billho

My surgery was on 9/21. Starting weight was 284, lost 38 before surgery, now 204, so 80 lbs down. I haven't been this light for over 20 years.
I have been working on the last 10 for two months, but it is slowly coming off. I do a lot of walking/jogging (average about 11,000 steps a day) and I try to break it up into one long one each day, with 5 more short ones spread over the rest of the day. I haven't done any weight lifting, but I know I need to. I eat mostly what I want, and focus on high protein/low carbs, but much lower portion sizes than I used to. I need to work on snacking, which I do too much of.
My life has changed with my new size- I learned how to ride a motorcycle and got my license. Also, I joined my local volunteer fire department and am going through some training. I also can do so many things with ease now that used to be very difficult.

I had surgery on sep 16th My starting weight was 247 and lost 23 before surgery. Surgery weight was 223 and I’m now 173 so I lost about 52 since surgery and 74 all together. I eat around 600-700 calories a day but sometimes make it to 800

sorry for derailing this thread, but when I took that picture, I didn't realize how wrinkly my head was. I have loose skin everywhere, including I guess the top of my head.

This is me, 4 months postop... but I was bald before surgery.

sorry for derailing this thread, but when I took that picture, I didn't realize how wrinkly my head was. I have loose skin everywhere, including I guess the top of my head.

This is me, 4 months postop... but I was bald before surgery.

This is me, 4 months postop... but I was bald before surgery.

This is me, 4 months postop... but I was bald before surgery.

I thought I'd log in with a few updates today. I started this process back on July 31st with a high weight of 284. I lost 34 lbs before surgery on Sept. 21st and weighed in at 233.2 this morning. The two big milestones are that I passed 50 lbs lost and I am now a BMI of 34, which means I'm only "obese" instead of "morbidly obese". I have a long way to go to my 180 target, but I am happy about the progress so far.

I would plan for some good walking shoes. You need to keep moving to avoid blood clots and to start into a healthy lifestyle plan. My doc wanted 10,000 steps a day, and I worked up to that in the first week. Naps and massage are great, but keep yourself moving inbetween or you could have complications.

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.

Do you have United Healthcare? I recently discovered a plan through them called "United Healthcare Motion" where they will send you an Apple Watch SE for $23 (for a $300+ watch) and in return, you have to pay off the balance over 6 months by walking three times a week. There are fitness goals of
F: Fitness- walk 500 steps 6 times a day
I: Intensity- walk 3,000 steps in 30 minutes
T: Tenacity- walk 10,000 steps throughout the day
I got my watch right after Christmas and have had no problem with the "I" and the "T" and just had to make a few adjustments to my normal routine fit in the "F" portion. I'd encourage you to check it out if you happen to have United Healthcare your plan includes this benefit and want a new watch for almost nothing.
https://unitedhealthcaremotion.com/

Last night, I was eating a taco (on a low carb fajita tortilla) and my stomach "burbled" and my dog was there in an instant, ie. before I knew I was full, I think my dog, Lola knew! LOL My son said she was like a service dog, but instead of signaling on low blood sugar, she signals when I'm full, so she can have my leftovers! LOL

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.

I too wrestled with this decision. I was on board at 280 lbs, but after I dropped 36 lbs with diet and exercise, I considered stopping and just keep going with my 1200 cal diet. The reason I chose to move forward was that I have always been good at losing weight when I try hard, but every time I lose a bit and hit a wall, I get lazy and start falling back into old habits. Something like: diet + exercise> lose 30 or 40 lbs >get sloppy and slip back into old habits > gain it back plus 10 lbs. I'm tired of that cycle repeating over and over and I felt the sleeve was the best way to get to a place where I am happy with my weight permanently. Yes, I will have to do the work and make good decisions.
Good luck with your decision and only you can make it.

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...

It's great being able to sit down on the end of a bench - like at a picnic table - and not have the whole bench flip up!

my class got canceled last weekend after the instructor wasn't feeling well. Fortunately, they were able to squeeze me into the class this coming weekend. So, delayed by one week. I did, however, go to the local college stadium parking lot on Saturday and practiced some basic riding and got the feel for it. I never got over 35 mph, but it was fun and I didn't hurt myself.

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.

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.

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:

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 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.

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

One of my greatest fears was this:
Other than being overweight most of my life, I have been relatively healthy. I had never had surgery, never broken a bone, and never experienced a major medical event. However, being overweight has led to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and difficulty with physical activity. The decision to have WLS came with a bit of shame that my obesity was all my fault and completely in my control to fix and that I have failed miserably. So, I was afraid that I was going to permanently disfigure or mutilate my body, just to fix something that I caused. And, if I had a complication, that would be that much worse. I realize that that was wrong thinking... but it had a lot to do with why it took me so long to decide to do this.
Now I'm headed in the right direction and have a lot of pressure to not let this opportunity go to waste.