clairec

Hi, I think most of us are around the same amount of loss since surgery (around 59-69 pounds down) except for Sully with the amazing 101 pound loss. Wow, fantastic Sully!The amount of exercise is impressive, as is the amount of healthy food and the protein levels. I am 66 pounds down since the surgery, which is line with most of you, and I have lost 116 pounds in the last 4 years. I also lose faster at some points than others and like Tammy sometimes it is when I do something different, like going on holiday that it seems to speed things up. For example when we went to Hawaii I dropped a few pounds on arrival, which was strange. I then plateaued for a couple of weeks when I got back and then started losing slowly most days for a while afterwards. I can see that my body is different even when I am not losing, which is good, though I can't really see much difference around my abdomen, it is more higher up my body. My protein levels are not as high as most of you, but then protein drinks don't go down well, and even if I add it to foods it doesn't work that well. On iffy days I find having much protein difficult, other days I am more successful. My food is generally very healthy but sometimes if we are out I will eat what I can that I can cope with, and with the highest protein/ calcium I can. I am certainly not avoiding carbs like Kim, although I don't have much and what I do have is very small in quantity. Fruit is common either with fibre rich cereal in the morning or as a change of taste after lunch or dinner, or in a smoothie. Philly lite on crackers/bread at lunchtime and beef carpaccio or salads in the evening are the most frequent foods.As for exercise, I can't do that with my back problems but I am losing power/muscle in my legs. I am trying to do toning exercises but no difference so far, maybe I should get a sitting exercise bike type thing. Though with my lack of exercise, hormonal problems and my weight loss over the years before surgery (which I have been told will all mean that my weight loss will not be as great overall as for most people) I am glad to be on track with other people here. I think we are all doing absolutely great. congratulations to us all! We would have been so pleased to read these posts before our surgery in February, if we could have known in advance. I know that I would have been so reassured. Take care all of you Claire

Hi Erin, How nice to hear from you, it is really good to hear your news. It sounds like you are doing well with the exercise and everything. I agree with keeping it honest and your priority list of less healthy foods. For you a weekend rum and diet coke and for me Italian gelato when I am there, which is not often. When in Rome (or Italy anywhere really).... I am also not too good with foods in the morning and evening things that are generally fine do not go well then. I used to leave at 5.45 and even before the bypass I was trying to force myself to have something on the way in. Now I try to have something a little later, but it is still far from ideal. I like your BLT idea - very nice. We are trying some things out of a bariatric cookery book for example a pizza type thing on a tortilla and that worked well. It depends what we are doing and what we are eating though. Sometimes it is the thing that I can tolerate best on the menu, with as high a protein/ calcium level as possible. Failing that anything that will go down. It's only one meal and quantities are small! It is so good to hear from you Erin. Take care Claire

Hi, Well I am not sure that I am the best person to reply to this. I do not have any 100% reliable "go to" foods, just ones that can work most of the time. As you know I have a lot of days when nothing seems to work very well and I just try things that I think might work, because they generally do, on my more difficult days. It doesn't work really though, but then I have not been sick or had dumping. So for breakfast - either a fibre rich cereal with fruit, or toast with something on it, or less successfully egg based foods like french toast with fruit. Lunch - cream cheese lite with ham and maybe some fruit Maybe a fruit smoothie late in the afternoon, to increase protein Evening - beef carpaccio, salad with prawn and mango, meat based pasta dish or something as protein rich as possible. Maybe some low fat home made ice cream. I don't know if that is right or wrong but I try to have as much protein as I can, even on my more difficult days.Sometimes I have a mouthful of something that doesn't really work and I end up with something else. Hope that helps a little and that you are ok Claire

Hi, Back home in the UK, rather jetlagged but here. Carol, your non scale positives sound great. Tammy, wow 6 miles, really?! Kim, sorry to hear about the protein bar experience. You poor thing. Take care all of you Claire

Hi, Yes I am worried about my hair too. I am sorry about your bald patch Deanna, that is not nice at all. My hair is one of the only things that I like about my appearance so I really hope my hair loss is minimal and short term. Like Janette I wonder whether it is something that happens to everyone, but just variable in amount and in duration. Like Janette I have also been focusing on Protein in case that makes a difference, although over here 40-50gms a day is considered to be really god and I know that most of you are being encouraged to have more than that. I must get back to the protein supplements when I get home again. Mine is still ok at the moment but I know that others of you had surgery at the same time are starting to lose some hair. Like Janette I would like to know how things are now for you all. No wardrobe malfunction as yet Janette, but I have to be careful! Take care Claire

Sorry that you had a bad day but great news overall. So glad that you feel so good overall and congratulations on your weight loss. Claire

Hi Deanna, I am also feeling like you are. Meals are a struggle, but also unpredictable. I have never been sick, thank goodness, but I can feel nauseous and just unwell about half an hour after a meal for the next hour. Why that is i don't know, the same food was fine at another meal. I do struggle to eat and try to eat the Protein first because I often won't manage anything else. I would love to know BEFORE I eat something whether it will work or not. Often one bite and I know, or I look at it and I know, but not before I make it or order it. Very strange! I know everyone is different but I never feel hungry and sometimes would love not to eat at all, but I know I must. I think my best solution would be to just taste things without swallowing, but that wouldn't be very nutritious would it! Overall I don't get much pleasure form eating as such but going out to eat socially is possible which I feared it wouldn't be, and my range of foods (on a good day) is awesome. I don't think I have dumped at all, unless this is low level dumping which I don't think it is because it is not connected to any particular foods, just that particular day or time of the day. No foods appear to be a problem all of the time, they are all ok just not all of the time. So Deanna I think possibly we are feeling the same sort of things. Take care Claire

Hi Janette and everyone, I know what you mean! There is a really positive group on here and it is so good to share things with others who are at the same stage and understand and have good ideas. Well I did weigh at Longs yesterday and it was after Breakfast and clothed (thankfully for everyone else in the store!). I have now lost 5 and a bit pounds since being here which is 2 weeks. That is faster than it was at home. The flights home will make a difference in Fluid retention so that is very encouraging. I won't change my ticker until that has all settled down and I am using my usual scales. I am getting to the point where I will be less than I have been in decades so that will be wonderful. My newly altered summer sun dresses are getting too big again but thankfully my swimsuits are still just about decent. I am hoping to carry on with them because they can't be altered but the slippage factor (!) could start to be even more of a problem in which case swimsuits won't work. TMI I know, but I know that you all know what I mean.I do love being able to be in the pool or sea. Fingers crossed. Take care all of you Claire

Hi, Janette, I will trying adding banana to the shakes. With the extra consistency and taste that might help the taste and the texture. Adding the Protein mix to food is an idea but I ony have chocolate and they come in such large tins. We have tried making it into an ice cream wth low everything custard and fat free fromage frais and that works fairly well too. Thanks so much for the suggestions. Dellieflower, what a wonderful weight loss, congratulations! I am slowing down a bit now, like Kim. However I have not weighed for over a week so who knows what the effect will be of holiday eating. I will weigh in a day or two at Longs and let you all know! Yes we are still in Hawaii and loving every moment of it. It is just so beautiful. Eating is a challenge, some meals seem to be fine, very small amounts but the range of foods is excellent. Other meals, not so much! However I have not been sick, or had problems with things getting stuck so that is great. Just some mealtimes nothing really works and despite hardly having anything my intestines sound like a drain for hours afterwards, I swear there is a little alien busy working inside me! Most days one meal is like that, and occasionally all three. I am really lucky with my range of foods and lack of sickness though but it is difficult to enjoy eating. I have not had much sashimi because it seems very filling but as Janette says it does tend to go down better than cooked fish. Only 4 more days here which is a shame. I could stay here forever but we all need to return to the real world I suppose! Take care all of you Claire

Hi, Dreaming that sounds like good news for you. Yes Janette, a protein drink might help occasionally, but I don't like them really and generally my protein levels even out to where they should be. I think that we are all told different levels to aim for but my dietician seemed to think that what I was doing was ok, despite the fact that I am normally only averaging 50gms/day. I know many of you are being told to aim for more than that though. They seem to be too much for me to digest in terms of consistency. Hopefully I can carry on managing without them. Claire

Oh dear Dreaming, You sound really frustrated and fed up! I am concentrating on fluids so much more after the surgery but I find that I really need to focus on it and as you say life is busy. If I had been doing my old role finding time to go to the rest room had to planned carefully once during the day otherwise it didn't happen. So drinking more would have been an issue and I wouldn't have found it easy to find time to drink either. Now, I try to have periods during the day when I focus on drinking, basically when I am nowhere near a mealtime. I really miss drinking with food too and also being able to drink a whole glass at once to catch up. As for proteins, they are the least likely things that I can cope with, particularly on a bad day. As you say some days are better than others, and again I try to ficus on having as much of those type foods whenever I can. Some days they hardly work at all, but I am never sick, thank goodness, I just can't get them down. I relied on protein drink type foods earlier on, made into ice cream type consistency, or added to other foods. That kept my levels up more at that stage. I haven't done that recently, though maybe sometimes I should. Stay positive Dreaming I am sure that things are going better than you think. The priority for me would be to stop being sick, I really hate that. Then to focus on proteins you can cope with and on fluids at times of day when you can. Don't know if that helps at all but I am thinking of you. Claire

Hi Deanna, An interesting trip and cruise. It is nice that you are going to the Channel Islands too. You are going in July so the weather could be good, well the best we manage in the UK anyway. We do have some lovely weather at times, it is just not predictable. I think that the trick with long flights is not to over think them. If you think about them in advance the thought is terrible but with some good movies, some music on the iPod and meals and hopefully a nap the time does pass. I would take snacks fir the flight that might help in your hotel in Harwich too if necessary and hopefully the ship will be fine. We do love the San Francisco area and really northern California in total. I hope you have a great trip and take care. Claire

Hi Deanna, It is good to know your real name. I know exactly what you mean about your body not wanting to accept food. Mine really would be happier if i didn't eat at all i think. Protein foods tend not to be popular and the sucky feelings afterwards are a sign of that. I think that you don't do well at eating in the mornings, and i don't do well at that either. I am not a morning person and breakfasts have never been my strong point and now my body really doesn't like it. I feel over full, can have dufficulty swallowing and sometimes have diarrhoea as a result. Interesting isn't it! We are on Maui and wonderful it is too! Idyllic! Where are you going to in July? Where are you flying from and too? Can you fly direct? These are all important things i think. I did eat some of the plane food but i took things with me so that i didn't need to. I took some grapes, melba toasts and Philly light and some nuts. I had a few grapes from my stash but i also had some crackers with cream cheese and a cookie which was provided. I drank iced water too ascmuch as i could. We had an 11hour flight to LA then stayed overnight and had a 6 hour flight the next day and it seemed to work out. Going back we have two overnight flights so that will be different again and give different challenges. What have you got planned for your trip? What country will you be going to? We had a quick trip to Italy 8 weeks after surgery and that seemed generally ok. We are doing a 4 week road trip around the Southern States later in the summer and that will need careful planning too because we are staying in B and Bs rather than in a condo. Take care Claire

Hi to you all, Carol, Hawaii is great and i managed the long flights from the food and tiredness point of view quite well really. It is so great here. Different scales I know but I even managed to lose 4 pounds in 4 days over the flights and couple of days here. Very strange because I have not lost that much since just after surgery. It won't last but it was a bit of a surprise. Ryn, you look so great, a completely different person. You must be so pleased. Wow!!! It is good to see you and Esthor on here. Eating is a constant challenge but I manage a really good variety of foods. It is just not knowing how I am going to feel for some time afterwards which is the challenge. I don't think I dump at all but sometimes after eating I can feel a small amount of palpitation type feeling and a little on the sicky side. However, the palpitation type thing goes away really quickly and the sicky feeling is not to the point where it is a real problem, I would just rather it wasn't there. And I hate feeling sick so it really is very mild! It also is not associated with particular foods, it just seems as if my body would be happier if I didn't eat at all. Strange about the honey mustard Erin, did you check the sugar content afterwards, did it make any sense at all? Kim the chicken satay sounded great. I had something similar here the other night. My protein is around 40-50gms per day which my dietician says is fine, but as you say they all vary. I am not able to exercise because of my back and Ryn if you are doing so much as Kim says maybe you should be doing more if you can. I agree that protein seems to help with feeling full, though for me it definitely is the thing that keeps the sicky feeling going for longer. I don't ever feel hungry though, so I am not the best person to say. I prioritise it whenever I can though. Dreaming just keep going, you are doing so well. I think the amount of fluids is also important as others say. It is so good to hear about how well you are all doing. Take care Claire

Hi, It is lovely to see you here, this is a very supportive group of people, who as you say are at the same stage as you. It sounds like you are doing really well!I think that stalls in weight loss are inevitable and you are doing a lot of exercise which is building up your muscles which is great. I also try to have as much protein as i can manage, but there are limits! Weight loss does slow down but I think we tend to concentrate a lot on the times when things stand still and not really on times when they speed up again, which they do from time to time. We can't all expect to carry on losing at the speed we started off on, it is isn't realistic or probably that good for us. Think of all that you gave lost and how active you and celebrate!I am certainly really happy for all that you are managing to do and the weight that you have lost. Congratulations and take care Claire

Wow Erin, i am not surprised. You look amazing! And you have the same nail varnish as me, bright pink. I am trying to keep my nails from flaking by having them done properly, a real luxury. They are fine at the moment but i think that might help if they get to be a problem. Off to the airport for the flight to LA today then on to Maui tomorrow, yay!! Take care all of you Claire

Aloha Tammy and Kim, Oahu is the only island we have not been to, except on Hawaii 5-0 which we love! How wonderful to have lived there Tammy. Kim, we are right next door to Napili Kai and sometimes go there for a meal for the wonderful beach views, i often buy a really pretty canvas bag by Paul Brent in the shop too because they are one of the few places that sell them. So i will think of you when we are there. We stay at Honokeana cove two doors down, where the turtles are! A wonderful place to stay, really friendly and not too expensive. They tell me i am off island when i am back here, which is most of the time admittedly, but we go at least once a year, and some years twice. We have also stayed at Mahina Surf a little bit further down in Kahana. It will be wonderful to be there. Sun, recovery, rest and wonderful seafood and fish which hopefully i can cope with. Mahalo both of you and take care Claire

Hi Tammy and Carol, I am sorry that you have had such miserable days. Great news though about the weight loss Tammy and jeans size Carol. Every cloud etc.... however when you have a bad day it is difficult to think like that isn't it! We are off to Hawaii on Sunday yaayy!! I am teaching all day on Saturday and so we have to pack everything into the car by tomorrow night. Then we go straight to my mothers for an overnight stay on Saturday before flying to LA on Sunday and on to Maui on Monday, where we will arrive Monday afternoon (or the early hours of Tuesday our time). A very tiring few days but it will be so worth it when we get there. I am not so worried about the long flights as I would have been. I will try to keep my fluids up, diarrhoea and iffy days down, and food and protein as much as I can cope with over the flights. I have tried on swimsuits which I thought might not be ideal with the weight and inches loss and the slippage downwards, but they seem just about ok. I just need to keep my legs together and the skirt part down. I know that you know what I mean! Then sushi, sashimi and ahi here we come ( I will avoid Mahi Mahi, thanks Janette, until I think I can handle it). I will keep up with you all while I am away, in fact there won't be such a time difference. Take care all of you Claire

Hi, Tammy I hope that you are feeling a little better at least by now. Not a good feeling!! Erin, wow you are just looking fantastic. You should be so proud of yourself for having lost so much weight and you are looking absolutely stunning. Congratulations!!! Claire

You poor thing. I hope today is feeling better already today. Take care Claire

Hi Kim, I will look out for Regaine when I am next in Costcos. It is good to hear that that has helped you. My hair is ok at the moment but it will happen very soon I am sure and I am more than a little worried about that. If you are all losing yours now then it is only a matter of time for me too. I was wondering about Kerastase Densifique because I saw something on TV about it helping with hair loss but it is rather expensive. I have put in a question to the company to see if it is for this sort of hair loss though. Regaine might be a better bet all round. Thanks Kim Claire

Hi, Well done Zom, great news and way to go! I am thrilled for you. Samantha, I can't help I am afraid with periods, I have had a hysterectomy, I am sure that others can help though. I am really worried about hair loss, but mine hasn't started yet. I am sure that it is only a matter of time, I really hope that it isn't too bad for any of us. Like Janette, I have been trying as hard as I can with Protein in the hope that might improve things as much as possible. Wallflower, weight loss seems to come and go for me. I don't think our bodies want to lose and want to hang on to the pounds. In the end they cave in though, particularly as early as you are in your journey. Your body just probably thinks that you are starving it. It will get used to it though, hang on in there. RR I am glad you are feeling not too bad. I have to say that gurgling has been normal for me ever since the surgery. It feels strange and is very loud! I still can't predict for sure about what foods will work every day, sometimes familiar foods will not work, even though they did the day before. I find I just decide not to have it if that happens, or abandon it after a mouthful or so. It is not ideal when you are out and about though, and my reactions are not as bad as they are for a lot of people. It is great to see all of your news Take care Claire

Hi, I am soo glad that I am not constipated... yet! Maybe the diarrhoea is getting a bit better at the moment, so I hope it doesn't tip me the other way. My hair is still fine but for how long? Zom and Tammy you are very close to my surgery date so I have always been concerned about that and it is clearly very close now. I hope yours stops as soon as possible and doesn't get too bad. Take care Claire

Thanks Sam, I have done it. It looks very pretty and I am quite impressed with my progress on there. Thanks Claire

Hi to you all, Well I seem to be losing again and have now lost slightly over 50 pounds in just under 12 weeks. More to the point my body shape has changed quite a bit and even I can see that I have lost. I have still got a really long way to go but I am really pleased that it is starting to happen. I also got my 7 stone award ( that is 98 pounds so I have now lost over 100 pounds in total) at my Slimming World group on Wednesday. I had lost some weight already before the surgery and the reason I decided to go forward with the surgery was because I was told that I wasn't burning calories like other people do and I would put it all on again.. plus more. I do still have a couple of dodgy days a week and the greatest problem is that I can't predict when they will be, or even know that they are here until I eat something. I can't really cope with eating on those days (but I do not throw up) and I often have diarrhoea and feel really tired. However, that is not bad in comparison with some of you I know so I feel really lucky. I do not seem to dump, again in comparison with what I have read, although things have got stuck and I have felt unwell after eating. I can seem to eat a wide range of foods, but not all of them will work on an every day basis. So really things are as good as they can be and the weight is coming off so I am pleased. How do you get the body weight ticker on to your profile? I hope that everyone else is feeling ok at the moment and that RR you are feeling stronger every day. Take care Claire