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Everything posted by Peggy D
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Did anyone ask for their stomach to take home?
Peggy D replied to unbesleevable1's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I never thought of asking for it to take home, but I did ask for a video of the surgery. The DVD doesn't have the entire surgery because they forgot to stop recording when my surgery was done & had to guess when to stop what they put on the DVD. Still, it runs 2 hours & 16 minutes, & is missing the part where they cut up & removed my gallbladder. The sleeve only took about an hour. The rest was freeing up my gallbladder that was adhered to my liver & other tissue. It had four larger stones & I was told they had to cut it into three pieces to get it out. -
Pre- pre-op diet
Peggy D replied to readyforchange101013's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
My surgeon said to start on a high Protein, low carb diet, similar to the Adkins diet I did many years ago, right away. From the time I left his office for that first consult I have followed his plan. I gradually weaned myself off of caffeine & carbonated sodas. I made my coffee with part decaf & part regular coffee, gradually using more decaf & less regular until it was all decaf. I didn't have any symptoms of caffeine withdrawal & did not feel sleepy mid-morning as I used to if I hadn't had my coffee. I didn't worry about portion sizes to start & didn't track calories but I started drinking a lot more fluids & walking some every day. I lost a total of 44 pounds from my first visit on April 25 until surgery on August 22. -
Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D posted a topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I know the surgery will work as long as I follow my surgeon's plan but, now at 12 days post-op, I'm just not seeing any change. Maybe it's because I lost 44 pounds from the time of my first visit on April 25 to the day before surgery. I'm still on Clear liquids plus 3 Protein shakes a day for another 2½ weeks & then I get to advance to puree. As of yesterday I'd only lost 3.8 pounds from my pre-op low & that only after I was allowed to add the Protein Shakes on post-op day 8. It took a week to lose the 5 pounds I gained in the hospital. And today I gained 0.2 pounds! How can that be when all I "eat" is sugar-free plus the 3 protein shakes a day? I've had my husband take pictures every couple of weeks & I can hardly tell the difference from when I had my first visit with my surgeon on April 25 & now. I have lost a total of 47.8 pounds in that time but, other than some shirts are looser, I don't see a difference. I wear elastic-waist skirts or pants I've made for years & I have not even had to take in any of the elastic. I have lost about an inch, one measly inch, in my bra band measurement. I mean, I’ve lost about a third of what I need to get to my goal of 155, shouldn’t I see a difference? -
Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D replied to Peggy D's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
The clothes I make never were tight, that's why I make my own. I don't like form-fitting clothes, never have. I prefer to wear skirts to camouflage my enormous "apron." I am definitely going to need a panniculectomy when I get to goal! -
Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D replied to Peggy D's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'll use my iPad next time. -
Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D replied to Peggy D's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Thanks everyone. Gamergirl, how do you attach thumbnails to posts? -
I tried Powerade Zero & it was horrible!!! I found Great Value brand at Walmart that is actually pretty good.
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Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D replied to Peggy D's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I didn't try the dress today, but I did just a few days ago. Next summer I'll be "swimming" in it! I've been pretty much the same weight for 20 years, between 300-304. Occasionally, I'd drop down to 285-290 without even trying. Then I'd decide to try since I had lost some & gain it all back. I did better when I didn't try! My highest recorded weight was 314 after I quit smoking 4 years ago. I gained 10-12 pounds over 6 months & then lost it over the next 6 months, again, without trying. Like so many of us I rarely let myself be photographed, but here are a couple. One from 2006 & the other a couple of days ago. -
I use water. They told us in the class that the Protein starts to breakdown within 30 minutes of mixing so you get better quality protein with the powder.
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I weigh in the morning after I use the toilet & naked. It is the most consistent conditions.
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7 football helmets
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My surgeon doesn't want us to use RTD protein so I use powder. Before surgery I was using Body Fortress chocolate peanut butter but it does have 7 Gm of carbs. I tried the Body Fortress whey isolate but it only comes in vanilla &, after surgery, it is sickly sweet. I've changed to unflavored powder & can mix it with any liquid. I bought some unflavored powder at GNC because I couldn't wait for some to be shipped. I did order a 10-pound bag of Now Foods unflavored whey from Amazon & it should arrive next week.
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Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D replied to Peggy D's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Yes, I do know the weight will come off as long as I follow the plan. It's disheartening that all the work so far hasn't made a difference except the number on the scale. I think that 50 pounds should make at least a little difference in how my clothes fit. That 5x dress that was too tight at 303 pounds shouldn't still be just as tight at 254 pounds. It doesn't help that I'm only allowed Clear liquids & Protein shakes for another 2 weeks. -
Thinking of starting my pre-op diet early.
Peggy D replied to MedinahMongo's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I started the high protein, low carb diet my surgeon wants during the 3-month supervised weight loss the day I saw him for my first consult. At the suggestion of my nutritionist I did do a one-week trial of the pre-surgery clear liquids & protein shakes. That was very helpful in finding how my diabetes would handle it. My surgeon said the high protein, low carb diet would help my body learn to use different fuel. I lost a total of 44 pounds in the 4 months prior to surgery. -
Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D replied to Peggy D's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'm sorry you feel that way. I've tried very hard to explain. It's just that everyone seems to think that what I am concerned about is the very little weight I've lost since surgery. That's not it. I do understand that with my doctor's very strict post-op diet that my body is holding on to whatever it can because it is starving. My point is that I have lost almost 50 pounds in the last 4 months, a third of what I want to lose, & I still wear the same clothes I did at my starting weight. Clothes that were tight then are still tight now. I just think that 50 pounds should make some kind of difference other than numbers on the scale. -
Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D replied to Peggy D's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I have lost weight, 47 pounds of it! But my body is still the same size. How many times do I have to repeat that? I do know that the slow weight loss since surgery is mostly due to the strict diet my surgeon has with only having Clear liquids & 3 Protein shakes a day for 4 weeks post-op. My body obviously thinks it's starving, & it is. But every one keeps saying when the scale isn't going down they go down in inches. Well, I'm not doing either! I’m up another 0.5 pounds today! So frustrating. It must be the bacon bits I put in for flavor in the broth I made. It doesn’t seem to be a problem with salt, but, obviously, I just can’t handle preservatives. This is why my nutritionist has me weigh daily, to be able to make changes sooner. -
Every doctor is different. I've mentioned it before in other threads, but my surgeon's plan is clear liquids for 4 weeks, the first week of which is just clear liquids, no protein shakes, then puree for 2 weeks then soft foods for 2 more weeks. Finally, on week 9 I get to start "introducing" regular foods.
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Pre-op diet and diabetes
Peggy D replied to Baristaboy75's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I was told to stop all diabetes medication when I started the two-week Clear liquids + 4 Protein shakes a day but I knew I couldn't stop them completely. I had done a one-week trial of the diet a couple of months earlier & monitored my blood sugars very frequently. I did stop my Metformin 10 days before surgery because I was told it could interfere with the CT scan I would have the day after surgery. However, I did do some experimenting to try & control my fasting sugars. They have always been high no matter what meds or what I ate but I would have frequent crashes during the night, down to the low 50s & once 41! Between me, my nut & my PCP I changed taking my NPH insulin 3 times a day rather than twice & cutting down on the regular. I used to take 20 u regular & 35 u NPH before Breakfast & 20 regular & 40 NPH before dinner & my Hgb A1c were 7.3-7.5. I was able to change to 20 u NPH before breakfast & mid-afternoon & 12 u NPH a bedtime & only take 3-5 u regular if my blood sugar was over 150. That was while I was still on the high protein low carb real food pre-op diet. On the clear liquids + Protein Shakes I went down to 15 u AM & afternoon & 3 u at bedtime. Only once did I have a blood sugar less than 70. It was 64 & I drank 2 oz. of regular apple juice. Now that I'm 13 days post-op & still on clear liquids + protein shakes (for two more weeks), I take 12 u NPH AM & afternoon & 5 u NPH a bedtime. I still haven't restarted the Metformin & hopefully I won't ever have to. So my suggestion, as a nurse & long-time diabetic, check your sugars often & keep in close contact with your PCP/endocrinologist & your nutritionist. -
Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D replied to Peggy D's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I've made my own clothes for years. I have no idea what size they would be, but a 4x t-shirt I was given a couple of years ago was "snug" to say the least. I bought a 5x dress on clearance last summer & have never worn it, it's still too snug. And the clothes I am wearing are the same ones I've worn for 5 years or more, a couple I know I made 15 years ago. I haven't adjusted the patterns I made since I don't know when. The pictures have been taken in the same place, at the same distance, same everything. I'd post a couple but they're naked & I don't want to subject anyone to them. -
Why am I not seeing any difference?
Peggy D replied to Peggy D's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I guess I'm not explaining myself well (story of my life). I AM talking about the total of 47.8 pounds I've lost since April. That's a third of what I needed to lose & I'm still wearing the same clothes. I may weigh less but I'm still the same size! It's the same size I was in April & the same size I was just before surgery & the same size now, 12 days after surgery. It's not my subjective perception it's objective measurement. I wasn't surprised to gain weight in the hospital & I only gained 5 pounds, less than what I was told to expect. I also didn't expect to really start losing weight the first week after surgery since I was only allowed sugar-free, caffeine-free clear liquids - no Protein. I did lose the 5 pounds gained in the hospital, but that's it. I wasn't weighing myself daily until my NUT suggested it to try & track down what would cause me to gain weight/retain Fluid pre-op. By weighing daily I could compare what I ate the day before to what the scale said the next day. We did determine that broth, any broth, any brand, pre-made or powdered, causes a reaction. So I've been making my own, but maybe that's a problem, too. When you're only allowed sugar-free clear liquids & 3 protein shakes a day there aren't too many changes I can make. -
Struggling big time.....
Peggy D replied to No Day But Today's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
August 22, 12 days ago. -
Liquid diet aftertaste hell.
Peggy D replied to lawree's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I was using Body Fortress Chocolate Peanut Butter before surgery & then decided to try the Body Fortress Whey Isolate as it has less carbs. I added some Torani SF syrup for some different flavors. But now, after surgery… yuk! Even mixing the two sits like a rock. I've gone to unflavored protein powder & mix it with Crystal Light/Great Value drink mix or zero-calorie flavored water or add the SF syrups. 2+ more weeks of this clear liquids & 3 protein shakes a day is daunting.