Pattyhdz

We could use some smiles around here. They're calorie and fat free .
Today begins the wooden boat festival here in port Townsend and this is the view I see outside my windows. Normally we are among the fray, having a wonderful time, but this year I mist take life easier so I just enjoy the view.
What's making you smile today?
Dawn

You can check out my signature below to see how I am doing...pretty good I think! I have not been able to start any exercise yet (I had PLANNED on walking daily as well as a free areobics class offered at my school) - but I have a very bad knee! I had hoped the weight loss would have helped improved this problem, but I was dancing in the sand at the beach in June, and reinjured an already bonky knee. I have already had surgery on it once - and it is very frustrating. I am going to go to the doctor this week - hope to get some relief!
Anyway - at 2 months out, I pretty much CAN eat whatever I want, so there is definetly the need for making good choices. I am back at work now - (I am a teacher) - and the regular schedule is helpful. I try to get my prottein in, and limit my carbs! A typical day for me is a greek yogurt for Breakfast (15g protein), a tuna kit for lunch with only 3 of the crackers (19g protein), a string cheese for snack (4g protein), then Protein and veggie for dinner....I am loving Boarshead Bratwurst (18g protein) or Turrkey meatballs. I also LOVE shrimp and fish - so I have a lot of choices.....
Going out is still a little of a challenge - my family went to a chinese buffet - and I ate some chicken and broccoli, a few spicy shrimp and one crab ragoon. ABout 4-5 oz total......I was stuffed! WAY different that what I used to eat! Had about 1/3 of an omelet at Ihop the other day - the spinach, mushroom cheese one - yummy! My friend ate the rest!
I DO struggle to get liquids in - and I make myself drink at least ONE G2 gatorade each day - I think that helps. I take a sublingual b12 once a day and a Multivitamin.....I sometimes forget, but do good most of the time.
I started this journey in tight 22/24 clothes - I am now in an 18. This weekend I cleaned out my closet - and it was amazing to try on some old favorites and have them HANG on me. New underwear are in my future! I have lost over 27 inches all around (neck, waist, thighs, arms) and am looking forward to more.
This surgery can seem so sureal. I never imagined I would wear an 18 again. I did not think it would work for me. I am making good food choices and I am ot starving. I feel good (except for the dang knee) and am so glad I chose this for myself. Prior to the surgery, I would get on this forum and read everyone's experiences - so I wanted to make sure and add mine. I am not on here near as much as before due to work - but if anyone has any questions - I will answer them as I check back in.
God Bless!

so, i started this journey with my preop diet on April 1, 2012. at 5'6" i weighed in at 373. i got my sleeve on june 4, 2012. now, on september 1, i am still only 5'6" but now i weigh in at 258. i decided to Celebrate by sharing a before and after (during, since i'm not at goal yet) photo. my beautiful wife is a non-op, but is so supportive of me that she has lost 54 pounds by eating with me, and excercising with me.
also, to share my favorite nsv so far. i was able to join my cross country running son in a 5k, the second picture is me getting ready to cross the finish line at 49 min 20 seconds.
life is good, just wanted to share.

I'm sorry if this comes off as a brag post but I'm just so dang excited!
I came across a picture of myself from last Christmas (only 8 months ago!) that blew my mind. I don't remember EVER looking like that! Here's that picture along with one I took this past weekend. Please excuse my deranged smile, I was excited that that shirt fit me. Haha. -137 pounds!

Vsg was worse. Child birth- I was pain free in 24 hrs. Vsg pain lasted 2 weeks for me.

I had my surgery on June 5th. I still have far to go but I feel light years from where I started & I feel great. The first photo is of me in Dec 2011, & the other 2 are from yesterday, approx 61 lbs down from my highest weight.

Hi everyone I did great with my surgery. It only took 1.5 hours for the whole procedure no problems with scar tissue after having my band 10 years to God be the glory.

My name is Natalee from Birmingham, Al. I was banded May 2008 and lost almost 100 lbs within a year and a half! Everything was fine but then lost my insurance and was unable to have a fill for 2 1/2 years! But during that time due to family stress gained 80lbs back!
Recently I went to a doc in the box because I was constantly nauseous and sick. Doc said it could be related to my band but I told her it couldn't be! Sure enough, went to Dr. Touliatos at Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham and the band had started to erode!! So he said it had to come out and he recommended have the sleeve at the same time since I'm still morbidly obese. Within a week the insurance had approved the surgery and I'm getting sleeved on August 17!! I'm nervous of course but ready to have this horrible band taken out!!!
Starting the Pre-Op diet tomorrow and counting down the days!!

I am cookeeeeez coz the funniest (or only one I didn't cry over) time a bunch of kids in car drive past screaming "COOKIE MONSTER"....
I was like, hmmmmm I doooo like cookies!!!! Lol
But I'd like the occasional wolf whistle one day

Although I have not had surgery yet, I am an old OR nurse & can tell you having an abdominal binder post-op will help with pain, deep- breathing and coughing. If you wait to let the hospital supply you with one, you will likely see it cost $50 or more on your hospital bill.
Depending on your size, you might try looking at Babies-R-Us or similar stores for post-partum binders. I found one yesterday that fit me & was only $19.99!

I still consider myself a success story. I had my surgery two years ago (7/13/2010) and I have maintained a weight loss of about 120 pounds. I look and feel better than I have in my entire adult life. I am writing today because I want to keep it a success story while I still can.
Here's the thing. I went to my surgeon for a check up yesterday and his first words were, "OK, now it's your be careful time." I gained 2 pounds since my check-up last year. His concern is that once the weight loss stops, your body re-sets itself to a new equilibrium and it is easy to re-gain weight.
Am I surprised that I gained weight? Hell no. I am surprised that I didn't gain more. For a long time time, I've been cheating like hell in what I have been eating - Cookies, candy, chips, pretzels, etc. -- all the stuff I have always loved. Why did I do it? Because I could, that's why. I have been able to eat those things, albeit in smaller portions than I used to, and I have felt some joy and excitement because I have felt like I was getting away with something. I wasn't eating because I was hungry, I was eating because I felt like it was a challenge to see what I could eat. How messed up is that? I either kept losing weight or didn't gain anything, so it really did feel like I getting something over on someone (Who? Beats me.) My first thought when I saw the gain of 2 lbs was, "No big deal, what's 2 lbs when I have lost 118?" But then I started to think, every bit of weight I ever put on came in 1 or 2 pound increments and it really started to scar the cr*p out of me. I will not go down that road again. I have come too far and gone through too much to allow myself to do that to myself again. One of the main reasons I had this surgery is that I felt that even if I could lose weight with diet and exercise (highly unlikely), I just could not go through all that hard work just to have it come back. Even knowing that, I have continued to sabotage myself. Man, the power that food has in my life is really amazing.
Anyway. I am writing probably more for myself than for others. I needed to admit these things and to make myself accountable so that I don't screw up one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Just wanted to put this out there and to remind everyone -- "Let's be careful out there."
Thanks for listening.
Brian

It's funny how each surgeon has different requirements. Mine, like someone else who posted, said I'd be virtually food free for 5weeks postoperative. It goes through stages and starts with clear liquid ending with soft food. Each stage lasting a week or longer if not tolerated well. Also, No RED meats for 1year.and no BREAD like EVER. Makes me wonder how much is medical fact and how much is opinion. I'm getting nervous and go tomorrow to possibly get my date.
I look forward to eating a variety like you! Good luck , it sounds like you're doing wonderfully.

I am 4 weeks out from lapband to sleeve revision I am starting to try different regular foods. I get full after only 2-3 bites . I get nauseus often. It's hard to get used to eating real food after almost 5 years with the lap band.and a diet of crackers and ice cream. Even though I can only eat very small amounts. It feels great to be able to eat real food

I have thick skin - so what some people may consider "negative" comments don't bother me
If you look at what I actually consumed in the 2 days there, it isn't bad...
I DESCRIBED alot of food, but what went into my mouth was:
ONE crispy corn taco with about an ounce of finely ground (not greasy) beef and an ounce of shredded cheese and one bite of a bean and cheese nacho.
ONE meatball (2-3 oz) that unfortunately had some bread mixed into it (I did not eat ANY of the noodles or saurkraut)
About 3 oz of Quiche made from eggs, cheese, spinach, carrots and tomato - none of the crust
1 and a half of the egg roll ruebens that equaled about 3-4 oz.
I drank lots of Water.
I walk A LOT!
I lost 2 pounds.
The point of my post was to show actual, real food I had to make decisions about - and I am happy with.
My surgery date was July 2nd - I am free and clear on my diet. I have not thrown up once, had any nausea after the 3rd day post - op, and have healed wonderfully.
I have had zero pain - but can feel a cramping like sensation when I am full.
I am extremely thankful for this board, and I welcome any/all questions. It has been a life saver for me - literally! I would not have had the surgery without it.

I was perusing the health and fitness boards at Pinterest.com tonight, and I found a link to this Weight Loss Simulator.
It lets you plug in your current weight and your goal weight. It works best if you use the advanced settings to customize things like height, and you can even make the virtual girl look more like you. You have to change the height to really get a simulation close to your real body size.
What I found fascinating was playing around with the goal weight, so I could see how much or how little difference 5 pounds would make. For instance, I didn't see very much difference between my model at 170 to 160, but when I lowered 160 to 155, it was a huge difference.
For the women: http://api.modelmydiet.com/eywomen
For the men: http://api.modelmydiet.com/eymen

started at 31 low enough?
Post op 3.5 months now, my BMI is at 23.8.

Hi friends, I just had to post some vegas vacation photos. I haven't taken photos that I was happy about in years so here I go. What a difference from my "fat days"

I hate the tickers (just for me and how they have to be done -- I do like seeing them on others' posts!!) so I keep my sig info up to date. I don't post pics really cos I hate posting my picture on the internet or doing other things that reveal IRL info.
That all said, most of the relevant info is in my sig, and I'm always happy to answer questions. I didn't start working out till 9 months post-op (personal reasons for that) and have been working out three days a week since then, plus I walk everywhere wear I live, including to/from work every day. I do 30 mins elliptical and another 20-30 mins on the weight machines, abs, etc., three times per week.
I lost most of the weight by the first year and haven't lost much since then, but my body continues to reshape itself. I think I will probably lose another 5kg in total this year and that will be just dandy.

I live in San Diego so I live 10 minutes away from the border. I am Mexican and travel to Tijuana a lot so know my way around Tijuana.

So here are some photos almost exactly 1 year apart. ( I hope I can get them on here LOL)
The first is me before surgery and then about 8 weeks after. The other two were taken last week, 13 months post op.

Heading to the hospital now! Good luck everyone! Save me a seat on the bench!

New mini, if I can do this you can. Ay 61 I finally decided enough. I am in really good health and want to stay that way as long as I can. The weight was starting to cause me knee and back problems. So I just did it. The hardest part is trying to get your mind to behave. We will not starve... I promise. I am on the post op side now and so very thankful. Can't wait to be into my other smaller clothes that I have hanging in the closet!
Sent from my iPad using VST

Is Prilosec to big to swallow 10 days post op. cuz I tell you Pepcid is not cutting over here. And oh gosh I hope mine not permanent. And thank you!!!!!!! Webchick your awesome for taking time to share with us

I see many posts from folks asking for opinions on telling co-workers. I wish to share my story in hopes it will give you your answer.
While at work Tuesday (2 weeks post op) I had an episode. My BP droped and I passed out. Now keep in mind I just had my follow up Monday and all was good. This drop was a result of my weight loss and meds adjusting. My body needed to be off meds before we thought, a good thing, but a hard way of telling me. Anyway, point is, my co-workers knew my situation and were able to pass this info on to the ER. If they would not have, who knows what path the ER docs would have taken to wake me up? The doc said he had seen this before and can appear on the surface to be a suizure, heart issue or stroke. The treatment I needed is VASTLY different from the above needed treatments. Knowing what they knew they knew to check for leaks.
I was discharged today and doing great. Off all meds and hoping all is well from here.
Please tell those around you what's up, you never know.
Do I regret my surgery? Absolutely not. I wish my journey was smother but no journey is easy.
But please heed my message, bring those that my have to answer questions,when you can not into the loop. Your life may depend on it.

Everyone is doing great. I am 4 weeks out and down 18 pounds and I lost 4 pounds the week before surgery. I guess that means I have lost 14 pounds since my sleeve. I am excited because I have never lost 14 pounds in a month. Yeah for the sleeve!!!