Weight Loss Update

I'm a week away from being 6 months post-op.  I've lost 65lbs, and 8 dress sizes now.  I'm down to 175lbs.  I feel incredible! 

What Do I Eat?

The short answer is everything.  Well, almost everything.  I get asked this question a lot.  I've put together a list for you below.  My philosophy on this differs from widely held views in the weight loss community, but it works for me.  I'm a firm believer in eating locally grown, organic, as close to "farm to table" as possible. I avoid processed foods, and things with artificial sweeteners and "diet" labeling. I don't cut fat, and I eat bacon.  I drink whole milk and I eat real cheese.  I eat more along the lines of the "Paleo" diet than anything else.  My diet is high protein, and low carb.  I don't believe that I need "whole grains" to survive.  I don't do soy products and vegan stuff.  I eat meat.  I am a carnivore and I couldn't be happier with how this diet makes me feel.

Here's what I don't eat:

Tortillas - for some reason they make me hurl now.  This is horrific, as I love them.
Rice - awww I miss rice.
Potatoes - I would kill a man for a french fry.
Bread -occasionally I will have a few bites, but that is all
Pasta - as an Italian American, this deserves it's own funeral. RIP Pasta
Sugar Free anything - chemicals, ewwww
Fat Free anything - I like fat, fat is good
Anything with artificial sweeteners - more chemicals, ewwww
Margarine - eeeeewwww
Diet anything - ya, you guessed it, chemicals, ewwwwww
Chips - RIP chips
Candy - sugar is poison to me
Soda or anything carbonated
Beer - RIP beer
Booze - I just don't need the calories, and wine is not booze, right?
Processed foods that come in a box - avoid these at all costs.  If they have more than 5 ingredients I usually don't eat them.


Here's what I'm eating:

Proteins: Chicken, fish, beef, pork (BACON), beans, eggs, greek yogurts, cheese, protein shakes (made with whey isolate) I always eat 2-3 oz of protein to start every meal, and try to make my snacks protein heavy too. I'm usually pretty full with just this, and can only fit in a few bites of anything on the side.
Grains: barely a few bites here and there, only after I've eaten 2-3 oz of protein
Veggies: Organic fresh veggies only, and only after my protein. Usually only a few bites.
Crackers- only a few, and as a vehicle to get protein in
Fruit - a few bites a day. Blueberries or a half of banana in my shakes, an orange, or an apple.
Chia Seeds - this is my trendy new trick. I get the organic ones from Costco and put a tablespoon in a small amount of juice and drink it down.  3g of protein per tablespoon, plus 5g of fiber and Omega 3's.  Love this!
Coffee - I started on decaf at 3 months post-op, then went to regular coffee at 5 months post-op.  I have one cup per day in the morning with straight up half and half as creamer.  No fake creamer, no sugar. I rarely actually finish my coffee because I'm usually getting ready for work and forget about it before it's cold. It's more of a ritual for me that I enjoy.
Red Wine - occasionally I will have 1/2 of a glass of red wine.  I only began to try it after my doctor cleared me at 5 months post-op.  My family owns a winery, so being able to taste wine is essential for me, and so far its been no problem. I think the health benefits of red wine far outweigh the problems, as long as its kept to a minimum on occasion only.

To Tell or Not to Tell, That is The Question...

One of the toughest things I've wrestled with since my surgery more than 5 months ago, is whether or not to tell people that I had surgery.

In the beginning when people couldn't really notice a difference in me, it was no big deal.  But now, the change is quite noticeable. I'm down 65lbs, and 8 dress sizes.  I've gone from wearing XXL size scrubs to work to a size Medium.  People have questions.  I look different.  I'm so happy that my body is changing and so proud of the hard work that I've put into this.  But it's weird when they ask "how are you losing all this weight."

I've explained that I had surgery to some, and I've just simply said "eating right and exercising" to others.  I feel like there is so much judgement surrounding this surgery from people that it keeps me from being 100% honest with them.  I am concerned about what people will think.  I'm not sure why I give a shit what they think, because I'm damn proud of what I've done to change my life. 

So far the folks that I've straight up told about surgery have been rather supportive.  I feel badly at times that I haven't been more open with some others, but I guess I just don't feel comfortable sharing my personal life with everyone I come into contact with.  This weight loss surgery experience is a very personal thing, and for me it was a very difficult decision.  I fight with this dilemma to tell  or not tell almost every day now.

What do you think? Do you tell? Do you not tell?