CowgirlJane

Eating 4-5 times a day is what my program called for...all mini meals. Protein first, veggies next, then fruit and then a bite or two of carby food. Veggies and fruit have carbs in them too (so does yogurt, Protein drinks etc.) and that is fine as long as it is moderate. Be sure you are drinking enough Water and taking an acid inhibitor because acid mimics hunger. Are you exercising? To me sounds like you are doing just fine!

I had a cortisone shot in my hip over a year ago. It helped tremendously but it does not solve the underlying problem. Sometimes, it does solve a problem because it just calms things down and gives it a chance to heal. you don't heal from severe arthritis. However, the shot will help with problems like the muscles all "tightening up" - right now my right leg is significantly shorter then my left which is causing back, knee and other pain. This is just a reaction to the pain and stress. So, I need to actually talk to the doc, but my cortison shot is scheduled for Thursday, I am researching surgeons etc for replacement (Valley General in Renton is one of Healthgrades top 100 facilities for hip replacement for example) and thinking it might be as soon as this fall. I simple refuse to become disabled at age 50 over this. This last weekend I had a wonderful time, but it made me sad that even a 3 hour ride was nearly unbearable. I had to walk alot of it and was heavily medicated with tylonol to even do that. Things are going good with Scott - we are compatible in many ways. He is a true outdoorsman and came with me on the horse camping trip with some of my friends this last weekend. He was really a pleasure to travel with and to spend 2.5 days with. He isn't too horse knowledgable, but held his own and we had a good time. I guess we have been together long enough to become aware of some possible concerns regarding a long term relationship, but I CANNOT bear the idea of going back to a dating website, I enjoy our time together, so not motivated to make any changes right now... we shall see. In fact, going over to make beer with him tonight and this weekend we are going fishing again! I love having a man to do things with - not just go out for drinks and dinner, but to actually do real life things with! I have been looking for this for quite some time! A few pix from this weekend!

Taco bell's fresco style soft tacos... and i only eat the insides. I don't think that most fast food is very palatable, I would prefer to go to a grocery store deli (not much more time over fast food) and buy something like: -3-4 oz of really nice deli meats (boarshead) and a slice of yummy cheese... and have a meat and cheese rollup -a small box of sushi. more rice then I should have, but I love it and it is fresh wholesome food -a small veggie pack or fruit bowl

This is an example of the garments I wore for many months post op... at first I wore them alot, and over time just when I did intense exercise: http://www.classicshapewear.com/rago-capri-shaper-pant-liner-medium-shaping-6265-p-5225.html?utm_source=pricegrabber&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Rago&utm_content=5225a1z11a2z436&gdftrk=gdfV23800_a_7c3407_a_7c13217_a_7c5225a1z11a2z436

What you might have read is that sometimes we have "advertisers" who just post a link with no explanation and no clear relationship to topics BP members might be interested in. As a host, i tend to get rid of those without clicking the mysterious link.... and encourage others to report them for moderation etc.

There is a forum on Obesity help dedicated to the DS. It seems to me there are a lot more "long timers" there. I personally hate that forum, but it might be worth a quick cruise to check it out. what I am excited about are the new approaches to DS which reduce some of the nutrient deficiency risks that the traditional procedure had. I am curious why he thinks that the DS is a better option over sleeve or bypass? DS includes a sleeve (usually a larger one) and does tend to have statistically better weight loss over sleeve. It is my personal backup plan should this sleeve not continue to work for me (3.5 years since my band to sleeve revision and still going strong!)

I am so sorry you are dealing with this. The good news is that people have wound openings always heal on up and seem to have no worse scarring or any other ill effects... eventually! I had MAJOR reconstructive plastics all at once and no I didn't have a resurgance in swelling 7 weeks out. We all heal differently, and i know Dr Sauceda told me I "healed slow" but I like to think I may have healed slow, but i healed good. I took it really easy for a prolonged period of time as I believe, based on the Dr S facebook group that people who do more early have more problems with recovery. Basically, I was even more conservative then the docs orders but I watched many others absolutely flaunt his advice - some healed fine and others had complications. I did note that at about 12 weeks out when I went skiing I swelled up. I switched to stage 2 garments for the lower body and wore them anytime i did any intense activity (horseback riding, skiing, working out) for several MONTHS post op. The doctor didn't order that, I just learned about it from those who had gone before me... it helped reduce swelling and it made me feel more secure too. hang in there... you still have a whole summer ahead! BTW, you do know that you are supposed to keep your scars out of the sun for two full years?

My surgeon was very conservative for band to sleeve revision patients the intro to solid food was 2 weeks slower than his normal protocol. I think you might be doing too much or too fast or the wrong foods too early. It is NOT normal to vomit with the sleeve. The only times I have is when I wolfed food down too fast. Seriously consider calling your surgeon as this is not normal.

I am glad you don't have any ill effects, so far. It would make me nervous too... and I guess I would want to have some images done to check...just in case. I still say it is worth trying some of the techniques... going low carb, Water load etc etc I don't know anything about Almanza except what I have read on these forums. I personally would not go to ANY surgery that does the daily volume he does. 12+ a day? Stories of people being operated on late into the evening. I don't know, just sets off alarm bells for me. (Full disclosure my sleeve was insurance covered and done at a COE in the USA but I went to Mexico for plastics. Medical care in Mexico CAN be outstanding!)

I went through alot of weird feelings when I got close to goal. I felt like everybody was staring at me. I thought maybe I was dressing inappropriately, or my excess skin was hugely ugly or something like that. At some point, I started dating a guy and he told me...no... people are looking because you are HOT. Overtime, I realized something. People weren't staring, they were just doing normal looking at me. I went from invisible to noticable. Who knew that was such an adjustment but for me it really was. I am over it now and don't even notice it or pay attention. People can look or not look and I just don't care. In addition, i think it is only fair to say that people treat me differently because I AM DIFFERENT. i am much happier, outgoing, self confident, physically capable, prettier, fix my hair and make up more, wear fashionable clothes (it is alot easier to look up to date when you are in single digit sizes versus the 26-32W range!!!). An aquaintance that knew me both before and after weight loss summed it up. She said that I had a bubble around me before... not that I was rude or unfriendly, but I had energy that repelled people... or at least did not encourage them to come hug me. She told me that now people WANT to be around me because I am fun, energetic, positive and just draw people. I could have been offended by her remarks, but i have to tell you.. I think she was right. so yes, people do treat me differently and it cannot all be chalked up to "fat phobia" - a good deal of it is me.

I am 3.5 years out and yes my appetite is back. I think that is normal... The whole idea is that the WLS helps us develop new habits, and even all these years later I really CAN'T eat as much as I used to as long as I stick to dense Protein first... everytime. My advice is to go back to basics. Protein first. Don't drink with meals but hydrate really well between meals. Limit carbs - and don't eat junky slider type foods. dont drink your calories (soda, fruit juice, booze etc) and watch out for "healthy sugars" as they can trigger cravings too - examples are fruit and fruit juices. Watch Protein Bars as they are high calorie/high carb. It is a lifelong struggle but I will say I am alot happier fighting it out in the 150s than I was fighting it out in the 300 plus plus range.... Hang in there! Oh I am sorry, I thought you were a sleever like me... it seems you posted in the bypass forums so I assume you had a different surgery. I suspect my advice/comments are similiar though regardless of the WLS type...

I was still pretty hunched over at a week or so post plastics. I am more concerned that you are going back to work so soon and in an effort to hide your surgery, you don't take maximum care of yourself. Heal well!

I am sorry. While I was still losing weight post sleeve, my sweet sister in law died of a massive heart attack at age 64. Last summer, my niece died in her sleep of heart failure, she was only 40. They were both very very obese - in the 150-200# overweight range. These are sobering experienced and remind myself to not whine too much about my "maintenance struggles" compared to the path I was on.... I agree that your sis needs to find he own path. She knows you had surgery - she knows who to reach out to when when she is ready....

I had a great weekend and yes the hip pain did interfere, but I am more motivated then ever to get this "fixed". the damage is permanent. Keeping my weight down is motivation to reduce symptoms but it doesn't fix anything. I need to actually talk to the doctor because remember when I last spoke everything was fine... it was the follow up voicemail that explained I have severe arthritis and nothing can be done (in terms of hip preservation) so next is to schedule a cortisone shot and to start thinking about hip replacement. What i realized is that doctors look at stuff like "can you tie your shoes" and I say "I aspire to more than that". I need to be able to ride, hike etc. so I am not willing to wait until I am walking with a cane (That is what happened to my boss). The motivational story of the weekend is that my friend Tom the firefighter has a coworker who is young - early 30s - that had a complete hip replacement and has gone back to not just fighting fires, but playing soccer. It gives me much hope. Kim, sounds like you had a real blast with your friends! How are you doing with 5:2 - back on track?

You didn't provide alot of detail. If we are talking few pounds here and there.. that is the normal ups and downs.... as long as the trend remains downward, it's all good. If you are talking about gaining 5-10 or more and then relosing it...well, I suspect you are finding yourself "falling off plan" and then getting back on plan. That is tough, it is really hard to break a lifetime habit and stay consistent in healthy habits. do you have support such as counseling, family, support groups etc?

Just a word of caution... a personal trainer completely siderailed my fitness journey. I was quite fit but decided I wanted lower body fat and to build up my gluts. Since I was aerobically so fit, the young man always felt I wasn't working hard enough. (I had been doing pretty hard workouts on my own already!). anyway, due to his pushing, I got an over use injury that led to a whole string of events. I am still dealing with it a year later. The part that makes me so mad is I was doing pretty good on my own - I push myself, but listen to my body too.

Prayers for you and hubby... take comfort in knowing that MANY people survive colon cancer with proper treatment. take care.

When was your resleeve? It takes time for things to heal and feel the restriction. I have heard of other docs doing a sleeve revision, but it is not something I would take lightly... While I understand your disappointment, do you have any reason to think you were harmed by the resleeve?

I got some depressing news. While the first set of xrays showed no big problems, the series they did for the hip preservation specialist revealed it is too late to preserve mine. Doc left me a vmail and he is gone till Tuesday but basically injections until I cant take it and then replacement. I am upset. It makes me feel like I did when I was obese..helpless that I am becoming disabled. I am going horse camping this weekend, in pain and now a little bummed. Duck. At least I will be with good friends so my mood will lift. My biggest fear is that for some reason I don't get good results and I really do become disbled. Doctor did tell me "keep the weight off" so it is added motivation to get back under goal. When I go in for injection I am going to ask if 10-15# makes a difference because I might be in less pain at 140. He was pretty sure my history of obesity contributed to this. When I am less pissed off I will share my story publicly...maybe it will convince some that obesity destroys you even if you don't see it at the time.

I knew it was paid... now I know why I got it for free! They will probably fire me as host though..I keep deleting crappy adverstising posts and duplicates/cross post/spams.

I am sorry you were treated this way. I am going to gently suggest that due to the very emotional nature if this process you might be reading alot I to it that wasn't there. Maybe the look on her face was remembering the scars on her own mother and having to process all that while doing her job. Maybe she was pissed off over a speeding ticket. .. I don't know. Anyway. .those people aren't important to you. It is a waste of human energy to get so upset by people that just don't matter. I have noticed people treat me better when I feel self centered and confidence. I have realized that some of it is me...not "them"

What do you consider "too thin" ? I had to fight hard to get to a normal weight/size and yet I had a sister ready to stage an intervention. She has dismorphia the other way...normal size people look too thin to her. Anyway truely becoming too thin is a rare problem.

Wish I could help you but since I had to do hand to hand combat with each and every of the ast 40 or so I lost...this was not a.problem I faced. I had "unexplained " weight loss a year later and that was a whole different situation.

Did he use the words "pouch dialation"?

I have a dress that is designed to look like a skirt blouse. the color combo I would have never dreamed of... black and white striped bottom and a royale blue top. I get so many compliments on it! So, a comment I would make is that strong patterns tend to draw attention. So, since i have a relatively skinny ass, i am fine with a striped skirt. I am less inclined to wear a vertical striped top because i am already top heavy. Anyway, the tan/white looks pretty subtle to me. I think you could go "monochrome" and wear it with a very neutral tan or beige colored top or you could go with a solid color and look great. Frankly, the rules about matching solids with patterns are often broken very successfully, you might even have a subtle pattern top and look good with those. i think the high contrast navy/white one is harder to wear, but could be striking! I would love it with a crisp white top, or a comfy white tank and a jacket. I would even wear it with a pink top and a navy jacket or sweater but I love my colors and I like that big bold look!