New in Boise, Idaho

[Schneffski 0]

Hi there. I guess its time to introduce myself. I've been lurking around and reading for about a month now. I'm 38, mother of 2 and wife of 1. LOL

I have always been heavy, even as a child. I can't remember a time in my life where I haven't KNOWN I was fat. When I was about 10 and in the 4th grade I weighed 120 lbs. I don't really remember my weight in my teenage and early 20s because I never wanted to know or remember. My first actual diet attempts started in college with Weight Watchers and that didn't work as far as keeping it off. My biggest success ever what when I was trying to get pregnant, unsuccessfully for over 6 years, and was told if I would lose weight I would have a better chance. So I ate low-fat, walked about 2 miles per day and lost 60lbs in about 6 months! I was able to get pregnant shortly thereafter with the help of fertility meds. So on came some weight. I lost some after giving birth but 7 months later I was pregnant again. YAY, but yes more weight. I joined Curves about 6 months after my son was born and had pretty good success with their exercise and weightloss program. I went from 275 to 240, but I wasn't able to continue when I started working again. My work and family schedules didn't work with the hours they were open.

So I know I can lose weight when I put forth the effort but I need a "tool" to help me keep it off. So that is why I've decided to have lap-band surgery. I have attended Dr. Anderson's presentation, seen a Nutritionist, had the Psych evaluation, sleep study(soon to be using an auto cpap machine), and currently working on my pre-op weightloss requirement. Oh, I do have to have an EKG because I used PhenFen back in '97 for about a month.

Dr. Anderson requires a 10% weightloss to shrink the fatty liver. In June I was at 284. I didn't get weighed by the Dr.'s office until August and weighed in at 274 so I have to lose 27 lbs. I am down 7 and have 20 to go before I can get an official surgery date. I am aiming for Oct. 28. I've had a bit of a struggle this week in my eating but I haven't put any of the weight back on. I try to weigh every Wed at the office to keep me accountable.

Well I guess that is probably more info than needed for an introduction, but any help and encouragement anyone can give is would be greatly appreciated! There are soo many people on here that are an inspiration to me and help me feel that I CAN do this. Whenever I need a reminder to keep me from eating badly I come and read!

Thank you!

-Caryn :wink_smile:

[whygirl 0]

Welcome Caryn! Best of luck to you!

[9pdmnm5 0]

Schneffski~

Hi and welcome! I was just curious if you were ever diagnosed with PCOS?

[Schneffski 0]

Yes, I was diagnosed with PCOS way before I was ever told about it. I did a lot of infertility research online and started asking my new OB/GYN about it. It was 1998 when I was actually told I had PCOS AND that I had type II diabetes. So to help with the PCOS and infertility I took Glucophage. That along with Clomid I was able to get pregnant. Since my pregnancies I have been able to control the diabetes mostly with diet and exercise, but I am currently taking the glucophage in hopes it will aid in weightloss as well.

[Sanblubber 0]

my suggestion is to eat go-gurts, for Breakfast and lunch, all day if you have to and just a dinner. And drink anything that has no calories. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

[Schneffski 0]

My kids LOVE the go-gurts but I never thought of them for myself because they are so high in carbs. I do like the light yogurts and there are some with reasonable carbs. I do soo good and then my kids want to make Cookies and I don't want to deprive them of treats and making cookies with mommy and stuff like that. So we made cookies last night and I ate 4. ugh! Then they were sitting there this morning so what did I have for breakfast? Yep, cookies. I just need to remind myself of my goals and come read here for encouragement! I CAN and will get back on the wagon!

[9pdmnm5 0]

Yes, I was diagnosed with PCOS way before I was ever told about it. I did a lot of infertility research online and started asking my new OB/GYN about it. It was 1998 when I was actually told I had PCOS AND that I had type II diabetes. So to help with the PCOS and infertility I took Glucophage. That along with Clomid I was able to get pregnant. Since my pregnancies I have been able to control the diabetes mostly with diet and exercise, but I am currently taking the glucophage in hopes it will aid in weightloss as well.

I thought you might be another one of us with PCOS from the sounds of it. I'm glad you we re able to get pregnant. Thats one of my reasons for getting the band. I too, have taken glucophage for a long time and have never been able to lose weight on it. :thumbup: I know some people have lost a significant amount taking it though. I feel as if the Lap Band is a last resort for me. I exercise like crazy, run 3-4 mi 4x/wk. and cannot lose weight. I also have hypothyroidism which also makes losing weight difficult. Grr... My band date is 9/29 and I'm getting nervous. :wink_smile:

[SnowWhite760 0]

I cried when I wasn't losing weight for the 10% requirement. I cried and cried in front of Meg. She said she didn't think I would get it off very fast, but I stuck to the diet and made it work and dropped weight really fast. She was surprised and pleased, as was Dr Anderson. (Me too!)

Things that helped me stay focused:

I found that if I posted notes around the house in placed I'd look for a snack, I'd re-evaluate why I was standing at the fridge or in my pantry.

Keep sugar free hard candies in your sweet spots where you go to snack.

Or, if you have a chocolate craving, three semi-sweet chocolate chips... melt one at a time in your mouth because your brain only really enjoys the first three bites of anything anyway... it helps and won't blow all your progress.

A 9x13 of sugar free Jello in the fridge and a spoon ready to slurp it down with - go grab a bite of that when you need cold and sweet or you've done the habitual 'walking to the fridge to see if anything new is there from 10 minutes ago' bit - that's what I used to do when I was bored.

Sugar free popsicles at night are a great treat too.

Make sure you're drinking enough Water to help fill your stomach.

When all else fails, find someone to whine at for a moment.

[Schneffski 0]

Good advice! How long did it take you to lose your weight and did you have a lot to lose? I wish I had a work out buddy. I do enjoy working out but getting away from the family to get it done is sometimes the hard part. We just moved to Boise 6 months ago. So I have made a few friends but no one to exercise with yet. This summer we went out walking or bike riding as a family several nights a week so that was good but we haven't been for a while. We have a gym in our community that I can go to so I dont' have any excuse not to go! That would be neat if we were banded the same day, however you are more ready to go than I am. Time will tell, I'm gonna work hard the next couple weeks to get the weight off! Keep in touch, I think we can help eachother!

Caryn

[SnowWhite760 0]

Good advice! How long did it take you to lose your weight and did you have a lot to lose? I wish I had a work out buddy. I do enjoy working out but getting away from the family to get it done is sometimes the hard part. We just moved to Boise 6 months ago. So I have made a few friends but no one to exercise with yet. This summer we went out walking or bike riding as a family several nights a week so that was good but we haven't been for a while. We have a gym in our community that I can go to so I dont' have any excuse not to go! That would be neat if we were banded the same day, however you are more ready to go than I am. Time will tell, I'm gonna work hard the next couple weeks to get the weight off! Keep in touch, I think we can help eachother!

Caryn

My 10%, once I got the diet plan from Meg and met with Jolyn (dietician) - I dropped most of my weight in 5 weeks? I had 20 to peel off because I had gained from my inital weigh in... terrible... However, staying committed has proved to be so beneficial for me. I weighed myself this morning and I'm down 27 pounds... Kind of scary seeing as I have like 5 more weeks of this before surgery and I'll probably go into surgery weighing something a bit more normal than my start weight.

I'm new to Idaho as well. We moved here January 1st of this year, so I've been trying to make friends as well. My best move was getting involved at church and keeping friends there. It's tough to be going through something like this without family or friends. Thankfully, I have friends who are fabulous and would help me if I needed it. All my family is in California.

I head to Boise once a week to see my counselor - who is FABULOUS - so maybe we could meet up sometime or even arrange to meet at Dr. Andersons? It helps to have someone going through it with you, and I've been going at it alone for so very long.

I'm feeling pretty accomplished now because I've been able to stick to my diet so well. The benefits - like instant weight loss - outweigh the "losses" of garbage anyway. The first two weeks was 10 pounds... but I am on the really small end of the weight scale at a bmi of like 36? So losing big like this is rare for me, and would probably be higher numbers with someone who has more to lose.

At anyrate, lets keep in touch and hope that we can be cheering eachother on in the future. I'm good at rooting people on if you need it - and the tips I gave are tried and tested and will work! :smile: I'm proof!

Take Care Caryn!

[Schneffski 0]

I have made a few friends with some of the parents of the kids my kids play with. Also a few people at church too, but its always good to find more! Plus for me I don't want to tell a lot of people what I am doing. I'm not even telling Mom or siblings at this point. I will but I want to wait until I see them again and they see my progress. They live in Arizona and WA state and I may see them at Christmas, otherwise probably not until March. We can definately meet some time when you are in Boise. I am working p/t during school hours, but I'm sure we could figure out some time that would work. What days are you usually in town and when? How old are your kids? Mine are 6 and 8. Anyway, do you think we should email so we don't bore others with the details? I don't know if we can do that from here or what. Anyway thanks for responding and will definately keep in touch!

Caryn

[SnowWhite760 0]

I'll send you a PM with my email so we don't have to be so noisy in the forums! LOL

[Sunbunny064 0]

Hey,

How's it going? I live in Kuna Idaho and I am seeing Dr. Korn. I get banded on 12/23/08. I am so excited and can't wait until Christmas. How has it gone for you so far?

E

[Schneffski 0]

Hey! Thanks for writing. I don't have a surgery date yet. I have done about all my pre-op stuff except Dr. Anderson's required 10% weight loss. It has been really hard for me. Does Dr. Korn require that? Just curious. Its the only thing holding me back and some days I think I will never get there. Best of luck to you and keep in touch!

Caryn