ChatCat

Surgery Date May 23, 2012

Jan 2012 - 324

May 2012 - 301

Jan 2013 - 197

I am about 20 lbs from my goal in less than a year. Feels awesome!

Everything is great for me! Down 91 lbs today (23 prior to surgery on 5/23/12) and I am really happy. If I never lose another pound I could be happy here forever. I went from a 48F bra to a 40DD, a size 26/28 that was getting tight to an XL on top and a 20 on bottom. This is the wildest ride ever and I am working really hard right now on fixing my head issues because I am pretty sure those dont magically disappear! Well, who am I kidding, I know they dont.

I have been really good. I have followed every single rule to the letter and my program is extremely strict - I only get Protein for the first 4 months so 2-3 oz of Protein 3 times a day and one Isopure shake (yep, that is it) so for the last four months I have been living on only a few things - meat/fish/chicken, high protein yogurt, eggs, cheese, and... well, that is pretty much it! It has been hard and I have not even licked anything I cant have - no sugar, no starchy carbs, no Beans, no veggies and no fruit. I just got to the point where I get to have 2-3 tablespoons of non starchy veggies with a meal, after I eat my protein.

However, the other day I was watching Dr. Oz and it was about binge eating. I could sure relate to the women on the show and in some small way was wishing I could eat that much and have all that crap. I could hardly believe what I was thinking in my head and I am not sure if that is due to the fact I am so limited on what I can eat or if I really need to do more work on my head issues or BOTH. Probably both but I have an appt. set up to see a therapist and this is a life long process for me I know. It wont magically fix itself or go away until I find out what got me there in the first place.

Thank goodness for support groups. these forums and good therapists! I love being in my 40's because I feel like I have all the other stuff figured out - this food beast though is my one hang up and I intend to figure it out or keep working on my head issues until I die! I dont know if I will ever get all the answers but I do know I am committed to loving myself, taking care of my body and finding a way to stay on track.

WE ROCK! I love being in my 40's

How you all feel is totally normal. This is a big deal, major surgery and you need to educate yourself as best you can so you feel as prepared as possible. There is tons of info out there if you look and organizations like American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America and all kinds of other sites that have info too. I felt a lot better knowing all the information going into the surgery. I read everything I could get my hands on, night and day!

If you need help with exercise there is the Bariatric Guru Erin Akey who has had RNY surgery herself and runs marathons now and is very inspirational. She is on Facebook and is a great champion to have in your corner if you need motivation to exercise (she even uses hula hoops to help you have fun while you exercise)

Also, having plans that require you to do 6 months or more of work to get to the operating room door is also good because you have time to really know you want to do it or not and develop good habits.

I guess I'm going to have to quote you every time I respond. Oh well. I worry too about the effects I'll have after, possibly forever. Like, I'm healthy now...am I going to give myself problems when I didn't have them? I have things like some back pain, especially when I first wake up, foot pain, but not sure if it's related to weight. (can't be good for it though). But I know my family has a history of diabetes, and my mom has all kinds of weight related issues. I think better go to bed for now. Hopefully I can find you again on here.

Amanda, at the top of the screen there is a button that says "reply to this topic" that is how you make a post without using the quote if you want.

I have lost 77 pounds total, surgery on 5/23/12. (I lost 23 lbs prior to surgery)

What I am learning to focus on is just TODAY. I cannot do anything about yesterday or before and I cannot control what the future holds, I can only do the best to use my tool today. I strive to focus on only that because that is really all we have. So today I am eating right, sticking to the plan and exercising my new, healthier body. That is it. Every day is a choice and for today I am choosing the right path.

There is absolutely no way to predict the future or know what will come. I am choosing to not obsess over something happening or not happening in the future which will simply take my mind off appreciating what I have today! Living in the moment here!

I have the same problems but I know one of the issues is sugar free sweetener. If I have too much, look out. I will be in the bathroom all day. It makes me crampy and gassy too. The sugar alchols so that might be something to watch for those with crampiness.

And yeah, the poop is stinky. Probably from all the supplements/vitamins/minerals - I would assume that since we malabsorb, they are coming out there.

Lot of magnesium is helpful to get things moving in the bowels. I take 600mg/day and that keeps me moving really good. Sometimes you have to ease up if it is too much and find the right amount. Milk of Magnesia, magnesium tabs, Miralax. Those work for me.

WAY TO GO! That is so awesome. What a fabulous accomplishment! I am so proud of you and I don't even know you :-)

I just started the Jeff Galloway 5k trainer so I hope to get there myself.

I never had a pain pump and I was up and walking in a couple of hours. Never used any pain meds for pain issues at all. No issues at all so count yourself lucky and enjoy it! I have had a totally wonderful and amazing journey so far. I do feel bad for those who have a tough time because that is never pleasant.

You might try miracle noodles or rice. The rice is made with glucommanan which is a supplement my Dr. gave me a few years ago for appetite control. glucommanan is a Fiber so they are fat free, calorie free etc..

www.miraclenoodle.com (website says the noodles are made with Shirataki but my co-workers says they are good and not smelly like the tofu shirataki you have pictured. I did not like those either and I rinsed the hell out of them)

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 3 oz

Servings Per Container: 2.3

• Amount Per Serving
  
• Calories 0 Calories from Fat 0
  
• Total Fat 0g 0%
  
• Protein 0g 0%
  
• Protein <1g 0%
  
• Sugar 0g 0%
  
• Carbohydrate <1g - only fiber
  
• Zero Net Carbs, Zero Calories, Zero Glycemic Index
  Ingredients: Water, glucomannan (soluble fiber), Calcium additive.
  No soy, gluten, or wheat!
  

It is really normal to have stalls. Especially in week 3-4. I have found in all the reading I have done that is very common. Your body is going to go through stalls periodically while it catches up with you! Starving ourselves causes our body to freak out and hold on for dear life so just try to work with the stalls and know your body is just trying to save you and they will pass.

Welcome Jen! This is a crazy ride and you will continue to feel a wide array of emotions as you walk this path.

If I can be of any help to you, please dont hesitate to contact me on here. I check in here just about every day.

Best of luck to you. With your attitude, you wont need a lot of help! Loving yourself is the biggest hurdle to jump in my opinion and since you already love yourself the rest is going to be easy!

Wooo Hoooo! Congratulations. Hang on for the ride my friend! You actually look really good in this picture for just having surgery. Your color is good and you look great. Take care and enjoy your new lease on life!

Start off small. You dont have to walk 5 miles on the first day! Just set a goal you will walk around the block the first day or few days. Then go a bit longer until you are walking twice around the block.

Or, turn up the music in your house and dance around for 10 minutes to start. Find something fun to do, you might be surprised how much you end up liking it. Do aerobic house cleaning! Take a class or get a personal trainer and make appointments you keep.

Once you have surgery you are going to feel so much better it will get easier. Like I tell everyone, take belly dancing classes or salsa classes or yoga or just try something new and see if you like it.

I had bouts of dizzyness for about 6 weeks. Once my Protein was increased at that point to 80g/day it went away. Has not been a problem since.

I also hit two stalls in the first 6 weeks. I lost nothing, not one ounce for 10 days and then got stuck again for 2 weeks. I was only getting 40-50g Protein a day. My program did not allow Protein shakes but just in the last two weeks changed that and now I get one scoop of Isopure per day and now the weight is really dropping. I also cut how much cheese I was eating down to one meal per day. Have not had a stall since. My guess is you need more calories and Protein. The Water is critical too. best of luck to you!

Sent from my iPad using RNYTalk

Something else to consider too is the kind of whey you are getting. I got this from the Six Pillars of Nutrition book:

Protein concentrates. Protein concentrates are created by pushing the protein source (milk, whey, etc.) through a very small filter that allows Water, minerals, and other organic materials to pass though. The Proteins, which are too big to pass through the filter, are collected, resulting in Protein powder. When this process is used to make whey protein concentrate, it yields a Protein Powder that is 70-80% protein and up to 5% lactose. People with lactose intolerance will have trouble consuming large amounts of whey protein concentrate.

Protein isolates. This is the next step up in purification; the protein is purified again using more filtration or a technique called ion-exchange or cross-flow microfiltration. Protein isolates have very low levels of carbohydrates and fat and are almost exclusively pure protein. People with lactose intolerance usually don’t have trouble with whey protein isolates. Many companies that make whey protein isolates will certify that their product is lactose free or they add lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose) to the protein powder to help with digestion.

A really interesting area of protein research is looking a whey protein peptides (i.e. short chains of amino acids). Studies are showing that these peptide chains have additional benefits independent of the actual amino acids. For example glycomacropeptides are found in whey protein. They have been shown to cause your body to release the hormone CCK which signals your brain that you are full (pretty cool, huh?)

Also, I mix mine with Water, not milk. Makes it a lot thinner and tolerable to me. I drink it with a LOT of ice too. Better when they are really cold. Seems like the smell goes away.

Go to Nashua Nutriion's web site and you can order samples of all the Protein shakes they carry. For $1.95 they give you a single serving size to try before you spend too much. GNC also allows 30 days for returns on Protein powder. I use Isopure Zero Carb Vanilla and add SF white chocolate Syrup and some chocolate extract to it. I like it. I have also tried Protizyme Peanut Butter Cookie and it was amazing and BSN Whipped Vanilla Cream - also good.

I have to add SF syrup and doctor it up good to drink it but they taste really good to me that way. Good luck!

Oh this is such an exciting time!! I was jumping with joy. Yes, it is normal to have a million what ifs but try to make them positive ones!! Dont get too hung up on what if something bad happens, turn it around to look at all the amazing ways your life is about to get better!!

This is one hell of a roller coaster ride so hang on and enjoy it!

Welcome! Sounds like you are on your way and headed toward the post WLS roller coaster. The time before surgery will fly by so hang on!

I use Zicam and it is amazing. It might help now but you are supposed to take it at the first sign of a cold. It's not something that should be a problem before surgery since it is zinc.

Sent from my iPad using RNYTalk

Overnight.

Congratulations! What wonderful accomplishments, the weight loss and maintenance and the running! You inspire me

From Salem Oregon but living in north Dakota for the next 11 months then back to Oregon

Finally! A fellow Oregonian. We've been keeping it rainy here for you :-)