mamie60

Cpower100,
PLEASE do not let these posts change your mind!!!! Have a frank talk with your doc about rates of complications. I am an advance practice RN and I know if you get the facts from your doc you should feel confident! I am 2 months out and would NEVER LOOK BACK. NO MORE DIABETES OR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE! Good luck!

I'm 2 months out this week not ready for photos yet but here are my stats.
Surgery date 7/8/14
HW 356
SW 351
CW 298

Looking good and feeling great. 6 months post op. Went from 302 pounds to 169pounds. Here are some before and after photos and a photo of my muscle rebuilding.

I'm not ready to share photos yet. I had RNY July 8, 2014 so 2 months today. I've lost 53 pounds and 60 inches total from my whole body. Just to let you know. Good luck,
Mamie60

Good luck guys. See you both on the losers bench!

Great, I will follow you as a mentor on my journey. I am 8 weeks out down 55 lbs and feeling good. Always good to have a mentor.

Playing on the floor with my 1 year old grandson and seeing him get married!

What wonderful news!!!! You look great. You are an inspiration to me!

Playing on the floor with my 1 year old grandson and seeing him get married!

Hi everyone,
It will be 8 weeks this Tuesday since I had my Roux-en-Y surgery. Today I got on the scale and I weigh less than 300 pounds! I haven't been less than 300 pounds for 10 years I was almost in tears when I saw that number 298! I feel so blessed and lucky to have had the surgery done!
I had a very smooth recovery and I am a rule follower so I have never vomited I've never had dumping syndrome and I'm a fiend for exercise now. I'm walking 7 miles a day and going to do my first 5K next weekend. Thanks for all of your support and role modeling that you have given me!!
Namaste,
Mamie60

Great, I will follow you as a mentor on my journey. I am 8 weeks out down 55 lbs and feeling good. Always good to have a mentor.

and all went very well! With the exception of MAJOR gas pains across my ribs, I'm not having any other pain, and those are almost completely gone. I'm still on Clear liquids and let me tell you, 64oz ounces has been impossible. Yesterday I got in about half that amount and I'm hoping to do a little better with it today...sipping on diluted lite grape juice and I write. My last meal was Sunday night around 7pm and I am still not hungry in the least. I am allowed to try 4ozs of a Protein Shake tonight, then slowing add up to 4ozs three times a day. If I can tolerate that, then I will be on full liquids on Monday.
Other than walking a little slow, and being a little tired, I feel great! Much better than I expected I would.
I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone has about my experience so far.
Carol

Hi All,
Gastric Bypass was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Weight is something that has consistently been a struggle in my since I was a child. I was never a target of bullying but little comments, even comments that were well meaning, over time made me feel like because of my weight I wasn't good enough to be happy or confident. As I grew older, even when I was very confident in other parts of my life, there was still always the voice in the back of my head telling me I wasn't good enough because I was overweight. I had tried every fad diet and had lost weight several times just to gain it back. Which is so frustrating. I remember telling my bariatric counselor my biggest fear about surgery was failing, and she asked why this was and I said because I have never succeeded at weight loss before. It was something that constantly told me I wasn't strong and I didn't have self control and because of this I didn't deserve to be happy or healthy.
In college I studied Sociology and Horticulture in relation to agriculture, food, the environment,and social issues and later went on the culinary school. My focus as a cook is on creating a sustainable diet for humans. For something to be sustainable, it has to follow a three tier system; it must be economically sustainable, environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. A huge part of the socially equitable part of sustainable eating is that it needs to be food that is healthy and nourishes people, not food that makes people sick. It is incredibly hard for me to feel confident speaking to these issues and pursuing a career in this field when I am very overweight and when I had trouble controlling myself when it came to food. It made me feel like a failure, I know how to cook healthy food, I teach others to be healthy and I couldn't get control of my weight.
The decision to have surgery came this spring. After breaking my leg and being out of work, then moving to the Northeast, I had gotten to my highest weight, 334 pounds. I was incredibly depressed and had little self confidence. Though I was working as a personal chef, it was hard for me to network myself because I had no confidence to tell people that I would cook healthy foods for them when I was hitting rock bottom when it came to my weight. I also need another surgery and need to lose weight before I can have it. My mom and dad came to town to visit and after they left my dad called me and asked if I wanted to have the surgery. It was something that I had thought about when I was younger but at the time the sacrifices seemed too big. It was very emotional to have my dad ask if I wanted the surgery because it is admitting that I needed help and I couldn't beat it on my own. We talked about it for a few hours and I decided to have it.
To get ready I started walking a 2 miles a day and followed all the guidelines set out. I also did a ton of research on what not only GB patients were eating but also looked in to what people who have had other surgeries were eating. I started following a lot of instagram accounts of people who have had some sort of bariatric surgery for tips and motivation. I flew home for the surgery, enjoyed some fried chicken livers for my night before surgery meal and it was time to do it. Surgery isn't a huge source of anxiety for me, I have had several throughout my life. My biggest concern, after a lot of research, was developing a leak. My Dr. spoke of not having had a leak in a few years and his method to prevent leaks, it put me at ease.
My surgery went very well. I was in a lot of pain when I woke up, it felt like I had done a really intense ab workout. The hospital staff were phenomenal at taking care of me. It made me feel better to get up and walk, that is something I recommend doing a lot of. The pain lasts about 24 hours though and then I was basically fine. I lost 12 pounds in the first week. Just make sure you follow the rules, it may seem tough but a week of broth and crackers is minuscule in the scheme of things. My transitions were always ver smooth. I started walking between 6 and 8 miles a day about 2 weeks after surgery and was feeling like I had way more energy than usual. I ate a lot of yogurt and cottage cheese and whitefish and soft lunch meats. I tried and still try to really limit my cheese intake because of the high fat content. When it was time to transition to regular foods I took it slow, eating a lot of softer choices still and just a bite of things at a time. I really liked tuna steaks.
Now that I am three months out I have had more time to try things and develop a diet. I have to leave for work at 5 A.M. and don't have a taste for Breakfast at that time in the morning so I usually eat a Quest Nutrition Bar, which has twenty grams of Protein and around 3 to 4 active carbs. I chose Quest Bars over other Protein Bars because they are the most healthy on the market and also because they are low carb. I try to stay away from simple carbohydrates and really just processed foods in general. I follow the "shop around the edge of the grocery store" rule, that is shop for things that need refrigeration as most things in the middle aisles are usually very processed (Beans, grains, nuts would all obviously be exceptions].
I work in the kitchen at Whole Foods, so I am constantly tasting things throughout my workday and because I am at Whole Foods, these things are usually vegetables, fish, Proteins etc.. This was a conscious decision to work in a kitchen very focused on health food while I am in this loosing phase. I also make sure and keep very hydrated. For lunch when I get off work around 1:3o I will usually eat nuts or lunch meat and cheese wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves or some protein from dinner the night before. I usually keep an organic rotisserie chicken on hand for a quick snack. For snack when I feel like eating junk food I eat the almonds that taste like BBQ, Salt and Vinegar and Wasabi and Soy. Also I love pumpkin seeds. I also roast off chickpeas with spices for a snack. I also like the little sweet peppers. For dinner I always do a protein and two veg. Some of my favorites are rack of lamb, chicken wings (on the grill and very burned so most of the fat is off], grilled tuna, squid and skate wing, veal chops and chicken thighs. I like all different kinds of vegetables and salads.
I have days where I feel like I can eat more than I should and days were I am incredibly full after two bites. Sometimes I splurge but if I do it is only a few bites. Overall I am very happy with my weight loss and the way I feel. I have more energy, clothes fit way better, but the best feeling is finally feeling like i have control over my body and my weight!!! I rarely have problems, I have been sick on a few occassions. One from trying a bite of bread and once from asparagus. I felt very sick for about ten min. then it went away. Exercise is an important part of every day and just generally making sure I am not laying around and doing nothing. I am just at the beginning of my journey not even half way to my goal but I feel very confident that for once I can say I've got this!

Hi everyone,
It will be 8 weeks this Tuesday since I had my Roux-en-Y surgery. Today I got on the scale and I weigh less than 300 pounds! I haven't been less than 300 pounds for 10 years I was almost in tears when I saw that number 298! I feel so blessed and lucky to have had the surgery done!
I had a very smooth recovery and I am a rule follower so I have never vomited I've never had dumping syndrome and I'm a fiend for exercise now. I'm walking 7 miles a day and going to do my first 5K next weekend. Thanks for all of your support and role modeling that you have given me!!
Namaste,
Mamie60

Hi everyone,
It will be 8 weeks this Tuesday since I had my Roux-en-Y surgery. Today I got on the scale and I weigh less than 300 pounds! I haven't been less than 300 pounds for 10 years I was almost in tears when I saw that number 298! I feel so blessed and lucky to have had the surgery done!
I had a very smooth recovery and I am a rule follower so I have never vomited I've never had dumping syndrome and I'm a fiend for exercise now. I'm walking 7 miles a day and going to do my first 5K next weekend. Thanks for all of your support and role modeling that you have given me!!
Namaste,
Mamie60

Hi everyone,
It will be 8 weeks this Tuesday since I had my Roux-en-Y surgery. Today I got on the scale and I weigh less than 300 pounds! I haven't been less than 300 pounds for 10 years I was almost in tears when I saw that number 298! I feel so blessed and lucky to have had the surgery done!
I had a very smooth recovery and I am a rule follower so I have never vomited I've never had dumping syndrome and I'm a fiend for exercise now. I'm walking 7 miles a day and going to do my first 5K next weekend. Thanks for all of your support and role modeling that you have given me!!
Namaste,
Mamie60

Thank you all! And @Spring Dixie it's always been amazing to me how much younger people look in their after pics and surprise! It happened to me, too!
This has been such a great thing in my life! I was a relative lightweight (BMI 36) and I thought I would be a slower loser because of that but I have been working hard to stay on the plan and exercise like crazy and it's been more successful than my wildest dreams! Jean size 16 to 10, 1X shirts (18-20 at Lane Bryant) down to mediums or larges. My waist went from a 39 to 32... WHAT????
I'm just oozing confidence now and feeling wonderful! Also got rid of sleep apnea machine and haven't had a Rolaids or Tums since surgery (used to eat 'em like candy!).
I go see the surgeon next Tuesday and I may just end up hugging and kissing him!

This surgery has been amazing for me... no complications (other than a little pneumonia just after surgery)... staying on track... exercising like the Energizer Bunny... feeling like a million bucks.
Here's a little photo evidence of why...

pizza helped me get into this mess. So, the opposite must be true to help get me out of it. I take a deep smell or two of it and FORGET IT.

For fast food type of eating out - a small chili from Wendy's is all I've ever tried.
For sit-down type of eating out - I've found that no matter where we end up I can always find something. I tend to go for a small steak or fish meal. chicken works too, but I've discovered that most of the time it is either covered with some sort of sauce (I question sugar content) or it ends up dry. Usually not the case with fish or steak. I then typically have 1 or 2 more meals from the leftovers.
And my fave has always been Mexican. So far all of the places I've been have all been very accommodating when asking them to give me a burrito without the tortilla, just the meat with lettuce, Tomato, cheese and green chili. Usually makes good leftovers for 2 more meals.

I am 15 months post-op. Generally when I eat out, I might have a taco at Taco Bell, cup of chili at Wendy's or Tortelloni al Forno (small plate menu) at Olive Garden. I generally stick to high Protein Soups and chili at home. I have included some recipes in the linked article.
http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

When I eat out I order off of the appetizer menu.. Ahi tuna, shrimp cocktail, chicken skewers etc. If they don't have anything non carb I will ask the waiter if they could just cook a piece of fish for me.. Usually it's cheap too. For home I buy a rotisserie chicken on Sunday and pick pieces off for lunch with a teaspoon of black Beans and 1/2 a 100 calorie cup of Guac or I'll have shrimp with cocktail sauce I make (reduced sugar Heinz and some plain horseradish).. Dinners I usually make a foil pack of fish and veggies sprayed with Pam and put on the grill.

I buy the individual cups of guacamole either moes or wholly and they are 100 calories I dip my meat in them and one of these little cups lasts me two meals. Worth the 50 extra calories for the bang of flavor. I also cook my fish in foil packets on the grill with veggies and a little nonstick Pam.. Stays moist and delicious.

Another option besides the gravy is salsa.
I make a batch or two of fresh salsa each week and put it on almost everything I eat. eggs, chicken, steak etc...
It helps keep things moist and adds a ton of flavor while keeping things very simple.

Hi everybody, How's everybody feeling today? I had a pretty good day spent some nice time with my sisters. Thought you might be interested in the following about the Panera bread and what they'll do the customers great! Someone said a while ago that it was good when you're on your puréed or full liquid to go to Panera bread and get a bowl of their broccoli cheese Soup blend it Well today I was out and about with my sisters who have helped me so much since my surgery on July 8th and I wanted to treat them to lunch. At Panera I asked if I could get a cup of broccoli cheese soup and if they would blend it for. Well they did and I ate 1/4 cup and took the rest home for a couple more meals. I just thought you all might want to know.