Dub

@@liposuction68 I sure did try their chicken soup powder as well. It was a welcome change when I was on the liquid only phase. My only gripe about it is that you can't get the Water really hot and eat it like I normally would with hot soup. Flavor was great, though. Premier Protein pre-made shakes are exactly what I stuck with post op....very thin and went down easy and 30grams per serving. Good stuff. I am looking forward to trying the banana flavor. I've heard it's quite good. The absolute worst tasting Protein Powder that I tried so far was Unjury's strawberry. It did not agree with me and one sip was all it took. Other folks here like it, though. It's the only powder I've had any objections to. Quest is not making several powders that I'd like to try soon, too. Chike makes some outstanding powder, too. Certainly one of my favorites brands for sure.

Clothes. What a total and complete change of feels about them for me as well. I hated clothes shopping in the past. Hated buying crap from Casual Male or any other big & tall store.....or bigger & taller. Now....it's so much easier. Any store has my pants or shirts in stock.....whether it's a clothing store, a sporting goods store or even Walmart. The new sizes are much, much cheaper than before, too. Levis, Dockers, Izod, Polo brands but at cheaper prices than I was paying at the no-brand b&t stores. I actually enjoyed the last shopping trip I went on. This may have been the first time in history that I can say this. Unforeseen NSV. You look great !!! It's gotta feel good to wear fitted clothes again and rock 'em like you are. Well done. Nooooooooooooo not the butt.........

probably air and cigarettes.....lol.

It worked just fine for me. I did not, however, try it in coffee. It mixed in well with everything else I tried it in.

I never could do the puree thing. Seemed like I'd simply open the door to foods I was trying to get away from. I stayed with the Protein shakes through that phase until I could get onto more solid Proteins. The list my bariatric center gave me was fairly short and not much more appealing than what I'd been doing on liquids. lol.

Great story and such a funny reaction from your coworker. Great strategy to suggest the knife for doughnuts. I've never considered doing that.....a portion of a doughnut vs the whole freaking thing at once. So glad to be past that mess, too.

@@kranky813 is 100% correct. It gets so much easier. You have to allow yourself time to heal. This takes a while. You will get there. Be patient and try to relax. All is well.

Awesome !!!! You are going to do great.

I've had that happen in work lunch meetings. I've simply said that I am simply not very hungry......feeling fine....just not hungry.

Outstanding !!!!!! You are doing great. Great momentum and great progress.

Went on a 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean with my wife last week. We had some fun and I certainly enjoyed the hot tubs, pools, bars and beaches. Good eats, too. I enjoyed the bars too much, though. The next vacation will be to take my son and his girlfriend down to the Harry Potter them parks this Summer for a couple days. Not sure what else will come up.

Honestly, I have gotten very, very little assistance from the nutritionists in my program. They are certainly available, of course, available on FB, even. Just a click away. It's simply what they can offer.......that is of little help. Don't get me wrong.....their info and data is crucial.....extremely crucial to my success. It is simply that this data was attainable to me from other sources and well prior to my wls. There is no other refinement that they are likely to offer. It is what it is.......very straightforward as far as the amounts and types of foods I need to be eating now. Of much greater value......tremendous even.....were the classes my psychiatrist offered. Huge, huge, freaking huge value there. Her presentations have been highly thought provoking and have helped in a number of ways.

I hit my 6 month mark this week. Last week I snuck in a cigar on our deck aboard a cruise. I'd made friends with our "neighbors" so I didn't think they'd mind if I enjoyed watching the sun go down and a nice robusto sized cigar. Couldn't get my hands on a Cohiba.....so I made due with what was available. I had a couple ounces of Johnny Walker in a glass to go along with it. No music.....no noise......just some good sips and a good smoke. Relaxing moments prior to joining in on the loudness that seemed to be everywhere else but that peaceful deck and the sounds of the sea blowing by. Good stuff.

Couldn't get the link to work. I know the show you are referring to, but have never watched an episode. Do men see each other and notice qualities or mannerisms ? Sure. Not really sure the real question here.....I'd probably grasp it best if I could see the link. Do you know what the episode is titled ?

Soon Dub... soon, and before you know it it'll be here. 500?! DAMN! lol, my shoulder came apart at 250, I can't imagine what would happen at 500! I cannot stress enough, take care of that shoulder! I wish I could put into words the excruciating pain that recovery was. I like to think of myself as a man with a high threshold for pain. During the 8 week recovery, I was stoned off my ass for the first 4. Seriously, barely remember anything except for the pain and how much coffee I drank to try and clear some of the haze from my foggy head. I hear ya, bro. I've been awared about the pains post-op that are inherent with this surgery. I'm a veteran of more than a few surgical repairs......most from being a dumbass and pushing things too far during playtimes. The source of this shoulder injury is no different. Dumb goal. Dumb execution of said motivation. Much more refined goals now.........directed mostly by a coach that has been keeping me on track with many issues. The only thing that I really worry about in regards to this surgery are: what will my employer do in retaliation-reaction to my recovery period and what will my woman do about my inability to fully perform certain functions in certain ways. The clear solutions are to seek legal aid with the former.........and a more understanding woman with the latter. lol. All will work out in time, I suppose. Just stuff that this brotha has to get done to get back to living fully.

Yes we do. Mine was on April 3rd, 2015. Was near the end of a 14 hour workday......did something my arse shouldn't have done.....lifted shyt in a careless manner.....ended the workday and came home and decided to manhandle a boat trailer (with boat on still on it) in my garage to make it easier on my b-i-l when he came to borrow the boat. Herniated a disc in the process. The weeks and months ahead presented me with the worst pain I'd ever experienced. My regular family practitioner, my spine surgeon and my pain management doc all said to lose weight asap. So.........bariatric surgery plans were made and followed up on. Glad I did.

Yes we do. Mine was on April 3rd, 2015. Was near the end of a 14 hour workday......did something my arse shouldn't have done.....lifted shyt in a careless manner.....ended the workday and came home and decided to manhandle a boat trailer (with boat on still on it) in my garage to make it easier on my b-i-l when he came to borrow the boat. Herniated a disc in the process. The weeks and months ahead presented me with the worst pain I'd ever experienced. My regular family practitioner, my spine surgeon and my pain management doc all said to lose weight asap. So.........bariatric surgery plans were made and followed up on. Glad I did. Yes we do. Mine was on April 3rd, 2015. Was near the end of a 14 hour workday......did something my arse shouldn't have done.....lifted shyt in a careless manner.....ended the workday and came home and decided to manhandle a boat trailer (with boat on still on it) in my garage to make it easier on my b-i-l when he came to borrow the boat. Herniated a disc in the process. The weeks and months ahead presented me with the worst pain I'd ever experienced. My regular family practitioner, my spine surgeon and my pain management doc all said to lose weight asap. So.........bariatric surgery plans were made and followed up on. Glad I did.

For me.....it was around 11 weeks. The long delay was due to having a simultaneous umbilical hernia repair, my third on that location, at the time of my VSG surgery. The sleeve was a cake walk to recover from........the hernia took 3 weeks before I returned to work. There you go, going full beast mode! Take care of that rotator cuff; believe me, surgery on that is painful. Thanks, Bro. Far from full beast mode.....but there is hope that one day I will be. I used to have a goal for a 500 lb bench press by age 50. Now.......I just want to be able to rip off a 5K race at a moment's notice by age 50. I'm under no illusions that I'll be a gym warrior........but being able to please my woman at anytime day or night is my main goal........and do this until she & I are in our nursing home days.......that's really all that matters to me. That and being a dude that maintains her trust at all times. Simple dude with simple passions.

Another victim of food porn. This man is a victim! Quick Mrs. Obama, fix this. (Edited to add smiley face so hopefully people will know this is a joke) Hell, man.....I wasn't joking. I found the bishes....and bought 'em. Gonna feed 'em to the family tonight. Probably won't mess with them myself. My Teenage T-Rex will let me know if they are good or not.

Been vacationing a bit. Did hit the gym a few times during last week's cruise. Hit the fatceps at my regular gym this week after getting back int town. Torn rotator cuff and some back problems are slowing me down..........but not taking me outa the training game.

Okay........now I'm screwed....... Kings Hawaiin commercial just aired.......new product.....jalapeño version. Oh Lawd........

Put the pics away boys, dang it all to heck. Well at least I don't have to ask for a hall pass Wait wut.......we are supposed to ask for those ? Damn. It would seem I've not followed proper protocol and took indecent liberties............sheeeeeeeeiiiiiiiittttttt. Oh, well.....trust & believe that I'll not be asking for retroactive hall pass as well as future hall pass. I'm just gonna slip and dip the halls like Jeff Spicolli did.........and do my dead level best to avoid Mr. Hand. Grew so dang tired of Mr. Hand........ (that's a Fast Times at Ridgemont High reference above, folks......not a statement about masturbation....as far as ya'll know anyway.....well most of ya'll).

You make it sound so easy to be Dub. That's nice. As far as the sleeve surgery goes....it truly has been that simple. In some other categories, however......it's a freaking mess.

October 2015 April 2016 (not after pics.....but DURING pics....long way to go to reach AFTER status)

I'm so glad I was simply upfront with folks from the very beginning. It's been the biggest nonevent imaginable. There's been zero judgmental comments voiced nor has there been any blowback.....simply good positive supportive comments and attaboys. Coming up with a cover story of how I was losing 40% of my bodyweight seemed like a sham and a bunch of bs. It's a choice we each have to make....and everyone's circumstances are unique to them. I'm just a straightaway, heart on sleeve sort. Truth is easier than fabrication.