Officially Not Fatty Matty

How can I put this…… Bob Ross is doing a nice winter scene of an empty snow covered field with a happy little stump poking out of the snow…. Fast forward a few episodes and he’s painting the same field in the spring…. The stump is the same stump as before, but without snow covering most of it he needs a lot more paint…. NSV!!

The towel wrapping around already mentioned just happened to me and it was a huge AHAHAHA YESSSS moment. First time in a hotel in a while, I don’t wrap at home so it never occurred to me.
Oh… and I went swimming (hotel also) for the first time since surgery and I sank! It was great. Didn’t wear a shirt either (like the shirt ever fooled anyone else anyway).

I JUST DID MY FIRST PULL-UP OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!

Wow that brought back bad memories of the presidential physical fitness tests in gym glass. Do they still make kids do that?

How can I put this…… Bob Ross is doing a nice winter scene of an empty snow covered field with a happy little stump poking out of the snow…. Fast forward a few episodes and he’s painting the same field in the spring…. The stump is the same stump as before, but without snow covering most of it he needs a lot more paint…. NSV!!

Broke the 80lb mark today, almost at 250 (which opens up a whole new world of ladders I can safely climb!). I didn’t think I looked that different until I did this side by side, probably the first time since surgery I’ve really looked at pics of me “before.” Even though I’m not at my goal I’m just dumbfounded at the change to be honest. FYI I never once wore that shirt, it was a 3xl and assumed it would fit, so it’s been hanging sadly in my closet ever since. I tried on a size large regular shirt and it fit!!! Crazy, not even in high school could I have done that. I’m tall so I will still probably need to get some new clothes from a big and tall store but at least I’ll only be there for half of that. As every says, wish I did this years ago.

Broke the 80lb mark today, almost at 250 (which opens up a whole new world of ladders I can safely climb!). I didn’t think I looked that different until I did this side by side, probably the first time since surgery I’ve really looked at pics of me “before.” Even though I’m not at my goal I’m just dumbfounded at the change to be honest. FYI I never once wore that shirt, it was a 3xl and assumed it would fit, so it’s been hanging sadly in my closet ever since. I tried on a size large regular shirt and it fit!!! Crazy, not even in high school could I have done that. I’m tall so I will still probably need to get some new clothes from a big and tall store but at least I’ll only be there for half of that. As every says, wish I did this years ago.

I’m in Houston and went to Nuevo Laredo just on the other side of the border. Self pay $4400 total out the door which included hotel, transport, and hernia repair in addition to the sleeve surgery. Dr Galileo Villarreal. Outstanding results.

I JUST DID MY FIRST PULL-UP OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!

Wow that brought back bad memories of the presidential physical fitness tests in gym glass. Do they still make kids do that?

How can I put this…… Bob Ross is doing a nice winter scene of an empty snow covered field with a happy little stump poking out of the snow…. Fast forward a few episodes and he’s painting the same field in the spring…. The stump is the same stump as before, but without snow covering most of it he needs a lot more paint…. NSV!!

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.

YESSS I WAS WAITING FOR THIS THREAD!!
lol I’m kidding but this whole notion of no straws drives me absolutely bonkers. most of this I’ve said before (like 94% of my posts) but….

Your stomach doesn’t suck (as in create a vacuum). Your mouth creates the negative pressure needed to draw Fluid up a straw. Your stomach doesn’t have anything to do with it. You can prove this very simply (and don’t worry, you’re not even going to swallow the Water in this exercise).
Take a sip of water from a cup. Don’t swallow it. Just let it sit there. There is now water on the bottom of your mouth and some air up top (even if you try to void all the air out there is still some there). Now spit the water out. Now take a similar amount of water into your mouth via a straw, and again don’t swallow. Just let it sit there… is it really any different than the water you took in via a cup? You can still void out most of the air in your mouth like before. Now spit it out. At no point was your stomach involved in this. Yet we find countless examples online of experts saying things about straws and swallowing air. What actually matters is how you swallow and this applies to eating and drinking (with or without straws). Drinking or eating too fast is the most common reason for swallowing too much air.. we’ve all done it, gulping drinks or wolfing down food… but you can control that independently of whatever utensil or device you use to put stuff in your mouth. That’s what doctors should be telling us (and in fairness most do). Slow it down, take our time, chew food thoroughly, have purpose to our eating and drinking etc… and with those behaviors the amount of air we swallow will naturally be reduced (reduced not eliminated).

Another problem with counting pills... sometimes we guys are overly “optimistic.” viagra takes some time to kick in so if we anticipate wrongly (who us?!) it can go to waste. As far as not telling her I know from experience that some women assume we can turn it on and off at will and assume if there is an issue with this imaginary on/off switch that there is a problem with attraction, and no matter what you say they grill you about it endlessly, so you learn it’s best to just not even bring the subject up at all, which in the case of ED medicine means not telling them about it at all.

I’m in Houston and went to Nuevo Laredo just on the other side of the border. Self pay $4400 total out the door which included hotel, transport, and hernia repair in addition to the sleeve surgery. Dr Galileo Villarreal. Outstanding results.

I’m 6’4” and my highest known weight was 356 (but likely higher as I didn’t weigh often). Like you I was pretty active and my daily calorie count was high. I never counted (still don’t) but an honest assessment of my past puts me around 4-6000 calories a day! I would eat huge meals. Despite that insane guess, I put weight on slowly over the years, averaging 4lbs a year… it’s not a fair estimate because some years I would lose 30 then put 40 on etc. but overall average of 4lbs since I turned 18 (I was 45 when I had surgery). Fast forward 18 months post op and I’m not able to enter maintenance. I’m trying so hard to not lose more weight. I set a goal of 240, blew past that then thought “ok 220 would be good” and blew past that. I’m down to 182 now, my wife and mom (they never stop being moms do they?) are worried - and have been since I broke below 200 in April. Anyway, for the first six months I survived on about 500cal a day. I should say thrived. I had zero problems with that low of a calorie count. I was more active than ever, still am. I feel healthier than I was when I was 16, seriously. The hard part for me was remembering to eat. The day would go by and I would realize I only had my Protein Shake in the morning. I’m still not hungry, and I know I’m in the minority for going this long without feeling any hunger. I literally eat 1000 calories of peanut m&ms a day. Literally. And I’m still losing. I know it’s probably the least healthy thing I could eat but they are small and pocketable and I like them enough where I don’t get bored of them. I simply don’t have the capacity to eat enough “healthy” meals to make up the difference. I do get regular blood work done and everything is perfectly in the middle of where it should be, Vitamin levels are good as well. I’d say I’m close to maintaining, I’ve been between 190 and 182 for about six months but it’s still trending ever so slightly down. I guess what all this rambling is getting at is this: you sound a lot like me. If you are the type of person that can drop weight fast on a diet you’re likely to be wildly successful with the weight loss portion of this endeavor. Everything else is up in the air and seems to be variable for everyone. For me I have had no complications, no foods bother me, nothing tastes different (I hoped it would but it didn’t), I can and do eat whatever I want, but my restriction is so good (and it does feel good) that it still takes me two days to eat a burger, or four days to eat a chipotle burrito (and I don’t even finish it). I don’t have a problem being around food or seeing people eat. My whole relationship with food is completely different. I see it as an inconvenience, but I still enjoy good food and I seek out new and exotic things for fun, I just know I’m taking home 90% of what I order most of the time. My only complaint is my wife and mom think I’m too skinny, which is just an opinion, my doctors are thrilled with my weight and all associated / tested statistics, and as I said I feel absolutely amazing. I feel like I have another 10-15lbs to lose but I’m riding the struggle bus to keep that from happening for the benefit of others. 5000 calories? I’m disgusted with that person. 1500 - 2000 a day give or take is plenty 18 months out and I had nooo problem living on half that for the first year. This was - by far - the best money I’ve ever spent on myself. I’ve easily saved more than my surgery cost ($4400 in Mexico) and I have only great things to say about every aspect of it. I wish it was this easy for everyone. My wife had it done too but she has lost nothing at this point. She eats less than I do, but she never lost when dieting before so we should have known a smaller stomach wouldn’t have helped. I don’t think she needs to lose weight anyway, she’s perfect. But my opinion doesn’t count in her mind :) she has some underlying heath issues we’re working through which we believe contributes to her crazy slow metabolic rate. So I see and live with both sides of how surgery works and doesn’t work for some (if you’re a slow “loser” reading this and you’re on plan and doing everything you should, I BELIEVE YOU, even though everyone assumes you’re not on plan. I know how hard it is for you, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Don’t give up, find a doctor that listens to you and believes you too and start looking for why, and stop going to doctors that don’t listen. Don’t let them give you self doubts (end tangent)).
Best of luck to you. I wish you the best.

I’m 6’4” and my highest known weight was 356 (but likely higher as I didn’t weigh often). Like you I was pretty active and my daily calorie count was high. I never counted (still don’t) but an honest assessment of my past puts me around 4-6000 calories a day! I would eat huge meals. Despite that insane guess, I put weight on slowly over the years, averaging 4lbs a year… it’s not a fair estimate because some years I would lose 30 then put 40 on etc. but overall average of 4lbs since I turned 18 (I was 45 when I had surgery). Fast forward 18 months post op and I’m not able to enter maintenance. I’m trying so hard to not lose more weight. I set a goal of 240, blew past that then thought “ok 220 would be good” and blew past that. I’m down to 182 now, my wife and mom (they never stop being moms do they?) are worried - and have been since I broke below 200 in April. Anyway, for the first six months I survived on about 500cal a day. I should say thrived. I had zero problems with that low of a calorie count. I was more active than ever, still am. I feel healthier than I was when I was 16, seriously. The hard part for me was remembering to eat. The day would go by and I would realize I only had my Protein Shake in the morning. I’m still not hungry, and I know I’m in the minority for going this long without feeling any hunger. I literally eat 1000 calories of peanut m&ms a day. Literally. And I’m still losing. I know it’s probably the least healthy thing I could eat but they are small and pocketable and I like them enough where I don’t get bored of them. I simply don’t have the capacity to eat enough “healthy” meals to make up the difference. I do get regular blood work done and everything is perfectly in the middle of where it should be, Vitamin levels are good as well. I’d say I’m close to maintaining, I’ve been between 190 and 182 for about six months but it’s still trending ever so slightly down. I guess what all this rambling is getting at is this: you sound a lot like me. If you are the type of person that can drop weight fast on a diet you’re likely to be wildly successful with the weight loss portion of this endeavor. Everything else is up in the air and seems to be variable for everyone. For me I have had no complications, no foods bother me, nothing tastes different (I hoped it would but it didn’t), I can and do eat whatever I want, but my restriction is so good (and it does feel good) that it still takes me two days to eat a burger, or four days to eat a chipotle burrito (and I don’t even finish it). I don’t have a problem being around food or seeing people eat. My whole relationship with food is completely different. I see it as an inconvenience, but I still enjoy good food and I seek out new and exotic things for fun, I just know I’m taking home 90% of what I order most of the time. My only complaint is my wife and mom think I’m too skinny, which is just an opinion, my doctors are thrilled with my weight and all associated / tested statistics, and as I said I feel absolutely amazing. I feel like I have another 10-15lbs to lose but I’m riding the struggle bus to keep that from happening for the benefit of others. 5000 calories? I’m disgusted with that person. 1500 - 2000 a day give or take is plenty 18 months out and I had nooo problem living on half that for the first year. This was - by far - the best money I’ve ever spent on myself. I’ve easily saved more than my surgery cost ($4400 in Mexico) and I have only great things to say about every aspect of it. I wish it was this easy for everyone. My wife had it done too but she has lost nothing at this point. She eats less than I do, but she never lost when dieting before so we should have known a smaller stomach wouldn’t have helped. I don’t think she needs to lose weight anyway, she’s perfect. But my opinion doesn’t count in her mind :) she has some underlying heath issues we’re working through which we believe contributes to her crazy slow metabolic rate. So I see and live with both sides of how surgery works and doesn’t work for some (if you’re a slow “loser” reading this and you’re on plan and doing everything you should, I BELIEVE YOU, even though everyone assumes you’re not on plan. I know how hard it is for you, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Don’t give up, find a doctor that listens to you and believes you too and start looking for why, and stop going to doctors that don’t listen. Don’t let them give you self doubts (end tangent)).
Best of luck to you. I wish you the best.

First…. I 100% support YOUR decision to tell people about your surgery or not. I am in no way saying you should or should not….
I recently went on a trip and on this trip I had to show my old ID a few times. When I applied to TSA PreCheck I got a triple take when they looked at my passport photo vs the new me… so I explained… then on the trip I just decided to preemptively say “yeah I’ve lost a lot of weight since then” when they looked at my ID. Twice I had the person (quietly) ask “mind if I ask how? It’s none of my business I’m just wondering.” Both times I told them the truth, both times they said they’ve been thinking about it. Both times they smiled when I told them how stupidly amazing I feel and how I wish I had done this sooner. Both times we held up the line entirely too long while they and I both opened up about our weight issues and weight wishes. They were great moments and they wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t open up to them.
My wife does not want me to share my story with her side of the family and I’ve respected her wishes in that regard. I don’t personally care if they know but she has her reasons and that’s good enough for me. I totally understand that someone you know and will see repeatedly is an entirely different story….
But a stranger I’ll never see again? Someone who is like I was and clearly is looking for help? I’ll never lie to them. They deserve to know that traditional diets are damn hard if not impossible for most of us. I feel like it would make them feel worse about their own diet failures and their self esteem if I lied about how I did what I did. I’ll share my story with anyone going forward with joy, because I’m so happy about it and I want them to feel this way too. I gave both of those people info on this forum and my username. If you’re here reading this now, welcome. I’m glad you made the effort. Please don’t feel the need to introduce yourself just yet. Read, absorb, self reflect. But welcome nonetheless. I’m happy that you’re here.

I drink coffee without issue, have since day two if you count the cafe mocha Protein Drinks, probably day three of real coffee. There are some doctors (in all specialties) who give the absolute safest/healthiest/trendiest advice just because that’s what they do. The reality is caffeine isn’t needed by the body. Any research or study that even remotely indicates a negative association will cause some doctors to put (insert food/drink item here) on their prohibition list just because… it’s like a mechanic who says “get your oil changed every 5000 miles without exception” because technically it is the best/safest advice vs the mechanic who says “it’s honestly fine if you go over a little, just don’t go crazy and get it taken care of soon.” The first is covering his butt so the one in a million customer that has their engine blow up at 5001 miles past the last oil change doesn’t blow a gasket (hah!) and blame them even though it’s not likely connected vs the second who understands the realities of the situation and gives practical honest advise that is more compliant with the busy lives of the vast majority of people.
Many doctors are VERY risk averse due to malpractice lawsuits, some are just exceptionally health conscious on behalf of their patients to the point of being unrealistic, some even misunderstand physics and how the body works (straw prohibition!! Grrrrrr!!).
The real real answer? You’ll almost certainly be absolutely fine drinking coffee. There is a chance you won’t. There is a chance caffeine will cause you health concerns down the road. There is a chance it won’t. Your body doesn’t need it, but you may want it and that’s ok.
Me? Sipping my coffee as I type this long ramble of a mess of a post.

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.

Always listen to your doctor, as they will have a better understanding of your specific circumstances than any of us. That being said I was drinking coffee based Protein Shakes on day 2, real coffee perhaps day 7? Just a guess there but it definitely wasn’t long. I had no negative consequences and drink more coffee now (16 months post op) than I ever have. I find it beneficial to keep my stomach full of zero calorie liquids (coffee and zero calorie soda) as it prevents me from the occasional fridge grazing.

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.

Tell them you’ll compare your weight loss to theirs and when they say “zero” yell “divide by zero error!!!” and run off.

Weird. When I was 350lbs and had big boobs no one helped me with the cat litter…. Joking aside sorry you’re dealing with that. My wife gets it too and she not only hates it but it affects her to the point of not wanting to go to certain places where it tends to happen more often (Home Depot). From a guys perspective I think most of the time we don’t know how creepy or unsettling it can make you feel. I say we because I’m a guy, not because I’ve ever done it. I’ve been too shy to say anything to anyone ever in that regard my whole life, and I’m ok with that. Hell I don’t even make eye contact with strangers in public.

I had zero change in actual taste. Tbh I was looking forward to it and thought it would be an aid in my new life, so I was initially disappointed.. but while my taste buds haven’t changed, my tastes (as in what I choose to like/dislike) has.