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My journey
 

Should I or Shouldn't I?

I am 90% sure I want to get the lap band, and 10% unsure. I'm certain that my story, my life, my decision is not unique - but it's mine. I am 33 years old, almost 34. I have been 50 pounds over weight for years and years. I have been over weight since the fourth grade. It's part of who I am. I hate it.   For over 20 years, not a day has gone by where I didn't have negative thoughts about my weight and my body. I love myself, I truly do. But I hate my extra weight. I am self conscious of my body. It prevents me from doing new things, meeting new people, and living my life. I walk into a store and start comparing myself to every female in the store. I obsess. This is my life and I effing hate it. I want out.   That is why I am 90% sure I want this.   I don't want scars. I don't want to be in pain. Most of all, I don't want this, getting the lap band, my last resort, to fail. Because this is it. If this doesn't work, then this is my life and I am petrified of failing and having to life the rest of my life in this body. That's the 10% why I'm still scared to get it.
colorado_chick

colorado_chick

1
LadyDiva618's Blog
 

Yesterday I had my first outing since I was banded!

This wakened was not bad at all. Yesterday I had my first outing since I have been banded and I think I over did it. … Wait I know I did. Yesterday I went to the St. Louis Zoo it was such a nice day out so why not. I grab my book bag put 3 bottles of water and a frozen GoGurt in, called up a buddy and we were on my way. According to my pedometer I walk 6.14 miles while at the zoo. I had girts mixed with Greek yogurt for breakfast so I was still from that but around 1pm I was starting to get so I had my GoGurt but by 230pm I was getting hungry. Too bad the Zoo was not 3 week post op friendly. I really thought they would sell protein shakes there but I was wrong they only had milk. So I went to a Quick Trip gas station to pick up a muscle milk (cookies n cream) 14 fl oz. and 25g of protein and 220 calories. Later that night I received a phone call from Mandy and she was upset because everyone bailed on her birthday weekend. Mandy didn’t except me to come out because I am still trying to get use to this banded life. That change last night! I went out and had a great time. Mandy was concerned about me because I already was out early that day. But I love Mandy she been with me since day one of my surgery and I would do anything for her to make her happy. So we got dress and I grab a couple of crystal lights and put them in my purse and we were on our way to the bar. So did I drink? Yes I did…… WATER!!!! The whole time Mandy brought all my bottle waters and I didn’t even use any crystal lights. If anyone offered to buy me a drink Mandy quickly said she is my designated driver I got her drinks and she kept checking on me to see how I was going. I told her that I was okay but how cool was that! We didn’t sit at the bar because we got a table. We listened to live music and socialize with the other band members. My old triggers were leaving me alone until 1am when my stomach started growling. Again I was at a place that was servicing non 3 week post op food. I told of had fries and a hamburger but I didn’t, so I slip on my bottle water and it stopped. We left the bar around 2 am and I was home by 230am. Once again my stomach was growling so I went to bed. I was nervous about eating that late on the band because I didn’t know how my band was going to react. So any input and advice are welcomed! Today I am not going to lie but I am tired it’s 420pm and I am still tired. I worked out for 20 minute and I am going so light cleaning around that house. I know I over did it yesterday but I refuse to spend another weekend at home. Maybe my energy will change on Wednesday when I start week 4 that is when I get to add tuna and deli meats to my diet. I am still learning and getting familiar with my banded life but I think I am doing well so far   Thanks for reading.
LadyDiva618

LadyDiva618

0
zempress' Blog
 

Energy!

Well, I am 6 1/2 weeks out. I have really increased my exercise and today I did 30 minutes on the treadmill most of it in zone two. (I use a heart rate monitor to record my data). I have started noticing I can fit into close one size smaller, and I have a lot more energy! So whether the pounds are coming off or not, I am feeling good about myself and my level of energy!! I weigh in at the doctors on June 3. I don't know whether I am excited about it or not...
zempress

zempress

0
Gastric Sleeve Surgery - An Unexpected Journey
 

I Feel Pretty…Oh So Pretty…or HONEST, Those Aren't Mine!

Ok, I might get blackballed and lose my MAN CARD for admitting this, but here goes. I was cleaning out the closet, looking for smaller pants to wear. I started rummaging for something that would fit, found a nice pair to try on. They were a PERFECT fit, better than any pants I've put on. Looked good in the mirror too! All that walking is shaping my butt up! Did I really say that last line?   Up till recently, you could lean me up against a flat wall and there’d be no gaps anywhere from the top of my back to my calves. My butt was so flat… How flat was it? It was often mistaken for an end table when I lay on the floor.   I looked at the tags only to find that they weren’t men’s pants at all - but a ladies size 16 that got left behind from a previous girlfriend! They must’ve mistakenly gotten mixed in with the tons of other pants and shirts that were put in the “I’ll be able to wear that again someday,” wishful thinking pile.   For the MAN Committee, I know you have no knowledge of this, but, a 16 is the 1X Women's Plus Size according to Overstock.com. And I DID have to look that up; it didn’t come from memory or previous experience wearing women’s clothing! (So MAN Committee, please take that into account when voting.)   This means that I now have the body of a woman with voluptuous hips!   P.S. Blackball or not, I'm KEEPING the pants!!   Keep Pimpin that sleeve!
joatsaint

joatsaint

13
Kulita's Recipes
 

Kulita's Meatloaf Spectacular

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes when cooking for my family. It it taken straight out of my cook book. I had to make this many times and finally have tweaked it enough to where everyone really like the flavor and texture of this version.       Prep time: 30 min Total time: 90 min     INGREDIENTS       2 cups finely chopped onion 2 Tbsp freshly minced garlic 1 celery rib, chopped fine 1 carrot, chopped fine ½ cup finely chopped scallion 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 tsp salt 1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2/3 cup ketchup 1 ½ pounds ground chuck 5 strips of uncooked bacon cut into 1/8 inch strips 3/4 lb ground pork 1 cup freshly toasted bread crumbs 2 large eggs, beaten lightly 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves     DIRECTIONS   The key to this meatloaf is to make sure that the ingredients you get are fresh.   Preheat oven to 350°F.   In a large heavy skillet cook onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and scallion in butter over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes.   Cook vegetables, covered, stirring occasionally, until carrot it tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 cup of ketchup (reserve the other 1/3) and cook, stirring for 1 minute.   In a large bowl combine the vegetables, meats, bread crumbs, eggs, and parsley. In a shallow baking pan, form a mixture into one 10-by 5-inch oval loaf and spread remaining 1/3 cup ketchup over loaf. You could also form this onto a cookie sheet.   Bake meat loaf in oven for 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted in center registers 155°F         Serves 6
kulita

kulita

5
Kulita's Recipes
 

Texas style Collard Greens

Recipe courtesy Kulita’s Hubby   Prep Time:10 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:55 min   Ingredients: 1 ¼ quart water 1 ½ pounds smoked Ham Hocks ( can substitute with smoked turkey legs) 2.5 lbs collard or turnip greens 1 ½ Tbsp salt, plus extra if desired 1 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes   Directions Place the quart of water and ham hocks in an 8-quart pot over medium-high heat. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to low and allow simmering for 10 minutes.   In the meantime, remove any large stems/thick veins from the greens and wash them thoroughly; do so in a sink with at least 8 inches of ice water. Moving the leaves around in the water and allowing them to sit for a few minutes to allow the sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the sink. Once clean, thoroughly drain and chop pieces in half. You should have 2 pounds of greens once they are stemmed.   Once the ham hocks have simmered for 10 minutes, add the greens, salt and sugar, reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add in the vinegar and pepper flakes at the 20 minute mark and break up the meat from the hocks. Start moving the greens around every 15 minutes. Once the greens have been cooked for at least 45 minutes check if they are tender ( not mushy). Taste and season with additional salt, if desired. Serve immediately with or without pieces of ham.   Serves 4-6 people
kulita

kulita

1
Pammers Johnson's Blog
 

Warm rash but it itches

I hate when things happen on weekends. I've noticed some itching...getting very severe the past couple of days. Surgery was 5 days ago. I have a red area on each incision that has doubled today. It's warm to touch, the itching is just general on each incision. Seeing dr Monday. Wondering if is reaction to tape? No fever. No drainage (I'm a nurse, but of of course this isn't an er visit on a Sunday kind of thing) just wondering if others had wounds look similar?
Pammers Johnson

Pammers Johnson

6
Pammers Johnson's Blog
 

Five days Post op

I was sleeved the 13th and sent home 24 hrs later. Had horrible spams and gas pains the first night home. Took liquid Vicodin every 4 hrs. Also took anti stomach spasm med Levsin. Due to the patch and zofran, little to no nausea. Finally slept laying down last night. I'm on full liquids since yesterday. Doing ok. But not really sure if I'm getting enough in. Feel ok. No dizziness, but not lots of energy either. See dr on Monday and hope o get answers. I have my notebook with instructions, but I worry I'm not getting enough in. Here's what I had today; 11oz premiere protein drink 8 oz water 4 oz Campbell's gourmet tomato soup 4 oz Greek yogurt (wasn't fat free) 4 oz Campbell's creamy tomato soup 8 oz water TOTAL 500 calories. Approx   I have been struggling with tightness in chest/throat. It happens whether I swallow anything or not. I'm back on my NEXIUM. Hope it stops hurting.
Pammers Johnson

Pammers Johnson

3
Kulita's gathered information & help
 

What is a "Slider" food

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery.   Understanding Slider Foods The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value.   For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein.   The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable.   Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery.   Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, veggies, complex carbohydrates, then fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.
kulita

kulita

8
Setties getting sleeved!
 

Surgery date June 10, 2013

Well I finally decided to get the gastric sleeve. Funny story about why I call myself Medium sized. About 2 years ago I went out to eat at a local mexican place. We had a very young attractive waiter. The ladies thougth he was cute and some of them smiled at him the whole time. The waiter and I got along well and I did not flirt like the others. Some of the ladies were very forward with the guy. I explained that Spanish guys like big girls and they would be sorry because he liked me. They all laughed and went overboard with the flirting. At the end of the meal the waiter left the check with me and said the mints are in the sleeve and my friends thought he said that I was Medium sized. We laughed so hard we were crying. Needless to say our table closed the place down. Then when we left we stayed outside and talked for a while. The waiter was leaving at that time and came up to me and kissed me on the cheeck. I was cracking up and said ladies I told you he liked big girls. They all laughed and still I have that nick name. So may be soon I will be able to really be Medium sized. It has been a while since that was true.
nursesettie

nursesettie

2
Shana617's Blog
 

My First Week

Wow I can't believe I actually did it. I just hope it is all worth it. I didn't expect to have so much pain. I also didn't expect to gain weight in the hospital (6lbs). The weight has now come off and its only day 3. My cuts are itchy. The good news is that I found a comfortable position to sleep. Everyone has told me that the first weeks are hard. I can't wait to see my doctor so we can go over my diet. I'm looking forward to eating more normal foods and not just optifast.
Shana617

Shana617

1
LosingToGive's Blog
 

Almost half way there

It's not every day I put my thoughts out for others to see, I'm more one of those I have everything under control on the exterior people. This journey of losing weight has not been easy but I'm so thankful that it was a tool available. Today I celebrate 50 pounds GONE! I'm not at the half way point yet but it's in my sights and for that I feel so blessed. I decided I needed a celebratory gift - so yay new shoes     My husband struggles with kidney disease and is a home dialysis patient. This disease has changed so much about our lives and I would love to just see him healthy. My goal is to lose enough weight to be tested (and hopefully match) to give him my kidney. However, part of me also feels connected to this incredible community of caregivers who realize the strength it takes to provide care to a loved one with every ounce of energy you have and still try to maintain some normalcy. Those people will always hold a special place in my heart for I have learned first hand how difficult it is to live through that. I hope some day there will be an artificial cure, in the meantime we hope others who are healthy will find it in their hearts to donate an organ and save a life.
LosingToGive

LosingToGive

3
zempress' Blog
 

Not A Magic Cure--Am I Alone?

Again I find myself thinking that this surgery was supposed to be the magic cure. It is not. My weight loss is only 1 pound per week. My diet is high-protein low-carb low-calorie (850 to 1000) and I must exercise often for that 1 pound per week. I see my surgeon every month n my next visit is 6/3. I'm hoping for a grand number. I am 6 1/2 weeks out. Am i the only one like this???   I keep waiting for my clothes to fall off of me--some sign apart from a number. But not yet. Only a couple of people have even noticed I've lost anything. I'm very disappointed...   Band to sleeve revision. 6 1/2 weeks out, 22.5 down
zempress

zempress

15
Musings on the journey
 

Happiness, self-esteem, and WLS

I'm going to lay out some thoughts I've been having. My intent is not to minimize the experience of anyone else, but simply to offer my own thoughts and beliefs. I know this journey is different for all of us, but I am always saddened when I see a post about how a pre-op person can't wait to "be skinny" or "look hot" or "feel good about myself again". Skinny does not equal happy. Skinny does not equal hot. Skinny does not equal feeling good about ourselves. There are just as many skinny people who are unhappy, unattractive, and down on themselves as fat people. Happiness, feeling attractive, and feeling good about oneself are characteristics generated from within, not without.   A few years ago, at a very low point in my life, happiness seemed to me like a foreign concept. I could not remember the last time I had felt genuinely joyous or happy about anything. Intellectually, I knew that there were many things in my life that were desirable. I had a good job, a comfortable house, a dependable car, some money in the bank, food in the fridge, etc. But despite these things, I was unhappy. Now, I had good reasons to be unhappy, or so I thought. My marriage was failing, I was coming to grips with the fact that I would never be a mother, I wanted desperately to change my life but felt completely stuck, and so on. I remember reading somewhere that happy is a verb...it's an action, not a passive condition. I began to wonder...if I truly felt that there was no spark of happiness or joy in my life, who's fault was that? Who was responsible for my happiness? The answer, of course, is me. I was failing myself. I was not loving myself, or being kind to myself.   I decided that if happy was an action, I was going to try and exercise my happy muscle. I was going to try and find one thing to feel happy about for a few minutes every day. My goal was 3-5 minutes a day of active happiness. I thought that would be super easy. After all, I had been able to identify good things in my life, so how hard could it be to think about them for a couple of minutes every day? Well, it was actually harder than I expected, but I stuck with it. I had to set a timer in the beginning, but I made myself do it every single day. Gradually, I noticed it got easier. Some days all I could come up with was something like the weather, or the fact that my bills were paid on time, but damn it...if that was all I had, then I was damn well going to focus on it & feel happy for 3 freakin' minutes.   I eventually began to notice that I felt happier overall. I'm not sure why, because by this time I was just divorced and trying to figure out dating at 270 lbs & maintaining my new house, etc, but regardless, I felt happier. After meeting the man who has become my 2nd husband, he said that one of the things that attracted him to me was that I always seemed happy. I'm not saying that this is somehow a magic bullet against bad stuff happening, but holding happiness in my mind for a few minutes every day helps me to deal with the inevitable downs of life. It seems to me that consciously taking time to feel happy each day has somehow made a state of happiness more accessible in my brain.   It's been almost 7 years since I began my happiness quest, and I can honestly say I feel happier today than I ever have in my life. To quote Charlotte in the Sex and The City movie, "I feel happy every day. Not all day every day, but every day I feel happy." In choosing to have the sleeve, I absolutely do not expect it to make me happy, because I'm already happy. I feel pretty good about myself today, this minute, at 300+ lbs. Yes, there are things I want to do, but I can't right now. Yes, I have pain every day & difficulty walking, but I still feel good about who I am and what I have to offer in my small corner of the world. I am aware that I am probably judged negatively by some people because of my weight, but I don't even really notice that. Today, I find it so much easier to find things in my life that make me genuinely happy. I am definitely looking forward to weighing less and seeing an improvement in my mobility, but I don't think it will make me somehow better or more acceptable or a more worthy person. I am enough, right now, just as I am. We all are, and we are all so very precious. Today, right now, at this very moment, we are beautiful, and we are valuable, and we are enough. I believe that with all my heart, and I hope you do, too.
southernsoul

southernsoul

11
A Long Road To Happiness
 

My story

Hey Everyone, My name is Christina Marie and I am 20 years old. I have struggled with my weight all my life, I was a chubby little baby and well, that baby fat never seemed to go away. My doctors always told my mother that I was overweight and needed to lose weight, but unfortunately some habits couldn't be broken.   My brother and I ate very unhealthy growing up, our mother was a single mother with 2 kids working a full time job as a nurse and picking up extra hours on the side. We ate meals that were quick and easy- pizza, tacos, spaghetti, cheeseburgers, mac and cheese, fast food, takeout, junk food...you name it. I loved anything and everything with sugar and carbs and was not the athletic type. I wasn't interested in sports, and didn't have very many friends. Always moved a lot and in school I was always being made fun of for being overweight. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in front of the T.V playing video games...and then eventually the computer. I had friends and cousins my own age, we did go out and do things...ride bikes, roller blade, swim, dig holes in the backyard and play with worms...you know, normal kid stuff... But, more often than not I was indoors with my Sega, Playstation , or art supplies.   When I was about 7 or 8 years old I weighed 175 lbs, and that is the smallest I remember being. As I got older, I just gained more and more weight. My weight loss journey started when I was In high school. I tried various diets, joined a gym... that didn't work. I started going to L.A weight loss center when I was about 15 years old. My weight at the time was maybe around 245lbs. I got weighed, did the detox drink, went on the crazy diet. Starved, complained, went for walks. A couple months later, I went down to my lowest weight. That was about 219 lbs. As exciting as that was, I couldn't afford to go there anymore, and I was very hungry. I stopped going and joined a gym. I ended up gaining everything back. I was told what to do and how to do it, but those workouts didn't work for me. I started seeing a nutritionist when I was about 16 almost 17 years old. She told me what to eat, how to eat, what to cut out of my diet. She told me to never drink juice and that juice was where I was getting all my calories from. I cut out juice and did lose a little bit of weight. Not much. At 18 years old she recommended that I go to a weight loss center in Boston,MA. It was easy to get too, it was one train ride away.   At this point I was at my highest weight. 287 lbs! I went to all my appointments, did everything they told me to do in hopes of getting gastric bypass surgery. All the staff members were telling me they wanted me to get the surgery, but wanted to see if I could lose the weight myself. They gave me a time frame to lose weight and see where things went. 6 months. I did everything they wanted me too and 6 months later they wanted me to wait another 6 months. I was losing weight doing what they said, preparing for surgery. I walked a lot, ate less, made better food choices. I was graduating from a vocational college and was walking to and from work. Taking trains into Boston and walking to Hospitals for internships, walking to bus stops and stores (who needs a car when you live 5-10 minutes away from Boston?) And even once I graduated, I walked to and from work, to busses and trains. I got an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop, and I walked there. Sometimes I would walk for hours straight... I got down to 239 lbs. I went in for an apt after my 6 months was up, and they wanted me to wait another 6 months! That was it for me. I left and never went back. Then, the guys at the tattoo shop convinced me not to go for the surgery. They tried to play "personal trainer" and help me lose weight. Well, I maintained weight. That was at least something.   I eventually left that shop to do something else in my life. At 19 years old, I moved in with a friend of mine in Rhode Island, we ended up falling in love and I got a little comfortable. I tried to maintain weight, but when your with a man who loved you for you- that can be a challenge. We worked weird hours, so more often than not we stayed home and watched movies. We ordered food- and worse! We ordered huge ice cream sundays and pigged out on junk food all the time. I wasn't gaining anything, I didn't think anything of it. Oh well, a year goes by and my weight went up and up all the way to 250. This worried me, so him and I started dieting and going to the gym 6 days a week. I was doing his work outs, drinking the same protein he drank...I went down to 240, then up 5 lbs down 2 up 10. Eventually I decided that I was going to try and get the surgery again. I went to an information seminar in Boston and then weeks later met with a surgeon in at another facility. After speaking with the dietitian, psychiatrist and surgeon...it was a no go. She didn't want to do the surgery on someone my age who didn't have any children yet.     I gave up, I figured that if I was supposed to get the surgery I would have been accepted. I tried to do it on my own again, then suddenly I wasn't able to do the workouts I was doing. I was always in pain, I've been that way forever. Back pain, hip pain, joint pain, leg cramps, knees giving out, ankles giving out, swelling- you name it. I couldn't even get a back massage without it hurting.   When I was a baby, the doctor told my mother I would never be able to walk. He also said I wouldn't be able to talk either. When my mother was in labor, I got stuck and I aspirated amniotic fluid. I had no oxygen when I finally came out and I had Desipramine Toxicity.I passed away 3 times. The doctors didn't think I was going to make it, they sent for a priest and when he baptized me in the hospital- my mom freaked out. She had a fit and demanded I be sent to Children's Hospital. 3 months later my mother got to take me home and they said that I wouldn't have a normal life. They said I was lucky that I wasn't in a vegetative state, and that I probably wouldn't ever walk or talk. Boy were they wrong, I was such a loud mouthed little kid haha. On my first birthday I got a pair of Stride Rite shoes and off I went. Walking on coffee tables and tip-toeing around the house. I've always had problems with my legs, waking up screaming at night because of cramps...sever's syndrome, tight heel cords, flat feet... I walked on my toes a lot and my mom had to do a lot of leg exercises... but- I could walk! and a couple years of speech therapy and I could talk just fine.   ANYWAYS, that has a lot to do with why I wasn't very active. It was painful. At 20 years old I got a lot of tests done to figure out why I am always In pain these days. Why it hurts to be touched on certain parts of my back and why my knees hurt and ankles.... soo many tests. I tested positive for Lyme's Disease, took care of that. Problem was still there. Everything else got ruled out, so my Dr. thinks that I have Fibromyalgia. He suggested that I get the surgery to lose weight and see if that relieves my lower back/hip/knee/ankle pain. He told me I should go to Dr. Ameri at Winchester Hospital, and so I did. Went to 2 information seminars and here I am.   I will be getting my surgery on May 20th, 2013! I was 267lbs when I first saw him, now a month and or two later and now having been on the liquid diet for almost 2 weeks I am down to 256lbs! I set my goal to be 165lbs because I don't want to set an unattainable goal and let myself down haha. I figured at 5'3'' reaching that goal shouldn't be difficult considering that would still be overweight for me. Honestly though, i'll be happy at 200! I'm excited to see where this road takes me. It's been difficult, but I'm sure it will be worth it!
ChrissyVon

ChrissyVon

2
DebDUtah's Blog
 

Just Rambling....

You know I usually have this wonderful idea of what I am going to write about, but not this time nope nothing, zero, zilch, zippo. This should be no surprise to me as this was also the weight loss I had recorded with me PCP this month on my second to last PCP visit, prior to submission to insurance. You know the appointment was great it was informative and my doctor is becoming my biggest advocate. I am so glad that I have such support from him. With all this happening, you would think that I would be getting excited about getting so close to my surgery date. Nope, still seems so far away that it isn't even real. I look at my calendar and I see all the days that need to pass and all I want to do is rip it up (but if I did that I wouldn't know where I had to be and when I had to be there!!). Everyone has their own reasons to do the surgery, their own motivation and their own goals. I was thinking about my goals, my motivations, and what will life be after this is all down. I have decided my goals are the non scale victories, those things that are taken for granted by so many without even thinking. I really don't care if my final weight is 150 of 170 or some other number, I just want to look good. To know that men and people are looking at me because I am beautiful not because I am a big woman. I just want one man to want me for me not for my appearance but you have to have appearance to attract men, I don't care what anyone says. It is all about first impressions, and I want those first impressions to be memorable because of who I am not what I am. I want to be able to walk into a store and try on a dress that is in the window and know they will have my size in that dress. Not some cotten stretch, print from a couch, frumpy fat lady dress. Just because I am large does not mean that I do not like to look good. And I do not care what anyone says just because it comes in your size (aka skinny jeans, spandex, short shorts, etc) doesn't mean you buy it or more importantly that you will look good. I would just like to be able to feel good about being me is that too much to ask? I am not sad I am not mad I am just tired, why can't people see past what we look like. I promise after I have had surgery and I am making my way towards my new beginning I will never ever forget what this feels like.   So basically, right now I am feeling life pass me by, I want to live my life and have someone live it with me where everyday is an adventure. I want to be involved to reach for and get that brass ring. I know there are a lot of people out there who know exactly what I am saying, so I won't go on.   Oh and no matter who small I get I will NEVER EVER buy anything at Abercrombie & Fitch, I hope they go bankrupt.
DebDUtah

DebDUtah

0
hockeyMa's Blog
 

39# POST OP

Weight loss has slowed a bit- went from like a pound a day for a while there- to about 1-2 pounds a week, I find myself getting frustrated with that...but know that it's several times better than I've ever done on my own. I had to share the face shot comparison...the one on the left is from March 30 (so about 1 mo post-op), the one on the right is from today
nygurl

nygurl

2
THE HIGH HEELED NINJA ASSASIN
 

Attention Attention - Part Deux Y Follow Up

So its been a while since I've posted a blog or updated anything on here really. I have been really enjoying my weight loss overall. It has truly been a Blessing. First, as a follow up from my last blog entry I did have cancer and it appears that it did go away when my stomach was removed. Very optimistic now.   Now onto the subject of this blog...I blogged before about the amount of attention I was getting just before surgery. All were willing to bet it would be more post op, and yes it is. My inner struggle I believe is similar to other sleevers out there who are single....should I be happy with the attention, move forward and remain positive? Or not even give those the time of day who wouldn't give me the time of day if I was my previous weight?   I want to believe I am a more outgoing and positive person than I was before. I have always been this way, but as a fellow sleever noticed I have come out of my shell a bit. Is this behavior what is attractive or is it purely physical. A part of me wants to be upset and not give anyone the time of day since they wouldn't have a few months ago.   However, I will remain positive and continue to be me and hopefully weed out the ill intended ones   Love all of my fellow sleevers and wish nothing but the best for you all!!!
DrmBig4Evr

DrmBig4Evr

0
Flutterby's Blog
 

My Story - A deeper look

I'm Tammy (or Flutterby - the original name for a butterfly... )   I'm 45 yrs old, 5'8" tall. I weigh 295 lbs. My BMI is at 44.8. My first goal is 170 lbs. Ultimate goal is 137 lbs.   I've struggled with my weight since my second child was born about 23 years ago. I tend to gain weight all over. Well, except my bust area (strange). However, in the last several years I have gained more in my belly. I look like I'm about eight months pregnant... Uggghh! Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved being pregnant and I adore being a mother, but I’m not having any more children and I’m ready to be able to lose all MY baby fat. The baby fat may have stayed with me, but I added a whole person’s weight to it. I need to lose half of my weight – a whole person’s worth. Only those who have been here understand how much that realization can hurt and disgust me.   I have tried to lose weight by diet, exercise, supplements and programs just like so many others here. From Slim Fast, Cabbage Soup Diet, Herbal Life, fasting up to two weeks at a time,, Atkins, Low Calorie, Juicing Diets, Wheat Belly Diet, Gluten Free Diet, Gaps Diet, Hallelujah Diet, Mediterranean diet, Paleo Diet, HydroxiCut, Green Tea, many herbal supplements, OTC aids, a short span on prescription diet meds and thyroid medication and using vinegar as a diet aid. As I think about it, losing weight been a driving desire/force in my life since I turned 23. The endless weight loss/exercise and health-related books and internet ideas and “snake oil” type cures, well I’ve researched and attempted many of those as well.   I've tried exercise alone, or in combination with diet plans. I've used 10 to 12 different exercise videos both aerobic and weight lifting combined with aerobics, walking, swimming, biking, stationary machines, free weights, machines like elliptical, treadmill, stationary bikes, etc.   My results were sporadic and frustrating. I could stay with a weight loss or "get healthy" plan for months, sometimes even three years at a time but when I failed to lose weight at all or stalled with 10 or 15 pounds loss with hard work and high cost to sustain, I would slowly go back to eating my "normal diet". “Going back to my old ways” basically meant 70% healthy choices and still incorporating something new I learned, but I would stop resisting the dessert, the chips and dip, the popcorn with butter. I think the "extras" and "snacks" are one of my biggest weaknesses. I’ve also noticed in the last few months that I really do eat big portions especially when alone. I keep cooking for a big family and it’s only me and my teenage daughter at home to eat right now.   No matter what, my weight has continued to climb the last 23 years. I get so sick of my failure to be able to control it or change it. Several times I have resigned myself to being fat. But as I got bigger and older, other things started happening to my health and I realized how much it affected my family and my ability to actually live life like I longed to.   I kept thinking there had to be a "key" or a certain combination of things that would magically get my health back under control and I'd start losing weight. I had a sleep study done and found out I had severe obstructive sleep apnea. I was full of hope that using a CPAP would solve my problems because obviously I wasn't sleeping well with meant I wasn't getting proper rest. This in turn, I thought, surely meant it affected my metabolism and maybe perpetuated the problems with my weight.     I considered that since I started gaining excess weight when my first marriage got emotionally and mentally and sexually abusive I might have been trying to be less desirable to protect myself from my husband at the time. I just wanted to be safe. I could write out that long story here, but suffice to say I got out of the marriage finally, after 16 years.   What is frustrating is that even the strength and self esteem and “new lease on life” I gained by getting out of that marriage didn’t translate into the weight loss I should have or wanted to have and continued to try to have.   So, was my weight gain or inability to lose it initially due to the stress of the bad marriage that involved sexual abuses? Maybe, maybe not. More likely it was also genetics and environmental (how I was raised nutritionally). Both my parents are obese and have struggled most of their adult lives trying to lose weight and now dealing with health problems related to being overweight.   However I got here, I’m here. And I am so thankful and grateful that things have worked out for me to have this surgery. It’s such an answer to prayer and a dream come true. Honestly, I want this personally, but doing it for my family is a super-close second!   One thing I am appreciative of is that I’ve probably learned enough about nutrition, vitamins, food, feeding a body, metabolism, weight gain concepts, healthy living and very interesting discoveries about foods like kefir, kombucha, barley green, apple cider vinegar, good water, food supplements, and the benefits of grass fed beef, range fed chickens & their eggs, and home grown vegetables to write my own book. However, since I’m having weight loss surgery – I doubt it would be deemed worthy of contributing to my health. It’s sad, but true. True because all these things didn’t “work” to help me lose weight. However, I do believe with all my heart that all I have learned will continue to be super valuable to feed my body right after I’m sleeved!     My mantra has been, “If I don’t put myself first for once and lose the weight and get healthy, how can I be what my family needs me to be?” How can I truly give and serve and support and enjoy in my marriage and our children’s lives unless I first take care of me? Initially weight loss surgery can seem selfish and irresponsible. Only initially! In all truth, it is smart and right for me because it is what lines up with my vision of my future.
Flutterby

Flutterby

1
LifetimeLoser's Blog
 

Almost 16 weeks post op up date

In 5 days I will make 16 weeks post op. I had surgery on January 30, 2013.   My weight loss has been an average of 15 pounds of month. My last 4 weeks I actually lost more than the previous 4 weeks. I'm pretty sure it had everything to do with upping my calories from 600 to 1000 and my exercise.   Total loss as of today is 70 pounds!!!   I was always worried I wasn't losing fast enough throughout this process, but in the past week I think I have come to terms with not being a super fast loser. I mean 70 pounds in approximately 4 months is pretty amazing to me. And as for the eating part it has been fairly effortless. My main struggle has been trying to get in more calories to sustain my intense workouts. Long term, if I only lost 10 pounds a month that is still 120 pounds in a year!!!   My anxiety has definitely lifted regarding the scale. I always felt this pressure to lose fast and hard...I think it was because I was going on vacation to see some of my friends and family and I wanted to lose as much as I could before seeing them. Well, my vacation is over and so is the pressure. I feel quite content with my weight loss and my successes as well as failures. I made decent choices on my vacation, but was far from perfect and lost over 6 pounds while on my vacation. It was so hard for me to not have access to a scale during that time and was pleasantly surprised when I came home and the scale had gone down!   I finally have FAITH in my sleeve. I feel if I make good choices that the weight will come off.   This is a good feeling for me to have. Everything seems so much clearer. I don't feel the stress of it all. I have faith in myself and my sleeve. Most importantly, I finally feel my life changing for the better and for the long term.   WHAT I NEED TO DO MOVING FORWARD I have to readjust my goals and rewards because the more I lose the more they change. I also have to get back to the gym. I haven't gone since a couple days before my vacation...so that is almost 2 weeks. I also need to get back on track with my eating habits. Eating clean, healthy, and meeting my protein and caloric needs every day.   For those of you out there worried about losing slowly...don't! I know it is easier said than done, but in 4 months and you are 50, 60, 70 pounds down or more it is success and you should be excited and proud of yourself.
LifetimeLoser

LifetimeLoser

2
BANANA PANTS!'s Blog
 

5 Months Done - Happy Happy Happy!

Today I am officially at the 5 month mark following my surgery. I've lost 65 lbs and I feel fantastic! I hit Onderland a week or so ago which was a huge goal. I am also into normal sized clothes and am delighted with the selection - actually a little overwhelmed to tell you the truth! I'm a much happier person too - which is a big part of why I did the surgery in the first place. In five months I've had very few problems. I've thrown up once after eating too quickly (learned my lesson and have never done it since). I've pretty much stuck to solid proteins although lately I am slipping a little and adding more carbs back in - but I get too full too fast from them. I do enjoy an occasional alcoholic beverage - but need to be mindful of the calories and adjust my intake accordingly. I do not drink carbonated beverages at all. I still miss my diet cokes sometimes, but have replaced them with iced tea and that does the trick. I am noticing my hair getting thinner lately so I am refocusing on the vitamins which I have been bad about taking.   I do think at this point I need to refocus and set some new goals. The weight isn't coming off as easily any more, and so it's time to up the effort. I've also noticed lately thinking about food more - which is something I never did in the early days. I seem to be hungrier - especially when driving home. I just noticed this trend so now I am filling up the water bottle before leaving work and using that to combat the feeling of hunger. I'm still sticking to three meals a day which is pretty easy.   Goals: Exercise 3x week for 30 minutes - this is a challenge for me as I have significant difficulties with basic activity because of my MS - but I have to do this.
Increase H2O consumption by half
Journal ALL caloric intake
  Things I look forward to doing in the next 5 months: Never see the 200's again (sustain wt. loss)
Go ziplining
Lay out at the beach
Wear a sleevless shirt
lower my BMI below the "obese" range
Get to the point where the weight I've lost is a higher number than the weight I have left to lose (be more than half-way to my goal)
  Ultimately I knew from the beginning that this journey was going to take a while. Sure - I had dreams about being one of those people who lose all the weight in 6-8 months, but I've also learned that I cannot allow myself to think that any pound lost (no matter how quickly or slowly) is anything but a success. When I hit the one year mark I hope to be very close to my goal - but if it takes longer then I will just keep on plugging along.
BANANA PANTS!

BANANA PANTS!

3
smjuroska's Blog
 

Random Thoughts

Ok so I am nearly done with my pre-op stuff. I hate that my surgeon will not schedule until all things have been done. Oh well. I was getting so worked up over all this stuff I nearly quit so many times ( I mean I have been on this journey for over a year). You can see my frustration in past blogs. Well this random quote came across and I love it and needed to hear it. "Stress makes you believe that everything has to happen now! ( that is me, me, me, to a T) Faith reassures you that everything will happen in God's time." It is so true. I am not a super Christian by any means but my faith has always been with God. Everything always works out the way it should for good or bad and I need to let go of things that I cannot control. Funny how one little saying can snap us back to reality and clear things up! By this time next week I will be waiting (well if that crazy psy doc doesn't derail me. hehehe...but for real he is one egg short of sanity) for my very last appointment with my surgeon to schedule my surgery. After all this and I get my date I am sure the reality that I am about get my guts ripped out for the sake of weight loss will hit me. I still can't believe that I am really going to do this! I mean that mostly in a excited good way! One last random thought...I think I may break out the kiddie pool and get some sun this weekend. It is going to be in the 90s! Perfect pool weather. Tan fat looks better than white fat. Well atleast mine does!
smjuroska

smjuroska

0

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