February 2014 post op losers

[ryn2bthin 87]

Tammy

You look beautiful!

[tkauhi 90]

Thank you Claire and ryn2bethin.

[JanetteH 80]

JanettH

I take 1000mcg B-12 sublingual daily. My surgeon started me on that after surgery. I also take Biotin daily. I noticed the eyebrows are growing wonderfully. . Lol

Congratulations and Happy 4th of July! !

My surgeon started me on ferocon (iron) but I got so constipated I had to stop taking it - apparently it also had B12 in it which is why I have to start taking that separately.

[JanetteH 80]

Deanna - you look fantastic - what a difference in your face alone. How about a shot including some body? How much weight have you lost so far? And yes you should smile for the next one - you look like you're really concentrating on taking a "selfie"

[hmjdreamingbig 93]

Hi all! I was wondering....is it just me or are there others out there riding the crazy hormone train??? I feel like I am all over the place. Hot then freezing, happy then angry and then crying, I think my hormones have always been a little off but man this is nuts. I think my family even sees me as crazy and I don't blame them. What do I do? Yes I spoke with the doc and she said...it will regulate in time. But...in the meantime I'm not who I want to be

[clairec 44]

Hi all! I was wondering....is it just me or are there others out there riding the crazy hormone train??? I feel like I am all over the place. Hot then freezing, happy then angry and then crying, I think my hormones have always been a little off but man this is nuts. I think my family even sees me as crazy and I don't blame them. What do I do? Yes I spoke with the doc and she said...it will regulate in time. But...in the meantime I'm not who I want to be

Hi,

Well I am not in your league but I am having some hot flushes which I haven't had at all because of my hormonal problems. They are fairly rare and mild though. I am generally much more cold than hot but then get a bit restless at night and have to cool down then. I don't think that I am having mood swings, but they could start any day I suppose!

Take care

Claire

[ryn2bthin 87]

UGH!!!.. carb over load on the holiday... I had serious moments of weakness.. I even had sugar free ice cream.. oh so yummy.. but I paid for it shortly after.. At least I know not to attempt the sugar free Desserts during my vacation next week.

I had an eye opening moment today that some bad habits still remain a challenge, no matter how worried I am of dumping. I have fallen off of charting and measuring my foods and drinks. I'm using the heat as an excuse not to exercise this week. The weight is not coming off as I think it should be.. but after my confessions above I need to reevaluate my reason for having the surgery and get back on track right away. The first step was confessing right?

I'm worried that while we are on our cruise I will be tempted to eat when my party eats every time. Please give me strength to not fall into that bad habit.

Sorry for the ranting confession but, I feel writing about it will give me the visual that I need to get back on track.

Have a wonderful week everyone

Deanna

[JanetteH 80]

Hi Deanna

Well its clear that we don't learn all the skills at one time I'm away from home for the July 4th weekend and have also not been as "good" as usual - had 4 fried clams yesterday. I'm glad you "fessed up" - now you have to make the effort to change. The thing I use is "do I want all the effort and pain of the surgery to work or am I going to give up"? If so, I have to use the tool - one lunch with fried clams won't kill me as long as I get back on the plan - but totally giving up and eating whatever I want for weeks on end will.

I was stalled for 4 weeks and I think it was exercise that started me moving again - just a 20-30 minute walk or swim every day, nothing too ambitious. In fact, you've just inspired me to get out there for a walk in the park before the next cook-out!!

Only you can change this - we can empathize and we certainly understand what you're going through, but only you control your own actions. Try to think positive - you will enjoy eating with your friends on the cruise, but you'll stick to 6 small (1 cup) meals a day and avoid fats and sugar as best you can. food is not the only pleasure available on a cruise

[Wallflower7522 328]

Anyone gotten a hair cut recently? Mine needs it bad, my surgery was 4 months ago and I had it cut about a week before but I'm a little self conscious about how much of it's falling out now. Don't really want to have to explain or have someone try to sell me something lol

I hope you all don't mine me posting in this thread, my surgery was so early in March I feel I'm more in line with the February people.

[lleigh82 0]

Has anyone had complications from Protein deficiency? Since my surgery Feb 11th, I have had nothing but complications and 4 hospitalizations for dehydration, ulcers, and malnutrition. I had a feeding tube through my nose and that was taken out 3 weeks ago and last week after a 2 week hospital stay, they put a G-tube directly into my remnant stomach. If the tube wasn't placed, they said my organs could have started shutting down. I feel like I constantly have setbacks and sometimes question why I had this done. I am 20 lbs away from my goal weight for next Feb. I feel like I've gone from one end to the other.

[ryn2bthin 87]

Has anyone had complications from Protein deficiency? Since my surgery Feb 11th, I have had nothing but complications and 4 hospitalizations for dehydration, ulcers, and malnutrition. I had a feeding tube through my nose and that was taken out 3 weeks ago and last week after a 2 week hospital stay, they put a G-tube directly into my remnant stomach. If the tube wasn't placed, they said my organs could have started shutting down. I feel like I constantly have setbacks and sometimes question why I had this done. I am 20 lbs away from my goal weight for next Feb. I feel like I've gone from one end to the other.

Lleigh82

What have you been eating prior to having the tube placed?

How did you know you had a protein deficiency?

I have labs drawn on Aug 5th for my six month follow up so I guess I will see where things stand at that point.

Sounds like you have had some big bumps in the road.. I hope it's getting better.

Best wishes

Deanna

JanetteH

Thanks for the kind words of support.. I just had one of those days and it's back on track.

Thanks Again!!!

[clairec 44]

Hi Deanna, Janette and everyone,

I am glad that you are feeling a little bit more on track Deanna. It is so important that we can share our thoughts on here, with our friends who really understand what we are experiencing. Also if we can't be honest with ourselves how can we start to really understand what our problems are, let alone solve them. A few things occurred to me when I was reading your post though and I wanted to give an alternative perspective.

Firstly, I think that we tend to expect our weight to gradually slide downwards in a predictable way. When it doesn't do that we think that there is "something wrong" and we are then very vulnerable to thinking that we have done "something wrong". I think that we are all experiencing stalls in weight loss and times when things go better, but it comes in fits and bursts. When we are in a stall we keep searching for reasons why this is happening and try to come up with reasons that perhaps don't give the full picture. Maybe we should just accept that this is the nature of the beast and that we are looking for trends rather than day to day or week to week losses. Then we won't beat ourselves up when it happens, we just think of it as part of the process. So we should anticipating these stalls not blaming ourselves when they happen.

Secondly, many us are used to feeling guilty a lot of the time, particularly when it comes to food. So we are really vulnerable to trying to blame ourselves when we have done something which is not ideal. We are not perfect, and we wouldn't want to be, because we would be impossible to live with and hard to relate to. What is actually wrong with a few fried clams or some sugar free ice cream? As Janette says it won't kill us on an occasional basis. Was that really the reason for a slower weight loss, or was it just a normal part of the process? There are times when we can't do our normal exercise, whether that is because we are away from home, or because we are busy with work or because we are ill or injured. As soon as possible we need to get back to our normal activity but we shouldn't feel guilty for those understandable reasons for doing less exercise. It is the trends which are most important. We shouldn't be gradually upping our portion sizes, or unhealthy foods or reducing our amounts of exercise on an ongoing basis, we should be keeping to the healthy principles which we know work best for our current and future health. However a few less healthy food choices, are they really so bad for us?

Lastly, we should be focusing on being happy and maximising our potential in life. Doesn't that include being happy and guilt free. If we feel guilty and blame ourselves that makes us beat ourselves up and lowers our self esteem and self confidence. There are plenty of people out there who can do that for us if we let them, do we really need to do that to ourselves? We are so much more healthy and capable of doing things than we were last Summer. If we had imagined how we are now even at the end of last year we would have been amazed at the changes in ourselves. We have done so well and should be congratulating ourselves, rather than concentrating on our perceived failings. I hope you really enjoyed your fried clams and your 4th July weekend Janette and I hope that you really enjoy your trip to Scotland. Deanna, you might not want to try the sugar free ice cream again because it sounded like it didn't agree with you, but other sugar free desserts might be fine. Or you might prefer fruit, it is always your choice. I thought that food on cruises can be really healthy so surely you can eat with your friends 3-4 times a day. You will be eating far less than them, with healthier foods most of the time, but surely that is fine. You will get back on track as soon as you are home. We won't spoil the success of the operation, or get in the way of the reasons we chose to do it just by having to make different decisions at times. Maybe we just need to make those active decisions rather than slip ups that we are not in control of. We have a tool for life and this is a life long journey and not a quick sprint.My dietician said that they do not recommend weighing and measuring food because it is better to just gauge how much to eat. So I stopped doing that and just listen to my body and stop when it feels right. I find that I end up having the amounts I am should be having, without trying. So maybe you can leave the food scales behind while you are away Deanna.

We have made a huge decision to be healthy and we all believe in that. We don't want to start doing things that we shouldn't and we do need to do as much exercise as we can and eat the foods and portion sizes that we should be. Let's not let guilt get in the way of us enjoying our new lives.

I am having a week in Italy next week and then touring the Deep South states for a month from mid August. I don't know how eating will be then and it is a matter of do what I say, not what I do, because I could be beating myself up too. If I am please feel free to give me a kick up the backside.

Have wonderful vacations all of you and ENJOY, we so deserve it!

Take care

Claire

[clairec 44]

Hi again,

Hope I haven't alienated anyone by my recent post. It was meant to be caring and compassionate in relation to how we all treat that important person in our lives - us! We would be so much kinder if it was in relation to someone else.

Wallflower, of course you are one of us! I have been to the hairdresser recently but mine knows about my surgery. My hair is falling out and she is trying to reassure me as much as she can.

Leigh, it sounds like you are having a really rough time. Losing all that weight is not so important as feeling well. It sounds like your weight loss is extreme because you have been so unwell. I do hope that things start improving for you soon. We are here for you.

Take care

Claire

[JanetteH 80]

Deanna - glad you're feeling more on track now. I agree with Claire - spoil yourself with your food choices on the cruise (lobster, shrimp, fillet mignon etc) rather than the quantity. Have a great time, do your best and forget the guilt!

Wallflower - welcome to our little group! I had surgery Feb 24th so we're probably only a week or so apart! I have not started losing my hair yet, so sorry - no advise on that front.

LLeigh - so sorry you've had such a rough time - it sounds awful! Hope you're on the mend now and can get into the swing of things. Are you still on pureed or soft food because of the problems? How much weight have you lost? Any tips for the rest of us?

Claire - I think you would have great difficulty alienating anyone with your caring & supportive advice - I always enjoy reading what you have to say. Enjoy Italy!

[PrincessErin 64]

Claire,

Your post was on point. You eloquently said what I've been trying to say the whole time - this was meant to make our lives even better, not define every moment of it.

I personally spent so much time agonizing over my diet choices. Then scale would go up and the scale would go down. My emotional state completely depended on those scale movements.

Part of this surgery and the prior lapband surgery was very freeing for me emotionally. Especially with the guilt associated with eating this or that. I know I have a handle on it now. I have to, or else!

One of my very best friends was down from NJ and I went to Disney to see her. She had the sleeve in October. She has lost 110 pounds!! She has many of the same philosophies as I do about this weight loss surgery and we talk at great length about how we do not want to obsess over every little detail. The reason we had the surgery is so we can STOP obsessing over it. And we haven't looked back. Yes, we occasionally eat (and drink ????) what we know isn't the best choice. But we also have formed excellent habits we didn't have before. Such as Portion Control, healthy Proteins first, veggies second. You know the drill.

We live life and we are grateful for our days. We are grateful for healthier bodies, a healthier mindset, and smaller sizes.

Here are a few pics!