donna12

As some of you know I'm 47 and divorced, will soon be 2 years this month. Let me start how my weight gain all started for me, I wasn't an obese child nor a teen. I married my high school sweetheart in 1986 and boy did I think I knew the world, if I knew then what I know now, ha. He was shy and I was the outgoing one, he was super skinny and I was average. He ate and ate and ate and I thought I could eat along with him so my weight kept creeping up over the years of our marriage little by little. By 1990 I weighed 199, said to myself I'd never let myself weigh over 200, I ate crow alright. We were unable to have children so we occupied ourselves in the life of luxury of world travels and cars and later in life our dream home in '06. By that time he had a corporate job, I had not worked in years and we had our dream home with a pool. It was all I could do to keep house it was so huge but I loved it. Guess you could say starting in '06 I could see a change in him and I began to stress eat more. His job was very stressful, afterall he managed a factory, oh how proud of him I was but then the alcohol began and then my food addiction began. From 2006 until he left me Oct '09 I literally watched him become a full blown alcoholic and my eating had well, let's just say I gained about 25 lbs. He began staying out late till the wee hrs of the night/morning in bars, coming home drunk, it was horrible. Then on that fateful afternoon in Oct. '09 he came home and said he was leaving me, I was devastated to say the least. I had no idea he wasn't happy. Yes we had our ups/downs like anyone else but I guess he had gotten tired of looking at a fat wife, I had let myself go, certainly not the girl he married. I stayed in the marital home a few months until I couldn't care for the acreage and pool and he made me move out and he move back in. At this time he had asked for a divorce and I was at my all time low, a deep depression. I guess I have to admit I was on the verge of suicide but I'm deeply religious and knew better and had it not been for my faith in God and my mom and of course my Psychiatrist I never would have made it out of the dark hole. My mom stepped in and bought me a home close to her and I rented it from her. Guess she wanted to give me my independence for the first time in my life. By this time it was May of 2010, divorce proceedings were ongoing, I was living alone and eating and eating. BIG mistake. I had no accountability, I was sitting alone in a house with a dog and a tv and eating whenever and whatever I wanted. I literally was eating myself to death. I knew I didn't want to die an early age like my dad but yet I still kept eating. I had ballooned to 294, I was huge, could hardly walk, couldn't breathe. In early June '12 I moved in with my mom for financial reasons and she sold the house, talk about humbling, having to move back in with a parent at age 47. One afternoon I asked my mom to go with me to a seminar for lap band surgery, this was April 2012. What a revelation. Yes I had done my homework, I had actually gone to a seminar back in '08 but wasn't ready mentally then. This time I was ready. The next day I called my ins, they covered it, called the dr's office made an appt, got right in, from start to finish I was banded in like 4 weeks, his office pushed my ins approval thru really quick. Needless to say this saved my LIFE. Has it been a struggle, yes, I struggle each and every day with head hunger and sweets and sometimes give in, that is why my weight loss is slow but I'm proud of my 68 lbs in 1 year and will never look back. My eating habits have changed, for the better of course, I look at food differently, I taste it now instead of gobbling it down. Had it not been for all of you all on here answering my questions throughout this last year and Jean's book I don't think I could have survived my first year. Thanks to all of you out there you're the best! You guys are family!!! Looking forward to the next 12 months of a happier, healthier new me. Donna

Oh, no, please do not feel sorry for me, I have survived and conquered. I can honestly say without a doubt that these past 4 years of my life with the separation and divorce was worse than my daddy's death and I was such a daddy's girl. I will say I am blessed to have this opportunity at life again. There is much living to be done, things I want to do and accomplish as a thinner normal person, not an morbidly obese person. I hope I didn't offend anyone when I said I was huge at 294, but I'm only 5'2" and at that height I was big and like I said, I was getting to the point of almost not being able to walk without assistance. Thank you both for the kind words of support. Donna

I'm interested, I live in Hopkinsville.

I will have to look at Walmart for the chocolate Peanut Butter, I think I could handle those, sounds good!!! thanks a bunch. I don't have a Target close by well its 30 mins away but I think my Walmart will carry them.

the Cliff crunchy peanut butter ones only and don't quote me on this has only 11 grs of protein and those are the only ones I can stomach, which ones are higher and not nasty?

how in the world do you get 100 g of protein in, in a day's time? I'm not getting enough and am losing hair and nails so my dr upped my protein by eating Protein Bar not shake but I certainly do not know how you eat that much, please share...I'm only 1 yr out.

well I don't know if I have any advice but for me it gags me to chew meats like pork chops for example and I can't bear the thought of steak, ew, and haven't had steak in over a year. Scared I will get stuck. I do however chew chew chew, I find it just the opposit really, I finally taste food for the first time in my life instead of shoveling it down like I used to and half way chewed. I guess what I'm saying is I enjoy food now and my food choices. But get where you're coming from.

well here's the deal, I went today to my lap band dr, thought for a fill, NOT! Was disappointed since I need one. I might add that he is a general surgeon also and he also performs colonoscopies and at first I had scheduled him to do this procedure but after weighing all options I really couldn't afford a bill from my hospital, him, the anesthesia person and anone else involved and be stuck with a few thousand dollars worth of bills since I'm only 47. The situation stands like this, I'm having issues, I have IBS and my OBGYN found somthing a couple of wks ago with my colon and said for me to get it ck'd out and my brother has colon cancer right now and the kind of cancer he has is hereditary and I am to be ck'd every 3 yrs, well my 3rd yr comes up this coming December so since I'm having issues I thought I'd go ahead and have it done. Now, today in my lap band dr's office, I told him that I found a gastro dr in a nearby city and he was fine with that but then I asked him for instructions as my lap band dr for prep of the procedure and he refused he said that he didn't want to step on any toes and for me to do whatever the other dr says do. Well the other dr has you drink 2 gallons of gunk which I will end up puking cause I did the last time and also drink a 2 ltr of ginger ale which is carbonated, hello, we can't drink that. I'm peeved. I'm also concerned that when I go in next week for a consultation whether or not he is going to be familiar with bariatric patients. I want to call my original gastro dr in Nashville just don't want to have to do the early morning drive to Nashville for the procedure and Nashville is an hr and half away. Makes me want to have my lap band dr do the thing and have it done here at home and pay whatever. Yes I have BCBS but I haven't met my deductible which is 2500.00. I don't know what to do.

I have to have one looking for cancer. Going for consult next week. New dr, never have been to him and not sure if he is familiar with bariatric patients, his website and his prep for them well, are things that I can't drink according to my surgeon like carbonated drinks. I see my surgeon on Thurs for a ck'up and to discuss my procedure this gastro dr and my lap band surgeon suggests drinking 2 bottles of magnesium citrate and pills, are the pills hard to swallow? and I'm sorry but the mag cit is nasty and my gag reflex is sensitive, I just know I will gag on this this stuff but the procedure has to be done. Has anyone had this done after lapband and if so what was your prep?

thank you for the suggestions and well wishes I appreciate it.

I think I'm right on the border of being in the green zone.

I will be banded 1 yr on June 13th, woohoo, my bandiversary, although my weight loss has been slow it's been steady, with that said, the scale hasn't moved in the last 3 weeks! The last time I was in for a fill which was a month ago he didn't put any in because he insisted I was in the green zone, I wanted more fluid, he said no. I get hungry about every 4 hrs, I think that is normal right? If I don't eat any protein for breakfast I will get hungry before then but my go to snacks are greek yogurt or low fat string cheese. I have absolutely NO and I mean NO energy all the time. Do I feel restriction, well I'm not sure, I'm still able to eat bread, rice to some extent which I limit these foods as they are carbs. Early on in this journey I was not able to eat bread of any kind or rice I would get stuck and puke, what is the difference now? Why all the sudden I can eat it? Oh and I can eat at least a cup's worth of food and sometimes more. I just feel like I need a fill. I see my surgeon day after tomorrow for my monthly ck up and to also discuss a colonoscopy that I have to have coming up next month so I'm hoping he doesn't do an unfill for that procedure. The gastroentrologist that I'm seeing recommends drinking a gallon of gatorade with stuff and a 2 liter of ginger ale, well we all know that won't happen with a lap band patient. My surgeon suggests 2 bottles of magnesium citrate and pills which I will have him prescribe this for me to take with me to the gastro dr in a week. Do ya'll think I'm in the green zone? I mean I can pretty much eat anything and I mean anything I want.

thanks Traci.

my journey has been slow but steady. would love to hear about yours and how you did it?

what's the Nioxin shampoo got to do with it and what kind? I know you said Nioxin brand. I take 5000 in Biotin and yes I'm bad about forgetting my multi because it upsets my stomach so I forget to take it. I know I don't get nearly the amount of grams in protein as you mentioned. Just got my hair color/cut/styled Friday and my stylist could tell it was thinned out from 7 weeks ago, she couldn't believe it.

you look freakin awesome! I pray in a few months I will be in a size 16. I still have a lot to lose. I just can't believe the transformation in you, you look so good.

I'm coming up on my 1 yr bandiversary June 13th and have lost 68 lbs so far, maybe I can break 70 by then, woohoo, hope so! My question is, I've started walking but everytime I walk for exercise I get very lightheaded or dizzy like I'm going to pass out, does anyone know why? This is the best I've ever felt in a long long long time and finally able to get some activity but then this happens. I always have to stop a moment on the street, take a few minutes then start back up. All that runs thru the back of my mind is my daddy, he's no longer with me, passed away in 2002 of a massive heart attack but early on he was obese then lost over 100 lbs on his own but I can remember he and I walking together and he would have to stop because he was having chest pains or to catch his breath and he was skinny at that point, 135 lbs at the time. I always walk the neighborhood that I live in and have my cell on me to call home to my mom if need be but its scary when you're out walking and this happens, it's almost like I just need to plop down on the pavement for a min. Hm?

thank everyone, I did have recent blood work done and all checked out fine and when I went last month my BP was normal but with that said it usually runs low for me like mentioned above even I've seen it sometimes 95/65 at times but for the most part it stays right around 115 or 117/70. I will try more Fluid or Water and will def watch it and mention it to my dr. I will give him a call. Thanks again, oh and thanks for the encouragement on the weight loss. Donna

Finally after almost a year of being banded I am finally learning bite size, chewing and taking my time but tonight I caught myself going too long between meals and was starving so when I sat down to eat I was in a hurry and gobbled it down and did I pay, it was fish of all things, either didn't chew or too big of bite, can't remember but wasn't paying attention, I was too focused on forcing the food down, old habits die hard. Ended up PB'ing most of it up, drank some hot tea, now gotta take it easy. Been a while since I had been stuck too, so dang it, ruined a good streak.

my blood pressure usually runs 110/65 so yes that is pretty low I'd say as far as calories I usually am walking in the middle of the day after lunch so I've had plenty to eat.

I will have agree with 2much, one night I was stuck for 5.5 hrs with broccoli until someone on here told me to take a large sip of Sprite or carbonated drink and all of the sudden it came up, I puked it up, guess the bubbling dislodged it. Hope you feel better soon.

we're not that far from each other,

I live in the south so for instance we have Cracker Barrel's I will oder off the kids menu and get kids grilled chicken tenders and a side or their beef stew and usually cant eat it all. My mom and I love Red Lobster and we split fried flounder there each eating 1 piece of fish and I eat a few bites of slaw and 2 bites of potatoe, Longhorn I will share with my mom again and get their salmon. Love Chick-fil-A nuggets but you said finer restaurants. I love J. Alexander's but haven't been there since being banded. Actually I haven't eaten steak since being banded, scared to death I will get stuck and the thought of gnawing on a piece of meat till its mush gags me. I mostly stick with fish or chicken wherever I go and take my time and eat tiny bites. I'm not ashamed I had surgery and will let anyone know from wait staff to whomever is with me because of the way I need to eat. I'm proud of my weight loss and what I've done and the decision I've made for myself but that is just my personality and I'm sure everyone is different.

Western Kentucky, on the TN border, about an hr from Nashville TN.

I think Sargento light string cheese is only 50 cals, don't quote me on that, I'm going by memory.