Baconville

Hi Kathleen. I am Carol and I had my RNY on June 25, 2013 at St. Joe's Hospital in St. Paul. I have lost over 160 pounds, 40 pounds pre surgery. I would be happy to talk with you. Surgery has been a wonderful thing for me. I would love to help you have a similar experience, if I can. Please now that it is very normal to feel nervous in the days leading up to surgery. If it gets to the point that the nerves are keeping you from sleeping, talk to your clinic, they should be able to help.

I had my surgery on 6/25/13. I was excited and nervous. I had lost 40 pounds using MyFitnessPal.com and wondered if I should just keep going with that. I work in the district office of a school district. I made sure all the curriculum was ordered for the fall in case I didn't come back. I had a main/pedi the day before because if I died, I was going out with nice nails! As they were finishing prepping me I remember asking the nurse if they had ever had anybody chicken out at this point! It took guts, but I put my faith in God (and my surgeon and his team) and went forward. BEST THING I EVER COULD HAVE DONE!!! I have lost a total of 163 pounds. I feel fantastic!! I wish I had done it years ago. Second best decision I ever made - marrying my wonderful, supportive husband is still number 1.

Quite the weekend!! We painted our kitchen!! Now, I have been working out nearly every day. Despite all this exercise, I have aches in places I forgot I had! There is NO WAY I could have done this one year ago. My Fit Bit says that I did not have any active minutes today, I disagree!

RJ, I think your choo choo is chugging into the station right on time! I chose not to keep any of my fat clothes. I want to look forward. I don't want to forget where I was before surgery, but I don't want my previous size to be a part of who I am today. So, for me, getting rid of all of the clothes was a symbolic way of purging that pre-surgery me and welcoming the new me. On a related note, we filed our taxes today. We really made out due to about $2300 worth of donations. Nearly all were my old clothes. I took four mini-van loads of clothes to Goodwill. We itemized it all and put it in a spreadsheet for taxes. I used the lowest recommended price to figure out what to claim. When you are disposing of an entire wardrobe, it really adds up!

I too am SO done with winter! I just wish it was done with us!!

CONGRATS RJ!! The scale has been moving for me as well. I was at a new low this morning. Hooray! Stay safe! Carol

CONGRATS RJ!! The scale has been moving for me as well. I was at a new low this morning. Hooray! Stay safe! Carol

I have lots st 170 pounds. To say my ring is too big would be a HUGE understatement! I went to a jewelry store (Goodman 's) I live in Minnesota. They fitted a metal sizer in my ring. It cost $15.00 and is working great. I don't want to have my be sized until this summer, and this way I can still wear it. SO glad you found it!! It would just about kill me to lose mine. You were exactly correct when you said it is what it MEANS that counts. Good luck ! Carol

I am praying for you and your parents. I lost my dad at the age of 86 just this past March on Easter weekend. My parents would have been married 50 years on June 1. He lived in an assisted living for his last year. His issues were not weight related, but it became impossible for my mother to care for him and it just was not safe for him to be home. It is a very difficult thing for family to go through. Please remember to take care of yourself. Carol

Gummy vitamins do not contain iron. The pharmaceutical companies have not been able to put iron in a gummy. Chewables contain iron. It is very important that we get enough iron. Low iron can cause many problems, including anemia.

RJ is absolutely correct! You are an RNY Rock Star!! But I do understand the fear that the honeymoon is over and no more weight is coming off. I just got a Fit Bit for my birthday. I thought I was doing fine in my activity, but the Fit Bit shows that I am not making 10,000 steps, my calorie goal or my stairs goal. We are at a point that if we want the weight loss to continue, we have to up the exercise. To answer your questions I eat between 650 - 750 calories a day, my goal is to be under 800. This is at my clinic's recommendation. I normally burn between 350 - 600 calories a day depending on the workout. I am working on increasing this and this week I have lost about three pounds. You are such a success!! You will find your way, I have absolutely no doubt!

Good for you!! You will be in ONEderland soon!

Congrats!! I can't wait to get there!! I have 8 pounds to go. I hope to be there before the first of March.

Dannon light and fit Greek Yogurt Egg Beaters Premier Protein shakes Low fat mozzarella string cheese Tuna packed in Water Boneless skinless chicken breast Salmon Center cut pork chops Hope this helps! Carol

I forgot exercise! I belong to the YMCA. I do Body pump once a week which is a workout with weights to music. I normally do an elliptical trainer three times a week. Last night I added Zumba for the first time. I am also going to the mall to walk during my lunch hour at work.

I use Egg Beaters, and I normally make 1/2 cup which is the same as two eggs. As for the rest it depends on how much protein I need at the end of the day. Last night I had 2.8 ounces of salmon. Saturday I had five ounces of steak. I always keep my protein under 90 and really aim for between 80 and 85. I normally have a small salad with dinner. One cup of lettuce with four Texas Toast croutons and one Tablespoon of light salad dressing.

I just received a FitBit Force today for my birthday. I have successfully sinked it to MFP. I would appreciate any advice from those of you that are using this tool. I really want to use it to the max!

You've got this!! You have come SO far, keep up the fight, you will get there!! Make sure to plan something special to celebrate when that pound comes off. A mani/pedi, a new outfit, something you wouldn't normally do for yourself. We deserve a reward for all of our hard work!

To all FitBit users... I just received a FitBit Force today for my birthday. I was able to sink it to MFP. Any words of advise would be most appreciated!

CONGRATS RJ!!! You will make an excellent mentor! You have certainly had enough practice helping all of us!

From your lips to God's ears!

72! 40! Today we might hit 20, and we are excited!! Tomorrow we will be back to negative temps. I am in Minnesota. Today is my birthday and the scale finally moved for me! I cheated quite a bit yesterday, and I am planning that I will be off today and tomorrow, so I am prepared for the scale to pop back up. But at least I know that once I am back on track on Monday, that scale WILL drop again! Best BIRTHDAY I have had in a very long time!

I am very sorry to hear that she is having such a difficult time. Pain is very difficult to manage, and you want to stay on top of it. That said, she should start to be able to cut back on the narcotics. Suggest she try extra strength Tylenol (she will need to cut the pills) for some of the pain relief, especially during the day. I would suspect that once she is taking fewer narcotics, she will begin to feel more awake. Getting enough Water and protein and especially Vitamins in is vitally important. The more she moves the better she will feel. This is so much easier with a good support system. It is unfortunate that her husband has not stepped up to be that support for her. Please keep us posted on how she is doing.

I think that is EXACTLY what I need to do as well. I just keep waiting for the weather to mellow out a bit, but I may still be waiting in April, so I think I am just going to have to suck it up and do it !

You give me hope!!! CONGRATS!