fernandfj

When i crave pizza I layer deli meats (ham and/or turkey) with some mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes and onions and pop it in the oven for a few minutes. It makes a really nice meal!

I love the idea of this list - sometimes I feel that I obsess so much about what I eat and my weight that I am letting it define me. Thanks for putting together something that puts things in perspective! Here's my (very shot) brag list - I retired at 50 after 28 years of govt service (25 overseas), and went back to work full time two months later because I was bored. I hope to really retire within the next four or five years (my wife smiles and shakes her head when I say this). I love to fish, especially in mangroves (I am passionate about Snook). I've got three adult kids and in a two months I graduate to the next great stage in life - being a grandpa! My wife and I have become internet shopping mavens - amazing the things and great prices you can find if you look for them! I live by the motto that anything tastes better on a grill! I have mastered the art of using home exercise equipment for everything but exercise! I live in a place where driving is a contact sport - and I've become really good at it! The other side of this is that I get scared s***less of getting tickets when I have to drive in civilized places so I drive like a little old lady I am a binge watching addict Strolling with my wife is a past time I treasure I have finally learned to slow down and enjoy life. We are more than our WLS - it just takes some perspective to realize this!

CONGRATS!!! There is nothing like positive results to motivate you! It's amazing how the weight loss and healthier life style clear up so many medical conditions we all had!

Thank you all for the suggestions. They are excellent and have inspired me to get my butt in gear! I've been wanting to listen to the Hamilton Soundtrack. Not an audio book, but the same concept - I'll only listen to it working out. Since it;s a play, that should get a few workouts in!!!!! Not as much content as an audio book, but hopefully the spark I need to start again!

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to try them!

For the past few months, I have become a slug . My weight loss has been successful - over 145 lbs in a bit over ten months and that has really put a damper on my enthusiasm to exercise. I exercised every day for months after surgery, but then I stopped because of a trip, and even tho I swam every day, it seemed to break up my rhythm. Now I can't find the rhythm again. I felt great after exercising and I feel weaker now, but I just can't seem to get going. My weight loss has slowed down now, and I'm hoping that inspires me to start exercising again to tone my body (much needed). Any tips on how to start exercising again?

People who ask for advice and opinions, and then get pissed when the honest advice given does not justify the action they are trying to rationalize, Never ask a question whose honest answer you don't want to hear. Or at least preface your request with "I am looking only for responses that agree with/justify what I did!" I feel better now!

Congratulations! That's a great achievement.

OKC Pirate, congrats! I tried to do the same thing, but had an uncooperative ex who didn't. Your lawyer is right - the best revenge is living a happy life and knowing you did the right thing for yourself and your kids. Keep on the high road!

I used a CPAP for six years and it really helped me a lot. My last machine was an autopap machine and i noticed in looking over the reports from the machine that the Avg pressure I needed dropped after my surgery. At about 4 months after surgery, it was down below the lowest pressure my doctor indicated. I consulted with my doc and he suggested I test sleeping without the machine. That was six months ago and I haven't used it since and I feel as fully rested as when I used the machine.

Congratulations on a fantastic accomplishment!

So far, folks have been really supportive and I thank them for their comments. If they ask what I'm doing, I tell them I am following a strict diet after WLS surgery.

Good luck ag0177! I am 5'10" and started out a bit heavier than you at 348. I lost 16 lbs during the pre-op diet and was 331 at the time of surgery. Today, 10 months later, i weigh 203 and change. I was 51 at the tine of surgery and had back and knee problems, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. As of today, all are gone and at 52 I feel like I am in my best condition ever. I went from a 50 to a 36 waist and 2XL to L in shirts and even an occasional M . I followed my doc's program, got in my Water, Vitamins and 100 gms plus of Protein per day, and my life had changed for the better. I have slacked off on exercising the past few months and my pace of weight loss has dropped, but I am still losing (down to about 5-6 llbs per month the past couple of months). My goal now is to start exercising again to build up muscle and strength. My first two or three months I was at about 800 calories per day, and now am around 1200. When I begin exercising again, I plan on upping my calories a bit because you can stall out of your calories are too low. I wish you all the best in this endeavor!

@@JoeVegas, thanks for your honesty and so eloquently stating what many of us have felt. You will be on those dunes next year. A year ago I felt that I was going to become immobile. Every step I took hurt. Getting up was a huge burden and sometimes I feared that I couldn't. I stopped going to the beach after I'd broken one too many beach chairs - and I live in the Caribbean! I had WLS ten months ago and I'm down 144 lbs. I can move now with no pain. The limits are gone, and they will be for you. I was 51 when I had my surgery and I had many of the same fears you did. But I stuck with the program and I have a new life. Good luck and we're here rooting for you!

I dropped from a 50 to a 36 in pants and I pretty much dropped a size a month. I ended up getting a few pairs of inexpensive pants every size because of work (I hate the baggy look). I found that Haggar makes a great and cheap dress pant (about $20-25 on sale online) that did the trick. I dropped neck sizes too, but only from an 18 1/2 to a 17, so I didn't have to cycle through so many dress shirts. T-shirts and polos went from XXL to L, but those are acceptable baggy, so I used the XXLs until the L's fit. Now I am down to where I'd like to stay, so am starting to build up my wardrobe again. It's been incredible shopping in places that I never thought I'd be able to use. Best of all - I went from an XXL in boxer briefs to a S!!!!! Me in an S!!!! Best clothing NSV of all!

I've tried several different stevia brands, but I always find that stevia leaves a bitter after taste. I am back with Splenda which to my palate is the most neutral. Hopefully I can find a brand/process for stevia that is not so bitter.

My biggest issue is still eating too fast. Portion control is being strictly maintained by my sleeve, and I have learned to read the signs, but when you eat too fast, the signs come too late.... I have tried putting 20-30 seconds between my bites with the hope that I can develop the habit, but it only works when I do it consciously - despite months of effort, the habit hasn't stuck. When I don't pay attention, I wolf down food. Another major issue is lack of motivation to exercise. I did it consistently for months, but then dropped off and the weight kept coming off, so the incentive fell away. I am hoping that now that I am reaching maintenance, I can find the motivation again.

Good luck! The pre-op diet is tough but you'll get through it. Stick to the program and you'll be happy with the results! Here I am pre-op, at close to 350, and at goal, 205.

1. How do you define long-term WLS success for yourself? I went into this process looking to get my life back. I wanted to be able to move without pain, to be able to do what I wanted without being limited by my ability to move or lack of stamina. I wanted to remove potential health challenges to living a long life and participating in the lives of my future grandchildren. Almost ten months after my surgery, I feel that I have accomplished these goals. I am healthier now than I have been in decades. I have more energy than in a long time. More importantly, I know that I have the will power to conquer things that have held me back for a long time. I am ready to live life now without being held back by my weight. That is all I wanted. 2. What are your biggest challenges in becoming successful long-term -- or, if you're a veteran, what WLS challenges have you struggled with? Overcoming complacency. You have to work at this every day. Weight loss was relatively easy following directions, but I am alert to signs that I am slipping back to using food as a crutch now that I am transitioning to maintenance. I religiously log my foods and make sure that I put everything down (including the occasional unplanned snack). I weigh myself each day to make sure that I stay on track and don't freak out with the daily ups and downs. What really matters are trends. Am I staying steady, moving up or down? My weight can vary by two or three pounds In either direction on any given day, but the trend line tends to be clear when I step back and look weekly or biweekly. I also have to get back to exercising. It was easy to rationalize not exercising when the weight kept coming off, but I need to regain strength and tone my body. I've been very lucky in that despite my age and weight loss things seem to have mostly gone back to place. But that won't last forever and I have to get in the exercise habit now. 3. What advice do you have for those newer to WLS than you? Stick to the basic guidelines of Water and Protein. Relish all the scale and non-scale victories. Don't fret about momentary lapses, always keep your focus on the overall trends - are you getting healthier?; how is your weight losstrending?; how are your clothes? How is your quality of life?, etc? We will all have slip ups. It's not slipping up that defines a successful WLS Journey, but how you snap back from it.

Here's my favorite, Now Foods whey Protein Isolate, that I get from Amazon. I've been using it for months now and really like it for smoothies and colder foods. It does not do that well with hot foods, however. http://www.amazon.com/Foods-Whey-Protein-Isolate-Packaging/dp/B0015AQL1Q?ie=UTF8&keywords=now%20foods%20whey%20protein%20isolate&qid=1463600919&ref_=sr_1_1_a_it&sr=8-1

I started having kibbe nayeh, which has a lot of bulgur, about three months out and its a staple of my diet, I haven't had any issues, although I am careful about how much eat because it's so high in carbs.

Congratulations on your continued success. It's really inspiring for those of us much earlier on in the process to see that keeping the weight off is possible! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Congrats on the amazing weight loss! Hopefully much smoother times ahead!

I'm a big fan of exofficio boxer briefs. Expensive but well worth it. While my weight was in free fall I didn't buy any (I just bought what I could find cheap at Sierra Trading). Pre surgery I was an XXL and I'm now using their size S. When I bought an S, i did it as a joke, and then I tried it on and it fit!! So i just bought a whole lot more, after all - they don't get any smaller than size S!

Thanks @@DavidOso, it's amazing how far we've all come! This is one hell of a process, and one I am thankful for everyday!