Real food sucks...I have it on occasion and 1-2 oz's max. Protein shake in the morning, then munch on nuts, cheese, beef jerky and protein bars throughout the day, then have a few bites of whatever the fam's having for dinner. Doc said no alcohol for 6 months post op. Yeah, right. I've been drinking as regularly as I did before (sans beer ) since the full liquid stage. Tolerance was low for about a day or two, then back to normal. Exercising as per the nutritionist's guidelines, though, so not doing everything wrong. 75 pounds in a little over 2 months. Extreme hypertension down to near-normal.

No regrets.

Am I alone in just doing it my way?

If you are looking for us to encourage the rogue behavior, I think this is the wrong forum...best wishes to you

14 hours ago, Raffi said:

600-800 calories, 60-80 g of protein (roughly), and a couple drinks every other night for sanity. Then there was that weekend in Vegas....oh, I forgot. What happens in Vegas...

Funny side story bout Vegas. They actually made me pay full price for the buffet. I did 'cause otherwise I couldn't go in with the family. Everyone got a kick out of my buffet plate...essentially one bite each of 5 different items. ?

Oh that's too bad. I don't know what I'll do if we ever go to a buffet again. I'm hoping I can throw myself on their mercy and get charged the kid's price.

I went to a brunch buffet this weekend. We had a buy-one-get-one coupon, so I didn't feel overly ripped off. I got to have small bits of prime rib, bacon, shrimp, and caprese salad. The best part wasn't the food though, it was being at a buffet without feeling apologetic about it. Usually, I am in line feeling like people are staring, like I shouldn't be eating all that *I* can eat because I'm already fat.

I gave up on caring what food costs a long time ago. I get what I want (within the parameters of what I eat, of course), eat what I can, and either get a to-go box (for what is worth taking with me) or leave what I don't eat on the table.

I generally don't go to buffets, but when I have to (for instance when my best friend and I went to the casino recently), I just eat what I can and don't worry about it.

I remember about a year post op I was with a large group of family and the easiest option was a buffet. I showed them my bariatric card, but they said they do not make concessions. No problem, I'll pay for a to-go buffet trip and eat that. They said that was fine. I loaded that SOB up with so much meat it wasn't funny. Then I sat with family and picked at their plates. Later on we all nibbled on my to-go order.

15 minutes ago, blizair09 said:

I gave up on caring what food costs a long time ago. I get what I want (within the parameters of what I eat, of course), eat what I can, and either get a to-go box (for what is worth taking with me) or leave what I don't eat on the table.

I generally don't go to buffets, but when I have to (for instance when my best friend and I went to the casino recently), I just eat what I can and don't worry about it.

I haven't decided between ordering off the kids' menu and ordering an adult meal and taking 3/4 of it home with me. Sometimes I want a real meal, sometimes I want to pay $5 or less for my meal.

2 minutes ago, BigViffer said:

I remember about a year post op I was with a large group of family and the easiest option was a buffet. I showed them my bariatric card, but they said they do not make concessions. No problem, I'll pay for a to-go buffet trip and eat that. They said that was fine. I loaded that SOB up with so much meat it wasn't funny. Then I sat with family and picked at their plates. Later on we all nibbled on my to-go order.

Ha. "Bariatric card." I'll just tell them I had the surgery, and if they go on a power trip, I'll pull up my shirt and show them the scars.

I don't get why everyone is being so hard on him? Just because we had this surgery doesn't mean it resolved our issues with food, etc. He sounds like he's doing a lot better than me because I still struggle with eating bad foods - while it's much smaller portions, I still struggle every day. We are human beings, and not all of us can be so immaculate post surgery as others and it's hard to see sometimes.

He sounds like he's eating pretty decent to me though.

But I do realize just how scary it is that if I don't get my sh*t together, I could gain the weight back and I've been working on making my eating habits better.

I enjoy a glass of wine or two like once a month and I'm not fearful of developing an addiction.

Edited January 30, 20188 yr by sleevedshereen

It's sort of like I took the fabric and pattern instructions given to me, and then tailored them to fit myself. I have done things my own way, with success, but have followed the basic guidelines. The first couple of months out I was far more militant about adhering to the "rules" while I was healing. After that I would give myself more liberties, but within reason.

I had alcohol for the first time four months post-op, at a Christmas event. It wasn't painful, but my tolerance was definitely much lower. I've only had a few sips of wine ever since. One of the reasons I avoid alcohol is because it's liquid calories that offer little in the form of nutrition. I also only have Coke, frappes, and other calorie-laden drinks on very rare occasion. It's easy to consume more than intended, and sabotage yourself.

I think mostly Raffi just sort of framed his post in an unfortunate way. It would be easy to take him as being all "HAHA the rules don't apply to me!" and that would be a serious concern, yeah. But I don't think that's what he was saying.

I think he was actually just noticing that he's maybe not as meticulous with things as he is encouraged to be and takes a few liberties with the rules. The former is easily fixable (though it would be easier to do that before he runs into a problem than after) and the latter describes... pretty much all of us.

I mean, shoot, I drink, too. I have a glass of wine maybe 4 days a week. Sometimes two, if friends are over. I have to be really careful about it and I include those calories in my planning. But I do that, too, sure.

2 hours ago, etc. etc. etc. said:

I think mostly Raffi just sort of framed his post in an unfortunate way. It would be easy to take him as being all "HAHA the rules don't apply to me!" and that would be a serious concern, yeah. But I don't think that's what he was saying.

Hmm. To me it definitely comes off as bragging about the rules not applying to him. The title literally says, "I'm doing everything wrong... and shrinking." The implication there is he's still losing weight despite not following any of the guidelines and has "no regrets" according to his OP. So yeah, I don't think we're just being too sensitive by taking what he's said at face value. Giving the middle finger to the surgeon's rules is not only stupid but dangerous. And Raffi has been loving the attention his post has gotten. "Badge of honor," and all that. So I'm really not interested in finding ways to excuse it as him framing his post in a way he didn't intend.

Personally I'm having surgery to lose my excess weight and permanently maintain that by completely overhauling the lifestyle that has been making me sick and fat. But that's just me.

And the winner is....

etc.

Etc., must be tedious trying to explain humor. I rarely try to do it.

Yeah, you're hilarious, Raffi.

No, I don't think you think so.

But...thanks?