BigUtahMan

Focus on the plan and it all comes off in time. Congrats

You aren't doing anything wrong, but that doesn't mean your body knows what the hell is going on. Consider the fact you went for years with excess caloric intake and minimal activity, then in a blink of an eye... going to extreme caloric deficit and high energy activity. Your body likely needs more time than your spirit is make that transition, but it has no choice if you are stable and continue to be committed to your plan. Also, you are [emoji963] working out now, forcing your body to build muscle!!! Muscle 1) weighs more than fat. 2) retains more water as it builds. 3) boosts metobolic rate when you aren't working out. 4) improves body shape and skin tone. All are great reasons to continue, unless you use the scale as your measuring tool for success. The scale cannot communicate the changes and progress you are actually doing. We all are guilty of irrational thoughts to assume whatever change we force our body thru, it needs to happen without any natural fluctuations in total weight even when it is good. In fact I too was in the same boat, I was losing weight at the normal amount, got inspired to work out. Which introduced a stall - 6 week stall! I too went from 281 to 288. But knowing I was on plan, I stuck to it. I could feel and see myself getting stronger and my cardio improve. I wear a heart monitor when I work out and I track 700-1000 calorie workouts. So in theory I was burning everything I was eating, but not losing. Yesterday I dropped 3 lbs! The scale has hardly changed, but my body is changing a lot. I am seeing a NUT later this week to make sure my macros are ideal for my workouts etc.. but I try and eat everytime I feel hungry, and try not to eat anytime I "think" hungry. My body will usually crave proteins or salads when it is real hunger. My brain will crave "the munchies". The answer absolutely is stay in plan, keep exercising, fine tune with professionals. Be patient with your visual progress, and cement your mental progress in the process. So excited and inspired you are doing everything right! It makes it easier for me to know, "all my sleeved friends are making good choices today, so can I."

I use the "body for life" program- google it, it's easy and it works. Just pick one exercise per muscle group that day. You might grow out of it after a few months, but you don't spend 2 hours lifting everyday either. I was getting a body shape I didn't like after about 50 lbs, so I started working out and have been very pleased with results.

I find keto is a great way to remove cravings, but I usually only do it for about 3-4 weeks as needed. I would buy the book "intuitive eating" and begin that journey to go beyond diet plans and calorie counting. Best of luck-

If you are following the program, then you are doing everything right and the weight will come off. Relax, and enjoy! Take the pressure off yourself and just keep making good decisions. As you may know, your body will rarely just lose weight and keep losing without stopping and adjusting appropriately. You have lost 17lbs! Who cares when now your body is adjusting for more! You are doing awesome, keep walking and drinking. I believe those who lose less in the short term will often have more success in the long term because the are more diligent in following the program. When the weight falls off, you can cheat and still lose weight which means many people do just that until they do not follow the program at all and have no momentum to start again. There are 1000s of things that regulate your weight and fat loss, don't assume it is only calorie restriction. But in time, it all comes off as your body adjusts to the MASSIVE changes you just gave it. I would try your hardest to remove the torture aspects of your progress and program or you risk everything. No one can be tortured and their program and voluntarily keep it. You are doing awesome, stay motivated and be happy. (Scientifically proven, happy people lose weight faster)

Welcome to the club! Walk and drink, walk and drink, walk and drink, walk, walk, walk and drink more! Best of luck!

First off, hang in there and don't beat yourself up. I would advise you to relax and focus on the great time you just spent with family. This is a big change we are doing, and expectations of perfection and complete denial of our issues aren't lasting strategies, nor wise. We all feel what you experienced after surgery maybe not in the same setting, but we all have our days where we pushed the boundaries. But take comfort in knowing, you are still on the path to recovery from your eating addiction. Of course, we all want to do everything right and stick to the plan, but failing from time to time is part of the path to success. I admire your willingness to live and then correct your actions. I do not want to be on the eternal diet my whole life, but I do want to improve and change my relationship with food. That by itself is going to be a process of failing and succeeding thousands of times for me. Every visit to California my food issue are constantly out of control. With a mother who cooks to show her love for me I am not merely battling cravings, but a life of control issues intertwined with food. (And food that I like to eat.) So to imply the answer is as easy as, "just stick to the plan" doesn't seem to fit the magnitude of issues I face there. Maybe someday I will navigate perfectly, but thus far I have yet to measure up. My last trip I was did ok, had fruit, cookies, cakes, ice cream, but never over ate like I did before surgery and lost two pounds over a week! (Go figure- I did walk a lot.) I am not bragging, but merely pointing out, I have no idea why I lost. But I know throughout the week, I was not binging and that felt good. And it was a major victory. Two days and two pounds could be 1000 things, who cares. Just remember, you are still on track to reach your goal weight. Nothing has changed other than the reality of knowing, our issues are still alive and well until we discover how to really deal with them. (As you now know, surgery doesn't do anything to solve our issues, it just gives us a speed bump from over eating, which usually is enough on most days.) Don't ruin the moment and memories because you love eating great food with family. Enjoy it and you might find it easier to keep in check next time knowing that you aren't cheating, you're simply living. I bet you have more victories over the weekend that we erased by the scale upon your return, don't cheat yourself.

I think she is totally off base. I would simply tell her what she wants to hear, as you are not going to win trying to correct her her poor counsel.

I have stayed the same weight for about a month now, but I not worried as I have started working out quite a bit lately and I am gaining muscle. (I actually gained about 7 lbs, but have since lost it again.) I feel really good emotionally and physically fit right now, which is just wonderful. I never felt fit over 300lbs, so I enjoy being able to sweat and not have my heart race so high I have to stop exercising. My body is changing, and I am trying to change my head to make it last... just like everyone else on this site. But I am in a good space right now, not feeling too much pressure to lose faster, or panicked if I don't have immediate results. As I know, if I stay true to the plan it will eventually all come off. And if I don't, what does it matter anyway?

This forum is a wonderful resource to see and experience the progress and journey of everyone on a similar journey as myself. Some stories show me all the things I could be doing better. Other stories, make me feel lucky my procedure went well and I am experiencing strong weight loss. The past few weeks I joined a love yourself valentines challenge which requires weekly weigh ins. I decided to participate to increase my commitment to myself and program. With the increased commitment, came an increase in weight loss expectations. While I enjoyed a quick drop in weight loss the first couple weeks, it was followed by a two week stall. Even though I know the right answer, stalls are always a mental challenge when you want your efforts to be rewarded. So today while getting ready for church I put in size 42 pants. It was at that moment I realized how lost in the stall my mental perspective had become. A year ago I was wearing size 54 inch pants. I have lost 10-12 inches around my waste, but yet allowed myself to have to much tunnel vision on my results of the moment. It was a great lesson for me to learn, so I feel compelled to share it to everyone else who would benefit from the same l insight as well. Thank you everyone for participating and sharing, you make my journey easier and more enjoyable. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Enjoy it, as that never gets old. But also look for what changes need to be made for it to last. Congrats!

I agree you are strong, and I believe you are a becoming stronger as well. (I like your quote and I like to believe it describes me as well, "I am broken but strong".) I probably didn't take the time to write all my thoughts, so forgive me for not communicating more admiration for you than I did, that was my mistake. I admire your courage to face your issues and make changes. It is unfortunate when the people closest to us become obstacles to our success instead of resources.

I have now done surgery twice. First was successful, but I had the band removed and I lived my ultimate fear too and gained all my weight back. Had you asked me after I lost my weight and kept it off with the band, my comments would mirror your, no real emotional damage, I just like to eat. But after gaining the weight back, it changed my perspective and mind. I got issues, and unless I discover them I am screwed. My second surgery was this past November and it too has been successful. But I am much more focused on my relationship with food rather than just the weight loss like I did the first go around. I don't think you can get to our big sizes and still be able to claim, I don't have issues. While I believe you that you have not yet identified any issue, I think that is your challenge to discover in this process or you are in danger of 1- not losing 2- not keeping it off 3- being miserable because you can't have what you have given yourself in abundance- Food. My advise is continue down the path and keep your mind as open as possible so you can identify your issues.

My 2 cents... in my life experience being married for 20+ years, having gone through counseling and observed many relationship dynamics as I help people with addictions with recovery. Your situation in many respects I think is a natural consequence when one person changes without the other person immediately changing with them. I believe "birds of a feather flock together ". Which has good and bad implications, when we are married to people who suddenly don't seem to fit us anymore . First, if he is "broken" today, I will assume he was broken the day you first met. So consciously or subconsciously you were attracted and or accepted his brokenness then until now. He also was attracted and accepted your brokenness as well which has worked at some level as you are still together. (Probably nothing to do with your physical appearance.) I have no idea if there is co- dependency inside your relationship like mine had or not, but it wouldn't surprise me. But co-dependency is a two way street as I have learned first hand. So that space between liking our partners issues, and them liking ours is likely the issue. While I celebrate your life changing decisions to improve yourself, clearly your husband's issues are being rocked. It doesn't make logical sense for any loving spouse to want their partner to be less than ideal or healthy. But I also see it as a red flag in the bigger context of your relationship, and at some level you play a part in that issue. (Counselor can help you discover that.) The immediate danger and temptation is if you perceive this only to be a broken husband issue, then you are likely not going to identify your own potential "brokenness" that has nothing to do with your weight, or even him. Than if unaddressed, even if you leave your husband, that unresolved issue will likely attract the same type of person in your next relationship. I am not saying you should stay or leave, I am merely saying, there are many issues here and your weight and appearance is likely the smallest of them but making the most noise. I hope you both find peace, and are able to use this difficult circumstance for your collective good and grow closer together. I admire your strength for making change even though your path is different than what you originally expected. The old saying, proves it truth again... "the issues come out, as the weight comes off" even and especially with our relationships. I still have many issues myself I am battling with my weight and life in general. So I don't mean to come off better than anyone else, or pretend I am fixed. I am not. I don't know you, I am making a lot of assumptions with my comments, if they are off base, I am sorry and please disregard. I am just trying to share the wisdom I paid a high price to learn, so others can benefit.

I read on another post the magic of pickles. So I have stopped with nuts and cheese, and now I eat a picked which satisfies with crunch, flavor and volume with minimal calories. If water and pickle doesn't do it, I know I need more and then I will have a protein bar or drink.

I chose to make it a bigger deal and to take a lot of supplements because my diet is not always well rounded with fruits and vegetables. Also with the stress and byproducts of weight loss I want to facilitate flushing all the crap out of my body and support the organs working overtime. In the AM I take the following: Spirulina (superfood) Turmeric (inflammation/ antioxidant) Collagen (skin/hair/nails, improves protein absorption) Multi-vitamin (with all the minerals) Glucosamine (amino acids to support muscle growth and keep lean body mass) Vitamin D & E Chlorophyll (antioxidant that binds to heavy metals when fat cells break down) Magnesium At night I take: Collagen Multi-vitamin Clorella (superfood- algae) & All my daily meds (My multi-vitamin is a ½ dose each time to optimize absorption) Sure I forget my meds once In a while based on life's curve balls, but it is rare. If I was only taking a multivitamin, I am sure I would forget all the time.

I ate a couple slices after 6 or 8 weeks, didn't like how I felt physically or mentally. I no longer crave it sense doing keto for a month, but my family had it thall s past week and I had a small thin crust piece. Wasn't a big deal either way. If you have strong cravings for foods, your body is likely going through withdrawals for carbs and salt. Keto saved me from those and made following the plan easy, as I don't have the mental battles that I did during pre and post opp

A lot of my eating was influenced by my cravings and addiction s. When I went completely off carbs for a month those disappeared. Much easier to manage the food you eat, when cravings aren't dictating every thought. Food is losing its importance in my life, which I absolutely love. I am free from it not being a constant focus whether I eat or not.

As I lose the weight, now down 70lbs, I expect more and more people to notice and make a positive comment about it. (The exact opposite thought when I was gaining my weight.) I was with family and friends last week and their reaction was minimal. I was a little bothered by the lack of reaction, and then realized how hypocritical it is of me to want reactions now, but a few short months ago I did not want any attention given to my physical condition. A- I am still 280, so it's not like I am skinny. B- I am wearing smaller size clothes, so my stomach (flat tire) is still visible. C- it's ok for now as I am only ½ way, and even if no one notices, I do and that is enough. During that same week we went as a family to Knotts berry farm, I was able to fit on all the rides and roller coasters with my daughters which was a big deal to me personally. I am currently not a slave to my cravings and feel a since of freedom I haven't felt for a very long time. Do I want people to still notice, yes. But it was a good lesson to learn, I don't need it. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have found forgiveness is a skill that must be practiced, and often. Forgiveness is more of a decision of you not trying to carry the weight of being wronged, than relieving the offender of anything we otherwise want them to feel. Also my faith also teaches me, Christ paid for their sin, and suffered for my emotions. So ignoring those facts is insulting my God and my faith which is now a me issue regardless of the offense I suffered through. My resolution needs to be found through my faith in God, not in the actions of others.

I love my cpap- as it lets me breathe and sleep. Embrace it and enjoy the benefits of great sleep!

I would not boil the ocean and try and solve all issues at once. Celebrate your good decisions, and have faith each good decision will lead to another. 2 month stalls happen, stay the course and continue to take care of yourself.

Replacing a food addiction with a sex addiction... what am I missing?

Sure

You are my new favorite person