Baconville

Beachgal I am with you! My Mom is 86 and I am her primary care giver. She has dementia - so doesn't really know how often she is saying this to me, however just about EVERY time I see her she comments on my weight and "how wonderful I look now" or "now that I lost all that weight I am beautiful". I have lost a lot of weight (over 200 pounds) but it would be nice if at least your own MOTHER thought you were beautiful no matter what size you are! I just let it go... Carol

I would add that you should also pay attention to your meat selections. The nutritional makeup of grass fed beef is significantly better than most of the beef that is available in the grocery store. We eat such a small amount and the Protein and other nutrients that it provides us are so vital - it is so important to get the most nutritional value out of every bite we are eating. It is also lower in calories. Free range chicken is also much better for you. It takes some time, but is worth learning about. Here is a link to a good article that explains it well: http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-natural-beef.asp Carol

Hi Roni, First, congratulation on making the choice to improve your health! This is NOT an easy journey, but it is one that is SO worth taking. I had RNY on 6/25/2013. I was 48 years old, 5’2” tall and weighed 331 pounds when I first met with the doctors at my Bariatric Clinic. I am now 51 year old and this morning I weighed in at 127 pounds! Now I am working to maintain a loss of over 200 Pounds! This can be done! When I met with my Bariatric team back in January of 2013, I was told that I needed to weigh under 300 pounds in order for my surgeon to perform a laparoscopic procedure – and I REALLY didn’t want to have an open procedure. It was a MAJOR incentive for change. I mapped out changes that I knew I needed to make – and decided that I would make one change every week. This way I wouldn’t feel like I had to change EVERYTHING at once. I think my first change was replacing orange juice at Breakfast with a Protein shake. I am a member of the YMCA and I found a recumbent elliptical machine that I could use for exercise – for 20 minutes 3 times a week! I had SO MUCH knee pain that it was hard for me to walk. Eventually, I gave up my Diet Coke, began using MyFitnessPal.com to document what I eat and drink, stopped drinking with my meals, and increased my Water intake. All of these things (and more) were done slowly, over several months. Did it work? YOU BET!! By time I had surgery I was down 45 pounds. I had a VERY success laparoscopic procedure with no complications. Because I was exercising daily by the time I had surgery, my recovery was quicker and easier than many. I set myself up for success before I ever entered the operating room. YOU CAN TOO! Take it one small step at a time. Those steps really add up. This journey is a marathon, not a sprint! Remember that. As long as you keep moving forward, you are moving! That will get you to your goal. Feel free to write to me if you would like a friend/mentor. Best wishes! Carol

Oh I know EXACTLY where you are coming from! I have not had anything like you experienced happen since I have had surgery (and I hope everything checks out OK for you!). I have lost over 200 pounds, and I know all too well the way I was treated “differently” as a morbidly obese patient! Earlier this month I had to go in for my first Colonoscopy (I am now 51). It was SO NICE to be treated like a ‘normal’ patient!! I think the only things that made me stand out was that I got really cold and I was dehydrated after the prep so my blood pressure was low and they had to give me IV Fluids. I would guess that these are two things they see in a LOT of patients – probably more that are close to a normal BMI (which I am). I am sure we all have stories that we could share about the horrible treatment by the medical establishment BEST NSV that I have read in a really long time! Thank you so much for sharing!! Carol

Here are a couple ideas for you... Do you struggle with Type II Diabetis? If you do, this can make weight loss MUCH more difficult. Surgery will help, just keep doing what you are doing. It sounds like you have a nutritionist that works with your clinic. Reach out to them and let them know your frustrations. They can look at exactly what you are doing and help you tweak what you are eating or the exercise that you are getting and might be able to direct you. For me, 1800 calories would be WAY too much - I would be gaining too! I have to keep my caloric intake under 1200 in order to see any weight loss. 1300 - 1400 for maintenance (I am approaching 3 years post surgery). Good Luck! I know it is REALLY hard!! I can tell you it is worth all the work on the other side! Carol

Hi Carmen, I am approaching 3 years post RNY – my surgery was 6/25/13. I am a 5’2” woman who began the journey at 331 pounds at age 48. This morning I weighed 130 pounds (which is high for me) – my low was 120. I would like to maintain at about 125. I have also found that I can eat anything that I want – only in much smaller amounts. From what I have learned there are a couple of things at play. Beginning around 18 months post op most people begin to notice that their bodies will actually begin to absorb more of the calories (and hopefully nutrients) we are consuming. The human body continues to adjust and finds ways to metabolize the food we are consuming – so this only gets ‘worse’ as time goes on. The benefit of eating food and having it not be absorbed lessens dramatically over time. If our diet and exercise remain the same, we will begin to see the scale climb back up. By the way – this DOES NOT MEAN that we should stop taking our supplements. In order to make sure that we are receiving ALL nutrients that we need supplements will ALWAYS remain vital. So, what can you do? If you are not tracking what you eat (I use MyFitnessPal.com), find a tracking system that works for you and start tracking everything you eat. Make sure that 1200 calories that you think you are eating are not more like 1400. It isn’t a lot, but it can have a devastating effect on the scale! It might be necessary for you to trim back your caloric intact to closer to 1000 per day. Secondly, begin to mix up and/or increase your workouts. If you are walking 60 minutes every day, try to go 90 minutes or walk farther (therefore faster) in that 60 minutes. Add in weight training! I cannot tell you how important this is! Part of my problem is that a month ago I slipped on some ice and hurt my elbow and have not been able to lift weights. I am just beginning to be able to return to my BodyPump classes and I think that will help the scale move (hoping anyway!) Add in a new workout – try biking, a new elliptical, jogging, swimming, a dance class – something that your body is not used to. Just like with the food we eat, our bodies get use to a certain level of exercise and in order to continue to see benefits we sometimes have to “shock” it with something new. Above all, remember that this is a life long journey. Even when you reach “Onederland” – and I know you can do it – you will still need to work hard if you want to stay there. I am still learning and I struggle every day to make the right decisions to keep me at my goal. My life is SO much better now that it was at 331 pounds – I know that I NEVER want to go back there. YOU CAN DO THIS! Carol

I am approaching 3 years out and normally have one every day. Has never caused dumping for me. Highly recommended by my Bariatric Clinic. Carol

I am nearly 3 years post surgery and have been maintaining for the past year and a half. Right now I am up about 5 pounds from where I want to be and am working on getting back. I lost and maintained eating chocolate (my total weight loss is 210 pounds). I think planning some small treats into my day help keep me from binging. Therefore, I plan a day that I will have a Shamrock shake or another treat. I don't have these every day, and I am very careful to track them when I do indulge. I workout A LOT so my caloric intake reflects that. I can eat about 1200 - 1500 calories per day to maintain, but this is with about 2 1/2 hours of exercise every day - some days are more. I wear a Fitbit and normally track about 20,000 - 25,000 steps every day. You need to find what works for you. Some people cannot go near the temptation and are better off never having even one bite - others, like me, do better when you make it a controlled part of your life. Finding out what is right for you is part of the journey! Good Luck! Carol

I eat chocolate every day. I put Hershey's unsweetened dark chocolate in my TVP Cereal every morning. I also eat a very low calorie chocolate brownie nearly every day that is made with Hershey's unsweetened milk chocolate. These are part of my daily routine. Beyond that, I also enjoy dark Hershey's Kisses and Dove Dark Chocolates (I limit myself to only 2-3 a day) - when I choose to indulge I try to stick to dark chocolate. I have also had M & M chocolate candies (perhaps 6-12 at a time) and 'fun sized' chocolate bars on occasion, all of which I have tolerated just fine. A word of caution however, even though I can eat these things with no physical ramification, indulging will cause the scale to go up, and the purpose to having surgery is to change our behaviors so we don't regain the weight we lost. Not everyone who has RNY can go back to eating chocolate candy, so just because I have been able to, does not mean that you also will. Best of luck to you! Carol

I have have/had Vitamin B1 Deficiency since RNY surgery on 6/25/2013. I take an extra Vitamin B1 supplement everyday and taking it keeps me in the 'normal' range. I have tried going off it, but when I do my levels drop - so it is just an added supplement every day. I never experienced any of the symptoms James spoke about in his post, but the deficiency was caught early - I believe at my 6 month post surgery blood work visit. This is why it is key to keep up on your blood work, even years after surgery. Not one of us chose surgery to have more medical problems as a result of any vitamin or mineral deficiencies! Vitamin B1 supplements are a bit of a challenge to find sometimes (Target / Walmart don't always carry them) but most pharmacies do. Feel free to ask any specific questions that you might have. Carol

I am approaching 3 years (in June) post RNY and will definitely have my blood work done. I have had tweaks in my Vitamins since surgery and although the main numbers (cholesterol, blood sugars) remain very good, I have had HIGH Iron (something my bariatric doc just shakes her head at!) and low thymine and zinc. I actually made changes again in December to my vitamins and am very curious to see how that plays out in my June results. I think as we age our body's needs change, which can definitely change what we need to do with our vitamins. Therefore, I think it is critical that if you chose surgery to become healthier, that you follow-up with the blood work. The consequences of going for long periods of time Vitamin deficient can have horrible health ramifications. None of us chose surgery for that! Carol

DID IT! I was quite uncomfortable for a while until things started to move (SO much gas - I felt like an overfilled balloon!), and it isn't something I will look forward to doing again, but I am very glad I had it done. They found one very small polyp which they removed easily. It was of the pre-cancerous type, so I get to do it again in 5 years. Hopefully, with my much healthier diet and regular exercise, in five years I will have a healthy pink colon! Thank you all for your tips and advice! Carol

I had a very successful RNY surgery on 6/25/13 and am maintaining a weight loss of over 200 pounds from my highest pre-surgery weight. Last year I reached that 'magical' age that requires you to undergo a colonoscopy and since colon cancer is very prevalent in my husband's family (not in mine though) my husband will not leave me alone until I have it done (I know I should be greatful!)! I am scheduled for next Tuesday. The directions are a low Fiber diet for three days prior, liquids only the day before, with a lot of drinking (Gateraid) the night before. The drinking part won't be a problem for me - I can guzzle a 20 ounce bottle of Water in 5 minutes if I want to. Just wondering how the rest of it went for anybody that wants to share who has had one post surgery. Not worried about the procedure - just the prep! The low fiber diet is going to be the hardest! No fresh veggies, no fruit, no whole grain breads or cereals (I can have white bread and processed Cereal though!), no potatoes! Yikes - those are the staples of my diet these days! I can have as much meat as I want - I just don't know what I will have with it! Thanks for any advice! Carol

I am very intrigued! I have never heard of this but will definitely be looking into it. I am coming up on 3 years post RNY and am up about 3-5 pounds from where I want to be. I have been trying to find a way to drop them, but nothing seems to be working - this just might. Thank you all for the information! Carol

Northern Metro - Centerville, Minnesota

What NOT to do - BEAT YOURSELF UP! You did it, its over, move forward! What TO do - Set yourself up for success instead of failure. Do your best to avoid situations that are going to cause you temptation - just for a couple of days. Get some extra exercise in. Concentrate on drinking an extra two glasses of Water. Try a new 'on plan' food or recipe to add interest to your diet. I find I often times mess up the most when I get bored with what I am eating. Changing it up (with good choices) makes eating exciting again. Finally, concentrate on just winning moments. I have times during the day, when I just have to keep telling myself that I need to get through the next half hour and then I can have whatever. Minutes turn into hours, hours turn into day. Winning days bring results. Remember, it is not the missteps or bad choices that we make here and there that are going to send us back to where we were, it is the choices we make every day. Best of luck! Carol

I will be 3 years out in June (RNY 6/25/13) and am maintaining a 200 pound weight loss. I have seen a tremendous reduction in the amount of sleep I require. I had severe sleep apnea prior to surgery which has completely resolved. I required 9 - 10 hours of sleep every night to function, now I am fine with 6-7. I use a FitBit and my sleep averages about 7 hours a week - I feel great with this.

Actually, that is almost EXACTLY the prep that I will be doing. I only have to take 2 dulcolax and I mix the miralax with 64 ounces of gatorade. I know that it will not be pleasant, but I was wondering if it was different for us WLS patients. The low fiber diet is IN ADDITION to the day before prep. Apparently it 'bulks things up' so it moves through quicker. Four hours before the test I need to drink 10 oz. of Magnesium Citrate. The low fiber diet really through me! I am being ordered to eat everything I used to eat, but haven't in nearly 3 years! Carol No, I eat meat nearly every day - I am definitely NOT a vegetarian. But I also eat fresh fruit and vegetables every day - especially fresh veggies. I sometimes have a salad twice a day. No fresh veggies is going to be hard - even for just three days.

Actually, that is almost EXACTLY the prep that I will be doing. I only have to take 2 dulcolax and I mix the miralax with 64 ounces of gatorade. I know that it will not be pleasant, but I was wondering if it was different for us WLS patients. The low fiber diet is IN ADDITION to the day before prep. Apparently it 'bulks things up' so it moves through quicker. Four hours before the test I need to drink 10 oz. of Magnesium Citrate. The low fiber diet really through me! I am being ordered to eat everything I used to eat, but haven't in nearly 3 years! Carol

I still miss my hair. I will soon be 3 years out and my hair is just really starting to come back. I also miss tight skin - with over a 200 pound loss, I have a lot of skin issues. Of course, I had skin issues when I weighed over 300 pounds too. I would rather be on this side! I guess I also miss being warm - I live in Minnesota and without that nice 200 pound blanket I am cold most of the time! The list of what I don't miss is so long that I could write a book! The biggest is that I don't miss being in constant pain. I don't miss feeling as though a knife was stabbing me in the knee when I walked down stairs. I don't miss having to wear a C-PAP machine to sleep. I don't miss prescription medications. I don't miss having to sit down after being on my feet for 10 minutes because my hurt so badly. I LOVE being able to fully live my life and participate in ANY activity that I choose. I love that I can buy clothes at any store, ride any amusement park ride, go biking in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter. I LOVE being able to LIVE the life that was given to me! It is hard to maintain, but I try to never loose site of where I have come from and just how much I DO NOT want to go back there!

Thank you so much for the kind words! I am happy to inspire - there were so many here that inspired me along the way! I find that I still need that inspiration to keep traveling this difficult journey - believe me maintenance is not easy - I still struggle every day. As for bulgy, saggy skin - I have not had surgery and believe me I have A LOT of it. The only good thing I can say about it is that it can easily be concealed in the right clothes. The part that bothers me the most is my upper arms because anything sleeveless really shows the skin. I do a lot of weight lifting and you can see actual muscle definition, but I can't show it off because of all the loose skin. Kind of a bummer! Best of luck to you as begin your journey. This takes hard work and dedication, but the life that is waiting for you on the other side is SO WORTH IT! Go for it! Carol

I began BEFORE surgery. I started my journey at 331 pounds and I am only 5'2". At that time the ONLY exercise that I could do was a recumbent elliptical for 20 minutes. I worked up slowly from there. By the time I had surgery (6 month wait) I had lost 40 pounds. Two and half years later I generally work out twice a day - at least a couple hours a day. What I do varies between walking, jogging, using a Nordic Track ski machine, Zumba, and a Kick Boxing class. You can LOSE the weight without exercise, but if you want to keep it off and live a healthier lifestyle, then exercise is the key. It takes hard work and dedication, but the results and how you feel are SO worth it! Best of luck for a successful future! Carol

When I began my journey I weighed 331 pounds and at 5'2" was a VERY large lady. Two and a half years following surgery I am maintaining at 125 pounds. I wear a size 6! When I began this journey I NEVER would have thought this is were I would land! Sometimes I still do a double take when I look in the mirror. Yesterday I was leaving Sam's Club where I had purchased four bags a Skinny Pop Popcorn (my family LOVES it!). A lady I know from my local YMCA was also there and she looked at the popcorn and said "now I know how you stay so skinny, you live on popcorn!". What did I hear? She called me "SKINNY"!!! That is not a word I would have EVER thought anybody would use to describe me! She had NO IDEA that she made my day! It takes hard work and dedication, but it is SO worth it! The clothes are great, but how you feel is even greater! Best of luck! Carol

I 2-3 dark chocolate Hershey Kisses every day! Except for now - I gave them up for Lent. Good luck! Carol

Mani / Pedi's were always my 'go to' reward and still are. I always feel so pampered when I am done. I know others that love a message too. Carol