Jaelzion

Oh, I see. But "excessive" is a subjective standard, so...we all get to define it for ourselves, no?

My goodness, last time I checked, exercise was a good thing. Especially activities that you enjoy. What could anyone find to judge about that?

Yeah, I've noticed quite a few sleevers on here eat popcorn. I never really challenged the rules because neither popcorn nor soda were a big deal to me. I ate popcorn maybe once or twice a year and drank soda almost never. So I never questioned why those things were off-limits. Seems like an abundance of caution on the part of my surgeon.

I was given only two "never agains": popcorn and carbonated drinks. It varies from surgeon to surgeon. I've seen people on here say they were told no coffee ever again, and I was served coffee in the hospital with my breakfast, LOL.

@Tim C My surgeon recommended a different brand but it upset my tummy. So I tried a few other brands and finally settled on this one because it has a pleasant taste and didn't give me a stomachache.

Bariatric Fusion, soft chews.

My sister once said something similar to me: "Oh man, you're going to be smaller than I am now." My sister loves me but she's also used to me being her fat little sister. No matter what I accomplished or achieved, she always had this great equalizer: I was fat and she was not. That's gone now. In her eyes, we are now on equal footing and she's not completely okay with that. Sometimes other people have as much or more trouble than I do adjusting to the change in my weight.

It's not real weight gain. It reflects swelling, IV fluids they gave you in the hospital and water retention. The number on the scale doesn't mean much this early. You're good, this is normal healing!

I definitely have experienced this. At first I found myself substituting shopping for eating (easy to do, having lost so much weight). Then I realized I was doing that and took a step back. Now when I feel that craving (whether for food or to buy something) I stop and ask myself why? What's going on that I am trying to assuage or pacify? Not long ago, I really wanted a cookie and when I stopped to ask myself why, I realized that I had just come out of a meeting that did not go as well as I had hoped. I felt disappointed, embarrassed, upset. And I wanted a cookie. Once I realized what was at the root of my craving, I was able to redirect those feelings. I got a cup of coffee instead. It was warm and sweet and about 200 fewer calories than the cookie. And I took it and went and sat around the backside of the building where it was quiet and peaceful (being an introvert, that was comforting to me). I thought through what had happened and what to do next as I drank my coffee. And 30 minutes later I was good to go. Every situation is different, but I'm getting better at asking myself "What's going on? Why do you want that?"

I entered your stats into a BMR (basal metabolic rate) calculator and got 2,370 (I don't know your age, so I guessed 40, it will be a little higher if you're younger and a little lower if you're older). That's just the bare minimum needed for your body to keep itself going. So even without exercise, eating 1500 calories per day should leave you with a calorie deficit of 870 calories per day. That should lead to a pound lost about every four days. If you're in the "Exercise 1-3 times/week" category, your calorie needs for one day come to 3,259, and eating 1500 calories per day would mean a daily deficit of 1,759 calories. That should have you losing a pound about every two days! Eating too much does not seem to be your problem. Since you've recently begun lifting, it's possible that you are adding muscle tissue and that's offsetting the fat you are losing, leaving the scale unmoved for now. But the good thing about strength training is that it raises your BMR and causes you to burn more calories all day, not just when you are exercising. Sooner or later, the extra muscle tissue will translate into a higher BMR and visible weight loss. Are you following your bariatric team's eating plan, getting enough protein, and staying hydrated? If so, I'd say just give it some more time. You've already lost a lot, maybe your body is taking one of those "rest periods" where it's adjusting to the new regimen (AKA "a stall"). Just wait it out, it will break eventually.

Oh, sorry to hear but glad you got it taken care of. Hopefully, the esophagitis will clear up on its own. Hugs. 🤗

Welp, I have my surgery date. God willing, I will have my procedure on July 26, 2021. That gives me time to get ready and also have a little more tenure on my job (I just started in January). I paid my first 10% deposit today (fully-refundable as long as I give 30 days' notice of cancellation). The doctor warned me that my stomach might not be completely flat, it might retain some roundness, which made me laugh. I'm not expecting a six-pack or anything, I just want to get rid of some of this bulk! Just being able to put on a one-piece swimsuit without a skirt will be monumental!

People refer to this as having "food funerals". I didn't have the opportunity because my surgery was scheduled so abruptly that I had to start the pre-op the same day I got my surgery date. But it's not an uncommon impulse. The good thing to remember is that you can very likely enjoy those foods again. The post-op diet starts off pretty strict but by the time you are done losing weight you can eat almost anything (minus the one or two items that still upset some of our stomachs). Not as often and in smaller portions, but very few foods are off-limits forever (my bariatric team gave me two: carbonated drinks and popcorn). In the two years since my surgery I've had Chick-Fil-A, Thai food, ice cream (non-dairy for me), and other goodies. I'm still not able to eat ground beef, so hamburgers are not on the menu. But since they don't sit well in my tummy, I don't miss them. Practically anything else, I can have if I really want it (just not often and not all together). Part of learning how to maintain is learning how to have an occasional indulgence without going into a destructive binge. So, you don't really need to have food funerals. You're not saying goodbye forever to most foods, just "I'll see you later". Forgive yourself and look forward! Exciting times ahead. Hugs. 🤗

That's amazing progress! Congratulations and well done! 😊

Agreed, that's why I said I respect your approach. I actually respect the heck out of it, specifically because I can't do it, LOL. In your post-op life, "weight" is truly not a "thing" for you and that's awesome.

I respect that approach. It's just that my personal history tells me I'm capable of getting off track really quickly and still feeling great (until I've put on 30 pounds). I don't feel like I'm living under a whip but I am staying alert - I don't want this journey to end with me regaining all the weight and then some. I'm happy for you though that you don't have those issues, that's awesome!

I was given just two "never agains": carbonated drinks and popcorn. Neither was a big deal for me so it wasn't hard to comply. Now if they had said no coffee ever again...🤔 LOL

Wow! This would scare me, LOL. I could go as long as once a month but I need to keep myself accountable more often than once a year!

I weighed every day when I was still losing weight (but the little fluctuations didn't bother me as long as the trend was downward). Now that I'm in maintenance I weigh a couple times a week.

I don't think the two hour drive will be an issue. The hospital where I had my surgery was more than two hours away from my home and we made the drive on day 2 after surgery. Whether or not you'll be ready to go hiking in July is very much a YMMV kind of thing but you should be able to enjoy more restful activities with no problem (assuming all is well).

Same thing I said. I don't understand why anyone would think they even have standing to have an opinion about someone else's weight loss goal?

Minus the stuffy head, I get all these symptoms when my blood pressure is too low (which happens regularly). As @The Greater Fool said, I'd definitely follow up with your doctor, mine was able to help me minimize and manage these symptoms.

Same here - I lost 15 pounds that first month and never more than 10 any month after that. But it kept going and going and I lost all my excess weight! Hang in there @Hopefulin2021!

I hope you find something that suits you . My daily walk has become very meditative for me, plus it gets me a little fresh air and sunlight while I'm staying in during the pandemic.

LOLOL 😂. I lost the last pounds during the pandemic and I've been staying home, so family and friends have not seen much of me. That last 30 pounds took me from "on the slimmer side for me" to "I've never been this slim as an adult, ever" territory. And everyone is shocked because they didn't get to see me lose gradually. Sometimes people don't notice right away because it's a gradual change, not because you don't look different.