lsereno

Thanks for sharing your story and your pics. You look great and I can see the joy in your face. I'm so glad you are healthier now while your kids are young and you will be able to do more with them. Lynda

Hi, Your surgery was the day before mine. I miss fruit, oatmeal, bread, and margaritas, roughly in that order. Also miss vegetables and Pasta. And I miss milk-I'm lactose intolerant since the operation and I don't like Lactaid milk. I've switched to Soy Milk. And I would like to order off the entree section too. Sometimes I rebel and I do order something and just eat what I can. For the most part, I am OK with what I can eat now. I keep reminding myself that in a few months to a year, I will have room for a slice of bread or a salad with meals or I will be able to have a peach and get in all my Protein for the day. By the way, great weight loss for what must be a lower BMI! I see your surgery weight was 210 and you have lost 38 lbs. Congrats! Lynda

Hi Rootman, I'm not close to goal yet, so I can't say whether I will stop sooner or not. One thing to consider though is something Blackberryjuice told me on another thread: you might look more unhealthy during the rapid weight loss phase. She said: "My mother saw me last winter at 150-155 and then again this summer at 135-140. This time, she told me I actually looked better and healthier than back in the winter; she said that in the winter, I looked haggard and my face was emaciated - even though I weighed at least 15 lbs more! It's quite possible that maybe we DO look more tired and sick while we are rapidly losing weight." For me, I plan to look at how my body looks instead of my face. I think Blackberryjuice is on to something and during rapid weight loss we may lose more fat from our face and as time goes by our faces will recover. Kinda like the hairloss between 3 and 6 months. And I do know the BMI charts are not the be-all, end-all for determining the correct weight for each of us. Look at Little Miss Diva! We weigh the same thing an I think our height is about the same, but she is in a Size 4 pants and I am in Size 10 on a good day! One more thing to consider: I know Tiffykins has mentioned some of her bones and joints are larger because of the high weight she carried for many years. So that might skew BMI too. Lynda

Hi Meggie, Have to agree with the others - you don't seem like a slow loser to me! Congrats on three months + of success!! Here's to the next three months! Lynda

Hi all, Just checking in for the end of this challenge. I weighed 177 today. I haven't updated my ticker yet because my official weight day isn't till Friday. I've hit two goals during this challenge: Lose an additional 10% of my body weight (From 200 to 180) and meet my Labor Day Goal (179). I didn't do perfectly, but some days I did everything right and most days I did most things right: No Potatoes: Had less than 1/2 cup potatoes over the entire challenge. Potatoes made me sick early out and I'm scared of them. No Rice: Had one bite over the entire challenge. I'm scared of it making me sick. No Breads: Had bread once and a while. Normally just a bite or two of the crust. Had a few bites of the soft part one time and it made me sick. No Cereals: Yep, no Cereal. No Pastas: Had one bite of Pasta. Scared of it too. No Candy: Had candy 2-3 times. No Pastries: My weak spot. Had a few Cookies and bites of cake here and there. Never much. Maximum 5 Servings of Fruit per day: Yep. Unlimited Servings of Veggies per day: Yep. Minimum 60g of Protein per day: Made this most days. Miss about one day per week on average. Minimum 64oz Water per day: Made this most days. Exercise: Minimum 30 Minutes, 5x per week: Yep

Feedyoureye: Congrats! And thanks for letting us know. I'm hoping to dump my cholesterol and high blood pressure meds too! I have an appt. for the Dr. for the blood pressure meds. I'm gonna bring up the cholesterol meds while I'm there. Lynda

I'm three months out. I can take more than one small pill at a time, but bigger ones are one at a time. I don't have to wait between though. I just pop, sip, swallow, and repeat till I'm done. Lynda

Congrats Diva! And best wishes for your surgery this Thursday! You are already one blazin' hottie - can't wait to see the new you after surgery. Lynda

Congrats feedyoureye! And thanks for the tip blackberryjuice. I can tell people my weight is stabilizing and I won't look the same in a couple of months. Lynda

Congrats Rootman! Better go pick yourself a new belt before the wife gets one for you - the wrap around belt end doesn't sound flattering :-) Lynda

Congrats! Welcome to the land of the merely overweight. It feels so good!!! And you've got less than 25 lbs. to goal - lucky you!! Lynda

I stopped mine at 6 weeks, per doctors orders. Kaiser Fremont guidelines are twice a day for the first six weeks and then only as needed. I haven't had issues with acid yet. I didn't have acid issues before the surgery either. I have eaten spicy foods, such as Chili, salsa, jalapenos, and hot sauce without a problem. Of course, I haven't had much of any of them because I still can't eat more than 1/2 cup at a time. Lynda

I'd call the Dr. or nutritionist - you might be lactose intolerant following surgery. I am. There are varying levels. I can tolerate whey Protein, yogurt, and hard cheeses, but not milk or cottage cheese. I switched to soy milk in my Protein drinks and felt better. I still had diarrhea the first couple of weeks, but I had less gas and I went poo less often. Lynda

I feel your pain. I'm very honest about my surgery too. And I've seen the look. And, to be honest with myself and others, I struggle with the fact that I could not control my eating. I am still working on accepting that. food was an uncontrollable addiction for me. As a society, I think we have a hard time understanding addiction. The drug addict, the smoker, the compulsive gambler - all related to me: the eater. And people assume addiction equals weakness. One of my friends who doesn't have any of the traditional addictive behaviors was horrified that another friend of ours continues to smoke after a cancer diagnosis. I'm not surprised though, and I tried to help her understand why our friend might find it even harder to quit smoking now. I am grateful there is a surgical option to help me control my weight. I wish there was a similar option for the other addictions that people suffer with. I ignore that look when I see it in someone's eyes, unless I care about then. I feel it is not worth my time or effort to enlighten them. They have to live with their stifled view of life and their hardhearted approach to others. I simply move on and do the best I can for myself. I know why I chose to have this surgery. It offers the best odds for beating obesity. And it's not a guarantee. For people I love who have issues, I do spend the time trying to help them understand. Just like I spent time helping my friend understand why our mutual friend can't quit smoking. Lynda

I think our true friends and loving family just need time to adjust and learn to deal with our new realities. True friends and loving family will be there for us, but it is a change for them too. For acquaintances and friends who can't learn to deal- hasta la vista baby! I posted this not because I expect my true friends to start shunning me, but just because I needed to vent about things they are saying and doing. For me, I'm happier with the ones who don't say anything. It beats obsessing over it! I'm dreading the "you look too skinny now" comments that I am expecting as my BMI enters the normal range. I've tried to head those off a bit my mentioning stuff like "You are used to seeing me at this weight so I know it will be a bit of a shock to see me at a normal BMI, but I'm really looking forward to feeling healthier and stronger." We'll see when that day comes. Right now my BMI is 29. I've got 26 more lbs. to lose before hitting normal. I'm pretty average sized for the BMI charts, unlike some on our boards, who have a higher BMI but are still small and look great. So I am still "pudgy" now and wearing a large top and size 14 pants. Lynda

My surgery was on a Tuesday. I had my first BM on Thursday afternoon and it was diarrhea from there for the next two weeks. I developed lactose intolerance after surgery, which initially contributed to the problem, but I realized that by Friday afternoon (with the help of the nurse in my Drs. office) and eliminated dairy products. Do not trust a fart during this stage! I had an unfortunate incident with that on Thursday evening, and had to hop up, shower, and change the bedding. What a mess! And I burst out crying when it happened, which scared my poor hubby and mom. Gotta say, at three months out I so do not miss the early days!! But it is so worth it - I feel so much better and I am so much happier at my new, lower weight. Just make yourself as comfortable as you can and know that it will pass. Lynda

In the first couple of months, once I ate something that irritated my sleeve, I had to be extra careful the next day or so. I just went back to my more bland, mushie diet for a day and that worked for me. I spring back faster now from mistakes and generally have to be careful just on the next meal - not for a whole day. For example, about 6 weeks out, I got sick from something I ate at dinner. So that night, I had unjury chicken Protein, which is the easiest for me to digest. The next day, I had greek yogurt for Breakfast and lunch, and soymilk/protein drink in the evening. Last week, I ate to fast and felt sick after. So for dinner, I had Anderson split pea Soup, which I know is easy on my tummy. I skipped my Protein Drink that evening and by the next morning, I was back to my regular eating routine. Lynda

The unjury chicken Protein powder can be mixed with warm Water. It is easy to pack because it is just powder. You can pre-measure it into baggies and mix it with warm tap water from your hotel room. One scoop has 20 grams of protein. Lynda

Hi all, I lost 2.2 lbs. this week. I missed my mini-goal of getting to 180 by August 17th, but I'm well on my way to hitting my Labor Day goal, and if all goes well this week, I will be at 180 1 week late. My calories have been acceptable this week, but protein is low. I've been eating out a lot and missing a few meals here and there. Lynda Labor Day Goal: SW-197...............CW-183.6...............Labor Day goal-179 July 4: 197 July 8: 193.7 July 15: 191.6 July 22: 189.5 July 29: 186.3 August 5: 183.6 August 12: 182.9 August 19: 180.7 August 26: Sept 2: Labor Day!:

Yes, it is. I've read other complaints about being cold on these boards. My gas bill doubled the month after surgery between running heater and using my gas fireplace to take the chill off. And three months later, I still am colder than anyone else I hang around with. I think it's the rapid weight loss. Lynda

Thank you for sharing your successes and struggles with us Irene. You have inspired and comforted me so many times. Congratulations on reaching your goals and best wishes for a safe surgery and speedy recovery. You are already gorgeous - you are going to have to beat the boys off with a stick! Lynda

You look great! Thanks for sharing your success - it helps me to stay motivated when I see it really does work. Hope you had a great day in your rockin' outfit. Sometimes hubbies do know best :-) Lynda

Wow-your calories and carbs look good to me and you are doing everything you are supposed to: tracking, exercising, keeping a healthy calorie and carb count. Everyone loses at their own pace. Every ounce is an ounce towards a healthier you! Lynda

Haha. My license has been renewed so many times that I actually finally weigh about what it says on my license: 180. Which was a lie: I'm sure I actually weighted around 200. But you can bet I never once heard anyone say "Man you have gained weight since you got that license"!! Lynda

I have Kaiser for individual plan. I paid around 2K out of pocket. I have the second from the best level of coverage available to individuals. Lynda