Dub

My biggest fear is a moving target. Prior to surgery.....my fear was that I had become a broken down old man.....defined by his pain and forever discovering new limitations and having to live within them. Leading up to the final days before the surgery my fear was that I would not be successful. Now.....4+ months later I have other concerns. I know for a fact that I'll reach my goal weight but fear what I'll look like when I do......how much excess skin? How much muscle can I pack on during this process with my bum shoulder and failed hernia repair? Where will the funds come from for the plastics that will be most likely? Will the plastics go smoothly and yield a good result ? My other fears are what will I become by then? Being reasonably pain free and feeling better has flooded me with relief. I don't get stressed about stuff anymore.....even stuff that maybe I should be stressed about. I simply can't be bothered with it. I want to be surrounded by positive people and laugh. I have fears that I'll make a blunder and seek their company and it will lead to a failed marriage that will impact my son at a crucial time in his development. I fear that the alternative may be to suck it up....stay in it for him.....and then resentment will grow and I become the grumpy bastard I was six months ago. I fear leading with my heart and not my head.......yet my head is warped by the old self image and low confidence......the heart never lies......yet it acts on impulse. I fear complacency. Now is a time with a heap of self improvement taking place and I never want to stop this. So many areas where I can improve.....I never want to let off the pedal on this. Mostly, I fear not living each day to it's full potential.

Right on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There was a period of 3-4 months last year where I couldn't put on my own socks and shoes. I had herniated a disc trying to lift stuff I had no business lifting....and used poor technique and was grossly out of shape.....pre-op. That injury and the pain that came from it was the final straw for me getting serious about weight loss and scheduling my sleeve surgery. Post-op healing....back to work.....still needed help to finished getting dressed for work every day. That bending while putting on my shoes was a trigger for the stabbing back pain. Surgery was in October 2015. This socks and shoe assistance bidness continued into December.....until I was finally able to sit on the edge of the bed and do it all by myself....like a big boy. Always seated on the bed, though. Only way I could. Well.....worked a 14 hour shift last night....stopped at the tanning salon on my way home (I know, right? Sasquatch looking dude in a tanning salon....WTH?).......stripped down and tanned......dressed......simply put my socks and shoes on while standing up. Walked out of there grinning......and squinting like hell......seems I'd wiped some lotion in my eyes at some point. As far as my reasons for tanning.......I've got a cruise coming up in several weeks and I don't want to get fried then.

I hope i can inspire someone the way you have me... You certainly have.

Excellent. Feels really good doesn't it !!!!!

I haven't experienced it yet.....hoping it stays away, too.

I completely understand. Eating too fast can do it every time. You'll learn to measure it out with your eyes first....and only eat the amounts that you should be at the various stages of your progress. You'll also learn to pace yourself through each meal. Getting full sucks. I try to never do it. Slow....steady....chew like hell and be the person who carries the conversation around the table. It takes a while before I was comfortable at meals in resturants. I much prefer sitting at their bars where it's more interactive with bartenders and TV's. I try to choose places that have a decent bar area.

There are other things I wish I'd done differently later on, too. Primarily.......I wish I'd carved out a minimum of 6 months of time that I blocked off and refrained from making ANY other life decisions and just spent that time working on me......my health......my self-improvement and getting my feet firmly planted on the ground. There are so many changes that will come to you so swiftly that it will make your head spin. Stay grounded and keep plowing away with your progress. Some of what I've learned has been very painful to discover but facing it will lead me to a better result that's in line with my original reasons for having wls.....simply getting healthy. Giving in to temptations along the way seems to easily draw me off the path I need to stay on.

So many responses here. I had this conversation with my surgeon and he is okay with how I proceeded. I waited a couple-three months before testing the waters.

Yes....yes I do. Craving nuts & cheeses and have to ensure that I carefully measure them out so they become a meal and not a snack. Can't fall back into the grazing habits.

I lost a heap of weight back in 2011 doing low carb and exercise......gained it all back after surgery recovery and lazy living. Always planned on getting it off again.....saved all the clothes from the lower weight, too. Back injury and other stuff last Spring/Summer made the exercise impossible and I had to get the weight off......enter the decision for wls. I don't regret having my sleeve surgery for a single second and would do it all over again in without a second thought.

You ask very similar questions I asked and was very glad I did. I bought a very comfortable & supportive recliner a couple weeks before surgery. I slept in it the first several days home from the hospital. Sure made it easier on my umbilical hernia repair that was also performed during my sleeve surgery. New Balance slip on sneakers that I could simply step in & out of were worth their weight in gold.

Same thing, here, as well. Sucks. Was talking to my sister about this phenomena .....a highly successful bypass patient (15 years post-op). She assured me that it'll pass as I taper off and hit my normal living at goal weight. She suggested I simply have it cut shorter and not worry about it.......easier for me, a guy, to handle. Taking some GNC MEN hair supplement. I don't have a clue if it helps....but I'm taking it anyway.

Congrats on this achievement. I was a long time smoker, too. Quitting was hard. Crazy hard. Making the changes to support wls were much easier, imho.

I've had some similar experiences.....week of hardcore discipline w/ no scale movement.....weekend of some excess celebrating and scale drops nicely...... For me it seems it's all about what type of momentum I have going on the past several days before it shows up on the scale. Congrats on having some fun on occasion. You aren't doing all this to live like a monk. Looking great in your pic. Keep smiling and keep moving forward !!!

Not sure how to respond other than to listen to your body and follow the program at the current time period you are in. My instructions now....at 4 months are 1/2 cup of food per meal....three times per day....and to add a Protein shake if needed on really active gym days. This is being done. All is well and the scale is moving and I feel great. Surgeon said by a year out.....I should be at a cup if desired.

Measure your portions and know how much volume you are supposed to have. Stick to that and only that amount. Do not eat until you are full. 3 meals a day. No snacking. Eat the right types of food.....high proteins: meat, chicken, seafood, cheeses....... Avoid any and all junk food and sweets. Be very careful of calories that you drink, too. It is amazing what damage you can do with simple beverages. I stick to Water, coffee & tea (with splenda and Fairlife milk). If I'm having an adult drink on the weekends.....then it's mixed with low calorie mixer, too. You've got this.

It's a breeze. Cooked a freaking spread for my son for Breakfast this morning........didn't phase me. A vanilla Protein shake and I'm good. Cook for the family quite a bit and don't have problems sticking to my menu and my portion sizes. I measure things at the house with my 1/2 cup measuring cup in order to figure out what my meal size should look like. In restaurants, I'll evaluate & portion out the entree (always chicken, steak or fish) and eat only that amount. I do not like to ever reach the state where I'm full. It's not comfortable to me and I simply don't like it. It's better when I eat my 1/2 cup portion over 20 minutes and I'm done. Very, very easy to follow the plan. Hunger is no longer there......at all. There are cravings that pop up occasionally and require discipline to work past. Had this happen recently with my downfall.....mixed nuts. I bypassed them and instead step into the half-bath near the kitchen....closed the door and pull my shirt up. I'd love to tell you that I saw a 6-pack of ab muscles.....but what I did see is a smaller belly and the future site of that 6-pack !!!!!! Forgot all about the food craving. I can now see my progress really well.....I'm now leaner than many of my non-bariatric friends. I want to be leaner than my gym friends next. I want to live lean and that makes discipline come easy...easy....easy.

Best wishes to you, Bella. I can imagine that it can be a whirlwind rollercoaster ride. Hoping the slower, fact finding, easy going pace yields best results. From a guy's perspective.....I find it much more interesting and fun to get to know people....learning who they really are and how they respond to situations and what they value.....

No drain for my sleeve.

Thanks for your post and huge respect for what you've done.....and continued to do. You look extremely good and are doing great. I'm a ways off from goal weight but working up a daily plan will be crucial for me. Again, thanks.....and keep on rocking it !!!!

Such a cool discovery for you. You look great and are reaping the rewards of this wonderful stuff. Huge respect and thank you for being there to inspire and motivate.

The second....third......fourth.......fifth......sixth...........times become successively easier. Keep walking.

Howdy, Cindy. Yes....the answer to your question is a resounding YES ! Had a back injury at work and finished it off at home later that day on April 3, 2015. The developing spasms were enough to take me out of work and motivate me to follow my spinal surgeon's advice and have bariatric surgery. You can see from my profile pics the way I carried my weight.....beer gut that was pulling down on the injury and prolonging the healing. Surgery in October.....relief began showing up soon after as I had lost a good bit of weight during my pre-op days, too. So very grateful for the results that are showing up more and more each day.