gettinthinner

This must seem like a strange question. When I told my md. that I put half a banana in my Gladiator (40 gr) Protein shake, she suggested that bananas were not a good choice and said I should use less than a banana. I don't know why, but I never think to question my md. (I tend to think she is a bit nutty!). But then I leave and I wonder why did she say that? I didn't think bananas were a bad fruit and I am not getting any other fruit in my diet, other than this half banana per day. I know they can cause constipation and goodness knows I have been a victim of this, and they do have a higher sugar content but they also have some good factors. Has anyone else been told that bananas are not a good choice. Incidentally, my sometimes strange advice from my doctor, has not only been given to me. I am in touch with another two women who had surgery at the same time as I did and are this gp's patients. We, bariatric patients from the small country where I live, must ALL see her as the referring physician before going off island for our surgery. I guess I challenge advice and need to hear from others before I believe what I am told. Otherwise, I suppose I could ask her for an explanatin and then I might understand her way of thinking. Just another thing I find odd. Please let me know what you think! Are bananas bad. I always feel I should add the date of my surgery in case the informatin I receive is dependent on how far along post op I am. It is 8 weeks now.

I am six weeks post op today. I guess I am doing well having lost 38 lbs. but I worry, perhaps too often. I am not the most compliant person and have not followed the very basic guidelines I was given, ie, I didn't eat puree or just soups. But I have been eating only a little. My advice to pre=op people is to find a protein drink you like BEFORE surgery as it took me a month of not drinking protein to finally find what I can tolerate. I guess I was too fussy but did not like any of the prepared shakes. Just thought I would throw that in because I did not drink any protein for the first month post op.. My main concern is adjusting to the idea that this is a permanent way of life and not just one of my typical diets that will have an end date where I will go back to my old eating habits. I find that I can tolerate anything and compared to my friend who had the RenY surgery, I find this to be a disadvantage. Three years postop, and 180 lbs. lighter for her, she cannot eat many foods. I can eat anything I have tried and that means much more self discipline is required. I have been a bit shocked to realize just how totally it seems to be a real mind problem... so many psychological issues involved in my love affair with food. I wish it was as simple as just don't eat too much and only eat healthy foods. For these reasons I am in a worrying stage that I fear I have a lot of work to do psychologically to break my addiction to food. I guess I am impatient and also I find that I do get hungry and that when I get hungry I am not craving an egg or cottage cheese. I am craving steak and lobster! Does that go away? I feel I am still obsessing about food, looking at recipes, except now a bit more for my own bariatric eating. Still, I have a family to feed and am at the grocery store and always cooking for them. They could stand to lose weight but seem to stubbornly refuse any healthier meals I try to make for them. What I am saying is that I am finding it is "complicated" and although I shouldn't be looking for an easy path, I am finding that people are mistaken if they think this is a simple solution or as my daughter likes to say "that I am cheating" by having had surgery. I am going to read the many posts and am hoping that this site will be a good source of information and support as we do not have too many supportive follow up systems in place here in the Cayman Islands.

I just want to say to all who have replied to my posts, that I am so greatful. I have written sometimes when I need perhaps a kick in the pants for not remaining optimistic. The words of encouragement I receive have made me stop and re=evaluate my progress and often just in writing, I end up giving myself the answers I need. It is so good to have this place where we can share and not be judged and receive such great support. Thank you to everyone.

I am just wondering if a person starts at less than 200 lbs. therefore maybe having less to lose than some others, is their rate of weight less than heavier folks? I want to appreciate my progress and know that is better than wishing for perfection. But I do get frustrated when I seem to eat so little yet lose only one pound per week. I read about so many who lose so much weight in a short time. I do feel happy that I have lost 50 lbs in less than 3 months but it isn't exactly dropping off lately, I still have huge problems with getting enough Fluid and wonder if this is affecting my lack of loss AND.. I am so constipated all the time. I have finally started exercising and expect that I am going to have to be serious about exercise to lose my last 25 lbs. It is hard to be patient and hard to read about people losing 75 lbs in the same time that I have lost 50. My nutritionist told me that I wasn't eating enough or on schedule so I am trying to ensure that I do eat Breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is hard to believe that I should eat more in order to lose weight. It sure is a challenge to adjust my thinking after having tried so many diets etc. I guess it has left me with not the most sensible approach to eating. I still have so many issues that I struggle with: - getting enough fluid - eating three meals per day especially when not necessarily hungry - finding the discipline to exercise - being patient with weight loss - feeling confident about my success thus far. Oh well, I will catch on eventually. It is difficult to be patient and I am anxious to reach my goal. I know I have to be patient. It is just hard to remain hopeful and believe that I will reach my goal, I suppose after so many years of dieting that I probably am looking for the end of a diet as they always have ended in the past. Oh, ended with eventual failure and weight gain. That's where the new thinking must kick in. That this is a life long new way of eating. I haven't been reading the forum lately and realize that it is so helpful and offers such good support. Perhaps I just need to spend some time reading through the helpful advice and experiences of others. Thanks for listening!

Hi: Thanks for the encouraging words. I am not sure if you should compare my weight loss to what you can expect. I say this because I just got off the phone with a friend who had surgery the same time as I did. We became friends postoperatively. Anyway, she has had a different experience than i regarding excess skin. What I have to admit, keep in mind I am a bit critical of myself, is that I am saggy compared to any other time in my life when I have weighed this weight. BUT and this is my big but, ha, ha, in fact I have little butt left, is that I believe this may be related to age more than weight loss. I hate to admit it. So if you are not my age which I will tell only you, (another chuckle) is 56. My boobs have turned to saggy, empty looking things. But I tell myself that a padded bra fixes that problem well enough. My legs are saggy at the very top which upsets me as I have always, maintained good legs even when I gained weight. Now the tops are flabby. Of course my upper arms are flabby but were before the surgery too. My face which thankfully no longer looks like it might explode, now shows wrinkles and I deserve them living in the sun and perhaps being 56. But it does shock me to see them. I hope I haven't sounded too negative. I am convinced that it is my age, combined with weight loss that has left me with some saggy parts. But I am happy to be thinner. If you are younger, and have more elasticity in your skin, and are more inclined to exercise than I have been, then perhaps you will not have to worry about these complaints. Now that I am saying this I wonder if this thinking is what I need in order to get on track with the gym and find out what exercises I need to do to help eliminate the saggy bits. My stomach is flabby but I am trying to remain hopeful that exercise might tighten some of this up. I have a friend who lost 180 lbs. three years ago and wow, she has loads of hanging skin on her legs and I think her stomach. But she is as happy as can be knowing that she has lost that weight and kept it off. I try to think like her and am glad to have lost the weight even if I lost my rear end and boobs. Isn't is the way.... we lose first the parts that we don't really need to lose! My stomach is still hanging on! I am wishing you well in your surgery. Time flies by and before you know it, it will be a distant memory as it is for me less than 3 months later! It is all so worth it but as I tell others, it isn't all easy and it does require work and for me, a lot of mental adjustments, with old habits hard to change and crazy thinking sometimes cropping back up. Good luck and don't worry too much about any negative aspects. The weight loss outweighs the side effects. Perhaps other members can tell you how to avoid having saggy skin. I should look for that advice myself!

I cannot offer you a solution. But I do want to tell you that I, too, have had some bouts of craziness. I have found that since my surgery I have had many times where my behaviours have been a bit irrational. First I seemed to be feeding my family meals that I wanted to eat so was kind of vicariously eating through them. Then I found myself angry that they could eat things I wished I could eat. Then the cravings kind of left but I was still finding ways to behave inappropriately. I find myself so short tempered and ready to explode at any moment, for any reason. My daughter even suggested that perhaps I needed to eat. Perhaps there is something to hormone imbalance mixed in with some psychological issues and perhaps even vitamin deficiencies. Let's keep a positive outlook and try to find ways to sort through our emotional and physical changes. As far as the hair loss goes, I hear that it is part of the process and my nutritionist suggested that taking vitamins will help prevent it. I haven't experienced it yet and I too, have thick, curly hair. I joke and say that less of my wild hair might be a good thing. I haven't been taking the vitamins because, it sounds crazy, they are so big! I think that I will start taking them as your story has made me realize that I must take care to follow the advice given to me. Just like a bad hair cut, I have been told that the hair will grow back. Good luck to you. Keep your chin up!

Wow, what success you have had, I appreciate that you say you have had some challenges with eating too fast or too much. I am less than three months but do wonder why I seem to be such a slow learner. I continue to eat too quickly or without paying attention to eating and then feel uncomfortable. I don't seem to recognize that I have eaten too much until I have eaten that one spoonful too many, But hearing your success story is just what I needed to hear today. Way to go! Thanks for the inspiration.

I am just wondering how people have handled telling others about their surgery. Several of my friends on facebook know I have had surgery because I commented on it several times. BUT, I didn't mention what kind of surgery I had. I told a few close friends but find I don't know how to handle others who have seen me or have heard me mention weight loss and want to know what kind of surgery I had. I won't lie to them but at the same time there are people who I do not wish to tell - people who will disapprove or think it was unnecessary. I know that people who do not see me often, who I see only when I travel, are bound to notice a difference in my weight. Should I tell them I had surgery or just say thanks. I find myself not wanting to tell anyone I had surgery and locally feel upset when I discover the rumour mill has spread the word. I know that people think it is the easy way out but we all know that it has challenges and it not really so easy. Is there a way to tell people to mind their own business. I have one friend in particular who keeps writing me and asking me what the name of my surgery was, because she thinks she might want to have surgery as well. I never told her I was having weight loss surgery and I would like to tell her that my surgery details are private. Any advice. Do others feel it is private and not want to reveal that they had WLS? So far my weight loss has brought me down to a level that I have reached through dieting before so people see me and may say that I am looking good but not say I have lost weight. I am hoping very much that I will lose more weight, more than people have seen me reach before and then they will start wondering how I am losing the weight. Do I have to tell? I am living in a small place where people could find out without me telling so it could be a bit awkward. It s not a big issue but the one friend who keeps asking me via email, without seeing my weight loss, is starting to get on my nerves. I do not want to discuss my surgery with her and wish she would just be happy to hear that I have been losing weight. Grr.

I am going to freely confess that I have always hated exercise. It am shocked and amazed to hear so many previously overweight couch potatoes are now seemingly fitness fanatics. i know I sound stupid but I just don't get it. I can stick to eating as per guidelines but I seem to be a hold out a rebel when it comes to getting myself to exercise. I know NIKE says Just DO It, but I can't seem to get myself to do it! It must seem foolish to ask advice because clearly all of you have Just Done It. I can't even ask for advice because I know the answer is that I must find a way to exercise. I just don't understand how others have found a way to embrace exercise? It truly boggles my mind. If "we" were all so smart we would have eaten right and exercised and not needed the surgery. But now I am feeling that everyone else is smarter than I am and has figured out how to start exercising. I am ashamed of myself. I wish there was a magic something to get my exercise mode into gear.

No,I didn't tell people I was having weight loss surgery. Because so many of my friends are long distance, I did announce on face book that I was going to have minor surgery, nothing to be concerned about. But I did not mention what kind of surgery, to what part of the body etc. I wanted to be able to talk about my hospital experience a bit since it involved travelling and family etc. But now people want to know what kind of surgery I had. They are not satisfied enough with me saying that it was successful and not life threatening. I guess I will have to find a polite way to say mind your own business. Perhaps i never should have said anything about surgery. Now I made the mistake about mentioning my weight loss and I guess this confuses the issue. Some people do know but there are others who I just don't wish to tell.

Here I am at almost two months and i have had lots of questions answered on these forums. Now I have a new situation. I have not been getting enough liquids and some days not even my two Protein shakes. Since I found the timing tricky about not drinking before and after eating, I find it just easier to not bother with eating. It seems pointless when the amounts are so insignificant anyway. Do you think this will slow down my weight loss and/or create problems. I would like to think that not eating would make me lose more weight but I figure it couldn't be that easy. I want to take advantage of this time of decreased appetite as I still worry about enjoying food too much and possibly eating too much later on. I have it stuck in my mind that many people do not reach their goals and that I was told the surgery expects 60% loss of excess weight. I keep saying I want to lose 100% of my weight. I guess I am not confident in my ability to maintain the new lifestyle and worry that I must get the good habits firmly in place before the time comes that I can and will want to eat anything. Nothing to this point, has bothered my stomach and I do enjoy everything I have eaten. I just figure that for now I am more concerned with getting in the fluids. I do have to watch myself when it comes to not drinking before or after eating as I do get heartburn. Fortunately I look forward to my choices of what to eat and feel like I have more food than I can eat. That's another story.. I enjoy all foods and am happily eating what I like. Just NOT these past several days when I have chosen to eat nothing. Advice?

UPDATE: I cleared off the treadmill and it still works! First hurdle overcome. Then I actually got on it and walked for 45 minutes. I was only in the warm up mode but it seemed like a good walk and at a steady pace. I plan on trying to do another hour tonight. It's a start!!! I WILL use it daily as it is right in my bedroom and it is a huge eyesore so it will be difficult to ignore. I am hoping that it will be the start of my exercise programme and that I will add to it with other forms of exercise. Still trying to decide if I should join a gym. But I will take step one in that regard and go check one out tomorrow. I liked Curves in Canada but here it is run by a man who sits in the middle of the action (it is a women's only gym) and does not have up to date equipment so I paid for one year of membership and went only twice. Guess I don't want to waste any more money. Thanks again for inspiring me to get started.

I agree. This was a good video. Internet access to videos and these forums sure are helpful and I find I am relying heavily on them as an excellent form of support.

Interesting to see that so many of us feel the same way about the Bariatric chewable vitamins. They don't make me sick but I feel I am being tortured when i try to chew them. There must be a better solution. I am wondering at what stage we are allowed to just take a normal. multivitamin and swallow it whole? I would much prefer that and find I don't like dissolving or chewing any form of medication. Yuck.

I can relate. I LOVE Easter chocolate, especially those Cadbury mini eggs with the candy coating. I was thrilled when they came out in various forms year round. I must be like your mother and despite my daughters being 23 and 17, I still make easter baskets and fill at least 100 plastic eggs for a hunt. But this year, after they told me they didn't need a stocking full of Xmas candy, I have decided to stop the tradition and acknowledge that they are grown up. What fun that your mother still makes you a basket at age 29. For your sake, I hope she doesn't give you chocolate. It is too hard to resist. There are some things that we should try to resist and I think chocolate may be one of them. When I was doing Atkins, I used to eat the sugarfree chocolate and it was very good. Can't remember the name but it is found in Walmart. I wonder if we are allowed to eat that? It has net carbs of 0. I made muffins last night and out of habit licked the spoon and mmm that batter tasted good. I think I just have to avoid putting myself in situations where I am facing the big, old temptations, at least until I have reached my goal weight and hopefully by then I won't crave those things anymore.

After reading all your posts full of encouragement and stories of success regarding exercise... I feel very motivated. I didn't think anyone could say anything to get me motivated as I knew it had to come from within and I sure was fighting the idea of exercise. Now I am pulling on my treadmill and trying to get it set up. Let's hope it still works. Last night I tried on many old clothes that no longer had fit me and I was thrilled to find them fitting and looking better. I know the next step towards reaching my goal is to exercise and I think after receiving your replies, i may have found the right mindset to do it. Thanks so much for all your support. I hope to become a good role model such as all of you have been. Maybe one day I will report that I enjoy exercising. Now that would be a real accomplishment. I have to be grateful for being able to have the surgery and feel that incorporating an exercise routine is my responsibility to show that I am doing my part to work at the weight loss. I think people expect that having surgery is an easy way out but I believe that it is more difficult than I initially realized. As everyone says, it is only a tool. Thanks again. I love these forums and find they really have become my biggest source of support.

i have posted a few questions in this week since joining the forum. This is my first forum experience. I just want to say to all who has responded to my questions, that you have been such a wonderful source of support. I am truly appreciative of your comments, suggestions, advice, knowledge and sharing. I am amazed by how much knowledge people have and feel I can certainly rely on this site as providing me with good advice. It is so encouraging to hear stories of remarkable success. On the other hand, it also points out my need to perhaps take things a bit more seriously. I certainly don't have much knowledge about nutrition and have not been counting anything and have not been exercising. So now I realize that I must improve and I do feel encouraged to do so. I will take my weight loss more seriously and continue to learn from what others post. It really does make me realize how I have to do more. ie. I wasn't taking Vitamins and see from others that this is to be part of the daily routine. (I simply could not stand those chewable ones. ) Thanks again to all who have replied to my questions. I truly have benefited from your advice.

140 lbs lost on Weight Watchers. Wow!! You definitely have willpower and discipline. I have been begging my husband to walk with me early in the a.m. before it gets so hot here. He absolutely refuses. I don't want to walk alone. I DO have a treadmill. Shame on me. I am going to open it now. It has been a hanger for the past 3 years. I have my concerns that it may no longer work. i live on the ocean (I know I can be walking on the beach), and my patio doors in the bedroom where the treadmill is located, are open for several months a year and I bet the rust may have gotten into the mechanism of the treadmill. But I will never know if I don't open it up!! I will get back to you on whether it still works and if it does... no more excuses from me for not at least using it. Did I mention that I live in the Caribbean yet HATE to sweat. Go figure. Makes exercise very difficult and there is no amount of air conditioning that will cool me down!

You did make me smile. Another rebel perhaps? I am laughing most about your eh? Are you a displaced Canadian such as myself, Eh is supposed to be a Canadian expression but I am happy you use it too. I had my surgery in the hopes that it will prolong my life and I will enjoy better health. This sounds wise coming from someone who can't seem to get myself into exercise mode. My goal was to live long enough to have grandchildren. I am in no hurry as my children are 17 and 23 and both still students. I guess I started late in the motherhood role and now must ensure I do live long enough to be a fantastic grandmother., I guess we all have our motivations and bravo to you for wanting to play with your grandchildren. I don't think my goal is to raise my future grandchildren but congrats to you on being willing and able to do so. Maybe you are also getting more exercise than you think. I bet you are picking up lots of toys!

Oh no. My favourite food is sushi and I have been wondering when I will be able to enjoy it again. After reading your post I am thinking it will be a while before I try sushi! I have been eating Miso Soup as I figure it gives me more liquid intake and has a bit of Protein and I like it. The other day while waiting on my order I dared look at the appetizers thinking that tofu wouldn't be bad. I ordered deep fried tofu stuffed with avocado. I gobbled, yes gobbled up two pieces and immediately felt awful. I am sure there could be several reasons, deep fried (mind you only a tiny bit of batter), gobbling!, etc. I had to drive home and felt that baseball feeling in my chest and starting to get what I have now learned is "slime". It was horrible and perhaps we have to learn that Japanese food may not be in our diet just yet. Too bad. I hope you feel better and perhaps we can eat sushi again sometime later in our timelines. I was going to say "recovery". I suppose I do feel that my weight loss may need to be thought of as a recovery period from some bad addictive food eating habits.

Me again. I feel I am lacking general knowledge that others seem to have learned before surgery. I had seen about hair loss as a concern on this site by preop patients. But I have never known the facts. Yesterday a woman who had surgery at the same time as I did, told me I better start taking Biotin tablets to prevent hairloss. She says she was with a woman who had surgery a few months before we did and that the woman was almost completely bald and was wearing a wig! I have such very thick hair, and can't imagine losing hair. I should be careful what I say, but I have the worst hair and don't care that much about it. However, I certainly don;t think being bald would improve my appearance and I might become grateful for this thick, thick mop that I generally try to hide under a sunhat. Seriously though. Should I be worrying and should I be taking preventative measures? This woman told me that the hair loss comes around 4 months post op. Is this accurate? I did lose Patches of hair following neurosurgery but my surgeon told me that it was likely related to stress. Those were 4 small, symmetrically placed circles on my scalp and with my so thick hair, even I had not noiticed, nevermind anyone else noticing. They were unnoticeable. i am just wondering if I should expect hair loss, when I should expect it and if it can be prevented. Does it happen to everyone? As always, thanks for your advice. [link=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/we7dJlY/] [image noborder]http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/we7dJlY/weight.png[/image] [/link]

I feel somewhat reluctant to discuss such an unpleasant subject but I have had such good advice from this forum that I have come rely upon you as my sources of information. My problem is with not recognizing I am too full until I get that awfully uncomfortable feeling like a baseball is stuck in my neck. I feel I am not eating big portions but sometimes must be making a mistake by having too much food intake. When this happens I feel nauseous but do not want to vomit. I feel a need to burp and find myself making myself burp. What happens next is that after burping, I have a regurgitation of foamy saliva. I know this is a gross description - sorry. I then spit that saliva out. I was just wondering if this happens to anyone else. Do you think that saliva is necessary to help break down the food in the stomach. I confess to not being aware of how food is broken down and how the stomach processes food. I guess I know little about the digestive process. I find that in addition to needing to get rid of some of this saliva, that I also produce alot of saliva, almost wanting to drool during these uncomfortable episodes. I almost wish I did vomit, as that is what my doctor told me would happen if I ate too much. Instead I have such uncomfortable feelings with the above events. I find it especially unusual that I feel almost faint and it is at that time that I feel myself producing large quantities of saliva in my mouth. The burping helps and seems mandatory at that time to help relieve the feeling of being too full. Does anyone have a similar experience or can offer an explanation of why this process occurs. It does pass and generally within 10 min. I no longer feel sick but it does take a good half hour, minimum, before I feel comfortable again. I wish I could tell that I was eating too much before this happens. Thankfully it only happens about once a week. I guess I do not eat slowly enough but I never think I am overeating as I have certainly never had more than a half cup of food at any one time. I am 8 weeks postop. Wow, it seems hard to believe that 8 weeks has passed. I thought it was less. Time is flying and yet I still feel very new to this way of eating and lifestyle change.

Well now, this brings up a new topic. I have not been counting anything. I have just been trying to eat nearly only Proteins other than the occasional banana or sometimes a few strawberries in my Protein shakes. I suppose I must get in the odd carb and clearly am getting calories. I figured since I am eating so little that I didn't need to count anything. It seems to make it all more stressfu. I am shocked and impressed by your weight loss. I have lost 40 lbs in 9 weeks but you have done so much better. I confess to not yet doing one lick of exercise. Do you think this accounts for the difference. I can't really imagine that I could eat much less than I already do. I am always curious about this process and wonder what gives one person more success over another. I guess I know that there are so many variables. I worry all the time and this is why counting anything would just add to my worrying. I worry that I don't drink enough, because I know for certain that I don't. I worry that I don't get enough protein because I know I don't. I worry that I haven't pushed myself enough to exercise and I worry about the possibility of failure at some point. (this latest concern brought on by rather unsupportive family members). So congrats to you on such a big weight loss. You are definitely doing something right!

Thank you so much for your comments. I was really beginning to feel like I was weird in having this reaction. Your explanation makes sense as I do know that I don't chew carefully enough. and I think I am still eating too quickly. I am guilty of eating, nibbling almost on the go as it hardly seems worth it to sit down to a few bites of food.

thanks. How did you know about this? I was never told anything about expecting this to happen. I suspect you are correct. I DO eat too quickly, I probably DON"T chew long enough and I MAY have eaten too much or even possibly drank too soon before eating. I find it so very difficult to time the eating and drinking. I fint it so difficult to get the drinking done, even a small amount, that I wonder if I should even bother trying to fit in eating. I don't know why it seems such a slow process to drink. I admit that I have never been a huge drinker and I am not crazy about the Protein shakes but I AM trying to improve. I suspect the feeling faint is part of feeling so nauseous. BUt I still find it odd that at the same time as I am trying to get rid of the regurgitated slime, I am also producing copious amounts of saliva. IT is all very strange and new to me. I really appreciate you confirming that this is not unusual. Gotta admit it is not like anything that happened prior to surgery! [link=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/we7dJlY/] [image noborder]http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/we7dJlY/weight.png[/image] [/link]