SmilingBeauty

Today's weight 249.8. It has been over 4 years that I have been under 250.

Today's weight 249.8. It has been over 4 years that I have been under 250.

Yes. I eat about 1/4 of what I did before. Eating out is something we still do several times per week. I have become a pro at eating on the cheap. I can have a $3.00 side salad and eat a few bites of my kid's chicken. I can make a bag of beef Jerky last for three days. Anytime I order a sandwich it makes two seperate meals for me. I can order an appetizer as a meal, or just a cup of Soup. Many times my daighter will order one entree and I will ask for a small plate and have a sampling of her meal.
You can definelty save money.

If getting on the scale every day has the ability to ruin your whole day and cause you to obsess about just the numbers: Bad
If you can get on the scale every day and understand that fluctuations and stalls are a normal part of the whole process: Good

I use a regualr fit bit. My fitness pal to track food and JE Fit for strength training.

Current weight 254.8.

Wow. I certainly hope your visit was atypical. I have volunteered at MANY a food pantry run by churches, government agencies, and local community groups and I have NEVER seen such food passed out. As a matter of fact, I had no idea that there were pantries out there that even took baked goods and candy.< /p>
I would not go as far as saying that the food I have sorted and handed out was particularly healthy, but they were decent staples.
Our typical food packages included Soups, Peanut Butter and jelly, shelf stable milk, canned fruits and veggies, canned meats and pastas. There were some boxed cake mixes as well as frosting but usually only one or two per family.

Argh!
I am happy for you that things are on the upswing and I do hope all continues to improve. Thank you for this thread. I need to get back into being active in our local food pantries.

Current weight: 257.
Thanks

For the first time since my surgery, I took my kids to a Water park.
First and foremost, I was always one of those fatties that forced myself to "keep up" with "normal weight" people so I never visibly showed how hard it was to walk the park and climb the (freaking endless) steps to the tops of the rides. That said, by the end of the day, I used to be so exhausted I didn't want to move the next day.
This time was SO MUCH different. Never once was I out of breath. Never once did I dread squeezing my ass into a tube. I wasn't the fastest down to the bottom and my thighs didn't rub themselves into misery just because I was wet and huffing along with the group. lunch time wasn't an absolute RELIEF like it used to be -- instead, it was just lunch.< /p>
I am fairly certain I looked fine in my swimsuit and I wasn't the slow one in the group. There was one ride where the entire group had to step on a scale to ensure we didn't surpass maximum rate for the tube and I didn't sweat it for a second. In fact, I happily jumped on the scale and didn't think twice about someone seeing my weight.
I am no longer "new" to the WLS experience, but this was a great thing. For real.

I am a sleever, I have popcorn.< /p>
however, I haven't understood ANYTHING else about this entire thread...

Is it bad that I am cracking up at this entire conversation....
Where is my popcorn? ??

I am just here for the comments, please continue.....

My (least %&^%*&) favorite thing about my WII fit was when it would have you get on the platform to help you track your weight and activity and it would literally say "OOOOOOF" when i stepped on. B!tch.

I am only 8 weeks out from surgery BUT I am so sick and tired of seeing posts (I have stopped reading them) about "when can I have alcohol?". For me, this is the farthest thing from my mind. I have yet to hit my calorie goal of 700 and some days don't get all of my Protein and Water in. So it baffles me that people so early out are worried about the alcohol.
I do realize that this is a public forum and everyone has their right to post whatever topic they choose.
It certainly seems like there have been a ton of them this week.
Now I will get over it.

Today's weight 260.4

Found this:
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Well, that's a whole lotta new info.
Once again, you experienced your experience. And you understand things from your perspective (based on what you think you know). But there's a lot you misunderstand and don't know.
As others have noted, your lack of knowledge revealed in your OP about how WLS patients can retain most of their muscle mass (or even increase their muscle mass) while losing weight is unfortunate -- not just because it's wrong and sad, but because you're using it to rationalize your own experience. And that and your other rationalizations will block your future progress.
Before I had WLS surgery, I did learn about the nutritional and exercise best practices for post-op WLS patients. I learned that post-op while losing weight I should eat a lot of Protein and exercise regularly to avoid losing a lot of muscle mass.
And it turns out, because I followed my bariatric center's instructions, that's exactly what happened. Of the 90+ pounds I've lost after WLS only 12 pounds of it was muscle. I'm not guessing or assuming this. I've had pre- and post-WLS body mass measurements taken. As a result, my lean body mass has increased 15%.
BTW, all of the things you started doing 1 week ago (3 years after your WLS) -- tracking your calories and other macronutrients and tracking your steps -- I started doing 2.5 months before my WLS. In other words, I never considered that WLS alone was going to fix me without me also changing my own behaviors / lifestyle.
I'm sorry that WLS didn't work out for you. For that, you have only your own impulsiveness and your continuing lack of education about WLS to blame. But that's in the past. Looking forward, you'll be well served by not continuing to remain ignorant. More importantly, your rationalizations about WLS won't serve you well either. If you really want to debug your weight challenges, you'll need to keep trying to understand accurately what caused your post-op weight gain.
For others reading this, the OP's posts here illustrate some important truths about WLS:
(1) WLS should not be undertaken lightly.
(2) WLS patients MUST take responsibility for understanding nutritional, exercise and other behavioral requirements for post-op self-care.
(3) WLS can be a wonderful aid to losing and maintaining one's weight loss long-term IF patients don't suffer the delusion that surgery is all they need to achieve success.
Best wishes to everyone out there who's considering WLS. Educate yourself as much as you possibly can. Seek therapy if you need it. As the saying around here goes, "They operate on your stomach, not your head."

0. Type of Surgery? RNY
1. How long have you been in maintenance mode? 20 months

2. What's your current height and weight? 5' 7", 150 lbs

3. How many calories do you eat daily (on average) to maintain your weight? around 1500

4. What kind of focus do you put on Protein -- number of grams or anything else you want to say? around 65 grams of Protein per day derived from meals.

5. What kind of focus do you put on carbs - number of grams or anything else you want to say? I avoid like a plague processed sugar (including sugars with calories, such as honey. The exception being sugars found in fruits and milk.) Instead I use artificial sweeteners (Splenda), artificial sweeteners (Stevia and sugar alcohol) and the sugars found in fruits and milk. I try and limit my complex carbs (bread, Pasta etc.) to about one meal a day.

6. What other nutritional tips / tricks are working for you that help you maintain? I rely on fats to avoid hunger. As a result I eat real butter, whole milk and cream, meat other than lean meat. [in the weight loss phase my stomach was cut away and fats caused immediate dumping but after the first year my intestines took up the function of processing fats and I was able to incorporate it into my diet again.]

7. Which foods, if any, do you avoid altogether? Milk shakes, ice cream, any foods with more than 5 grams of processed sugar per serving.

8. What exercise regimen (exercise types and frequency) do you follow? I rely on normal physical activity (manual labor). For example last year I moved 100,000 pounds of gravel by hand and 50,000 pounds of concrete landscaping blocks.

9. What role, if any, has counseling or therapy played in your WLS success? None

10. What advice would you offer WLS patients to help them be successful? The approach to succeed in the weight loss phase is different than the maintenance phase. They need to adapt to the transition or if they follow the same rules, they may begin to put the weight back on.

Here are my responses. They're valid for now -- and could change in the future.
0. What type of weight loss surgery have you had?
Gastric sleeve

1. How long have you been in maintenance mode?
3.5 months

2. What's your current height and weight?
5'5" and 144 pounds

3. How many calories do you eat daily (on average) to maintain your weight?
I recently found my sweet spot for now - 1,650 calories/day

4. What kind of focus do you put on Protein -- number of grams or anything else you want to say?
I eat 100-120 grams of Protein a day. I eat protein first at mealtimes. I get my protein from fowl, fish, meat, dairy, grains and legumes. I don't eat many nuts because they're so high-cal for just a little protein. I do drink a Protein shake most mornings for breakfast; otherwise all my protein comes from "regular" food.

5. What kind of focus do you put on carbs - number of grams or anything else you want to say?
I never went low-carb even during the weight loss phases. These days I eat 150-200 grams of carbs a day. I aim for 5 veggies / fruits a day and make that target about half the time (I need to focus on that more). I am eating more whole grains and very seldom eat processed or white flours. I have dessert about 2-3 times a week and only small amounts.

6. What other nutritional tips / tricks are working for you that help you maintain?
I plan each day's menus and track all my food and drink using My Fitness Pal, so I am very aware of what I really am eating; no guessing going on here. And I measure my food well, too; again, no guessing going on here.
EDIT: I also weigh every day, but keep my eye most focused on my weekly and monthly weights, which give me a clearer view of my weight trends.

7. Which foods, if any, do you avoid altogether?
So far, nothing's on the NEVER list. That could change. But I'm VERY leery of chips and crackers. Those crunchy things are dangerous to me!

8. What exercise regimen (exercise types and frequency) do you follow?
I do a lot more housecleaning and walking than I used to -- on treadmills, outdoors, in malls, etc. Right now (summertime) I go to the gym only once a week for weight lifting or a bodypump class. This fall I hope our travel schedule calms down a lot and makes a gym schedule easier to follow.

9. What role, if any, has counseling or therapy played in your WLS success?
I see a therapist once a month (started a couple months pre-op). He's been great for me in keeping me focused on what I need to pay attention to and become less impulsive.

10. What advice would you offer WLS patients to help them be successful?
Don't expect your new sleeve's restriction will change your life permanently. It's a great tool and gives you a great advantage in losing weight fast. But if you don't learn how to make better food and nutrition choices, eat differently (protein first, eat slower), stay well hydrated, choose to move your body a lot more, stop using food to numb your discomforts, stay positive and focused on your goals, etc., you won't be successful long-term. It's not hard to learn these new things. You just have to continue the commitment you made when you decided to have WLS. This is a miracle opportunity to change your lifestyle permanently and be healthy the rest of your life. Please don't waste this miracle.

My post was not to condemn those who drink. To each their own. I am sure that at some point in time I will indulge in a cocktail or two or three.
This was an issue that irritated me last week. As I have stated in previous posts, I attempt to reflect on things to see if this was truly about the "alcohol" or something deeper.
I realize now that it was both and neither. As I'm nearing the anniversary of my father's death, who battled addiction the majority of his life, I know what alcohol can personally do to a family. I also read those statements thinking, "Will this turn into a hate the vets post" after one responds. My other thoughts came from wanting everyone to be fully successful on this journey.
I also drink from a straw and have since day 1. It was becuase of this site and another one that I belong to where vets said it was ok.
Clearly last week was an emotional one, here's hoping for a less emotional week! LOL

263 today

My post was not to condemn those who drink. To each their own. I am sure that at some point in time I will indulge in a cocktail or two or three.
This was an issue that irritated me last week. As I have stated in previous posts, I attempt to reflect on things to see if this was truly about the "alcohol" or something deeper.
I realize now that it was both and neither. As I'm nearing the anniversary of my father's death, who battled addiction the majority of his life, I know what alcohol can personally do to a family. I also read those statements thinking, "Will this turn into a hate the vets post" after one responds. My other thoughts came from wanting everyone to be fully successful on this journey.
I also drink from a straw and have since day 1. It was becuase of this site and another one that I belong to where vets said it was ok.
Clearly last week was an emotional one, here's hoping for a less emotional week! LOL

I am only 8 weeks out from surgery BUT I am so sick and tired of seeing posts (I have stopped reading them) about "when can I have alcohol?". For me, this is the farthest thing from my mind. I have yet to hit my calorie goal of 700 and some days don't get all of my Protein and Water in. So it baffles me that people so early out are worried about the alcohol.
I do realize that this is a public forum and everyone has their right to post whatever topic they choose.
It certainly seems like there have been a ton of them this week.
Now I will get over it.

I am only 8 weeks out from surgery BUT I am so sick and tired of seeing posts (I have stopped reading them) about "when can I have alcohol?". For me, this is the farthest thing from my mind. I have yet to hit my calorie goal of 700 and some days don't get all of my Protein and Water in. So it baffles me that people so early out are worried about the alcohol.
I do realize that this is a public forum and everyone has their right to post whatever topic they choose.
It certainly seems like there have been a ton of them this week.
Now I will get over it.