billho

my wife bought the whole family Christmas pajamas. I was annoyed, mainly because I didn't want to be one of those families that do that and the PJs for guys are never flattering. On top of that, she got me a medium. I haven't worn a medium since I was about 12, so I didn't even want to put it on. But... it actually didn't fit too bad. It was a little tight, but didn't look like a body suit like I thought it would. A few Christmases ago, I would have probably needed either 2x or 3x, so that's a big change.

my wife bought the whole family Christmas pajamas. I was annoyed, mainly because I didn't want to be one of those families that do that and the PJs for guys are never flattering. On top of that, she got me a medium. I haven't worn a medium since I was about 12, so I didn't even want to put it on. But... it actually didn't fit too bad. It was a little tight, but didn't look like a body suit like I thought it would. A few Christmases ago, I would have probably needed either 2x or 3x, so that's a big change.

my wife bought the whole family Christmas pajamas. I was annoyed, mainly because I didn't want to be one of those families that do that and the PJs for guys are never flattering. On top of that, she got me a medium. I haven't worn a medium since I was about 12, so I didn't even want to put it on. But... it actually didn't fit too bad. It was a little tight, but didn't look like a body suit like I thought it would. A few Christmases ago, I would have probably needed either 2x or 3x, so that's a big change.

my wife bought the whole family Christmas pajamas. I was annoyed, mainly because I didn't want to be one of those families that do that and the PJs for guys are never flattering. On top of that, she got me a medium. I haven't worn a medium since I was about 12, so I didn't even want to put it on. But... it actually didn't fit too bad. It was a little tight, but didn't look like a body suit like I thought it would. A few Christmases ago, I would have probably needed either 2x or 3x, so that's a big change.

my wife bought the whole family Christmas pajamas. I was annoyed, mainly because I didn't want to be one of those families that do that and the PJs for guys are never flattering. On top of that, she got me a medium. I haven't worn a medium since I was about 12, so I didn't even want to put it on. But... it actually didn't fit too bad. It was a little tight, but didn't look like a body suit like I thought it would. A few Christmases ago, I would have probably needed either 2x or 3x, so that's a big change.

my wife bought the whole family Christmas pajamas. I was annoyed, mainly because I didn't want to be one of those families that do that and the PJs for guys are never flattering. On top of that, she got me a medium. I haven't worn a medium since I was about 12, so I didn't even want to put it on. But... it actually didn't fit too bad. It was a little tight, but didn't look like a body suit like I thought it would. A few Christmases ago, I would have probably needed either 2x or 3x, so that's a big change.

my wife bought the whole family Christmas pajamas. I was annoyed, mainly because I didn't want to be one of those families that do that and the PJs for guys are never flattering. On top of that, she got me a medium. I haven't worn a medium since I was about 12, so I didn't even want to put it on. But... it actually didn't fit too bad. It was a little tight, but didn't look like a body suit like I thought it would. A few Christmases ago, I would have probably needed either 2x or 3x, so that's a big change.

my wife bought the whole family Christmas pajamas. I was annoyed, mainly because I didn't want to be one of those families that do that and the PJs for guys are never flattering. On top of that, she got me a medium. I haven't worn a medium since I was about 12, so I didn't even want to put it on. But... it actually didn't fit too bad. It was a little tight, but didn't look like a body suit like I thought it would. A few Christmases ago, I would have probably needed either 2x or 3x, so that's a big change.

I have always worn shirts and sweaters that were a little big to cover up my being overweight (atleast that was what I thought was happening). This Christmas my wife bought me some sweaters. A year ago I was wearing 3X, probably could have done 2X. She bought me medium sweaters which I was ready to be embarrassed because I figured I was too heaving to fit in a medium. We damn...I fit in a medium. What a feeling.

I had to go buy a new winter coat today because my old ones are so big that they catch the wind and let in all the cold air! Bonus: I've gone from a TIGHT 3x to a comfortable 1x; I'll definitely be in the "regular" sizes next year.

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.

As mentioned here and on your other post, every program is different. Follow yours. Read it now. And keep reading it. Follow it. Your experiences will be different from every other person's.
Don't get caught up on the bariatric Facebook groups for advice. They are full of inaccurate information and sometimes downright scary, advice.

I second this. I stocked up way too much on stuff that I threw away. You may want to have a small assortment of allowed foods on hand, but just enough to sample to decide later if you want to have them again. And I know this is a site sponsored by a supplier of bariatric products and maybe even your doctor's office may recommend something specific, but you can find cheaper options that are probably just as good. Read labels and make sure you're following your nutritionist's recommendations.
Wait until after your surgery to stock up on stuff you like. costco and Walmart have lots of options that worked well for me. Costco's store brand Kirkland Protein Bars and multivitamins are just fine. I do buy Premier Protein branded shakes, but I get them by the case.
Other advice: walk, walk, and walk some more. The more you move, the faster you will recover (within reason, of course). Avoid the urge to let people wait on you. The more you do for yourself, the better.

Yeah, I was overweight as a kid and got bigger as adult- I was told that horizontal strips around the belly make you look like a globe with the equator around the middle. Naturally, I have avoided horizontal stripes all of my life. Maybe it is time to revisit this fashion choice, now that I'm not so big anymore.

Progress photos: First pic at 273 lbs (I had lost about 10 lbs before I took a photo), and second pic at 184 lbs.

Goaaaaaal!
I set out last July to lose 100 lbs. and I picked a random date at the end of May to get there. Today, May 25th, I'm down 100 lbs. and am lighter than I have been since college (30+ years ago).

95 lbs in 6 months is doing great! Everybody is different and if you're following the program and are doing the right things, your weight will settle out where it is supposed to be. I think I lost my first 90 lbs in six months, but it took another four or five to get the last 10. The losing tends to slow down as you approach your goal. Keep going and be proud of the work you have done... and keep going!

I think the previous posts are spot on. It really depends on you, your current health situation, and how your recovery goes. I can only speak for myself- it was pretty easy the first week and I didn't need help. I fixed my own food and can't remember needing my wife or kids to help me out. I specifically didn't want them to help because it was important that I got moving and walk as much as possible. So I did.
Walk as much as you can.
I would be careful about stockpiling a ton of one type of food over another. Have a variety, since you really don't know what you'll like. I know I bought a bunch of stuff that I never ate (broth drinks, made Jello, Protein Shakes in flavors that were not appealing after surgery). If you have a grocery store in walking distance, maybe that can be part of your exercise to walk there to get what you need for the day.

Yeah, I was overweight as a kid and got bigger as adult- I was told that horizontal strips around the belly make you look like a globe with the equator around the middle. Naturally, I have avoided horizontal stripes all of my life. Maybe it is time to revisit this fashion choice, now that I'm not so big anymore.

Yeah, I was overweight as a kid and got bigger as adult- I was told that horizontal strips around the belly make you look like a globe with the equator around the middle. Naturally, I have avoided horizontal stripes all of my life. Maybe it is time to revisit this fashion choice, now that I'm not so big anymore.

Yeah, I was overweight as a kid and got bigger as adult- I was told that horizontal strips around the belly make you look like a globe with the equator around the middle. Naturally, I have avoided horizontal stripes all of my life. Maybe it is time to revisit this fashion choice, now that I'm not so big anymore.

I would be careful about doing anything that would be considered as fraud or inflation of your numbers, as that could really come back to bite you when it comes time for approvals. But, this is probably a conversation you need to have with your doctor/nurse coordinator. They should know the rules for approval with your insurance company, as they tend to vary.
I was really worried about this for mine, as I was right on the 40 BMI line and, if I did the pre-surgery diet, I would have dropped under the line. But, since I had blood pressure and sleep apnea, the line was down to 35 and I was free to go ahead and get started losing weight. Assuming you have some other medical conditions, you might be OK. Even so, when I had my day-of-surgery weigh in, I was still worried that they would deny and I'd get stuck with a big bill. It turned out that my original weight was the only number they looked at and it was fine.

184.4 (goal of 184.0) so I'm .4 away. Almost there. Got a little more work to do this week.

I've been at the beach with my family this week and for the first time in a very long time, I'm comfortable walking around without a shirt on. Also, I'm really close to losing 100 lbs, so I thought I'd take this chance to kick up my walking routing up a notch. I've been walking about 25k steps a day, and after 4 days of this, I woke up this morning feeling my abs when I touched my belly. I'm eager to weigh when I get back home- I think I'm close.

I had one a few months ago- I recently joined my local volunteer fire department and when they went to find turnout gear for me, they had to really hunt for some that was small enough. And my daughter (who is also a firefighter) wears the same size as me.