feedyoureye

Our power was out for a bit as well - that was some crazy wind wasnt it. Glad we are getting a bit of rain for once.
Do you guys have issues with acid? I had terrible gerd prior to surgery - as did my husband, he had a hiatal hernia that they repaired at the same time as surgery and has never had to take a ppi or other form of acid reducer. My gerd has always been bad, but it is so bad now that if I miss one omeprazole within a couple of hours I am in agony - and often times I can still feel the acid even with the medicine - it seems like it is getting worse.
I did a bit of reading and it looks like sleeves can make the acid issue much worse - how did I not know this?
The funny thing is when posed the silly hypothetical question of what would you do in the event of a zombie apocalypse - my first thought is Oh damn I need to go rob the pharmacy for every proton pump inhibitor and every antacid they stock! And make sure I have all my eyeglasses haha!

They are pants or whatever I decide I want them to be! People are so quick to tell someone what they can and can't wear at certain weights. Sure, some articles of clothing don't necessarily flatter everyone but I've decided I will not allow anyone to tell me what I can and cannot wear ever again so to Celebrate that new found freedom I'm wearing leggings, My daughter snapped a picture and I'm sharing it!!! Like it or not!! Oh and when my new tall boots show up this week that cover my thick legs I'm going to wear them too!!! Hope everyone is winning their own battles.

@@feedyoureye - Wow!! Thanks for posting this. Honestly I don't know if I should be hopeful or hopeless.
However, I guess its good to know that you will have to eat fewer calories to maintain the loss and to be watchful of the calories.

When I get into the tub and my body is actually under Water and my stomach is not sticking out!

22 minute HBO documentary posted else where on this site, but I enjoyed it and thought it would be good to post here....
http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/watch/bonus-shorts/the-quest-to-understand-the-biology-of-weight-loss

I have read many people describe what fat pig over-eaters they were pre-surgery. I definately overate... but in my judgement NOT THAT MUCH. It is like once I was obese, it didn't take much to "maintain it" (or gain more). I suspect a similiar mystery involved.
i also think the fact that I simply cannot workout like I could 1-2 years ago (due to physical problems) has a big impact. Exercising isn't just about the calories burned during the workout, it is about a muscle mass it builds that takes more calories to maintain. I look muscular now due to my body type, but i do NOT have the muscle that I did a year ago.
When you think about it, it isn't a big swing in terms of calories/carbs between losing, maintaining or gaining...
just a fairly small change - in either intake or output - makes all the difference.

@@Rogofulm
no truer words have been spoken
i'm going to reply only to that comment
i am 2.8 years maintenance
i know i can eat more than i should
I do eat junk "sometimes" that i know i shouldn't
recently my weight went up by almost 10 lbs!!
i got back on plan better, and so far i have lost 5 lbs
the other 5 lbs will come off in its own time
it's harder to loose weight after maintenance (for me)
ahhhhh, confession is good for the soul
but with that effort that @@Rogofulm ( me too)speak of - you/me/us can continue to be a success story
hard work/effort/determination
new lifestyle - we can do this
good luck to ALL of us
kathy

Nice to hear from so many. We had a storm my power was out and just back on in the middle of the night.
My date was epic good. I am so glad I pulled myself out of the slump to go. We went dancing and had alot of fun!

@@feedyoureye Thanks for the post. I think the numbers are fairly consistent with what I was told to expect, and it makes sense that comorbidities would also return if people gain weight. I was one with a lot of weight to lose, and my surgeon told me the bypass would probably be better, but I was a candidate for either.
I often think I could have lost that last 10 pounds if I'd had bypass, but I'm still not sorry I made this choice (sleeve). I think the outcome would be the same in the long term for me. I am currently struggling a lot to not gain. It's getting harder and harder, and I really wasn't prepared for this. Either way, I lost over 90% of my excess weight, and at nearly three years out, I find it's 90% me, and 10% sleeve.
When I went into this, I knew long term I might settle at a 60% reduction from where I started. Now that I've lost so much and gotten to a normal size, the idea of that much regain is devastating to me. I'm going to do my best to not become a statistic!

You are in the honeymoon. Later, you can eat more, you WANT to eat more, you get bored with limited food choices, old habits show their ugly head. You may get to goal, just keep up the good work. If not, sooner, than later you might... it took me 3 years. I have regained 18-22 pounds twice... getting it off the second time right now... at 12 pounds over goal and sill a success. You don't and can't know how it is to be 3-4 years out untill your there. You have done the right thing, just take it a day at a time, Protein first, don't drink with or right after meals.... cut the carbs at least some.... get some exercise and enjpy the ride. Don't give up, its for life.

Glad things are looking clear.... no new surgery!
Not that I'm going to let it stop me from posting, but I feel like my "maintenance" is just not trying to gain any more! and maybe losing a little.... can I have a 15 pound bounce range? If this new forum fills in with people who only have reached goal and not gone over it, I don't really belong there..... there are people under a year that are in "maintenance". Seriously, I don't want their advice!.... not that they shouldn't have a forum.... The Vets forum was about so much more than maintenance. It was about the wisdom and experience of the long view.... with or without reaching or maintaining goal at the moment!

Cathy, Sounds like a great time. How nice to have a couple of weeks to get set up for success as well!
Sheryl.. So I say go with your gut.... if you do decide to see him again, perhaps set some boundaries... if he can't take that, then too bad for him! I sure would want someone who could take no for an answer! Slow down cowboy!

Sheryl... sorry about todays mood, but I have to say it sound like you are heading in the right direction. my "pills" are doing pretty well... still slip off the edge now and then, but the mood is better than before. When I got home from work today, someone (Im pretty sure it was my cray cray neighbor) had cut down a coyote bush I had growing outside my fence. On private property. It was around 12 feet high, and trained as an arch over the sidewalk. It was cut down to 20 inches from the ground, and all the branches thrown on my lawn. Last month, someone (same person?) went into my next door neighbors back yard and chopped her pear tree down to about 3 feet tall. It was not hanging over anyone's fence. So CRAZY! That wild Coyote bush was the favorite hide out for my wild bird family... it was probably full of nests.... I am steaming! My husband has no love lost on that bush, but even he was mad as hell. Hes ready to "Roundup" the neighbors yard... we do not have any witness, so probably will come to nothing... but so rude and disappointing!

When I get into the tub and my body is actually under Water and my stomach is not sticking out!

Over the past several days I have come to a startling realization that I am "battling the wrong fight". Actually, it started from something that happened this last weekend. I haven't seen Steven since forever and we talked for awhile on Saturday. He asked me about my life - horses, my social outings with the meetup, my happy hours with Mary etc etc. and when he realized I don't do most of my "stuff" anymore he asked me "what the hell are you doing? what did you replace this with?" My sullen answer was "nothing really" except trying to learn to dance. I suddenly saw things from an outsiders point of view - I have been lame.
In a separate conversation, I was lamenting to my son that i wish i didn't deal with these emotional ups and downs. He told me that I probably enjoy many things in life more than others because I am very tuned into emotions. I do love life and have an enthusiasm for it - unfortunately I pay the price on the flip side. His suggestion was to think of it as a good thing to have so much capacity for "feeling". I had to sort of agree on that point too.
I have been trying to fix things in my life, for example, my horse life has not been going well - due to my physical problems and lack of interest. So, I have been focused on finding another home (at least temporarily) for my younger horse etc. This last weekend I realized I am fixing what isn't broken. What the real issue is that i have some kind of low grade depression going on. That is why I don't enjoy horses anymore, why I am sometimes just feeling purposeless, why i don't do alot of the things I normally do and enjoy.
The thing is I don't look depressed and most of the time dont feel depressed so it is often hard to pin down and none of my friends would say "you seem depressed". The counselor I saw told me that I may be prone to very short cycle depression but it is a problem, nonetheless. It doesn't really matter what it looks like externally, that loss of interest in pleasureable things in life/feeling purposeless is classic depression.
So, a few days ago I started taking a natural remedy for anxiety. I feel better already
Last night, I took HTP5 with melatonin (which I lost the habit of doing) and I slept like a baby, no middle of the night insomnia. I ordered a higher grade HTP5 for ongoing use.
I forced myself to go out to 2 step Tuesday last night. I was dreading it, almost left even as I was parking my car. You know what, I had the best time! I met a guy my age who was my dance partner, he has no horses, but 3 saddles and was very interested in meeting a horsey-girl as he wants to ride again. He lives right near some of my dearest friends. I doubt anything will come of it, but the whole experience made me feel more like myself somehow. Actually, it didn't even have anything to do with him, it was just going out, feeling good, feeling confident and having a good time and being home by 9:30 and no alcohol required.
Monday, I started tackling my eating. I wasn't doing terrible food wise, but lots of room for improvement. Monday morning was an eye opener as I saw 170s on the scale. I have been bouncing around 5-8 over goal (in the 160s) but sheesh... I feel myself heading the wrong way! This week, I am back to eating light, and my appetite is going down to match it. Again, I just feel a bit more normal/myself and it was good to see 169.7 on the scale this morning. I want to be under 150 again (lose around 20#), but i will take just getting back to goal (lose around 11#).
I have made some decisions to force myself back into living a full life including a plan for the horses (I am on restricted activity right now, but i am planning for returning to normal). If I still don't want to do horses after my plan, well, that is another story, but right now I need to get to feeling motivated about life again!
I am not declaring victory yet, but in just a few days I am feeling the difference and without prescriptions. I have nothing against scrips except I can't handle the side effects... I hope this keeps working because these emotional things kick my butt.

I may be going to Scotland next year... my husband has family there in the old family "manse"

Congrats girl! Selling art is righteous livelihood!
Bikinis! That is great! I haven't worn a bikini in 45 years! Have so much fun.... and do take pics!

Congrats girl! Selling art is righteous livelihood!
Bikinis! That is great! I haven't worn a bikini in 45 years! Have so much fun.... and do take pics!

I have posted this before, but it really illustrates this point....

I think wanting to be loved is a catch 22... When you already love life, accept yourself and act from wisdom based trust and have found happiness, then you are a magnate for loves attention. Healthy lovers. When you are filled with doubt, mistrust, self hate, and fear of failing... then you attract unhealthy lovers and friends that will end in your worst fears. What can we do to become more healthy ourselves, so we might enjoy our lives with or without "the man"?
My list?
-Do for others (I try to use my skills to improve the life of others...not to make them owe me, or like me better...)
-exercise ( in a way that is enjoyable to me... not just for physical results, but for self expression results in my case... Dance, walking in nature, kayaking....)- things I can do alone, but often end up doing with someone else. People always ask if they can go with me... I am often a loner, but I end up getting out with others more now...
-make art and make some effort to share it (teaching, showing....)
-learn something new that I can immerse myself in... birdwatching, genealogy were my latest go tos..
-meditation. Can soften the mind without losing the ability to focus. There are great "attachment" meditations out there... it is after all considered a sign of ignorance in Buddhism... Attachment has caused me most of my suffering. It still does, but softening its grip, pealing away its hindrance to happiness is a help.
-Even if you are not thinking about doing yourself harm, you are depressed. No Fun. Get help. At some points, we may not be able to think our selves out of this pit.... no mater how smart we are.
These are things I have done, and continue to do when I remember too... that have helped me...your list may be completely different...

When I get head hunger, and just can't escape it's nagging, I eat meat, chicken or pork first to fill me up and retrain my brain to associate meat with head hunger. After eating Protein, and I still have that nagging little voice, I will allow myself a small portion (remember I'm physically full from the protein), about 1/2 a coffee cup (a real coffee cup, not a Starbucks Grande!) of whatever I'm craving. I'm normally satisfied after that.

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I have posted this before, but it really illustrates this point....

I haven't read everything in detail, but I will say that I am one of those that did and do everything right and only ever lost 30-35 pounds since my sleeve gastrectomy. I track my food, etc., etc... My doc says some people are just like that.....
I will say that I eat about 1300 calories a day. I have yet to figure out how to get all my Protein in, along with fruits and veggies for less than that. I want to say healthy as well. And honestly, I get toooooooooo hungry when I eat less than that. It's hard for me to eat 800 calories a day, but even when I was on liquids only at 800 calories a day the weight came off slower than slow. I realized right away that I wasn't losing as much weight as most others in the forums and I became discouraged. I still try every day to eat healthy, take my Vitamins, get in all my Protein, but for me, apparently size 14/16 it is for now. Who knows, maybe someday I'll figure it out and lose more....
I just want to say that I completely understand the struggle and I BELIEVE and understand the dilemma of those who of us who do everything right with minimal results.

Branches of the the Vagus nerve are disrupted by the surgery... This may have something to do with changes...

Somewhere else on this part of the forum there is a post about the guts brain being about the same size as a cat brain.... here are some more details....
http://neurosciencestuff.tumblr.com/post/38271759345/gut-instincts-the-secrets-of-your-second-brain