Dub

What a wild way to be reminded of your great changes. You had me reaching for my wallet to check on my various id. They'll be some due in a few months. I'm sure I'll be smiling in the photos bigtime.

Awesome!!!!! You are going to do great. I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that there will be ongoing low-carb Protein shakes in the diet forever. Small price to pay, I suppose. One super feature of adding muscle is that it will certainly help to fill in loosening skin.

Huge respect for what you are doing @@toasty @@goblue9280 I think you are going do great and are going after a great goal that many of us are very interested in doing, too. I can only guess that you'll run into little support from lunkheads and there is tons of "broscience" tossed around in gyms and some of it is based on pure bullcrap, too. Even the medical experts have differing opinions on that it takes. A lot of it is going to come down to your own desires, goals and motivations. You'll have to safeguard yourself from being over ambitious, I suspect. Injuries could be bad and set you back. Be careful. Make sure you start off with a legitimate weight training program and take it easy during those critical first six months. Right now your muscles are much stronger than your tendons and ligaments. A progressive program allows for a proper build up that will develop your ligaments and tendons. I highly recommend a 5x5 program. I tell you this because I made these mistakes a few years ago. I lost 120 lbs and started lifting hard and heavy. Muscle development was obvious and fun. I also tore up my left wrist and right shoulder because I didn't do so in a slow and progressive way. Best of luck to you !!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry to jump all into your thread with personal bidness. The weight is going to come off.....and at a rate that may freak you out at times. Just received word that one of my wife's aunts passed in her sleep last night. The last twenty years of her life she was plagued with numerous health issues and I can't help but believe that maintaining a healthy weight could have alleviated so many of them. She was a sweat lady who was robbed of many, many active years. Hearing of this news today has certainly firmed up my commitment to get healthy.....and STAY that way. Best wishes.

True. I saw the same trend, too. I found it ironic.....go into the hospital for weight loss surgery....come home the next day heavier than before I went in. I had a post-op appointment with my surgeon six days after surgery. The weight "gained" in the hospital had gone by then and I was two pounds lighter than the day of surgery. My surgeon dismissed the rise and fall with a wave of the hand and said he wasn't even concerned with scale readings the first couple weeks. Danmitman !!!! I coulda used this little decree from him prior to this encounter. Inflammation is heavy stuff !!!!!

On my 14 day pre-op liquid diet I lost 17 pounds according to the hospital scales. I had fairly low activity during this period.....my Fitbit recording 3,500 steps a day average during that time (back issues). Just held down my job responsibilities with the limited amount of walking I could. My surgeon & nutritionist keep it simple for me with the diet. I didn't have to figure out anything or dabble around with food choices. They gave me 4 different Protein drinks and the surgeon said to have 3 a day plus all the non-calorie drink I wanted. The nutritionist said that if I ever felt like I was going to break down and cheat.....to do so with up to 2 additional Protein Drinks from the approved list. I'd love to tell you that I was totally compliant, but I can't. During this two weeks on my day's off work I was swamped with trying to get some home projects completed around the house. I'd been dealing with a back injury for a while leading up to my surgery....knew a hernia was going to be repaired during my surgery and anticipated being limited in action for a while. Anyway, I was knocking out some chores. One of them being to replace our mailbox. I'd bought the new box....started work on it and decided to replace the entire post and all. A couple hours later I was done....new post in the ground in a bed of fresh concrete, dirt replaced, fresh pine straw back over it all and I needed some final screws for the street number. I headed to Lowe's for the 3rd time that day and bought what I needed. Upon leaving I realized that I was freaking starving and drove through the drive thru at Chich Fil A. That meal was the last "normal" food I've had and it was super tasty. I consisted of their grilled chicken bites, chicken Soup and diet lemonade.......each are the "best in category" winners as far as I'm concerned. Had the big "cheat meal" and went home and finished up the work and some other chores. Up early the next morning when I resumed the 14 day pre-op diet. I do best when left with simple choices. This post-op diet they gave me is the same as the pre-op. It has been extremely easy to follow. I can't emphasize this enough. Hunger no longer fits into the equation and I have to remind myself when it's time to get a shake down. In addition to the lack of hunger there is a healthy respect for the extent of the surgery and my desire to do nothing that would danger the healing of what constitutes my new stomach. If that means a few weeks more on Protein shakes then so be it.......it's no biggie. The pre-op diet really escalated the weight loss that I experienced leading up to the surgery and seen that first chunk of Fluid loss. The weight loss post-op has been very consistent with the rate experienced during those two weeks. I'd already made some good progress on weight loss prior to beginning the 14 day pre-op phase. I weighed daily during the 14 day phase and can say that the rate of loss really picked up the most on day 7. From there on it has been very steady. They scared me with the liver shrinking need during my classes. Fear was a great motivator and simplicity was a great path to follow. Best wishes.

Milk of Magnesia has been helpful for me.

Not sure. I wasn't allowed Water until the day after. Only ice chips the day of surgery. They wanted me taking in 4oz. per hour.

Huge breech of etiquette and professionalism there. Sorry you ran into this. I was very fortunate. All the staff I encountered were top notch. Most of the patients in my wing were bariatric patients, too. We'd shuffle around together in the hallways.

Nice view on that deck !!!

Thank you, Darling. 'Cuz I've got some fugly legs.

Same here. I used to enjoy them with a Diet Coke. Well.......there won't be any more Diet Cokes........at least for a long time so that will make it easier.

Yes, but.........when can I have pizza & Snickers bars ?

What about the candy collected by your kids? Same as always........it's his candy. I've never eaten his candy. Nothing about this surgery is going to suddenly change that practice. I've had a lifetime supply of candy. It's time to let it go.

You are 4 days out from significant internal surgery. I'm quite certain it gets better. You've just had surgery.......give it a couple weeks. You can't expect to be 100% recovered in 4 days. That is medically impossible. Relax and get that rest between those walks. You'll do great if you give yourself a chance.

I have all the flavors of unjury and have found them to be great. They mix very thin with Water and ice and go down very easy. I enjoy the chicken soup flavor. It's a nice change of pace. I use a Pyrex measuring cup, put 1/3 cup water in it and not the microwave for a minute or two and then add 2/3 cup hot tap water to make a full cup. One scoop of powder stirs in easily (so long as you don't go over 160 degrees with the water.....hotter than that and it clumps up badly). It's not something I'd want daily but the soup is a nice change and the flavor is good to me.

Did you have these aversions to sources of protein prior to the surgery during the pre-op diets ?

Smart move. It really does sound big & losing riders will need two bikes: One for the interim and then one for the future when we hit our weight goals.

I've got a huge grin on my face after reading your post @@LoseItKacy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Inspiring stuff. Way to go !!!!!

Congrats ! Posts like these fill me with confidence.

That's great news. The healing can go pretty fast. Like everyone said, you'll feel better if you can get your Water & Protein shakes in. The nutrition plan you were given is not a suggestion. It's the roadmap to your success. Follow it to your rapidly improving health.

I am very interested in this topic. I'm hoping to preserve as much muscle as possible during this weight loss period. So much to learn.

I feel for you, bud. So many ways to be tormented on the road to getting this surgery. Good luck.

The pre-op liquid diet is no fun. It was the hardest part about it for me. Since my October 13th surgery, I am having 3 Protein shakes a day and lots of Water. I'm having no problem getting it all down and the 3 shakes are plenty of food to keep me from being hungry. No problems whatsoever. I see zero problems whatsoever with staying on this course for a couple more weeks until the next stage. My surgeon is very strict on the 2-week pre-op liquid diet and continued post-op 4-week liquid diet. When I was doing the pre-op 2-week deal I hit a wall about halfway through and wondered how the heck I'd be able to make it. No kidding. Now, though, I have zero doubts I'll make it. The surgery truly does work. Appetite is less. Hunger is all but gone. There is no urge to snack or graze. The weight.......it is falling off. It is a medical miracle. I'm very grateful and hopeful. I no longer see my surgeon as being overly strict. I see him as cautious and safe. The pre-op is tough......just take it one day at a time....don't look too far ahead. Get through it and KNOW that it truly does get easier.

It's not just a matter of weight loss.....but your health depends on it. Stay hydrated. No excuses. Do your best to get back on track with the plan. You just had major surgery in order to lose weight. You've gotta be smart and do the things that agree with your new stomach and support your progress. Don't sabotage your progress.