ok..yet another ?

thanks guys, for all the wonderful repies to my other post..they are a great help. This time., please share how your typical pattern is as far as food goes, and exercise. I am trying to get a picture of how my life will change in those areas. Instead of a big plate of, whatever...what is a typical meals..lunch..dinner??? Does the exercise , help a lot for the extra skin issue. Sorry that I ask such things, but this is what keeps going on in my brain...the drastic changes in behavior. How did the family cope with the changes...sorry that's a lot of questions for one post. Peace..Ken

Ken, I am 9 months out, with 70 more lbs to lose.   As far as exercise, the skin issue is really dependent on how long you have been heavy and where you currently carry it. I lost a lot of weight off my stomach, legs, and ass. My arms are a bit flabby, but I am doing push-up and dumb bells to build back some muscle to take up some of that room. I do 100 swats and deep knee bends to buld up my butt every morning. Your tail bone needs the extra protection since its fat cussion srinks away, Russ tipped me off to this. I walk for 30 minutes every evening and I climb three flights of stairs several times a day for work. I just got a bike and I rode for half an hour last Saturday, but will pu**** out as I get my strenght up. I typically eat two sunny side up eggs for beakfast with a half pint of low-fat milk I have a couple of Ostium sticks for snack at 10:00 am Lunch is usually turkey lunch meat with lettuce and a couple of tomato slices at 3:00 pm I have  protein shake for the afternoon And dinner can be a lean cursine meal, or grilled chicken with vegs, or Wendy's chilli Herb  

You are my hero Herb, I want to eat like you and lose weight dude!  LOL

Herb, I love the Ostrim!! It's my "Go To" Snack! Best Wishes- Dx

Hey Kenny... I'm 2 years out//a little more...I think I eat a lot....a cup of ground beef in sauce at one meal...I can eat a whole subway salad....double meat whopper minus the bun....I make better choices now.... gawd, I hooked on the meat egg burritos from jack in the box....I dump bad...so I stay away from the carbs....I'm stupid with watermellon...I will order a big plate...and take it home with me....that's just me on the hanging skin....someone said the rule of thumb...if/where you have stretchmarks......(and I looked like a zebra) that skin will not return to it's former glory.... Hope this helps Russ

Ken, I’m 4 years (and change) post-op. but for about 3 years now, I’ve eaten pretty much the same. I’m a 5 to 6 “feedings” a day. Here’s a typical day- Breakfast- A scrambled egg or two with cheese ~Or~ Yogurt with some berries, and a half a cup of high protein cereal stirred in. ~Or~ Oatmeal Then, around 10:00 -a mid-morning snack- an apple and some almonds ~Or~ an Ostrim Meat stick Lunch- Tuna salad  and cottage cheese ~Or~ piece of chicken breast and some salad, pickles, tomato ~maybe a wrap sandwich with Flat bread Mid-afternoon snack- a Southbeach High Protein Cereal Bar (this is a new one, but I love ‘em) ~Or~ Some nuts and a piece of fruit ~Or~ Beef Jerky and crisp veggies-(peppers are my favorite) ~Or~ Cottage Cheese and fruit Dinner- 2 Veggies, a grilled or sautéed meat, and some dairy. Late night snack- More yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit or a ½ cup of Leftovers I shoot for about 2000 to 2200 calories a day. What’s missing from this diet? Sugar, Starches, Noodles, rice, not much bread at all. I do eat some bread, but rarely. I get plenty of low glycemic carbs from fruit and veggies. I Can eat fried foods with no problem, I don’t choose them often. I can pretty much eat Normal restaurant portions. Just not a member of the “Clean your plate Club” anymore. I eat the good stuff while it’s still hot And when I’m satisfied, I stop. I really haven’t been actually hungry but maybe a dozen times in the last 3 years. eating about every 2 to 3 hours keeps me full. For the excess skin? I was 385+, at  6’1” tall I’m now 181 to 185 depending on the time of day. I had a little flap of extra skin at my waist, and had it cut off with a panniculectomy last summer. I had big ole man boobs (Moobs) and they went away completely. I was not at all a muscle type prior to surgery And only really got into walking and some running after. About 12 miles to 15 miles a week of walking (some of that running) I’m still a fairly Non-athletic College Prof/ Theater goob of a 50 year old. Now I wear size medium shirts instead of 4X… Keep asking questions and as I think of ‘em, I’ll throw up some old reposts of stuff….. Best Wishes- Dx

thanks all of you...very helpful, understandable, and more than I thought would be possible. I know each one of us is different, so only time will see for me. I think I am about 3 weeks out before surgery, if all goes well. Loads of questions, coming,...get ready. I am 5' 7.5''..and 327..down to 315.5 so far on proteein, and 4 oz. meat, etc. type diet. keep the answers, and suggetions, coming. Peace..Ken

Ken, My diet will vary because of the choice of surgery. For me, I can eat whatever I want, with guidelines. The rules for me are protien, protein, protein. I aim for 100 grams of protien a day. It's not that hard to get there, just takes some planning. After I know my protein in planned out, then I can supplement the rest with fruits and veggies, grains, and the occasional chocolate. Be no means am I eating the volume that I was, but I'm eating normal sized meals. For today, I had 2 chicken legs leftover from last night bbq.  Will have a turkey/cheese/mayo sandwich on wheat bread for a snack. Lunch will be some chunky soup. Snack will be a protein bar. Dinner tonight we're having pork loin, so will have a slice and some veggies or berries. Might have a bowl of cereal later. The benefit of the DS is that not everything that we eat is absorbed, a lot gets passed thru. Carbs are 100 % absorbed, but the fat and protein aren't, that's why it seems like we're eating a lot. Get in the habit now of using www.fitday.com to track what you eat. It helps with identifying quality as well as quantity. It's also free. I chose the DS because with the RNY, I still felt like I was restricted, like being on a restrictive diet. After hearing from many of the men who've had it, I may be wrong with that assumption, but I felt that way at the time. I'm happy with my weight loss so far. 327 day of surgery in April and now at 260. It's a slower loss than RNY initially, but it's long-term success is a bit better than RNY. I figured if I'm going to use WLS as a tool, get the best tool I could.  Maybe this will help you ...  http://www.lapsf.com/weight-loss-surgeries.html  Again, it's a personal choice, and it's your choice. If insurance denies you, stand up and fight for what you want. There are resources for anyone who's been denied regardless of surgery. Skin hasn't been an issue just yet. Jim.