The Greater Fool

You are threatening the status quo. That can be very scary and can change existing safe relationships dramatically and not always for the best. Generally when people don't want you to improve yourself there is something in it for them for you to stay as you are.
Maybe not. It will take some soul searching to discover the truth.
Good luck,
Tek

You are threatening the status quo. That can be very scary and can change existing safe relationships dramatically and not always for the best. Generally when people don't want you to improve yourself there is something in it for them for you to stay as you are.
Maybe not. It will take some soul searching to discover the truth.
Good luck,
Tek

You are threatening the status quo. That can be very scary and can change existing safe relationships dramatically and not always for the best. Generally when people don't want you to improve yourself there is something in it for them for you to stay as you are.
Maybe not. It will take some soul searching to discover the truth.
Good luck,
Tek

Restriction doesn't always wear off. I'm about 20 years post-op and my restriction is about the same as it was at about 6 months post-op. I honestly don't know if it's something my surgeon did, or I did, or just dumb luck.
Keep the good habits, don't push your envelope, and continue to bask in your successes.
Good luck,
Tek

In addition to rashes, back-pain and added Lymphedema problems are additional issues where "reconstructive surgery" will address issues.
You've done a bunch of scary things since you decided to start addressing your health issues by having Weight Loss Surgery. You just need to continue putting your health first and bravely continue advocating for your health. Your Doctors work for you and if they aren't doing the job find a new doctor that will.
Good luck,
Tek

Your plan is not that different from my plan. 3 meals of 3-4oz Protein + 1oz veggies, no Snacks, no Protein Drinks. The idea is learning to eat like a healthy person. It took me several months to be able to complete a meal somewhat regularly.
Unfortunately for your Surgeon, the math doesn't really work out. There is no way you will get to 80g of protein on this plan, nor do you need that much. 60oz is more than enough for a healthy person. Depending on your size even less may be OK.
Regardless, just do the best you can. You can only fill a cup so much. You will manage.
All these years later, this is still my eating plan. It just comes naturally now. Still don't manage to eat everything much of the time.
Good luck,
Tek

I would advise you to get rid of the scale. I say this a lot and it's difficult to say it in new and interesting ways. Let's see...
We don't need the scale to follow our plans. We can follow our plans to the letter and stall or even gain a pound or three, as is very common. In such a case it's easy to start considering "changing things up" to get the scale moving again.
in the first several months we could completely abandon our plans and still lose weight. Looking at the scale will give many of us confirmation that we are doing well when in fact we aren't. Again, the scale is a poor guide.
We should measure our success on how well we are following our plan. Are we feeling better? How is our mental attitude? Are health issues resolving? How about those clothes? Are you more active? Is it getting easier? There are all sorts of measures of success without a number on a scale.
I was too large for a home scale so was only able to weigh in at monthly follow-ups. I'm confident I had stalls or even days where my weight was higher than the day before. I never actually experienced them. Every weigh in was lower than the month before. Never a temptation to "get the scale moving."
You are at the beginning of this adventure. Focus on the things you can control. You can't control a number on a scale.
Damn it, not new. Let's see if next time I can come up with a Hanzal and Gretel fairy tale where the witch is a scale...
Good luck,
Tek

I would advise you to get rid of the scale. I say this a lot and it's difficult to say it in new and interesting ways. Let's see...
We don't need the scale to follow our plans. We can follow our plans to the letter and stall or even gain a pound or three, as is very common. In such a case it's easy to start considering "changing things up" to get the scale moving again.
in the first several months we could completely abandon our plans and still lose weight. Looking at the scale will give many of us confirmation that we are doing well when in fact we aren't. Again, the scale is a poor guide.
We should measure our success on how well we are following our plan. Are we feeling better? How is our mental attitude? Are health issues resolving? How about those clothes? Are you more active? Is it getting easier? There are all sorts of measures of success without a number on a scale.
I was too large for a home scale so was only able to weigh in at monthly follow-ups. I'm confident I had stalls or even days where my weight was higher than the day before. I never actually experienced them. Every weigh in was lower than the month before. Never a temptation to "get the scale moving."
You are at the beginning of this adventure. Focus on the things you can control. You can't control a number on a scale.
Damn it, not new. Let's see if next time I can come up with a Hanzal and Gretel fairy tale where the witch is a scale...
Good luck,
Tek

I would advise you to get rid of the scale. I say this a lot and it's difficult to say it in new and interesting ways. Let's see...
We don't need the scale to follow our plans. We can follow our plans to the letter and stall or even gain a pound or three, as is very common. In such a case it's easy to start considering "changing things up" to get the scale moving again.
in the first several months we could completely abandon our plans and still lose weight. Looking at the scale will give many of us confirmation that we are doing well when in fact we aren't. Again, the scale is a poor guide.
We should measure our success on how well we are following our plan. Are we feeling better? How is our mental attitude? Are health issues resolving? How about those clothes? Are you more active? Is it getting easier? There are all sorts of measures of success without a number on a scale.
I was too large for a home scale so was only able to weigh in at monthly follow-ups. I'm confident I had stalls or even days where my weight was higher than the day before. I never actually experienced them. Every weigh in was lower than the month before. Never a temptation to "get the scale moving."
You are at the beginning of this adventure. Focus on the things you can control. You can't control a number on a scale.
Damn it, not new. Let's see if next time I can come up with a Hanzal and Gretel fairy tale where the witch is a scale...
Good luck,
Tek

I would advise you to get rid of the scale. I say this a lot and it's difficult to say it in new and interesting ways. Let's see...
We don't need the scale to follow our plans. We can follow our plans to the letter and stall or even gain a pound or three, as is very common. In such a case it's easy to start considering "changing things up" to get the scale moving again.
in the first several months we could completely abandon our plans and still lose weight. Looking at the scale will give many of us confirmation that we are doing well when in fact we aren't. Again, the scale is a poor guide.
We should measure our success on how well we are following our plan. Are we feeling better? How is our mental attitude? Are health issues resolving? How about those clothes? Are you more active? Is it getting easier? There are all sorts of measures of success without a number on a scale.
I was too large for a home scale so was only able to weigh in at monthly follow-ups. I'm confident I had stalls or even days where my weight was higher than the day before. I never actually experienced them. Every weigh in was lower than the month before. Never a temptation to "get the scale moving."
You are at the beginning of this adventure. Focus on the things you can control. You can't control a number on a scale.
Damn it, not new. Let's see if next time I can come up with a Hanzal and Gretel fairy tale where the witch is a scale...
Good luck,
Tek

Sure... blame the weight loss.
Good luck,
Tek

You haven't mess up. Make the adjustment and sally forth with confidence.
Good luck,
Tek

When submitting a post the site often goes into a forever nothingness and it's easy to figure it didn't work when in fact it did. One get's used to it. If it happens, just refresh the page and see if your post is there.
Tiredness and lack of motivation can be a symptom of depression. It might help to talk to a professional. Or even a therapist.
Good luck,
Tek

Welcome to the forums.
Let me try to hit everything in no particular order. Much of this is general stuff that may or may not be helpful to you, but may help others that read.
Congratulations on your successes to date.
Beer: Be very careful of transfer addiction, which is common when one coping mechanism, such as food, is taken away so we find another mechanism to replace it. Additionally, with a bypass alcohol is harder on the liver than with normies. Again, be careful.
Muscle loss: Is very common and expected. Rapid weight loss such as we experience causes loss of fat, muscle, and in many cases organs (which is why rapid weight loss for too long is unhealthy). Additionally, it takes extra muscle to move our pre-op bodies around. As we lose weight we require less muscle to move less weight around.
6 meals: At a year out it's ok to make rational adjustments based on your experience and requirements. As an example, I'll share a personal anecdote:
My plan is 3 meals a day of 3-4oz Protein 1oz veggies. No Protein Drinks or Snacks. This is my surgeon's hard and fast plan, period. At about 2 years post-op I decided to challenge myself to a 'Couch to 5K [C25K]' program that gets one to running 5K in 30 days. It turns out I enjoyed running so started binge running. As my miles per week increased my surgeon increased my meals to 4 per day. Then 5. Then 6. Then added a Protein Drink. I very much disliked 6 meals per day as I felt like I was always eating. When I stopped running it was back to 3 meals per day.
Point of the story is there are times to make rational changes. In your situation, it may make sense to reduce your meals (and slightly increase meal size. Or if you want to stay close to where you are, 3 meals + 3 snacks. Or whatever works for you. I'd wager that the author of your plan would be on board with rational changes.
Compliance: In the first several months patients will lose weight no matter what they eat or drink. Being compliant to your plan builds success with the positive reinforcement of losing weight. It's the new, healthy habits that keep you from regaining weight. Trying to start compliance when the weight loss stops too soon puts us into the same diet and fail cycle we lived pre-op, with the same results.
Good luck,
Tek

When submitting a post the site often goes into a forever nothingness and it's easy to figure it didn't work when in fact it did. One get's used to it. If it happens, just refresh the page and see if your post is there.
Tiredness and lack of motivation can be a symptom of depression. It might help to talk to a professional. Or even a therapist.
Good luck,
Tek

IMHO, you've made a good decision.
Let me share a bit of my story to convince you to put the scale away... period.
When I had surgery I was too large by far for a home scale. The only time I was weighed for about a year and a half after surgery was at my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups. Because of this, I never saw a stall in my weight loss. At my follow-ups my weight loss was never the topic of discussion unless I brought it up. The discussion centered on how I was feeling, how my plan was going, life changes, how was I emotionally, any issues or concerns. I learned valuable lessons in these appointments.
Eventually I was able to weigh on a home scale. I practically lived on the scale for a couple weeks until the novelty wore off, then I never used it again. I knew how I was doing by how I felt, my plan compliance, how my clothes felt, my health, happiness and a number of other considerations. These are still my measurements.
We don't need a scale to follow our plans. The number on a scale does not tell you how well you are following your plan. In some cases, the number on the scale may tempt you to change your successful plan.
It's great not being ruled by a number on a scale and simply paying attention to the important stuff.
Good luck,
Tek

IMHO, you've made a good decision.
Let me share a bit of my story to convince you to put the scale away... period.
When I had surgery I was too large by far for a home scale. The only time I was weighed for about a year and a half after surgery was at my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups. Because of this, I never saw a stall in my weight loss. At my follow-ups my weight loss was never the topic of discussion unless I brought it up. The discussion centered on how I was feeling, how my plan was going, life changes, how was I emotionally, any issues or concerns. I learned valuable lessons in these appointments.
Eventually I was able to weigh on a home scale. I practically lived on the scale for a couple weeks until the novelty wore off, then I never used it again. I knew how I was doing by how I felt, my plan compliance, how my clothes felt, my health, happiness and a number of other considerations. These are still my measurements.
We don't need a scale to follow our plans. The number on a scale does not tell you how well you are following your plan. In some cases, the number on the scale may tempt you to change your successful plan.
It's great not being ruled by a number on a scale and simply paying attention to the important stuff.
Good luck,
Tek

IMHO, you've made a good decision.
Let me share a bit of my story to convince you to put the scale away... period.
When I had surgery I was too large by far for a home scale. The only time I was weighed for about a year and a half after surgery was at my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups. Because of this, I never saw a stall in my weight loss. At my follow-ups my weight loss was never the topic of discussion unless I brought it up. The discussion centered on how I was feeling, how my plan was going, life changes, how was I emotionally, any issues or concerns. I learned valuable lessons in these appointments.
Eventually I was able to weigh on a home scale. I practically lived on the scale for a couple weeks until the novelty wore off, then I never used it again. I knew how I was doing by how I felt, my plan compliance, how my clothes felt, my health, happiness and a number of other considerations. These are still my measurements.
We don't need a scale to follow our plans. The number on a scale does not tell you how well you are following your plan. In some cases, the number on the scale may tempt you to change your successful plan.
It's great not being ruled by a number on a scale and simply paying attention to the important stuff.
Good luck,
Tek

IMHO, you've made a good decision.
Let me share a bit of my story to convince you to put the scale away... period.
When I had surgery I was too large by far for a home scale. The only time I was weighed for about a year and a half after surgery was at my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups. Because of this, I never saw a stall in my weight loss. At my follow-ups my weight loss was never the topic of discussion unless I brought it up. The discussion centered on how I was feeling, how my plan was going, life changes, how was I emotionally, any issues or concerns. I learned valuable lessons in these appointments.
Eventually I was able to weigh on a home scale. I practically lived on the scale for a couple weeks until the novelty wore off, then I never used it again. I knew how I was doing by how I felt, my plan compliance, how my clothes felt, my health, happiness and a number of other considerations. These are still my measurements.
We don't need a scale to follow our plans. The number on a scale does not tell you how well you are following your plan. In some cases, the number on the scale may tempt you to change your successful plan.
It's great not being ruled by a number on a scale and simply paying attention to the important stuff.
Good luck,
Tek

IMHO, you've made a good decision.
Let me share a bit of my story to convince you to put the scale away... period.
When I had surgery I was too large by far for a home scale. The only time I was weighed for about a year and a half after surgery was at my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups. Because of this, I never saw a stall in my weight loss. At my follow-ups my weight loss was never the topic of discussion unless I brought it up. The discussion centered on how I was feeling, how my plan was going, life changes, how was I emotionally, any issues or concerns. I learned valuable lessons in these appointments.
Eventually I was able to weigh on a home scale. I practically lived on the scale for a couple weeks until the novelty wore off, then I never used it again. I knew how I was doing by how I felt, my plan compliance, how my clothes felt, my health, happiness and a number of other considerations. These are still my measurements.
We don't need a scale to follow our plans. The number on a scale does not tell you how well you are following your plan. In some cases, the number on the scale may tempt you to change your successful plan.
It's great not being ruled by a number on a scale and simply paying attention to the important stuff.
Good luck,
Tek

I had my surgery when the internet was young. There were perhaps 2 or 3 main WLS message boards not unlike bariatric-pal, along with several 'blogging' sites where a few folks detailed their experiences, generally in text.
I kept a journal form history from the moment I decided to have surgery until about 2 years post-op, which included appointments, milestones, and stuff I found interesting, then the next year was my running journal in much the same form. Though I wrote my entries in a form that was to be read, I never really intended to share them publicly, though eventually I did just that anonymously out there on the internet somewhere.
My only caution is to remind you the internet is forever. There may come a day when you'd like to allow your WLS and weight issues to fade into the past. Be sure you don't reveal too much.
Good luck,
Tek

I had my surgery when the internet was young. There were perhaps 2 or 3 main WLS message boards not unlike bariatric-pal, along with several 'blogging' sites where a few folks detailed their experiences, generally in text.
I kept a journal form history from the moment I decided to have surgery until about 2 years post-op, which included appointments, milestones, and stuff I found interesting, then the next year was my running journal in much the same form. Though I wrote my entries in a form that was to be read, I never really intended to share them publicly, though eventually I did just that anonymously out there on the internet somewhere.
My only caution is to remind you the internet is forever. There may come a day when you'd like to allow your WLS and weight issues to fade into the past. Be sure you don't reveal too much.
Good luck,
Tek

When I say nothing changed food-wise I mean nothing changed food-wise.
From post-op Day 1 until now my plan has been 3 meals a day of 3-4 oz Protein, 1-oz veggies, no Snacks. The first 6 weeks it was pureed. I never got to completing a meal anywhere consistently until after about 2 months. Even now I only complete meals perhaps 60-70% of the time. Sometimes better, sometimes worse.
I rarely press the 'I'm full' signal, even if it happens after 1 bite. Though sometimes if it happens so quickly, I'll wait a time them try again.
Nothing changed food-wise.
Good luck,
Tek

Let's see... I got down to a nice weight. I was happy. Then I stayed there.
My plan was a forever plan, so nothing much changed food-wise.
Good luck,
Tek

This is another place where the scale is just not helpful.
Even considering a change to exercise routines or food plan levels because of a number on a scale is... well... self defeating.
The exercise is healthy, it's making a healthier you. Your food plan is healthy(ish) and it's making a healthier you. But the scale is giving you the message something needs to change.
Imagine not having the scale, you would be following your exercise plan and food plan knowing they are the appropriate course for you. You would be getting healthier. You would feel good about the habits you are building. No scale to make you crazy.
Life is better without a scale.
Good luck,
Tek