McButterpants

OK - so you're at 40% Protein / 40% fat / 20% carbs? I'm close to that when I'm at 40-50 grams of carbs. It's been a huge difference for me in the past couple of days. My doc was a bit surprised when I told her I was 20-30 carbs and working about 60+ minutes a day. She said, "No wonder you're tired!"

Hang in there and keep working hard - even if it is with the crappy insurance industry! 2014 is going to be your year! You got this.

Hi, GG. So to clarify, are your carbs and Protein equal? Want to make sure I'm reading that correctly. Right now - I'm doing a min of 80 grams of protein and 40-50 carbs daily. I restricted my carbs for a couple of weeks, keeping them at 20-30 and felt like I had no energy. Once I increased, I immediately felt better. Thanks!

I lost about 18 pounds on my pre-op diet. My pre-op diet included 2 shakes and 1 meal (4-6 ounces of protein an a vegetable). Some have pre-op diets that require weight loss, mine did not, I had to follow this plan for 2 weeks. Good luck to you!

What an awesome story. Out of grief came something positive for you both. I wish you continued happiness!

Great story, RJ. I love to hear how people meet. My hubby and I were only in the same location 3 weeks out of an entire year before we moved in together - the first time we met (as he said after talking for over a year), we got to the point where we didn't like each other. He would say something and I would think, "that's not what he's supposed to look like when he says that!" It was NOT a love connection...UNTIL, I demanded we go to the dog races. I had never been. He said, "I don't gamble." I said, "You live here and don't have to go again after I leave." (I was snotty). Once we got there and we kind of both silently decided there was going to be no love connection and we'll just ride the next few days out before I left for home; we had a great time with no expectations. Yes, we fell in love at the dog track.

Interesting perspective! My brother, in response to me talking about a diet once, said, "Why do you want to lose weight?" I was like, "Look at me...I need to lose weight." He didn't see it. Maybe it's like my husband wrote in my thread from earlier today, he really had no idea I had gained 100 pounds. That boggles my mind! Along the same lines I looked at some pictures of my mom from about 25 years ago - she was so heavy. My husband didn't know her back then and was truly shocked at the pictures. I told him I don't remember her like that. Thanks for the response - maybe I'll be a little easier on my brothers and not call them self-absorbed! LOL - yeah right.

After what you've been thru it's hard to keep it quiet! :-) I have only told 5 people that I had surgery (parents, hubby, son and best friend). I am a very private person (forums like this are awesome for those who like to talk but remain anonymous!!!!!) and I live in a small community where I've witnessed first hand the back-stabbing and gossiping. I just didn't want to give the "thems" any more fat to chew. We had Christmas dinner at my parents house - both of my brothers and their families attended...NOT ONE PERSON commented on my weight loss. NOT ONE PERSON commented on the tiny portions on my plate. I pulled my mom to the side and said, "You should be proud of your self-absorbed sons. They haven't noticed I've lost almost 50 pounds and I'm eating the portions of a toddler!" We got a good kick out of that. I'll be seeing some folks that I haven't seen since before surgery this week...will be interesting to see if they say anything. One aquaintance asked me last week if I was doing something different with my hair...um...Yeah, I've had the same cut for about 3 years now.

Hi, Fostermama! Congrats to you. While you're younger than me, you situation is similar to mine (PCOS, insulin resistance, etc - and I'm a northerner...Montana). This is a life-changer, that's for sure. I haven't felt this good and years - probably 15 years - and there's better things to come for all of us. 2014 is going to be a great year! Wishing you continued success on your journey!

True, true but maybe just maybe this time it won't happen to me..eh eh what do you think McButterpants...... I'm always, ALWAYS rooting for you!!!!! I want good things to happen...like Ryan Gosling seeing you on the street and saying, "I've worshipped you from afar for a long time and I just had to introduce myself." OR you invent a chocolate cake with butter cream frosting that has no calories and you become a gazillionaire when you sell your secret OK - let's be honest...I want those things to happen to me!

RJ, if it can happen twice, you should expect it! Ugh.

I told him about all the compliments he was getting on the forum - he wants pics and locations of all compliment givers so he can contact you when he's on travel!!!!!! LOL!

Someone posted a response to a curious "friend" that they had vaginal rejuvenation surgery. I love that one!

I am praying for this little girl.

What a great idea!

RJ, Reverie & Lipstick - you guys are awesome!

Hi guys. I asked my husband to write something for my blog. Like a "WLS from a spouse's point of view" sort of thing. I will preface this by saying, my husband is my rock and I love him to pieces (sure, some days I want to push him off a cliff, but...). This is what he sent me - I wanted to share with this audience because we all have loved ones that drive us crazy at times. I think sometimes we open up in a different way when we put pen to paper as opposed to speaking to one another. What would your spouse or significant other write if you asked them to? I was surprised by what I read here... The wife recently asked me to write a little something for her blog. Not much on writing more than witty quips in response to my friends Facebook posts, my first response was a “oh sure” and then to politely ignore the request. It’s a tactic that works I’d say 75% of the time. I was hoping that she would be so excited (or distraught) about weight loss/lack of weight loss/not pooping/pooping/someone else pooping or not pooping, she’d forget that she asked. So a week passed and then I get a, “So I’d really like you to write a post for my blog. You know, from the spouses point of view.” I thought I was home free with her focus on the stall. Guess not. My wife's weight has never really been an issue for me. We met over the phone and had a 3000-mile long distance relationship before the Internet and unlimited phone service. We worked in the same industry and developed a relationship over months of hours-long, bank-account-crushing phone calls. We have always said that if we had come across each other in a bar or other typical meeting place, we wouldn’t have been each other’s type, physically. Since we fell in love before we ever met, we got what we got. Which by the way, I was pretty happy with upon our first meeting. So when she informed me of her thoughts on surgery I tried hard to keep the slack jawed WTF look off my face as much as I could. I initially thought, “Your going to cut out most of your stomach just to lose a few pounds. What?” What I didn’t realize is that it wasn’t a few pounds. Much like your surprise when someone comments on how much your child has grown because they only see him once a year, I hadn’t noticed she had gained a hundred pounds since we first met. She had always just been my wife, my best friend, the person I would spend a long wonderful life with. My attachment to her has always been so much more than physical, and when I look at her I still see that 25-year-old girl I fell in love with. So when she told me how much she weighed I thought, “Holy shit, when did that happen.” My blessing of the surgery wasn’t without hesitation. I know what obesity does to a body over time and have witnessed it first hand in my father and mother-in-law. The breaking down of joints, the insulin injections, heart issues and on and on…I know, preaching to the choir. But what if something happens during surgery and I lose the love of my life? What if our boy loses his mother? The mere thoughts made my heart hurt. How would I ever cope if something tragic actually happened? But you can’t live life on the basis that something bad MIGHT happen. Its what kept my mother from fully experiencing life and I always hated that. I wanted to have the healthiest wife possible as we get older. I wanted her to be comfortable in her skin. I wanted her to wear clothes she likes, not just the ones that hide the most. I wanted her to not feel awkward around others. I’ve never really struggled with weight. Sure I could lose more than a few pounds, but it falls off with little effort. I don’t fully understand the angst that the weight causes my wife but I know she isn’t as happy as she could be because of it. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. You gotta make the most of it. So I agreed, reluctantly. After coming to grips with the minimal risk involved and nervously waiting for good news from the operating room, it’s been a pretty easy journey for me. I’ve had to do very little except listen. Listen about the surgery, shakes, stalls, pooping, not pooping and then pooping again. My wife is hard-core about obtaining information off the internet. So much so, she once gave her GP a tutorial on thyroid testing and the latest acceptable ranges for each test, which came as news to her doctor. Still not sure why we had to pay for that office visit. So nothing came as a surprise. It made my life easier knowing that if anything came up post op that might freak me out, she had the stats on how many patients experienced the same thing, why it happened, how long it will likely last, and what the next day, week, month has in store. Easy for me, but I know it hasn’t been easy for her and that each day brings a new challenge. I am so grateful for what she is willing to put herself through for a healthier future with our son and me. Recently she’s been in the dreaded stall, but it’s subsided, and she has a little pep in her step. I love the gleam in her eye when the scale tells her what she wants to hear. I love how she gleefully shows off how crappy her clothes fit. Mostly I love that each day she seems to feel more comfortable in her skin and happier with herself. What more can you really ask for?

You can download a free app to your phone that will remind you to drink. It will chime when it's time to sip. Ahh technology!

I am 6 weeks out and have lost 24 pounds. I think/hope I'm over a 13 day stall. (Please say prayers to the scale gods!) Anywho...I was happy with my weight loss 2 weeks ago (pre-stall). I'm a little disappointed right now, HOWEVER, I know this a fact of how the body works. My body many not lose the weight in the amount of time I think it should - I can't control that. I CAN control these things: 1. What I put in my mouth 2. What I track in my food tracking journal (If you don't put it in there, did you really eat it?) 3. Exercise 4. Water 5. Meeting my Protein goal There was an article that was posted last week about not comparing yourself to others - here's the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniela-tempesta-lcsw/comparing-yourself_b_4441288.html With that said, I'm proud of those 24 pounds - I worked hard for those 24 pounds. During the past 6 weeks I recovered from surgery, tried to figure out the protein/water/eating schedule which requires a NASA engineer and an abacus to try to figure out, walked 54 miles on the treadmill in the month of December, and went back to work full time 6 days after surgery. I've lost a total of 42 pounds since October 10th - no one has said anything about my weight loss. Seriously, no one has said anything. Well, one acquaintance asked if I got a haircut. I was really disappointed at Christmas when none of my family said anything. But you know what? I know what I've done and they'll notice soon enough. Just focus on your plan - that's the best you can do. Do the hard work and it will pay off - maybe not in the timeframe you want, but there is a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. Hang in there, sweetie!!!

Yes it's a good possibility you are dehydrated. When I got dehydrated, my doc suggested Powerade Zero first, then Propel Zero or Vitamin Water Zero. Make sure you always have a water bottle with you in the future - your fluids are so important!

You're right, Lynda! I forgot about my kitchen scale - I use it at every meal. Along with a myriad of measuring spoons and cups. Also, while we're in the kitchen - ramekins. I have a couple that will hold about 1/2 cup of food which is perfect for my smaller portions. As for the Fitbit scale, I've heard they are great. I have a scale that works, so I won't get one until the current one breaks (hopefully not by me overloading it!)

I LOL'd at that! ^^

Pureed lean meat, poultry or fish (blended w/ low fat cream soup or broth) Blended cottage cheese soft scrambled egg (made soft by adding milk or water before cooking) Cream of Wheat or Oatmeal (add a scoop of protein powder) Unsweetened strained applesauce pureed canned fruit in light juice or water pureed COOKED vegetable (squash, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli) fat free/low fat cream soup blended blended bean soup fat free refried beans

I have a Fitbit Flex and love it. (I purchased it about a month before the Force came out). The Flex will synch with a smartphone via Bluetooth so for me it's not a big deal. I also track all my food on the Fitbit app - it suits me just fine. (You can connect it to myfitnesspal and it will synch with that if you're interested - a lot of people are on MFP.) I use the Eat Slower app daily - This is an app that you set to the time you want to take between bites (I set mine at one minute). It will chime when it's time to take another bite. Of course I visit this site daily - it's a nice motivator. I also belong to a Facebook group - we were all sleeved around the same time. It's important to network. I will also start participating in my local support group meetings in January.

I hit my goal today - 54 miles. I did 4.3 miles today - elliptical and treadmill combined. I'm not stopping here - I have two more days to blow that goal out of the water!!!