terry1118

Tonight I made my husband some baked chicken tenders. They looked pretty good and I haven't got sick in quite a while so I took a little bite. Just ONE LITTLE BITE! Now I'm percolating like a coffee pot (gurgling and burping) and very nauseous. I should have known better. Chicken and I just don't get along anymore... And since turkey and chicken are cousins, guess what I'm not having on Thanksgiving? Lol

In what way are you struggling? How was the gallbladder surgery? Is it comparable to RNY? I'm having mine out on Dec 6, a Friday. I'm hoping to be back to work 5-6 days later. Is this feasible? I felt pretty good within a week of my RNY.

They actually just answered this question at my group meeting on Wednesday. Calcium needs stomach acid to break it down to be used. Surgery has separated off most of our stomach and there is not much stomach acid being produced in our much smaller pouches. Calcium citrate doesn't need stomach acid to break it down. (Aso, that is one of the reasons that chewables are preferred, too.) Therefore calcium citrate is preferred for rny patients.

I have a friend who wears tortuously high heels that always end up hurting her feet. Her motto is 'It hurts to be beautiful'! Lol

I don't know if I dump or not, as I follow my plan religiously. Just the possibility that I might is enough of a deterrent for me. All the food we have been warned to stay away from are 'trigger' foods for me so I refuse to even start experimenting. For me that would be the beginning of a downward spiral that could put me back where I used to be. I don't ever want to go back there again!

I know what you mean about fluid and food. I have the same problem. I can meet my daily requirement on one or the other, but rarely on both.

I'm 54. I'd say I definitely waited too long. So much of my adult life has been wasted feeling unhappy, uncomfortable, and recently unhealthy. I have lost 86lbs since May 30. I'm in a size 12 and feel great! My health issues are resolved, back, knee, and foot pain is gone, and I have energy to spare. I have loose, saggy skin but I look good in clothes and I'm happy about that. I knew skin would be an issue - my belly skin was overstretched from my pregnancy w/twins who came almost full-term back in '86, followed a few years later by an almost 11lb son. I'm only barely five feet tall. How your skin will be after you lose weight is determined my several factors - age, heredity, how long you were overweight, elasticity, and possibly even nutrition (since our bodies need certain nutrients for good health and skin would be no different?). Contrary to what some people believe, exercise doesn't tighten skin that has been stretched but it does tone flabby under-used muscles making them firm which can help drastically with your appearance. All that being said how you look after should be the lowest consideration on the list of benefits when you are considering weight loss surgery. Highest on the list should be your health - and extending the years of your life while improving the quality. I am very happy with my results and my only regret is not doing it years ago. :-)

I have no before shots although there is one on my company intranet site from when I received an award last year. If I knew there was going to be photos taken at the dinner I would have declined the award. I avoided cameras like the plague! I really don't ever want to be reminded of how huge I was. Just the thought makes me cringe! :-(

Another possible and very serious problem with drinking (if you are under a year post-op) is liver damage or failure. In the first year when your body is burning the most fat your liver is working overtime to process the toxins released from the fat. Alcohol at this time is VERY dangerous and can seriously damage your liver or cause it to fail. Please seek some help for your need to drink.

I don't find it time consuming to keep my log. I plan my meals every morning so I also take a couple minutes to enter what I planned then. In the evening I review and adjust it if I deviated from the plan. Maybe five minutes, tops, to log each day. Not really a time-consuming chore! :-)

I still have no room for carbs. I tried quinoa the other day for the first time. It was good but I could only eat a couple of tablespoons. There's just no room after my protein. I have been following my plan religiously so I haven't had any sugar, pasta, rice, or bread. If it doesn't contain protein I don't eat it.

I feel the bones in my but, too. Thin people don't have trouble so it makes sense that it'll toughen up (I hope!). I'm colder when I'm outside. The inside temp of my house is usually around 73° so that's no problem - we have a wood stove. If I get too warm I go in the kitchen or open a window. :-) Does anyone else find that they it lower in the seat in their car? I'm only 5' tall (my doc says 4"11'). Most of my butt is now gone and I sit a lot lower in my Jeep. Visibility is a little less. I think I need a booster seat! Lol

Nothing fun about my user name. It's my own name combined with my employee number at work. Unimaginative, I know, but I have so very many applications at work and home that require user a name. I keep all my user names the same to simplify things and I never forget them. :-)

I agree with you. General questions, usually from acquaintances who don't know me well, get general answers like eating right and exercising - which is true but not the whole truth. These are people with whom I don't share very personal info of any kind, even before my surgery. Family and close friends already know. But if someone asks me and seems to have a real need for a personal solution to their own weight problem, I will definitely share the whole truth and recommend my doctor if they are interested. Like you, I agree it would be cruel not to tell them.

Tonight my hubby fell asleep in his lazyboy about an hour after I got home from work. So I went shopping. Three hours, a coat, two sweaters, a blouse, a complete holiday outfit, and two bras later I got home to him still in his chair. :-) Wait till he sees the credit card bill. That'll teach him to doze off and leave me bored w/nothing to do! Lol 12P's and medium tops! And I'm no longer a D-cup - I've gone from a 44D to a 38C. I really needed a better fitting bra! :-)

Me too! I never really set a number goal and neither did my doctor. My only goal when I started was to be healthy and feel better and I've definitely met that. Anything else was just gravy! Now I'm thinking it would be nice to be at my married weight of 110 (I'm 5' tall). That's only 35 lbs away. It's not looking like an impossibility anymore... :-)

Wearing a pretty holiday outfit. Having energy to participate more. Actually being in the holiday photos instead of hiding when the cameras come out. Not stuffing my face. I can't wait to see my son and have him see me small for the first time in his life. He's in the marines and is stationed in California. He was home a couple weeks after my surgery but I haven't seen him since early summer. :-)

My surgery is day after tomorrow. I'm not nervous about it but I am a little worried I may have forgotten to do something to prepare for it. So to distract myself I am playing a little game called 'Things I will not miss'. These are only SOME of the things I will not miss: - clueless people saying 'Congratulations! When are you due?' (Really people?! I am 53 years old!) - buying clothes whose only redeeming quality is that they fit. - Rashes from sweating - back and knee pain - snoring (I have a feeling my hubby won't miss this one either) - pretending to wear a seatbelt that doesn't... quite... reach. - watching from the sidelines while every one else has fun.

I'm in the position of meeting 'me' again for the first time in almost 30 years. My inside is the same as ever but happier. My outside, though? Who IS this person? She's looking good and has pretty clothes! I keep wanting to see myself in the mirror... because that woman is ME! Lol

I also eat real cheese. I don't like dairy products except for Greek yogurt and cheese so I consider it way to add calcium to my diet. I don't like lite or fat-free cheese, only the real thing, so I limit myself to one or two 1 oz servings per day max (but I don't have it every day). I'd rather have a little of the real thing than more of a poor substitute. :-)

Weight loss surgery is very successful for losing and keeping weight off. For the greatest chance of success choose a surgeon in a center for excellence with many years experience. They usually have a complete program that evaluates and treats your psychological issues w/food before surgery to ensure your success after surgery. They provide complete detailed education regarding pre and post-op care which includes consultations with a nutritionist. They provide continuous follow-up care for up to 5 years and recommend lifetime monitoring by your pcp. I had to sign a contract regarding this. My post-op care consists of post-op visits with the surgeon at 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year, with complete lab work at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year, then yearly for the rest of my life. I'm required to attend monthly support groups for the first year but can continue for life if I choose. I saw the nutritionist immediately post-op and I see her again at 6 months ( which is in a couple weeks). At any given time nutritional, psychological, and medical help is a phone call away, if I need it. It's a lot of care, help, and support. I feel confident that I am well-educated and have the backup I need for success. At no time did I ever feel lost, confused, neglected or uncared for. After choosing the best place and surgeon for your surgery the next most important factor in success is YOU. All the best medical care and education in the whole world won't help you if you don't follow your program guidelines as closely as possible, take advantage of all the resources available, and take care of yourself. Ultimately YOU are the key to your own success. :-)

The high bmi should help you qualify. My insurance company's requirements were a bmi of 40+ or a bmi of 35 w/co-morbidities. All insurance companies are different but for the most part it seems like they don't mind paying for weight loss surgery because it drastically reduces what they have to pay out in the future if you remain obese. Overweight people are generally more expensive than people of average weight. Good luck!

Definitely good that you're taking this step early! I spent 28 years obese but was fairly active and healthy for most of them, but not happy to be heavy. It was in my late 40's that I began having problems that affected my lifestyle and my health - high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, back, knee, and foot pain that drastically reduced my quality of life and made me miserable. I wish I had done the surgery years ago! I feel amazing now! :-)

I started at 233lbs. I'm 5' tall so I looked like a weeble in my size 22's. Pre-op I lost 12lbs and was 221 on my surgery day, May 30, 2013. Today, just over five months later, I weigh 151.5 and am in a size 14P. I'm happy here - anything else I lose is just frosting on the cake. :-)