SamBwaR3

I tend to mix things up frequently ... can't eat the same thing too long or I get bored & cravings kick in. Here are some of my go to's:
5 oz greek yogurt with Protein powder (adds an extra 10g) w/ small bits of fruit or berries
1/2c cottage cheese (+powder) with diced peaches
1 scrambled egg with salsa & cheese
1 chicken sausage - large (favs are the spinach & feta or apple)
1 tuna packet (premade) or 1/2c with fat free caesar dressing instead of mayo
1/2c chicken salad with plain greek yogurt instead of mayo & Mrs. Dash seasoning/flavor
In a rush I will have a Protein Drink (either EAS or Syntrax nectar fruit flavored) or when we are traveling I order a plain bagel with sausage, egg & cheese and have them put the cheese between the egg & meat. I give the hubby the bagel and eat just the egg and meat.< /p>

I'm 13 months post-op...
230+ pounds down...
Approx 100 to go...

I always tell my sister I don't see the difference. I went from 410 to now 236 I totally see it now I needed to do this to see it and I'm happier and most of all healthier I still have a long way to go but for my 1st year I'm so proud of myself <3

Dub, I feel your pain. My wife is a every two week gal at best. She has hormone deficiencies and as a result has a ridiculously low libido. I'm not sure what's going to happen now.
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Hello, my name is Ed aka Danger Mouse. I'm originally from Austin, TX but currently live in Upstate NY outside Albany. My surgeon is Dr. Baranov in Saratoga Springs, and I had my RNY Gastric Bypass surgery on August 10th, 2015. This is my story.


IN THE BEGINNING

I posted the meat of this in another thread a week or so ago, but I figured it's a good way to start out a thread on my story and use it as sort of a living diary I guess post op...as long as I can keep it up. So I start at the beginning...

When I see pictures of myself when I was younger (before 9 years of age), I was very skinny.

Before that time my parents would send me to after school daycare. There they would feed us a small snack and then send us outside into the playground until our parents came to pick us up. When I was 9, I started walking the mile home from school. Even with that exercise, being home alone for a couple of hours before the parents got home opened up the entire refrigerator for me, leftovers and all.

I still remember when I turned 13 years old, I had to take a physical to play football. On the paper I turned into the coach I was 5'10" tall and weighed 215 pounds. I never grew another inch as I still stand 5'10".

Strangely enough I was a pretty decent long distance runner. I loved it! I remember clocking in a 6.5 minute mile which seemed pretty impressive for my size and age at the time.

When I got to college, we had to take a couple of PE credits, and I elected to do weightlifting. Our pass/fail grade was based on how much weight we could bench press and leg press divided by our actual weight. That was quite an incentive to hit the weights hard and lose some weight. I started my first freshman semester at 265 pounds and got down to 238 pounds a year later.

I would do the weightlifting class Monday and Wednesday afternoon then head home and run 3 miles.

Then my sophomore year, it all fell apart. I became a delivery driver for Papa John's. Oh, yeah! Free food!! It was all over after that. I never ran again and very rarely lifted any more weights.

Unfortunately I don't have any weight statistics from when I was 19 until I was 31. I never went to the doctor or made any effort to weigh myself. My guess is that I got upwards of 350+ pounds before 2003 when I started exhibiting symptoms of diabetes. I didn't recognize those for what they were though, and I really loved the weight loss that came with being a hardcore diabetic. I remember running into a woman at the time who I had known before the diabetic weight loss, and she mentioned that I looked really good. I felt like I looked good, but oh man, was I feeling crappy in other areas: constantly thirsty, dry mouth, constantly urinating, etc., etc. However, since I had no idea I was diabetic, I was continually downing sodas and just about everything else with tons and tons of sugar.

When I finally saw a doctor in 2006 I was 300 pounds with blood sugars in the 300's. He immediately put me on insulin, and I gradually got up to 390 pounds in a year. I've documented what happened next in other threads, but I stayed at around 390-400 until late 2010. I was put on Victoza and lost about 60 pounds over the course of a year. Then I put it all back on in 2012 and then some.

It was in October 2012 when I went to see my cardiologist at the time that I realized it was probably time to do something. His scale didn't go over 400. They couldn't document my weight at the time, and when the nurse left me in the examination room, I lost it and broke down. That's when my cardiologist recommended WLS. It was something I thought about afterwards, but I really am so commitment-phobic, I just wasn't sure I wanted to put that kind of commitment in myself.

In July of 2013 I lost my job of 15 years due to a reduction in force. That certainly didn't help matters, and I became very depressed. It took me a few months, but I ended up taking a job 1800 miles away from where I lived in Austin, TX to where I now live in Upstate NY north of Albany. That was in February of 2014.

The Path to Surgery

I still resisted the idea of doing WLS but finally late last year I got up to 440 pounds due to a new blood pressure medication that caused me to retain Water. The first weekend in December, 2014, I went back home to Texas to attend a cousin's wedding. I went to the wedding wearing the same slacks and shirt I had bought when I lost my job for interviews and such. But guess what? They didn't fit at all, and I was so uncomfortable all afternoon and night long wearing a shirt that was way too tight, and slacks that were just ill fitting as well.

So finally, I went to a Bariatric Surgery Seminar right before Christmas last year and met with the surgeon in February of this year. My insurance required six months of supervised weight loss and wanted me to lose at least 22 pounds. My surgeon wanted me to lose 30-50 pounds before surgery. He put me on a "Lean Cuisine" diet. Basically all I was to eat was a light Breakfast and then Lean Cuisine meals for lunch and dinner. Obviously that is probably still not the healthiest diet, but along with a change in my blood pressure medicine I lost 30 pounds in 6 short weeks. Basically all that Water I had retained previously melted off...or out.

Then the stalls happened. I was having a really hard time losing much more weight month to month. I mean, I would lose 1-2 pounds a month between the first of April and the 1st of June, but nothing like those first 30 pounds.

In May I did the unthinkable and googled bariatric surgery complications. I got so scared and begin to doubt wanting this surgery so badly that I almost quit!! Thankfully I did stay the course and decided to have the surgery.

Finally the weight started melting off again. By my last visit with the surgeon pre-op in July I had lost a little over 40 pounds since early February. With a few weeks before my surgery they recommended I still continue to lose weight, but I thought I might have a bit of a tough time with that because I was going home to Texas at the end of July for my food funerals. You know, tacos, BBQ, fantastic mexican food and mom's home cooking. I would still try to eat one Lean Cuisine type meal once a day while down there, but dinner was definitely self indulgent.

As it turned out I neither lost nor gained weight while I was in Texas.

My surgery date was August 10th, and three days before, I went on a clear liquid diet. I really wished I had known before with that diet I was going to lose another 13 pounds!! The morning of my surgery I was 369 pounds.

Post Op

Again I've documented some of my experiences in other threads so I'll keep this section really short.

I did not have any complications post op. I was taken out of the Recovery Room and into my own hospital room fairly quickly, and I was walk, walk, walking and sip, sip, sipping as soon as I did. I only spent one night in the hospital before going home. When the surgeon came to visit me the day after my surgery he said it looked like I hadn't even had surgery. That was a plus to me.

I haven't had too much trouble eating since the surgery. I stayed fairly true to my surgeon's/nutritionist's recommendations which seem to be almost completely different then most people on here. If I did stray off the recommendations it was only by a day or so. In other words, I started trying meats, chicken, salads two days before my "green sheet" recommended.

As far as food I stay away from, bread for sure which is a good thing. I won't even have a sandwich. chicken sometimes gives me a problem, but that may be more of an issue with me not chewing well I think. A few weeks ago I baked some chicken wings at home; barely a handful. But I had two of them and vomited them out shortly thereafter. The next day I tried again, and vomited again.

I'm not sure I've experienced dumping although I did have something that might have been dumping Halloween weekend. I went back to Texas to visit with a friend and her daughter. We went to San Antonio to hang out for the weekend. We went to one mall and stopped at a yogurt shop to get some yogurt. I had a small bowl with very little yogurt and added a cherry, a strawberry, and some pineapple. About 20 minutes later, I could feel my heart rate go up, and I had to make a run to the bathroom. There I calmed down and seemed fine after that.

Another issue I had was at Chipotle. I personally had never been there before, but in Texas we have Freebirds and in Austin, Cabo Bob's which basically serve the same thing (and where I've gone previously when I lived won there) so I decided to try it. I ordered a steak salad. I only had maybe 4 or 5 bites before I felt that tightness in my chest. Not too long after that I vomited it all back up. So unhappy about that, but I'm not trying that again.

Oh, yeah, and the pork chop. I found a recipe to make pork chops in a slow cooker. I made it one afternoon, and the pork chops came out fantastic...meat just coming off and shredded like a pot roast in a slow cooker. Again, just a few bites, and it came back out.

I still have not tried a steak mainly because I'm worried that I'll vomit it out again. Ground meat is pretty much the only "red meat" that I've tried. At home I basically cook everything now. I live alone so I have plenty of leftovers that last a really long time. I have a vacuum sealer so that helps keep my food when I use it and put the excess food in the freezer for later.

When I was in Texas for Halloween we went out to eat for every meal which was a bit of a challenge. I ended up either just having a Soup or salad everywhere we went. I'll admit to hating being limited to that at every restaurant, but I didn't want to risk getting sick in front of company. I think somebody on here recommended taking some kind of plastic bag everywhere you went. That's a bit extreme, but I'd rather avoid vomiting all together.

At the moment, I don't seem to have daily Protein or calorie guidelines from my nutritionist. The only recommendation that I have is that I eat 3 solid Protein meals per day which also means no Protein shakes. At my next appointment I will ask about the protein and calorie intake.

Weight Loss Milestones

I guess we all have our own personal weight loss milestones. All of my milestones are pretty much based on previous weigh in's. Something like this:

Milestone #1: 335 pounds - weight I was at in November 2011 after weight loss from Victoza.
Milestone #2: 300 pounds - weight I was at in August 2006 before being put on Insulin for the first time
Milestone #3: 265 pounds - weight I was at in September 1993 as a Freshman in College
Milestone #4: 238 pounds - weight I was at in September 1994 before becoming a Papa John's Delivery Driver
Milestone #5: 215 pounds - weight I was at in August 1988 based on my physical at the time
Goal Weight-Surgeon: 220 pounds - This is what the surgeon said I would get down to in 12-18 months post op
Goal Weight-Personal: 180 pounds - My own personal goal.

The weight loss post op has been fun but oh so frustrating with those stalls. And I hate, hate, hate gaining weight during a "stall". It definitely makes you rethink your decision, but then it all just melts off. That part is the most satisfying.

For example, the day before Halloween I was 320 pounds. So far so good. When I came back from Texas, I weighed the same on November 6th. On November 13th I weighed 327 pounds. What?!?!?! I gained weight! As of this afternoon I'm 311 pounds. I'm sure there are scientific explanations for such a swing in weight, but as long as it works I'm happy. I don't need the finer details.

So yeah, Milestone #1 was made and passed several weeks ago. Now I go barreling down into Milestone #2. I'm going to be so happy when the scale hits 299, you would not believe. I may cry.

Funny my friend who had the sleeve is looking to revise to RNY....years later...I wonder why?Gold Standard ...I know this because after 13 years of lapband misery...I can say my revision to bypass 2 months ago is the best thing ever!38 pounds down and...much more to go!!!

I know this question was for the guys, but I've got to chime in and say what a great post! Spot on!

The bypass is the gold standard because it is older and therefore has more data backing it up. But I think the sleeve will surpass it in a few years. The sleeve is a easier surgery. No malabsorption or rerouting of intestines. I do agree that if you have a hard time making the right decision with food and you don't think you can get it under control then maybe the bypass is better because of the dumping. Also the sleeve's results in weigh loss seem to be a bit smaller then the bypass. But if you put all your effort and do some exercise you can lose tons of weight. Some people can lose 200lbs with the sleeve. It's what you put into it. I hope I helped you make your decision. Good luck!!!

I joined a couple of bariatric support groups on Facebook and listened to those that have gone through both procedures to help me make my decision between the sleeve and the bypass. After a lot of research I have decided to go with the bypass and here are my reasons why:
1. Sleeve is not recommended for people with heartburn and acid reflux and I have a problem with this.
2. I noticed a lot of people that have had the sleeve reported frequent stalling of weight loss as well as more frequent regain as opposed to bypass patients.
3. I also need the discipline that gastric bypass provides. Just knowing I may dump from eating something bad (whether I actually do or not) is enough to stop me from eating it. I am afraid that knowing I would be able to eat whatever I want with the sleeve is going to make me do just that, and that may lead to overeating since I have problems with Portion Control and eating when I am not hungry.
Good luck with whatever you decide Phynale! Btw I am 392...

So, I am a middle aged woman and definitely have a drop in hormones. My libido has dropped some but not alot. So, what I will share is that with the hormone drop my girl parts can get...uncomfortable. I found topical hormone treatments helps build back that"thin tissue" and it is very low risk Healthwise (much lower hormone level than pills).
The other comment, and it may not apply to anyone posting here...but there are things a man can do that drives me wild with anticipation. The mental part of it becomes even more interesting and important as I have aged. I feel as though I have ready overshared...so will stop now.
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@@CowgirlJane, I am BRAND new to the forum. Joined yesterday. I will be having my surgery in May. I am on here specifically looking for long term vets and their results. So YES. You and all the other vets who are still active are very relevant to us starting and those already on the journey. I am one who is known to come across as brash but I speak the truth. Some folks can not handle the truth but that is their issue. I thank you and all the other vets for being here and telling your stories of what worked, didn't work and what is still working. You guys and girls are to be viewed as mentors for us newbies. As I am reading posts, I look to the persons name, gender and surgery date. Then at the weight. I am a guy and am looking for more veteran guys results but am finding few. So I am just balancing it all out and making the best of the advice and wisdom you all are sharing.
So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Brooks Brothers! I've dreamt of buying a Brooks Brothers suit since I was 18. Back then it was waiting til I can afford it! Now that I can afford it, I can't fit it and haven't been able to for 25 years! I walk past it in downtown Chicago every day on my way to work. My surgery is on May 9th and as soon as I can I'm buying that suit!

Thank you for the comments. A specific set of things happened that led me to post this thread...and I am long since over it.
I do think part of the problem is that I have at times become short, terse, brief - and that does not come across as supportive.
In truth, being sleeved saved my life, changed my life in my late 40s. I wish similar success for everyone but it's hard to always type that meaning out to everyone. It is also true that the early day struggles just seem so small now... and yet I know they are not when you are in the middle of them!

"Learning the hard way"........that statement.....could easily be inscribed on my tombstone one day. "Here lies a dude who learned the Hard Way". LOL.
Who to trust? Very crucial bit. Unfortunately we don't find out who we can't trust until it's too late. That's been the case with me, at least. The person that you think has your back in life.....is facing all challenges, big and small......for better or for worse......sickness and health.....then you realize your trust was misplaced. Damn.
It sorta skews things and clouds your judgement on ever trusting again.
I can now look back on my life and see the people that I've detached from.....friendships that I've not upheld.....old interests, etc.......each of these has some component to broken trust as the reasons for moving on.
I am lucky, though.....very fortunate to have recently found that I can place my trust with someone. I can share with them. It has been the key to me finding peace with my current state of affairs and moving forward. I am a better man for this.
Damn......so many similarities here.
I'm the old dude in my relationship.....the old dude who is working the long hours and still has an almost insatiable appetite for bedroom cardio.
Hell.....put in a 17 hour night shift last week.....called home at 10:00am and woke her up and asked her if she wanted to go out for a date-lunch....hoping to get the fires stoked for fun later that afternoon........was up way over 24hrs while trying to make the magic happen.
I was told earlier today that, "We do it all the time......I mean....we just did it last week.....". I just raised my eyebrow and nodded my head.....waited a second or two and replied, "........And, my Dear.......that is precisely the problem.....I never took a vow of celibacy.....I have needs". I disengaged from further conversation for a while and let that sink in.
I'm not going to be able to be a once-a-week guy.
It's unreal when I consider what would-will happen if she ever meets me halfway.........

@@CowgirlJane, I am BRAND new to the forum. Joined yesterday. I will be having my surgery in May. I am on here specifically looking for long term vets and their results. So YES. You and all the other vets who are still active are very relevant to us starting and those already on the journey. I am one who is known to come across as brash but I speak the truth. Some folks can not handle the truth but that is their issue. I thank you and all the other vets for being here and telling your stories of what worked, didn't work and what is still working. You guys and girls are to be viewed as mentors for us newbies. As I am reading posts, I look to the persons name, gender and surgery date. Then at the weight. I am a guy and am looking for more veteran guys results but am finding few. So I am just balancing it all out and making the best of the advice and wisdom you all are sharing.
So thank you, thank you, thank you.

I have read and am thinking about each and every comment - thank you for the perspectives.
Two things:
1- the most important is i never intended my request for the discussion to be targeted to other "veterans" to be hurtful or negative. The specific reason I reached out to that group was because I wasn't seeking a pat on the back, but to seriously ask people who have been around awhile if at some point we "age beyond our prime" so to speak.
I read each comment and message regardless of your "vet" status. What strikes me is that even though my motive was not negative, by making the request it made some people feel apologetic/unwelcome - I am sorry about that. This small observation is classic of what happens on forums isnt it?
2- This discussion has helped me refocus on what is important to me and helps me with a shift in perspective - thank you.
@@MichiganChic and others have described that person who helped you "believe" in trying one more time to slay the obesity dragon. I had those that inspired me; helped me help myself! - and am forever grateful.
It's not that I feel I owe it to anybody to pay it forward - it is more like I feel compelled or motivated from within; I place value on this.

At 2.5 years out, I feel as if I am absolutely relevant, but completely **** upon because some people CHOOSE to take my words as attacks/judgmental/bullying/etc when I truly don't intend them that way.

I am not a warm fuzzy kind of girl. I never have been and I never will be. Seemingly, my personality was just FINE when I was "one of them" (newbie), but now that I am past those initial stages, I am a big old meanie. I try to remember that "newbies" are sensitive and hormonal, nervous and emotional but that said, I can't/won't coddle bad decisions. No one coddled me and I learned the most from people who told me their truths. Even when I couldn't relate, I appreciated that they shared with me their real feelings instead of justifying mine.

I, too, feel that I only "get" from the vet forums and maintenance forums, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to "give" in the other forums. Some will appreciate it, some will not. Those who do can take it, those who don't can leave it.

It's their choice, their gain, or their problem.

All the talk about the sex drive going full throttle is going to ruin me. It is already high as can be. I can't wait to drop the weight and see what happens !!!

Ok here are mine:     

Hell yes.... i know i have regressed to an 18 year old boy.....

Imagine swishing the hem of your dress across the chest of your loved one....????

That made it worse.