Stephanie Stroup McIntosh

I had my surgery 2 years and 3 days ago. I healed well and was pretty successful. I have been within 5 pounds of my goal weight for 18 months. I never really had any issues with the surgery or foods. Milk sometimes bothered me before surgery and sometimes still does, but other than that I had been fine. Lately though, I have realized that sometimes when I eat even just a few bites of certain foods, I get sick and it comes right back out. Chicken, dairy, and anything bread-like are the culprits in my digestion issues. I have always been a fan of the "all things in moderation" viewpoint on weightloss. I don't want to never have my favorite foods, but I am fine to have them less frequently and in much smaller amounts. Tonight I had 2 chicken wings (the segments that you get at a bar) and instantly it came back up. Its not the grease, since it happened earlier in the week with chicken breast. Neither chicken was dry. I didn't have anything else with it or for hours before. It was literally a few bites in and I was done. It is all liquid that comes back out, so I don't think that my chewing is the problem. Any ideas? My surgeon is a d-bag so I prefer not to deal with him. I will if I need to, but thought I would reach out to you all instead.

I am just over 6 months post op and doing well. I have lost about 80 pounds and built a lot of muscle. I work out very regularly and at a very intense level. My problem is that I carried most of my weight in my stomach, so when I run or jump, the excess skin slaps me. It is painful as well. I actually look worse while exercising now, than I did when it was full of fat. At least then, it didn't flop so much. I am not far enough out for surgery to be an option and haven't really had an skin irritation issues. Its just so painful when I am running or jumping that my excess skin bounces so violently. I wear compression gear, but that doesn't really seem to do much. Does anyone have any suggestions to make it more comfortable? I am still losing inches and can't afford to invest a lot of money in clothes that will only fit for a little while. Coincidentally, it is very hard to find pants because of the excess skin. Any advice is appreciated.

I am just a few days shy of 6 months post op. Wednesday will be my 6 month post op date, my 1 year since starting the process date, and my 5 year wedding anniversary. I just wanted to give a little update and remind everyone that we are all different and will lose at different rates. I started my journey officially on Sept 23, 2014 and weighed in at 295 pounds. I was probably heavier before that, but hadn't gotten on the scale in a long time. I had already been trying to lose weight for about a month at that first appointment. Today, I am 204 pounds. I have days where I am disappointed. I wish I had lost more weight. I see other people that are already at their goal weight at 6 months. Sometimes this is discouraging. I have to remember though, that I have other medical problems that make losing weight more challenging. I am also exercising...a lot. I have also built a considerable amount of muscle. My gym routine is 2-4 hours per day, 5 days per week. I take spin classes and very intense circuit training classes in addition to logging many miles on the track, row machine, and bike. I also lift weights and do more push ups than I ever thought I could do. I even completed my first half marathon a few weeks ago. The best part is that I can see and feel my muscles without even flexing. I am finding muscles in places that I didn't even know had muscles. I have 12 pounds to go to be to my doctor's goal for me. I have 60 pounds to go until my personal goal. I feel so much better that i have ever felt. I am stronger than I ever thought I could be. I look forward to getting stronger and feeling even better. Life is good.

OK So It is just a few days shy of 5 months since I had my surgery. I haven't posted on here in a while. After going back to work, I didn't have too much energy left to post and had got through the stage where I had a lot of questions. Today, I am at 210 pounds. I have actually been here for about 2 weeks, but that was to be expected. I had been doing mainly cardio when I worked out so I was losing weight pretty quickly. I did enough strength training to not lose muscle, but not really enough to build any. My gym has 2 parts. One for the everyday gym goer, who wants to use the treadmill and maybe take a class or 2 and another for the totally insane people that want to be in pain after an hour of working out. I have been using the first part for a little under a year and was doing quite well. I am one of the people that other people come to ask about the equipment. My friend, and spin instructor, has been encouraging me to go back to the other part of the gym (costs an extra $60/month) for a while now. It finally worked in my schedule that I could go do a trial session. I couldn't tell you the last time that I sweat that much. It was a 55 minute circuit class. I was biking, rowing, and using equipment that I have never touched, but been very afraid of for quite some time. I started on the spin bike. This was easy. A nice warm up. (I spin 3x/week). Then we moved on to the more scary stuff. I don't remember everything that we did, but there were stairs, kettle bells, the TRX, and lots of sweat. One station was the rower. The instructor came over to make sure I knew how to use it since i was new. (He actually did this for every station and still does now when there is something new to me.) I told him that I had used a rower before, but not successfully. You see, my stomach has always been in the way. I couldn't do it, because I couldn't reach around my stomach. (I am one of those people that carry most of my weight in my tummy.) So...I tried it. And guess what..I could do it. I could do it well. He wanted me to shoot for a pace of 700 and I was coming in over 800. I was stoked. The rest of the class was a blur, but I made it through without having to stop for more than a few seconds at a time. Then he called me out. He wanted me to stay after class. I bid farewell to my spin friends who had joined me, and waited for Matt (the instructor). He complemented me on my athleticism. I never saw that one coming. I joined that part of the gym a few minutes later. He stressed how important it is for me to get to class 3x/week. I work 50+ hours a week, so that is a challenge. I finished out the night with spin class. Then I went back the next day, and the day after that. With my work schedule and the hours for the gym, I can't make it on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, unless they are my days off for the week. I went 3 times last week. I have gone 3 more times this week already and will go tomorrow as well. I ran a 5k only a few days after joining. I have a 5k with the gym this Sunday, a 10k next Sunday, and then a freakin' half marathon the Sunday after that. Yesterday, I worked out for 2 hours before I took my class. Matt happened to see me. He told me I was a beast (totally meant in a good way). He told me that he could see a huge difference already. He did warn me that classes wouldn't get easier, but I would get better and be able to challenge myself in new ways. He told me he was proud of me. Even better though, is I am proud of myself. Due to some schedule issues, I hadn't seen my spin instructor but twice since I went back for that first class. We were in the same class today, and she couldn't believe the difference already. She said she could see that I was smaller in the tummy and more muscular in the arms. My biggest NSV this week though was being able to get out of the pool without using the steps/ladder. When I first started, I had to use the steps, because I didn't have the strength to hoist myself up with the ladder. Today, I could get out of the pool from the side and not use either. I also did 10 elevated pushups (not on my knees) in a row today. 2 weeks ago, I could barely do 5 on my knees. Last week, I couldn't hold a plank for 30 seconds. Today, I was able to hold it for 2 minutes. I feel better than I ever have and while I am desperately waiting to get under 200 pounds, I am thrilled with my new body and what I can do. I started by walking in the pool for 15 minutes and can now work out for 3 hours straight at a high intensity level. I also went to the doctor 2 weeks ago and got the results from my first full set of blood work. I am good on all of my Vitamins and my sugar and cholesterol are both in normal limits. My blood pressure and pulse were so low, they took them again to make sure they were right. They were all impressed with the weight that I had lost and the muscle that I retained. They even told me that I was probably the healthiest person they had at that point. I will update in 2 weeks when Matt takes my measurements again and lets me know how far I have come. (That is assuming I don't die during the half marathon.) I just want to end with probably the most important sentence in the whole post. ONCE YOU OVERCOME YOUR FEAR, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING. I was afraid to put myself out there and try these classes. I was afraid to put away the chips and Pepsi. I was afraid to go to the doctor. I was essentially so afraid to live that I was dying and so afraid to die, that I couldn't live. Its ok to start small, but start. It is so worth it. You are worth it.

I am down about 85 pounds since I got on a scale and admitted I needed help. I imagine it is closer to 100, but I refused to get on a scale for a long time. Since my surgery date, I have lost 53 pounds.

Good for you. You can do this. It was the best decision I have ever made.

My surgeon no longer does the band and encourages people to not get them from other docs either. He recommends the sleeve usually, but does perform the bypass

219...sad that I am not losing...

220 this morning. I am so bad at posting for these challenges. I was 223 last week.

225 still

Today's weight: 225 July 4th Goal: 210

Add me in. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Final weight for me is 224. Woohoo!!!!

Does it feel like it is lodged with the first bite or 2? That could mean a few things... 1. You took too big of a bite. 2. You didn't chew well enough. 3. The food was too dry. 4. Your still too swollen and may need to stay with liquids/purees a little longer.\ 5. You could have a blockage of some sort. If you are feeling this feeling after eating a few ounces than you may be full. In that case, try to slow down and pay attention to when you feel comfortable.

Talk with your surgeon's office. I recommend Premier Protein and unjury.

Many people are against weighing daily and only weight weekly or monthly. I prefer to weigh everyday. I will even weigh at different times during the day. It helps to keep me on track. I don't get upset if I don't lose or even if I am a little heavier, but it motivates me to work harder and to stay on track. I also do measurements about once a week or so.

I had 12 days of protein shakes (no solid foods) and lost about 12 pounds.

I also used the premier shakes and actually found it easier after 3-4 days. My body seemed to adjust. It was mentally challenging not to chew, but my body was fine.

Its normal. Change is hard and your whole life will be changing. You can do this. This about how awesome you will feel after you start to lose the weight.

I didn't have a catheter. My sister did when she had RNY a few years ago. She had so much pain with the catheter that she wouldn't get up to walk. You need to get up frequently anyway, so unless you have an overactive bladder, I would say you don't need it.

I had surgery about 7 weeks ago. I had lost about 30 pounds since surgery (and 30 more before), but now I have gained 3 pounds in the last 3 days. I worked out all 3 days and consumed less than 1000 calories each day. I got my Protein and Water. I didn't have any more carbs than normal (well under 50 per day). Today I started my period and have horrible cramps. They are so bad, they made me nauseous. Prior to surgery, I only had my period when on Birth Control because I have PCOS. What can I do for this?

Exercise helped with the cramps, but the nausea was bad. Now I have a cold and nothing seems to be working.

I go back to work tomorrow and will probably forget to log my weight, so I am doing it now, while I am thinking about it. 227 pounds. WOOHOO

Woohoo...Not only did I remember to post, but I remembered how to get here. LOL Best news... I weighed in at 232 this morning (and I am on my period)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am doing the Memorial Day Challenge, but I can't find it. I have searched but it seems to have disappeared. Does anyone know where to find it?