biginjapan

If I'm being honest here, I'm almost 2 weeks out and have NO problem eating 4 oz of cod (allowed by my team) and I just had hummus (also allowed) and had almost 1/2 cup with no pain, no over fullness or ill affects. I just stopped eating it bc I got nervous and don't want to push it. I definilty feel full and don't want any more food, but I pretty much decided to stop eating just out of my personal judgement.
Granted, I eat VERY slow. Like over 20-30 min period. And chew A LOT. But I definilty don't feel the restriction that others do...even others who are far out.
I wonder why? I know that everyone is different, but would it vary from person to person?
I am losing weight, 8 pounds in 12 days (14 if you count the 6pounds I put on during the hospital stay - sooo puffy with the fluids) and I do keep my carbs super low. But I just wonder why I don't feel so constricted like others.

I missed this thread last week.
First I want to say that it is really nice to have someone actually post what they are eating. It is really helpful.
What app is this? I am guessing My Fitness Pal because the nutritional information is all wrong. The calories on the ground beef seems low, depending on how lean it is.
HOW CAN YOU EAT 6 OUNCES OF BAKED chicken? !?!!??! i can't eat 6 ounces of baked chicken at almost 2 years. I would have to eat it in 2 sittings, and if you are doing that, cool, but I could have never at 3 weeks,
I also don't understand how you can eat Quest bars that early. I had issues with them even at 3 months, although I have noticed the new formula (the change it like every 6 months) is a lot softer.
I think you are underestimating your calories, and your portions, unless you are dividing them into 2 meals are just too large.
1000-1300 calories isn't the issue, neither is your "lack of activity" as other people have said. The Quest bars give them up, that is too many carbs in a day. Give up the diet tea too. The fake sweeteners in those alone will make you stall out. Carbs also make your liver larger, so just eating a lot carbs can make you gain Water weight.
All I ever did really to lose my weight was walk. If you walk 10-20 minutes 2x a day the first 6 weeks, that is good. The point is to heal, not lose weight, and not to over exercise. Being active is enough.
TLDR
Drop the Protein Bars, swap them for Premier or other low carb Protein Shakes
Giive up the Ground beef
Keep your calories to 200-250 at a time 5 times a day
Limit your Protein (chicken, fish, whatever) to 3 ounces at a time,
Keep your net carbs 0-25
Walk every day.

Also are you using a scale to weigh your food? You are either over or under estimating it and I am not sure which. Scale, not measuring cups or spoons. Scale. Only a scale is going to be accurate, everything else is a guesstimate.

I agree that clumps of Protein Powder is gross (I've only had that with cold Quest Protein powders), but there is a way around it. I haven't used this mix as it's impossible to get or ship to Japan, but I have mixed unflavoured protein powder into Soups. There's no need to drink them cold! First, thoroughly mix the protein powder in some cool Water or Soup (just enough to mix it up). Then add it to the rest of your soup (or water, in this case) and slowly heat it up back to a temperature that's agreeable to you (but probably not boiling). There should be no clumps involved at all!

I had surgery 3/2/2017.
2/8/2017 I weighed in at 284.
My Pre-op started 2/23/17.
Today I weigh 248.

Why do people still believe in waist trainers? They do not help in any way, there are numerous articles and hard research about this. All it is is a corset to give you a slimmer waist WHILE wearing it. Once it's off, your shape goes back to normal and you will have a weakened core, not strengthened one. Also, your shape depends a lot of your genetics (and age) - outside of diet/exercise and/or plastic surgery, there's really little you can do about it. (don't mean to be a downer, just keeping it real).

Great! Tomorrow will be my two-month surgiversary (wow, that's the first time I've written that). I've lost 50 pounds so far from my highest weight, almost 29 pounds since surgery (first time I've written that too). It doesn't seem like much compared to others, but I don't really compare myself to others, just myself. I haven't been this low a weight since 2012! I've gone through a few stalls already (currently in one) but I don't let them bother me. That said, I haven't been tracking like I should so I will be getting back to that to see if it helps. One problem I have, which isn't really a problem, is that I have no restriction. I never have, not even from day 1 post-op. To be fair, it does take me a while to eat or drink, but even after a month out 1/2 cup to a full cup of food is no problem for me (of course, getting close to a cup can be very filling). I have no aversions to any food, which is why I am very strict about not even sampling a little bit a trigger food for me (like chocolate or fried food). Luckily though, I don't have any cravings, and I don't long for any particular food or drink.
I've recently been going through my closet and my 12 (!) storage containers of clothes - I've gone from a 3x/24 in pants to a definite 1x/20, and some brands I can get into an 18 or X. Tops I'm already down to an 18/16 or L size, and I'm down a band/cup size for my bra. Shoes are the biggest win - I've been a size 8 most of my life, but the last 2-4 years I've had to wear wide size 9's because of swelling in my feet and fat. But I can now toss those big shoes because I can fit into all of my old shoes. That makes me happier than anything else! Tomorrow I'll do all my official measurements to see how far I've come that way.
Anyway, back on track, all the women in my life (friends and co-workers) have definitely noticed the change (I haven't seen most of them in 2 months since we were on vacation) and they have made really positive comments to me (I've still told no one about the surgery, just focusing on the high Protein, low carb diet, which is also true - lost 23 pounds in 3 weeks pre-surgery that way). None of the men I know have said anything to me, which makes me wonder if they've noticed, or if they are just reluctant to comment about a woman's weight to her face (even something positive).

I agree that clumps of Protein Powder is gross (I've only had that with cold Quest Protein powders), but there is a way around it. I haven't used this mix as it's impossible to get or ship to Japan, but I have mixed unflavoured protein powder into Soups. There's no need to drink them cold! First, thoroughly mix the protein powder in some cool Water or Soup (just enough to mix it up). Then add it to the rest of your soup (or water, in this case) and slowly heat it up back to a temperature that's agreeable to you (but probably not boiling). There should be no clumps involved at all!

Why do people still believe in waist trainers? They do not help in any way, there are numerous articles and hard research about this. All it is is a corset to give you a slimmer waist WHILE wearing it. Once it's off, your shape goes back to normal and you will have a weakened core, not strengthened one. Also, your shape depends a lot of your genetics (and age) - outside of diet/exercise and/or plastic surgery, there's really little you can do about it. (don't mean to be a downer, just keeping it real).

Both a 'waste' of money.

Why do people still believe in waist trainers? They do not help in any way, there are numerous articles and hard research about this. All it is is a corset to give you a slimmer waist WHILE wearing it. Once it's off, your shape goes back to normal and you will have a weakened core, not strengthened one. Also, your shape depends a lot of your genetics (and age) - outside of diet/exercise and/or plastic surgery, there's really little you can do about it. (don't mean to be a downer, just keeping it real).

The best waist trainer is my sleeve.
If you have to get a waiste trainer wait until you are over a year out, or you are risking GERD.
I'm 20 months and I had dinner with some high waist compression leggings on and I had to slide them down because I can't eat anything if I have pressure on my sleeve, sometimes even my bra can be too much.

I'm also part of the big calf group. I'm definitely pear-shaped, with most of my weight below the waist, so I think big calves are just part of the package. That said, I haven't lost much in inches down below, since it appears the fat is slowly disappearing from my body from the top down. I definitely have lost a shoe size though! I'll be doing my measurements tomorrow so I'll know how many inches I've lost from where then.

Great! Tomorrow will be my two-month surgiversary (wow, that's the first time I've written that). I've lost 50 pounds so far from my highest weight, almost 29 pounds since surgery (first time I've written that too). It doesn't seem like much compared to others, but I don't really compare myself to others, just myself. I haven't been this low a weight since 2012! I've gone through a few stalls already (currently in one) but I don't let them bother me. That said, I haven't been tracking like I should so I will be getting back to that to see if it helps. One problem I have, which isn't really a problem, is that I have no restriction. I never have, not even from day 1 post-op. To be fair, it does take me a while to eat or drink, but even after a month out 1/2 cup to a full cup of food is no problem for me (of course, getting close to a cup can be very filling). I have no aversions to any food, which is why I am very strict about not even sampling a little bit a trigger food for me (like chocolate or fried food). Luckily though, I don't have any cravings, and I don't long for any particular food or drink.
I've recently been going through my closet and my 12 (!) storage containers of clothes - I've gone from a 3x/24 in pants to a definite 1x/20, and some brands I can get into an 18 or X. Tops I'm already down to an 18/16 or L size, and I'm down a band/cup size for my bra. Shoes are the biggest win - I've been a size 8 most of my life, but the last 2-4 years I've had to wear wide size 9's because of swelling in my feet and fat. But I can now toss those big shoes because I can fit into all of my old shoes. That makes me happier than anything else! Tomorrow I'll do all my official measurements to see how far I've come that way.
Anyway, back on track, all the women in my life (friends and co-workers) have definitely noticed the change (I haven't seen most of them in 2 months since we were on vacation) and they have made really positive comments to me (I've still told no one about the surgery, just focusing on the high Protein, low carb diet, which is also true - lost 23 pounds in 3 weeks pre-surgery that way). None of the men I know have said anything to me, which makes me wonder if they've noticed, or if they are just reluctant to comment about a woman's weight to her face (even something positive).

Thanks vsgvega!
As for Mexico, I had a few reasons to choose it over having the surgery done in Japan. First, although bariatric surgery is done in Japan, there are very few surgeons who specialise in it, which isn't surprising considering only 3.5% of the population is considered obese (at 30 BMI). My experience with Japanese doctors isn't very positive - they rarely tell you anything, and you have to push for more information. For example, my cholesterol is kind of high, but most doctors I go to tell me "not to worry about it." I sometimes have pain/pressure that feels like a hernia in my stomach area, but when I expressed my concern about it to my gastroenterologist, he told me to eat less (while tracing over my breasts where the stomach was - not appropriate!). I had minor surgery just over a year ago, and while the surgery results were fine, the post-op experience in the hospital was not. Also, Asian people (in general) are more sensitive to pain medication than non-Asians, so the meds here are not very strong. For pain killers, we are often given the equivalent of baby aspirin (I had that after surgery, so did a friend of mine who had a C-section). OTC meds, like Tylenol, are much stronger and more effective than anything they give me here (which I have to import, since they don't sell it here, or if they do it's hard to find - a former doctor of mine always brings some back with him after he goes to Europe, since even as a doctor, he can't get it here). Some suffering is expected at all times - I feel bad for patients with chronic diseases who are in constant pain because the doctors here won't give them anything stronger.
Another reason is insurance - with insurance it probably would have cost me at least $7000, without it, at least $25,000. So the cost of my surgery + the flight will be slightly more than if I had stayed in Japan (with insurance). But even if my insurance covered it, I would be reluctant to have the surgery since nothing is private here - since health insurance is provided by the company you work for, they know everything about you. We do health checks every year, and the company gets those results. Any operations or other procedures I get done - they know about it. The lack of privacy here is appalling, and for years I refused to do the health checks for that reason, but they're free and worth the information I get from them. But I'm keeping this surgery secret (for now) - I want to be the one who determines who knows about it.
So basically I'm going to Mexico because I want to deal with people who speak English, have a surgeon who has loads of experience, keep the surgery private, and also because, by flying to the States, I can also pick up some items I will need post-op that I can't get here in Japan. Every doctor I asked did not seem concerned about flying post-op, and I will have compression stockings and will walk around a lot (easier in business class too). I will also stay in San Diego for 4 days after I am released, so I will be flying back to Japan a week after surgery, which I think will help with pain or other issues. I'm travelling by myself but I think I will be able to get help with my suitcase every step of the way (hotel, cab, airport).
Anyway, sorry for the long post - it was much longer than I expected it to be!

I chose to have surgery because I did all of these diets, low carb included, and it wasn't enough. When I had this surgery, I still had to change my whole way of eating, but now I also have the tool of the restriction to kickstart my body into actually shedding the pounds. Now, when I follow a plan, the weight actually comes off. WLS isn't a shortcut that works independently of diet; it's a catalyst to make the lifestyle change effective.

In complete transparency-
My "moment" is when I started to do "Olympic gymnastics" just to wipe myself on the toilet. I never admitted that to friends and family, but I didn't want to live my life in the condition or worse because of my weight.
Everything else just added to that. I felt so ashamed this past November when I visited long time family friends feeling and looking huge. I felt like such a failure in so many ways.
I was not comfortable in my skin, in my clothes, in my Dr's office, and more and more in my life. At age 47, the thoughts of life expectancy became a reoccurring thought. Will I love to see my 9 year old get married? Will I love to see my grandkids? Will I be home bound? While I realize I am a food addict, attending addiction recovery meetings weren't enough for me to make lasting change. So while I resisted surgery, trying to just do the same thing surgery would do for me, I failed at it.

So then the dialogue changed to, If not now, then when? How bad does it need to become, before I allow myself the ability to leverage surgery."

I'm currently on vacation in Germany (so good for the diet!😒) and I'm very happy with myself for not giving in to any of the free chocolate, candies, or alcohol that has been offered to me while I was here. Yesterday I had to sit in three different chairs with arms, and could fit into all of them! I haven't been able to weigh myself, but things like that make me happy as I know things are progressing as they should.

Wow - you look fantastic! I really need to start working out more (more than walking) and your success is a real motivator!

Actually, it's hard for me right now, because this is usually a time I do a lot of shopping online in order to have some new clothes for the start of the school year here in Japan (which is April 1st). But I'm reluctant to buy anything because of the anticipated weight loss. The only thing I really need are leggings (capri ones of course) so I can wear them under skirts and not have wear nylons (of which I have a ton, but will probably never wear now). I'm off to Europe next week so maybe I can find a few things while I'm there.

I've got sizes from 24/26 down to 18/20 here with me in Japan. I know that I can shop from my own closet, but I have a feeling that I've got a real mixed bag of stuff - maybe lots of shirts, but not so many pants (most die pretty early due to the dreaded "chub rub" of my thighs+heat+humidity), etc. - it may not be enough to cover me for work. Luckily I can go pretty casual if I need to, and hopefully I'll be able to stick mostly to those items until summer hits and I can do some shopping at home IRL, as opposed to online.

I love capris! They're a still a little short, but I don't mind since it rains so much here - those extra inches off the ground make a big difference to keeping dry. I've only ever bought mine from Nordstrom (when they have them in stock), since they make a pair that isn't horrible on my pear-shaped body, and they ship to Japan. What I really want though, are some wide-leg pants (also cropped)- I've been wearing some for the past year, and they've been great for work. However, I can't seem to find any that are cheap enough and that aren't linen or cotton (would never last more than a month for me in the humid heat we have here).
Anyway, I feel your pain. At 5'3" the Petite sizes are sometimes too long for me and/or they don't fit me as nicely as the regular sizes do. I will shorten pants myself, but of course it's never as good as buying something made for your height. Over the past 6 years I've mostly been wearing mid- to longish skirts for work, since they're easier and hide my extreme curves a bit better.

I've got sizes from 24/26 down to 18/20 here with me in Japan. I know that I can shop from my own closet, but I have a feeling that I've got a real mixed bag of stuff - maybe lots of shirts, but not so many pants (most die pretty early due to the dreaded "chub rub" of my thighs+heat+humidity), etc. - it may not be enough to cover me for work. Luckily I can go pretty casual if I need to, and hopefully I'll be able to stick mostly to those items until summer hits and I can do some shopping at home IRL, as opposed to online.

With my surgery date fast approaching, I've started to tell more people than I originally planned to tell. I've been pleasantly surprised by the mostly positive/supportive response. Many of the people I've told have said that they know at least one other person who has had WLS, so I think that helps.
Ultimately, it's a very personal decision whether or not to tell, but others may react way more positively than you think.

I'm waiting on a surgery date, but I think I will have to tell people who ask that I did it to get healthier, and in my case, to save my kidneys because of my diabetes. I'm just praying that once the surgery is done, my diabetes will go into remission. I'm at the point now where food just isn't appealing to me much anymore, but I still can't lose weight, even cutting carbs. I can totally give up sugar, never been a huge candy/cookie/cake eater. I have no problem telling anyone about the surgery because it's my business, they haven't lived my life, nor have they struggled with serious health issues due to being obese. If they have some snarky comment about it, that's their problem, not mine. Just my take on things.

93lbs gone forever!!!
Highest weight: 280lbs
Current weight: 187lbs

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