Officially Not Fatty Matty

I was downing carbonated drinks very early on, I had no specific prohibition. Probably week four? I drink several cans of diet sodas a day, it’s how I get my water intake needs met. never had an issue with bubbles or cravings or weight gain or blood sugar levels etc. ymmv and your doctor may not approve…

Whoa this is a tough one…. Truthfully many (most? All?) of us have failed at every diet. We’ve all probably sat in bed falling asleep and promising ourselves that tomorrow will be the day I take this seriously. We’ve all failed over and over again otherwise we wouldn’t be here in this forum talking about having (or having had) surgery to help us achieve what we want but have yet been able to achieve. You’re not alone, you’re not even in the minority here. You’re all of us and we are all you. Some of us are just in different parts of the same journey. Since you know it would be disingenuous for us to tell you “yeah you’ll do great” I’ll spare you the line. We can’t know how you or any other one person will do on this path. We can tell you that for many many many of us it has worked when everything else failed. It can be life altering in the best of ways. The pre op diet sucks. It seriously sucked for me, I had all the same thoughts you did. But I got through it, I did cheat but recovered. Once the stomach was gone it got drastically easier for me. I was you. I had doubts, I thought I would be the rare exception and fail. I’m not far enough out to say regain can never happen…. But I’m saying it will never happen. I was you. And you will - statistically speaking - very likely end up being me. I know you’re not happy the way you are, or you would have failures in your past and you wouldn’t be here. So I ask… why not? The way I feel today? Despite the fears and doubts it was worth it, 100000 times over. I don’t cook either. Neither does my wife. My meals don’t look anything like the meals in the “food before and after” thread. Not one bit. I lived off cottage cheese and cucumbers and tomatoes until I moved back into meats. My lunches are a couple pieces of deli meat and some cheese and I’ll squirt some off brand Mayo in the middle and roll it up. Last week I bought a burrito from chipotle and ate most of it over four days (two meals a day). I still enjoy food, flavors haven’t changed, what I liked before I like today. I can eat anything I want, but I never want much at all. Shockingly so compared to the amount I used to eat. Some people have to be very careful and strict, some people are able to not be so careful. It depends on so many factors, but I will say for the first few months be super careful and stick to the plan. You’ll figure out your hang ups, you’ll know if being near food is a trigger, and you’ll know what risks you can take. And if you can’t figure it out, we are here for you to help. Therapy might be a great option for you as well. I didn’t need one for my plan, and I don’t really think it would have been helpful for me anyway, but that’s just me. Self reflect and don’t be afraid to say to yourself “I need someone professional to help me work through this.” If you need it. I wish you success, I hope you become like the new me, because I feel like I’m talking to the old me right now. You CAN do this.

If the bypass is what you want you’d be better off finding another surgeon instead of trying to force the issue. I know doctors are professionals but I wouldn’t get my car fixed by a mechanic who says “I don’t do many of those” let alone a surgical procedure. In my completely uneducated opinion that has zero value, your reasons for preferring bypass sound legitimate and worthy of pursuing further.

This is purely a personal choice. My wife also had sleeve too and she grew up learning you finish what’s on your plate. I grew up with “eat what you want and if you can’t finish it that’s fine” and neither of those are wrong but it’s definitely carried over to our adult selves. She was not happy with the waste and I actually was (in one perspective, it’s clearly better not to simply waste food but I get a joy from seeing how little I can eat). I’ll have to remind her that portion sizes and packaged food isn’t made for us and it’s not our fault. If it bothers you and you think you’ll eat it later, save it . If not toss it or give it to someone else. Whichever brings you comfort is the right answer :)

So a chipotle just opened up near me and I used to love their food (whatever… it’s a personal preference like favorite color) and thought “why not.” Eating off of it two meals a day I got to day four and still had some left. By that point the guac was looking a little scary so I chucked it. Just found it amazing that there was a time not too long ago where I could down that tortilla swaddled baby in one sitting and still have room for chips and a drink. It was less than 200 calories (when divided by 8) but it was really dense so I couldn’t eat much at each “meal.” Makes it pretty reasonable from a price/meal standpoint too. Like I said… the only point I have here is it’s shocking how much food I used to be able to eat… stay on your plan. My plan is “figure it out as I go along.”

Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. One of my favorite movie quotes (perhaps it is a direct quote from the short story)… anyhow… the change in one year can be so drastic (in a good way) it’s not even possible to imagine. I’m about 14 months out and it’s simply unreal. I had a reason to review security footage of my shop yesterday and I freaked out when I saw someone I didn’t recognize… it was me. That moment of “who the hell is that” didn’t last long, but I kept watching me walk around and move and it was just amazing to think that a year ago I was morbidly obese, now I’m healthy, off all my meds (except restless leg stuff which isn’t related to weight), sleep well, can get down on the ground to look under my car if I drop something, play basketball with my kids, take my shirt off when I swim in public (like the shirt ever fooled anyone anyway). It’s life changing and amazing and yes I wished I did it sooner (I’m 46) but I’m still just thrilled I did it at all. How many winters did I say “I’m going to lose weight so I can enjoy the summer” only to fail… how many class reunions did I avoid because I didn’t want to be seen as “oh look how big he got…” how many moments did I lose with my kids because I was too tired… surgery isn’t for everyone, but if you’re unhappy with the size you are, DO SOMETHING… surgery for me was a joke it was so easy… I’m lucky and I understand that… but it could be you too. One year… seemed like an eternity one year ago, but now feels like it was just a day ago I started this journey. I will never allow myself to go back. Never. It’s ok to hope. This is different.

I “like” eating junk too. I have a party sized bag of peanut m&ms just sitting here. Over the course of a day I’ll probably have a handful. In the past I could mow through that whole bag in a day (yeah I know). My wife is concerned every time the scale drops a pound now and though I feel like I probably have another 15-20lbs I could lose she (and my mom uhg) are worried I’m too skinny (I’m not, 192 @ 6’4” is at the top of the healthy BMI range (BMI is garbage but I agree with it in this circumstance just by looking at me (I need to chill with parentheticals))) so they are keeping me fed… but you’re right, it’s very very empowering to look at a sleeve of Oreos and have two (gotta take off one cookie top each and smoosh two double stuffs together for a quad stuff…. I’m not Amish) and be happy with that.

The people who need a book like that won’t read it, and even if they did they’d find excuses or google until they get the one response from a like minded Neanderthal that confirms their bias.

One way to easily track that downward trend (if you insist on weighing daily) is to keep a second list… so list 1 is your daily weight… 231, 230, 229, 229.7, 230, 228, etc… the second list is take your weight seven days ago and subtract your weight today. This will show how much you lost in the last week, but still updated daily. It really highlights stalls and for me made it much easier to assess how I was really doing without focusing on those daily fluctuations. Here is what my two graphs looked like. The first is just the normal “my weight today” and the second looks back seven days and counts how many lbs I lost. The closer it gets to the top line (0) the bigger the stall… you can see when I do it this way I really didn’t have that many TRUE stalls, even when it felt like I wasn’t losing there was still some small weekly losses. It also shows the super fast loss at first and the gradual decline. It’s a very easy thing to set up in excel or google sheets if you’ve ever work with those.

Oh and to add… you’re likely in the infamous three week stall. It’s very typical, doesn’t always happen at exactly three weeks but most people experience it to one degree or another. You’re probably losing fat but your body is adjusting to the new food intake and is storing water again as your glycogen levels rise. Here is a great read on that topic: https://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-plateau/

Water alone will make your weight fluctuate quite a bit. You should be drinking (at a minimum) four pounds of water a day so that could be the reason for the scale issue. If you’re going to weigh daily (personal choice on whether you can handle the ups and downs) I suggest doing it at the same time and under the same conditions each day. For instance I do weigh daily (always have even before surgery)…. I weigh naked in the morning after my coffee and after my poop/pee. My coffee alone is 0.75lbs so you can see that one small change in pattern will affect it. I only poop every few days (I give it the ol’ college try every day) and I can lose two pounds just from that. Basically what I’m saying is if you weigh daily you are going to have fluctuations that aren’t really related to how much weight you are honestly losing. Stick with the plan, trust the process, and be as consistent as possible with your weigh ins if doing it daily.

So funny you mention that. I’m going to see my favorite band in a couple weeks for three days and I’ve never been able to wear the official shirts, sometimes lot shirts were big enough but usually not. I’ve already bought a few online and am SOOO ready for these shows. Even fat I’d dance like an idiot (like seriously, think Elaine from Seinfeld meets Frankenstein’s monster)…, now I’ll just be the tall guy dancing like an idiot, not “awww look at that fat guy try.”

Early on I had really violent hiccups when full, now a year out I’ll sneeze or get a runny nose if I push it. But as I’ve learned my capacity over time those “oh no I ate too much” moments have become quite rare. You’ll figure it out but don’t worry, it is not an unusual full response.

Here’s a better before where I’m not making that weird “why are you taking my picture face”

For those looking for before and after pics

You’ll get there! Things were foggy for me too at the beginning. Sometimes I mis-remember details and I either have to look through my texts or what I wrote here to pull it back into my memory banks. But at six days yeah it’s very overwhelming thinking about what’s to come, and I don’t know about you but I (and others) had a moment of “what the hell did I just do to my body forever” panic but rational me took over and answered “fixed some lifelong and life threatening issues, Matthew.”

I had no problems at all with seasonings and like future skydiver (love the name I’ve always wanted to do it and now I’m not afraid of snapping the harness) said, it helped keep me on the mushies longer. For me, nothing felt any worse than pre op spicy wise, if I could handle it before it was the same after.

I admit I am having similar issues. My goal was reached and surpassed so fast, so early and so easily I have this mentality that “I’m good for life.” I hope I am and I’ve been maintaining well for a few months now. But to be honest I could be thinner. My wife and mom (seriously I’m 47 and still her baby) got worried I was too thin…. Damned if I do damned if I don’t scenario… so they’ve been conspiring (out of love and concern) to feed me more, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a voluntary participant in this game of theirs. But I know I need to be very careful. The “bonus m&ms” to keep calorie count high but food volume low can very very easily become a significant problem. I’m ready to sit down and reevaluate my food choices and make sure maintenance doesn’t turn into regain, because I know once it starts it’s so much harder to reverse the trend.

This is an outstanding post and will no doubt be helpful for many people (including myself). thank you for becoming one of the wise old timers by sticking around and sharing your experiences.

I just want to say I don’t normally make that face in the before but it was the only one I had that really (really) showed the girth is all it’s glory.

I was allowed (required actually) to take pills the day of my surgery continuing for ten days. Large antibiotic pills. There was no problem taking them and my regular bp meds, but as with a lot of advice on here…. “Ask your doctor.”

It depends on a lot of factors like starting weight/bmi but to answer your question… yes it definitely can be done. I lost 145lbs in ten months with the sleeve. My starting BMI was 40, now at 24.7

Many people fly to another country, have surgery and fly home typically two days later without issue. TSA does allow you to bring medically necessary drinks in “reasonable” quantities so just have a note from a doctor if you want to bring specific drinks and not rely on what’s available in the airport. You don’t NEED a note but it will help, but you DO need to tell tsa at the check point. Other than that at two weeks unless you have a problem beyond what’s considered normal healing you’ll be fine. Bring whatever comforts you think you’ll need, a travel pillow, blanket etc.

Ok ready to post my final before and after photos. Before is around 350lbs, 3 or 4xl shirt. My highest ever confirmed weight was 356 and this was very close to that date in 2014. The other is today, wearing a size medium shirt. Surgery was June 12, 2020, weight 334lbs, 6’4” BMI 40. I hit this weight (193) about 10 months post op and have been maintaining fairly evenly since (up a couple down a couple etc). For anyone on the fence about surgery, do your research but don’t let the scary stories you read here overwhelm you or give you a false sense of their frequency. Yes, bad things can and do happen in any endeavor. No one has a crystal ball, but the statistics of health issues from being obese and the statistics of coming through gastric surgery safely and enjoying positive results speak for themselves. I never dreamed I would feel this good again. I didn’t even think I was that fat…. Just a “big guy.” Looking back at old photos I’m mortified. Looking forward I’m so optimistic and full of life and joy. I feel like this is the “me” that has always been in there, hiding, hoping, waiting to come out. What “you” do you have inside longing to come out and face the world?

I applied for the tsa pre check and got a triple take when she looked at my passport photo. It was nice. (It went through anyway without issue)… way I figure is I have enough before and after collages on my phone that I’d either have to be some ultra tech enabled spy or just a guy who used to be fat. Id like to meet the person who thinks it’s the former, they probably have good stories.