Tanya Reichard Voorhees

What I call "hunger" now is actually a painful burning sensation. It is fierce and comes on me every 2/3 hours. I currently take omeprazole every day and it is SO MUCH worse when I forget to take my pill. But even with the pill, it is there. So mainly, I eat to stop the burn. I am keeping it to under 1000 calories a day. I exercise for 30 min 3x a week. I had surgery 12/18 and went in at 263 pounds. I am now 219. I'm pretty proud of that 44 pounds! I know there are those who have lost more in less time. I also know that age and stress have a lot to do with the rate of loss.

I find it very frustrating when I read tips like "have you tried to lower your calories/increase your exercise?" After weight loss surgery you are WELL below the caloric limit recommended by nutrition specialists. You should be exercising your body in some way as most doctors require an exercise routine pre-op. The human body does not always work like clockwork and the calories in>calories burned equation does not always work consistently for everyone. There are hormones at work, especially in a female body, that regulate Fluid retention and metabolism. I have found almost 4 months post-surgery that I always, like clockwork, stall as I am leading up to ovulation. I will have a week to 10 days (this time, sadly, it has been 15 days) where, even though I am eating under 1000 calories a day and working out 30 min, 3-times a week, that the scale WILL NOT BUDGE. That gives me only 2 to 3 weeks a month of optimal weight loss. The week I ovulate I am just NOT gonna lose anythingl. I hate it and I get discouraged and I cut my carbohydrates and up my Protein and drink more Water in a feeble attempt to get the scale to move, but it just won't. Not until my endocrine system is ready to let it go... I am a victim of this hormone cycle. The only thing to do is ride it out and know it happens to everyone. Even if I never lost another pound, the 61 pounds I have lost since I started this journey have been enough for me to say it was totally worth it, stalls and all.