, I have had cats. I miss cats so much but I now have a dog with a pretty serious prey drive. Can't do that to a cat.

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Count me in as a cat lover. I have one beautiful boy, Bodhi. I am loving the male cat people in this thread!

My cat Melody

My cat Izzy

I had a friend with a diabetic and very overweight cat. She was 16 years old and the vet said just to leave her be at this point. Let her enjoy her food and her waning years. She died peacefully in her sleep at 18.

I guess it should be no surprise I raised a lazy obese cat. For some reason, I see myself in the cat. I don't think he can jump as high as the other cats so he probably gets left out by the other cats. He also gets excited when he gets fed.

I am definately a cat lady from Michigan!  

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My babies! Beretta on the left and Mr. Freddy on the right 😊

I am also a single cat guy. I have one beautiful floof and my roommate has another. I couldn't imagine not having cats!

I finally have my date, 11/13/17, and I'm really nervous now. I've been in this journey for over 1 year and can't believe it's finally here. I am excited too. Thanks for reading!

I understand your concern, but you will not be turned away for losing weight. The main purpose is what you stated: shrinking the liver so your surgeon can operate. Your doc probably already knows about your diet failures. Mine is a 20 pound weight loss and stop. Surprisingly, I've lost 26 pounds, but I've never starved myself like I've had to for this surgery. Which by the way is TOMORROW!

Best wishes to you.

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I know for me it was an insurance thing. The insurance company wanted to see that you were dedicated and they weren’t about to waste thousands of dollars on you. I only had to be down 1 pound for 4 consecutive months. So it wasn’t a huge battle. I know a lot of dr’s will not operate if you are of a certain size because the risks of death becomes greater. On my case my starting weight was a little under 300 and I had no mobility breathing or health issues that made it imperative i loose a certain amount of weight before surgery. But for people who may be in the 400’s and above they may have to loose.