Hi Out there-

i dont want to sound Silly or have this sound Frivolous BUT i have this image in my head that after this surgery i will turn into this FREAK :sad: Meaning that when i go out to dinner with friends i will not longer be able to have a drink with them or enjoy ANY kind of beverages with friends anymore since we cant drink anything 30 prior or after.....Told u this sounds real silly :biggrin: I guess i just like to know what to expect so i can talk my self through this but i dont know what to really expect......Then again is this how models and celebraties must feel....being soooo restricted on certain things....so then i tell myself, Well if u want to have bodies u need to make some efforts some where...who cares if u cant have a cosmo with the girls anymore.....you'll be able to shop at Forever 21 stores and wear fitted jeans that DONT have elastic at the waist......I am Good at overanalyzing things....Is this what im doing or is it gonna feel freakish with all these changes.....HELP.......!!!!!! I need to hear the GOOD the BAD and the UGLY of it......i need to mentally prepare for this......:biggrin: What is the first month really like and when does it get better...????

Freaked Out~

Last night I went out to dinner with friends. I had a Manhattan that I sipped while we waited for our dinner. This place had a great priced Prix Fix that included a bowl of Soup or salad, an appetizer, a main course and a dessert. I asked the waitress if I could just get the soup plus two small appetizers and no entree. They said sure. I ate most of the soup and 3/4 's of both apps. I even had one bite of the dessert. Now, was I over full, no. Is this a meal that will help with my weight loss? No and yes. No because it is not low calorie to have a positive effect on the actual weight loss. But yes, becasue it allows me to go out with friends, not feel like a crazy person, enjoy good and interesting foods and not feel like I am on a diet that never ends.

I have lost 57 pounds in 6 months following this kind of lifestyle. Before I could never have stayed on a diet for 6 months. Now I feel like I can eat what I need to eat to keep myself from going crazy. And I am succeeding. Is it always perfect? No. But I feel like I could eat in this way for a very long time and continue to lose. I may not be one of those people who loses 100 pounds my first year. But I am happy to be where i am.

I agree with UpperWestSide. I still go out to eat, just have to be careful, I still sip my ice tea until dinner arrives, then push it aside. No one really notices. You find ways to adapt and not call attention to yourself and you are not a freak. One of our friends made a comment once that if he did not pay close attention to how much I ate he rarely remembers I have had surgery. I eat slower, talk more, and generally enjoy meals out.