juliarh

I think it's great that you're so excited! I'm excited for you

Congrats!! hooray for mushies

I still have to remind myself to eat -- I do it on a schedule -- breakfast, something at 10 am, lunch, something at 3 pm, dinner, and then maybe a snack afterwards. I usually do not experience hunger until around dinnertime -- and this has just been happening lately (I'm 8 mos. out) --so just make sure you eat on a schedule and don't worry about not feeling hunger -- if you're getting in your protein, that's the main thing

Congratulations!! Doing the happy dance with you -- AND on top of it all, you have some AWESOME NSVs!!! You go girl!!

It's really interesting and enlightening to read everyone's "aha" moments -- mine doesn't differ much from everyone else's, but here goes . . . I had always been a slim person up until I went to college -- I weighed 145 going to college and was oblivious about weight or how much I ate. My mom was very controlling about food and so I just ate what was in front of me, not really knowing much about portion control or healthy food. (Not blaming my mom, just stating the facts -- she's much better now.) I started gaining weight my freshman year, about 15 pounds. Lost it in the summer, only to gain and lose and gain . . . you know. I met my husband my sophomore year and we dated all through my weight fluctuations -- by the time I graduated from college I weight 185ish. I thought I was humongous. ha. After school, my husband and I moved from Wisconsin to DC -- it was a huge change for me -- I didn't know anyone, didn't have a job, had a horrible apartment. So I ate. I remember eating whole containers of ice cream and whole pies by myself. I gained a lot of weight and weighed around 210 pounds then. We moved to Venezuela in the late 1980s and that was another stressful time for me -- I didn't know Spanish (learned pretty quickly) -- and again, didn't have friends. So I gained again, weighing at least 250 lbs. We came back home and I went on WW -- lost 70 lbs (I was very proud of myself) -- and I soon became pregnant -- well, that gave me the excuse to go off the wagon and eat -- and I did -- I gained back that 70 lbs during my pregnancy and gave birth to a 10 lbs. baby boy (the 19 year old now). (I'm gonna throw in here that I have also been battling PCOS and this pregnancy was a "miracle," that would not happen again . . .) When Daniel (my oldest) was 5 months old, I started law school (I know, I know - crazy) -- because of the stress with a new baby and law school, guess what I did? I ate. I think by the time I graduated from law school 3 years later, I weighed well over 270 lbs. I lost some and regained, you know the drill. I always expected to be able to lose it and have self-control and be normal -- but it never seemed to happen. About 2 years after law school, we were sent to Guatemala (my husband is a diplomat) -- I couldn't work as a lawyer overseas (can only work in the States as a lawyer), so I began teaching school (6th grade at the time). It became THE most stressful job I've ever had (but I loved it - type A personality). So I ate. ha. We adopted our daughter, Susana (now 15 years old), and I think I weighed about 250 lbs. Then 2 years later, we adopted our son John (now 12) -- and then 2 years later I became pregnant only to discover it was an ectopic pregnancy (thank you PCOS) and I hemorrhaged, with very little time to undergo surgery. In Guatemala (and many other countries), surgery to remove a pregnancy (even not viable like an ectopic pregnancy) is against the law and you have to have a court order to have the surgery to save the mother's life -- I had about 2 hours before I would have died before they were able to get the order. So that was a little stressful . . After my surgery, I determined to lose weight and I began WW and running every day -- I got down to about 190 and felt awesome. But then my oldest son, Daniel, was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder (after already having ADHD) and Asperger's Syndrome (a form of Autism) -- so that sent me into a tailspin. I ate. And regained everything. After Guatemala, we returned to the States where I resumed my legal career (read stress). Then we moved to Nicaragua where I lost about 45 lbs just from the heat (seriously -- you move, you sweat) -- I began teaching again. Then we moved back to the States, and I went to get my Master's in Education because I had been out so long from my legal career and I really did enjoy teaching. Meanwhile, my husband was sent to Iraq for a year and I was a single parent, teaching, going to grad school, AND putting an addition on my house (the contractor skipped out on me too -- that's a whole nother story) -- so suffice it to say, I WAS STRESSED OUT. I ate. By this time, I didn't care how much I weighed. I knew I had gained but no longer really cared. My aunt told me that she had been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and we had diabetes in our family. At the time, though, I had no co-morbidities -- my blood pressure was a little elevated (for me) but still within normal ranges. The only thing I *think* I might have had was the beginnings of sleep apnea. So I had come to a mental acceptance that I would never be thin again. I was very sad for myself because despite my emotional eating, I had tried every diet under the sun, been active and still not lost enough weight or even gotten the right eating habits. It was very sad, but I was ready to accept being obese for the rest of my life. Finally, my husband was sent to Paraguay -- my oldest was a senior in HS and I just didn't want to remove him for his senior year, so we stayed in the States for another year. During this time, I started to think about WLS. I went to a Lane Bryant store to buy some clothes, and one of the sales clerks and I started a conversation. She had recently had the Lapband and she could not say enough good things about it. She had been over 300 lbs and I think was about 200 lbs. at the time I talked to her. I was really encouraged by her forthrightness and honesty. It gave me hope and kind of sat at the back of my head for a while. Last July, the rest of us moved to Paraguay, and I decided that I had to take action. We went to visit the best bariatric surgeon here and he said that he did not do the lapband (thank God!) but that he would do the gastric sleeve and then the bypass if I didn't lose enough weight. He didn't think the sleeve would be sufficient because I was now over 300 lbs (I hadn't weighed myself in over a year). I was determined that the sleeve would be my ONLY surgery. So in September (2 months later), I had the sleeve and the rest is history. I can't believe that it's been as easy as it has been (albeit the first month or so was pretty hard) -- but I've been very pleased with how much my eating habits have changed and how the weight has steadily come off. Sorry this was so long -- it seemed like there were so many different things that contributed to my obesity, that it seemed only fair to write it all down. I figure if I can do this, anyone can --

You are looking absolutely fantastic!! You really do notice a difference in your face Keep up the great work!

You're doing an awesome job -- and the best part is that the weight isn't the only positive -- you have some awesome NSVs too! Congratulations and keep up the good work!

I think what everyone has said is true -- it depends on the state of your marriage -- and the state of your marriage depends on the mental state of two people -- if your relationship wasn't solid before surgery (or you weren't happy in it), it's definitely not going to be in a good place after surgery. You go through soooo many changes emotionally after surgery -- one of them is the realization that you are no longer the ugly, fat person but the pretty, thin person. That's a HUGE social change. If you or your spouse is not prepared to accept a huge social change and in how people react to you (including those of the opposite sex), that will put a huge strain on your relationship. Another change that will likely occur is your own self-esteem and how you take care of yourself-- we are no longer relegated to Lane Bryant and The Avenue for clothes -- you may have a COMPLETELY different way of dressing once you are thinner because of all the options you'll have. You might wear your hair differently, you might wear your makeup differently -- in other words, you might even look differently than before. Finally, how you react to things will change -- you might stand up for yourself more -- in my case, I'm less angry, less bitter about things -- don't know why, but it just is . . . . So there are a lot of changes that come a long with losing a lot of weight -- and if you have a solid relationship going into surgery, the changes are less likely to interfere with it -- and if you don't have a solid relationship, then the changes might just exacerbate any problems you might have had before.

Wahhhh! I used to live in Arlington (near the Lebanese Taverna in fact) and wish I could be there with you guys -- sigh. Have fun -- eat lots of shwarma for me sigh. (wishing I were in DC).

You look fabulous!! 2 5ks in one week!?! keep up the great work!

CONGRATULATIONS!! Doing the happy dance with you

Even though everyone fights the hormonal surge (I cried for days initially), you sound like you're taking the bull by the horns and making yourself feel good! Hooray!! You are being so nice to yourself that you have inspired me! I haven't been treating myself to some nice stuff for a while -- hmmm . . . perhaps I should do some shopping! Hooray and big hugs!

Sorry to hear about your father. big hugs! But I am so happy for you reaching Onederland!! Whoot!

You look absolutely amazing -- hooray!! Congrats and keep up the great work!

I think we all feel fat no matter what our size -- I remember feeling thin at 300 (and we all know that wasn't true!) Usually I feel fat when I'm stressed about life and I turn on myself. I look at the flaws and don't appreciate how far I've come. Look at yourself, Irene -- you look absolutely fabulous!! Sincerely, utterly fabulous! Your pics from before don't even look like you now! I think everyone else is right -- you need to go get those old pants on and find LOTS of good reasons to compliment yourself -- drag yourself out of the bad feelings -- put on the old pants, look at the old photos, look at the succession of befores and afters of yourself -- and then, do something extra nice for yourself -- get a pedicure and/or manicure. Go get your hair styled (or cut if you need to) -- make yourself feel the way you want to feel. I mean, I would do that for you, so why shouldn't you do it for yourself?? I love you -- I hate to see you feel bad -- big hugs!

Ok, first of all, you're losing at a good clip -- I think you're doing a fantastic job. No worries about your weight loss. Second, your doctor has unrealistic expectations of weight loss -- EVERYONE loses at a different rate. If you only lost 5 lbs in 50 days, then I'd say something is going on, but you're doing great. Second, YOU MUST INCREASE YOUR FAT. Since you are keeping your carbs low, your body needs fuel for its energy. Fat is the only other option left. I'm betting once you increase your fat, your weight loss will increase (not that you need to be a rocket at weight loss, but I bet it will increase.) Right now, because you have low calories, low carbs, low fat, your body is fighting the weight loss because it thinks it's in starvation mode. Give it something so that it will release the fat at a faster rate. And really, the doctor is setting unrealistic expectations. Truly. Big hugs!

I got the sleeve for the same reasons as others -- I didn't want all the issues with the bypass (malabsorption, deficiencies, etc.) and I wanted to be able to eat a fairly normal diet afterwards -- and that's what I got!

Interesting question . . . I always tried to project an aura of confidence. I think that the professions I was in demanded them (lawyer, lobbyist, then teacher) -- but I *KNEW* that people thought less of me -- no one ever said anything to my face -- but they always commented on others' weight. So I knew they commented on mine. So, knowing that, I think I always felt a little bit less of myself. I also never let people take photos or if the situation demanded it, I was behind everyone else. I wore clothes to conceal rather than to illuminate myself. In other words, the real me was partially hidden. I'm almost to goal now -- the only thing that I can say that has changed is the positivity that I feel -- there is little to no self-criticism about the way I look (well, other than all the loose skin and that can't be helped right now). I think I was bad talking myself all the time -- and I didn't realize how that self-talk was really injurious. So my outlook has completely changed. I know that has made me a happier, less angry, less bitter person. My husband completely agrees with me -- and my kids have made note of the fact that I'm happier and want to do more. I think for the longest time, I used my fat as a shell to hide, never realizing that it was not a really good way to hide -- it actually put a bullseye on me -- now being almost normal, I don't feel threatened anymore, so there's no need to protect myself -- no need to criticize others, no need to be in self-protect mode. It's actually amazing what it does for you psychologically. Thanks for the really good question --

Hooray!

Dogg, so sorry this has happened -- but really do what Beadingnurse says to do -- I've seen lots of people here get an initial "denial" only to appeal it and get it approved. So I'm crossing my fingers and toes for you!

You're doing a fabulous job -- you look terrific!! Keep up the great work!

Most hair loss starts around the 3rd month post op. . . .

Hooray!! Glad you're feeling better -- you will get better and better all the time. At almost 9 mos. post op I can eat about 4 oz. at a time -- seems like an enormous amount of food, but compared to the pizza that I too was able to consume and ice cream, and other stuff, I still eat very little.

Actually, it's due to two things -- the anesthesia and the rapid weight loss -- almost everyone who has had weight loss surgery has had SOME amount of hair loss -- I don't believe I have seen anyone who has not.

Hooray!! Yep, sometimes our bodies fight the weight loss and hold onto the extra pounds, and then all of a sudden you'll get a good drop!