January 2020 Surgery Date

[Taj 125]

On 02/05/2020 at 23:07, sarahSingh91 said:

I am also insulin resistant and I have PCOS. so I defiantly have to watch my carb intake. But I love chicken fish broccoli spinach salad with lemon. Etc. when I was younger I didn’t notice that all the bs carbs I was eating was not good for me and I was on the Fast track To obesity and addiction. I can drop my weight and I do by myself but I always always always crave sugar and fight my growling tummy. So after I had my baby I immediately got to work on the VSG surgery. Knowing my BMI would be high enough to qualify for surgery. I have the tools cause I have done it for years. But I wanted a little help. And I could never get below 200. So I am hoping to do this with the sleeve tool. But I totally understand what ur saying. I don’t eat Keto but I watch all my intakes. And I make healthy choice. I do not eat Pasta ( I am Italian and my family looks at me with disgust every family dinner) i never have drank soda or ate chips etc. because of pcos and I know it will pack on me. My hugest weight ever was 336! It was when I was a lot younger before I found out about pcos and insulin resistance. Then I controlled my weight at 240 for years. Got pregnant with baby 3 and decided this is my golden time weight was 275. And I qualified. I am so happy to have this tool to help me.

Isn’t it crazy how our body is addicted to the very thing that’s bad for us? The only way I was able to resist carbs was because my doctor put me on naltrexone 50mg daily and for the first time in my life I was able to not only not even want carbs, I no longer wanted wine or any alcohol. I really thought I had the carb addiction beat but as soon as I stopped taking naltrexone the insane cravings returned. Add menopause to those cravings and I put back on 50 pounds in less than 6 months. The worst thing about insulin resistance is that my body couldn’t even process good carbs in fruit and eating fruit triggers my cravings for all carbs. People don’t understand that not all weight gain comes from bad eating. I gain weight even if I eat too much fruit. So glad to have someone here who understands that for some people, even good sugar is bad for us. I absolutely loved the way I felt physically on the Whole Foods diet, my body was so clean that I could actually smell the odor from meat eating people. I could smell everything!! It was as if all of my senses were heightened!! Maybe my new sleeve has changed my physiology, seeing that I can’t tolerate fat I might be able to process fruit now. I’ll definitely try again when I’m on regular foods.

[Taj 125]

On 02/05/2020 at 23:08, sarahSingh91 said:

If u want to know any details etc let me know and I’ll try to find it in the book and attach the info

That’s really really sweet of you!! I’m 4 weeks, 3 days post-op and on soft foods for two weeks. If not too much trouble, would love to see your instructions for 6 weeks forward. Thank you so much for offering to share your info.

[sarahSingh91 233]

On 02/06/2020 at 07:20, Taj said:

Isn’t it crazy how our body is addicted to the very thing that’s bad for us? The only way I was able to resist carbs was because my doctor put me on naltrexone 50mg daily and for the first time in my life I was able to not only not even want carbs, I no longer wanted wine or any alcohol. I really thought I had the carb addiction beat but as soon as I stopped taking naltrexone the insane cravings returned. Add menopause to those cravings and I put back on 50 pounds in less than 6 months. The worst thing about insulin resistance is that my body couldn’t even process good carbs in fruit and eating fruit triggers my cravings for all carbs. People don’t understand that not all weight gain comes from bad eating. I gain weight even if I eat too much fruit. So glad to have someone here who understands that for some people, even good sugar is bad for us. I absolutely loved the way I felt physically on the Whole Foods diet, my body was so clean that I could actually smell the odor from meat eating people. I could smell everything!! It was as if all of my senses were heightened!! Maybe my new sleeve has changed my physiology, seeing that I can’t tolerate fat I might be able to process fruit now. I’ll definitely try again when I’m on regular foods.

Yes even good sugar my body would hold on to and not let go EVER lol I hate it. Because everything has carbs and sugar I literally just shop around the Whole Foods market and don’t even dare to go into the isles lol a lot of veggies. And then some fish shellfish chicken etc my husband eats only veggies and he’s from India so we make a lot of indian dishes. And I just don’t eat the bread or rice. But yea it sucks. I have never heard of that medicine before what does it do?

[Taj 125]

On 02/06/2020 at 09:40, sarahSingh91 said:

Yes even good sugar my body would hold on to and not let go EVER lol I hate it. Because everything has carbs and sugar I literally just shop around the Whole Foods market and don’t even dare to go into the isles lol a lot of veggies. And then some fish shellfish chicken etc my husband eats only veggies and he’s from India so we make a lot of indian dishes. And I just don’t eat the bread or rice. But yea it sucks. I have never heard of that medicine before what does it do?

It’s funny because Naltrexone was developed for opium addicted and alcoholics and at the time my bariatric doctor was prescribing it off labor because it was proven to reduce sugar cravings. They now have a weightloss drug called Contrave and it’s a combination of naltrexone and bupropion. When I was taking it five years ago I’m pretty sure the pharmacist thought I was a Verizon addict or alcoholic because they always looked at me in a strange way and it wasn’t my imagination. I tried the Contrave but it didn’t work for me because the dosage of naltrexone is too low. My current bariatric surgeon said if my sugar/carb cravings come back she will prescribe the naltrexone again. It really was a miracle drug for me and the first time I really understood what it meant to be an addict and changed my perception of people addicted to drugs. The sense of freedom I felt to no longer crave and eat carbs until I was about to burst is indescribable. I’Ly’s not just about breaking a habit like smoking. There is a chemical imbalance and going months or even years without sugar will not “cure” us of addiction to sugar. 25 years ago I was a body builder and for over 3 years I lived a low carb life. Got pregnant with my daughter and went into early labor. Put on complete bed rest for 3 months so had to stop weightlifting and jogging. My church family was cooking my meals, which was a lot of rice and Pasta and chicken. Beggars can’t be choosy so I ate whatever they brought and in those 3 months my weight ballooned to over 200lbs for the first time in my life. I did manage to lose weight after my daughter’s birth but never was able to get back to my goal weight of 145 until I was put on Naltrexone.

[Taj 125]

My 5 year old grandson took the pic with my granddaughter on 12/30/19. Other pic taken just now.

[rene50 147]

10 minutes ago, Taj said:

My 5 year old grandson took the pic with my granddaughter on 12/30/19. Other pic taken just now.

You look beautiful! I can see the difference!

[Taj 125]

On 02/06/2020 at 10:24, rene50 said:

You look beautiful! I can see the difference!

Thank you!! Went to visit my grandbabies before surgery and my grandson insisted on taking a pic of me and his baby sister. I’m glad he did because I had been avoiding the camera for so long that it’s one of only maybe 3 pre-op pics.

[Slownstedy 210]

13 hours ago, Taj said:

Sarah Singh and BadWolfGirl, your tummy’s might surprise you, as mine has with rejecting all fats. A few years ago I did an intensive bariatric weightloss program through NYU and learned that my body was insulin resistant. I did the weightloss program because I had done a Whole Foods diet for six months and even though I felt fantastic and my skin was glowing, hair was shiny and beautiful and allergies completely cleared up, I DEVELOPED HIGH CHOLESTEROL and only lost 6 pounds in six months, despite also doing 1 hour of intensive cardiovascular exercise five days per week. I was overweight but at every physical my pcp said my numbers were healthier than healthy (her words). The bariatric doctor put me on a low carb diet and I lost 50 pounds in five months and my cholesterol dropped to normal. I put the weight back on in the last two years because I stopped eating low carb and menopause and I stopped working so no more daily commuting on the NYC subway which is walking blocks and climbing stairs daily. At any rate, not sure what I’ll do if my tummy doesn’t want any fat so hoping it will get better for me. Today my husband felt so bad that I haven’t been able to eat anything but snow crab that he came home from work (on the crowded subway) and drove me to Stop & Shop in rush hour traffic to buy me snow crab. And yay!! I was able to eat it!! And I didn’t overeat, even though I felt like I was starving.

And I thought New Yorkers catching Crabs on the Subway was a myth ? lol

[Taj 125]

Someone suggested using a coffee cup warmer to keep food warm for our 30 minute meals. Tried it and it just didn’t work for me. Found this on Amazon and love it. Would have liked having this when I was working but it’s great for at home. Keeps my food warm the entire meal.


https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07K7VP9LC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

[Taj 125]

On 02/06/2020 at 10:42, Slownstedy said:

And I thought New Yorkers catching Crabs on the Subway was a myth ? lol

They catch many things on the subway.

[sarahSingh91 233]

On 02/06/2020 at 08:13, Taj said:

My 5 year old grandson took the pic with my granddaughter on 12/30/19. Other pic taken just now.

Omg what a difference

[BadWolfGirl 245]

My 5 year old grandson took the pic with my granddaughter on 12/30/19. Other pic taken just now.

You're stunning! Those cheekbones gah!

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[Taj 125]

On 02/06/2020 at 11:16, BadWolfGirl said:

You're stunning! Those cheekbones gah!

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Thank you!! Haven’t seen cheekbones in a while but I think I’ll actually be able to see my entire face by my 55th birthday mid-March. I love looking at before and after pics but always forget to take the before pics. Glad my grandson had his little Polaroid handy. lol

[Taj 125]

Surgery Day and today

[BadWolfGirl 245]

I don't even know if I took face shots!

I did do belly! This is night before surgery, day after surgery (the swelling is comical! Haha!)and last night.

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