I feel exceedingly grateful that there.was a surgery to help me lose weight snd keep it off.

I do t want to look like that person anymore. I am still the same person on the inside that I was then.

One of my staples is "protein hot chocolate",. The ingredients are a spoonful of cocoa, a half serving or protein powder, and artificial sweetener to taste. Sometimes I add a little oat milk or other non-dairy milk. A serving provides about 12g protein. I usually have two of those a day, which gives me a nice head start on my protein needs. For a bedtime snack I usually have a small amount of oatmeal with a half serving of protein powder. Aside from that, I have the usual vegan protein sources: vegan burgers, beans, nuts, legumes, etc. About once a week I have a protein bar for an extra boost of protein.

I'm not a dietitian, so take this with a grain of salt, but my understanding is that we don't need as much protein as most people think. Discuss your protein requirements with your dietitian. I average 55g protein per day, and my dietitian is fine with that.

I add some nutritional yeast to a lot of main dishes. It has a mild nutty, cheesy flavour, and is loaded with B12. I also take a vegan supplement, and all of my blood tests are good.

It's so much easier to put up with hot weather when you're not overweight! I lost all of my excess weight, so I'm quite satisfied.

I would love to know what you do to meet the protein numbers. I'm allergic to gluten so the go tos is things like seitan are a no, my body does not tolerate tempeh and I've tried to love tofu, but I just don't. So my protein sources are usually legumes, quinoa, oats, protein shakes and vegan meats.

I know I will have some pretty significant lose skin (I need to lose 160) but if I could just wear shorts again and not have my thighs hang down to my knees, I will be SO happy. I live in the blistering south...so shorts in the summer are almost required ?

I am starting the journey to get approved for vsg. I've pushed the thought away so many times, but the reality is....I don't think I'm ever going to be successful without it. I'm 55 and now 320 pounds. My knees are in so much pain I'm taking pain medication daily. I can't have knee replacements until my bmi is under 40 so I feel like this is my only chance to be free of pain. Nothing else has worked. I did well at losing by counting macros and lost 70 pounds in 1.5 years and also developed an eating disorder (BED) as a result of the stringent counting all the time. I'm on vyvanse for BED, but I haven't lost an ounce while taking it, despite barely eating.

so long story short, I'm looking for the good, the bad and the ugly. I want really realistic experiences post op, what kind of hell should I prepare myself for (if any, etc) does anyone regret having the surgery?

my biggest concerns are a) I'm vegan and now sure what my life post op will look like. B) I've heard so many people talk about their hair falling out and c) how much loose skin will I have afterwards. Let's be honest, I'm 55 so skin removal isn't probably in the cards for me but I'm hoping I'll at least be able to wear shorts again and not hate my body.

I am happy I am not the same person I was in the photos but I still see the joys and love and experiences in my old photos. The memories I made and captured were what was important not my weight.

I am in a lot more photos now than before though!