PorkChopExpress

The weight has been coming off, although I think I may be experiencing a little bit of a plateau right now, as I near the 300lb mark. I do think I'm probably retaining Water more than usual, because I'm not getting enough in every day. It's been hard to achieve. I've been driving deliveries for Amazon Flex, which is a little like the "on demand economy" jobs like Postmates and such. In Denver, they only have "dot com" orders, so I get a four hour block of time every day that they pay me a flat rate for, I go to the warehouse, load up my car and then head out to deliver packages. So I've been doing that while I look for work in my field (video editing). It's a bad time of the year to be looking for work though, so I'm glad I have this type of stuff I can do...and it's having the nice side effect of getting me a significant amount of exercise every day, which I need. But it does make things harder when it comes to getting my Water in, etc...
My stomach's capacity has been gradually increasing as time wears on. I'm up to around 2oz of meat or so per meal, as well as several Tbsp of carbs. I've been mixing the flavorless Protein with many things, to boost my Protein intake...and I enjoy beef Jerky on the road while I'm out driving. My protein has been pretty good, I think. The water's just the challenge...that, and making sure I get all of my Vitamins. Calcium has been the biggest challenge, since it has to be taken 3x a day.
Punching new holes in the belt is a good feeling...I'm a LONG way from where I started, on that thing. But I know that ultimately, I'm going to end up having to hike my pants up to my ACTUAL waist, which I've already done with my jeans. It feels really weird and a little uncomfortable...I've got no memory of ever having worn my pants that way. But the nice thing is that when I do that, and put on my belt, I'm on the same notch that I started on at 385...but around my belly button now, instead of down below my gut, with the back hanging down like I'm some kind of gangster rapper. That's a good feeling.
Life's thrown me a ton of curveballs over the past few years and it continues, but at least I feel good about how this process is going. It has had the interesting effect of causing me to be interested in pursuing activities that I'd have never considered before, because they weren't realistic...like snowboarding. I really want to learn how, next winter. The fact that my weight loss feels inevitable now has made that seem totally realistic, whereas before I'd have just had to say, "Maybe someday." There are actually a lot of things that my weight made impossible that I am looking forward to being able to do. Even just something as simple as driving Go-Karts. It doesn't feel like an "if" anymore, but a "when." That's a nice feeling.

What most people don't understand is that fat cells don't actually GO anywhere. They shrink and swell, they're just storage containers.

You just want to avoid refined sugar. You aren't going to dump from the sugar in fruit unless you over-do it, and you won't be able to over-do it because the stomach won't allow it.
To be really honest with you though, you should really focus on getting your carbs from vegetable sources rather than fruit though. Not only is it going to help you lose more, but in general it's a good habit to be in.

No sugar, no carbs, everything non-fat. Protein shakes 3x daily (low-carb) for at least 25g/protein per shake. 64oz of Water a day minimum. Low-sodium as much as possible.
You WILL lose enough weight doing this. In fact, since I suspect this is because you slacked on what you were supposed to be doing and this is what has caused the big emergency, you probably have at least 5 pounds of Water weight that will come right off. So it's not as bad as you think. But you WILL have to be ultra-disciplined for the next two weeks and not cheat at all.

Pure grit and determination, and focusing on the fact that it had a time limit. I kept reminding myself that I made this decision because I knew I needed to make some major changes, long-lasting changes, and so I started feeling like the pre-op diet was a test of my will and dedication to the process. I started taking pride in not cheating, after a while...no matter how much my stomach rumbled and ached. And sure enough, after surgery, it wasn't a concern anymore. I couldn't even imagine putting anything in there for several days!
One thing that I did do that helped mentally though was, the week prior to the pre-op diet, I went ahead and had whatever meals I would miss. I must have had buffalo wings 4-5 times. And after a while, I think it made something click in my mind and realize that I was being dominated by food. Why did I feel the need to do that week or splurging...wasn't it an acknowledgement that it was food that was at the wheel, and not me? So it ended up being a helpful part of my "letting go" process, which then had to continue for the first 10 days or so after surgery. But I'm in a much better place now, and am embracing change.

I wish I'd known about GENEPRO powder, I was so sick of chocolate "shakes" after four weeks of them...
Otherwise, I was pretty knowledgeable after all the time spent in classes and support groups, and reading the internet and such. I think there are unknowns that nobody can prepare you for because they'll be uniquely yours, because it's the mental component we struggle with that makes up the majority of this fight.

Thanksgiving was not bad, the food (what I could eat of it) was very good...my brother-in-law is handy with a smoker, and we had smoked turkey and pork loin. Had a little of each and it was excellent. A little bit of mashed potatoes, and I was done. I did feel good about it when everyone else was talking about being stuffed or having eaten too much, and I was feeling just fine...but at the same time, sitting in front of a giant spread did make me mentally wistful for the days where I could try some of everything. I had to be judicious this year and so I switched out the large plate for the "roll" plate, eyeballed my portion of meat and potato onto it, and that was that. A couple hours later, I had a tiny sliver of pumpkin pie, just because I like it so much and it's a Thanksgiving thing...but just enough to get three bites or so. Honestly, that was just fine...I got the taste and that was good enough.
Of course the subject of the surgery came up and how I'm able to eat like this now...I just joked that the surgery doesn't really allow you to do anything else! There's simply no room to overeat. But having lost about 73lbs now in the space of 2 1/2 months at last weigh-in yesterday...that's about all you need to say about the benefits of eating my little portion of food vs. gorging myself on everything at the Thanksgiving table.
Once again, it's a mental thing. Those old tendrils of my obese self and all his bad habits, sitting in front of that big Thanksgiving spread and saying, "I want to overeat, now." But I really didn't miss it. I might have had a little regret in not being able to try everything, but it was no big deal.
Hope everyone reading had a good Thanksgiving!

Congrats on the losses and being able to reunite with your family. I, too, don't like wearing pants that high. Even when I reached a weight of 240 in 2008, I wore my pants above my hips.
I'm anxious about resuming normal lifting and strenuous activity in a few weeks for the very reasons you cited. Though I wasn't lifting before surgery, it's a little depressing to think my strength and muscle mass will be worse off. Then again, stairs, hard work, etc. will probably be easier since I've lost a good amount since my pre-op diet (currently 42.6 lb.).
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@@PorkChopExpress - BTW, when I went to In-and-Out, you can get it as a lettus wrap (I only ate half and one of my daughter's fries). So it is possible, and it was a nice treat.

I agree there is always healthier choices... We went to Braum's a while back, they were having their grill green chili chicken sandwich. I ordered it, without a bun (caused some confusion, but they got the point). Grilled chicken, a slice of cheese and topped with green chili, and I could only eat about 1/2 of it... It was a delicious meal, and I snuck an onion ring in as well.

Finally weighed myself during a visit with my family over the Halloween weekend...what a trip, seeing numbers on there I haven't seen in nearly a decade. I'm averaging five pounds lost per week right now. More shocking to me is that I'm down 60 pounds from my high weight when I started, and I've done that in two months. The best I've ever done on my own is around 55 pounds, over a period of about six months.
I'm now in week 6 and my program has given me free reign to try anything I want to try, of course avoiding sugar and excessive fat intake. Took my wife to a great new steakhouse and it was delicious. Weird to leave such a huge amount of food to be boxed...very weird. But I ate on that meat for three days! Not quite as good reheated, but still very good. Funny how I now feel like I'm getting a lot more value for my money, because it lasts so long

I went to a local Thai place and picked up an order of chicken satay today, now that I have finally graduated to "whole pieces of meat." It's one of my favorites. I chopped it up into small pieces, tossed it in the peanut sauce and then separated it out into 1.5oz servings with my little ziplock containers. What came with the satay was fried rice with shrimp in it, which I didn't realize (I should have just ordered it alone, but apparently they misunderstood and gave me the dinner order). First of all, looking at that giant portion of fried rice and then the 8 skewers of chicken, I found myself going, "This is a dinner...for how many frickin' people?" As it is, the chicken alone is going to last me three days. My how times have changed.
So I decided I'd eat the shrimp and the egg in the fried rice, which was good. Shrimp seems to be agreeable. I took a couple small bites of the rice, and realized that I wasn't very interested in it. Another change...because I really used to like fried rice! I just knew that it was only going to swell up in my stomach and rob me of space for "the good stuff."
It's weird how bread, Pasta and rice have all sort of fallen into this category of "pointless foods" to me, now. It's great, it feels like I'm adapting, but it's a strange feeling. Or being at the stores and knowing that in the checkout aisle pre-surgery, I'd have been tempted by a candy bar or something...and now I look at them and think, "What is the point of these things?" I'm surrounded now by stuff that makes me realize how much food = entertainment in our culture, now. Go to the movies and you HAVE to have treats, right? Candy and goodies, and wash it all down with a sugary soda or a slushie. But for what reason? It's not for fuel, it's not to feed your body...it's just to entertain yourself.
I'm realizing that I'm not just the product of my youth and low self-esteem, but I'm also a product of conditioning...social behaviors and marketing have helped create an environment where you will really struggle to succeed without help, as an obese person. Now that my eyes are wide open, I can see how we're doing all of this to ourselves in American society...the messaging and the culture are all creating an environment that encourages obesity. It's hard to fight against that machine.

Started on the elliptical yesterday after a couple weeks of treadmill. Wanted to wait until I didn't really feel any kind of soreness in my abdomen, before I got on the elliptical. I had been doing 30 minutes on the treadmill at a fairly decent clip, but man...I'd forgotten how much the elliptical works your quads! I only managed 20 minutes and my legs felt like noodles afterward.
Today, I went in there and banged out thirty minutes, no problem. Gotta love that...I was feeling good.
Packed shredded beef for lunch tonight (I work graveyards) and it worked out perfectly, no issues. I had been a little nervous about it, because I've read people talking about having trouble with beef after their surgery and first trying it, but chewing it as well as I do everything else, it gave me absolutely no trouble at all. I've been really happy with my recovery. I haven't experienced anything seriously negative so far (knocking on wood as I write this) and no vomiting. I feel a little "gnawing" in my stomach sometimes that reminds me of hunger, but I know it's the acid buildup in my stomach. The surgeon told me that would eventually resolve. I guess the stomach needs time to adjust, too.
Had a coworker laugh when he walked in on me in the kitchen eating my little bitty 1/2 cup container of food. He didn't mean to be rude (he knows I had surgery) and I know how comical I must look, 340 pound guy (or so, haven't weighed since my last doctor visit) sitting in front of that tiny little tupperware for twenty minutes, nibbling away at it. But hey, I'm doing great so far, so I don't mind

Doing good so far, although to be honest it's SO hard for me to go slow. I have had such a bad habit all my life of wolfing my food down, taking tiny bites and thoroughly chewing them is a bit of a struggle. However, I have definitely learned that if I DON'T do that, I get too full too fast. My new stomach needs time to register what's in it and there isn't much room. It's good that I'm starting to get into things that I really need to chew a while, shredded meat and stuff, because it actually slows me down and that helps. Chili and things that go down easy are more of a challenge.
Work has been fine. I go with a cup for my Crystal Light / Protein mixture, and I have one meal there. I got these little Ziplock 1/2 cup containers and they work perfectly for my meal portion. I weigh out 1.5oz of my meat, and a little over 1TBSP for my veggie (usually potato right now) and that container ends up being the perfect amount of food. It's still so small though, I feel self-conscious when people come into the kitchen with their full-size tupperware containers full of food, and I'm sitting there nursing that little bitty thing
I log everything in MyFitnessPal to see where I'm at, and I guess I was thinking of my 1oz numbers when I posted...going up to 1.5 has only happened over the past few days, when I realized I was comfortable doing it and not feeling too full. I am generally getting in the neighborhood of 25-30g of Protein from my meals now, I think. So it's not terrible, but I really want to work up to the point where I'm getting 50% of my protein from actual food. The Protein powder is just so darned expensive...but I know it's gonna be a while before I'm to that point. Probably at least 6 months. Can't rush this process, it's coming along and so far, no vomiting...so that's a big win, to me

I do think that regardless of what we do, we are just going to have to live with a temporary loss of muscle mass until we get close to goal weight. The caloric deficit is just too great, after these surgeries, for a prolonged amount of time. But muscle has memory, so we can get it back!

I'm just finally getting back online with my PC after over a week...I really had to hit the ground running after the move. I've been driving deliveries for various "on demand" companies (mainly Amazon Flex), as I wait for someone to call about putting me on a freelance editing job somewhere. The lifting and carrying and going up stairs, it's all made me keenly aware of how much muscle mass and strength I've lost since before the surgery. I just feel weak. Fortunately, after about a week or so of it, my body seems to be adapting. So that's good. The change in altitude probably didn't help!
I have been in "try anything" mode, as my surgeon had suggested. I've been trying to avoid fats, and still staying away from sugar...but I did try a slice of pizza during a social outing, something which my gastrointestinal system made very clear the next day was NOT appreciated. I actually like that it did, though - I like having my body give me disincentives to eating poorly. It's a real challenge when you're invited to go out with other couples and it's a place where you really can't eat much of anything on the menu.
I reached the last hole on my belt, and my shorts/pants are now falling down again when I walk. I tried on some pants that we had in storage, and they actually fit around where my waist ACTUALLY is. It feels really, really weird wearing them that way, though...I've spent most of my life wearing them so low, under my gut and fat rolls, that having them up around my belly button is STRANGE. I also feel like it looks weird. It's a bit disappointing, the idea that I would then have to go back all those belt holes to wear my pants correctly...but I suppose I'd better start getting used to it.

Well, the surgeon had to make the decision to switch me from Roux-en-y to vertical sleeve gastrectomy, but the surgery was done successfully yesterday and I'm at home recouperating now. Still trying to get rid of the last of the very uncomfortable gas, but I feel okay. Not very interested in putting anything in my stomach right now, but I'm trying to get fluids and Protein Shakes down...it's just VERY slow going. I get at most maybe 2oz done per hour right now. As the gas pain and general discomfort subside, I'm sure it'll get easier. Unfortunately, apparently the mesh that a prior surgeon used to repair an umbilical hernia was the wrong type, and resulted in my intestines scarring into the mesh such that he couldn't do anything without risking damage to my intestine, so he made the judgment call. I'm glad for that, I don't want complications if I can help it. It's just a bummer because that's what I've been feeding my brain with for over a year and I haven't really read up on VSG, though I imagine it's going to be much the same, behavior-wise.
Anyway, I'm glad to have it behind me and now I just want to make a full recovery and get on with this business of losing weight and getting fit.
On a side note, my pre-surgery weight was 351.2 - I lost over 35 pounds leading up to surgery. Not bad!

Almost everyone in my life only knows me as an obese man. The only people who remember me any differently are the ones I go all the way back to High School and before, with. My wife married an obese man.
So almost everyone in my life is going to have the same adjustment to deal with that I will, in the new version of me that they see. It's like if I decided to shave my sideburns and goatee, and get contacts. People would be a little freaked out by it, at first. Over time, though, they'd get used to it.
Who knows man, maybe I will be uglier when I've reached my goals! But I'll be healthy and feeling great, so it's worth the trade-off, to me.

You may have a genetic predisposition to putting on weight, but that is NOT what makes a person obese. Eating more calories than you expend, eating CRAP, and not being active over a long period of time is what makes a person obese. I am absolutely the architect of what I am, today...I take 100% responsibility for it and I know how I got here. I also suffered from depression in my mid twenties...and yes, as a coping mechanism I often ate. But that was because I had begun using food for purposes other than fuel - and that was, again, something I could have chosen NOT to do. But I didn't...I kept doing it, because it made me "feel" good, temporarily. Meanwhile, the pounds just kept piling up.
When you reach a certain level of obesity, I will agree that it becomes almost an impossibility to reverse it based on sheer willpower and self-discipline, alone. Very few people are able to stick it out for the duration of time it takes to lose 100 pounds...let alone 200 or more. But it was the choices they made throughout their lifetimes that got them to the point where they had that problem.
So no, @@Barepigies3, I can't agree with you. It isn't a mystery why we are all obese. We ate too much, and we ate the wrong things, repetitively, over a long period of years. I suggest you start taking ownership of your role in your weight and the behaviors that led to it, because you will find success in long-term weight loss very difficult if you don't.

Pure grit and determination, and focusing on the fact that it had a time limit. I kept reminding myself that I made this decision because I knew I needed to make some major changes, long-lasting changes, and so I started feeling like the pre-op diet was a test of my will and dedication to the process. I started taking pride in not cheating, after a while...no matter how much my stomach rumbled and ached. And sure enough, after surgery, it wasn't a concern anymore. I couldn't even imagine putting anything in there for several days!
One thing that I did do that helped mentally though was, the week prior to the pre-op diet, I went ahead and had whatever meals I would miss. I must have had buffalo wings 4-5 times. And after a while, I think it made something click in my mind and realize that I was being dominated by food. Why did I feel the need to do that week or splurging...wasn't it an acknowledgement that it was food that was at the wheel, and not me? So it ended up being a helpful part of my "letting go" process, which then had to continue for the first 10 days or so after surgery. But I'm in a much better place now, and am embracing change.

GAINS!
Muscle has memory. We have a lot of it as obese men, in our lower bodies...and so even though the extreme calorie restriction will cause us to catabolize a bunch of it and reduce our strength, we can get it back, and then some. NO LIMITS

It's going to be physically impossible for you to consume too many calories, unless you literally eat every time your stomach empties, and drink Coke between meals. I am eating four meals a day now, with two 30g Protein scoops in crystal light, and I don't break 500 calories. Then with my 30 minutes of elliptical, I'm burning about 200 calories. So when my TDEE is around 3,300 calories and my total input is 500 calories, I'm not too worried.
Trust me, get an app like MyFitnessPal and start programming in everything you consume, in the exact quantities. You will see that it would be phenomenally difficult for you to eat too many calories. You'd have to actually work at it. Just follow your surgeon and dietitian's recommendations and you're going to be fine. Just never touch any drinks with sugar in them, or carbonation!
I think Hormel chili is great, very easy to begin with (and also good to mix with a flavorless Protein powder like Genepro). I also liked Trader Joe's turkey meatballs, with a bit of mashed potato. Very easy starter foods. And scrambled eggs! Don't forget those. Just chew everything until you could suck it through a straw, before you swallow it. Let it sit for a while before you take another bite, because it'll feel funny at first. Get used to the feeling, and pay attention to how your stomach fills up. Eventually you'll know exactly how much food it takes to fill your stomach and you can pre-package it, which is what I do. Works perfectly.

Yup, every day...a little bit better! I'm six weeks post-op now and it's remarkable how fast the time has passed, and how good I'm generally feeling. It does get better, you won't always feel miserable, people!

Pure grit and determination, and focusing on the fact that it had a time limit. I kept reminding myself that I made this decision because I knew I needed to make some major changes, long-lasting changes, and so I started feeling like the pre-op diet was a test of my will and dedication to the process. I started taking pride in not cheating, after a while...no matter how much my stomach rumbled and ached. And sure enough, after surgery, it wasn't a concern anymore. I couldn't even imagine putting anything in there for several days!
One thing that I did do that helped mentally though was, the week prior to the pre-op diet, I went ahead and had whatever meals I would miss. I must have had buffalo wings 4-5 times. And after a while, I think it made something click in my mind and realize that I was being dominated by food. Why did I feel the need to do that week or splurging...wasn't it an acknowledgement that it was food that was at the wheel, and not me? So it ended up being a helpful part of my "letting go" process, which then had to continue for the first 10 days or so after surgery. But I'm in a much better place now, and am embracing change.

Pure grit and determination, and focusing on the fact that it had a time limit. I kept reminding myself that I made this decision because I knew I needed to make some major changes, long-lasting changes, and so I started feeling like the pre-op diet was a test of my will and dedication to the process. I started taking pride in not cheating, after a while...no matter how much my stomach rumbled and ached. And sure enough, after surgery, it wasn't a concern anymore. I couldn't even imagine putting anything in there for several days!
One thing that I did do that helped mentally though was, the week prior to the pre-op diet, I went ahead and had whatever meals I would miss. I must have had buffalo wings 4-5 times. And after a while, I think it made something click in my mind and realize that I was being dominated by food. Why did I feel the need to do that week or splurging...wasn't it an acknowledgement that it was food that was at the wheel, and not me? So it ended up being a helpful part of my "letting go" process, which then had to continue for the first 10 days or so after surgery. But I'm in a much better place now, and am embracing change.