Jobber

Greetings all,

I have been off this board for some time now, but I have come back because I need support. I lost 110 lbs with the gastric sleeve surgery in March 2019 and was doing so great until the pandemic started last March. Before I was restricted to the home office I was doing so well, I was working out every day at the company gym during lunch and I was careful about what I ate. Since then, my workouts have all but ceased, I may squeeze in a cardio session about once a week now. My eating habits are still restricted by the sleeve, but I have been eating things that get through easily, many sweets, high fat and high salt foods have been making their way into my diet.

That said, the biggest issue was alcohol abuse. I was getting buzzed nearly every night from August through the end of the year. While I was feeling good I would also lose inhibitions about not snacking as well. I forced myself off the vodka (which was easy to hide from the family) and I have been doing well in the last 3 weeks since quitting, but I've been replacing those lost good feelings with even more Snacks.

I feel like I'm losing control and it's only a matter of time until I undo all of my great work. I haven't weighed myself in months, but I estimate that I've gained back about 50% of what I lost, I will find out in a couple weeks at my Dr appt. I need to find a way to get this turned around because all my new skinny clothes don't fit anymore and I'm starting to wear my fat clothes again.

It's bad...FML...

The gas pains royally suck and the only thing that gets rid of them is movement and time. Sorry, no magic bullet here.

nice work man!!!

I agree that you will need exercise to keep it going. It's the only way that I lose weight these days now, it's no longer enough for me to just rely on my diet. I've cut out complex carbs, most simple carbs and pre-processed foods, I'm only eating whole foods that I prepare myself and every Breakfast I'm still doing my Protein Shakes only and STILL the only way i'm losing weight is consistent exercise.

Now that is how my body works, you may still be ok doing diet alone. Just wanted to give you a frame of reference since my procedure was only a month before yours.

Good luck sir

On 10/15/2019 at 2:47 PM, apiane said:

3. I am now the weight listed on my driver's license

lol.....that one got me. Nice!!!

Making good choices is very difficult once your hunger comes back, isn't it? I have kids and I refuse to cut them off from all Snacks and Desserts, so they are in the house. We do have a ton of healthy foods available in the house, but I find myself staring into the cabinet with all the great snacks so many times when nobody is looking. Sometimes I fail, but most times I succeed in choosing the right kind of snack.

The one thing I don't know that people really understand going into this is that the surgery really isn't a magic fix. Down the road in your journey you will regain your hunger and cravings. How you handle that is what will determine your success.

Good luck to you Chuck!

I wanted to weigh in (no pun intended) on this subject because I have chosen to keep this a secret with the exception of a very tiny group of people who I trust. Here is what I have found now that I have lost 100lbs+ and I am nearly 7 months post-op.

People are smart, generally, and they tend to figure things out. But the good thing is that if they respect or like you, they won't tell you that they know unless you tell them. Besides, it's nobody's business but your own. If someone asks how you lost all the weight, you need to be prepared if your'e going to be completely honest or just slightly honest.

Most folks just don't understand that it's actually hard work to go through this process. After the first 4 to 6 months or so, you actually have to work to keep the weight coming off, it's not about restriction anymore when you're at the point I'm at. I have been working out every single day since a month ago and I've only lost about 5 pounds, but I figure it's my body figuring things out....hopefully.

Good luck in whatever decision you make, there's no wrong answer.

I am 7 months post-op. I wish I had the money back that I wasted on measuring devices, blenders, books on the subject, including recipe books, etc. I got so caught up in being "in the program" that I wanted to feel like a member by getting all these new things I thought I needed.

In all honesty, you will learn very quickly how much food you will be able to eat without special scales, etc. Also, you will learn what you can handle and what you cannot in the early weeks. It's all nice to get excited for the process, but not at the expense some of these things cost me. Speaking of that, I have a nutri-ninja for sale and some recipe books if anyone's interested, just kidding.

Good luck on your surgery upcoming

I've been the same weight (give or take a pound) for the last 4 weeks, but in that time I've also moved in a belt notch and a watch notch, so I know there's more to what's happening with my weight loss. I work out almost every day and watch what I eat.

Be patient and keep with your routine. If there's other reasons that you're not losing, it's time to be honest with yourself as to why this may be happening.

Good luck

Nice work, you don't look like the same person, what a great transformation. Congratulations!!!

Thank you for sharing your story here. This just reinforces my commitment to the lifestyle that I have adopted and plan to maintain forever.

The biggest change that I've taken on, not including the daily exercise, in regards to food is cutting out all the processed foods like you have, that is great. I thought it would be harder than it has been, but I am fortunate enough to have a background in culinary arts, so preparing fresh healthy food and constantly coming up with new ideas is fairly easy for me.

If I had to tell everyone considering this surgery and those who are in the process to have it done is; to not wait to change your lifestyle and not expect it to be easy after you do get the surgery. You still have to work and not cheat and it's incredibly hard, but it's so much easier with WLS to get a head-start and maintain once you do adopt the lifestyle.

It's very much a commitment to healthy living so take it seriously and make sure you have good support in your life, but more-so, don't have bad support, is probably a better way to say this. You can be lead down a bad path by people who are not empathetic to what you need. Oh, how many times I've had to bite my lip while friends or family are sitting there eating garbage food in front of me while I try to get out of the situation. So freakin' hard...

Thanks, Danny, for sharing this

I really like it when someone has a great transformation like this and they wear the same clothing item in both before and after pics, it really accentuates the impact of the transformation. I can tell you worked really hard, you look incredible, nice job sir!!

I'm really struggling with red meat (which I don't need anyways), anything starchy (like potatoes), and bread (which I have cut out about 99%, still have a bite every now and then).

I find if I stick to lean Protein, fruit, veggies, nuts, and seeds, I have no issues.

The 100lbs lost mark is quite an accomplishment. I just crossed it myself and it just feels like a major milestone in some regards. Good luck reaching your goal, your hard work will pay off! Congrats!

Your hard work and perseverance is truly inspiring Mike. Best wishes on reaching your goal.

I'm 6 months post-op and the head hunger has come back like gangbusters, holy crap. Like @FluffyChix said, and maximize this time in your post-op phase to develop alternatives to your cravings. It will serve you well in the near future for sure.

Protein has a flavor even when unflavored. I wouldn't put that in coffee, I agree with O&D, it curdled, basically. You'd be better off using it in something strongly flavored and cold. Or use it in baking.

Life's not over, it could have been worse. You can't cut out everything. Once you're further along in the Post-Op phase, you might find this happening more often, but it's what you do going forward will show how determined you are to commit to the program.

The hard part is not letting yourself say that it's OK on a regular basis. Once in a while, fine, but frequently is not fine. I had cocktails on my vacation at the all-inclusive resort, but once I got home, it was back to the routine. Also, I had a piece of pie for my birthday, but the next day, back to regular regiment. If you let the slip guide you into a bad place, that's when it becomes an issue.

You'll be fine.

I think this is a pretty good idea for people who are in any part of the process to see how folks further along are doing vs what they are supposed to do and seeing their progress measured against it. I'll play along too, thanks Brent

Water - A - I get at least a gallon a day

Protein - B - I get to about 80 or more most days, but I could do better

food Choice - B - I have completely cut out complex carbs and processed foods, but I do indulge in the occasional simple carb, I'm human...

Portion Control - A - no choice here due to the surgery

Mindful Eating - D - I still eat too fast, it's a 40+ year old habit to break

Exercise - B - I work out 6 days a week with both cardio and strength training. Since I added strength training, I'm not seeing as much loose skin as I used to, but the weight loss has slowed, but I think that's good since muscle weighs more than fat

Vitamins - A - I never miss them

Again, great idea, thanks

4 days for me, but I was also full of Miralax and stool softener. Wasn't fun, but stay on the softener and miralax for a while to keep it going.

Congratulations on your success. Well Earned!!!

I agree with the others, that type of insensitivity, even if joking, should be concerning. You need both physical AND mental support right now. I felt like complete **** after surgery, I didn't need my wife telling me what I already knew and she was nothing less than helpful and supportive.

Edit: Oooooh, I didn't know you couldn't curse on here. that's funny. lets go with Poo instead of Sh*t. lol

When I was pre-op, I was obsessed with this site and reading everything I could about WLS. Also, I read about everything I could find on the internet about the subject as well. I bought a couple books and a nutri-ninja and just about everything else I could find to buy to get me in the mindset, but most of that ended up being frivolous purchases, looking back.

Long story short, your medical team knows what they're doing for the most part. It's your job to stick to the plan and their recommendations. You can read and prepare all you want, but if you don't change your habits and develop some kind of discipline in regards to nutrition and physical activity, no surgery in the world is going to work, it's just going to give you a head start, the rest is up to you. Just my 2 cents.

Good luck all of you preparing for this big step forward in your life.

I think it depends on the reason for the stall. I stop weighing myself when I "stall" and once I notice my rings and belts being looser, I go back and weigh myself again. I'm also strength training as well and know that muscle weighs a lot more than fat by volume, so I'm imagining that it's not a stall, but a sign of getting "buff"....lol

Good luck

I had the same issue until I started taking the BariatricPal Complete Multivitamin 45 capsules. I'm not being paid for this endorsement either, I truly have flipped my nausea issue around after starting to use these instead of all the others that made me want to barf.

Thank you so much for coming back here and giving those of us who are not as far out this encouragement, it makes me want to keep on, keepin on. I have incorporated an aggressive exercise schedule into my routine and I have yet to have a stall since doing so. Also, I only weigh myself about once every 2 weeks, which also helps, I think.

Again, your words of encouragement are appreciated and not lost on us, congratulations on the success!!!