Dub

I had a large umbilical hernia repaired at the same time as my sleeve surgery in October 2015. I was out of work 3 weeks. Went to see my doctor last month and he's not enthused at the appearance of the repaired hernia. It's going to have to be repaired again in the future.

Best: Feeling a tremendous relief in my back pain. Knees feeling better. Returning to the gym and actually doing something when I'm there. Great blood flow and everything that entails. Actually shopping for clothes in random stores......not the bigger & taller stores. Not cringing when someone starts taking pictures at an event. Minimal dread of upcoming surgeries. For instance, I have a torn rotator cuff in right shoulder that is needing repair. The abdominal hernia that was repaired during my sleeve surgery is not doing well and surgeon said he'd have to go back in and try again in a few months. Knowing I'll be lighter and stronger for these really cuts down over the apprehension of the surgeries. Knowing that I'll soon be in the "5K race-ready" physical shape and will be able to maintain this for the rest of my life. 6 months ago I would have laughed hysterically at someone suggesting this madness. The new realities are simply awesome and I'm very, very grateful. Worst: Realizing that weight loss doesn't fix everything....job stress, marital issues, etc. It truly does resolve so many health issues that I almost expected it to solve everything, lol. Sitting at a restaurant for long, long meals while others eat forever. It's not that I care what they eat. It's not that I care to eat it either. It's simply that food-related activity means so little to me. I'd rather be doing something else. I suppose that's why I try to encourage folks to sit at the bar with me when we go out to eat. It's more interactive and fun. A self-critical eye that doesn't ever seem to be satisfied. For instance....when I was pre-op, I was seeing myself as a mildly heavy guy. What a joke, but it's true. I didn't behave like a morbidly obese person....it's like I looked past what I saw in the mirror. Now, though.....the more I lose it seems the more I see I need to loose. For example, quads are solid and firm, but I detest the softer areas that I've not developed yet. It's going to be okay.....as I lose, I can do more in the gym and all things will come around. It's just weird.

I've found that my weight loss does correlate not just with calories.....but the types of calories. I know at some level this is counterintuitive, yet it has proven true with me. Early in my return to eating real foods I was challenged by my surgeon to experiment. I could eat 1,000 calories per day of the Lean Cousine style meals and stay at a standstill........or, I could eat 1,000 calories per day of chicken and tuna and minimal carbs. Doing the latter showed near immediate improvement on the scale. YMMV. I keep it low carbs and have no real complaints.

Outstanding !!!! You have done great.

Mine, too..................I'm blaming it on trying to read the tiny nutrition labels on everything. True story.....I asked a lady in the grocery store the other day to help me read a label on some coffee creamer. The fact that she was smoking hot and wearing these killer heels had zero to do with it. I needed to know what that label said, I tell ya.

I believe the scientific equivalent is a Whopper with cheese, fries and a Coke. or pizza..................

A lot of swelling and inflammation is most likely the culprit. Very sorry about the painful gout. Hopefully this will ease up and allow you to get mobile again.

@sassyfrass23. Thank you very much. WLS can be highly effective if you follow the plan before & during.....and I assume, AFTER. The results are surreal at times. The part that really will make you laugh is when you go shopping for clothes and don't know where to start.....you gravitate towards your older sizes but the sales folks in the stores steer you towards the smaller sizes you actually need. Wild experience. Check out @@heather5565 experience last weekend.....how cool is this ? !!!!!!!!! http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/360684-a-huge-nsv-that-i-had-to-have-explained-to-me/?hl=+explained LMAO and high-fives for her. As far as hair loss......it's not something to worry about long term. Easy for a dude to say this....if it gets really bad I'll just break out the razor, right ? Just kidding....it'll be temporary and taking the supplements & getting my Protein is about all I can really do about it. Unless there is a bariatric shampoo.............

Every single time I listen to weiner..........I get myself into trouble. Every time, I tell ya.

Tito's vodka mixed with 5 calorie Ocean Spray Cranberry drink. At bars.....a Cajun martini.....or just occasional shooters of high grade tequila.

Tito's vodka mixed with 5 calorie Ocean Spray Cranberry drink. At bars.....a Cajun martini.....or just occasional shooters of high grade tequila.

I avoided them due to the sugar content.

Simple. Stay in close adherence with your plan and rock the results. You'll feel great and no amount of naysaying will trump your improved health.

Awesome !!!!! Feels great doesn't it ?

There were a number of reasons why I was NOT going to try to hide the details of my surgery. First.....the final straw for me in deciding to have the surgery was when I inured my back in April 2016. I missed 6 weeks of work....and was miserable when I returned. It was no fun at all. Having the surgery was a countermeasure to help my back heal and hopefully avoid such pains in the future. I wanted my employer to understand the action I was taking. I had my sleeve + abdominal hernia repair and returned to work in 3 weeks. I anticipated losing 200+ pounds and telling folks that I was simply watching what I ate and exercising seemed like a disingenuous way of handling it. The questions and probing have all but ground to a halt. I simply hear, "Good job" and "Way to go, man" now. No real questions. I've been open and honest about my experiences with folks.......especially the ones who are considering the surgery themselves or have family members who are. I suppose it all depends on your BMI and other details. I started at a BMI of almost 60 and plan to reside in the high 20's by year's end. Sorta hard to hide this. It may be very different for folks with a smaller gap to cover. YMMV. Regardless.....I remain very grateful and pleased that I took the leap and hope you have the results you wish for, too.

It was a big nonevent for me. Zero hassles and easy recovery. I'd do it again in a second. See you on the Loser's bench later today. You'll do great.

I had less than stellar backing from my insurance company and was in a rush to lose a pile of weight due to a back injury that had me shut down. I wound up self funding the sleeve surgery and was able to really speed up the process leading up to surgery. The surgery was a breeze and I have zero complaints. I also had an abdominal hernia repaired during the sleeve operation. The hernia took a few weeks to heal enough for me to return to work and even longer to return to the gym. Had I simply had the sleeve surgery only......I would have been back walking a couple miles of day by the end of the first week. Exercise gets my metabolism elevated and helps in every way. Close to 4 months post op and the weight loss has been steady 85 lbs since surgery on top of 55 lost prior to surgery. Feeling much better and have a high level of confidence that I'll reach my goals and live there. My only regret was not doing this much sooner.

Different plans cover different amounts. You'll have to contact your provider to get the specifics. I can absolutely say that having this surgery in October 2015 has helped my knee problems and reduced my stress level in so many ways.

Make sure to keep your blood pressure monitored, too. I found in those early weeks mine was running low for the first time in my adult life. Weight loss plus my normal daily meds. The meds were adjusted....cut in half. I felt almost immediately better. Easy to get dehydrated, too. Always have a bottle of Water within reach !!!!

It certainly happens to most, if not all of us. I know it sure did for me, too. I go through week-long stretches where the scale doesn't move.....or worse, it moves upward a couple pounds. I can't explain it, either. I'm a fairly early riser even on my days off. I weigh almost daily when I'm up and after I've taken a whiz. What I've done to mitigate these stalls is to ensure I'm tracking my food intake on my fitness pal or fitbit. Track everything for a week or so and look for areas where you may be getting in calories at levels you didn't realize. A recent example with me was with cheeses and nuts. We'd had house guests over a long weekend and there were many types of Snacks and grazing foods laying around. I didn't have any chips or anything but I did enjoy the cheeses and nuts......and long after the visit was over with. Stuff is very calorie dense and there really is no need for me to snack at this point. I still have them on occasion, like during the Super Bowl yesterday.....now, I simply count them as meals and measure the portions. There have been countless "stall" periods for me. I simply stay strict to my plan and try to amp up the daily walking. I've yet to hit 70K steps in a week......but I have recently exceeded 60K. It can be tough on work days.....long shifts and all. Hang in there and know that even if the scale doesn't move a bit, and you are staying on plan.......there are positive changes taking place in your body. You may even notice clothes fitting loose yet the scale is stuck. It happens to me all the time. Be your own best advocate.......coach yourself......push yourself......but encourage yourself.

Well......I really wish I had some before pics. I don't. I am experiencing some thinning at an accelerated rate. Time between hair cuts is prolonged for certain. I'm 47 years old. My father was totally grey by his late twenties and so was his father. Mom's dad was bald by his late 40's. I should be happy to be where I'm at, I suppose. LOL. These pics were taken when I was around 125 lbs down....3 weeks ago. I started taking product from GNC, Men's Ultra-Nourish Hair around the time the pics were taken. Verdict is out on the effectiveness of it. I'm hoping to get to my goal weight and not go bald or have gal bladder issues in the process. Staying hydrated and getting my Protein & Vitamins is all I can really do.....just hanging on for the ride.

I stuck with Protein shakes through the first 4 weeks. I then transitioned to light flaky fish and chicken. One of the absolute staples in my diet are the little foil pouches of flavored tuna. They have been outstanding work lunches.

Every flavor of Chike Nutrition's Protein powder has been great to me. I mix it with Water and ice. All good stuff. The only Protein Powder I've run across that I didn't like was unjury strawberry. It was horrid and I threw the can away after trying to choke down the first few ounces of it. That being said, other folks here rave about it. Just goes to show how tricky and varied our tastes can be. Post-op I feel that I could really enjoy the more bland flavors best. Sipping things slowly really gives you time to register the flavors. The stuff that is overly sweetened or overly anything really stands out more post op. Bariatric Advantage has some bland powders that worked well for me, too.

I've had 7 surgeries that required anesthesia. It's no biggie. I was a little more apprehensive about this last sleeve surgery + umbilical hernia repair due to a back injury that was hurting pretty bad. Fears of pain and laying in awkward positions post-op. Turns out it was not bad at all. My surgeon had ordered a Valium for me to take upon arrival. I was chilled out and relaxed throughout the hours leading up to surgery. Perhaps you can have such a conversation with your surgeon. The meds they used on the surgery were out of my system very nicely as I woke up in the recovery room. I was fairly clearheaded and awake when I made it to my room. I could hear the doctor telling my wife that my sleeve went in textbook style and I did great. Overhearing that was very reassuring. You are going to do great and it will simply be like taking a nice nap.

It can be confusing and it's something that I wish the NUT's would expand upon in the seminars. One reason I think they don't is because of the different types of surgeries the audience may be having. Bypass vs sleeve. I remember going through a weird period at the 3-7 week post op where I was not feeling great about things. I was not really happy with the current menu redundancy and limited flavors or textures. What I grew to understand is that was just a temporary state. I now can safely have whatever I want to eat. The key is to eat in accordance with my goals, which right now is weight loss......so for me, sugar, Pasta, bread, pizza, starches and non-Fiber carbs are carved out of my daily eating. chicken, fish, steak and Vitamin supplementation are the rule of each day. It's a breeze and I no longer have desires to each the stuff that doesn't support my goals. My body feels like it's firing on all cylinders and really getting tuned up. You'll find what works for you.....stuff you can tolerate and still stay in weight loss.......stuff you can't. You'll have to determine how to best apply your learning toward a daily plan. There are no absolutes, simply the new ways and new healthy habits. I wish you the best and look forward to seeing you get the results you are after.