justmel2003

I, too, am at a stall after losing 130lb in 10 months. However, since I log everything into My Fitness Pal I can definitely see that it is my higher carbs and lower Protein that has had the biggest effect. I'm also turning to food more than Water so H2O reduction doesn't help either! I'm trying to get back on track with my food choices and spend more time in the gym. What I have noticed in posts, though, is that strength training is not emphasized. This should really be the foundation of gym work. Cardio is great to condition the heart and lungs as well as building slow twitch (fatigue resistant ) muscle fibers. But building fast twitch muscle (for fast, strong motions like lifting heavy weights) will keep your metabolism running higher, even at rest. Think about it, hamsters can run all day long on their little wheels, but they're still fat, right? Lol And marathon runners can go go go all day and night, but they probably need help lifting a heavy bag of groceries or moving a couch to vacuum. Anyway I know I had great, fast results and am slowly but surely uncovering a better body with strength training (as well as HIIT/Tabata work). Just my two cents. Good luck to everyone on getting back on track!

My boyfriend went to GNC and got me a deluxe blender kit for $30 that is incredible - it comes with several cups (large and med), plain tops for storage, sipper top and top with a hole for the straw, as well as the plastic straws, and it came with a chopping tool and small cup. It's about the same size as the bullet I think - but it's a lot for $30 bucks.

I asked for the nausea patch before surgery. Not sure it helped much because I'm typically sick until the anesthesia gets out of my system. But it may help someone else.

Woohoo! Got the go-ahead with no special cardiology release needed - the afternoon of 7/21 I'll be a post-op bypass patient and will be a big 'ol loser, can't wait!
Good luck to you all - we'll all be losers together!

Woohoo! Got the go-ahead with no special cardiology release needed - the afternoon of 7/21 I'll be a post-op bypass patient and will be a big 'ol loser, can't wait!
Good luck to you all - we'll all be losers together!

I'm very heavy right now, but tall - my starting weight is (currently) 373; my surgeon asked me what I wanted for my goal weight (possibly to feel me out about how realistic I am), I said 160. His reply was "let's shoot for 180 and negotiate from there," which I thought was a great answer. Given my age (46), height (5'8") and size I might have a hard time with the extra skin, etc.
I visited Dr. Wolkodoff here in Denver, he's a PhD in exercise physiology and is very involved with pro sports medicine. He did an in-body scan to get an accurate picture of intracellular/extracellular Water, where my muscle is located, where I need to gain muscle, etc. It was actually surprising to hear that my lean body mass is currently 167, and he suggested a goal weight of 210 (adding the average 24%-ish body fat most women should have). He gave me a BMR (basal metabolic rate), and told me to gain 2lb muscle in each leg but that I had plenty of muscle in the upper body; he gave me some basic information and suggestions as to an exercise regimen. It was a great consult, and I'll be following up with him post-surgery at 1mo. 3mo. and 6mo. This is something i would suggest everyone do, not just bariatric patients, and I'll be bringing my 24-yr old daughter with me next time - she's not heavy but doesn't really exercise and I'd love for her to have an outside perspective on her body composition so she doesn't land in the same boat as me.
My surgery is 7/21 - good luck to everyone on here, both pre- and post-surgery.
Mel

Hi there,
Are you on the liver shrinking diet everyone seems to be talking about? Maybe that will slap me in the face on monday when I do the pre-op testing and meet with the surgeon. I went to a support group meeting at the hospital last week and should have asked the post-op guys what their situation was. I do know that my liver enzymes are good and that I don't have fatty liver syndrome so perhaps that's why no one has mentioned it. But I feel for you!
My boyfriend is staying with me until after the surgery and is driving me crazy, telling me I need to be 90% on liquids now to prepare mentally and physically, when all I is want is just to say goodbye to my favorite foods! Lol goodbye popcorn and diet coke at the movies, goodbye to a juicy steak, etc. He's looking out for me, I know, but is a serious buzzkill!
For the hospital I'm bringing clothes and teva sandals, toiletries, charger for my smart phone, a book and a cross-stitch I've been 'working' on for a few years. The pillow is a good idea. I don't have far to travel though, about 10 miles, how far are you? I've also thought of bringing a small fan, I get crabby when I'm hot, and usually hospitals are on the warm side with no air moving. I bought a big fluffy robe since I don't have anything but a silky sexy-ish robe, but I might return it...hard to imagine being comfortable walking around in a warm terry cloth robe.
Yes, I'll be up a lot walking too, my surgeon and nurse say a couple hours after surgery and a minimum of 6 times per day, and I guess there will be a couple post-op classes I'll be attending with other bariatric patients while I'm in. Same for me, about 2-3 days in, barring any complications. Which neither if us will have, right?? We're going to do great!

Yay, so close yet so far. I'm glad to have a pal on here going through the same thing at the same time! I have my pre-op on Monday the 14th, not sure if I'll be put on a special diet or not.
Right now I'm trying to replace 1-2 meals per day with Protein shakes, and be consistent with the gym. But am only hitting the gym 2-3 times per week. I'd like to feel good going in, especially since I'll have to take it easy for a few weeks after.
Let me know how you're doing, if you're freaking out, and what all you'll be taking to the hospital. Seems like I could practically move in but I'm sure I won't need most of what I'm thinking of taking.

Hi all,
Finally the light bulb went off a few months ago and I just decided, "this is it." My insurance would not cover me so I took money out of my 401k, putting a serious dent in it; however, I'd rather enjoy my life now rather than later (or never, I could always die young!). I went to an informational seminar, listened to the options and made an appointment for a consult with Dr. Snyder (Denver, CO). He was great, talked to me about my options, asked me "why now?," which was good to know he cared about that, and wasn't just after another paying patient - he is concerned that you are actually ready to make this huge change in your life. After meeting with the doc, I met with a case manager that outlined all the steps I need to take to make this happen. After making the final decision to do this and after my initial appointment with Dr. Snyder on April 23rd, my surgery date is quickly coming up Monday, July 21.
I honestly can't wait - I've been very big for a very long time and I'm ready to start living my life - hiking, riding a bike, fitting in an airplane seat, wearing pretty underwear, etc. I'm not sure what my 'official' high weight was, but I would guess I was right around 390-400 pounds a couple years ago; my current weight is 373. I've dodged some serious bullets - for instance, I don't have diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, or hypertension - but I know at age 46 I'm a ticking time bomb, and have started having joint pains; and carrying groceries up the stairs to my 2nd floor apartment has become a major chore.
I have a boyfriend of four years that has overall been supportive and caring, and he's behind me 1,000% on this. He's been a little 'too' supportive, I have to say. He says I'm a gem, but I'm still not sure how we ended up together - he has two BS degrees in exercise physiology and molecular biology, and is fanatical about weight training; me? not so much, lol. I have made some strides in the gym thanks to him, but with the surgery coming up he's driving me crazy about preparation, in the gym and outside the gym. He wants me in the gym 6 days a week 1-2 hours at a time and to go 90% liquid diet now, adding arginine, glutamine and citrulline to my Protein shakes to enhance healing. I'm a little stressed about that, to be honest. Right now my stomach is the same big hole and he wants me to pour nothing but liquids in there - it'll be a lot different after my RNY bypass, my stomach will be considerably smaller and I won't be hungry (which I'm looking forward to, honestly). Anyway, has anyone else had a partner/significant other that is overly pushy?
Other than dealing with his 'support' I feel really great about this decision and am very calm about it all - of course, I may fall apart the morning of surgery, lol. I'll be in the hospital 3-5 days - what did you guys wish you had taken in with you? Fan? Robe? Book? Anything I won't need at all? How did everyone spend their time, other than walking every couple of hours? I'm hoping to be on the low end of the pain scale, but I'm also having a umbilical hernia repair done, so that might complicate things a little.
Anyway, I've been getting a lot of great information reading the various forums, and really appreciate how supportive everyone is. I'll post my before pic when I do that next week, and will try to keep up with monthly after pics - I have a lot to lose (about 200 pounds), so it should be a pretty drastic change for me.
Good luck to everyone out there who is thinking about doing this, and a big thanks to all of you who are so involved in supporting the newbies like myself.
Melissa

Clone him? Naw, the world couldn't take two of this guy in the world! LOL You can just borrow him anytime you want. To misquote Henny Youngman - take my boyfriend...please!
He actually is great most of the time, but with this coming up so soon we can't seem to have a conversation NOT having to do with what I should be doing in the gym, what I should or should not be putting in my mouth, etc. It's getting a little exhausting...

Hi all,
Finally the light bulb went off a few months ago and I just decided, "this is it." My insurance would not cover me so I took money out of my 401k, putting a serious dent in it; however, I'd rather enjoy my life now rather than later (or never, I could always die young!). I went to an informational seminar, listened to the options and made an appointment for a consult with Dr. Snyder (Denver, CO). He was great, talked to me about my options, asked me "why now?," which was good to know he cared about that, and wasn't just after another paying patient - he is concerned that you are actually ready to make this huge change in your life. After meeting with the doc, I met with a case manager that outlined all the steps I need to take to make this happen. After making the final decision to do this and after my initial appointment with Dr. Snyder on April 23rd, my surgery date is quickly coming up Monday, July 21.
I honestly can't wait - I've been very big for a very long time and I'm ready to start living my life - hiking, riding a bike, fitting in an airplane seat, wearing pretty underwear, etc. I'm not sure what my 'official' high weight was, but I would guess I was right around 390-400 pounds a couple years ago; my current weight is 373. I've dodged some serious bullets - for instance, I don't have diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, or hypertension - but I know at age 46 I'm a ticking time bomb, and have started having joint pains; and carrying groceries up the stairs to my 2nd floor apartment has become a major chore.
I have a boyfriend of four years that has overall been supportive and caring, and he's behind me 1,000% on this. He's been a little 'too' supportive, I have to say. He says I'm a gem, but I'm still not sure how we ended up together - he has two BS degrees in exercise physiology and molecular biology, and is fanatical about weight training; me? not so much, lol. I have made some strides in the gym thanks to him, but with the surgery coming up he's driving me crazy about preparation, in the gym and outside the gym. He wants me in the gym 6 days a week 1-2 hours at a time and to go 90% liquid diet now, adding arginine, glutamine and citrulline to my Protein shakes to enhance healing. I'm a little stressed about that, to be honest. Right now my stomach is the same big hole and he wants me to pour nothing but liquids in there - it'll be a lot different after my RNY bypass, my stomach will be considerably smaller and I won't be hungry (which I'm looking forward to, honestly). Anyway, has anyone else had a partner/significant other that is overly pushy?
Other than dealing with his 'support' I feel really great about this decision and am very calm about it all - of course, I may fall apart the morning of surgery, lol. I'll be in the hospital 3-5 days - what did you guys wish you had taken in with you? Fan? Robe? Book? Anything I won't need at all? How did everyone spend their time, other than walking every couple of hours? I'm hoping to be on the low end of the pain scale, but I'm also having a umbilical hernia repair done, so that might complicate things a little.
Anyway, I've been getting a lot of great information reading the various forums, and really appreciate how supportive everyone is. I'll post my before pic when I do that next week, and will try to keep up with monthly after pics - I have a lot to lose (about 200 pounds), so it should be a pretty drastic change for me.
Good luck to everyone out there who is thinking about doing this, and a big thanks to all of you who are so involved in supporting the newbies like myself.
Melissa