Baconville

You are my hero! i love that you are so intune with the long term lifetime change you have made. Have a greath 4th Carol Thanks RJ! You are my inspiration - so I guess we really have done it together! Carol

Thank you SO MUCH for the info!! This looks like a GREAT App and one I am certain to use. I am trying very hard to look at the quality of the food that I am eating, so having an app like this will be a huge help. We eat so little now, it makes it more important to put quality food in our bodies. I am always looking for more information like this, so if you run across something else, let me know. Thanks! Carol

At this phase, unflavored Protein Powder is really your friend. You can add to anything cold to get your Protein in. Cottage cheese, Greek Yogurt, applesauce... I added it to all of them. For most this phase passes quickly, so don't make too much. I ended up throwing away a lot! Once you move on to soft foods, you don't want to go back to pureed - at least I didn't! Carol PS: I think June 25th is a very lucky day!

We celebrated my Mom's 85th Birthday over the weekend. Dinner out, cake and ice cream back at the house. I enjoyed steak and the cake and ice cream. Weight on Monday was up to 132, and I was worried. At my appointment last week, I was given a new 'maintenance' plan that I really had concerns about, but I stuck with the plan Well, this morning the scale was back at 129! I am shocked that for the first time in my life my weight is where I want it and I am in control! Life could not be better! Have an amazing 4th! Carol

Hi ladies! Welcome to the loser's bench! My RNY was on June 25, 2013, so I just celebrated my first Surgeversary! It has been an amazing year!! My high weight at my first visit was 331 pounds. My surgery weight was 292 pounds. This morning I weighed 129 pounds!! I have lost over 200 pounds in the last 18 months. My life has changed in ways I never imagined. I have gone from a size 26 - 28 to a size 6 -8. My one year visit with my bariatric doctor showed that all my blood work was perfect, I now have a normal BMI, normal blood press, normal cholesterol. She said that only 5% of Americans could testify to being as healthy as I am today. Getting through the first few days can be a struggle, just keep your eye on your goal - YOU WILL GET THERE! This is an amazing tool you have been given. Feel free to ask questions. I may not have the answers, but you will always find support. The folks I have met on this site have had a big role in my success and I really want to pay it forward. Carol

Like everything else, this varies by clinic. I was not cleared for salads until 6 months, and then just one cup of lettuce (I use Romaine). I have one nearly every day now. I use a light thousand island or light French depending on what sounds good. I add about a Tablespoon of croutons. It was a great day when I could add them back in. Who would have thought you would miss salad!

Congratulations!! So happy to hear from you and know that all is well. Your right, as we approach our goal weights, it is up to us to live a healthy lifestyle in these healthy bodies we have worked so hard for and given the tools to maintain. The most important thing I said in my last sentence is TO LIVE! We have been given a new chance a life, it sure is GREAT!! YOU ROCK! Carol

I use Flinstone's Complete Chewables, Nature Made Vitamin D (soft gells), sublingual B12 from Walmart, and now CitraCal Petities, but for the first three months post surgery I used the chocolate chews from Celebrate. All were at the recommendation of my clinic. The chocolate chews were expensive, but we were only required to take our calcium that way for the first three months. My clinic makes a point of trying to recommend affordable choices that work well. I just celebrated my one year surgerversary and had my check up - blood work was perfect. I know that the Vitamins are important to keeping me healthy and I want something that I can easily stick with for the rest of my life. Carol

Call your clinic. This is unusual and should be reported and checked out. You want to make sure your have not developed a pulumary embolism or other serious condition and only a doctor and tests will be able to determine. Please check back in and let us know how you are doing. Hopefully, it is just part of your asthma, and not serious at all. Carol

My experience has been the same as Terry's. I am one year post surgery and I can down 20 ounces of Water in about 15 minutes if I am thirsty. Probably a bit slower than pre-surgery, but no sipping. And I have used a straw since week three with no problems. I know they can be problematic for some, but I have never had a problem at all. I had the exact same fear, so I was really glad when it all worked. Listen to your new pouch, it will let you know if it doesn't like something! Carol

Congratulations!!! So happy for you!!!

You'll do great! Let me share a trick my dr shared with me. Pick a five pound range. Say it is 125 to 130. If you are up or down two lbs from your low end of your range consider it green meaning all good. If you are 3 to 4 lbs up or down that's yellow meaning somethings not right slow down and fivure out what changed. If you are 5 or more up or down that is a hard stop. Review your food journals and if you know you are off track make an appointment. It's a lot easier to lose 5 than 100 which we all know so catch it early. He also recommends weighing no more than twice a week because water weight can fluctuate. It made perfect sense to me. I sure hope that helps. Five to 10 more lbs and I'll be in maintenance with you!! I'm shooting for between 120 and 125 as my low. I am 130 now. GREAT ADVICE! The scale has been up every day since I started the "maintenance" plan. However, yesterday was my Mom's 85th Birthday Party and I ate some things (like cake and ice cream) which I just don't eat anymore. I was back to 131 this morning after hitting 129 on Friday. Ideally I would like to stay under 130, so I am going to focus on doing the new plan, but making smarter choices. We are heading out on a short vacation over the 4th, which will involve some eating out. It is going to be a balancing act to keep my eating in control and yet still enjoy the weekend. Fortunately, I think we will be quite active, so the exercise will help! I know that I also weigh myself too often according to most experts standards. I weigh twice a day - first thing in the morning, last thing before bed. I don't get really hung up on it though. It is my way of keeping things in check. If I were to go three or four days, I am afraid I would be at that 5 pounds up before I really caught myself. For me, I need that daily reality check. If (or when) I get to a point that I feel like my weight truly is stable, I may feel more comfortable about scaling that back a bit. For now, my day will start and end with the scale. Thank you so much for posting the info! It really is helpful and I appreciate it SO much! Carol

I am a year post surgery and this has been my biggest ongoing problem. I use 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed into my Greek Yogurt everyday. You can find ground flaxseed in the baking isle of most grocery stores. The one I use is by Bob's Red Mill. I have found that it really helps me a lot. And it's natural, a food source with lots of Fiber. Carol

I am very nervous about gaining as I transition to maintenance. I was encouraged to stop my daily protein shake, increase my calories to between 900-1000, and keep my protein between 60-80 grams per day. I have, for about the past six months, kept my calories between 650-800 and my protein between 80 - 90 grams a day. The changes are not dramatic, but I have fought so hard to get here, I don't want to go backwards! Today is day one. The scale will tell the tale!

I am just one year out, so I still have a lot to learn. That said, I would go back to the basics. Don't drink when you eat. Eat Protein first. Track what you are eating and drinking. Exercise is really one of the best ways to relieve stress. Try to at least get a 30 minute walk in every day. I just reached my goal this week. I am so afraid of gaining it back. The journey doesn't end, we will always need to be diligent and pay attention to what is happening with our bodies. By paying attention you can do something about it before it gets out of control. My clinic also encourages us to call if we begin to experience problems. Give yours a call. They may be able to help. Carol

I DID IT!!! I finally broke though to the 120s! So excited this morning to see 129.6! I want to maintain between 128 - 132. I feel like I am there! At six months old I was pulled off formula and put on skim milk due to excessive weight gain. I do not remember a day in my life when I was not trying to lose weight or thinking about how out of control my weight was. I have to say that NOT wanting to lose more weight is really a foreign and kind of scary feeling! I guess it's going to take time to get used to it! Carol

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Keep up the hard work. You will get where you want to be! Celebrate your new healthy life! Carol

I have been there for the past six weeks! I feel your pain. Yesterday was my one year surgerversary and I wanted to be down 200 pounds. I didn't make it yesterday, but I made it this morning. I think these last pounds are very difficult for everybody. What worked for me was to scale back my Protein, I was getting over 90 grams some days and I took that down to closer to 80. At the same time I upped my workouts, two days of weight work a week and four days of aerobic classes (Zumba and Turbo kick). I also do a 45 minute walk every day. The pounds came off very slowly, ounces at a time, with lots of ups and downs. I would still like to lose 2-3 more pounds, I want to maintain where I am, but I want a bit of wiggle room. Stick with your plan! Have faith!!! You can do it! Carol

WE DID IT!!! Congrats on the fantastic check-up! I have been thinking a lot about my Dad and how proud he would have been of me too. I had started the journey before he passed, but he didn't know I was looking into it and I had not started actually losing weight yet. I especially want to thank you for all your support. You and I have had so many similar experiences through this journey. I feel as though we are sisters of the heart! Keep up the good work. I will always be here if you need a friend. Carol

Happy Surgerversery Carol. you have done so much in the past year and have been a huge supporter for me. i thank you for your friendship.... enjoy your day!! You Rock!!## Xxoo RJ Thanks RJ! I really have come to value your advice and friendship as well. Thank YOU for helping me have such a great year. Carol

HAPPY SURGERVERSARY!!! I had mine yesterday and my check up today. What a year it has been!! I work for a school district too and need to get a new photo. Mine doesn't look anything like me anymore!

Congratulations!!! YOU LOOK GREAT!!!

My one year appointment went great this morning. I was quite worried about my blood work results because my cholesterol went up - couldn't figure that out with all the healthy food choices and exercise! But it is my good cholesterol that went way up, so the total is up, but it means that I am healthier. The total is at 200, which is at the top of normal, but the doc thought was still really great. I have lost 92% of my excess weight and was actually 130.8 pounds on my scale at home this morning which allows me to say that I am down 200 pounds and that my BMI is in the 'normal' range! This is something I have NEVER had before in my life! Flying High!! According to my BMI I could still lose more, but they are not recommending it. They said five pounds would be OK, but it is up to me. They also want me to discontinue Protein Shakes, so we will see how that goes! My clinic wants me to keep my daily Protein in the 70 - 80 grams a day range and I have been more in the mid 80s, sometimes over 90. They want me to decrease the protein a bit, increase Fiber, and increase my calories to between 900 - 1000 a day. I have been between 700 - 800 most days. The 900 - 1000 is what they recommend for me for life. This is the maintenance plan. If I lose on it they will adjust. In the end the doc said that I have a normal BMI, am eating healthy, exercising regularly, a non-smoker, with normal blood sugars, normal blood pressure, normal cholesterol, and all other blood work where they want it. She said less than 5% of the American population is as healthy as I am today! What a great journey this has been! Thank you ALL for being a part of it and being a part in my success. I never want to live in that overweight body again! Life is too much fun here!!! Carol PS: Got info on plastic surgery. We will see where that goes! Skin really does need some help!

Others have told you not to weigh yourself. For many that works best - maybe most people. I need the daily weigh in to keep myself on track and motivated, even when I am not loosing. You are 11 weeks out I believe you said. You could probably up your exercise a bit. Start to push yourself a little bit more in your daily workouts. Begin a strength training schedule - just 30 minutes of weight work 2 times a week can make a huge difference. Look online for some great free workout ideas. Begin with very light weights (1 - 2 pound weights) especially if you have not done this before. Stalls are part of the journey. Part of the learning process is what to do when they happen. GOOD LUCK! Carol

TODAY IS MY SURGERVERSARY!! I am down 199.2 pounds. Just couldn't quite make 200, but its hard to be upset because I am so damn proud of all I have accomplished this year. I have never posted pictures before, I am posting them today. So watch for them. What a difference a year makes! WE ROCK!! THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING WITH ME DURING THIS JOURNEY. I WOULD NOT BE HERE WITHOUT EACH ONE OF YOU! Carol