kemo46

Have your wife private message me, I will send her my blood work from before and after surgery. I will send her my before and after pictures. I had my surgery in Mexico and would do it again tomorrow. Doing the proper research is the key. There is nothing wrong with being skeptical but not to the point where it keeps you from having the surgery and saving your life.

I had the sleeve on 5-25-2011, I have lost over 100 lbs and about 14 lbs from goal. I can eat anything but only about 4 oz of it. I do not have the dumping or the malbsorbtion issues. My sister had Gastric Bypass 6 years ago, it was considered successful weight loss surgery, she lost close to 100 lbs in about 1 month earlier than I did. For the most part, she has kept it off. The problem is her way of life after WLS. What she eats today might not make her dump, tomorrow it might. There is a long list of foods she can no longer eat. She is constantly having issues with malabsorbtion. Many foods make her sick and her way of life is not very good. I chose not to rearrange my plumbing, nothing has changed with my sleeve except the 4 oz restriction. I do eat healthy now and exercise but my body works the same as it did before the surgery.

Hello revtoby, we are very real people that have had the surgery and it has changed my life. I am located in Texas and had my surgery in Tijuana. I have sent you a PM, you can call me and we can discuss any questions you have.

I have sent you a PM, I look forward to hearing from you.

Oahu, I have sent you a private message. I look forward to hearing from you.

I am almost 8 months out and my restriction is still about 4 oz. Once my swelling went down after surgery and I was eating normal ( 4 oz), this has not changed much. I do not push it, I have overeaten a couple of times and I just do not like the feeling. I love that we can still have a taste of anything we want, there is not a food that I cannot tolerate. I do eat healthy and I REALLY watch my portions but I do have a bite of something if I want it, I just do not make it a habit. I am about 14 lbs from goal and I am really going to get strict and push it these next few weeks. The restriction is the key to the success of the surgery and mine is as good now as it was 8 months ago.

I know you are excited, you will do great. Keep us posted.

I think you are on the right track with the running. We are in the same boat, I have about 15 lbs left to lose and it is tough. Running will do it and also get rid of that lower belly fat and love handles I have. Running a mile in 15 minutes is a big deal, good for you. I was at 17 minutes for a long time, I would run a quarter mile, walk a little and run another quarter mile until I completed a mile. I have just now got below 14 minutes for a mile. I went to the gym this morning and running a mile about killed me, I sat around too much yesterday. Keep up the good work. You can always start the P90X program with me, that is my plan to get rid of the last few pounds and get in really good shape. It is pretty intense but I can do anything now that I am this close to my goal. Good luck and keep us posted.

Great job, all the work finally paid off. I am happy for you, I still have 14 stubburn pounds to lose to reach goal. I hope to see you in the maintenance area soon.

It sounds like it could be genetics. My cholesterol was 237 before my surgery and has gone down at my 3 and 6 month blood labs. It is 136 now. Did your doctor check your blood sugar? The numbness in my feet was the symptom I showed when I was diagnosed with Diabetes. My blood sugar is normal now and I take no medication but I would think that your doctor would check your blood sugar and perform an A1C test( 3 month average) to see your blood sugar level. I agree with thebionicbroad, if you listen to most doctors and the Pharmaceutical companies, you would be on medication for everything.

Right now I have lowered my calories back down between 900 and 1000. I am going to increase them up to between 1400 and 1700 when I start the P90X program. I had lowered them to get the scale moving again which it worked. I need the extra energy for the P90X and I figure I will burn them with the intense workouts, this will change my BMR and hopefully get rid of those last 16 lbs and tone up really well. I just had my 7 month mark after surgery. I have my blood work done every 3 months and all of my numbers are in the normal range. Even though my calorie intake is low, I only eat food that has nutritional value. You are on the right track knowing your BMR and calorie intake because it always comes down to math. The amount of exercise will change all the numbers. I just passed the fitness test for the P90X to make sure I could meet the minimum numbers. It is nice to know you can modify some of the exercises if you cannot do them at first. I know a few people that have completed the P90X and it is an amazing program. They were all in better shape to start than I am but I think I am ready. With the numbers you mentioned in your reply, if your BMR is 1650 and you are eating about 1350 calories a day, you have 300 calories going toward fat burning a day. With that formula, it will take about 12 days to lose one pound of fat ( 3500 calories equal one pound of fat). The program should really speed up the weight loss based on the numbers you listed. Good luck to you, it is tough when we are this close to our goal and those last few pounds just won't go away.

Well, after many weeks of consideration and research, I feel I am ready to take my exercise to the next level with the P90X program. Just a few short weeks ago, I kept saying no way, I am not ready for that intense of a program yet. I have discussed this with my personal trainer to make sure I can safely start and complete this program. His only concern was my calorie and carb intake being so low. He feels that I need to increase the calories quite a bit to have the energy required to handle this program. I had in my mind, I am only 16 lbs from goal, I do not want to increase my calories but then after more research, the workouts in the P90X will burn a lot more calories and really work on the tone. The program is all about muscle confusion. There is a fitness test you can take to see if you are ready for this complex of a program, I passed all the minumim numbers so I am ready to start. I would like to hear from anyone on the site if they have done the P90X and get their input, it is going to be tough but that is why I have been working out for 6 months straight at the gym, to get in the best physical shape of my life. I will keep you posted.

What a great journey. You look fabulous and healthy.

That is awesome, what a great feeling. Keep it up, you will get there. Results are the best motivator.

Do it for your health. You will enjoy the other things on your list much more when you are healthy. I know you said you only have hypertention but other issues WILL arise by being obese, yes, you are obese with a 31 BMI. This surgery will improve your health and you will have a ton more energy to enjoy your kiddos. This is only a decision only you can make. Good luck to you.

We are happy for you, it is time to start the new healthy version of your life. Congrats on the first big step.

Good topic. Here is my experience. I go to the gym at least 5 times a week and I also have a personal trainer, not for motivation, ( I have plenty of that), but for education and structure. I do cardio and strength training but just like Lilmissdiva said, running is the only way to get rid of the spare tire, lower back fat and belly fat. While my trainer and I work on things that help with toning and it is doing wonders, those problem areas are reduced by running and running a lot. I have increased my cardio by running sprints, this has really helped those areas. I have also slowed the pace down a bit to increase my distance. While the strength training has my body better toned that it has been in over 25 years and I have very little loose skin do to the training, those problem areas still exist but getting much smaller due to the running. I have gone from a 52 pant size to a comfortable 38 and from a 4x shirt to a size large now. My trainer says that is the number one asked question, how do I get rid of the spare tire which includes the lower back fat. The short answer is run, run and run some more.

Everyone is different. I found that I needed the exercise to tone up and lose the inches. It may have slowed my weight loss but I have still lost over 100 lbs. in less than 7 months. I have very little loose skin, I have combined cardio with strength training. Even when my weight loss slowed, I was losing inches like crazy, it was a good trade off. Looking back, I think that my increased calorie intake was more of the culprit than the exercise for my slowed weight loss and stalls. It is amazing that if you look back at your food journal that if you add a smoothie, protein bar or an extra shake in any where, it can jump your calories from 800 to 1200 real easy. I am about 16 lbs. from goal and I am getting ready to move it to the next level.

Hey oldmandave, your story sounded a lot like mine did. Please go to my blog www.kemo46.blogspot.com and read it from the beginning. My health issue I developed was Diabetes. Being educated in the medical field, you know what, not if, will happen if you do not do something. I can eat any kind of food, just 4 oz of it. I do not have any malabsorbtion issues and my blood work is fantastic. My Cholesterol is 136, my A1C Test is 5.5 and my daily blood sugar is normal. I take no medication of any kind. I hate that the medical world says once a diabetic, always a diabetic because my blood numbers have been perfect since surgery and I have not had to take any medication. It is a combination of the surgery, weight loss, exercise and of course a nutritional diet. I eat healthy and exercise almost every day. As far as how my life has changed, well if you can imagine, I lost what is equivalent to a small person ( 100 lbs.) in less than 7 months, I am 16 lbs. from my goal weight. It has changed my life in every way, all for the better. The only con I can think of is I am cold natured now and my wife and I have thermostat wars in the house. The only other regret is is wished I would have done this surgery years ago, I am 47 and feel that I wasted a few years of my life not doing it sooner. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. Good luck.

I think it all works together. One of the things that has made my journey a success is something that comes natural. RESULTS. When you follow your surgeons directions, you will lose the weight. When you follow the diet and exercise, you will see results. It is human nature to want to continue and see it through when you see the results of the BIG PICTURE. Remember, the sleeve is only a tool, it will provide the restriction needed to limit your intake and you will lose weight. You still have to make a lifestyle change to eat healthy and exercise to become healthy and to maintain the new you. I told someone the other day, you could have the surgery, eat the most horrible food you can imagine, loaded with sugar and fat and guess what, you will still lose the weight. Why? Because you are only eating 4 oz of it. Your resting metabalism will burn the calorie intake that you are able to eat. The problem with this plan is you will probably end up with Diabetes, High blood pressure and many more health problems. It totally defeats the purpose. If we chose to have this surgery and put our bodies through this, I would think that we would want to do what is physically and mentally required to get the most out of our new bodies. Now to answer your question, keep your eye on the big picture, the pre-op diet is a breeze, think of it as the first of many steps to a healthy new lifestyle. When you see the results along the way, you will welcome the next challenge and say bring it on. Good luck to you on your journey, you will be very successful.

On Christmas Eve, we had family over to watch the games. We had all kind of Snacks out, some good for you, most, bad for you. For the most part, I ate my almonds, fruit and beef jerkey but I did have a few chips and salsa. I felt that I did pretty good overall. I went to the gym on Christmas morning to do some cardio, wow, it was tough. I think just from sitting a lot of the day and eating things I am not used to eating, it made the workout very tough. I made a decision right then, I am going to eat good and healthy on Christmas day and MOVE AROUND a lot more. Well, that seemed to have worked, I weighed in this morning and I have not gained any weight, did not lose any but I did not gain any. I went to the gym this morning and the workout went a lot better. It amazes me how heavy food and lack of movement can really slow you down and make you feel sluggish. I feel great this morning after my workout and I survived the Holidays and did not gain any weight.

Way to go Nicole, that is a great acomplishment. That was a big deal for me because I had been statistically obese for so long. Keep up the good work, many more good things ahead for you.

You can do this. Start slow with what is comfortable and increase it everyday. It is human nature to be driven by results so if you start slow, increase your walking, throw in some resistance band training, you will see results and that will drive you to continue. Please read my blog, www.kemo46.blogspot.com . I hated exercise but ever since seeing the results from it, I cannot stop. I get more intense with it and finding different forms of exercise. I am getting ready to start the P90X program and I would have never been able to do that. It all started with walking a little each day after surgery. I was not allowed to do anything other than walk for 6 weeks. I then bought a bike and started adding that in the mix. I then started going to the gym to add some strength training, it all adds up. I was the person that never exercised. The key is finding out what you enjoy and doing it. The results will keep you motivated.

I would look funny in heels so I think a trip to Cancun is in order.

Great job, keep doing what you are doing.