Danny Paul

That's very important. Realizing that you're having a weight gain problem and working on it as soon as you can. You seem to have it under control. Keep us posted. Good Luck.

A friend of mine had WLS last month. He said the same thing, no weight loss and was disappointed. Well, fast forward one month later and he is down 30 plus pounds. As I told him, patience it will come and it did.

I didn't realize how many pants (40 plus) , shirts(60 plus) , jackets(12 plus), t shirts(close to 100) or clothes in general that I accumulated. All donated to my church and all are being put to good use. Today I have four pairs of jeans , six dockers, four dress pants a dozen t shirts and I don't buy clothes anymore. I guess being morbidly obese I bought clothes to make me feel better. Being healthy I don't feel the need to buy clothes to make me feel better. The upside, many people are wearing close to brand new clothing and getting good use out of them due to my overindulgence.

It can drastically change your life by making you more healthier. Being healthy tends to make one happier. My wife and I love each other just as much as we did pre surgery. We've been in love with each other since we met. Are there others who have drifted apart not because of the surgery but because of jealousy or insecurities? Yes, but it doesn't have to be that way. Be caring and have open communication. I didn't tell my "colleagues" about my surgery and only a handful of close relatives. It's none of anyones business and too bad what they think as long as Im good with it. When asked by the psychologist why I wanted WLS I replied "I'm not doing it for beauty. I'm doing it for my health" and that's the truth. Committing to the new lifestyle is not easy. I'm surmising that for you it was 45 years of living a totally different food lifestyle. It is going to take a lot of effort to maintain your weight loss. The short honeymoon period of less than a year goes by fast. After that it's totally on us if we maintain the weigh loss and change to a healthier food life style. You are not afraid of being thin. You like me are afraid of the unknown. I believe that this is my last chance to be successful in losing and most important maintaining my weight loss. I only know that in the past I have been 100 percent successful in failing to keep the weight off. Why would it be different now? I didn't have the answer but I knew that I needed to get healthier. I was taking 11 pills a day for diabetes, heart problems, high BP, gout and Gerd. In a few years my liver and kidneys would have needed to be replaced due to all that medication. Today Im down to two pills. After surgery, I realized through therapy that I am a Compulsive Over eater and without help I would only revert back to my old ways. The old ways that in the past had me regain a 50 lb weight loss and then some. The old ways that gave me all of those co moralities. The old ways that stopped me from having a healthy life. I've seeked help and I'm grateful that I've found it. Will I be a weight loss success? I don't know but I take it one day at a time and I pray that I am. Unlike the past I know that I have been given a golden ticket and I won't get another. Im trying my best not to squander the chance Ive been given. What I'm trying to tell you is this, have faith in yourself. Get help if you think you need it and most of all take it one day at a time. If you can maintain your weight loss success for one day then the next becomes easier. If you should falter like I have done at times, then the next day helps you get back on track and allows you to build more successes . Being healthy is a great life and I'm grateful to have it and most importantly wanting to maintain it. Good luck.

My doctor told me that when we eat we take in air. Since our stomaches are smaller the amount of air fills our stomachs faster. Hence, the burping.

The dreaded stalls. I went through a few of them myself. A family member who had surgery three weeks ago had one last week. It seems to be a universal thing with WLS patients.

I got that "stuck" feeling when I ate too fast. I walked it off and promised myself that I would eat slower. Easier said than done. I've been a fast eater all of my life so it took over six months to slow my eating down. Also, if the food is too dense for me then I get that stuck feeling as well.

Also buy a food scale.

Welcome to the club and congratulations.

I wish I had known this before my surgery. I'm working on this post surgery. It's a one day at a time thing for me but I'm making headway. Thank you for the sound advice.

Autumn the wings and salmon came out very good. The wings were better in the air fryer than when I bake them. The salmon was a little better when I broiled it in the oven but, both were good in the air fryer. Just put a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the fryer for easy cleanup.

That is a great find. Too bad I can't find something like that here in NY.

I made chicken wings and salmon

I eat a 1/4 cup of mixed nuts daily as part of my mid day snack. I started after six months post surgery. No problems so far.

After any operation one will get emotional so this is quite normal. As for being constipated. That unfortunately is one side effect of the journey. I did read few threads on here that confirmed to me that I was normal because it is something a lot of people experience. How I combated it, I ate preserved plums that you can buy at the supermarket or at Costco, Sams or BJ's. I also put fiber powder in my water. These two things helped me tremendously. Good luck and remember, this too shall pass.

Kay I go to a few support groups. My surgeon has a twice monthly group meeting of pre and post op patients. The benefit of these meetings are the chance to talk to pre op patients about what they will experience. The meetings did help me pre op. As for post op, we compare notes and root for each other and give support. I also go to a group meeting that my therapist has. The meeting isn't productive. Everyone talks over each other and there is no structure for people to participate. It's the loudest and pushiest that get to speak. I actually go to these meetings for the entertainment value as I don't get much therapeutic value out of them. My last support group is Overeaters Anonymous (OA). My therapist was able to show me that I was a Compulsive Overeater. No matter how much weight I could lose it would only come back due to my compulsion to over eat. OA is based on the same 12 step program as Alcoholics Anonymous. It is a very good fellowship that helps to get one spiritually grounded and to help with the compulsion of overeating. I attend a few meetings a week and I also have a sponsor who I call every day for guidance and support and to help me be mindful of my eating habits.. Any support group that you feel comfortable with and that will help you succeed is worth joining. I know that I cannot be successful on my own. I am 100% successful in failing at all of my previous attempts to keep my weight loss off. I take it one day at a time. If I can be successful today then I try my best to carry that success over to the next day. So far, I'm doing better than I thought I would. I'll be 18 months post op at the end of this month and I've been able to achieve my goal weight and maintain it. How long can I do it for? I don't know. I do know that I will never again get the advantage that I now have from the WLS. I don't want to squander this "Golden Ticket" that I've been given. Good luck in your weight loss journey and I wish you much success.

Good for you. You're looking at the long range benefits of sticking with the program as opposed to rationalizing how to go around it. That strawberry will taste much better next year.

My cousin is in the process of getting WLS a sleeve. He was supposed to stop all alcohol but he keeps on drinking 2 glasses a night. I told him that he wouldn't succeed if he continued to drink and if he did he would be drinking his calories. I commend you for realizing that the wine was holding you back from greater success and putting in a plan to stop it. My question, how much were you drinking on a daily basis and how much do you think it affected you getting to your weight loss goal? Thanks again for your journal and I wish you continued success.

Right after surgery you'll find it difficult to get 64 ounces of water. Drinking water will become a full time job. You will get back to drinking a gallon but it will take time.

My friend had her surgery cancelled due to high glucose readings (200 plus) Endocrinologist prescribed another med and she is clear to go next week. In all, she had to wait another month. As for getting the A1c down, take your meds, get exercise and stay away from sugars and carbs. Good luck.

I use Baritastic.

Congratulations, your WLS is working. Once again, Congratulations your WLS is working. Sometimes it takes awhile for us to get used to the new way we react to food. Sometimes we want to be able to eat as we once did. Try not to think that way. Try thinking on how your total way of eating has been reset and that you now have control over what you eat. I know it's so different from what you're used to but believe me, it's so worth it to be healthy.

I was on a liquid diet for two weeks post op. I got by with herbal teas, sugar free pops, sugar free jello, broth (chicken or Vegetable) Crystal light and plenty of good ole ice water. That was my diet for the two weeks. Just remember, drinking liquids right after surgery is really a chore. It will take a lot of effort to get in your daily allotment. Also, walk a lot it will help you . My surgeon did not require vitamins until I was one month post op.

When you have an operation emotions seem to be released. It's probably more common than most people realize. You're at the beginning of a wonderful journey which will lead you to better health. As with some journeys there will be bumps in the road. Once past the bumps, the road gets much smoother.

We sure could use a lot more positive thinking. Thank you