billho

My dog has learned that every time I get out food, there is a good chance that I will give her some. But, lately, I have been trying to focus on getting out the right amount, so the last two dinners, she has been disappointed.

I have been stalled for over a month. I got below 210 back around Thanksgiving (206.8) after I got COVID, but as soon as I started feeling better, I popped back to about 212 and have hovered between 208 and 210 ever since. Well, finally after a long month, I am finally down to 205. After three days in a row of lower numbers, I feel like the stall is broken and "onederland" is right around the corner.

We have four great kids now, but along the way, there were three miscarriages (miscarriage 1 > kid 1 > Kid 2 > miscarriage 2 > miscarriage 3 > kid 3 > 5 years later *surprise kid 4). Nobody seems to talk about them until you go through it yourself and it is more common than you realize. It was really hard on my wife and I wish had been able to show the loss and grieve better with her. I was the stoic and strong one and that was exactly what she didn't need. I think it would have been much better for her and our relationship if I was able to show more emotion while we were going through it. Those were really tough years.

Contrats! it's a big milestone and I can't wait to get there myself. I hit a stall at 210 and have been stuck here a month but I know it will be here eventually if I keep working.

Like others have said, you're probably safer going into the hospital than almost anywhere you may go. Everything is sterile and the likelihood of catching something is super rare. Now, if you go to Walmart or the grocery store...

The hardest thing I have had to learn is to only get out what I can eat and that it's OK to stop when I'm full. My dog has been enjoying this time because she knows that it is a good chance she'll get to eat half my meal every time I get out food.

Yeah, I had COVID a few weeks ago and the one side benefit is that I dropped 6 lbs while I was sick. But, now that I'm feeling better, I have put every one of those back on, which is super frustrating. I am acknowledging that I have been eating whatever I want, too many carbs, and not exercising, so I know what I need to do. It was just nice to see the scale going down every day without trying. Now I have to put in the work...

not sure if these count as low carb/low fat, but their sugar content is low. I like the Costco Kirkland protein bars. They have several flavors, but my favorite is the brownie/cookie dough box. They are more expensive if you buy them online, but a little bit cheaper in the store. The ones I have in my house right now are a few different flavors of Pure Protein bars. Here is one of the labels:

Before my surgery, I was really good about measuring everything and only eating what was allowed. But since my surgery in September, I just get my food (high protein, low carbs) in a portion that I think I can eat, but I eat slowly, and as soon as I get that uncomfortable feeling, I stop and give my plate to my dog?. She has learned that she'll get fed something good every time I eat, so she stays right by my side waiting for it What I end up actually eating is a fraction of what I used to eat, and still about half of what I think I can eat now. I think the most important thing that I can do is to train myself to put my fork down when I am full and not feel obligated to clean my plate.

I had COVID last week and all I could eat without getting sick to my stomach were carbs. I managed to drink one protein shake and one protein bar every day, but anytime I tried to eat something normal with meat or a vegetable, I could eat maybe a bite or two before I felt sick. I did manage to keep down some crackers and a few chips or some things I wouldn't otherwise want to eat. Fortunately, the total quantity was still pretty low and I still lost weight (actually dropped 5 lbs last week). I'm trying not to stress about it, but I certainly don't want this to be a habit when my appetite returns to normal.

Yeah, I'm cold all the time. Maybe it is the 77 lbs of blubber I used to carry around that is gone now. The other thing is that my butt hurts from sitting too much. I have no padding there anymore and I have to get up and move more often. I had to add a cushion to my office chair.

When I started this journey back in the summer, based on recommendations here and other places, I got the RENPHO smart scale. I'm very happy with it so far. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083S5W3PD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm resurrecting this thread- I was wondering about this and a quick search shows you guys have had this discussion before. I have been wearing size 11ee, but lately, my feet seem to slide around a bit in my shoes. I went back to a pair that was normal width and they seem to fit better. For years, I was a 10 1/2 D and I am wondering if I'll go back to that. I think I still have some in my closet.

I weigh every morning. I have a Renpho scale and I like to see the trend lines, even if it goes up and down a little between lows. I've noticed a pattern that right after I hit a new low, it bounces up a half pound or so for a few days until I settle back to the lower number.

I lost 18 pounds in my first month. Sounds like you're right on track.

I didn't tell my work anything. I took 4 vacation days and didn't offer any other details. I was super tired for a few weeks, but was able to hide it since I'm working from home until travel is opened back up. The good thing is that I was already starting to increase my exercise program and focusing on diet before my procedure, so now that I have lost weight (and it is now obvious on zoom calls), I don't think anybody suspects anything. I'm not going to hide it if anybody asks point-blank, but I don't feel it is information that I need to broadcast.

I think the key point is this is a one-time thing and if I make a habit of it, I'm going to be right back where I started.

That happened to me last week. I am usually very strict about my diet, but last Friday night, I got a bag of tortilla chips and ate way too many over a few hours and felt like crap afterward. I weighed the next morning, expecting to see the number be a few lbs. higher, but lo and behold, I dropped like 3 lbs. Go figure.

I wasn't quite to 300, but similar starting BMI (5'9", 284 lbs HW). Surgery 9/21, weighed in 218 today, which is lighter than I have been in 20 years. Before, I was tired all the time and everything hurt. Now I am much more active, my BP is much lower, and I am wearing L pants and XL shirts for the first time in many years. I have about 30 lbs to go, but I think that goal is in reach. I'm glad I did this. Today, I put on my "skinny" jeans, meaning they were the ones I was hanging on in case I got thin again. They were too loose and I need to go down a size.

I'm in NC. I live in the Winston-Salem area and had surgery in Kernersville. Surgery on Sept. 21st. There's a support group, but they meet in-person and I'm in lockdown. So this is my primary support group.

I can only speak for me, and you have to decide what is best for you. For me, no way. The decision to get WLS was very personal and involves addressing some difficult stuff and embracing the failures of trying to manage my weight on my own. There are a lot of "friends" that are super fit and would never understand what it is like to walk in my shoes. Then again, I almost never post anything personal on social media,... my wife, however, if she went through this, she'd post every detail. Fortunately, she honored my request to not mention this about me with her "friends". If you want to put it all out there, you may want to be prepared for some negativity or unsolicited advice.

Fruit Punch Gatorade Zero?

I have kept most of my old clothes over the years and many different sizes, so I still have some things I can wear, even after losing 59 lbs. I did break down last week and bought some workout gear on Walmart.com, since I'm working from home and sweats are my daily uniform. I'm wearing XL shirts now and simply refuse to grab the XXL shirts, even if I only have a few to choose from.

This was the worst part of the pre-approval process. I was right on the line with a BMI of 40 and wasn't sure if insurance would approve if I dropped below. I had co-morbidities, but my sleep apnea was not well-documented and my doctor wasn't sure if it would count. She told me to not drop below 40 until I had approval. I met with the dietician and she gave me the program, but since they didn't want me to start losing weight yet, they told me to wait. But...the psych wanted me to show that I could embrace the new diet and follow their program and she wouldn't pass me until I did. This was a very frustrating situation for me and I was pretty ticked at the psychologist for forcing me to jeopardize my insurance coverage to satisfy her checklist. Well, I decided to embrace the program and I dropped down to a BMI of about 37 before surgery, and fortunately, there was enough documentation to show the insurance company the co-morbidities were enough to qualify. I was worried for nothing. I still don't harbor very happy thoughts about the psychologist though. I'm not sure if I'll go back since insurance only paid a part of our visits since she isn't in their network. Her advice was not very helpful the first time around.

I haven't had to say anything to my co-workers, since I have been locked down since March. I see them on TEAMS/Zoom calls and my face is noticeably thinner. One co-worker mentioned it and I said I was eating less and exercising more. We have a company meeting in the UK in January (assuming the world gets back to normal) and I expect to have this conversation then. I have a few months to prepare.