Creekimp13

5 years out. My guts STILL sound like an octopus orgy in a washing machine under a waterfall during a taping of the farting preacher.
It's not painful. I do NOT have excessive or nasty gas or belching issues...(thank Christ) But my guts are still incredibly loud.
Every so often some stranger sitting next to me gives me this alarmed look like they're expecting an alien to burst from my body.

5 years out from sleeve. Breakfast:) Avocado toast on focaccia with pickled onions, feta and red pepper flakes. Some salad topper pecans, pepitos and cranberries, tomatoes and cukes...and a mini glass of powerhouse super juice. Yum!

It was shopping for me. For a good 6 months I spent way too much on clothes. I really did need to replenish my wardrobe after losing 130 pounds, but I was buying more than I needed. It took me a while to recognize what was going on and stop doing that. I have a couple of friends for whom the weight loss itself became their transfer addiction. Instead of stabilizing once they reached their goal, they kept dieting and losing. Eventually they were both emaciated and skeletal. In their 50s, both of these ladies developed full-blown anorexia. Fortunately, with treatment, they both recovered and they are at healthy weights now. But it just shows that literally ANYTHING can become problematic if you use it to self-medicate. It's like whack-a-mole.

UCLA is excellent.
Having surgery will not solve a lifelong issue with obesity. It won't fix your relationship with food, and every single surgery can fail and you can eat yourself fat again if you don't address your past relationship with food and make the needed changes.
Cutting out your stomach doesn't fix your brain. But it really can help you to work on your behavior, your choices and your future eating habits.
Expect to work harder than you ever have, and use a clinic that works closely with therapists who can help you along in the process.
Beware clinics that make it sound like a quick fix. It isn't.

What you are describing...(in my opinion) is a bariatric surgeon who uses his patients as advertisements to get business. People saw you shrink overnight and it made them believers...so now he's got more business.
Here's the problem... No one should ever be on a 600 calorie diet for any long period of time. It's unsustainable, unhealthy, and screws your metabolism to high heaven. It also exacerbates eating disorders and disordered thinking about food...which most of us have. (so says my bariatric therapist, dietician and surgeon)
My surgeon was part of a research project that examined post operative metabolic changes and diet long term. I'm still part of his study and will be ten years out.
We were encouraged to eat 1200 calories a day as soon as possible after surgery. I did this at three weeks post op. We were encouraged to eat lots of protien and few refined carbs. However...unrefined carbs with lots of Fiber were encouraged. I ate oatmeal, potatoes, whole grain toast, nuts, brown rice, etc. The only carbs we actively avoided were sugar, white flour refined stuff, and fruit juice (much better to get it in whole fruit which we were encouraged to eat).
I lost slowly, but I lost to goal. Have been at goal 3 years with the occasional 5 pound backslide...that I promptly address with the bariatric therapist, and lose back to goal. Never takes long...and a little gain is usually a cue that something is stressing me out and I'm regressing to old habits. My program emphasised addressing disordered eating and working on food addiction behavior with new coping behaviors. A bariatric therapist is integral. Don't be without one. Fixing your stomach doesn't fix your head.
I eat 1400-1600 calories a day and maintain well. I walk 10,000+ steps each day and try to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day.
I can eat absolutely anything I want now. I do have to plan for indulgent foods and make sure to balance the calories in my day...but after a while, it's getting to be second nature. I eat at events and special occasions and cut back a little for a couple days before or after. It works.
I think my gut bugs have changed (another goal of my program....to change the gut microbiota to resemble the diversity of a healthy weight person). I prefer whole grains, lean protien (lots coming from plant sources), love Beans, mushrooms and potatoes, I shop the produce section more than any other section of the store...love my fruits and veggies. One HUGE change....I pay attention to dietary fiber. I eat at least 25g of Dietary Fiber every day. Most of my fats are plant fats. I do eat meat, but not like most people on here. Meat for me is a special occasion thing, not a staple in my diet. Junk food doesn't taste like it used to. Very honestly. I don't like the taste as much as I used to. If anyone had told me that I would find french fries a turn-off...EVER...I'd have said they were a liar. Loved them. Have no interest in them now....go figure!
Everyone will have a hugely different experience and opinion....and that's ok. People should do what works for them. But my feeling is that my success is down to three things... Learning to balance and be aware of every damned calorie I eat. Eating a high fiber diet with tons of plant protien. Seeing my bariatric therapist PROMPTLY when I know I'm regressing to food addict behavior.
Wishing you the very best. I hope you find a sustainable diet you can tolerate and feel your best eating. Good Luck.

Have you tried a bariatric therapist? Getting to the root of my disordered eating habits was critical for me to reach goal and maintain. Are you tracking every crumb you eat? I know that sounds critical, but it isn't meant to be....I genuinely thought I was eating a LOT less than I was until I started measuring and tracking absolutely every calorie that went into my body. Yes, it's a hellish pain in the ass. And sadly, it's necessary.
You have lost 215 pounds. That is a HUGE accomplishment! I'm crazy proud of you and you should be, too. Sometimes when your body loses a metric feck ton of weight in a short period of time....a starvation defense mechanism kicks in and it plateaus for a while. Be patient and stick to good lifelong habits, a good balanced diet. If you're tracking, measuring and mindfully watching what and why you eat....you'll get there. Hang in there!

Drives me crazy when people call every kind of hunger "head hunger." Head hunger is when you've just eaten a balanced full calorie meal and you see a donut and think you want it. THAT is head hunger. Or you've just eaten the last of your maintenance calories for the day....and your husband is eating ice cream in bed and you think...damn some ice cream would be good! That's Head Hunger. Or you have a carefully balanced small piece of pizza and a salad, and you think...damn, another piece of pizza would be better than this salad....that's head hunger again. Your nutitional needs have been met, but you are craving something that you don't really need.
When you've just had surgery and you are subsisting on less than 1000 calories a day....you are HUNGRY. Like, really genuinely hungry. So hungry, in fact, that your body's needs are NOT being met by nutritional intake, so it is consuming itself.
Anytime you are losing weight, by definition....your body is genuinely hungry. Your body is so desperately hungry, in fact.....that it is eating human fat (and hopefully not muscle) to meet its fuel needs.
Lack of food and consuming body=HUNGER.
Most of us are hungry. A lot. Being in denial about it and telling people they're lying to themselves about being hungry isn't helpful.
Hunger isn't a dirty word. It's ok if we're hungry. We've got a lot of stored calories and excess flesh to consume.
But YES, I am HUNGRY when i'm losing weight. And yes, hunger sucks.
Sometimes, I think this lie worsens the pathology of food addiction. We already have enough issues with a history of lying to ourselves about food. Sometimes honesty is healthier and better.
When I lose weight...I'm freaking hungry. It sucks to feel hungry, but it's necessary. It feels good to be thinner, it feels good to be healthier, and good health is worth it. I can handle feeling hungry. Enduring hunger is part of the work. Resisting cravings is another part of the work. Two different things. Both are tough.
Describing this honestly...is a hell of a lot easier to swallow, in my opinion, than "No, you're not hungry, your head is playing tricks on you."
We know better. Lies don't help.

ANY addiction can be a transfer addiction after a bariatric surgery messes with your food addiction. About a year after surgery, I noticed I liked to go gambling more. (not an insane amount, but instead of going maybe once every three months or so and taking $50, I was going maybe twice a month and taking $100. One month, I went once a week) I'm thrifty, so I noticed the casino losses in my budget right away and said....oh, hells no, this has to stop. So, I quit gambling entirely. Dodged the bullet on that one, thank goodness.
But....of course.... that void looked for another way to rear its head.
I started buying way too much **** on Ebay and Amazon. Late night purchases. Ugh. When I identified that issue....I quit, and promptly started hitting thrift stores and buying too much crap. Just kept swapping out one source of instant gratification for another....kinda like food.
Addiction is a real thing. And finding healthy ways to deal with that need for instant gratification (and the hidden **** that drives it) will always be something I deal with.
Very often when I hear people talk about regain... they will beligerantly insist that they don't have problems with food addiction or disordered eating. And I always think....oye. This ain't gonna end well for you.
Admitting you have a problem is the first step, imo. And I know that sounds cheesy...but it's true. You need to get your head around your blind spots and confront them. Understand the behavior so you can change the behavior.
I'm 4.5 years out, maintaining my weight loss (very proud of this)....but more aware than ever before how food addiction has impacted my life and my habits. Also, more aware of what drives my addictive behaviors.
Still workin on it, man it's hard! Parts get easier, parts get harder. Just gotta keep fighting the good fight:)

ANY addiction can be a transfer addiction after a bariatric surgery messes with your food addiction. About a year after surgery, I noticed I liked to go gambling more. (not an insane amount, but instead of going maybe once every three months or so and taking $50, I was going maybe twice a month and taking $100. One month, I went once a week) I'm thrifty, so I noticed the casino losses in my budget right away and said....oh, hells no, this has to stop. So, I quit gambling entirely. Dodged the bullet on that one, thank goodness.
But....of course.... that void looked for another way to rear its head.
I started buying way too much **** on Ebay and Amazon. Late night purchases. Ugh. When I identified that issue....I quit, and promptly started hitting thrift stores and buying too much crap. Just kept swapping out one source of instant gratification for another....kinda like food.
Addiction is a real thing. And finding healthy ways to deal with that need for instant gratification (and the hidden **** that drives it) will always be something I deal with.
Very often when I hear people talk about regain... they will beligerantly insist that they don't have problems with food addiction or disordered eating. And I always think....oye. This ain't gonna end well for you.
Admitting you have a problem is the first step, imo. And I know that sounds cheesy...but it's true. You need to get your head around your blind spots and confront them. Understand the behavior so you can change the behavior.
I'm 4.5 years out, maintaining my weight loss (very proud of this)....but more aware than ever before how food addiction has impacted my life and my habits. Also, more aware of what drives my addictive behaviors.
Still workin on it, man it's hard! Parts get easier, parts get harder. Just gotta keep fighting the good fight:)

Have you tried a bariatric therapist? Getting to the root of my disordered eating habits was critical for me to reach goal and maintain. Are you tracking every crumb you eat? I know that sounds critical, but it isn't meant to be....I genuinely thought I was eating a LOT less than I was until I started measuring and tracking absolutely every calorie that went into my body. Yes, it's a hellish pain in the ass. And sadly, it's necessary.
You have lost 215 pounds. That is a HUGE accomplishment! I'm crazy proud of you and you should be, too. Sometimes when your body loses a metric feck ton of weight in a short period of time....a starvation defense mechanism kicks in and it plateaus for a while. Be patient and stick to good lifelong habits, a good balanced diet. If you're tracking, measuring and mindfully watching what and why you eat....you'll get there. Hang in there!

Crap, I don't drink...so maybe I'll just take a hit of pot each time someone on My 600 pound life says:
1. Miserable. (ie: my life is miserable)
2. Switches out "my size" for "my weight"
3. This is my last chance.
4. "Dr. Now doesn't understand....."
5. "Weightloss Journey"
6. "Progress"
And TWO everytime Dr. Now says:
1. "What happened?"
2. "you are killing yourself."
3. "Eating habit!"
4. "How you all doing?"
5. "If you need anything, let me know."
6. "I'm proud of you!"
Take off one article of clothing each time the patient fails to meet a weight loss goal.
If it's the Penny Sager episode....just smoke the whole bowl, take ALL your clothes off, and watch in stunned silence with your mouth hanging open.

Woot! Great work! Looking smashing, darling!

Definitely good points about the exploitation. The show is VERY tabloid. But once in a while, particularly in the early episodes....there were some truly inspirational feel-good storie, too. Wish there were more of those! But I also have to admit the Penny Sager episode blows my mind so much I watch it in fascination like a train wreck over and over. That probably makes me a sick monkey. LOL.

Crap, I don't drink...so maybe I'll just take a hit of pot each time someone on My 600 pound life says:
1. Miserable. (ie: my life is miserable)
2. Switches out "my size" for "my weight"
3. This is my last chance.
4. "Dr. Now doesn't understand....."
5. "Weightloss Journey"
6. "Progress"
And TWO everytime Dr. Now says:
1. "What happened?"
2. "you are killing yourself."
3. "Eating habit!"
4. "How you all doing?"
5. "If you need anything, let me know."
6. "I'm proud of you!"
Take off one article of clothing each time the patient fails to meet a weight loss goal.
If it's the Penny Sager episode....just smoke the whole bowl, take ALL your clothes off, and watch in stunned silence with your mouth hanging open.

"NEVER trust a fart.....for a few weeks anyway 🙂" -Neensyb

Just read this on another thread seeking advice for someone about to have surgery....and had to repost it here to rave about it.
Made me laugh, and man, was it true! I'd forgotten the *ahem* sharts.
Thanks Neensyb, for nearly putting coffee out my nose this morning.
🤣

I'm not a huge fan of spray on tans. Maybe it's the way my skin cells shed, or maybe i don't exfoliate enough, or just have weird dry skin? I don't know. But when I get a spray on tan, I look Orange for a little while...then my skin sheds a little and I look weirdly speckled. I don't care for it. I also don't like the smell of the spray tan, particularly after a shower or swimming.
However...since I'm a white vampire, sometimes it's nice to have a little color.
I use Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Makeup (in Medium)
It's just makeup for your legs (arms, bust, whatever you need)....but it looks much more like a real tan to me. It sets up well and doesn't get on your clothes. (If I wear white, I do dust it with a little translucent powder, but i'm not sure it's necessary) You can swim in it for an hour or two.
It scubs off with warm Water, soap and a washcloth...but you do have to scrub a little.
I actually like wearing sleeveless again cause of this stuff. It really does look nice on legs.
Another cool thing about Leg makeup...it reduces the look of scars, freckles, stretchmarks, veins
Being opaque, I bet it's a decent sunscreen, too.

Crap, I don't drink...so maybe I'll just take a hit of pot each time someone on My 600 pound life says:
1. Miserable. (ie: my life is miserable)
2. Switches out "my size" for "my weight"
3. This is my last chance.
4. "Dr. Now doesn't understand....."
5. "Weightloss Journey"
6. "Progress"
And TWO everytime Dr. Now says:
1. "What happened?"
2. "you are killing yourself."
3. "Eating habit!"
4. "How you all doing?"
5. "If you need anything, let me know."
6. "I'm proud of you!"
Take off one article of clothing each time the patient fails to meet a weight loss goal.
If it's the Penny Sager episode....just smoke the whole bowl, take ALL your clothes off, and watch in stunned silence with your mouth hanging open.

ANY addiction can be a transfer addiction after a bariatric surgery messes with your food addiction. About a year after surgery, I noticed I liked to go gambling more. (not an insane amount, but instead of going maybe once every three months or so and taking $50, I was going maybe twice a month and taking $100. One month, I went once a week) I'm thrifty, so I noticed the casino losses in my budget right away and said....oh, hells no, this has to stop. So, I quit gambling entirely. Dodged the bullet on that one, thank goodness.
But....of course.... that void looked for another way to rear its head.
I started buying way too much **** on Ebay and Amazon. Late night purchases. Ugh. When I identified that issue....I quit, and promptly started hitting thrift stores and buying too much crap. Just kept swapping out one source of instant gratification for another....kinda like food.
Addiction is a real thing. And finding healthy ways to deal with that need for instant gratification (and the hidden **** that drives it) will always be something I deal with.
Very often when I hear people talk about regain... they will beligerantly insist that they don't have problems with food addiction or disordered eating. And I always think....oye. This ain't gonna end well for you.
Admitting you have a problem is the first step, imo. And I know that sounds cheesy...but it's true. You need to get your head around your blind spots and confront them. Understand the behavior so you can change the behavior.
I'm 4.5 years out, maintaining my weight loss (very proud of this)....but more aware than ever before how food addiction has impacted my life and my habits. Also, more aware of what drives my addictive behaviors.
Still workin on it, man it's hard! Parts get easier, parts get harder. Just gotta keep fighting the good fight:)

Crap, I don't drink...so maybe I'll just take a hit of pot each time someone on My 600 pound life says:
1. Miserable. (ie: my life is miserable)
2. Switches out "my size" for "my weight"
3. This is my last chance.
4. "Dr. Now doesn't understand....."
5. "Weightloss Journey"
6. "Progress"
And TWO everytime Dr. Now says:
1. "What happened?"
2. "you are killing yourself."
3. "Eating habit!"
4. "How you all doing?"
5. "If you need anything, let me know."
6. "I'm proud of you!"
Take off one article of clothing each time the patient fails to meet a weight loss goal.
If it's the Penny Sager episode....just smoke the whole bowl, take ALL your clothes off, and watch in stunned silence with your mouth hanging open.

My experience....is that Infidelity, by itself, is almost never the integral issue.
Infidelity is a symptom of a bigger underlying problem in a marriage that isn't working.
People in happy marriages don't cheat.
Not to say there aren't marriages and couples who survive a bout of cheating...but it's a huge red flag that more is wrong than meets the eye.
Without addressing the underlying issues, the marriage becomes doomed.
Remember that 85% of people who get bariatric surgery get divorced.
If you're "happily married" and cheating...you're either a massive narcissist, or are in serious denial.

My experience....is that Infidelity, by itself, is almost never the integral issue.
Infidelity is a symptom of a bigger underlying problem in a marriage that isn't working.
People in happy marriages don't cheat.
Not to say there aren't marriages and couples who survive a bout of cheating...but it's a huge red flag that more is wrong than meets the eye.
Without addressing the underlying issues, the marriage becomes doomed.
Remember that 85% of people who get bariatric surgery get divorced.
If you're "happily married" and cheating...you're either a massive narcissist, or are in serious denial.

My experience....is that Infidelity, by itself, is almost never the integral issue.
Infidelity is a symptom of a bigger underlying problem in a marriage that isn't working.
People in happy marriages don't cheat.
Not to say there aren't marriages and couples who survive a bout of cheating...but it's a huge red flag that more is wrong than meets the eye.
Without addressing the underlying issues, the marriage becomes doomed.
Remember that 85% of people who get bariatric surgery get divorced.
If you're "happily married" and cheating...you're either a massive narcissist, or are in serious denial.

My experience....is that Infidelity, by itself, is almost never the integral issue.
Infidelity is a symptom of a bigger underlying problem in a marriage that isn't working.
People in happy marriages don't cheat.
Not to say there aren't marriages and couples who survive a bout of cheating...but it's a huge red flag that more is wrong than meets the eye.
Without addressing the underlying issues, the marriage becomes doomed.
Remember that 85% of people who get bariatric surgery get divorced.
If you're "happily married" and cheating...you're either a massive narcissist, or are in serious denial.

My experience....is that Infidelity, by itself, is almost never the integral issue.
Infidelity is a symptom of a bigger underlying problem in a marriage that isn't working.
People in happy marriages don't cheat.
Not to say there aren't marriages and couples who survive a bout of cheating...but it's a huge red flag that more is wrong than meets the eye.
Without addressing the underlying issues, the marriage becomes doomed.
Remember that 85% of people who get bariatric surgery get divorced.
If you're "happily married" and cheating...you're either a massive narcissist, or are in serious denial.