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My Journey to Skinny
 

Halfway to Goal! (and some ramblings about BMI)

Well, here I am again. Almost three months post-op, and just over halfway to my personal goal of 140 pounds. My surgeon said that 160 would be a very achievable goal for me, but I'm going to try and push it to 140, which would put me at a "normal" BMI of 24, something I have never achieved in my adult life... or my life period, really, since I've been overweight since I was eight or nine years old. Actually, my stretch goal is 135, since I will likely put a few pounds back on after the first year or so, at least that's what I understand from reading what some of the long-term sleeved folks have to say on the maintenance forums.   Speaking of BMI, I now have to write about how annoying I find the whole thing. The person who "invented" the BMI scale never meant for it to be used how it is today. It was meant as a very quick way for healthcare professionals to estimate about what a person's healthy body weight should be, based on their height. It was never meant to be used as the only way for them to determine what a healthy weight should be for everyone, since people are different, we come in many different shapes and sizes! The classic example, of course is the body builder who falls into the obese category on the scale, yet has like 3% body fat. But then there are also those who fall into the "healthy" category, but who have no muscle tone whatsoever, and are in fact very unhealthy! Since I'm a nurse, I literally see this every day. I also see some very healthy people who happen to have higher BMI's. And yet I am supposed to mark "Obesity" as part of the health history for every patient I see with a BMI of over 25. (I don't do this, by the way.)   Okay, off my soapbox, and on to what I am doing to make sure that I fall into that category of a healthy person with a healthy BMI... I have to admit that since shortly after my surgery, I have been very lazy about doing cardio. This is bad, since my surgeon has emphasized to me that exercise is the one thing that separates his very successful patients from his moderately successful patients (apparently he does not have any unsuccessful patients).   For the first two weeks after surgery, I walked about two or three miles every day. But then, I didn't really have anything else to do. I wasn't working, I couldn't eat anything, I couldn't go in my pool. So I walked. Then I went on vacation, and didn't do anything active the whole time. And then I was back to work, but cleared for lifting. So I got back into my weight-lifting workouts, which I had always been pretty consistent with before surgery. I do them with my husband so it's fun, it only takes about 20-25 minutes, and I really see the results, which I like. I have never actually seen any results from doing cardio, I just did it because I knew I had to. But with weight lifting, I can feel my muscles getting bigger, and see them looking more toned. Now that they've slimmed down a bit, I actually think I have very nice legs!   About a month ago however, my husband started bugging me about running. In the twelve and a half years we have known each other, he has never done any cardio consistently (and never really had to, since he's one of these people who can eat like a horse, and not gain an ounce). But I was always telling him that he should, since he is starting to get some old-man problems, like high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, despite being at a healthy weight (ahem, see my rant above). So I really wanted to encourage him, but I hate running! Or so I thought I did.   I had tried to do the whole couch to 5k thing before my surgery, to help me get a jump on the weight loss, but had only made it through week two before I stopped. I just ran out of energy during my two week pre-op diet. And I really had no interest in going back to it, since it was really hard to do before my surgery. And it's Summer in Florida! Ninety degrees, and one hundred percent humidity everyday does not make for a pleasant run! But finally, after about two weeks of him bugging me about it I downloaded the C25K app again, and we headed out on our first run together... And guess what? It was kind of fun! Turns out going running when you weigh in the 180's is a completely different animal from running when you weigh in the 230's. Who knew?   We now go running at sunset on our nights off, mostly on the golf course that's about a half-mile from our house. It's a gorgeous time of day, with the sun setting in the west, and the palm trees swaying in the breeze. Today we were treated to Mother Nature's firework show off to the east of us, with huge, puffy white cumulus clouds and awesome forks of lightning making them glow (miles away, very safe). The sand paths on the golf course are easier on the joints than sidewalks, and our run takes us over a bridge that we always see turtles hanging out under. It has become something that I truly look forward to doing three times a week, and after eleven years of marriage, my husband and I have discovered something new that we like to do together. We are already planning on running a 5k road race in December. Like many other bariatric surgery patients have before me, I feel like I've finally found my inner athlete!
butterfyeffect

butterfyeffect

3
Traci's Blog
 

I have a surgery date... the pre-op liquid thing is an emotional roller coaster...

Last week I met with my surgeon. I was so excited and nervous. I knew that meant I would finally be out of limbo. I brought my support person along. I was ready, they say that surgery can be two weeks out, or 4 weeks, depending on the surgeon. He did his assessment and said, well, I think you're a good candidate, but you have a lot of fatty tissue in your midsection. I need that to loosen up and shrink, or that will make surgery more difficult. He said he wanted me on 4 weeks of product and to lose 15 lbs.   I can do it, I know I can. I've already lost 14 lbs in the last 2 months, I just need to drop another 15 lbs in the next month. Easy, right? Then I went to the front desk, and the only available time they have for me is August 28th. SIX WEEKS? UGH! So much waiting, so much work. I picked up the liquid product, and I'm working towards consuming all 4 things during the day. I tried product cold turkey before, it was very difficult, and I thought I would give myself a couple weeks to ease into it. I really don't like the flavor of any of it... but its what the doctor wants. I am down to one meal of real food a day, plus the product three times a day. I plan to be on it full-time by this weekend.   My calorie intake is down to 1,000 calories a day... and I'm feeling so moody. How have others dealt with this? I'm so hungry within 1.5 to 2 hours after I've had the shake or soup. I've been trying to consume more water, but the hunger monster starts to rear his angry head, and I'm so afraid that I'll snap at someone or just start crying. Yesterday, I was having issues with my computer at work because of the bugs from the new system migration we went through. I wanted to drop-kick it down the five flights of stairs. I was just so frustrated and angry... then I started crying. I'm afraid of what is going to happen when I drop reduce to the 800 calories/day consumption.   To help with losing some of the weight, I've also enlisted the help of a trainer. I'm seeing him twice a week, going to Zumba class once a week, and walk/bike with my dog on the off nights. My muscles are sore... I'm tired and struggle to get up in the morning,... but I'm still trucking along... It would be nice if I could exceed that goal of 15 lbs...
Trace Lynne

Trace Lynne

1
charob99's Blog
 

I'm 5 weeks post-surgery and i'm scared

I had surgery June 27th 2014. I weight 240lbs the day of the surgery. (5'2") Its almost been 5 weeks and I know weigh 216lbs. My scale has not moved in a week and I'm scared that I have stopped loosing weight. Please someone tell me your experience. I really need some advice.
charob99

charob99

2
Gastric Sleeve Surgery - An Unexpected Journey
 

NSV #2 - You Best Step Off, B-hatch!

They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with 1 step. What they don't tell you is that the journey is a b*tch if you're on step 1!   1/14/2015 Well it's been a few months since I last walked. November to be exact. With the cold weather and injuries and sinus drainage, I was pretty much out of commission. We were at it hard during September and October, hitting new highs on speed, sometimes going as fast as 3.9 mph for 3 miles.   But November, my partner hurt his ankle and was out for 3 weeks, then I got terrible sinus headaches from breathing the smoke from neighbors burning piles of leaves and then the cold rain set in. So here it is, the middle of January and we haven't walked a mile per day. Fortunately, I've actually lost weight in that time and kept it off. My new job keeps me moving quite a bit.   8/26/2014 Wish there was more the report, but it's still HOT in Texas. Most days the temp is around 91 with a heat index of 101 when I walk. I've had to start wearing a water soaked towel around my neck and a hat while I walk to complete 3 miles. I've come close to heat exhaustion a few times and had to head over to the water faucet and soak my head till the dizziness clears. I thought I'd have built up a tolerance to the heat by now, but doesn't seem like that is going to happen. Good news is, the worst of the heat is over, once we hit September temps will slooooooowly creep down to the low 90's every evening. And by October, we'll be back in the 80's. I can't wait to see how fast I can do 4 miles when the temps are down in the 80's. Hopefully, I'll break the 15 minute mile. :-)   7/30/2014 I know I keep saying this, but OMG!!! IT'S HOT IN TEXAS! The good news is that today was a cloudy day and I managed 4.25 miles @ 3.6 mph. I should be up and above 4 mph by the time cool weather rolls in during October.   The heat is still in the 94 - 95 degree range with a heat index of 101 - 104. And as Madge said on the Palmolive dish-washing detergent, "You're soaking in it." :-P I'm still walking 5 days a week and hugging every inch of shade I can find! But I had to cut back to 3 miles, down from 4. I was just getting too dizzy and sick - even with using a water soaked towel to keep cool and carrying a water bottle. Monday, I had to stop at 2.5 miles and go soak my head under a water faucet. I hit a point and knew I had better get cooled off or something bad was about to happen.     7/24/2014 OMG!!! IT'S HOT IN TEXAS! For the past week it's been between 91 and 94 degrees with a heat index of 101 - 104... during the evenings... when I'm walking! I've had to begin carrying a wet towel and carry a water bottle to prevent dehydration and heat exhaustion. But aside from that, I've managed to walk between 3 and 4 miles in about an hour, averaging 3.5 - 3.7 mph. And haven't missed a day this week. But you gotta believe it when I say I was looking for ANY excuse to skip walking after work. But alas, the weather has been clear during the evenings and all the rain has managed to miss my exercise hour. I wonder how much it would cost me to have a crop duster fly up and seed some clouds just around the time I supposed to start walking????   7/04/2014 Another 3 miles (including 1 mile in total of jogging in short stretches) in the record book. It still amazes me when I think back to just 18 months ago when I would go to bed wondering how much it would hurt to walk from the car to my desk at work.   The Texas heat is a monster and I was really dreading walking (I mean baking) in 94 degree heat with a heat index of 101. That was yesterday! But I got rained out at the last minute. :-) ****Does happy dance**** I know, I know, I should be like those workout gurus and tell you how much I missed not going out there and sweating my ass off. But I gotta be honest and say I will take any "HONEST" excuse to duck out on walking in this heat. When I say "HONEST EXCUSE" I mean just that.... a real, "believable", reason (rain, when my car had a flat 2 weeks ago, or I feel like I've been pushing myself to the point of injury or sickness). Skipping a walk just because I don't feel like it is not enough.   So this morning the I had planned to walk with a friend at Claiborne Park just north of Vidor, TX. We normally do 3.25 miles and I've been increasing the distance I've been jogging. But the radar shows rain headed right for us in the next hour or so. So we cancelled it.   Instead I ran around my neighborhood. One lap around my block is approx. 1/2 mile. 2 long sides and 2 short sides. In 70 degree weather, I managed to run 12 of the short sides for a total of 1 miles....And the amazing part was I could have done more! So we'll see how much more tomorrow when I'm back out at Claiborne.     6/29/2014 Can't believe how well my attempts to jog are working out. Averaged 3.5 mph for 3.25 miles today. I walk a figure 8 style track and managed to jog the 4 straightaways all three laps. My next goal is to jog 1 mile non-stop. Shooting to reach that goal by the end of July. If the heat gets to be too much for me, my fall back plan is to go back to wearing the 30 lb weight vest and speed walk the trails.   6/19/2014 Another 3.25 miles down. Speed is still slow at 3.1 mph. Temp 91 degrees. Managed to make the whole circuit on 13 swallows of water. It's a pain to have to carry a water bottle on the trail, but it beats getting heat stroke!   It's been tough getting used to the Texas heat. The heat's really been kicked up a notch since the end of May. I thought it was bad when the temps were in the high 80's. Oh how I long for those days. My walking partner calls me the shade hunter. He's much more tolerant of the heat. He can walk in full sun for the whole 3.25 miles, while I zigzag on the trail - going from one patch of shade to the next. I think I may actually be walking farther than him, but he carries the GPS, so I have to go by his distance and time. Doesn't matter to me though, just completing the whole trail every day is a win.   06/18/2014 Man is it hot! The Texas Summer heat is just getting its stride and things are baking in the park. I'm up to 3.25 miles each day/ 3.1 mph while wearing a 30 lb vest. Fastest speed without the vest was 3.6 mph for 3.25 miles. Thinking it might be time to try the couch to 5k plan. Not really sure all this effort is worth the results. It's a vicious cycle - the more I get in shape the farther/faster I have to walk to burn the same amount of calories.   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/02/2013 Hit a new personal best time at the park. 3.2 miles an hour, did 3 point something miles in about 53 minutes or something close to that, I've forgotten the exact time. :-) But at least I'm getting better, both in distance and being able to recover enough to walk at the same intensity day after day. It seems like only yesterday (actually it was Jan 2nd) that I started my walking program by taking the long way around the office to the bathroom. :-P Just goes to show that taking small steps can add up to bigger things later on.   7/11/2013 Well, I lost Gilligan, my pedometer. I named him Gilligan cause he was my "little buddy". Not sure where he ran off to. I left the house with him on my hip and at the end of the day, he was gone.   So now I have Gilligan the 2nd or Gilligan the Next Generation, depending on your point of view. Gilligan II is a little smarter, so hopefully he won't get lost. He keeps track not only of my steps and mileage, but takes into account my weight, lists calories burned, total steps, aerobic steps (meaning any walking continuously for 10 minutes or more) and tells me how long I've been aerobically walking . And he remembers everything from the past 6 days.   The good news is that I've graduated to a 2 mile trail in a local park. It has lots of ups and downs - and the occasional rabbit/armadillo/snake/Pimp butterfly on the trail to keep things entertaining. And I'm able to make the walk 6 to 7 days a week.   My 1st goal was to be able to complete the 2 miles every day 6 to 7 days a week. I have reached that goal as of July.   The next goal is to start increasing my speed. See if I can break the 45 minute mark for completing the trail. Current best speed is 46 minutes.     5/17/2013 Finally! Made over 10k steps a day for 6 days in a row. My original goal was to do it for 5 days in a row. Plus as an added NSV, I have graduated from walking on flat, level surfaces to walking in a parking garage. I do the 1st 5k steps in the morning on level ground, but at lunch, I step it up (no pun intended) by going out to a 3 story parking garage. Having to walk up those inclines between floors add a whole new level to the phrase "pain in the butt!" :-P   I was walking next to a coworker yesterday and she said, "I smell smoke." I said, "That's me. I'm not just hot, I'm SMOKIN!"   For those out there that have feet and knee pain like me, it pays to move, no matter how little. That's how I started out 5 months ago.   I could barely walk from the parking lot to the store without limping and being in a lot of pain. But I always parked at the far end of the lot and minced my way into the store. And I set a goal to walk the inside perimeter of my office every time I went to the bathroom or had to leave my desk. That was 4 to 10 laps a day.   When we move to a bigger office in Feb. I set a goal to make 4 laps a day around the office (approximately 1200 steps plus the 500 steps from the parking lot to my desk got me up to about 1700 steps a day).   When I got to the point where I could tolerate the 4 laps with no lasting pain, I added 4 laps at lunch. Then 5 in the morning and 5 at lunch till I could do 10 each time. That took several months to accomplish and I usually only could do that at most 3 days a week and be in pain for the other 2 days.   Now 10 laps twice a day is too easy, so I changed to going into the parking garage at lunch. The inclined ramps are easy on my ankles and ups my aerobic activity. Plus it gets me out in the sun - gotta have my Vitamin D!   That's how I did it. Little changes add up. Now I've got 2 ladies a work who SAY they want to start walking with me - but so far it's only been talk. :-)   This is from today, 5/17/2013. It's gonna break my heart to reset it in the morning!     2/19/2013 Just checked my pedometer when I got home and finally crossed the 10k steps goal or 4.5 miles in 1 day.   I usually on get in around 2.5 to 3 miles a day, but today I had a lot of extra walking at work and for the 2nd day this week I've been able to walk additional laps around the building at lunch.   Hopefully my feet and hips will allow me to maintain or surpass 10k a day from now on.   Update:3/28/2013 Still managing to get closer to my goal of 5 miles/day, 7 days a week. I'm averaging 4.5 miles/day 4 days a week. My hips no longer hurt, just some muscle soreness. And my feet are usually only a little painful after walking but the pain is almost gone the next day.   The people at work are starting to take notice of my walking before work and at lunch time. Commenting on my weight loss, that may sound encouraging, but I'd rather stay unnoticed and unremarked on. Noticing my weight loss and exercising will only lead to questions - ones I'd rather not answer.   I've had one or two people comment on how much they need to start walking with me, almost daily, but they never seem to find the time to do even one lap around the floor with me. I never made those type of comments when I'd see people working out, cause I knew that I wasn't going to make the effort. So why try to fool them and me? If I did, it would feel like I was apologizing for being fat and feeling guilty for not exercising.   I didn't feel like any kind of exercise plan was going to do me any good. I was too far gone. As Ralphie May said, "This is way past a diet coke fix."     3/4/2013 I'm still walking 3 - 4 miles per day, 5 days a week, but getting past 10k steps a day is tough. My feet and hips are pretty sore the day after doing that many steps and it limits me reaching 10k more than 2 or 3 times a week. But I keep working at it. As long as I'm walking every day, I'm getting closer to my goal.
joatsaint

joatsaint

14
Lite'N'Sweet's LapBand Life
 

So... I CAN eat like pre-op... but I WON'T...

Life's pace has definitely picked up with being back and work and all. The challenges of time have definitely been affecting me. Especially - time to eat right, time to make good decisions and time to log what's been going on. I promised myself that I'd blog to keep up with my progress and empty out what's in my head so I don't lose track of the thoughts.   So 14lbs in the first week is a LOT to live up to. I haven't lost that much more since - of course my scale is schitzo which is good in a way cause it keeps me off of there. But if I were to venture a guess from the last time i tried to sneak on there looks like i'm down another 2 or 4 lbs (depends on what direction I lean in on the scale LOL). So I'm down to either 222 or 224. I'll go with 224 just so that anything less will pleasantly be surprised. I started to get a little bummed when I thought to myself - i'm down past 230 which I haven't been in a long time AND yesterday when I got out of the car, the hubby called me "skinny girl". Clothes have been fitting WAY better... theres a bunch of NSVs to be had so I can't get wrapped up in the numbers. What I do need to do though is make sure I incorporate enough exercise EVERY DAY. I go in on the weekends but I get so caught up on the weekdays. And I MUST make time to make my protein shake in the morning otherwise, the rest of the day falls like dominoes with poor decisions -whether it means that I'll eat something I really shouldn't be or decide not to eat at all - which is an equally bad decision.   Something I've learned since the swelling has gone down is that... I can totally eat just the way I used to. I think if I tried to throwback a bacon cheese burger... I could do it w/o getting "stuck" or "slimed" or any of that. But the beautiful thing is that... I HAVEN'T. The worst I've done was to have a hamburger patty with a little avocado. No bread, no bacon no nothing. And I ate it... SLOW. And I drank something 15 min later. So I get it. All this time before they actually activate you is to get you to train your own mind about what you need to be doing in order to be successful. Now i just have to keep it going, get some real activity in and watch the change roll in.
Lite'N'Sweet

Lite'N'Sweet

2
Onederful Opportunity
 

So Close... But Yet So Far

When i made the call to the bariatric clinic in February I wasn't sure how this journey would turn out. I wasn't sure if my insurance would cover it, I wasn't sure if my family was going to accept it, I wasn't sure how long it was going to take. As the days progressed to weeks and then to months, I'm finally at the tail of the process and the beginning of the real adventure but it seems things have s l o w e d down considerably.   I flew through the initial part of the process and everything went swimmingly until the sleep study which was a bit of a delay. Then my pre-op appointment was still several weeks from then (and still several weeks from now). So now I wait. And as they say: And idle mind is the devil's playground! I find myself going a little wild in my waiting time. I was so focused at the beginning of the process but now that i have a few weeks to go I'm eating things just because i know I can't eat them for a while. I think I've gained some weight and that can't be good since in my pre-op they may require me to lose more weight before surgery.   I've decided that today is the day. Not tomorrow, not Monday, but TODAY I'm going to start making sure I have my water in, eating things that will help along this road, and really re-focus because I don't want to go this far and then discover that my surgery will be delayed because I wanted to indulge myself.   I've spent the last 30 years indulging myself and it's time for a change.   I'm going to weigh myself today and set a 10 pound goal for my pre-op appoitnment on August 18th. I'm going to accomplish this by drinking water, walking, and planning my meals and sticking to the plan!   Did anyone else go completely off the rails during this time frame?
rhodywoman

rhodywoman

6
4me4them's Blog
 

My Psych Eval

So I had my psych eval this afternoon. I found myself wondering on the drive there what kinds of questions they would ask. I really didn't worry about it but I was curious.   Since I wasn't a patient, I had to fill out all the new patient stuff...but it was kind of cool because it was all on a tablet and went pretty quickly. The Dr. was able to see my responses as I entered them and since I was the last patient of the afternoon I actually went in about 10 minutes early.   I'll try to list as many questions as I can remember: 1. How long have you been married? 2. Why are you here today? 3. How long have you been considering WLS? 4. Which surgery do you think you want? This one was followed by a discussion about talking to the surgeon, what did the surgeon recommend...etc 5. What are the cons to the surgery? I started with the medical ones...he pushed towards the "other ones" things like changing behaviors, social situations, family issues.... 6. What are the pros to the surgery? 7. How long has weight been an issue? I briefly wondered if this was a trick question....like "when did you stop kicking your dog...lol 8. What else do you hope to accomplish with your surgery? 9. Have you ever been in a psychiatric hospital? 10. Tell me about your depression. (self reported by me, have been on anti depressant for about 6 years and it runs in my family) 11. Tell me about your family's weight/relation to food.   Then we did some memory stuff...he asked me to remember three words, then asked me to spell world, then spell it backward (harder than you think under pressure ), who was president..before him...before him....and then he asked me what the 3 words were. I can only guess that this was to make sure I was able to follow things????   12. Have you ever binged and then purged? 13.Ever been treated for drug or alcohol abuse?   When we were done he said he thought there were 4 main reasons insurance companies require the psych eval: 1. To ensure the person has a good understanding of the commitment level/risks (although the surgeons office also assess this I would think especially if you have a supervised diet period) 2. To ensure that there aren't any environmental issues that might keep you from being successful 3. To help ensure you are able to follow instructions/guidelines 4. To help ensure that you will be a good patient for the surgeon (although he didn't elaborate on that one).   All in all easy peasy.   Next Monday is a busy day for pre-insurance testing...I have my second NUT apt, an upper GI, an EKG and my cardiac clearance apt! Beth
4me4them

4me4them

1
Patty's WLS Blog
 

Who's That Girl?

Recently we were on vacation, and while walking in a quaint shopping district, I notice a woman's reflection out of the corner of my eye......I did a double take when I realized.......that's MY reflection. My poor husband....I stop and ask "do I really look like that?" He puts his arm around my shoulder, smiles, and kisses the top of my head   I'm wearing 12's and 14's, loving it and being able to easily find clothes I like that fit, love being able to move easier, in less pain......I even wore a bathing suit and swam in public while on vacation LOL Even with my bat wings and flabby thighs.......it's all good.............BUT.......   Somehow I'm still trying to shake that larger image of myself that is tatoo'd on my brain -- like everything else, I'm a work in progress, I guess....
PGee

PGee

3
LaVerne's Journey
 

Let's get this party started!

So I finally have my initial surgical consult today. I've been looking forward to this for what seems like so long! I had an appointment with my PCP on Friday. In the time since I'd lasts seen her, about 6-8 weeks, I think, I've lost 18 lbs! That's so exciting!   Anyone have suggestions on questions for me to ask? I have read so much here and on other forums/sites that I'm not even sure where to start. I guess I just need to see what he says. I think my biggest fear for today is that he will suggest bypass over the sleeve. I am pretty confident in the sleeve decision. I don't think I would get enough results with a band, and I don't want to go as drastic as the bypass - it scares me. I don't want anything re-routed, I hope to not have to take supplements forever. But with a BMI over 50, I'm worried that he will want to go for a more drastic approach.   My husband will be coming with me for this appointment. I'm so glad to have him on my side. He's such an amazing support. I think this is going to be a journey we take together. His diabetes has not been adequately controlled by oral meds, so our PCP put him on insulin injections a few weeks ago. This really freaked him out. He never wanted to take the injections. It really bothers him. So between his PCP appointment and him going to the info session with me, he has decided to look into surgery as well. He's not as large as I am, but could definitely stand to lose a good amount of weight. He is leaning towards the LAPBAND. I'm so excited that he is on board, not only with me doing this, but to get himself more healthy as well.   As for me, I just want to push fast forward and get it done. There are moments when I'm scared, but those are few and far between. I want to be healthier. I want to be active. I want to not be in pain from just walking down the street.   So guys, wish me luck this afternoon. It's going to be a LONG Monday as I watch the clock until 3:15! But I'm taking one step closer to the loser's bench!
<3 Carolina Girl <3

<3 Carolina Girl <3

0
Forsythia's Blog
 

Progress pictures

So I thought I would post some pictures. The one with the dinosaur is pre-surgery. In April Size 26W. The one with me in the mint top is a couple weeks post surgery 24W pants and 2x top. And the one in the dress is from today, in an 18/20 dress. And with curly hair. The top of the dress is actually a bit loose. I might be more like a 16 in the chest area. I miss my boobs. LOL!       So that's that.
Forsythia

Forsythia

2
4me4them's Blog
 

My Work Food Curse

So I work for a government training organization and there are many hails and farewells (welcoming and saying good bye), monthly observances, formal balls....you get the idea. I am responsible for two organizations, that are not collocated and while their missions are complimentary, there really isn't a lot of joint events between the two. All of this is to set the stage for the food gauntlet I had to face at work this week.   1. Wed. Farewell for the senior protocol officer....formal luncheon buffet style. So my strategy going in was to use a salad plate only, get a good amount of salad, and the put small amounts of whatever else I could on top. (I'm just in the 3 month diet phase now). So not too bad, salad, mixed veggies, small amount of roasted potatoes and a pitifully small roasted chicken thigh. Put one in the win column!   2. Thu. Farewell to two of the tech nerds in organization number one. This group had the bright idea to have an open "snack area" from 1000-1400 so I took some olives and mozzarella cheese. No one brought salad, but this one went pretty good as well, had fresh veggies, some fresh pineapples, 2 small meatballs and two fresh tomato, basil, mozzarella on small bruschetta with balsamic vinegar. Ate socially and then had meetings the rest of the day so I was out of the office. Put a second one in the win column!   3. Fri. Farewell to one of the instructors in organization number two. This one was a "comfort food casserole" potluck....ugh. So I made a big salad with lots of veggies and brought a bottle of dressing. Plan going in was to use the same technique as Wed. But there was a giant problem here....there was very little protein and lots of potatoes, pasta and cheese (melty kind). I took very small portions of three things on top of my lettuce and then I went back (first mistake) and got more of a couple of the potato dishes (mistake number two).   I've been thinking about why Friday was so much more difficult to navigate than Wed and Thu because I truly did not feel deprived/upset/anxious at either of those two. I think there were two important differences.   A. the first two events were controlled...the lunch was one time through the line and then the program started/I left the scene of the second one. On Friday, since I don't get to see these guys that much (I used to work with them daily but then got promoted and am now located with the other organization even though I am responsible for both) so we sat around chatting, people kept going back to the buffet line, passed out cake...   B. I knew going in what was going to be available at the first two...not the third.   So you may be thinking, but Beth, Friday doesn't seem like such a big deal...and lunch wasn't...but for whatever reason, it led to lots of snacking/eating while I was making dinner which hasn't been a problem for me in the past few weeks. I'm still working on why one triggered the other....right now I'm blaming the carbs!   I guess my takeaway from this week is that I will always have the social aspect of my job and I've got to use this time before I have surgery to keep experimenting with what will work for me. I'm also taking a good lean protein to the next potluck in organization number two....they really need it. Beth
4me4them

4me4them

0
Justification for the Justified
 

Faux friends and other shocking developments

Today I am 17 days post op, physically feeling great but recently had a situation that honestly I still am baffled about.   I am a friendly, helpful person. Typically I like the people I meet and show a genuine interest in their lives because I truly am interested. I love meeting people from all over the world, but I hold a special affection for people who know about my home town. This affection seems to have backfired.   4 days post op I came on this site and as usual chatted with a number of people, but one in particular seemed to think, at least for a while, that I might be the one. I knew this wasn't going to be the case for many reasons, but tried to be amicable and helpful in his process to have WLS. Everything was on the up and up until for whatever reason now he won't talk to me. It's irritating for me to put in my time and energy into being concerned about someone only to find out that they are immature and can't deal with whatever conflict that percolated through his skull. This is a WLS support website not a dating site.   I don't understand men. This seems to be a typical scenario for online interactions with men for me. I'm very easy to like, I'm intelligent, I show genuine interest but there is no way in hell that I would fall in love with someone that I have never met face to face. I'm not insane. Besides that at the moment I am going through the toughest, most emotional transformation in my 40 years and building a romantic relationship is way down on the list of priorities. My top priority is Hydration... with a side of increasing Protein levels.   I hate fake people. I don't think it's fair to have unreasonable expectations from anyone on this site, especially new post ops. I'm more upset at the fact that its made me hesitant to come back on to chat. I love the friendships I have built here and seeing him come online now is just disturbing. To go from being extremely friendly and jovial to making snide comments for no apparent reason is pure insanity.   I'm not gonna let it deter me though. If you are going through something similar or perhaps in your personal life you have people pressuring you into a relationship when you aren't interested I hope that you can find comfort in the fact that you are the normal one in that situation.   I have a very particular taste in men, none of which have anything to do with his waist size. I make no apologies for it. I'm hoping to find that perfect one and feel like this transformation is a tribute to what my devotion will be to him.   Just thought I'd vent for a moment. Please share your thoughts and stories.
dsdesigna

dsdesigna

0
Forsythia's Blog
 

Good bye boobs, hello water retention. I totes didn't miss you.

I am now a fully actualized member of my gym. I took my first class Wednesday - Body Works plus abs. Basically it was a fast and light weight lifting class. I'm still sore two days later. And keep in mind, I lift weights multiple times a week using heavier weights than the ones used in that class. I loved the class and must find a way to go to it every Wednesday. Tonight I swim. Also a big yay for me.   Weight wise, I'm down 62 lbs since surgery, over 80 from my high weight. I'm almost three months out from surgery (three months will be 8/5). I've gained a couple back this week with all the water retention my period caused. But I know its temporary and will go away in a couple of days. But I hate it because I get all swollen. I can feel it in my legs and ankles - they get so tight. Ugh. I'm not even a salt person either, And I get in my water. I guess that is just nature mocking me. This will pass though and the water will go away.   Lately, I've been noticing I have really been losing weight in the boobs. This makes me sad. I always had a nice shaped rack. No to big, not too small. And now.. its just sadsville up in there. LOL. You can't spot train your fat to disappear from places and stay on others. Even though the new boobs are smaller, the overall picture is smaller and I will just need to come to terms with what I see in the mirror.
Forsythia

Forsythia

0
MaggieAL's Blog
 

July 16th Bypass surgery

Hi, I am now 9 days out (post op) I feel great. Pain has really been very tolerable. Just started the second week post op diet. I have tried scrabbled eggs, cottage cheese, protein shakes and green beans. Still experimenting with different foods, I found that I can drink liquids whether water or shakes with no problems. And for the most part I can tolerate eating as well   My concern is. I hear some people complain of feeling bad if drinking to fast or eating to fast. I am not having those symptoms, Am I doing this correctly or what? Is anyone else experiencing this as well?
MaggieAL

MaggieAL

2
dylanmiles23's Blog
 

Happy Hump Day Hellews!

Hello everyone. I haven't been writing much lately but I do read a lot of your thoughts, feelings, goods and bads. I enjoy keep up with everyone.   In one week will be 2 years for me and my life change, The Lap Band!! I love it and it treats me well when I treat it well. Yesterday, I thought I was good and got stuck at lunch. I had cucumber and lump crab meat (both plain). Weird. Over the past year I have been around the same weight but lately up 5-10 pounds. I can not buy me nuts anymore. I eat too many.   I also, don't exercise enough. At a breakfast/lunch restaurant in my town the owner had the band 5 years ago and after working from 5am until 3pm every day he walks 5 miles a day up and down hills. He is great, I am not that great at all. My Fitbit says a do 4-5000 steps a day. I feel that is great but my doctor wants 10,000 a day. I have never down that.   I belong to many FB groups with WLS as the main topic. One woman is doing her own non surgery plastic surgery. She showed a picture of her bat wings and 6 months later(yesterday) she has wonderful muscles from doing weight lifting. Her stomach she said is getting flatter but she still has thigh skin. She should be a poster woman for all of us that have 'skin issues', me included. She made me want to try weight lifting. Start small with baby steps. I read some where about using the 16oz bottles of water and use them to start. They are less money than weights, just in case you don't like doing this.   Everyone have a great day. Enjoy this wonderful summer.   Arlene
dylanmiles23

dylanmiles23

0
hectorduran's Blog
 

Surgery and Post-Op

I had my surgery july 7th at 12:35pm and everything went well! I stayed two nights in the hospital.The first night was a little painful but by the second night I had almost no pain. I had more pain from being in an uncomfortable bed than from the actual wounds from the surgery. I ended up getting five little lines in my stomach with staples. After I left the hospital I basically waited until July 14th to get the staples taken out. The taken out of the staples was pretty normal, nothing out of the ordinary happened. I was feeling great and the doctor didn't see nothing wrong with me.   Everything COMPLETELY changed a day later (July 15th). I started feeling tired and weak the whole day. About 6pm I got this really strong urge to go to the restroom and to have a bowel movement so I went. All that it came out was liquid pretty much and a few soft pieces but other than that i was thinking that it was your "normal" diarrhea and man was I wrong!   When I was done with my bowl movement, I got up and all of the sudden everything started moving like crazy. I had my eyes open but everything started closing in on me and I started losing my hearing. I had no idea what was happening and it definitely freaked me out. The next thing I remember is me waking up in the floor and sound starting to come back to my ears. I looked around and that's when I realized that I must have passed out or something. I didn't know what to think since I have never felt something like that before to the point that at one moment I thought I was going to die or something. I looked in the toilet and all I saw was blood and lots of clots too. I tried to get on my knees to get up and then I noticed that there was blood and clots where i was sitting. It must have come out when I fell. As I was trying to get up I had the same sensation I had when I first fell but this time I was able to stay conscious and I just sat back down in the floor. I tried calling my mom (live with parents) but she didn't hear me, which was probably because even though i felt that I was screaming, I was probably too weak to actually scream. I didn't want to try to get up again because I was afraid that I was going to pass out again so I crawl my way to the door to unlock it and I used my cell phone to call my mom to come and give me a hand. My mom came to the restroom but of course I wasn't expecting for her to get me up because she is not that strong and I am a pretty big guy. She gave me some water and pointed a fan at me and that made me feel sooo much better. After a minute or two that I was finally able to feel good enough to call 911. I was a little hesitant because I have never needed to call 911 at all but at the same time I was scared enough to know that I needed to call because it was probably something serious.   Help arrived extremely quickly which I was extremely glad and pleasantly surprised. They helped me get up but I had to sit really quickly. Every time I would try to get up I would feel like I was going to pass out. They checked my vitals and then I was heading to the hospital (same one as the surgery). I was fine while in the bed and everything but apparently my blood pressure was extremely low so they had to put me upside down for a little while and they put two IVs which pumped a lot of freezing cold liquid inside of me that made me start shivering and shaking. After a while I started feeling that urge to go to have another bowel movement and I got instantly nervous because I knew it was going to be more blood and I was scared of losing consciousness again. They basically tried to get me up twice to use the toilet and both of the times I was on the verge of passing out but with the nurse's help I was able to stay conscious by breathing it out. When I finally was able to go to the restroom, my suspicious were true because all I saw was blood and blood clots.   At that point, they took me to do a test where they took some blood out and they put some radioactive stuff in the blood and put the blood back into my body to see how the blood would travel and find the source of the bleeding. The test was inconclusive so I was transferred from the ER to ICU because my hemoglobin levels were getting low from losing blood. They ended up giving a blood transfusion (two bags) to counteract the blood I was losing every time I went to the restroom and I also got a bunch of medicine and stuff in the IV. The next day I got an endoscopy to see what the hell was bleeding.   The endoscopy showed that I had developed an ulcer next to the stitches from the surgery. The doctors told me that they preferred for me to stay in the ICU and see if the ulcer could heal with medicine because if they go in to try to fix it they might make it worse since it was a very sensitive area and that if they did make it worse they would have to reverse my gastric bypass surgery so they wanted to wait a few days to be checking to see if i kept pooping blood and to check my hemoglobin levels. Turns out that my ulcer and hemoglobin levels were getting better and I started to poop less and less blood which was always good. While I was in the hospital one of my incisions in my stomach opened a little (minimal bleeding) but they told me not to worry and they patched it up quick.   I ended up staying in the hospital from July 15th to July 20th which it was a lot for me who has only been admitted to a hospital once before (the day of my gastric bypass). I am just glad everything went well when it had so many opportunities of going wrong. I am glad to be home even though I am not 100% yet but I am getting there day by day. I really hope this is the only complication I have and that everything goes smoothly from now on.   On a little side note, my brother who was planning to have gastric bypass by October but I guess with all that happened with me made him lost quite a lot of motivation which sucks but I guess it would be understandable and I would probably be the same way if the roles were reversed.   Anyway, I'll keep updating the blog and hopefully now it would only be good things on here.   H.D.
hectorduran

hectorduran

7
Lite'N'Sweet's LapBand Life
 

Time and Money Paradigm Shifts (Days 11 & 12)

A lot of this process has been introspective. As you go through the process of allowing the healing and trying to mold your thoughts to propel you to success in the coming weeks, you evaluate what got you to this point. How did you arrive at this point in your life. You listen more deeply to the things people are saying around you and assess your surroundings a bit more critically. One thing I've noticed is that since I've unhinged "FOOD" as a center of my interactions, social life and celebrations, I have A.... LOT.... MORE.... TIME. Like. Wow. It's made me really look back and wonder what else was I doing besides eating. Clearly nothing.   I sign up for a lot of freelance but normally never get it done on time because I'm so busy... doing what? Eating. Eating out, going to events where there's food... etc. But I've been getting so much freelance done lately because I've essentially been avoiding being in the presence of foods I can't eat if I could handle it.   Just now I got paid for a freelance gig that I've been participating in for a while sans payment and he handed me cash. Normally the plan is to go to a fave restaurant and chow down on something nice w/o having to worry about cost because I have some liquid assets to go to it. But I'm like... OVER THINKING what I can do with this money right now.... because I won't be spending it on food.   I guess I'll pay some bills...   Still hungry though. But also avoiding the scale because I don't want any parts of that until the Dr.'s office.
Lite'N'Sweet

Lite'N'Sweet

0
Switching it Up
 

The good, the bad and what I'm doing about it

So first the good news - as of t his morning I'm 14lbs down in 16 days. I had a slight regain at the end of the first week due to poor choices. I also think we were both treating it as a 'last supper' type of thing because the liquid diet was looming.   Still, if I can maintain this rate of loss I'll be at my goal weight by mid-August.   The bad news - the liquid phase is torture and I didn't do very well.   Between trying to choke down a protein shake that tastes like rotten monkey butt (though the cocoa powder helped a little) and feeling like absolute crap all last week, it was miserable. I know there's usually a certain level of 'detox' to be expected, but I'm doing this to get healthy - not to feel even worse than I normally do.   The challenges: 1 - the level of salt in most broths was triggering headaches. Due to my BP, I'm sensitive to salt and I guess not eating anything to balance it out increased that sensitivity. The ones that are low-sodium have absolutely no flavor and despite being hungry I had trouble forcing myself to drink them.   2 - I HATE SUCRALOSE. Seriously - I cannot stand the flavor. I don't understand how people can live on it and don't notice the flavor difference. I can take a taste of something and immediately tell you that it has sucralose by that nasty after-taste it leaves in my mouth. This means that these protein shakes, sugar-free jello, sugar-free pospicles are about as appetizing as eating dirt. I deal with it while drinking the protein shakes, but it pretty much eliminates the other 'free foods' I'm allowed.   The above challenges, combined with the nurse's failure to explain a few details about this portion of the diet, meant I was subsisting on 2-3 12oz protein shakes a day and maybe 1 cup of broth. Oh and my multivitamins and calcium of course.   So the hubby and I had a talk about it and have decided to make adjustments. Yes, I fully understand I won't have the freedom to do this after surgery, however I do now and am taking advantage of it. Plus, when the hubby had his consult with the (same) surgeon he was just told to lose the weight and the surgeon ultimately didn't care how.   So for week 2 of our 'liquid' phase, we've mad the following changes.   - Picked up 2 cases of the Premier protein shakes. The surgeon isn't a fan of these because of the protein degrading or something along those lines, but I can stomach these. I don't feel like I'm marching along death-row every time I have to drink one.   - We're picking up 1 container of Body Fortress protein powder from WalMart. I've heard that it tastes decent and I'm willing to try. I'm making sure it's a flavor other than chocolate.   - We're eating a sensible, protein-centric dinner. This has helped tremendously. The first night, after about 5-6oz of steak and a 1/2 cup of veggies sauteed in coconut oil I felt 100% better. My headache started going away, I didn't have the shakes, I didn't feel sick.   So far so good. I'm still losing. I feel human again. I can think clearly again. I can work and take care of my kids the way I have to every day and not want to just sleep.   If I notice that it's seriously stalling my weight-loss, I'll re-evaluate. Right now though, I've got to do what I've got to do to survive.   In other news, just 6 days until I go have my EGD and the majority of the other testing I have to get done. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also nervous. It's been 16 years since I was under anestisia or in the hospital for anything other than child birth. I know I'll be fine - hubby was fine after his 3 years ago. I think it's normal to be a little apprehensive though.   I just keep reminding myself that it means I'm that much closer to being able to get a surgery date. I'll have 75% of my testing done that same day. Then I'll get the remaining 25% done the following Friday along with my cardiologist visit and the nutrition consult. I think it's then just a matter of waiting for insurance approval once the office gets all of the paperwork submitted. I think I'll feel a lot better about all of this (including the torturous liquid diet) once I have a date. Once I have a surgery date, then at least I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I can't say an 'end date', since I know I'll be back on the liquid diet after surgery, but at least I'll have a goal. I do much better when I have a goal or a countdown to use as reference. Then it doesn't feel like I could be doing this for weeks and for no reason (well, other than whatever weight I manage to lose) if I can't get approved for surgery.
Lexibelle

Lexibelle

0
4me4them's Blog
 

Magical Monday

So I'm only two weeks into my 3 months supervised diet and things were going good. Then this past Sunday I slipped off the health bandwagon....big time...it was a quick slide back into the old smorgasbord habit. It was a carb laden, coma inducing 2hr fest of bread, peanut butter, popcorn, some appetizer thingys hiding in the back of the freezer and fat free milk.....and then I had dinner . Times like this before would very likely have resulted in a week(s) of beating myself up, eating poorly and basically giving up.   But I'm rewriting that storyline one word at a time. I did two very different things this Sunday that lead to what I'm calling my Magical Monday. 1. I logged EVERYTHING I ate in my fitness pal. I'm not proud to admit it, but even a month ago, I would have avoided logging the food I consumed as if that somehow made it not real. This time though I logged it so I would know how far off my plan I was. (FYI it totaled over 3500 calories), so I could acknowledge it and MOVE ON!   2. The second thing I did was post on my timeline on this very site that I had a meltdown and felt sick.   The support I received from others here is a big part of the reason that this time....for the first time....Monday came, I ate my plan, the planet kept turning and other than writing about it now, it is in the past.   Here's the takeaway from my point of view. We are so much harder on ourselves than we are on others struggling through this weight loss journey...other people's support reminded me that I should be at least as nice to myself as I am to other people. I'm going to have slips, slides and smudges on my nutrition and exercise records, it's what I do with them that will matter.   I've never been an athlete but I love me some football. I think my Sunday was kind of like Ben Roethlisberger throwing an interception for a touchdown, and having to immediately get back out there and try again. That's what we need to do....keep getting back out there, that's what I did Monday and that's why it was Magical. Beth
4me4them

4me4them

0
Alaskan Man
 

Day one - Surgery

Today is my surgery day, July 22, in Tijuana Mexico with Dr. Elias Ortiz. I am very looking forward to an new beginning at 57 years old. My current weight is about 320 pounds. I will post my actual pre-operation weight after my surgery and pe-op weigh in. I am a bit anxious but very excited for my new life to come.
CHS

CHS

3
A Journey to Me
 

Learning to Push Myself

2 Months Post OP Weight: 266.4 Total Weight Lost: -38.5 BMI: 42.5   So it has been too long since I have written anything. All in all everything is great! I’m down almost 40bs in 2 months and I am feeling awesome. So what have I been up to this last month?   My trip to Denver was awesome! Spending time with my family was simply amazing. Although the actual travel was frustrating (both my plane there and train back were delayed), it was a great trip. I had a hard time getting all my protein and liquid in because I was not in my own environment with complete control, but I never felt hungry or weak from lack of. It was weird being on vacation and not eating out, but it didn’t take away from anything.   When I got back from Denver it was time to go back to work. I was looking forward to it. I was starting to get bored. As luck would have it, the night before I was supposed to go back I got the flu! So I had to call in on my first day back. And of course, being sick made my first week back kind of miserable. It was fun seeing the reactions of my co-workers. It is always nice when people notice how different you look, even though I myself do not notice a huge difference. But I am told it is there. Joe tells me all the time that he sees a difference.   My first week back to work was also my first week of eating solid food again. I was excited to have more of a variety of food. The transition was much like my transition from liquid to puree. I could not, and still really, determine when I was full. My first week I was only eating about 400 calories a day. My mind was blown. The second week of solid food I got up to about 600 calories. Now I am eating anywhere between 800-1000 calories a day. It is still weird that I can function on so little. I never feel weak or light headed. I am still hyper aware of the food in my stomach after I eat for about 30 minutes. I am still having trouble getting all the liquid in though. I think that is something that I will always struggle with. As far as protein, I am getting the lower side of the spectrum. Working on getting more protein as well.   I have also started a workout program. My first day back to the gym, a personal trainer approached me and talked to me about training. I decided that personal training is something that I needed. I notice that when I work out on my own I tend to not push myself at all. If I feel fatigue I stop. And that is not going to get me any closer to my goal. So I have Team Training once a week, which is something offered at my gym. It is a small class of no more than 8, and has 5 stations of 4 exercises each. It’s a circuit training atmosphere. Last week was my intro class and tonight is actually my first real class. I am really excited. I have had two personal training sessions so far. I am really enjoying it. My trainer is awesome! She pushes me in a motivating manner. I have an exercise routine that she has given me to do at home once a day. This past week and a half I feel more energized and am very proud of myself.   Unfortunately, Saturday night I started feeling a cold coming on again. But I am not going to let me slow down my work out routine. In the past I have let being sick become an excuse. Now I have so motivated I will not let anything stall my progress.
yllwrose

yllwrose

1
4me4them's Blog
 

Telling my Parents (Part 3)

"Oh My" "Well" "Oh My" Those were my moms first three comments, in order. Mom is a total worrier and I expected to hear..."I just don't know..." which is what she kept repeating after my current husband of 29 years and I told her we were getting married.   Then came the "are you sure?", "are you really ready". Then came the stories of the people who she knew (or thought) had had the surgery....all from the late 1980s...lol.   Once we got over the initial shock of it, she came around in her own way, told me she loved me and that she thought I would do well with it. Then hoped that maybe my doing it would spur my brother to do it...I really hope she doesn't go there because he never did like being compared to me. I am 6 years older, a girl and was pretty much a nerd. He is the opposite of a nerd and every teacher from 3rd grade on told him that...he never lets me forget it either!   So I've told my folks and I'm glad I did. It will put me under a microscope with them when we are together and if they do come to AZ for the winter it could get interesting but they both thanked me for telling them and both support my decision, so it doesn't get much better than that. Beth
4me4them

4me4them

0
Traci's Blog
 

Moving forward...

I got "the call" on Friday. The surgeon's office called for my consultation. I will finally be able to set a date and tell work when exactly I am planning to be off on leave. To this point, it's a moving target. Over the course of the many appointments, I've had different health care professionals tell me different things about how this works. I will see the surgeon on Wednesday, and depending on what ever the formula is for setting the surgery date, they will give me a date either 2 or 4 weeks out... and I start the liquid diet phase...   I'm continuing to follow the eating plan... however, I strayed a little this weekend. I went for a breakfast burrito yesterday... I could only eat a portion of it, though. Then I proceeded to spend the afternoon moving furniture and boxes around, trying to organize my home office space. I awoke today with sore muscles in my arms, up my sides, and across my chest/back. Is there a way to log that in myfitness pal? What surprised me, though, is that I wasn't even phased about not ordering diet soda. My program wants me off caffeine, carbonation, and diet soda. I've been following those instructions for nearly 2 weeks now. It surprises me how I'm not having any adverse response to the lack of caffeine.   This weekend, I've been trying to process the idea that my relationship is about to completely change. I mean, for awhile it won't be anything solid, then very limited in quantity. We walked through Sam's club today, and there were rows and rows and rows of food there that I won't be able to eat. How people interact with me will need to change. I'm not sure how that will change people around me.   I'm really excited, but also pretty nervous.
Trace Lynne

Trace Lynne

0

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