FitatFifty

Greetings all my VSG Friends First, thank you for all your support while I was dealing with my breast cancer treatment. Good news is...I won!! I am cancer free and soon will start on a five-year treatment of tamoxifan for my estrogen-positve cancer. Little devil, loves that estrogen. So, another good reason to keep on losing weight! I still have another 30 - 40 pounds to lose, but I am where I need to be to recover from my cancer treatments. Which were, well, yucky. Back in the VSG saddle, attending support groups, tracking my food, exercising (albeit slowly), and back on the forum. Thanks Again for your support. Catherine P.S. I'm now going for FitatFifty-One!!

I belive my sleeve has saved my life. In late December, both my primary care physician and I noticed a lump in my left breast. Had a mammogram, was recalled for additonal photos and had both an ultrasound and biopsy that day, and result is I have breast cancer. Fortunately, it's treatable and I will have surgery to remove the lump probably at the end of the month, followed by radiation. I am working hard to get my BMI below the obese stage, as obesity compromises survival rates in women with estorgen-postivive, HER2 negative cancers, which is what I have. So, here's another positive result from my sleeve and the weight loss!! I'm off to kick cancer's ass...pardon my French! Fit

Stacies I've had no problems at all!

Anyone out there with Celiac disease who has been sleeved? Interested to hear your story and/or challenges.

Good luck to your Grandma! I will reciprocate the positive thoughts and prayers for her and all the women and men fighting this disease!!

HI Shanny- Are you eating on a schedule? Breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, late afternoon snack, and dinner? It helped me to schedule my eating and plan small meals/snacks. To get the food I need, I find I need to eat every 3-4 hours. I am six months out and I eat between 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day and am still losing. I am also 5/10'', so you will need to find the right zone for you a few months from now. When adding foods, go slowly, your sleeve will be honest with you and you can try again in a week or so. Are you eating eggs? Scrambled eggs were the first thing I ate...they tasted so good, I then added cheese and small amounts of veggies to my scrambles (always trying to increase the Fiber if you know what I mean). Canned chili also worked well in the beginning. About carbs, it's the refined ones you need to avoid, you know white sugar, flour, rice, and Pasta. But the complex ones, my favorite is Beans (fiber plus Protein a real bonus!!), your body needs for fuel. There are fabulous bean Soups that allow you to have a complete meal of protein, carbs, and fibers. One of my favorites is White bean with escarole and Italian sausage (I use turkey Italian sausage) So eat some fruit, oatmeal. brown rice, whole wheat or brown rice pasta and try some quinoa. You'll be much more satisfied and you'll be providing better fuel for your precious body. If you feel full, it's good practice to stop eating. Hang in there, with time you'll be able to eat more quantity and most importantly improve the quality of the foods you are eating. And you will feel GREAT!! Good luck and to our good health Fit

UPDATE!! Had surgery on Tuesday 3/8. Went to see my surgeon because of concerns about swelling on 3/11. When there I asked her if the lab results were in, she said no, but checked the computer again (I love this woman!) and the results show NO CANCER IN MY LYMPH NODES and my fabulous surgeon got all the cancer when she removed the tumor. This means I WON!!! Yes, there will be radiation to prevent recurrence, but the fact the cancer did not leave my breast is fantastic. To all my dear VSG friends, my story illustrates the importance of yearly mammograms and continuity in reading those films. If I hadn't listened to my intuition, this incident may have had a different ending. Early detection saves lives. And my weight loss continues! I lost the six pounds of fluid I accumulated in the hospital and am back on track. I can start regular exercise next week. Thanks to you all for your support and listening to me as I experienced this detour on my weight loss journey. Love and Hugs Catherine (AKA Fit)

In a former chapter of my life, I purchased a nice selection of very nice lingerie. Naturally, once I did this, I immediately gained all the weight back I had lost (it seems like it only took 5 minutes). I packed my niceties away for another day. THE OTHER DAY IS HERE! So I can wear my lovelies once again!!! NO more granny pants!! Here's more NSVs: Shoes fit better, men pay attention to me, women pay attention to me. I can sit in any chair, I flew on an airplane and was actually comfortable, can sit in a restaraunt booth, me knees don't hurt, my 3x belt is too large, I have met really wonderful people through this forum. For those contemplating this surgery or feeling a little scared, please know this has changed my life for the better. Is it easy? Some days are easier than other, mainly because I cannot leave the house without planning my meals and Snacks. But other than that,no problems. I'm done...thanks for listening. XXX Fit

Lila- I love the phrase lean, mean, cancer fighting machine!!!! Thanks to all for your support--surgery is soon and I'll be glad to have that behind me!

I turned 50 in January and am 5.5 months out and down 56 pounds and 50 inches! So happy I had the surgery--my blood work is fantastic, blood pressure has dropped, and the pain in my knees is gone. I can anything- and the sleeve provides the portion control I need!

Gee, I'm not even sure what my goal weight is!! Clothing sizes have changed so much, I have no idea what size I'll be. I know for sure that I do not want to buy my pants in the women's department any more! I'm getting close to getting out!!

Surgery is scheduled for March 8 (it's a lumpectomy, so I can still wear my new, but smaller, Chantel bras), and all is looking good. Thank you so much for your support!! XXXOOO Catherine

Just an update. Had a second biopsy to rule out abnormalities spotted on pre-surgery MRI, and it was clean!!! So, back to the battle and all is well. Thank you for your support during this difficult time. VSG folks are simply the best. Happy Valentines Day to you all-- Fit

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement. I have an MRI tomorrow, then a visit with my surgeon on WEdnesday. Still working out and making sure I'm eating well every day!!

thanks so much!! I know this going to turn out ok, but the journey will be bumpy!

Lovely family and you look simply marvelous!! Nice to see that the tummy will finally go away! Thanks again for sharing!!

Such good news! It's good to know there is hope to leave my CPAP machine behind!! Congratulations, and I know just what you're talking about!!!

YAY!!! Think of how far you've come!! Congratulations on conquering that climb!!!

Glad I found this post!! I too am a slow loser too and felt kind of alone. I recently learned, however, that I have a metabolic disorder related to hormone imbalance that has slowed my metabolism way down. I am working with a sports medicine doctor to correct the hormone imbalance. After learning this, it became very clear that without the sleeve I would never have lost a significant amount of weight. I'll post the details tomorrow-it's pretty interesting stuff!

Congratulations Pam and Happy New Year!! I can hardly wait myself for onederland!!