Roo101769

"Protein makes you fat".....when it is breaded and deep fried.

I find this subject pretty amazing really. Right now I am in between worlds in a way. I am a WLS, sleeved person who has lost 90lbs so far. But I am also 225lbs and still classified as morbidly obese. Therefore I can sort of see both sides of the coin. For being fat I do not wish to be judged or have anyone treat me poorly due to my size. Of course my size now is actually much closer to "normal" than I was to begin with. ( since society as a whole is much larger) Yet I am one who does judge those who are killing their selves with food. There is am obese couple in my hometown that go around on scooters. Each of them have to be 350lbs +. What I have a horrible time with is watching them, on their scooters, going to fast food restaurants! It literally makes me sort of sick to my stomach thinking "there, but for the Grace of God" .... It could be me had I not cared enough about myself to do SOMETHING! Fat acceptance to me should not be saying it is ok to overindulge, make yourself critically ill, then depend on society to get you though your health crisis. It should be about making healthy food easier to obtain by EVERYONE. ( low income families do struggle to eat right due to the higher cost of "healthy" food) I understand fast food is convenient, it would be awesome if healthy food was just as easy to pick up on the go!! ( more healthy food chains) And we should not treat obese people as 2nd class citizens or worse. At the same time, fat folks need to understand what their weight is truly doing to their bodies. It isn't a life choice, it's an excuse. And deciding to do what is best for yourself is not weak or hateful of others, it is just loving yourself enough to make your life a priority.

I always said I would have photos of me and my daughter together, because I have very few of my own mother. My mom HATED her picture taken. She would very rarely be in them, and mostly only candid shots taken before she could object. When she died I scrambled to find all the pictures I could of her, and there wasn't many. Therefore I always said I would do better by my own daughter, because once we are gone that is one of the only thing left for our survivors. I know I don't care how my mom looked in pictures, all I see is the mom I love and miss. Yet I have found that I too have problems being in the picture. I am hyper critical of my appearance, especially being morbidly obese. In the past five years we have had our pictures taken together twice. Well this weekend we had another round of pictures done. So far I have only received one sneak peek, but I am super thrilled with it. I am only half way to goal right now, but the pictures show such a difference. I love this shot and can only hope the rest are as good! Thought I would share...

I would tell myself "you may think you are ready, but you aren't". I thought I knew it all, did my research. And I did. What I didn't realize was how emotional this would be. Silly me. I also would go with that whole maximize the early months of restrictions. ( I didn't enough) Oh...and the "don't try it, not even one bite." I made that mistake. Was doing great, no problems with cravings. Then I did what most addicts do that leads to their downfall, I thought "I can have one (bite)".. I have been fighting my demons and the carb junky monkey on my back ever since. Once you get your body into ketosis through the liquid phase and the early stages post op, keep it going. Don't throw away all that hard work for just one bite. Literally that was all it took. But I would also say "self- glad you did it." I only wish I had taken this road years ago, instead of waiting as long as I did.

Hello. I am almost at 8 mos. and I have been stuck at 226 lbs for a while. My loss is VERY slow lately. ( I have only dropped about 9 bs in the past month and a half) I too have been snacking too much and I have also ate a few too many "sliders". Not going to blame anyone but myself. I am trying a different approach. It is only the second day, so I will see how it goes. I am trying to get back on track with diet and get moving more. Not giving up, but it is a bit frustrating. The "honeymoon" is over by the looks of it. Now time to really dig deep and work it out!

I have a daughter with someone who fits the classic definition of sociopath so I get it. I also have a nephew who was diagnosed with a general mental health disorder officially, but many thought was actually a sociopath. ( he too fits the definition) So I have come to spot them a bit easier than others may.

Heaven's Gate prophet Marshall Applewhite (Do), drinking the Kool Aid with Jim Jones, and your "friend" in fat acceptance. They are all the same type people. Mentally unbalanced, sociopaths / psychopaths that appear intelligent. Therefore, their arguments MUST be correct as they use big words and are passionate in their delivery. We all know from history that these charismatic preachers are nothing but suicidal, delusional, mentally disturbed people who need an audience to hold them up. The end result is never a good thing. It is best you have found out who she really is before her beliefs had a chance to ruin your life. Cut all ties. Ignore her rantings. Eventually this prophet of fat acceptance will find another way to spout her message to any naïve person who too is struggling with their weight issues. It is sad these people exist in the world, but they do. You just must find your own way without their insanity.

I have to say I tweaked an existing Pasta salad recipe to make this. I also did not measure a lot of things, just kind of winged it... I also made what is probably considered a "double batch" as it was for a carry in. It is DELICIOUS!!!! Cook 1 box quinoa ( 2 cups) according to direction. Allow to cool While quinoa cools dice 1 English cucumber, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red onion and quarter cherry tomatoes. ( I used a small box of them) You also need kalamata olives, I purchased already cut. (drain) All of these ingredients were added to taste. I used about 2/3 jar of olives, and the entire amounts of the rest of items. Add all to cooled quinoa and mix. Dressing- I used about 1/2 cup total of light ( or FF) Italian dressing, extra virgin olive oil ( about 2-3 tablespoons) and the juice of one lemon. Again, dress salad to taste. Salt and pepper to taste, stir. Add approx. 1/2 cup FF feta cheese and toss. Even though the recipe is pretty loose, with more ingredients to taste instead of measured, the end result is amazing. Flavorful, healthy and great for summer picnics or carry ins! (not mayo based so won't spoil as quickly) Hope you try it for yourself!

Looking good! I am almost at 8 mos. and I understand the stall and how you feel. My HW was 316lbs. My surgery weight 283 and right now I weigh 226lbs. I have only lost about 10 lbs in the past two months combined! Ugh!!! But not giving up, just have to figure it out and fix it. I am not done, not yet. Best of luck to you...

Reaching goal would first mean tears, probably lots of them. I think part of my current "dilemma" with losing (and being committed to the process) has a lot to do with not being able to see myself at goal. So if I get there I will most likely be very emotional. After that IDK. I know pictures with my daughter. I have struggled to make sure I have pictures with her. My own mother hated her picture taken because she was obese. She died in 2003 and I deeply cherish each and every photo I have of her and wish there were more. I don't see her fat, I just see my mom. So I have always told myself I refuse to do that to my daughter. I promised I would always have pictures with her. But that promise has been hard to meet since I haven't been able to look at myself in photos. Even now I look for the flaws instead of what is good. Yet I am trying. So more pictures with my baby would certainly be a must. ( even if I DON'T reach goal it is a must) After that making memories with her. I want her to have a lifetime of love and happy memories of all we did together. When I am gone I don't want her to just remember a mom who sat out of life because she was too heavy to do anything. Nope. Even now, half way to goal, I am doing what I can with her. I am an older mom ( had her when I was 39) and I am a single mom. It is already hard to keep up with her as I get older, but thank GOD I am getting healthier! ( it certainly helps) So any other reward or gift to myself would be just stuff..( which "stuff" can be very good-don't get me wrong) I just want to be happy and to make my kid happy. Is that kind of a lofty goal??? LOL

Yes...and no. I started much higher than you. My surgery day weight on 10/21 was 283. ( my highest weight was 316) I have been hovering around 226 for weeks now. I was hoping to break the 100lb down barrier soon, but my body is not cooperating. Of course I am to blame as much as anything for that. My diet has not been what it should be, and I could use more exercise. That being said I am doing more than I had been, but seriously need to get a grip on food. ( I struggle, but try each day) I am not gaining, thank GOD. But I know my slow loss is at least 98% my doing. ( I do have PCOS which might account for some slowness too) Anyway, I am not giving up. Even though I haven't been in the 220s in about 16-17 years, I don't want this to be it. I am still obese. I would very much like to reach goal. But if that doesn't happen I would at least like to get down to the 160s. After all these years that would probably seem extremely skinny to me! ( I have not been in the 160s since I was in my early 20s. Only time will tell what my body does, but I won't give up.

I meant to say the day I came home from the hospital in the above post...LOL Can you tell it is Friday afternoon?

Not only did I have to do most everything alone, I have a five year old who I am the single mother of! Now I will admit the day I came home from work my nephew and his wife hung out and helped me a bit, but after that I was on my own. My daughter stayed with a sitter for a couple days after I came home. ( I was released on a Wednesday late afternoon and I picked her up Friday around 5pm) I wasn't supposed to drive, but I had no choice. I have TWO larger sized dogs but fortunately I can let them out in the yard to do their business. It was tough, yes. But not impossible. I was back at work 9 days post op. Wish things had been different, but thems the breaks. I did what I had to do and I survived. Good luck to you!!!

I have posted on this topic MANY times. I had VERY thin hair for years. In my profile pic I was already rocking the Topik hair fibers. Post op yes, things got a lot worse. ( I have several things working against me in regards to hair loss) All of my post op pics are of me wearing a wig. Yes, I went the full wig route. It wasn't so much of a choice but necessity. Anyway, I took a while to adjust to it mentally because it is a hard thing. But I will tell you I would rather have the body I am working on now than the hair I had then. ( and the style is WAY cuter than my real hair was!)

I may have cracked this nut!! I am a HUGE iced coffee fan in the summer time. I have been seeing commercials advertising those yummy beverages and have been really depressed I can't ( or should I say should not) indulge! So at home for lunch today I decided to take matters into my own hands and by George I think I've got it!!! I have a Keurig coffee maker and when I had my surgery I got a variety pack of K cup decaf coffee. I am not a huge dark / bold roast lover so I still have a few of those floating around. I popped one into the Keurig and brewed a tall cup. To it I added some stevia, salted caramel SF Torani and skim milk. I poured over ice and I am in HEAVEN!!! It tastes almost identical to the restaurant / coffee shop ones, but without the caffeine sugar and fat!!! Now I have to actually go BUY some more decaf bold roast K cups!!! ( the bold roast allows the coffee flavor to shine thru once you add the ice- doesn't Water down the taste as much)

Ok. I want to preface this post by saying I am completely aware of what I have been doing. I am not looking for absolution nor am I asking for anyone to feel sorry for me. I write it to be 100% honest with myself and hopefully help anyone else who may be in a similar situation. I don't do it to belittle myself, I do it in hopes to inspire myself to change. The written word can be a great motivator. I am pulling back the covers, opening the drapes to my destructive behaviors with great hope of squashing some of my demons.... I have been on an emotional roller coaster for months now. It is quite possible I bamboozled my psych evaluation into believing I had a grip on this whole process. Truth is the only person I think I really fooled was myself. This has been so hard for me. I was 100% in when I started it all, yet with time I find myself slipping further down the rabbit hole. Back in August I started the process of being approved for surgery, and at that time I put myself on a diet. I switched to eating a bariatric type diet. My goal was to get used to the food, although I did not particularly care about the quantity. Well that was enough to get me down 33lbs before I ever hit the operating table. Yet I remember how badly I was struggling right before I went into my pre op liquid diet. It was getting harder and harder to make the right decisions. I managed to pull myself up by my bootstraps and hang on for dear life going into the liquid diet and I stuck to it, 100% for 10 days. No cheating. After the third day it actually became a lot easier and stopped being as hard. ( I was in true ketosis at this point) Anyway, post op I thought I had the tiger by the tail. I had great restriction. I could barely get a full protein shake down a day. Slowly, as the swelling went down I could tolerate more. I remember it taking me half an hour to eat a scrambled egg. It was great. Food was to nourish me, just for fuel. But the honeymoon was soon over. By about two months out I started to notice my tolerances for things were great. Nothing was hard to eat. And the greatest problem was I noticed I could eat more before feeling full. ( By the way- I was NOT one of those lucky folks who loss the hunger. Nope. I feel real, physical hunger along with the ever present head hunger.) I tried valiantly to remain on course. I eat lean protein first, but I started being able to eat a larger portion of it. I know, I know...That is the reason we are to measure our food. I will be honest in the fact I haven't. I never bought a scale, just eyeballed it as I went. It worked fine at first, until my eyeballs got bigger!! LOL Anyway, over the months I have struggled. I have ate sliders. I have fought myself not to graze. I struggle between being proud of how much I have loss, and feeling like a failure I haven't loss more. I do the one thing I absolutely should not do, I compare. My friend who was sleeved 12/17 (two months after me) has lost over 120lbs. Soon he will be smaller than I am!!!! ( he is now only about 35lbs away from me) Yes I know in my head all the reasons he (as a male) has lost faster, but that doesn't change my twinges of jealousy. It has helped further my depression issues. I waffle between good days and bad days. I feel like I am losing at this too, even though it isn't a done deal. Today is one of the "bad" days, maybe why I am on here baring my soul. I feel fat today, even though ( by the grace of GOD) I haven't gained weight. Ok, and I am also having PMS - doesn't help. So...as I sit here writing this and feeling a bit sorry for myself I am also coming up with a plan for change. I am setting a short term goal. Not a weight loss goal per se, although it will most likely result in loss. For the entire month of June I resolve to eat clean. I am going back to protein shakes and eating smaller portions. I am not going to graze and I will refuse to put a slider in my mouth. This may seem obvious to most of you, but to me it is a huge hurdle to clear to get back on the right path. I need to push reset and get my head in the game. I have a vacation planned in July and I want to be on top of my game before we hit the road. It will be hard enough to stay on track those days, but if I don't get a handle on things now it will be impossible. I have done this before, I have to do it now. The negative thoughts and impulses have to be pushed away. That is my story. I write it hoping that I can clear the air, my head and heart and start fresh. I suspicion others may have similar thoughts or feelings or struggles and maybe this will help them come to terms with it too. I am human and I am not perfect, but I owe it to myself to do the best for me I can. And this is my pledge to do so.

My very first memory when I woke up from surgery was feeling sick, then throwing up a lot of blood. I heard my nephew and friend talking about it and the nurses told them it was natural. Because my stomach was just operated on, there is blood in it. I had issues with the pain meds making me severely nauseous. They quickly learned I had to had a anti nausea chaser immediately after pain meds or I would get sick. My pain wasn't too bad after the first night. I ached, and had the left side pain from the drain. Once the drain came out life got much better much faster! LOL

I can tell you, as a survivor of TWO pulmonary emboli, that you can have VSG surgery. I had my first PE in 2011 and my second in spring of 2013. My VSG surgery was in October of 2013. I did have to go through extra clearances to be approved for surgery. First I had to get an ok from my vascular doctor and then from my hematologist. The one requirement they had was that I have an IVC filter, which had already been placed following my second DVT/PE last spring. To prep for the surgery I had to go off my oral Warfarin (which I now take for life) approximately five days prior to surgery. I had to do Lovenox ( or equivalent) injections for four days prior and three days post op. They resumed me on the oral Warfarin the day after surgery. I did have to make everyone aware of my situation given I was a higher bleeding and clotting risk, but I had no real issues occur. The "worst" related thing that happened was one incision did not want to close. I was told it was because the subcutaneous tissue was "mush" from the blood thinners and the inner stiches were not holding. They finally used medical super glue to close the wound and I had no further problems. So I can tell you that it IS possible to have VSG after PE. Just go into it knowing everything you can and telling all the medical staff your situation. Good luck!!!

I do that too! Now that I am on my way I do tend to take more pride in my overall appearance. I have to wear a wig, so my hair is always on point. But I also do my make up well every day and dress a lot cuter. It is fun to take pride in it all now because we KNOW we look good!

There are two schools of thought on this...There are those who swear by protein and Biotin and those who feel it is a genetic luck of the draw. I am not sure which way I follow as each have made compelling arguments. What I can tell you is I am and EXTREME extreme when it comes to hair loss. In my early 20s I lost a substantial amount of hair due to PCOS. In my late 30s I had a baby and the hair loss after birth made things even thinner. I started using hair fibers at that time to help hide my thinning hair. In 2011 and again in 2013 I had DVTs ( blood clots) in my leg and both times suffered pulmonary embolisms. I am now on blood thinners for life. The Warfarin has played havoc on my hair, causing further loss. By the time I was preparing for surgery and read about the possibility of hair loss I knew it would be bad for me. I purchased a couple wigs in anticipation. Well just over a month post op I decided it was time to start wearing them. I chose the Thanksgiving holiday as the time to take the plunge. ( That way I had several days away from co workers. Most thought I just had my hair professionally styled finally! LOL) Anyway about 3 months post op it was a good thing I was already wearing the wig. My hair thinned to the point I looked like someone on chemotherapy. The top and sides of my hair are barely existent, just scattered wispy hairs. The back of my hair, which had remained pretty thick to that point, thinned dramatically. It has recently seemed a bit heavier, possibly some regrowth. But I am unsure if I will ever have a head full of hair again. Given my history and the other reasons I have suffered with hair loss it is likely I will continue to wear wigs from here on out. ( FYI- all my "after" pics posted on this site are of me in a wig)

Ok, I am a single gal so I have to tell you I absolutely LOVE the attention. Not gonna lie. Why do I love it? Because I finally believe they are looking at me as a desirable woman and not because I am fat!!! Granted, I am still overweight. But I am curvy and dress to look good, accentuate the positive. ( eliminate the negative) I have a new confidence in my appearance. Last night I was out with a group of girlfriends and I noticed being checked out a few times. It felt good because I know I was being judged as a woman and not as an obese person. ( if that makes sense) Just boosts the self esteem higher and fuels me to work harder to get to goal. The last time I was "thinner" I was in my early twenties. I was too young to appreciate the body I had. All I could do was be critical and ashamed I was heavier than the next person. ( I have been curvy all my life, even before I was obese) Now I am older and I have been to the other side of the mountain...Hell I WAS the mountain! It is so refreshing and fun to finally know that I LOOK GOOD! I have curves. I am not perfect. ( and I will never be a nudist because I am NOT that confident!!) But I KNOW persons of the opposite sex are taking note of me, see me as a human and a woman and not just another fat person taking up space. I LOVE IT!!!

My rear is a millions time smaller than it was, but I guess I am lucky to say it is still far from boney. Maybe when I get closer to goal?....LOL ( I am not related to either Kim Kardashian or Jennifer Lopez so I believe it will eventually disappear)

One of my besties ( a male) was sleeved on 12/17. I was sleeved 10/21. My highest weight was 316lbs last August, and my surgery weight was 283lbs. Currently I weigh 226lbs. His starting weight ( from start of pre op diet on 12/7) was 396lbs and now he is 276lbs!!! It makes me incredibly jealous but it is what it is. Men ( especially taller men) will lose faster on average than women. Fact of life. I try hard not to compare with anyone because it can be a real downer. ( I am somewhat of a "slow" loser) I got fat on my own and in my own time so I should not worry about how I compare to others in my Quest for health and weight loss... But it is human nature to want to compare. Just know that you will most likely lose faster than most women if you work at it. ( eat on plan and exercise) Even with a few "slips" my friend has shed 120lbs in just 5 months!!!

Lipstick Lady...You said you don't miss squeezing past people and still bumping them. I had to chuckle a bit because I still find myself doing that! (I don't bump into them of course) More than once I have squeezed past someone unnecessarily. I forget I am a lot smaller than I was this time last year. I can get into tighter situations with ease and don't need to suck it in!!! It is part of the head game, takes a while for the head to play catch up..