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[Kumquat]

I would love to hear about the experiences from anyone else that has completed this journey.

I am excited and terrified at the same time. I have two weeks until my surgery date on the 21st, just 6 days before my birthday. What a time to be alive.

I started my fast today and so far it is so terrible. I had a protein shake for breakfast and one for lunch. For dinner I can have food at least but mostly lean meats and nothing gigantic. Feel incredibly hungry and light headed. Like I'm just not with it. I keep hearing the first three days are the worst and then my body will adjust to it but it is pretty awful and is impairing my productivity.

Also my best friend is awful and telling me he will buy me nachos heh.

I will update this as I continue on this journey towards dropping weight. Feel free to ask any questions about my experiences and I will be as open as I am able. Maybe I'll give the story that led me here in a bit.

 

[n64coder]

Good luck with the operation. How much do you weigh now?

Have you changed your eating habits? I suggest watching some episodes of My 600lb Life to get an idea of what people go through before and after the surgery.

 

[Deleted member 284]

Did mine last year. This period will suck but will probably be the last time you will crave food like this. Try your best to not do anything strenuous and drink water. It's worth it.
I've lost a quarter of my weight since December. Halfway to my goal weight for next summer.
Oh and tell you best freoind to cut it out. It's not cool to make jokes like that when you are going through this drastic change to your body and life.

 

[diablos991]

And here I thought people getting a sleeve tattooed on their arm was hardcore.

Best of luck OP!

 

[AnAnole]

Congrats. I lost 155 lbs in under a year. I went from being depressed all the time and having no motivation and no control of my eating habits to being in the best shape of my life and having boundless energy and not being a constant slave to food like I was before the surgery - whether I was giving in to cravings or trying to ignore constant hunger while dieting. I did everything I was supposed to after the surgery and the results have blown everyone away. Make sure you exercise. Lift weights as soon as you can to preserve as much muscle mass as you can, meet (and really, try and exceed) your protein requirements, and walk as much as you can (i've walked 15k steps every day since 3 days after surgery).

And don't feel ashamed about having to get surgery. You're morbidly obese. 99% of morbidly obese people can't keep off the weight without surgery and it's entirely due to the physiology of how your brain and body resist weight loss. You're doing the smart thing rather than attempting another almost certain failed dieting attempt.

 

[Cetra]

I've never heard of this procedure. It sounds incredibly promising. I hope it goes well for you OP. As someone who is morbidly obese and has tried everything under the sun to lose weight with no success, I sincerely hope this helps you escape the hell of guilt and shame that living this was causes.

 

[RagnarokX]

I had a gastric bypass done a few years ago, so technically I don't use my stomach at all anymore. I was 320lbs before the surgery and I lost 160lbs. I've been maintaining at 160lbs for years, which is my ideal body weight for my height. I have a lot more energy now. Best thing I ever did for myself.

 

[fastford58]

I'm a nurse that works on a floor that handles one of the largest bypass programs in Canada.

All I can say is that the actual surgery is only like 10% of the total picture. 90% is lifestyle change and the mental preparedness for that change, and the continued commitment to that change FOREVER more.

I can predict a failed bypass from a mile away within the first hour of working with a fresh surgery patient.

 

[StudioTan]

My wife had it done in June and has lost about 70lbs so far (still looking to drop another 50-60), about 15 of that was from being on the Optifast for 3 weeks before her surgery. There is a forum for people who have had or are going to have the surgery that she frequents, I don't know the name but she's found it very helpful.

In terms of the surgery she's been very happy with it. It's a huge lifestyle change though for sure. The biggest thing is relearning which foods you can still eat, how much you can eat and how fast you can eat it. Also not being able to eat and drink at the same time. She's also no longer ever hungry so you kinda gotta make sure you eat throughout the day.

I'm a nurse that works on a floor that handles one of the largest bypass programs in Canada.

All I can say is that the actual surgery is only like 10% of the total picture. 90% is lifestyle change and the mental preparedness for that change, and the continued commitment to that change FOREVER more.

I can predict a failed bypass from a mile away within the first hour of working with a fresh surgery patient.

You're not at Toronto Western by any chance?

 

[n64coder]

All I can say is that the actual surgery is only like 10% of the total picture. 90% is lifestyle change and the mental preparedness for that change, and the continued commitment to that change FOREVER more.

Agreed. The surgery is a tool to help you lose weight but you still need a lifestyle change or you'll be back where you started.

 

[AnAnole]

Agreed. The surgery is a tool to help you lose weight but you still need a lifestyle change or you'll be back where you started.

I disagree that it's just a tool - these aren't merely restrictive procedures that limit the amount of food than can be eaten - they are significant anatomical alterations that lead to major physiological alterations. Bariatric surgery changes the way food is processed in a number of ways that lead to less metabolic adaptation than occurs with diet induced weight loss and hormones that influence hunger and appetite are significantly alter for the better, lowering the body's defended set point greatly. It is possible to sabotage the surgery by continuing to eat a horrible diet, but usually people's food preferences automatically change for the better after surgery. Generally, most of the weight lost from these surgeries is enduring and only a small percentage of patients regain to near their original weight, and many of those that do or don't lose a lot of excess weight probably have mutations that affect leptin signalling.

 

[Kumquat]

Now that I have had dinner and my sanity feels a bit restored let me give the down and dirty version of my story.

I have always been fat. Even way back in 2nd grade I was tormented for being fat. It's weird really. I don't really have a thing for sugar and I have always eaten fairly well. I have days where I blow my diet like anyone else but overall when I have monitored my food intake it averages to about 1700 calories a day with the very occasional spike to above 2000 and a few valleys at 1500. I have also been fairly active through my life, playing soccer and football and even a stint with body building.

So let's fast forward to fairly recent history. Even when I was body building my weight still hovered between 330 pounds and 350 pounds. I mean, I didn't get winded going up stairs or anything and I was very regimented with my eating and supplementation and I worked out hard during this time. The weight just has never gone away.

So, a few years ago while I was in grad school and working as a contractor I played on an indoor soccer team. The ball started moving up the field and I pushed off to start jogging into position and I felt and heard a pop in my left knee. I had sheared the lateral meniscus in two places. Eventually, when I finally got insurance, I had surgery on it but it has not really recovered since and I think my weight has a lot to do with it. I have also in this time gotten bone spurs on my lower spine. As a result my physical activity has been restrained greatly. I already suffer from chronic depression but this has really just destroyed me in a lot of ways. I mean, it sucked being fat but at least I was healthy and mobile.

So since then my weight has gone up to 390 despite my using an exercise bike and my heavy bag. I have felt like I have been trapped in quick sand. I'm 36 and my mobility and quality of life has gone down quite a bit. My blood sugar is immaculate and my blood pressure is normal still but I know if things continue this way then eventually things will continue down hill.

So this is my desperation move. I have to lose the weight to get my knee and back better so I can get back to what I love which is women and soccer. It's tough for me to ever ask for help or admit I need help and that I'm not capable of something but I reached a breaking point and after much research and talking with people I decided to do this.

Anyways, that is my story. The short version at least. I suppose a thread like this isn't complete without pictures. I don't take body pics really but these should give you an idea.

My fatty arm

Pitbull attack on my fat self

Excessive hot chick pic

And finally my fat face heh

BTW, those of you who have had it, I'm curious if your skin rebounded fairly well or did you have to go through one of those horrible surgeries to deal with it? What can I expect on that front?

 

[Kumquat]

Ogod GAF. Day 2 of protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and I am dying. I just drank it and I am still hungry as anything. I know this too shall pass but man it is brutal right now.

Those dinners really are a blessing. In keeping with the high protein theme I had a larb salad last night. I will likely spend my entire day today thinking about what I want for dinner. For those not in the know larb is this, but I used chicken instead of pork.

For those who have gone through all this I would love to know your creative and bariatric friendly recepies. I have looked online at some websites but if you have a hidden treasure feel free to share it.

 

[halfbeast]

I had a gastric bypass 5 years ago. don't want to scare you, but it severely complicated my life. although, I'm pretty sure I'm in the unfortunate minority. I don't know how similar those surgeries are, so can't tell if the risks are the same.

well, first off the benefits are some of the cravings (for bad food) are gone. I was a pastries-junkie before, can't eat them anymore. cakes and the likes make me physically ill now and I'm cool with it. in general overeating is much harder now, because I get nauseous after a while.

the bad stuff comes from digesting things. if I eat something my stomach has a hard time with, I feel miserable all day. when I'm traveling I tend to not eat for a day to avoid pain. I still trying to figure out why I get impromptu diarrhea every now and then (it got better though).

as for the loose skin, I lost a lot of weight before and had flabby skin leftovers. a friend of mine went from john candy to michael cera in size without any loose skin issues. twice! so, hard to tell if you have to deal with it.

good luck with the procedure, dude!

 

[Kumquat]

I had a gastric bypass 5 years ago. don't want to scare you, but it severely complicated my life. although, I'm pretty sure I'm in the unfortunate minority. I don't know how similar those surgeries are, so can't tell if the risks are the same.

well, first off the benefits are some of the cravings (for bad food) are gone. I was a pastries-junkie before, can't eat them anymore. cakes and the likes make me physically ill now and I'm cool with it. in general overeating is much harder now, because I get nauseous after a while.

the bad stuff comes from digesting things. if I eat something my stomach has a hard time with, I feel miserable all day. when I'm traveling I tend to not eat for a day to avoid pain. I still trying to figure out why I get impromptu diarrhea every now and then (it got better though).

as for the loose skin, I lost a lot of weight before and had flabby skin leftovers. a friend of mine went from john candy to michael cera in size without any loose skin issues. twice! so, hard to tell if you have to deal with it.

good luck with the procedure, dude!

From what I have read the sleeve is a bit better with the digestion thing since it still uses your stomach. I won't have the B-12 digestion issues that a bypass does. What do you usually eat? Is there anything that works better than others?

 

[Ivan A Nguyen]

I won't bury the lead. The Weight Loss Surgery Podcast is a great resource to listen to.

I've lost close to 100 lbs through diet and exercise. I'm leading a team of people to do the same at my work for a competition. With all that said, Weight Loss Surgery is a real and legitimate choice. It has the highest rate of success and gives people their lives back. You are not taking the easy way out, despite what people might say. It is a life altering surgery that will forever change your relationship with food.

My tips are to find a program that offers counseling as well. Make sure your program offers regular follow-up visits, and budget for those follow-up visits. You'll be working with these people for the rest of your life, and that's totally ok.

I wish you the best!

 

[Mr Swine]

Best of luck OP! I hope this wI'll work out for you!

 

[ozhenson]

My girlfriends mom had the surgery, and it has completely changed her life. Prior to, she would eat anything, not worry about exercise or anything. Now, she keeps very meticulous control of her diet, does regular exercise and overall lives very healthily. One unexpected side effect was that everyone that lives with her has also changed to live much more health consciously.

However, it wasnt all rosy, she had a stroke about 3 weeks after the surgery, and that was scary as hell. Thank goodness all is well now(about 2 years later).

I know that she had to go through all sorts of nutrition classes before the Canadian government would pay for the surgery, and those courses are probably the thing that made the biggest differences in learning self control and healthy living.

Im sure this will work out phenomenally for you OP, she was 50+ at the time of surgery and still bounced back.

 

[oneils]

You must be 7 ft tall if you are over 300lbs in those pictures. Completely not what I expected.

 

[Kumquat]

I'm six foot even and 390.

I think it's the muscle. My surgeon has some fancy scale that can measure your muscle mass and I carry about 100 pounds of muscle on top of skeletal system, fat, etc. I just glanced at it though. I could be wrong.

 

[Kumquat]

Also, I'm sooooo hungry. I feel light headed and want to chew something so bad. It won't break my will power but man this is hard.

 

[Steeped in a Sea of Games]

Also, I'm sooooo hungry. I feel light headed and want to chew something so bad. It won't break my will power but man this is hard.

Brush your teeth and/or chew some gum. It's not exactly a replacement, but the minty-ness will help a bit with your cravings. Also, force down a huge glass of water.

 

[AnAnole]

Also, I'm sooooo hungry. I feel light headed and want to chew something so bad. It won't break my will power but man this is hard.

What are you eating for dinner? If you're eating carbs, stop. If you're doing a fast to shrink your liver, then you want to go into ketosis as quickly as possible -- this will make you far less hungry for the short term. Luckily, my surgeon didn't make me diet at all, he just wanted me to stop eating at 6pm the day before my surgery. I'm almost a year and a half out and down 155 lbs which I've been maintaining for several months now. No complications and I can pretty much eat anything without issue, but my hunger levels continue to be low; sometimes i h ave to remind myself to eat to get enough calories. Oddly enough, if I exercise a lot, I can eat quite a bit - still not anywhere near what I could, but enough to keep my weight at a normal level. I mostly prioritize protein and vegetables but I do eat whatever at times. I have to be careful with sliders, though, because I can still pretty much eat unlimited amounts of those -- stuff like cereal, popcorn, chips, french fries(especially) cake etc are what I would consider sliders, and I try to avoid those as much as possible. I may steal a fry or two from a friend, but that's it, and only after I've eaten my protein.

Also, you need to lift weights as soon as you can to preserve whatever muscle mass you have. You will be in a massive calorie difficult so the best way to preserve your skeletal muscle is to lift hard.

Here's some before and after pics:

Before:

After:

 

[oneils]

I'm six foot even and 390.

I think it's the muscle. My surgeon has some fancy scale that can measure your muscle mass and I carry about 100 pounds of muscle on top of skeletal system, fat, etc. I just glanced at it though. I could be wrong.

Really interesting. You look great for 390. Good luck. I wish you the best.

 

[djtiesto]

Ogod GAF. Day 2 of protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and I am dying. I just drank it and I am still hungry as anything. I know this too shall pass but man it is brutal right now.

Those dinners really are a blessing. In keeping with the high protein theme I had a larb salad last night. I will likely spend my entire day today thinking about what I want for dinner. For those not in the know larb is this, but I used chicken instead of pork.

For those who have gone through all this I would love to know your creative and bariatric friendly recepies. I have looked online at some websites but if you have a hidden treasure feel free to share it.

My ex had the sleeve done last year and ended up losing 70 pounds from it. Unfortunately, she wasn't as committed to the lifestyle changes that need to happen in order to lose the weight; while she hasn't started gaining it back, it's only a matter of time. Sure, she ate a helluva lot less but she'd still fill up on pure junk, she did a lot of 'grazing' of snacks and junk food (made worse because I am pretty social and took her out to a lot of parties and events), and never kicked the emotional dependency on food (to the point where any kind of activity revolved mainly around her 'getting her protein'). So those are definitely things you'll need to watch and not succumb to. It's easy to fall into old habits.

Though when she did decide to cook a healthy meal, she'd go to skinnytaste (funnily enough, my cousin's wife is close friends with the lady who runs it, it's a rather famous site). They have some pretty delicious and healthy recipes.

Good luck in your journey!

 

[halfbeast]

From what I have read the sleeve is a bit better with the digestion thing since it still uses your stomach. I won't have the B-12 digestion issues that a bypass does. What do you usually eat? Is there anything that works better than others?

I took a lot of inspiration from vegan and paleo recipes. just add some meat here and there. I'm lactose intolerant, so anything pre-cooked or restaurant-food in general is a no go for me (why the fuck add milk powder to chips?). pasta was something I already tried to cut out before and befriended lentil, quinoa and zucchini as substitutes. especially quinoa is very versatile, I add it to my soup and also works well with any nut milk and fruits as breakfast/dessert.

 

[FTF]

Now that I have had dinner and my sanity feels a bit restored let me give the down and dirty version of my story.

I have always been fat. Even way back in 2nd grade I was tormented for being fat. It's weird really. I don't really have a thing for sugar and I have always eaten fairly well. I have days where I blow my diet like anyone else but overall when I have monitored my food intake it averages to about 1700 calories a day with the very occasional spike to above 2000 and a few valleys at 1500. I have also been fairly active through my life, playing soccer and football and even a stint with body building.

So let's fast forward to fairly recent history. Even when I was body building my weight still hovered between 330 pounds and 350 pounds. I mean, I didn't get winded going up stairs or anything and I was very regimented with my eating and supplementation and I worked out hard during this time. The weight just has never gone away.

So, a few years ago while I was in grad school and working as a contractor I played on an indoor soccer team. The ball started moving up the field and I pushed off to start jogging into position and I felt and heard a pop in my left knee. I had sheared the lateral meniscus in two places. Eventually, when I finally got insurance, I had surgery on it but it has not really recovered since and I think my weight has a lot to do with it. I have also in this time gotten bone spurs on my lower spine. As a result my physical activity has been restrained greatly. I already suffer from chronic depression but this has really just destroyed me in a lot of ways. I mean, it sucked being fat but at least I was healthy and mobile.

So since then my weight has gone up to 390 despite my using an exercise bike and my heavy bag. I have felt like I have been trapped in quick sand. I'm 36 and my mobility and quality of life has gone down quite a bit. My blood sugar is immaculate and my blood pressure is normal still but I know if things continue this way then eventually things will continue down hill.

So this is my desperation move. I have to lose the weight to get my knee and back better so I can get back to what I love which is women and soccer. It's tough for me to ever ask for help or admit I need help and that I'm not capable of something but I reached a breaking point and after much research and talking with people I decided to do this.

Anyways, that is my story. The short version at least. I suppose a thread like this isn't complete without pictures. I don't take body pics really but these should give you an idea.

My fatty arm

Pitbull attack on my fat self

Excessive hot chick pic

And finally my fat face heh

BTW, those of you who have had it, I'm curious if your skin rebounded fairly well or did you have to go through one of those horrible surgeries to deal with it? What can I expect on that front?

Wait, you're saying you're 390 pounds in these pictures?? Even that first one? Wow you don't even look 290, let alone 390 :/

Good luck with everything though man.

 

[Kumquat]

What are you eating for dinner? If you're eating carbs, stop. If you're doing a fast to shrink your liver, then you want to go into ketosis as quickly as possible -- this will make you far less hungry for the short term. Luckily, my surgeon didn't make me diet at all, he just wanted me to stop eating at 6pm the day before my surgery. I'm almost a year and a half out and down 155 lbs which I've been maintaining for several months now. No complications and I can pretty much eat anything without issue, but my hunger levels continue to be low; sometimes i h ave to remind myself to eat to get enough calories. Oddly enough, if I exercise a lot, I can eat quite a bit - still not anywhere near what I could, but enough to keep my weight at a normal level. I mostly prioritize protein and vegetables but I do eat whatever at times. I have to be careful with sliders, though, because I can still pretty much eat unlimited amounts of those -- stuff like cereal, popcorn, chips, french fries(especially) cake etc are what I would consider sliders, and I try to avoid those as much as possible. I may steal a fry or two from a friend, but that's it, and only after I've eaten my protein.

Also, you need to lift weights as soon as you can to preserve whatever muscle mass you have. You will be in a massive calorie difficult so the best way to preserve your skeletal muscle is to lift hard.

Here's some before and after pics:

Dude, that is an amazing transformation and inspiring. I can only hope I will find as much success as you. I hope you don't mind if I pick your brain now and then.

 

[Kumquat]

My ex had the sleeve done last year and ended up losing 70 pounds from it. Unfortunately, she wasn't as committed to the lifestyle changes that need to happen in order to lose the weight; while she hasn't started gaining it back, it's only a matter of time. Sure, she ate a helluva lot less but she'd still fill up on pure junk, she did a lot of 'grazing' of snacks and junk food (made worse because I am pretty social and took her out to a lot of parties and events), and never kicked the emotional dependency on food (to the point where any kind of activity revolved mainly around her 'getting her protein'). So those are definitely things you'll need to watch and not succumb to. It's easy to fall into old habits.

Though when she did decide to cook a healthy meal, she'd go to skinnytaste (funnily enough, my cousin's wife is close friends with the lady who runs it, it's a rather famous site). They have some pretty delicious and healthy recipes.

Good luck in your journey!

I think in the first one I was around 360 when it was taken. I get that a lot at work. Most people think I'm closer to 300 than 400. It's crazy how that works.

 

[thechristoph]

My wife had this done last June. She has lost 200 pounds and has run several half-marathons in the 15 months since the surgery. She was committed to the lifestyle change, but her weight made any sustained effort at exercise impossible. The doc wouldn't do the operation until she had lost 10% of her current weight at the time, which she did easily, because she was that motivated.

We both got super heavy after having a couple of very depressing years. She's an admitted food addict. People would give her grief about it, calling it the easy way out. Hey, if you were a drug addict, and you could have a pretty routine and low-risk surgery to solve your drug problem, wouldn't that make sense?

With the food and exercise changes, it's helped me to lose a lot of weight too. I'm super proud of her progress and she kicks ass. She runs a support group on Facebook, all kinds of stuff. She's so awesome.

You're gonna make it, man. You just have to remember that this surgery is not magic. It is a tool; one tool of many you must use daily. Those who think the surgery does it all do not make it.

BTW, those of you who have had it, I'm curious if your skin rebounded fairly well or did you have to go through one of those horrible surgeries to deal with it? What can I expect on that front?

You're the same age as my wife, and her skin did not bounce back. She's very short; I don't know how tall you are, but your weight seems to be spread out all over fairly evenly. But due to your age, I would expect to have a little bit of the deflated balloon thing. No insurance covers skin removal except for the belly apron, as that can get infected and fungus can grow under there. Pretty nasty.

 

[Kumquat]

It's so cool to hear so many good stories. Day 3 is not as bad as the first two. I don't feel as light headed and my stomach isn't knotting with hunger quite as much. I'm sure working from home today is helping but still, I'm glad my body is not torturing me quite so much.

Like I stated previously, my eating habits are pretty good overall. I don't have a sweet tooth or anything. My biggest weakness is probably noodles. I love noodles of all types. Sacrifices must be made for the greater good.

 

[Yankee Ruin X]

What are you eating for dinner? If you're eating carbs, stop. If you're doing a fast to shrink your liver, then you want to go into ketosis as quickly as possible -- this will make you far less hungry for the short term. Luckily, my surgeon didn't make me diet at all, he just wanted me to stop eating at 6pm the day before my surgery. I'm almost a year and a half out and down 155 lbs which I've been maintaining for several months now. No complications and I can pretty much eat anything without issue, but my hunger levels continue to be low; sometimes i h ave to remind myself to eat to get enough calories. Oddly enough, if I exercise a lot, I can eat quite a bit - still not anywhere near what I could, but enough to keep my weight at a normal level. I mostly prioritize protein and vegetables but I do eat whatever at times. I have to be careful with sliders, though, because I can still pretty much eat unlimited amounts of those -- stuff like cereal, popcorn, chips, french fries(especially) cake etc are what I would consider sliders, and I try to avoid those as much as possible. I may steal a fry or two from a friend, but that's it, and only after I've eaten my protein.

Also, you need to lift weights as soon as you can to preserve whatever muscle mass you have. You will be in a massive calorie difficult so the best way to preserve your skeletal muscle is to lift hard.

Here's some before and after pics:

Holy crap at that transformation, well done that's amazing. I might have to look into one of these bands.

 

[Kumquat]

Holy crap at that transformation, well done that's amazing. I might have to look into one of these bands.

I thought about the band at one point but from both research and talking to people who have had it done the results are not very positive, especially for maintaining.

 

[AnAnole]

Yeah, the band sucks. Tons of people end up converting from the band to the sleeve. If anyone wants to ask any questions, feel free to PM me or ask in here. I can't guarantee what I did will work for you and I put a ton of work after the surgery and was very methodical about what I ate and how much I ate while losing weight and then recomping -- some of what I did will probably go against advice you will receive but I did everything with a purpose.

 

[Douche McBaggins The 3rd]

Saving this topic. . I'm also on the gastric sleeve path and I've been scared, resisted, lost a significant amount of weight, gained it back, and came to a quiet realization to it.

 

[MomoPufflet]

A relative got the sleeve surgery and his wife I think got the other procedure, whatever it is called (I honestly don't remember the difference). They've both lost a ton of weight, but the wife especially has done really well with it, kept it off for years and remains very skinny. I have no idea if they've had to do skin removal surgery, but I would be shocked if she didn't have a bunch of loose skin with how skinny she got.

Related, I recently watched some of the reality show Skin Tight which is solely about people getting skin removal surgery after losing a lot of weight. It was definitely eye-opening with how major it can get (some require 2 or 3 operations). Granted, there are some extreme examples, but anyone in the process of losing a lot of weight will probably find it interesting.

 

[geomon]

Had my sleeve done March 31, 2015. Weight one month before surgery was 588 lbs. Weight after 4 weeks of a liquid diet, 548 lbs. Weight as of today, one year and 5 months later, 428 lbs with very minimal exercise due to physical disabilities.

Good luck man, it will change your life.

 

[Douche McBaggins The 3rd]

Had my sleeve done March 31, 2015. Weight one month before surgery was 588 lbs. Weight after 4 weeks of a liquid diet, 548 lbs. Weight as of today, one year and 5 months later, 428 lbs with very minimal exercise due to physical disabilities.

Good luck man, it will change your life.

when you mean physical disabilities, do you mean back injury? I actually lost a significant amount of weight until my injuries worsened "Closer to 100 lbs lost on my own" How does it feel not to eat as much?

 

[Kumquat]

Got through the weekend ok. Feel a bit lethargic in general but I'm surviving. Gotta drive out to the hospital today and run through my clearance tests. I took a few days destroying a rotisserie chicken from Costco for my dinners.

I'll be sure to hit you up for advice AnA

 

[Weevilone]

Wait, you're saying you're 390 pounds in these pictures?? Even that first one? Wow you don't even look 290, let alone 390 :/

Good luck with everything though man.

I thought the same thing, somehow carries that 390 really well in those pics.

 

[Sulik2]

I need to lose 100 lbs. I managed to lose 40 so far, but have stalled hard. Its the constant hunger that always sabotages me. I never really thought about surgery, but maybe I should have. I hope everything goes well for you OP!

 

[geomon]

when you mean physical disabilities, do you mean back injury? I actually lost a significant amount of weight until my injuries worsened "Closer to 100 lbs lost on my own" How does it feel not to eat as much?

Yes, I have 3 bulging discs in my lower back and arthritis in my spine. Also I have arthritis in my knees, along with a ligament tear in my right knee and gout in both feet. There's also something wrong with my neck. I keep getting pinched nerves through both arms.

Not eating as much is nice. It's weird becoming aware of just how much everyone eats and how damn near everything you see on television is commercials for food or shows where people are eating something. You do have to be careful though, it's easy to forget to eat. I now eat out of habit, a meal every 3 hours.

 

[Kumquat]

I thought the same thing, somehow carries that 390 really well in those pics.

I carry my weight over my whole body so I guess it is just how it is distributed. It's not concentrated in any one part. Also, because I have pretty much lived with it my whole life I have the muscles to handle it. That on top of playing soccer and football for a good chunk of my life and then body building. Like you see how some people have giant stomachs but chicken legs. I don't have that. My legs are massive from both muscle and fat. Before my knee surgery I could leg press a thousand pounds. My jeans die horrible deaths from the fabric wearing out between my thighs just because my legs are giant pillars.

So I learned at the hospital during my pre-screen that I am dehydrated. Oooops. I guess I need to take in more water while on this modified liquid diet. Dropped eight pounds though even though I cheated once to go to lunch with a pretty girl. I had salmon at least to keep up the protein and didn't touch the bread.

How far on the path are you Douche? I would be happy to help you in any way I can with info on my experience.

 

[Kumquat]

Well shit. They told me I have to stop taking my vitamins and biotin and fish oil until after my surgery. All that stuff thins the blood. Ugh. I think that is why I'm feeling super duper hungry today. It's driving me up a wall.

As a bonus here is me at the office lamenting my life decisions.

I might be a slight narcissist heh

 

[geomon]

Well shit. They told me I have to stop taking my vitamins and biotin and fish oil until after my surgery. All that stuff thins the blood. Ugh. I think that is why I'm feeling super duper hungry today. It's driving me up a wall.

As a bonus here is me at the office lamenting my life decisions.

I might be a slight narcissist heh

Yeah you can't take anything, especially the week before surgery.

 

[Kumquat]

Yeah you can't take anything, especially the week before surgery.

Yep. And here we are one week away. I have stopped all my vitamins and I am realizing what a huge difference they were making. Ugh!

 

[geomon]

Yep. And here we are one week away. I have stopped all my vitamins and I am realizing what a huge difference they were making. Ugh!

Also, just to let you know and it is different for everyone, you're going to feel like absolute shit right after you wake up. My own surgeon described it to me as it's going to feel like someone was using your stomach as a punching bag. He wasn't lying. So don't be afraid to take the painkillers they give you. And walk, you won't want to but that's really how you start feeling better. Walk everywhere you can around your hospital wing.

 

[Kumquat]

Also, just to let you know and it is different for everyone, you're going to feel like absolute shit right after you wake up. My own surgeon described it to me as it's going to feel like someone was using your stomach as a punching bag. He wasn't lying. So don't be afraid to take the painkillers they give you. And walk, you won't want to but that's really how you start feeling better. Walk everywhere you can around your hospital wing.

I heard the walking is to help keep clots from forming. I also have to inject myself for two weeks with a blood thinner. That will be so much fun.

 

[n64coder]

I also have to inject myself for two weeks with a blood thinner. That will be so much fun.

Keep us posted on your situation. I'm subscribed and will be rooting for you to succeed!

 

[Douche McBaggins The 3rd]

I carry my weight over my whole body so I guess it is just how it is distributed. It's not concentrated in any one part. Also, because I have pretty much lived with it my whole life I have the muscles to handle it. That on top of playing soccer and football for a good chunk of my life and then body building. Like you see how some people have giant stomachs but chicken legs. I don't have that. My legs are massive from both muscle and fat. Before my knee surgery I could leg press a thousand pounds. My jeans die horrible deaths from the fabric wearing out between my thighs just because my legs are giant pillars.

So I learned at the hospital during my pre-screen that I am dehydrated. Oooops. I guess I need to take in more water while on this modified liquid diet. Dropped eight pounds though even though I cheated once to go to lunch with a pretty girl. I had salmon at least to keep up the protein and didn't touch the bread.

How far on the path are you Douche? I would be happy to help you in any way I can with info on my experience.

I feel kind of the same as you. I'm 6'4 and around 375 right now. A lot of people never actually expect me to say closer to 400 lbs and most estimate closer to 300 or under that. I also have the big leg muscles from walking everywhere.

But how far am I on the path? I'd say I'm fairly close to the end. I've already did the counseling, consultation, the class of what I can and can't eat, and I'm waiting for a neurologist to clear me. After that, I believe I get a date for the surgery and then go from there. Nervous as hell because I still have reservations about the surgery, but if the weight comes off, I'm not expecting that miracle of being 190 lbs at 6'4, but even at 250, I would be happy as shit.