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JamesL73

Mini Gastric Bypass Patients
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Everything posted by JamesL73

  1. JamesL73

    WLS and Clothes

    I assume you meant my original sleeve surgery, I managed to lose 45 lbs pre-op so I was at 375 on surgery date. As for my revision, I lost 30 lbs pre-op so was at 300 on 6/15/19.
  2. JamesL73

    WLS and Clothes

    I cannot answer your question as I haven't bought anything but socks and underwear from WM in many years, I have to buy FR (Fire Retardant) clothes for my work so I just wear those jeans for everyday clothes as well, shorts, sweats, shirts, etc...I buy online. BUT, I just wanted to give you a huge congrats!!!! I know the feeling as we have almost the exact same stats. I was up to 420 in 2015, am 5' 10''. I was up to a 54 waist also. I am currently in a loose 40 and saving pennies for some 38s. I had a bunch of stuff, down to 36 because I had lost down to 190 but when I gained a bunch back (up to 330) I got pissed/depressed/whatever, and gave all my smaller clothes away....again. I had my revision from sleeve to bypass in June and now having to keep buying all these clothes all over again. Anyway, congrats on the amazing weight loss, keep it up.
  3. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    Hello all, been a couple months since my last post. Down another 10 or so lbs since then. I have had a couple stalls and loss has slowed down but I am still not really exercising due to working so much, so in a way it is good to know that I am dropping weight just by eating healthy. I am on full solids now and I found out pretty quickly that I cannot do the regular Keto with this bypass like I did with the sleeve. The excess fats cause diarrhea. That kind of sucks because I can't stand ground Turkey so if I do foods with EXTRA lean ground beef I just have to take a chance on how I will react to it. I am glad it does that in a way, it tells me I won't be absorbing all that fat anymore. Another HUGE win is that for some odd reason, I am able to eat all kinds of lettuce again, even the iceberg....with the sleeve, any kind of lettuce would cause major stomach pain and I would throw it right back up but now it sits just fine so lots of salads for me!!! yippee!! LOL I know I need to supplement my protein though but that's not really a problem. I have been just sprinkling a scoop of Unjury unflavored powder in the salads. Problem solved. Hope everyone is doing well. Until next time.....✌️
  4. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    Hello all, checking in for my weekly update. 4 weeks post-op yesterday. As of today, down 27 pounds since 6/15 surgery day, and 56 total since 5/15 start of liquid diet. Only 99 to GOAL !!
  5. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    Hello ladies and the one other guy, I don't think is even still with us....I haven't checked in in a bit. Just wanted to stop by and say all is well, feeling great.....or I was until today. I finally went and got a Black Card membership at PF and went today. Managed 3 miles on the treadmill, walking mostly but I was able to do a couple of intermittent jogs. Did some leg presses and then some ab killers....5 sets of 30 Russian Twists with a 10 lb medicine ball. My abs were on FIRE and I thought that would be the one I would regret but as it turns out, the leg presses were a bit too much, I can barely walk now and almost fell on my face a little while ago trying to go down the stairs. My legs are like jello. LMAO As much as I am hurting, I still feel awesome that I went and was able to do as well as I did. Other victories....Before surgery I was in a tight 46' jeans, I can now get into 40s but they're a bit tight so I'll stay in the loose 42s another week or so. Guy at the gym gave me a 3xl that I asked for but then he threw me a Large and said there's an extra one for you to set yourself a goal. Hell yeah!! Started on soft foods yesterday. I can tell it's going to be hard to get in the protein goals with just food so I guess i will keep some shakes handy. It wasn't so bad with the sleeve but with this revision, a spoonful of food fills me up. It's crazy. I make a bowl of scrambled eggs, mix in some unjury unflavored protein and just eat a bite every 10-15 minutes. Hope everyone is doing well. Best Wishes.
  6. I think you're still groggy from the meds....I think you mean Feet, not inches. lol
  7. JamesL73

    My Before and After Pics

    Misc. pics before and after my June 2015 VSG.
  8. I read a post on here a while back about a special suture that surgeon can do while doing a bariatric procedure, to prevent acid and bile re-flux. However, I cannot find that post again...does anyone happen to know the name of that stitch??

    1. FluffyChix

      FluffyChix

      R u still experiencing reflux after your MGB?

    2. JamesL73

      JamesL73

      No, thankfully, I was one of the lucky ones who actually got rid of bad reflux when I had my VSG back in '15 and haven't had it since, nor have I had any since the MGB revision. This question was actually prompted by a young lady who is very bummed out about having had a VSG and then a revision to MGB like me but she STILL has bad reflux. I remembered reading somewhere about a specific type of stitch that the well-trained surgeons do at the anastomosis during revision or even the original WLS that would prevent reflux. I have yet to find that post again though.

    3. FluffyChix

      FluffyChix

      Yeah, I vaguely remember that too, but can't remember it.

  9. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    I don't know if any of you have ever come across this site but OMG, I am so ready for real foods, I can't wait to try some of these. My mouth is watering and I am starving after looking through these dishes/recipes.... https://www.bariatriceating.com/bariatric-recipes.html
  10. Was 330 when I started my 2 week pre-op liquid diet. 301 on surgery day, as of today, 285.
  11. @Qbaby08 We're twins!! I had my revision with Dr Illan on 6/15 also. I was actually his first patient of the day. I only know of one other person from that day which was Clara, from Cali. We were driven across the border and back together. Not sure where you were hiding. 😉
  12. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    I used to have an article saved that explained the biological science behind weight loss stalls, unfortunately it was on my old phone that was deleted and I can't find it again. The gist of it was that, since we often go through times of rapid weight loss, and especially when it's visceral fat loss (the fat surrounding our organs), the body needs time to readjust things on the inside. It also must readjust the chemical links between body and brain to reset our metabolic rate, adjust to the new caloric intake, etc. So yes, stalls are not only inevitable but also vital to the body's health and wellbeing. Now, this also greatly depends on WHY you're stalled. If you know for a fact that you have followed your plan near perfect with very minimal to NO cheating, then it's a natural stall and likely nothing you do will help, just stick to your plan. If,however, you know there have been cheat days, or you've eaten larger portions than you should or you've been grazing on slider foods, etc...that's not a stall, that's you veering from your plan, go back to basics and get back on track. If you know it's a natural stall and has been for more than two weeks, there are some things you can try to jumpstart the weight loss again. One of the simplest is to change up routines like whatever exercise routine you're into, do something different. Don't keep doing the same routine day after day expecting the same results, your body gets used to it so you must trick the body. Another is to change up your caloric intake. Let's say your plan has you at 1000 calories a day. Try doing only 700 one day then 1200 the next, then 800, 1100....get it? Figure what your intake should be for a full week then divide it up into those 7 days, altering between low and high days. There are some more advanced things that work also but I don't reccomend them until you're a year or more post-op, like water fasts, OMAD, dry fasting, extended fasting..... For now though, until you're a year or more out. When you stall, give in a couple weeks for the body to make adjustments, if it doesn't go back to losing then try the two things I mentioned above. Don't let the scale get you depressed because we ALL know what happens when we're feeling down, we make poor decisions. When you first notice a stall, I suggest putting the scale up somewhere for at least a couple weeks, and simply go about your days following your plan. Good luck and keep your head up. Remember, you didn't gain all that weight over night, you're damn sure not going to lose it over night either. 😉
  13. JamesL73

    feeling cold..

    Fellow Texan here. Working out in West Texas oilfield right now. Sitting in a crane (with no a/c) in 100 degree plus weather and normally I'd be sweating my a55 off and threatening to quit, but now I am oddly comfortable. 😂
  14. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    Totally agree with Armoma45. Given the large number of people having various bariatric procedures these days, the number of those with any major complications is actually quite low. Granted, there are known cases of inexperienced surgeons doing botched operations but that's why you do your research on your surgical team beforehand. As for having a good support system, it's always better when you do but single folks like myself, with kids all grown and out on their own, we can usually manage on our own. Having kids, especially babies, I would imagine would be quite difficult with no help. It's definitely something you need to consider. You won't want to be picking them up and down for at least a week but more like two. Though it is a laparoscopic procedure, they're still cutting through your abdominal muscles for the 4-5 incisions and those will be hurting and need time to heal. Then there's the gas pain to deal with, although chasing after rugrats that gas should pass fairly quickly. 😄 I don't say all this to scare you into changing your mind, just giving the reality of it. I hope you can find someone to help with the kids for a couple weeks. Also, I saw you ask about stairs....they won't be a problem, if anything they'll probably be good for you. The biggest issue for the first week or two is sitting up in bed or other things that cause you to use your abdominal muscles. Good luck and wishing you all the best.
  15. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    9 days post and down another 4 pounds, so 9 lbs total since surgery, A pound a day is pretty dang good in my opinion. I've seen so many say how slow they lose after revision but I would say this is great, especially since I am doing no type of exercise yet. I can only hope it continues. Hope everyone else is doing good. And best wishes to those getting ready to go.
  16. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    LMAO, you crack me up !!! Thankfully, I have never had to have one in my life.
  17. It is very clean and the staff go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need and are kept comfortable. I think my only complaint would be in the mornings the city/county....whatever it's called there, they open some valves underground to flush the sewage and the smell comes up through the drains everywhere, not just the hospital but all businesses and homes. However, Antonio is always on top of it by running water and spraying Lysol everywhere. I didn't notice it in the hotel though but that's probably because I was up a couple floors. ?? For the low cost though, it's definitely worth a bit of funky smell in the morning for a couple days. 🙂 Oh, and the hospital rooms have netflix so I was like right at home. LOL
  18. Went great. Had barely any gas to walk off, just minor abdominal pain and even that is now just a slight discomfort. Just hit full liquid stage so still curious to see what I can and can't tolerate. I do know the Mio water flavorings I loved before are now very sweet.
  19. One week post-revision, down 5 lbs since surgery day.....which puts me back under 300. VICTORY!!! Still a ways to go but I'll take every little win I can get. Feeling great other than minor abdominal discomfort.

    1. ARMoma45

      ARMoma45

      That's awesome....keep up the great work :)

  20. JamesL73

    feeling cold..

    Very common. I went from keeping my thermostat at about 62 F up to around 80.
  21. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    Back to work for me today. Mostly just sitting in my pickup but every couple hours have to go climb into my crane to make a lift. I'm really wishing I could have afforded to take another week or two. My abs feel like I just did a few hundred sit ups. ☹
  22. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    Below each post you should see a white box that says "Quote", click that to reply to the full message...or you can highlight just a specific portion as I did from your post and a box will appear that says "Quote Selection", click that then reply. Orrrr, if you are wanting to reply to a person privately, simply go to their profile and send them a private message. Hope that helps. 🙂
  23. JamesL73

    June 2019 Surgery Siblings!

    I have said this many times and it should be a pinned post somewhere....You are detoxing from Carbohydrates and you will feel like crap for approximately 2 weeks. Once your body recognizes that the carb storage has been depleted, you will then go into ketosis and start burning body fat for energy. You will begin to feel much better, most likely better than when you were eating tons of carbs. This is also why it is important to keep up with your protein intake, so you don't start to lose lean muscle mass. Feel free to google "Keto Flu". Hang in there, you'll get through it. Keep drinking water and protein and if you're getting headaches, replenish your electrolytes. I drink some pedialyte from time to time.
  24. 5 days post-op revision from VSG to MGB. Back home, feeling great. No more gas pain. Only minor discomfort in the abdominals, rather like after having done a bunch of sit-ups. Definitely don't feel like eating anything. Don't even have the boredom hunger like I had before. Fluids are going down ok though so that's good. Going back to work tomorrow. Wish me luck.

    1. FluffyChix

      FluffyChix

      Yay congrats!

    2. GreenTealael

      GreenTealael

      💜 Get Well Soon 💜

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