Oliver's Mom

My husband was on vacation last week (I'm retired.) We had a friend here visiting from Indiana. We ate out every night, breakfast out at least 3 times too. We went to a Red sox game, partook of all of the July 4th celebrations in town. Weather was in the 90's the whole time.
My NSV's - no weight gain at all! I know that I did not exercise as much as I have been.
- being able to comfortably walk around town for all the festivities
- being comfortable in the seats at Fenway - room to spare actually!!
- having so much energy that folks were trying to keep up with me this year!!
I made sure I got in all of my Water - averaged about 90+oz a day. Continued to track on MFP, only 2 days I went over my 1200-by less than 60 calories.
I feel like this was a good test for me - I know I can do this for life.
I must say these last 11 pounds are stubborn, losing just oz at a time. But it will happen, for all of us December Sleevers!!

My husband was on vacation last week (I'm retired.) We had a friend here visiting from Indiana. We ate out every night, breakfast out at least 3 times too. We went to a Red sox game, partook of all of the July 4th celebrations in town. Weather was in the 90's the whole time.
My NSV's - no weight gain at all! I know that I did not exercise as much as I have been.
- being able to comfortably walk around town for all the festivities
- being comfortable in the seats at Fenway - room to spare actually!!
- having so much energy that folks were trying to keep up with me this year!!
I made sure I got in all of my Water - averaged about 90+oz a day. Continued to track on MFP, only 2 days I went over my 1200-by less than 60 calories.
I feel like this was a good test for me - I know I can do this for life.
I must say these last 11 pounds are stubborn, losing just oz at a time. But it will happen, for all of us December Sleevers!!

Sounds like your life has a 'full plate' of stress - try not to translate that to a real 'full plate' of food. It's hard not to fall back on our old habits when outside stressors are pushing.
You have already lost 105 lbs so you know you CAN do this. Laura is right get the crappy food out of your house. Get back to basics. Be kind to yourself, don't beat yourself up - this is just a bump in the road.
We all care and there isn't one of us who hasn't responded to stress with poor food choices. We are here for you.
One step at a time, and they can be baby steps - is how you will get back on track. Pick one thing (Water for example) and commit to getting in your 64 oz.
Stress - that's tough to deal with. Everyone has their own way to deal without food. But through it all remember to breathe. My way now to deal with stress is to take my dogs outside (I have 3 small dogs) either in the yard and toss a ball around for them for a while, or leash them up and take them for a walk. For me just being outside and moving a little, plus seeing the antics of my dogs calms me down.
Good luck sweetie, we care, we truly do. And we are on your team, rooting your on, knowing you can do this.

Very well said! Kudos to you!!

I have reached my goal and am in top shape. I am above average in strength and endurance for a man of 64 years as attested to by the 20-30 year olds I work with shoveling dirt and wheelbarrowing in the hot and humid Florida summer. If I try on clothes now I am making sure they are not too big instead of making sure they are not too small. I am set in cement on my resolve to remain in shape and train like an athlete for the rest of my life. The fat shall never make a comeback.

Weight obsession took up a great deal of my attention. It demanded and received it because of the health drain that it was on me physically and emotionally. The enemy has been conquered but my body requires a garrison to be situated to guard against an insurrection. Peace is only sustained through diligent observation. I will continue to observe my exercise and diet but not obsess. I don't obsess about brushing my teeth but I do it several times a day. My time on this forum is also a part of that diligence.

Isn't freedom what we are wanting through all of this? Free to move with ease, free to breath normally, free to wear what we want, free to look attractive, freedom from self-consciousness, free to have confidence, and most of all, freedom from obsession about weight. Now we can go about life's other aspects: love, God, family, work, fun, fulfillment of dreams,... exploring our hidden potentials and turning them into actuated realities. We can fill up the space formerly occupied by weight obsession with life itself.

So in the end weight loss is not an end in itself, it is one leg of a journey to the goal of freedom to live out our humanity to the maximum.

I started my journey back in January and lost 45 lbs pre op. I have lost 16lbs at 2 weeks post op and for the first time in 7 years I wore my wedding ring!!!! I was so happy that it fit again. I am looking forward to it getting too big!

It does get a little harder as time goes by huh?
I know that like me you have battled with the addictive quality of food.
Remember that book I gave you? It sounds like you are in thick of it with trigger foods
It's so hard to break it off once you start back up again. I just came back from vacation where my eating has been less than stellar and I'm having a tough time kicking the Snacks..
But the bottom line is we have to keep fighting this.
Might I suggest getting the crap out of the house?
Tomorrow make a commitment to get your Water.
I use a 32oz bottle and make sure I get at least two of those a day.

I was sleeved December 3rd, 2012. It's 5 months today!! I am 59 yo - and only 16 lbs from goal!! You can do it, just follow your medical team's plan. You might hit stalls, but keep to the plan and the weight comes off. Good luck

Great job Tink!!! You look beautiful. Nice results from all of your hard work.

Wow! You look great - not 'just' 55b lbs. 55 lbs is a lot, be proud of that. AND your body shape has changed so much. Good going. Going to the gym will be helpful too!!
Looking great!!

Yay for you!!! I do the same thing!! I didn't go buy one, but I use a salad plate or when I was early out, I even used a little bread and butter plate!! A lot of this is in our minds!! I also eat with a seafood fork here at the house, almost all the time. I have a little one cup Martha Stewart bowl that holds ONE cup if full to the very top. I can eat out of this too some times. I too use to have the 'clean your plate' syndrome. A terrible disease, isn't it? I made it a POINT to start leaving a bite or two on my plate in the beginning, and I still do it pretty often. I don't know if you were at the support group where I told about a very exciting non scale victory......we made home made pizza, just the two of us to eat it, but it sounded good. I ate my little portion, one small slice and half of another. My husband ate 4 pieces and knowing how high in calories pizza is.....I put the left overs, 3.5 pieces, in baggies in the frig for Curt to take in his lunch. He saw me and said he did not want to take it, he didn't need it. So I opened the frig and did something that I've NEVER done in my life, I threw perfectly good pizza in the trash. I know this sounds crazy, but it was a real life changing, ah ha, moment for me!!! Throwing it away felt better than the darn thing tasted!!! I wanted to shout it from the roof tops!! Our way of thinking DOES change.....but it takes a while and many times, it still doesn't come naturally, but boy does it feel good! I still have the clean plate thing lurking, but I fight it!

I completely agree with Don, smaller plates, smaller portions. I grew up having to clear my plate and that habit stuck. Before surgery I invested in small forks/spoons (I found small silver ones on amazon) and a bunch of 4oz. tupperware type containers to portion out my food for home and if I take lunch to the office. I always eat on a smaller plate (salad plate) now and only take 4oz. at a time. I can clean my plate, be completely full and not waste anything. Eating out may be more challenging, ask for a side plate and put a portion on that and eat. The rest take home.
You can work the problem, it doesn't have to control your success.

It's an answer - one of my answers to this problem is "get a smaller plate". Not kidding here, I bought baby plates at support group a couple months ago and put my Protein in one of of the smaller sections, whatever veg in the other smaller section, and leave the largest section empty.
Oh and get baby utensils. i may look ridiculous using baby plates and baby utensils but i looked far more ridiculous at 416 lbs loading up my third plate at the Breakfast buffet.

I was discharged on full liquids which included shakes for me.
Get yourself some Isopure RTD - that's considered a clear and has comparable Protein to any of the shakes.

You look great - very cute suit!

And my plan ignores calories at this stage (and does so for 2 months!). Focus is on liquid and Protein intake till all is well healed. Then we will shift to the meal plans and caloric intake... Remember, our new stomach is forever so there is no rush!

I just got a new swim suit (size 14). feeling happy enough to share. Give me some "likes" for my bravery
before pic


swimsuit pics:

I, like Sassygirl, eat my Protein first. I'm 6 months out and continue to weigh my portions of meat/fish. If I still have room I eat veggies (there are naturally occurring carbs in fruits & veggies). I by choice don't eat bread, Pasta, rice. Since I have always had a gluten sensitivity it's easy for me not to eat that. I do eat 2 fruit servings every day as Snacks. I feel like I eat a 'normal' diet - so much so that when we're out to dinner with friends (who do not know I had surgery) I don't 'stick out' with the way I eat.
Example: I'll order a small salad, dressing on the side. Eat some, take the rest home. I'll order fish or chicken with veggies (no rice or potato) eat some, take the rest home. I sip Water before the meal but stop before I eat and don't drink during or for 30 minutes after I eat. I don't eat the bread at the table. I leave full & happy and with food for lunch or my dogs the next day!
My NUT stresses eating a balanced diet which includes fruits & veggies. Good luck, you will find your 'normal' and still lose weight.

A year ago today, I made the post important decision of my life, to have weight loss surgery. Some of you may already know this, some of you may have figured it out or some of you had no idea.

I have battled with my weight my entire life and tried many diets, my first one being at age 12, Jenny Craig. Each diet came with just a bit of success. The only one I really succeeded in was Sure Slim back in the mid 2000's. With that one, I lost 25kg in a year and felt great. Unfortunately that was short lived and I regained that weight...plus more.

In my late teens, I went and saw Prof Paul O'Brien to discuss lap band surgery, which I had seen on a current affairs program. I went for the consult and never went back. I was young and scared and chickened out. In the mid 2000's, I went to see another Geelong surgeon to again discuss the band. And again, I chickened out.

Fast forward to November 2011 and I saw another Geelong surgeon to discuss the lap band, except he suggested to me a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy or the sleeve. I really didn't fancy this option as it involves cutting away 2/3 of the stomach and it's gone forever. I still wanted the band as cutting away stomach is so drastic...and permanent. I went away to think about things and research more about the sleeve. I only knew of one other person who had the sleeve, my friend in Perth.

In the meantime, I had to have a sleep study, even though I didn't commit to the surgery, as I didn't know I wanted to go ahead with it. I also saw a nurse and dietician to discuss the procedure in more detail and to see if I was ready for surgery.

I went back to see the surgeon in February and booked a tentative date for March. That rolled around but I still wasn't quite ready and cancelled that. Went and saw my surgeon to just talk things over and I guess for him to reassure me, so once again I booked a new date for 26 June 2012.

And the rest they say, is history.

The surgery only took 1½ hours and it was uneventful and there were no leaks or other complications.

I spent 2 nights in hospital and was discharged home in no pain, well, the only bit of pain I had was from one of the port site wounds, the one from where my excess stomach was pulled out from...ouch.

For the first 2 weeks following surgery, I could only have liquids, so Water, Soups etc. Initially I could only manage 2-3tbs of Soup. I was allowed to have water throughout the day to keep my fluids up. It was a big adjustment, going from a massive meal to something so small as a few tbs at a time. Some mouthfuls were very uncomfortable and I had pain.

The next 2 weeks was pureed food, the consistency of which could be sucked through a straw. Then 2 weeks later, I was allowed soft foods before another 2 weeks before I could tolerate a normal diet.

Even to this day, it's still a learning curve. There are a few rules to follow, which I sometimes break (hey, no one is perfect!). The main one is food and drink...I can't do both. I stop drinking 30 minutes before a meal then start drinking 30 minutes after a meal. If I drink during the meal, it pushes the food through too easily and it'll make me eat more, something that I don't want to do. My meal capacity is around ½ a cup. Not much is it?

Now, the all important numbers.

I had to do Optifast for 2 weeks pre op. My start weight was 128.1kg and in that 2 weeks, I managed to lose 4.6kg, making my start weight on the day of surgery 123.5kg.

As of yesterday, my weight was 75.9kg, a total loss in 12 months of 52.2kg. I need to lose another 7.8kg to get to my goal weight of 68kg, which both my GP and my surgeon agree with this number.

So what now? Going to see a dietician in the coming weeks to get some advice on how to stop losing weight. I have a fair idea, but just want reassurance and to ensure I’m doing the right things.

Due to the rapid weight loss, I’ve developed quite a fair amount of excess skin, which I plan to have removed in June 2014, as my surgeon has recommended I wait a year before considering this. I’m going to consult with a few plastic surgeons in Geelong just to get opinions on what can be done and how much it’ll cost me…apart from a lot. Here’s hoping I win the Lotto…or rob a bank…or find a sugar daddy to fund this for me LOL.

So there you have it, my year. Feel free to ask any questions. I’ll try and answer them as best I can.

I’ll be adding some before photos as well as some progress photos in the coming days…stay tuned.

Kevin holy moly dude
you look great in your picture
so does the cutie in the yellow shirt
great job!!!
keep it up (or should i say down ) for the rest of your healthier, happier, longer life!!!

kathy

I started walking about 20 miles a week and now I'm running 20 miles a week.Lots of gym time but now i just enjoy running.

Saw my PCP yesterday and she discontinued my last blood pressure medication AND told me to cut the only remaining medication (for cholesterol) in half. I'm having blood work done in 5 weeks and she feels confident that she'll be calling me to discontinue that medication too! I am so happy. I don't think my feet touched the floor n my way out of the office I was flying!!
The weight loss is great but the improved (read that resolved) medical issues are even better.

You look amazing! This is just the 'pep talk' I needed today. Thank you. The scale has not budged for a while now, and you can get discouraged. I am eating the right things and exercising so in my head I know it will continue to come off BUT discouragement breeds frustration breeds feeling bad......we all know how that can go.
But your post has me re-committed to just keep doing what I'm doing. Again thank you.

Saw my PCP yesterday and she discontinued my last blood pressure medication AND told me to cut the only remaining medication (for cholesterol) in half. I'm having blood work done in 5 weeks and she feels confident that she'll be calling me to discontinue that medication too! I am so happy. I don't think my feet touched the floor n my way out of the office I was flying!!
The weight loss is great but the improved (read that resolved) medical issues are even better.

I had a similar situation about the same time, I HAD to go out to attend a wake and didn't want to be anxious or have to race to a bathroom so I did take an Immodium and it helped and I was fine after that. Good luck.