desertmom

So,we have been back in the UAE for 4 days and we are totally housebound.I mean completely. It is ramadan and whereas the malls are open you are not allowed to eat or drink anything in public.It is over 103 degrees most days up to 110 some days (50 degrees celcius) and I cannot go out without drying out like a prune within an hour.So we have watched every single olympic event there's been (with the kids legs going back and forth in front of thr tv as she is on her beam the whole time,she's a gymnast and the gymnastics have greatly inspired her to exercise more...lol) I have played boggle with my little kid a 100 times.We are now bored stiff.Another 2 weeks of this,I think,hope pray,and then life will be normal again. One good thing though. My hair started coming out in clumps when I was in SA on holiday.I spoke to quite a few hairdressers and they all recommended a South African product called placenta with bergamot. It smells disgusting but since I have been back the hair seems to be coming out a lot less.There is still hair everywhere but it isnt the total strands of hair like it was in the last 2 weeks.I wonderif this stuff may be working? There is already a lot of new hair but some days I see a lot of short hair falling out too....so I dont know if it really works.One thing though,a friend of mine that had VSG and who is the exact same age than me was completely gray when the new hair came out. I am a dark blonde and never noticed any gray hair before.Now,a lot of the short hair seems to be silver which I take to be gray.My folks went gray very very late.In fact my mom still has brown hair and she is 70.Never coloured her hair.My dad has some gray and he is 77 and my older siblings dont have any gray hair yet. Now I wonder if I will be gray when the new hair comes out?Mind you,my friend lost a lot of hair and took to waring a headscarf of some sorts for quite some time. This is all very interesting when you have nothing to do and I will keep spraying this stinking bergamot stuff on my head and update if it helps. Another friend that has RA and gets infusions for it says the meds make her hair fall out at the back of her head.Her Filipino housekeeper started cutting aloe leaves off and then she massages it into her head and she swaers high and low that it works wonders to help the hair grow back.So maybe tomorrow I will cut a piece off and start doing that too. Well, 5 weeks of summer holiday left and without my passport I cannot travel so here we are....watching the wheels go round and round...lol

Ebbygirl,trusting the Lord is all we ever need.I will pray for you as well. xxo

My fluro didnt want to go in and I did vomit it all up.Had to do it again and it took 2 hours of walking up and down for it to start going down.I was spitting Foamy blood for 24 hours.The next day only foam and day 3 I was fine but couldnt even sip anything when I went home.Sipping 5 ml a time every half hour over the next 2 days and by day 5 I was ok. You must be very swollen and the cortizone will help with that.You are in the best possible place you can be at the moment,the hospital.Just try to relax and sleep a lot. Please keep us informed on how you are doing.Hope you are better soon.

I must confess I have always wondered about the not fixing the leak thing? Does anyone know why they leave it to heal by itself?

Why will you throw up? People mostly only throw up when they eat too much. Some,like me have what I call "pukey days". I have struggled with food (even after eating the tiniest amount coming back up but I had the band for 7 years and it happens just like that.I did some research and found it has something to do with the stimach being cut not at 90 degrees but at 120 to 140) HOWEVER,I know very quickly when I will have a "pukey day" and then I take no more than 2 bites at a time.On days like that I drink shakes and have no more than a few bites of food 3 times a day. Vomiting is for most (and I know some people have big problems with this but they have it as a real complication and need meds for it) quite avoidable and not something you should concern yourself with right now. For most people with no complications eating very small managable portions at all times is the key! Good luck with your surgery! xxo Ps.if a throw up bag will make you feel better,take one...lol

That is a great resolve. ( is that the right word?) Some of my great friends have forgotten who they were and where they came from after they got thin.I found it really sad at first but now I just think it will come back to bite them on the behind,like things usually do. Good luck with your surgery and keep us posted as to how you are doing. xxo

This really really works. That is why eating at restaurants really works for me.I am forced to sit at a table,have to take small mindful bites,chew enough times to taste it (to prevent sliming or stuck food whichI still get when I dont chew enough,prevent public embarrasment) I eat slowly (or I will be finished when everyone else is only starting) and the presentation of the food is always great.My satisfaction level with the food and the experience makes me feel full very fast. But then mindfulness works in all aspects of life.It is just hard to keep remembering to be mindful. I have a mindfulness meditation cd that is wonderful.

Owe have been back in this country for 4 days and 1.I am sick as a dog with a cold ( just finished with SA cold and flu,now Middle eastern cold and flu...lol) and 2.I am struggling my butt off with the food issues ,just like before. It just seems that there is some issues that I sTill have to battle and overcome.And I will.Its funny how wanting to write about my failure right now made me decide to fight to overcome these issues. 1.At home,here in Dubai,I seem to be able to eat more.My sleeve felt very restricted in SA and here it feels like I can and want to eat more and more often.I must confess I drink 8 cups of tea per day as I struggle with water and I struggle with the protein.I think the diffwrence is that I didnt replacw the protein with anything else when I was in SA.I also didnt eat low carb or low fat for that matter.I had a glass of wine every second night and generally I was way more relaxed. So,heres the plan.Salad and protein.Less milk.I also drank a cup of coffee every day that I miss now (Jacob's Kronen not allowed in UAE) I didnt eat breakfast but then for lunch I did eat a good protein and again for dinner.I ate lots of seafood and here is something everyone will freak out about,I ate more fats.No fatfree foods or milk.I was fuller faster and satisfied with very small portions.So,I will start writing down every thing again and see what is so different. O I hate obsessing about this but I do as the scale was down another pound yesterday and up 3 pounds today....and I still weigh every single day.dont think I can not. Ok,new day,different food. Xxo

Hi I actually cried about my old stomach... The headache is from not eating and then maybe not enough fluids.I had it too for about 10 days on and off.At the moment you are delicate and it is a big op so you will feel tired and sick,I certainly did. You will start feeling better soon.Just rest,sip and breathe.And dont worry about anything else.It takes a while to start feeling that everything will be ok,but it will.I sometimes read of people driving the next day and going to work in a week and I have no idea how they do that. Just try to relax and its baby steps at this point. Good luck and speedy recovery for you!

i noticed a while ago that I weighed 133kg when I saw the surgeon a week before surgery.I decided to ignore that and keep my stats the same but when I came out of the hospital after surgery I weighed 5 pounds more. Today I decided to fix this on my ticker.Why not?I have lost more than I thought initially. So it was 292.6 a week before surgery and 297.6 three days after. Today I weigh 218 which is a loss of 79 pounds which is a lot more. I am flying back to Dubai tomorrow and for some reason I am scared that this nice weightloss I had on holiday will slow down. We will start exercising next week which might help tone and build muscles as I am super flabby. xxo

i have lost 5 pounds since my last entry.it seems eating small portions of everything works great for me at this stage.I am thinking of extending my holiday a little..lol xxo

Smoggy,please send me your email adres.This ruddy Ipad does not even allow me to send you a message!Great weight loss so far! xxo

225......I have stopped obsessing as it is a holiday after all.Also the hair must fall out,what can I do to stop it anyway? I am happy about the weight as we eat out a lot but I am being as smart as I can be with my choices.I have a bad cold and am drinking all kinds of meds (i never noticed before how much sugar the bronchodilator/cough mixture I take actually contains..4g per 5 ml and I take 15ml 3 times a day) Anyhoo,Im a happy camper tonight. xxo

hi,thanks for the great suggestions!I have had a good food day and I tried to drink more water.I now have the lipbalm and that seems to help as well. I counted a little calories (hehe) and found that I was drinking 5 cups of coffee or tea with milk every day.That didnt help.The carbs also went over 100 every day.What stumped me is the fact that my weight can go up when I eat 1300 cals a day.It petrifies me to think I will have to eat this little for ever.HOWEVER,I have realized that if I exercise it is different.Of course this makes me understand the importance of exercise once again. I need to stop worrying so much about this.Of course I want to lose weight on holiday but if it can just stay stable I will be thrilled.It was the right choice not to come to SA for the usual 2 months and in 2 weeks I will be home again and will start with a personal trainer. All this just makes me a little depressed as I realize once again that this is a life long battle.I will have to change my attitude about food and stress and I will have to work on my coping skills. O well,Rme wasnt built in a day and I will get this!I want to succeed and I feel that thi is already a big change in me. xxo

Hi I can also eat a lot unlike some others on the board. A few suggestions. I only do solid Proteins like chicken...okay,I eat chicken all the time.It seems to be the thing to make me full the longest.Then I have eating time and drinking time.For half an hour after food nothing.Then drinking time for the next 2 hours.Hunger is not an option then as when we eat,then not allowed to drink again for half an hour. These are little rules I had to make for myself.And I have to force myself to keep to it,most of the time.And you do get use to it very quickly.It is a great accomplishment if you can do it.I think this is all about relearning how and when to eat and the nice thing is you can teach yourself this. Dont expect 100 persent success at first but keep practising this and you will get better and better at it.Dont be too hard on yourself when you dont get it right at first. You will lose at 1200 if you exercise a lot but it will be slower.This has been my experience in the past 3 months. O,and lose the cheese,it is high in fat and calories and soft food that doesnt help fill you up.Cicken,fish,meat (when I have a very hungry day I eat red meat as it fills me up) Good luck and remember,we cannot keep doing what we did before.We have to learn to say no to ourselves but that takes a lot of practice.You can do this. xxo

when I arrived 2 days ago in SA I weighed 227.My folks live in a retriement village and this year my mom cant walk a lot at all.She needs a knee replacement.This is a tough one.I can see since she's stopped exercising she has gained weight.The thing that I thought would help keep me on track is exercise.But we will do a lot of sitting down just being with them.lol Food is a nightmare.It is winter and I cannot figure out how not to constantly feel like something warm when it is cold.The food they eat is so different.Lots of carbs (my dad looks like a skeleton) The one thing I can do with them is take then to coffee shops and eating out.Salads seems like an alien thing in the cold.Soups are loaded with calories,low fat cappucino is unheard of ( we only have full fat milk madam!).I have eaten chicken 4 times in 2 days and well I will keep figuring this out. On the emosional eating side...mmm...well,my sweet cousin that is the same age than me (is like my sister) is in ICU after a fall with very bad brain oedema and brain heamorage.I am so sad as she seems to just have the worse of luck in the world.In 18 months she got breast cancer ( in limf) before she could have chemo she had a bloodclot in her lung,the found she has Protein S deficeincy,she has kidney failure,her mom died last month and now this.She had the old JIB bypass surgery and I am convinced that this has been the cause of most of her medical issues.She has been sick with fever of unknown origin for 4 years now.AND OF COURSE I WANT TO EAT.And I know this will not help anyone or anything but I have always been a comfort eater.Tried a few nachos with guacamole and sourcream last night when out and I felt dog tired afterwards.This is just so crazy as yes it is carbs but why the tiredness? Today we have a BBQ which should be fine as there's lots of meat. Lets see how it goes!

You will do this.dont the smoke taste just aweful with the chantix?I used it and even though the mental addiction was terrible the smokes just tastes too vile! Just keep drinking the pills as prescribed and try not to smoke. It really does get easier!

Hi,it is not high Protein.Everybody needs about (some more some less,depending) 65g of protein per day.It is just a protein focussed way of eating.And just enough,like everybody on earth.Atkins allow much more protein per day and fat.We do not have the ability to eat that much and we do not need all that. I for one do not only eat Proteins.I am not in ketosis and I do not need to be.I eat 60 g of protein per day,then veggies and if I so desire a teeny tiny bit of carbs,usually I dont feel like it or I just dont have space for it. In the beginning when the sleeve is very tight you might find that proteins fill your sleeve but after a few months it can become slightly more balanced. With the GBP my friends eat exactly the same than me. xxo

Drink your Protein shakes to get at least 60g of protein per day and dont worry about not wanting food.You will feel like eating again.I personally wish I could hate food a lot more. Dont be depressed.Do you miss food?Do you want to eat,is this what is making you depressed? then you will just have to start having a little bit for each meal. (I've seen some people eat 1oz of protein and one tbs of whatever) Good luck and enjoy the weightloss.You will get to your goal faster than us that can eat anything and battle head hunger all the time. xxo

Hi I have always felt that as we had the band we have learned to swallow correctly,chew our food properly and that we had in general learnt to eat correctly for wls. I dont have a full signal.When I stick to the 2,5 to 3 oz Protein I am fine but when I eat just a little more I get pain.I also dont just eat protein.I have added little bits and bobs from the beginning,salad,cucumber,diced carrot,1 oz of sweetpotato (not all at the same time though just examples) My surgeon does not make the sleeve very small 36 boogy I think.However,it shouldnt be a problem as it is easier to eat protein and a little veggies for fibre and green stuff. It is early days for you yet so do try to stick to your diet.But you can eat 2 oz protein every 2-3 hours if that will fill you up better.You have to find the new way of eating that will work for you...forever. Good luck.

......and since the 25th of June Ive been in A dreadful stall again. I am exercising 5 days a week now.Hard cardio and weights.(sometimes weights!) Will keep chugging away and not complain too much. We are going on holiday on thursday and will see what the change from 105 degrees to 50 do for us.Worry about wanting more food when it is cold...lol xxo

Hi,I was losing so fast up to last week and then bamm,nothing for 5 days already....lol It seems normal for round about now.I am not not stressing about this.Even though it is not easy. xxo

Hi Band to sleeve revision here.I wouldnt ever advise anyone to gst the band.For msot people it is not IF I get complications but WHEN I get complications.Of the people that I knew when I had the band in 2004 NOT ONE still have it,not one. Here where I live, some of the surgeons have completely stopped doing the band.The ones that only ever did the band (european surgeons visiting here once a month to just do surgeries,of course still so the same. Of course I am biased as I love love love the sleeve.I did the band for exactly the reasons you mentioned but I had nothing but complications with it,right from the start. The sleeve feels to me what I thought the band would be. Good luck with your decision!

Today I am 229 pounds.O my goodness this makes me happy! Some observations now that I am 3 and a half months out: 1. When I exercise and take a multivitamin I am a lot hungrier than usual. 2. At night,I can eat way more than in the morning. 3. Snacking of any kind stalls my weight.Who knows why.It seems that my body reaches a homeostasis quickly whe I give it little bits of food all the time,even though my calories stays at 800 per day.However,when I snack it is easy to go up to 1000 or even 1200 per day. 4. Losing focus is quite easy.When life happens I still want to return to my default,eating away my hurts and fears.Even though I cant. 5.Exercise hurts more than ever.My goodness I am weak.Maybe waiting so long before starting to do some weights was a bad idea as it is quite pathetic to see me now..lol 6.Calcium and magnesium citrate helps with constipation. 7.Not focussing on the scale,even learning to laugh the days the weight is up a little.When you know what you do is right,you will lose weight.If what you do doesnt work for you,change it! 8.CARBS certainly seems to be my friend.Even though everyone says dont!I lose way more when I eat little bits of carbs every day! Now I am going to South Africa (where it is winter and cold cold cold) and this will be my baptism with fire as far as making good food choices are concerned.But for the first time I am sure things will go well.I know what I can eat,what I should avoid and as long as I keep my portion sizes small it will be ok.My mom has a treadmill so I can do some running for exercise! I am so happy for everyone that is losing weight.It is so life changing and living is so much easier! xxo

Hi I also came home 10 pounds heavier after surgery and lost my first pound quite some time after that.In addition to that I had gained 20 pounds before surgery (in the month before) You will have to breathe and be patient.Follow your plan and dont weigh every day,for at least 2 weeks.I believe you will lose weight just like I did. Stop stressing about it (easier said than done I know) Just keep chugging Water and stick to the food plan you were given.It is only now in month 3 that my weightloss is speeding up. Even though you have other issues,try and just relax and let the sleeve do its work.No one on such low calories will stay the same weight,that I can guarantee you. Good luck and do post when you start lsoing.You will feel the anxiety disappear as the weight comes off and the more I have relaxed the more I have lost.You will too. xxo