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My Journey to Skinny
 

Getting Back to (A New) Normal

Well, I just re-read my last few posts, and can't help but be proud of how far I've come. I will be 10 weeks out from surgery on Tuesday, and feel pretty much normal. But a new normal, where I'm not hungry all of the time, and when I am, I get full really quickly on a small amount of food. Sometimes I even almost forget that I had surgery. But then I look at the scale, which is down more than 40 pounds, and I realize that I never would have been able to do that if I hadn't had some help. Because my old normal was scary bad, and I never want to go back to it.   My old normal was that I would wake up in the morning with a growling stomach. I would usually think about what I was going to eat before I had even gotten out of bed. Before I finished breakfast, I was already planning what I would have for lunch, and before lunch was over, I would already be thinking about dinner. And the last thing I would usually do before bed would be to eat a late-night snack. Like a half a package of Oreos kind of snack. My entire day literally revolved around food. Not healthy.   My new normal is that I get up in the morning, and I'm usually thirsty. I'm getting the proper amount of fluids - at least 64 ounces per day, but I think compared with the amounts that I used to drink, it's still not that much. And it's summer in Florida... So, yeah, I'm usually pretty dry when I wake up. I still can't gulp down a glass of water like I used to. But I can guzzle it pretty well. So, I usually get up and drink a glass or two of water or Crystal Light before I even think about eating. And even then, it's usually because my husband says he's hungry that I actually go to the trouble of eating some food.   And when I do eat, it's usually about a half-cup of something. I can get in more if it's something like soup. But in general I don't eat that much soup anymore, because I'm trying to be proactive about eating more solid-type foods. So far, I can stomach most things if I eat them slowly enough. That continues to be a challenge for me. I am usually mindful of what I'm doing, it's a challenge more often just because of the time required in order to eat at the proper pace... I'll be trying to eat dinner before leaving for work, for instance. Or on a half-hour lunch break at work. That's when I run into trouble. I'm better off just keeping my food at my work station, and taking a bite here or there. Most night nurses don't take breaks anyway, so no one really finds that to be weird.   As far as what I eat, I do find that the softer textures still go best. Grilled chicken or fish can still be a problem. I do better if it's served with some kind of sauce. Better still if it's cooked in the sauce though. For instance, we're having chicken tikka masala that was done in the slow cooker for dinner tonight. Perfect food for my tiny tummy. I've just in the past week started experimenting with fresh vegetables a little. Just a bite or two of lettuce, tomato. So far so good. Also just this week I've eaten pasta twice, and had no issues with it. And last night, I ate my first piece of un-toasted bread. Just a small one, but it went quite well, I thought. None of the "stuck" feeling that I've heard others complain about.   What still isn't working, and I am so very sad about it, is spicy foods. Just can't seem to tolerate them. I ate a few bites of Buffalo chicken at work the other night. I'd just been craving the Buffalo sauce. It stayed down, but I got the sliming sensation, and it burned in my chest for a long time. I have always loved spicy foods, so I'm really hoping that this reaction goes away at some point. Other than that, though I am incredibly happy with my new normal.
butterfyeffect

butterfyeffect

0
Lite'N'Sweet's LapBand Life
 

Fitbits, Cookouts and TOM (Days 8 & 9)

Going good since the doctor's visit. I've decided to go the liquid protein route for at least a week before incorporating some soft foods. So I have vats of this protein powder that I had been using at the beginning of last year that was really good. Low carb, low fat, high protein and when I was using it for that diet I lost quite a bit. (BioTrust is the brand name). So I have one in the morning for breakfast, drink my liquids throughout the day and then have one for dinner. It hasn't been too bad. I just have to mentally fight my natural propensity to sample things throughout the day. I've also been doing great canceling the rationalization to eat certain things... or tell myself that I could somehow chew something fine enough to swallow it and not have it make a difference.   I got my Fitbit on Friday and have been wearing it diligently ever since. I like it a lot especially because i can wear it in the shower / rain whatever. Makes it more convenient to just always have it on and i do love the constant counting versus my phone which only counts if I'm holding it. Seeing the numbers at the end of the day really make me feel like I'm accomplishing a lot more than I think I am.   Saturday was another pre-planned thing I knew I was going to have to attend. My husband's fraternity chapter cookout. *sigh* It's at the beach so I committed myself to spending more time at the surf than by the mushrooms where everyone was gathered and eating. Which worked for a little while. But the day was overcast and the water wasn't really warm so I couldn't stay there very long. Back to the mushrooms I went and sipped my water as the smells from the grill wafted over and plate after plate was made and paraded in front of me. I'm proud that I didn't try to sample anything. I did try to talk myself into mashing some mac and cheese really good so it would be LIKE a porridge. But I got past that. The funny thing was, I was hanging with a few of my long time friends during that time and one of them was GOING. IN. on the food. I mean... she never wasn't eating. She never wasn't drinking something alcoholic. She was just non stop. To the point where I was nervous for her... she'd never been like THAT.... or had she been? And I was just... right there with her - maybe worse - eating and drinking up a storm? Is that what I looked like? I thought to myself. It definitely made me stick to my plan even more.   So my TOM is here. Which SUCKS. Aside from bad cramps on night one, it wasn't worse than pre-band. I waited for the whole "your organs swell" thingy to affect me, but this time around it didn't. I'm looking forward to the scale registering that I lost more weight once it's gone (bye bye water...).   My glue is starting to fall off and expose the wounds / stitches. So I'm taking special pains to make sure I take care of them so they don't scar too bad. I keloided pretty bad on my lateral c-section scar, i just want to limit how much scarring they would show.   On to week 2!
Lite'N'Sweet

Lite'N'Sweet

0
Justification for the Justified
 

Baby Steps

I am 12 days post op, but it feels like it was a month ago or more. I've been very tough on myself and my progress so far. The doc says I'm right on track, but I feel defeated and anxious about the future. The Duodenal Switch is hardcore, it requires lots of attention and diligence. Learn from my mistake and realize all these special substances you will need at first, the chewable vitamins to the protein shakes, add up quickly in the cost department.   I can only say I am totally looking forward to next Tuesday when I get to have pureed/soft foods. All liquids gets old and I feel for those who have to do that for long periods of time.   I've had some shortness of breath, but all tests came back normal, so most likely associated with anxiety. I'm so good at ignoring things that are really bothering me. This whole process is enough to make someone nervous, but I had a death on Monday of a dear friend and mentor that I can only deal with in small moments. Although she had battled Ovarian Cancer for many years, and had fought the good fight, it's still not an easy thing to accept.   I'm sure there will be many more things that I encounter along the way. The important thing is to remain moving forward, deal with what I can and take my time with the rest. I'm living my life, my life isn't living me.   It feels like ages ago, but just 12 days ago I woke up from major surgery. I wish I could give myself a cookie!
dsdesigna

dsdesigna

0
Forsythia's Blog
 

Good news! Bad news!

Good news! Today I finally braved the pool at the gym. It was fine. All my fears were assuaged. There were older ladies, younger swimmers, big people, little people. I ordered a new lap swimsuit, goggles and swim cap to use at the pool. Bad news! The lap suit was shipped separately and will not arrive until Monday. Good news! I have a Lands' End swimsuit that has been sitting in my closet since my honeymoon in 2011. Bad news! It is way too big now. It is a 26W It's baggy in the ass and way huge in the boobs. Every time I made it to the end of the pool I had to do a well being check on the girls to make sure they were not waving hi to the boys in the whirlpool. The new Speedo lap suit I ordered is a 22W (I'm an 18/20 up top and would say I'm between 22 and 24 on the bottom now, so I split the difference thinking that going a bit smaller than my hips - my biggest part - would last me a bit longer) Good news! The goggles and swim cap are great. The swim cap is lyrca instead of silicon, so it doesn't snag on my hair. Good news! This has reaffirmed that I love to be in the pool and love to swim. Bad news! I suck. All that cardio I do did not prepare me for how physically difficult swimming is. Good news! Every day I do it, I will get better.   Now, no more good news bad news.. Just news. I've decided I am ready to bump it up to 5 days a week at the gym. Two of those days will be an hour in the pool. The other three will be my regular two hours of cardio/weights. So now, instead of Sunday Tuesday Thursday Saturday, I will add in Friday, since the gym is dead on Fridays. I do not need to watch Say Yes to the Dress (It's a guilty pleasure. I love weddings! LOL and wedding dresses and read bridal magazines even though I'm already married. Ha ha ha!). I'm thinking that Sunday and Friday will be swimming, Tuesday Thursday and Saturday will be cardio/weights. I will start this tomorrow. So even though I went swimming today, this was more of a test run than anything.   I've decided to work on some Labor Day goals. My current weight is 255. I want to be 235 by labor day. That's ambitious, I know. My fitness goal is to be able to swim an entire lap doing the freestyle without stopping in the middle of the pool. It might not be fast, but in high school I could swim a lap without stopping. And I was roughly the same size back then. Yes, it was almost 20 years ago though. LOL.
Forsythia

Forsythia

1
4me4them's Blog
 

Telling my Parents (Part 2)

So I'm half way there...lol. I did call my folks last night...but my mom was already sleeping so I just talked to my dad. He was very supportive and told me he thought I was making a good decision and that I will be heading off lots of problems in 20 years. I felt so bad. Here I am doing something that if he had done 20 years ago would have made such a difference in his current state of health/happiness. I almost feel guilty....how messed up is that? I've now identified another "opportunity for growth". I'll call back to talk to mom tomorrow.
4me4them

4me4them

0
Lite'N'Sweet's LapBand Life
 

"Wait... I thought you were a Sleeve Patient" (Days 6 & 7)

Day 6 was the return to work. Which was good and bad. Good because I have an office that I can't readily see everyone so when they're chowing down out there I'm oblivious. Bad because I work in entertainment and entertainment people are ALWAYS. EATING. So there's always yummy food just around the corner. Of course on the day I return there's a meet and greet with an artist and they catered it with the most delectable smelling soul food. But... I sipped my water. I went to Hale and Hearty to get soup for lunch because I figured if I try to incorporate normality in this not completely normal way of doing things it won't feel like so much of a restriction. So yes, go out at lunch and purchase a lunch (even if it IS broth) and then come back and eat it at lunch time just like it's an actual meal. I asked them to give me just the broth from the chicken noodle soup but I forget that their soups are mass made and stew for a while in those vats so the ingredients tend to melt and fall apart... making it very difficult to get a spoonful of just broth. But I worked at it long and hard and got my broth out. I was proud of myself.   Day 7 was my follow up at the doctor. Traffic made me late (I was pissed) but when I called and asked if I could still come in they assured me that they'd see me at whatever time I showed up. That put me at ease, so I enjoyed the rest of the ride there. I got there and they saw me almost immediately. Firstly for the weigh in. They have this huge plate that you step on and the read out for the scale is off to your left (you the weigh-ee are facing a wall)... so you kind of have an option of NOT looking at the number. Which I kind of didn't want to see. I stepped on and clinched my eyes closed ... What if I hadn't lost? What if it didn't budge? What if i GAINED...? *gasp* I mean... my TOM is looming... maybe I'm retaining water... all these thoughts poofed like a little cloud when I heard the nurse say, "Well, look at you?!?" I turned to my left and there it was.   226.   Quick calculations in my head (because I'm soooo bad at math). 14 lbs... in 7 days. Really? REALLY? Okay okay - don't get TOO excited... just calm down because ... cause .... WOW 14 LBS????? Man!   Then a chat with my surgeon who explained why I had 3 incisions instead of the afore promised 1. "Your liver was a little enlarged. So we needed an additional trocar to hold it up better so we could see." Sure didn't love hearing that. But hey... they made it happen. He took a quick look at my incisions, asked me if I'd had any vomiting or nausea, gave me the clean bill of health and then whisked me off to the nutritionist. She marveled at the number and kept stopping short of saying "you got through this all with flying colors!" She'd say "You got through this all with... you did really well." And I'm wondering if that's like a jinx thing for her... or maybe she forgot the phrase. Whatevvs. She went over what my next 3 weeks should look like. Talked about 2 protein shakes a day to supplement my 48 ounces of liquid. Just that for 1 week. Then in week two introduce thinned liquid foods - mashed potatoes, cream of wheat, farina, oatmeal, lowfat yogurt, pureed vegetable only soups (with NO "beans" in them -- too fibrous she said). Then by week three, I can start to experiment with the same foods but thicker. She broke it down by saying "do you have kids?" I replied yes... and she said - so you would give a newborn an apple to eat. You'd graduate them to the apple. So you start with formula, then a little rice cereal in the formula, then a little rice cereal alone... etc... I nodded with understanding. She gave me some more accolades and pats on the back and then walked me out to the reception area where I waited to settle up my bill. Then she exclaimed... "WAIT... you had the lap band??" and I said kind of suspiciously, "Yeeeaaaah.....?" And she replied quickly, "Oh noo... come back in here... I gave you the wrong plan. I thought you were a Sleeve patient by the amount of weight you lost!" The little cheerleader inside of me did a backflip. She called me back in and quickened the plan. NOT over 3 weeks. Actually I can start experimenting with foods THIS week, etc... then the following week for pureed foods, then to solids adding one a day. I finished by asking her if I could stick to the Sleeve plan and before I could finish the question she said "Absolutely!!"   Things are going well. NOW... i gotta manage my expectations and reactions for the slow down which may or may not happen... so I don't get discouraged. But for now? I'm walkin' on sunshine! #lovethelapband
Lite'N'Sweet

Lite'N'Sweet

1
4me4them's Blog
 

Telling my Parents (Part 1)

So I'm going to tell my parents about my WLS. I'm almost 50 (in August) and my parents are in their early 70s and yet I’ve had a hard time deciding whether to tell them. See both are morbidly obese, both have weight related problems, and neither is having the retirement they dreamed of. They are, in some ways why I decided to pursue surgery. Worse than that, they have both become glass half empty kind of folks…not at all like the parents I remember from my childhood. I know they will worry. And then they will worry some more.   But here’s the main thing driving my decision to tell them. My husband and I are going to see them this October. My trips to my home town are normally gastronomical tours….fresh baked pepperoni roles from D’Anunzio’s, white cake from Bonnie Bell’s Bakery, calamari and lasagna from Muriel’s….my stomach is growling just typing. Already mom is talking about the new buffet at a state park resort and how we need to go there.   I’m using my 3 month doctor supervised diet period to establish good habits and drop what weight I can…and this trip occurs right after that period and about 6 weeks before the date I hope to have surgery. Unfortunately my folks are used to my “health kicks” and if I just tell them I’m on a diet, they might not take it seriously. Actually it was my husband who said “I don’t know if I will be able to not get mad if your mom tries to push food on you”….hmmmm hadn’t thought about it from his point of view.   I’ve decided to keep the peace, and to explain my commitment to my new eating habits, I need to have THE TALK. I can’t expect them to be supportive if they don’t know there is something to support. So I’m going to make the call. Tonight. Probably.
4me4them

4me4them

2
Lite'N'Sweet's LapBand Life
 

The Gauntlet (Day 5)

What I've been reading on most of these boards is that Day 3 after the surgery is usually the worst. The swelling begins to subside and your stomach starts to function as it did in terms of hunger. But all you're shoveling into it is clear liquid. Well... Day 3 managed to get by me. I discovered clear SOUP broth (see my previous post about the distinction between that and "clear broth") and that helped me by greatly.   Until today.   I was due to go see my Godmother because she had cooked up a huge vat of Haitian Soup (Bouillon) for me to freeze and use during my puree stage. I was excited to see her because she had her grand daughter who is 1 year older than my daughter with her and I knew they could play together and my husband loves her too. I call her Nininne. So we get to Nininne's sister's house and everyone is pretty silent. Just on their respective pieces of technology ( laptops, tablets, cellphones ) and making idle chatter. I'm sure everyone in there knew that I'd just had the surgery and had little to say. Bigger things were afoot - my Nininne's niece is pregnant so that makes for better conversation. But she chatted with me about it and what it took and people she knew who had the surgery, etc. It was nice... I was drinking my water... and then it happened.   They started cooking.   First they pulled out the Haitian Patties which are these beautiful puff pastry creations that cradle ground chicken, beef or saltfish in it's center. EVERYONE had one in the room (except for me). Then they started serving up the hot link sausages to the kids with glorious white bread... then... they started cooking vegetable rice to go with their fried pork tenderloins (Griot).   I? was going to lose my mind. EVERYTHING IN ME... it took EVERYTHING in me not to shove a patty in my mouth or a handful of rice or swipe the hotlink from my daughter's plate. I WAS SO HUNGRY. I'd not been that hungry in a very long time. I drank my water for a while longer, announced that it was time to go after my daughter was done with her hot link and made our way out of there. (Don't worry - we'd been there for about 2 hours so it wasn't like we'd just gotten there). I felt like I wanted to cry. It was too much. All the comforts of the foods from my childhood coupled with the presence of family ( my parents have gone from this worldly existence ) which I seldom get anymore... there were so many strings being pulled to get me to fall. I had to remove myself from the situation. And good that I did. I'm sure they would have had to wrestle me down to unhinge my hands open from clutching whatever food I snagged.   Got home - and had some vegetable soup broth. And all was right with the world again. I've told myself that if i was in the mushy stage or even just the liquid protein stage... I might have been able to do better than I did today (which wasn't bad, considering i didn't cave at all)... but I could have had some great tasting alternative to everything they were eating.   It's a process... I'm going through it...   I just can't wait for the next phase that will hold me over a little better than clear liquid.
Lite'N'Sweet

Lite'N'Sweet

0
Traci's Blog
 

Still waiting...

I went to see my hematologist last week, and did her tests. The tests came back and based on my understanding of the results, I only need a low dose of Coumadin post-op. yay! I've submitted my update to the dietitian, showing that I'm closer to meeting the guideline. I had a fun moment over the weekend. My nephew and I were sitting on opposite ends of the sofa on Saturday night. There were tons of bonfires and gatherings around the neighborhood. We were sitting there quietly, me playing on my iPhone and he was on his computer. Being funny I sent him a text challenging him to a dance-off on Just Dance. Without speaking, we got up, moved the furniture, and started up the Xbox. I love that game. We played for over an hour. I came close to beating him on one song... however, he stomped me on the rest of the songs. I still need to work up the courage to do the zumba games.   As of today, I've been off soda, carbonation, and caffeine a week.   In other news, I've lost enough weight to get back into some of my summer work blouses. They are a little snug, but they fit. I was so excited that I wore a blouse and slacks to the office today, however, the blouse is worn under a sweater, to help mask the bulging buttons at the belly. I was informed that I was looking pretty spiffed up and asked what the special occasion was. I was tempted to say something to the effect that I could fit back into the clothes. Instead, it was 'no reason, just felt like it'. I don't discuss my personal stuff at work.   I can't wait until I hear back from the doc's office about setting an appointment with the surgeon.
Trace Lynne

Trace Lynne

0
DayOne Health
 

ABC OF LAP-BAND RECOVERY

Even though lap-band surgery is the least invasive of all weight loss procedures, it still requires of up to four weeks for full recovery. While patients go back to work 4-7 days after surgery, it takes some time to adjust back to a regular diet and to be able to perform more strenuous activities. Because your post-lap-band recovery will involve different stages, we figured it would be helpful to give you some more detailed insight into what it will look like and how it will feel.   LAP-BAND procedure   The lap-band procedure takes about 45-60 minutes and involves placing the lap-band device around the stomach and connecting it to the port that is attached to your abdominal muscle. Because the surgery is performed laparoscopically, in order to place the band, the bariatric surgeon makes a total of five small incisions in the abdomen. The first four are an inch long and the fifth is about two inches. The longest incision is then used to insert the lap-band and the port. Once the lap-band is inside, the surgeon wraps it around the upper part of the stomach and secures it in place with stitches. After the lap-band placement, the bariatric surgeon attaches the port to the abdominal muscle and closes the incision.   The nature of how the Lap Band procedure is performed dictates the recovery process. This involves healing of the incisions, the port site, and the stomach. RECOVERY IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE LAP-BAND PROCEDURE   Following the surgery, the nursing staff will help you recover from anesthesia and get you moving so you can go home as soon as you feel well enough. Within about an hour after the procedure you will be able to get up and walk around. The nurse will encourage you to walk as much as possible to relieve the post-surgical gas pressure and to help you feel more energized. In general, most of our lap-band patients are on their way home within three hours of the weight loss procedure.   While feeling slightly sore on the right side (where the port is placed), most of the discomfort patients experience comes from the gas introduced into your abdomen during the surgery. Feeling the gas pressure after any abdominal surgery is normal, and will subside with time. Most patients note progressive improvement within the next few days. In order to relieve the pressure, we recommend patients to stay mildly active and walk a lot to help the gas dissipate. We also advise patients to take Gassex® strips to relieve some pressure coming from the gas inside your digestive tract.   The discomfort caused by gas can sometimes cause a shoulder pain, but don’t be alarmed. The feeling will go away as the gas leaves your body. Most symptoms of gas pain go away in about five days after the procedure. WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY RECOVERY – THE INCISIONS   Incisions made during the surgery will fully heal in about four weeks time provided you don’t disturb the stitches. The four smaller incisions will fully close the fastest, in about two to three weeks, while the one on the port side will take about four weeks. During the first week you should not take baths, only showers and pat the stitches dry after washing. The incisions are closed with stitches and surgical glue, so you don’t have to specially care for them once you’re home. Just leave them be and let your body do the work. Outside of the mentioned discomfort, a large majority patients are not in pain following the surgery. Nevertheless, in order to minimize any soreness, the bariatric surgeon does prescribe a mild pain killer for the first one to two days after the procedure. Outside of that, you will not have to take any other medication.   You will be able to return to work as soon as four to seven days following the surgery – the length of your home stay will depend on the nature of your work.. If your work is mostly sedentary and doesn’t involve heavy lifting, you can be back in only four days. For more physically demanding tasks and lifting above 15lbs, we advise our patients to wait until the fourth week after surgery to engage in these activities. The lap-band clinic staff can provide patients with documentation for their employer specifying that the patient is required to do light duty until they have healed from surgery. LAP-BAND RECOVERY DIET   Following the lap-band surgery you will also have dietary restrictions to ease your stomach into working with the band. For three weeks following the surgery, you will slowly progress your diet from liquid toward regular solid meals. The introduction of different food textures at different stages of your post-operative diet is aimed at assisting in your stomach’s healing process (stitching around the band) and helping you to get used to having the band. The general dietary outline involves: clear liquid fluids – 1-2 days after surgery
full liquids – 3-7 days after surgery
pureed foods – 2nd week after surgery
soft foods - 3rd week after surgery
solid foods – 4th week after surgery and beyond
Prior to the surgery you will be introduced to the details of what you can and should notin the first three-four weeks by a bariatric dietitian in your weight loss program. You will most likely receive a special dietary packet listing foods and recommendations concerning your diet. If the bariatric program has a full time bariatric dietitian on staff, so at any time during your recovery you can call us with any questions. Because dietary restrictions can make your eating monotonous we also advise you searching for lap-bander friendly recipes. By just Googling the topic or searching on Pinterest, you will find many tasty options that you can prepare at home.
DayOne Health

DayOne Health

0
Switching it Up
 

Moving right along

So since my last update I've survived my 1 week of high protein, low carb eating. It wasn't too bad, especially since I followed a lot of my Whole30 strategies. I also managed to drop around 8lbs which isn't to bad. This week I've started my 2 weeks of clear liquids and it's definitely tough. I'm home with the kids all day and between prepping their food and having to feed the youngest, it's kind of torture. On the upside, I did discover that adding a scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder to the shake helps the taste tremendously. I definitely need to find at least one other shake option, because chocolate is going to get really old really fast. I wish there was an option that didn't use sucralose, because I have a hard time with that flavor.   I'm really hoping for some big losses with this stage because I'll be done with almost all of my requirements in about two weeks. Assuming insurance cooperates, that means I should be able to hit my goal of surgery by the first week of September. That is, of course, if I can lose the 35lbs my surgeon is requiring. It normally takes a few months for me to lose that much, so I'm really expecting a lot and I know it. I also have doubts about being able to survive the full two weeks without cracking.   Blah! Got to stay positive!   In less stressful news, I did my psych consult today. As long as I don't come back as a raving lunatic, that should be all they need to submit my paperwork for approval.   So fingers crossed and lots of losing weight vibes going on over here!
Lexibelle

Lexibelle

2
Justification for the Justified
 

No Games just Results

Hello fellow travelers. Thank you for reading this. I'm gonna apologize now that some of its content maybe not only hard to hear but may in fact be inflammatory.   Lets get down to business. For those of you who are pre op, presurgery, pre everything... for those of you who are thinking about this journey this is not a joke. You won't, following surgery, beable to continue to eat the way you do right now and expect to not have consequences. You may still lose weight but you will be putting your very life at risk. Whatever diet the insurance or doctor has you do, if you find yourself breaking the rules then you should seriously consider declining to have surgery and save yourself from potential disaster.   Post surgical complications can for a majority of cases be traced back to the patient who chooses to not follow the most basic post op instructions. The clear liquid phase, full liquid phase, pureed phase, and subsequent phases are all designed to allow your new stomach and intestines to HEAL. You may still feel hungry, and you will be tempted because your mouth hasn't changed one bit. You'll be tempted to pick up some random peice of food and try to chew it real well just 2 or 3 weeks out from surgery and find that you feel miserable or if you are lucky you will vomit but for the unlucky folks it will cause incision leakage which requires more surgery and is a long recovery.   This is not a joke, this is not the easy way out. This is not going to fix you. You are the only one that can make a change. I know many of you who are reading this have convinced yourself that you won't let the above happen to you. But then you struggle and cheat on your pre op diet. You cannot do that. Stick with the program, listen to sound advice. Countless WLS vets exist on this site, use their wisdom, their expertise as a guide.   Let me tell you what we don't need around here, whiners. We don't need people to be whining about how hard their pre op diet is. We that are post op already know. It's not that we don't want to be supportive, but you are complaining about the wrong thing. The pre op diet is about allowing your head to change it's ideas about food. You won't be able to comfort yourself with food anymore. The pre op diet gives you an opportunity to find other coping methods. Go see a psychologist if you need to but don't whine on the forum about how you are struggling or even worse how you've cheated.   We also don't need scale watchers around here. Nothing is more irritating than that competitive nagging that comes with someone complaining that it's been a week since their scale dropped. Even more frustrating is hearing that they fixed it by following the program... lets stop abusing the forums. Stick with the program, period. You will have all the tools you need.   If you have a serious concern about your health, pain, or complications you need to be talking to your doctor about it. No one on this site is a doctor and even if they are they aren't in a position to give you any real medical advise. In fact medical advise given by a professional on this site that you follow and it causes complications can put them at risk for being sued for malpractice. It's not fair to put others in that position. That's why you pay your doctor.   Here's what we need to hear around here, tells us how you are succeeding. Tell us what you have found that helps, that works or that didn't work. This should be a positive place. And here's the even more important thing... you need to listen to that sound advice.   I can verify that following surgery you are not going to want to get out of bed because the gas pain is really awful. Write yourself a poster and have it by your bedside to remind you to WALK. You have to get out of pain, you need to work through it because they can't give you pain meds for the gas. Pain meds don't work on that kind of pain. You have to walk it out. Belch, burp, cough, allow yourself to vomit up that air. The nausea you feel when you first wake up is just trapped air, go ahead and allow yourself to throw up. It will not hurt you. Actually its not like normal vomiting anyway. But it will relieve huge pockets of air. Walk, Walk, Walk, Walk, Walk... then when you get home you'll need to continue to walk. I have a small courtyard in front of my apartment that I do laps around. My neighbors look at me strange but I don't care about them. I'm in pain relieving mode. Did I happen to mention that you should WALK???   So far I'm lucky to have had a fantastic experience with this journey. I look forward to the future although it seems so much more foreign now that it did pre op because the scale is really moving. I think somewhere in my head I thought perhaps I'll be the one that won't lose weight this way. I'm pleased to report that is not the case.   I'm happy to be on this journey with you and even tolerate some pre op jitters. Thank you for reading. I hope I didn't completely offend you. This culture is amazing, the people here are amazingly supportive and apparently have tolerated a ton of nonsense for a long time. Bless them for doing so. Perhaps we can change things a little.
dsdesigna

dsdesigna

0
Chimera's Blog
 

My 'Naked' Truth by Robin Korth

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robin-korth/sex-over-50_b_5563576.html     Naked, I stood at the closet doors with the lights on and made myself ready. I took a deep breath and positioned the mirrors so I could see all of me. I consciously worked to remove my self-believed inner image. I opened my eyes and looked very carefully at my body. And my heart lurched at the truth: I am not a young woman anymore. I am a woman well-lived. My body tells of all the years she has carried my spirit through life. I am a 59-year-old woman in great health and in good physical shape. I stand five-feet, nine-inches tall and weigh 135 pounds. I wear a size six in both jeans and panties, and my breasts are nowhere near my navel. In fact, they still struggle to make it full-up in a B-cup bra. My thighs are no longer velvet and my buttocks have dimples. My upper arms wobble a bit and my skin shows the marks of the sun. There is a softness around my waist that is no longer perfectly taut, and the pout of my abdomen attests to a c-section that took its bikini flatness -- but gave me a son.   Why this brutal scrutiny of myself? It was time to counter the damage of my culture, my own soft-held fear and to pour warm love on my own soul. It was time to claim every mark and not-perfect inch of my own body -- a body that had been called "too wrinkled" by a man who was fetched by my energy and my mind, but did not like the bare truth of me. His name was Dave and he was 55 years old.   We met on a dating site. Dave was interesting, gentlemanly and bright. He held my hand and toured with me on long bicycle rides. He drove many miles to come to my door. He made meals for us both and ruffled my dog's happy head. I was enticed and longed for the full knowing of this man. And so, we planned a weekend together. That's when things got confusing, unspoken and just-not-quite there. We went to bed in a couple's way -- unclothed and touching -- all parts near. Kisses were shared and sleep came in hugs. I attempted more intimacy throughout the weekend and was deterred each time.   On Monday evening over the phone, I asked this man who had shared my bed for three nights running why we had not made love. "Your body is too wrinkly," he said without a pause. "I have spoiled myself over the years with young women. I just can't get excited with you. I love your energy and your laughter. I like your head and your heart. But, I just can't deal with your body."   I was stunned. The hurt would come later. I asked him slowly and carefully if he found my body hard to look at. He said yes. "So, this means seeing me naked was troublesome to you?" I asked. He told me he had just looked away. And when the lights were out, he pretended my body was younger -- that I was younger. My breath came deep and full as I processed this information. My face blazed as I felt embarrassed and shamed by memories of my easy nakedness with him in days just passed.   We talked for some time more, my head reeling at the content of the conversation. He spoke of special stockings and clothing that would "hide" my years. He blithely told me he loved "little black dresses" and strappy shoes. He said my hair was not long and flowing as he preferred, but that was okay because it was "cool looking." I felt like a Barbie Doll on acid as I listened to this man. He was totally oblivious to the viciousness of his words. He had turned me into an object to be dressed and positioned to provide satisfaction for his ideas of what female sexual perfection should be. He explained that now that I knew what was required, we could have a great time in the bedroom. I told him no. I would not hide from my own body. I would not wear outfits to make my body more "tolerable." I would not undress in the dark or shower with the bathroom door closed. I would not diminish myself for him -- or for anyone. My body is beautiful and it goes along with my mind and my heart.   When I told Dave that I never wanted to see or hear from him again, he was confused and complained that I was making a big deal out of nothing. He whined that I had taken a small part of our relationship and made it a major event. I didn't even want to try to explain the hurt and the horror that he had inflicted upon me. I actually felt sickly sorry for this man as I hung up the phone. It was after this call that I went to the bedroom and gently stripped off my clothes. As I looked in the mirror -- clear-eyed and brave -- I claimed every inch of my body with love, honor and deep care. This body is me. She has held my soul and carried my heart for all of my days. Each wrinkle and imperfection is a badge of my living and of my giving of life. With tears in my eyes, I hugged myself close. I said thank you to God for the gift of my body and my life. And I said thank you to a sad man named Dave for reminding me of how precious it all is.   Robin Korth enjoys interactions with her readers. Feel free to contact her at info@robininyourface.com or on Facebook. To learn about her new book, "Soul on the Run," go to: www.SoulOnTheRun.com You can also download her "Robin In Your Face" free daily motivational app by going to www.robininyourface.com/whats-new/
Chimera

Chimera

0
Lite'N'Sweet's LapBand Life
 

Don't Fart. (Day 4)

Well... I should have been paying closer attention to all the messages on the board that say "liquid in, liquid out". I have nothing binding me and it should have made sense that air alone could not pass from within. And so out of laziness because I had found a comfortable spot on my recliner (can't WAIT to go back to my bed in a week) and the dream was too good to leave behind... i sharted. It was terrible. In the middle of the night, I had to shower change and clean (it wasn't alot but I'm totally anal about that kind of thing -- see what I did there? LOL) So it just jostled my whole sleep flow then i had nightmares all night (unrelated). It was just bad. It made me remember a meme I saw online that said "Love is like a fart... if you have to force it then it must be ****." So... lesson learned - just take it to the bathroom.   The timely discovery of chicken soup broth on the dreaded Day 3 was a total win for me. I mean... chicken broth is just colored tears. It's horrid. It has this irony smell to it and it leaves your mouth tasting all .... gamey. So my husband suggested to me, as he sat there looking at me stare off into the distance undoubtedly wishing for something I could chew, to boil up a Progresso chicken noodle soup then strain out all the stuffs and drink THAT broth. I mean... a single tear wants to fall when I think how ingenious that was. I could taste the chicken.... but the carrots and the celery and the noodles.... it was all a part of that beautiful bowl of liquid gold. And I felt satisfied when I was done. The chicken soup broth was a game changer. So the hubby went out and bought all sorts of brothy soups that I'll strain and enjoy in the coming days!   Exercise wise, just in time, I've stumbled across an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game called Ingress. So the whole purpose of this game is to get you out walking, hiking, biking. That's the bottom line. But they've entrenched the game in this Matrix like story line that there are portals all over the world that XM (exotic matter) is leaking through and there are two factions of belief about what can be done with XM - The Resistance (who believes that XM is going to be harnessed to enslave the human race so we have to fight against whoever is trying to do so) or The Enlightenment (who believes that XM could be our passage way to "leveling up" as humans and taking us to the next plateau). And so you have to walk around claiming portals (that are just really buildings, murals, landmarks and other sight seeing things...) in the name of your faction. I'm part of the Enlightenment and man... this thing has gotten me SO excited about walking!! I am sitting here icing my Achilles wondering if I can go back out and check out some portals I saw earlier. This was incredibly timely and just what i needed.   All the pieces are falling into place just like they really should - because I was supposed to do this. I was supposed to finally shed this weight and burden and get back to the business of being me.   To quote a late 80's visionary...   "I love it when a plan comes together." -Hannibal of the A-Team
Lite'N'Sweet

Lite'N'Sweet

0
LaVerne's Journey
 

Hurry up & wait

I've been trying to slow down and not let this thought of surgery consume my entire life just yet. I'm sure I have plenty of time to get all of the information I need. After all, I'm still 12 days away from my first surgical consult. But it seems like time is standing still and I can't wait to get the proverbial ball rolling. My husband thinks I'm crazy...who gets excited about the possibility of having their insides rearranged and removed?   I'm pretty impressed with myself as far as eating less, smaller portions, less calories and very few carbs. Sugars and sweets haven't really bothered me at all. It's been a long time since I was a regular soda drinker, so I'm not going to have a bit of a problem letting those go. I am still having a problem with breakfast though. I have some protein shakes, but I'm not a big fan of sweet stuff in the morning. Why can't they be bacon flavored? LOL! I know I'll need to try other types of protein mixes and shakes to find something I can stomach, but I'm worried about buying these huge tubs and not being able to use it. I guess I need to start checking out websites and looking for samples. My morning McDonald's habit is the worst decision of my day, but I feel like I have no time in the AM to do anything at home - and let's face it, there aren't a lot of good options for breakfast on the go. I'm just going to have to suck it up and get up a little earlier in the mornings I guess.   Hopefully time will start to tick a little faster for me...I'm ready to start this journey!
<3 Carolina Girl <3

<3 Carolina Girl <3

0
Forsythia's Blog
 

I broke myself y'all

So Saturday I had an appointment to get my hair done. I got fuchsia highlights. I'm super fancy, right? Anyhow, on my way home, I tripped, apparently on air, and fell in the middle of a super busy intersection. Landed hard on my left palm and right knee. Lost a significant amount of skin on my left palm. So now, I can't grip anything, which means I can't lift weights. $#!%!! Crap. That sucks. I had plans, body. Plans to use the 40 lb barbell for deadlifts and chest press. Plans to use 15 lb dumbells for my squats. So many plans derailed! The worst part was that everyone and their mama saw my ass hit the asphalt. I couldn't have fallen on my street.. a nice slow residential street. I had to fall in the middle of a busy intersection for all of the hood to see. Fab. Karma doesn't completely hate me though. I'm down below 260, into the 250s. So that is something. I'm just bummed because I am going to lose my weight training gains if I go to long due to my inability to properly grip things. I'm all about having a high percentage of muscle when I get down to size.
Forsythia

Forsythia

4
Lite'N'Sweet's LapBand Life
 

Creative Ways of Bending

So the one thing I've had to learn as I recover from surgery is that even though they tell you that you have to take it easy and not do A LOT of the things that you're used to doing, there are some things you kind of have to figure out for yourself. Like if you drop the soap in the shower, you certainly (well... i certainly) can't ask someone to come in from wherever they are in the house and pick up the soap for me. So I've been revisiting a lot of knee bends that don't require bending at the waist at all. Deep modified plies have been helping me a lot with mobility. I still can't wait till I can just move freely. I'm getting that slight "tearing" sensation when I do something too suddenly or move in a direction that my body's not ready for. But it's familiar from when I was recovering from my lateral myomectomy and my c-section. It's about the same but I don't want to exasperate anything. The glue hasn't fallen off of the incision spots yet, so that's good that they're holding on.   I'm noticing a more pronounced "sensation" we'll call it, when I swallow. Like a lump in my throat but further down. And a tightness in my chest a little to the left. I'm assuming that's the band. I'm sure all my questions will be answered at my follow up. I've been really thinking about foods I enjoyed, the textures and the tastes and how i was comforted by eating them. But going through this surgery and the presence of the band puts such a hard "stop" on these thoughts. Like I start to reminisce and when it begins to head down the road of "would be nice to have it again" - a new voice in my head kicks in and says rather forcefully, "Well you CAN'T. And stop that. It's physically impossible and get used to this now." Might sound harsh, but it's good to know that this battle is being won on a mental front. It's what I need.   I'm realizing one of the things taking a serious hit is my bonding time with the hubby. A typical day would consist of us getting up, playing with our daughter, getting ready for work, bringing her to school, getting to work, reclaiming her from school, playing with her a little more, putting her to bed and then we'd reconvene as a couple over a meal. Catch up on the stuff that happened in the day, discuss what's going on during the week... comment on the TV show that we're watching. The band has really changed that dynamic. I know that it's really early still but he feels guilty having food around me since I'm in this clear liquid phase still. And honestly I remove myself sometimes whey they're having popcorn or fruits because I feel my will waning. I know it will get better soon, but it's hard now as we adjust.   He did say that he noticed the top of my tummy is starting to flatten down which gave me chills for 2 reasons. 1) because it's true and maybe something is working - i'm not gonna look at the scale though; and 2) because he's looking. And that always gives me good chills.   Bring it on Day #3... They said you were the worst one... But I'm ready.
Lite'N'Sweet

Lite'N'Sweet

1
I am reclaiming my success!
 

The right choice

Today I had a choice I could lie in misery from staying out late last night, having 2 shots of scotch and only being able to sleep 5 or less hours. I knew there was no way I could make Crossfit. Too intense. So I decided to go swimming. First time in years!! Wow. I forgot how much if an excercise swimming is!! Whoa. But the proud moment is that I actually did a workout. So workout goal exceeded this week. Yeah!!!!   I'm traveling from Monday to Thursday. I truly have never been able to maintain working out when on the road. I usually carry the clothes but it turns out to be a waste of space. Perhaps I will give myself 1 small goal. My small goal is to workout once, just once while on this trip. I think I can do this. Just wake up in am and live up to my commitment to myself. Let's do it!!! :-)   I also need to workout tomorrow AM to at least get me in the groove.
Htallgirl

Htallgirl

0
Lite'N'Sweet's LapBand Life
 

Day 2 Post Op - Day 1 Blog :)

I had no idea that this feature was available on this site. I really love BariatricPal.com. It's given me an outlet for all these thoughts circulating around in my head and how to deal with them all as I get adjusted to this new life.   A little background about me - I'll be turning 40 this year. I've been struggling with my weight for the better part of 20 years now but have always struggled with my image. I look back at pictures of me when I was thin and healthy and fit and remember thinking how fat I thought I was. I now have a 3 year old and doctors were beginning to use words like diabetes, hypertension and "morbidly" obese around me. The biggest I ever got was 240 and that was quite enough for me. My mom died when she was 65 from all the aforementioned conditions and their complications. I already started late out of the gate having my daughter late in life. The least I can do is try to extend this here life a little longer. That's not really possible / an option if diabetes and hypertension are eating away at my ability to exist.   So I banded! My surgery date was 7/11 and it's been pretty smooth so far. Just getting adjusted to it all. Today's challenge is gas, feeling tightness in my esophagus (which I think is my body just now taking inventory of the band install) and I can't wait for these incisions to heal so that I can pick up and hug up on my daughter.   The journey continues!
Lite'N'Sweet

Lite'N'Sweet

0
I am reclaiming my success!
 

Credit for the yester!

Yesterday I did row. Not sure how I forgot to add my accomplishment!! :-) also cooked quinoa and chicken and was ravenous. Did IF and for some reason overate. And I recognize it was all emotional eating. Went out and did some drinking. Naturally I'm now too beat this am to do anything. Argh! But today is another day. And so is tomorrow. Proud of me. :-)
Htallgirl

Htallgirl

0
4me4them's Blog
 

My new Saturday

So I have an active husband. He used to be a runner but now he is a cyclist. He goes on these really long Saturday morning rides, sometimes he can be gone 5+ hours. I'd gotten into a bad habit of having a big unhealthy breakfast on my own, playing on the computer, snacking all morning and then fixing another big unhealthy breakfast when he got home and of course sharing it with him.   What a difference 1 week makes.   As I said last time, I had my first NUT appointment on last Monday. 1500 calories, watch the carbs, move 30 minutes every day. I'd totally forgotten how much I actually LIKE being outside early in the morning...here in AZ in the summer that is the only time to exercise! Yesterday morning, after a couple of nights of really hard rains I thought I heard a flock of ducks...seriously...in the southwest desert. So I start walking and I'm thinking that when I get to the really big wash (a wide area that collects rainwater for all you non desert folks ) along my way, I would see the ducks. Imagine my surprise when I got there and I couldn't SEE anything...but the noise was definitely coming from the wash. A little internet investigation after I got home taught me that there is a species of frog here that only mates one time a year...usually after the first few monsoons. I never would have heard that sound were it not for my decision to pursue WLS.   Which brings me to the title of this blog entry...THIS Saturday morning I got up when hubby left (before 0600), did my 30 minutes had a healthy breakfast, cleaned the dining room, packaged some pre cut veggies.....all before 0830...LOL.   Hang in there if you are struggling...keep pushing forward and you too might "hear the frogs". It's never too late to make a new habit. Next time I'll have my craft table all set up and I'll share a picture. It is my "keep Beth distracted when head hunger strikes" plan. Beth
4me4them

4me4them

0
Justification for the Justified
 

The worst has come, the new begins

What a ride I have been on for the past 5 days. I flew from Lubbock to Dallas on Monday afternoon. I met up with my parents there and we stayed the night in a hotel. I checked in the next morning at 6:45am, and it took til nearly 11:30am for them to get me into surgery.   Let me tell you the staff at Doctor's Hospital in Dallas Texas is world class. They were very attentive and encouraging. They were friendly but stern when I needed it.   From the ready room to my final hospital room I remember nothing. Nothing of the surgery at all. My anesthesiologist is a miracle worker. I had told him before the surgery of my last experience where I had woken up still intubated, and he did better than that. He made is so I wouldn't remember any of that or anything following that either. I woke up in my room where I spent the next few days recovering. With as much pain as I was in when I first woke up, I can honestly say the whole experience was wonderful. I felt constantly supported, I never felt alone. Of course my parents where there who were amazing cheerleaders as well. My dad had the sleeve last year so he had all kinds of helpful advise and tips. My mom was there to help me when I walked, and just to walk with me which was nice.   I'm 3 days post op and feeling great. My incisions are really the only pain, occasionally I feel a gas bubble that's stuck but walking helps alleviate that.   I managed to get about half a cup of strained french onion soup in without any nausea. My system is still ridding itself of gas, and I seem to be manufacturing gas a little more than I recall. the empty digestive tract is helping that I'm sure.   I know not everyone has this experience but I sure wish they could.   If you go into this adventure focused on when you'll get to eat real food then you should rethink your decision. This is a lifestyle change, not a get out of jail free card. If your liquid diet is oh so tough on you now and you keep cheating cause you just can't stand it, then you should rethink your decision. This is no easy task. A good majority of the people I encountered along this journey has had WLS in one way or another, and none of them deserve selfish, self serving people coming across their paths.   I look forward to the future. This will be fun!
dsdesigna

dsdesigna

2
Forsythia's Blog
 

Gym rats anonymous

I'm creeping closer to the 250s. Woot. My next goal is 256, which is 50 lbs down from the weight I came home from the hospital at, and half of 100 lbs.   I've been making good gains with my strength training. I have been using a 30lb barbell for dead lifts and bench press. But I think I am ready to try the 40 lb bar for both of those exercises. I also think I can go up to 15 lbs dumbbells on squats. Normally I am sore but lately I am not sore after all of the lifting. So it is time to heavy up, as it were. In some ways, it is nice not to be sore. Being sore makes sitting down to pee a challenge. But I also know that if I am not sore, my muscles are used to it and need more of a challenge. So time to suck it up, buttercup. No one said working out was supposed to be easy. LOL.   My wedding band and and engagement rings barely stay on my finger. I suppose I could move it to my right hand since ones dominant hand is usually bigger than their non-dominant hand, but I figure all of the busybodies out there would question my marriage if my rings are not on my left hand. Funnily enough, my husband has lost not one, but two rings and has not worn a wedding band for at least a year and no one says a word to him. He lives a nice busybody free lifestyle.   I bought swim goggles and a swim cap. A lycra spandex one, not a rubber/silicon one. I don't need those things snapping my hair off. It's not like swim caps keep your hair dry anyhow. Mainly it just keeps it out of the way and keeps your goggles from tangling up in your hair (also snapping it off). I am determined to use the lap pool at my gym, but not without some kind of basic protections for my hair and eyes.
Forsythia

Forsythia

0

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