Thomas Epting

October of 2018 - Aug 2019

Just saw your post-op! Congratulations! It will go by fast, that first week, mine was such small amounts of liquids, it got easier every day.

Hang in there. It is definitely tough. It was the hardest part of the journey for me. But remember the “why”. It made it bearable for me. Also, I added extracts to my protein shakes. Like vanilla. And almond. Lemon even. Mainly to add some variety. Don’t give up. It makes a difference in more areas than just the pre-op IMO. For me, after surgery, when I was having a hard time getting enough protein or even when I wanted a sweet, I always went back to the fact that I was able to go two weeks over Christmas on a liquid pre-op diet so I can do this! Good luck! And stick with it, you’re almost there!!

Brent701, When I was in my initial consultation, my surgeon asked what I wanted to weigh. I told him what he wanted me to weigh. He was the expert. He pulled his calculator out and came up with 160 which he then quickly told me was arbitrary. He told me to think of my goal weight like the finish line in a long distance race. Most racers slow down (even if just a fraction) and what the really good racers do is just keep working. He said he would tell me when to stop and that my body very well might be ideal at a different weight. Ended up he stopped me at 180. Told me to not loose anymore. That if I had t become obese that I would be normal at this point. I still track my foods, and am very active. I hover between 175-180 and will do that indefinitely. When I started I only hoped I could be “normal”. I went from a 46-48 jean to a 30-33 depending on brand. A 3xl shirt that was tight to a small or medium again depending on the brand. But I feel amazing. I think I look great too.

Congratulations! We had surgery 10 days apart! It’s an amazing tool!

Hello, I started at 338lbs in September of ‘18 and had gastric sleeve completed on Dec 27th of ‘18. I’m currently 193.6lbs and am shooting to reach my Ideal BMI weight of 160. The ideal weight is just a target and my surgeon and nutritionist are closely monitoring my weight and blood levels and have told me repeatedly they will stop me if I need to stop prior to that. I know you stated you are planning bypass, that is what my surgeon wanted me to have, however, I had previous abdominal surgeries from a appendix that ruptured and the bypass wasn’t an option. The surgery, the “pain”, the pre-op diet....EVERYTHING WAS WORTH IT! I was down around 50lbs at surgery and have been steadily loosing weight since then. Some months more than others. Everyone sees the change in themselves a little differently in my opinion. I sometimes still see the Big Me, so I weigh myself every day. It’s my reassurance and my accountability to myself and my family. I will tell you, I lost weight faster from month 1-4 than from 5 to current. But if I track my food, make good eating decisions (forever), I will reach my goal weight. I will not be in the statistic that only looses a portion of the excess or even regains. If there’s ever anything I can answer, I’d be happy to give you my opinion based on my experience. You can message me in my inbox. Regards

84lbs in not quite 6 months. Down a total of 140 or so pounds. Just got below 200 yesterday for the first time since I was around 13 years old or so. Best decision I’ve ever made for me and my family.