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I had my surgery about five years ago and maintained a loss of about 50 pounds after that, far short of my goal. I'm also diabetic, so was put on Ozempic for that about six or seven months ago and have experienced the appetite suppressant effects of that, very useful. So I started losing quite slowly with that, and then, on the advice of the psychologist my diabetes doctor recommended, I signed up for Noom about a month ago. I was very skeptical but I am kind of a convert now, as I've lost another ten pounds or so with it. It's on my phone and while there are psychologically-based lessons and support groups to post to, what I find most useful are the daily weigh-ins and food tracking (on some phones it will also track your steps, but my knees are shot and walking is not my thing--I swim for exercise, just not enough). You enter what you eat and the program keeps track of the (estimated) calories; I have a 1200-calorie daily limit. The program is very supportive and recognizes that this isn't a straight-line process. We do better some days than others. But I'll admit that I think twice about eating something caloric when I'm at or near (or over!) my daily limit. I'll add that a side effect of the Ozempic I'm on is that on the day I take it and the day after (it's a once-a-week shot), I've learned to be very, very careful about what I eat. The side effects if I have something carby are not pleasant, let me just say without further details!

No regrets. I haven't lost nearly as much as I'd like and I'm still not off most of medications. I haven't had a big burst of energy and I still have issues with my knees. But I am on less medication for my diabetes and I would never, never, never have lost 78 pounds any other way. One thing that many doctors/nutritionists don't tell you is that you may well feel hungry the first month, as everything you're consuming will go through you. You are not going to feel full on very little until you are eating solid food, especially protein, protein, protein. Another thing they may not mention is the stalls you will inevitably hit. Very often this happens at three weeks post-surgery, which makes very little sense from the point of how few calories you are consuming. But the basic explanation I've read is that your body needs to "catch up" with the weight loss; hang in there through the stall and eventually it will break and you'll start losing again. Each person has to make his or her own decision on this. In the long term, it may be much less of a change than you think--the amount you can eat will grow significantly over time. Whether this works long-term depends a lot more on the habits you develop and maintain--or not. Best of luck.

Exactly this. It drives me crazy that so many men act like cooking is something they can't or won't do. They eat. They should cook or go out and pay for their meals. NOT expect a woman to provide meals for them on demand. In any event, I hope things improve for you in the future, and I'm sure they will. Stay strong.

Finding a great guy anywhere is tough, but stick to it if you really want one. I do and I will (though not in Columbus, Ohio--I'm in a small town in upstate NY, so maybe it's even harder?). Good luck to both of us!!

Frustr8, I hear you loud and clear. I've recently been "chatting" with quite a few guys on a dating website. It has taken me a long, long time to get to the point where I can just say what I want and wait for someone who is worthy of me (!!) to answer or to step up to the plate. A guy I had a lunch date with today emailed me this morning that he couldn't make it, "too much going on." Really? He's the one who picked the time. Next!! Another guy wanted to come to my motel room (where I'm currently living, waiting for an apartment to become available) with some wine or beer, even after I told him I don't drink. I've made it clear that I'll meet someone for lunch, but I'm not inviting someone I've never met into my room! And so it goes--I won't give out my phone number (too many scammers out there) and I won't join Hangouts or whatever the latest online chat thing is. I'll protect myself as much as necessary, and the right guy will understand that. This isn't rocket science: say you want to meet and show up. We can go from there . . . if you seem compatible. Good luck to all on this journey. I bought new clothes for the first time since my surgery and I think I could have bought a size smaller. Woo hoo!

Are you still pre-op? If so, a glass of wine probably won't hurt. If you are actually post-op, I'm not sure how long you should wait--your information from the bariatric practice may say, but you are no doubt aware that it may affect you more than before, right? Besides being empty calories . . .

It's too soon to worry much about this now. Probably more important to concentrate on your water to make sure you don't get dehydrated. I didn't hit my water goals at all early on, but didn't get dehydrated--and I'll admit that my energy just sucked the first month. Had none. It picked up after I moved to real foods, although I still haven't had the burst of energy a lot of people describe having. Although, as one doctor pointed out to me today, think about the energy it takes for you to carry around 75 or 100 pounds all the time! I still have a lot of excess weight I'm lugging around . . . Protein will be easier when you have more choices--I still rely on cottage cheese, for example, almost every day. Yogurt is a good choice early on, though I couldn't eat more than half a container for a long time. Cheese (including cheese sticks as a snack) is helpful. Eventually, a handful of nuts. You'll get the protein and you'll always have those tasty, tasty shakes (she said sarcastically) to fall back on. As far as the protein water goes, I personally like it, but if you don't like one brand, try another before giving up on it. Sweetness levels and so forth vary. Hang in there, it will get easier.

As long as the fun there doesn't center around buffets, you'll probably be fine! Sitting at a slot machine, for example, isn't terribly physically strenuous . . . just don't jump up and down too much if you hit a jackpot!

It's probably only going to be one night and you aren't going to get a good night's sleep--they wake you up (if you are sleeping) every hour or two to do something like take blood or check your vitals. Just plan on resting when you get home!

One thing to keep in mind is that how much you can eat will change over time--after a few months, you'll be able to eat maybe a third or half of a meal you'd order at a restaurant, which will be enough so most people won't question it. Of course, I'm on the other side of the "telling people" approach--I tell anybody and everybody I had the surgery. Mostly because I don't give a crap what they have to say about it, so they can be negative if it suits them. Mostly people haven't been, though.

I don't remember being restricted but I know I didn't meet my water goals for a long time. Don't worry about not feeling full for the first few weeks--you won't with liquid as your diet. It will change quite a bit when you get back to eating solid food--I'm still kind of surprised how full I feel on a small meal. But glad!

Keep reading around the site and one thing you will see over and over is that people are glad they had the surgery, it's the best thing they've ever done for themselves, and they wish they'd done it sooner. Search for and look at the before/after pictures for some real inspiration. Also keep in mind that it's a very safe surgery, very low complication rates, and very effective in terms of the weight loss goal. Whether you maintain that long-term is up to you--this isn't magic, but it's a wonderful tool to help along the way. Best of luck!

You probably have something in the materials given to you about this, but be aware that we're supposedly a lot more sensitive to alcohol--and for me, I was pretty sensitive to it before! And, of course, it's just empty calories than can blow your eating plan out of the water, so you don't want to drink much or often. All other considerations aside, pot is probably going to be easier on your system than alcohol.

It's unfortunate, but we can't control how other people react--only what decisions we make for ourselves. I don't know what my mother's reaction would have been; she was iron-willed and cut down on her food if she noticed she was up a pound in weight. I'm obviously not like that! But I know this was a good--and necessary--decision for me. You are making the same good decision, I think, but everyone in your life might not agree. You never know who will be supportive until you tell them, though. You might find support in surprising places.

I've had some stalls, and, at least in part, some of that was attributable to my own divergence from the plan, but I think, given the amount of time that's gone by, I'd check with the doctor and nutritionist if I were you. Good luck.