NtvTxn

I'm just now finding this forum. How are you doing? Do you attend a support group?

Congratulations! How are you doing? I was in Tyler this past week. I met a friend who lives in Henderson for lunch. I'm almost 3 years out. Good luck, you're going to love this surgery!!

Water retention, swelling......it's normal.

Unless you are in maintence, nothing with alfredo sauce. Even if you are in maintenence....be careful, that stuff is made with cream, not skim or even 2% milk. Crab legs, no butter is good and I like the grilled shrimp, but tell them NOT to brush it with butter. Get into the habit of telling all the servers everywhere, no butter. There are other things on the menu that will be good Protein, just make sure it's not alfredo or scampi or fried!!!! A bite or two of steamed broc is good too.

What are they sweetening it with?

Duh!!!! Ok!! LOL If you even want to meet during the week for coffee, there are Star Bucks everywhere!!! Oh....and thanks, we love this area!

PGBT? What is that? We just bought this house in Nov. I'm new to the area!! LoL Custer is just right up the road from us! Do you know where the CVS is there on Custer and Hedgecoxe? We're not but about a mile down from it.

Dr. Davidson and Dr. Nicolson, both here in Dallas and both have the Center of Excellence stamp of approval....they are about the same price, in the neighborhood of 12k. That includes a lot of pre-op stuff and post op visits up to one year. The nurse that was working for Dr. Davidson when I had my surgery, she was available from something like 7 AM - 9 PM every day of the year! Patients were given her cell phone number. It was great, I called her several times with questions about whatever. If she didn't answer, I left a message and she ALWAYS called back within an hour, normally less. Forest Park Medical Center is where the self pay patients have surgery with both these doctors and several others. I know Davidson and Nicolson are both good physicians, but there are others in the Dallas area....and they all run about the same.

Where in Plano? We are in NE Plano, off Hedgecoxe, just a hop, skip and a jump to shop in Frisco or Allen! We just moved here from Iriving, we were leasing a home in Valley Ranch.

Drinking calories is not good. You have to weigh what's important to you. I predict anyone who cannot do without soft drinks will have problems reaching goal and staying there. When I read about these addictions, I swear, I haven't heard anything worse when someone's on TV talking about drug or alcohol addiction. It just seems to me that something like that needs to be handled prior to surgery. I stopped smoking back in the 90's. I smoked a pack a day for about ten years. If I can stop smoking....and rest assured, it was the hardest thing I'd ever done, surely, no cokes or dr. peppers forever is possible.

For going on almost three years now, I start every day....and end every day with ice cold skim milk. A cup, 8 oz.....8 grams of Protein. I keep 6 - 8 small, real glass drinking glasses in my freezer. When I say ice cold, I am serious!!! This should be your new morning drink!!! It's good!

I think you know the answer to that! You need liquids and Protein and neither diet or reg soft drinks will count as either. The answer is no, according to every bariatric doctor I've heard about. My doctor said absolutely no about anything except sodas. What does YOUR doctor say?

How tall are you?? I wanted to get to a size 8 and I wear a 6 most of the time, a 4 occasionally. Never in my wildest dreams!! Go for it!

I like LF Graham Crackers with Natural Peanut Butter. It's been my favorite since I needed to add calories to maintain.

I've got to ask, at four weeks out I couldn't eat a fourth cup of food at a time. I wasn't even on a regular diet yet, that happened at week 6. How do you get in 800 - 900 calories a day? What are you eating? I'm just curious.

I see where some are concerned about the low caloric intake. I suffer from migraines, and that was my biggest concern, but I never got a headache, at least not from lack of food. I felt good and my labs at 3, 6 and 12 and 24 months were always very good. I expect my 3 year labs in June to be good as well. The only thing I was low in was vit D, but we were living in Wisconsin.....I started taking D3 and that is fine now as well...of course we are back in TX, so I should be great! I felt great, had more energy than I'd had in years. I think the KEY to losing and being successful is low caloric intake. That's just my humble opinion.

When I was four weeks out, I did good to get in 500 calories a day. I did basically no exercise, but was very, very rigid in what I ate. I did not 'cheat', meaning, nothing sweet, fried, very little Pasta or rice or potatoes. When I say very little, I mean an eighth of a cup of pasta or rice and maybe a TB of potatoes....and very seldom. I reached my doctor's goal in five months and my goal, five pounds less a month later. Towards the end of goal I never ate over 800 calories, but normally I'd eat 650, just simply because I couldn't eat any more!!! I maintain eating 1200 - 1250 a day. It's all pretty easy, but strict is good!! Oh, BTW, my physician and dietitian never focused on carbs. He said unless he has a patient that is not losing like they should, it's not an issue. Thank goodness, there is enough to watch with the calories and protein!!!

When I had surgery in Dallas, we were living in Wisconsin but I found a support group near us. There were actually a couple with different doctors. What I did was a google search for 'weight loss surgery support groups near' whatever town you are in. Or find a bariatric doctor near you, chances are, they'll have a support group. Everyone is welcome. I started attending this support group in Wisconsin several months BEFORE I had surgery and went every month, some times twice, until we moved back to Texas. The one up there was pretty neat, they had a day time and also a night time, one week apart. I got different information at them and as I lost weight, it was fun being supportive of the new people who were waiting to have surgery.

My doctor sets a goal at the three month check up. I am sure it is a weight that puts you right at a healthy BMI. I wanted a five pound pad. I weigh less than I did at 19 when I got married. I weighed 160 then and my wedding dress was a size 9. Now my dresses are 6's, my jeans are 4's and 6's. I never in my wildest dreams thought this was possible. Let me say, an in person support group is totally different than sitting here on line. I do both, and in addition to having special speakers, some times a cooking class....personal trainers, plastic surgeon.....the list of special meetings is endless. Anyway, being there in person is different and you can make a difference for newbies and then folks that are further out than you, can help you. They say the most successful wls patients, attend a support group. I hang out here for fun, but it does not in any way take the place of my monthly support group.

Me??!!! If so, Noooooo,not a prank. I was fat and sassy!! Same me, just a new package, less of me, still sassy.

Are you attending a support group? If not, find one, they're great!!! I would go up a pound or two, down a pound, up that one pound, then all of a sudden, after the up and down game, one morning it would be gone.....and I'd start on the next one or two pounds. Several long timers said this was normal, they did the same thing. I reached my doctor's goal in five months and MY personal goal of five pound less, a month later. I did the up and down thing the entire time. I weighed every single morning, I still do. It's part of my life, it's what my doctor recommended. He likes us to keep track and they warn NOT to be anxious when the scale moves up. If we're doing what we are suppose to do, the weight is going to come off. He was right!! There was a time or two that that lb or two hung on close to a week, up and down, up and down. I figured out if I'd UP my Protein and drink more Water and iced tea, that helped kick start what I suppose was a short stall. Good luck!!!

I didn't even consider going to Mexico, I've been twice, once I walked across the bridge to Juarez back in the early 60's when it was safe to do this, the second time I went to an all inclusive resort with my daughter. Now days, no way would I go over there for anything. Period. My BMI was 36 or just under, I was self pay. My PCP told me to find a 'Center of Excellence' doctor, that was her only advice. I had no health issues, I consider it preventive maintenence.....when it comes down to it, surgery was mostly because of vanity. I wanted to shop, look good in clothes and enjoy doing so. Mission accomplished.

Something similar, it was like I strained getting out of bed and the largest incision, the one by my belly button, opened up a little. It refused to heal, the others were fine but this one had 'yuck' around it for ages, or so it seemed. The doctor had me put triple antibiotic ointment on it several times a day and keep it dry. So I had to make sure I patted it dry after showering and all that jazz. It took a couple of months I think, I'm not sure, but it was a while. It did heal and all was well eventually.

228 - April 2010 (day of seminar) 205 - June 11, 2010 (day of surgery) 150 - Nov 2010 (doctor's goal) 145 - Dec 2010 (my goal) 83 lbs total (highest weight ever....232)

Are you as 'on board' now as you were at month 2 or 3, that would be my question. If not, go back and eat Protein, protein, protein.....drink plenty of fluids, my favorite is iced tea. It's not Water, but the nurse finally told me to 'just drink fluids, iced tea is not water, but it keeps the water in the potty close to clear! I call it a win/win!!! I reached MY goal, (five lbs under Dr. D's goal for me) at six months and continued to lose. I did NOT want to lose any more but couldn't stop. Finally I was worried enough to call the dietitian and she said, ADD A COUPLE OF Snacks....ADD ADDITIONAL CALORIES. Well, I am good with grazing, and gained back to where I wanted to be. * Seriously, try and gain weight??? * LoL I can still lose if I want to. If I gain a few lbs down in Galveston while eating gumbo more than I really should, then I just cut out a snack when we get home, and within a few days, it's gone. It is NOT as easy now, but compared prior to surgery, it really is no effort. If you are eating anything you should NOT eat or if you have added a snack or two in.....just up the protein and cut it out. That last 14 lbs will come off, I'm sure of it!!! Good luck!!