Inner Surfer Girl

When it comes to Snacks, and meals for that matter, I like things that are pre-portioned. My new favorite go to post-swim snack is a single serve bag of Mr. cheese O's. They are crunchy and cheesy. I also less frequently have a bag of Nancy's Naturals Protein cookie bites or Quest chips. Cheese sticks, yogurt, turkey roll ups, cottage cheese, and even nuts in single-serve packets make it easier to control portion size for me. I always take snacks to the pool. In the summer when I am outside for several hours, I take a small cold cooler.

It is a completely new way of thinking from our previous dieting life. That control we think we feel when we obsess about numbers is an illusion anyway. If you want to obsess about something, focus on your Protein and Water numbers. Stay off the scale. Follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your protein and fluids, every day. Take your Vitamins, and supplements as directed. Exercise when cleared. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I thought that at first but once I got honest with myself and accepted that I was super morbidly obese and could die because of it, it became easier to watch. I have learned a lot from watching it. This is the first season I will be watching post-surgery so I noticed last night that I have a different perspective already.

He couldn't do the bypass because the bowel wouldn't reach the stomach because of all the excess tissue in her abdomen. He delayed the surgery until she lost more weight because of her heart (probably also because she carried so much weight in her abdomen).

If you live near a Sonic, get yourself a bag of sonic ice for your freezer (or at least a couple of cups of it). They have the best crushed ice and it really helped me to stay hydrated the first week after surgery.

What they said! Plus, have you tried Water walking/jogging? Or, water aerobics or swimming. Water exercise is great for the joints. Just a thought.

It depends. What is your Protein target? Are you getting in all of your protein and fluids every day? What does your NUT's program say? Are you following that program? The number of calories should follow your protein. The most important thing is to get in all of your protein and fluids. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

One of the things that helped me to be honest with myself about my weight and obesity was watching My 600 Pound Life on TLC. The new season started last night and I just finished watching the new episode that I recorded last night. It was preceded by a compilation episode that I did see last night. Since that one included a segment on Penny I needed to take a break before seeing the new episode. Some random thoughts: I thought it was sobering and heart wrenching as usual. I HATE the obligatory shower scenes. We get the idea. They could spend a lot less time on them or eliminate them entirely and spend time on other aspects of obesity, the surgery process, or the post-surgery segment. Nikki (I think that was her name) is a beautiful girl with a lot of style. I noticed the drawings on her walls before they revealed she is a costume designer. It was great to see her get her MOJO back. With a disabled brother and two older sisters, it was obvious to me she was starved for affection and attention. Dr. Now mentioned when doing the sleeve instead of the bypass something that the sleeve can be just as effective even though the bypass is more aggressive. Watching this post-sleeve, watching her eat the volumes and types of foods (donuts) she was eating pre-op looked really gross and unappealing. (Thank, God!) I started at a lower weight than she did and I would never dream of trying to sit on one of those balance balls or on the ground. What a difference being 20 years younger than me makes! It is heartbreaking how young so many of these patients are who are on this show. Nikki isn't the youngest by far, but she was still really young to have reached over 650 pounds. That is an awful lot of donuts. It was interesting to see the rate of her weight loss pick up again after she started seeing a therapist and addressing her emotional issues. I liked the analogy that the therapist used of not being able to look at and address issues until you physically put them down/let them go. I wanted to slap her sister until they had their talk. I know we only get one side of the story, but to not allow NIKKI to be around her nieces and nephews is outright cruel. I think her mom has a lot of food issues and is also probably dealing with a lot of stress due to both her son and daughter. Her dad was sweet if clueless. I am looking forward to seeing a follow-up on her in a year. I really liked her. I know it's January and every other advertisement and commercial on TV is about diet or exercise, but still find it jarring to see those commercials on during this show. It just seems so transparent. Did anyone else watch it? What did you think?

Congratulations!

Good for you! A massage is my reward of choice. I am about 4 pounds away from my next major milestone so it is getting close to time to schedule my next massage. When I win the lottery I am going to get one at least once a week.

Bless her heart.

That is crazy. You are doing great. I have a lot of weight to lose and it may take a couple of years to get to my optimal weight. It may even take longer. I think your surgeon's expectations are seriously flawed. Doesn't he have patients who start at a higher BMI or does he only perform surgery on folks with low BMIs?

As I mentioned in my post my surgery was technically outpatient but I spent the night on the hospital. The way it was explained to me that after I was out of recovery I had 24 hours as outpatient and then they either discharge you or admit you as inpatient. They would have never sent me home if I still needed hospital care. This was at an extremely teputable and successful Center of Excellemce.

How far out are you from surgery? What can you do? I would suggest making an appointment with your NUT to talk about your goals if you aren't happy with your progress. I would also suggest you go back to basics and make sure you are getting in all of your Protein and fluids. As to exercise, it is critical. Find something you like to do. I am a swimmer so getting in the pool is my preferred exercise. Try different things to see what works for you and what you enjoy. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

Stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the weight loss process. If you plan to lose a lot of weight you will stall. No one can avoid stalling. Stalls are important to weight loss. Most of us experience our first stall about three weeks after surgery. That said, you have got to get in all of your Protein and fluids. Not getting enough of either will interfere with both healing and weight loss. You may not resume losing until you get enough protein and Water because you are starving your body of necessary nutrients. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I do understand your frustration and anger. I have been there. I was 150% opposed to the idea of surgery, even though I was: a lifelong dieter and have been in a battle with my weight since adolescence; have tried everything (including successfully losing a tremendous amount of weight with a medically supervised liquid diet in my 20s); was over 500 pounds; and on disability. Being obese, dieting, food addiction, and obsession with food has had a major negative impact on my quality of life, career, and relationships as long as I can remember. I had a lot of pre-conceived ideas about weight loss surgery, most of it based on old and incomplete information. Fortunately, I was at the end of my rope and I have a very wise PCP. I had given up dieting because it has become impossible to lose even a few pounds due to my lack of mobility and healthy issues and that if I were successful, the next rebound would put me at over 600 pounds. The next diet would surely lead me to be bed bound and death. I had always been a "healthy" fat person. That is until I suddenly wasn't. My PCP suggested I just make an appointment to talk about the possibility with a bariatric program. I didn't have to decide anything, just learn about options. I was so blessed to be referred to an outstanding bariatric team with an awesome and very skilled and knowledgeable surgeon. This is a long-winded way of saying from everything I have learned, the psych counselor is absolutely right. I have learned that through my own experience and my surgeon and NUT have been instrumental in helping me understand why and how diets don't work. It is a combination of evolution and physiology. Our bodies are designed biologically to efficiently store energy and resist losing weight. We were designed for extremes of feast or famine but not times of extreme abundance. When we lose weight, our bodies remember the starvation part and are programmed to gain back that much weight plus a buffer. Hence the yo-yo dieting leading us to weigh more than when we started the diet. Our set point is raised each time we diet. Edited: because I accidentally hit save before I finished. I encourage you to keep researching and considering all of your options. You don't have to decide today. It may not be right for you today. For me, the right weight loss surgery technique, and right surgeon came along at the right time for me. Even though it would have been great to have this surgery when I was your age, the surgery that was available then was completely different and I probably wouldn't even have been eligible. I was sleeved April 20 of this year and couldn't be happier with my progress and results. I had an easy and uneventful surgery and recovery. None of my fears about pain and failure have come to pass. I am regaining my mobility and my life. Most importantly, I am recreating my life and not planning my funeral.

I loved the soft food stage and ate a lot of: Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, refried Beans, tuna, soft cooked vegetables (like green beans), meatballs, crab cakes, eggs, avocado, etc. I agree with sticking to trying foods individually to see if you can tolerate them before combining foods in recipes, although I have found a bit of melted cheese never hurt anything! If you want recipes try the world according to Eggface blog. A lot of people like her ricotta bake. I found it a bit rich at first.

Yes, I think about this. I even got a subscription to Vogue and Bazaar this year. I haven't read fashion magazines in decades and have NEVER been able to fit into the clothes they advertise before. I also subscribed to some "regular clothes" catalogs to get an idea about what is currently available. I tear out pictures of things I like with the intent of making a style board. I also have a few lite rest boards of styles I like: pretty dresses, Paris street style, etc.

I always find it helps to assume the best until you have evidence otherwise. If they do happen to require an extra visit or you have to appeal, it just may mean that you have a small delay. Stay positive, and focus on what you can do and have faith that everything will work out. I experienced some long delays due to financing issues and even had to repeat some tests because of the delay, but it all came together at the right time. Just be positive, proactive, persistent, and patient. It will be worth it.

Congratulations on taking such a big step. The best advice I can give is learn as much as you can, ask lots of questions, and write everything down. Your program may give you a notebook to keep up with all of the information you receive, but if they don't you may want to get a big three ring binder to keep up with everything. You have posted in the bypass forum so I assume you are planning to have the bypass. If you aren't familiar with the other options, I encourage you to learn about all of the available procedures and work with your surgeon to determine which one is best for you. Also, stay positive, proactive, persistent, and patient throughout the process. Best of luck.

A compatible culture and positive job environment are huge. I would take a little less pay to work with honest, genuine, caring people any day over a bit more money and working for jerks. The extra stress isn't worth it. Unfortunately, I worked for jerks whose pay was lousy for way too long in the past. Life is too short!

Great question. I was laid off of my last job and have been on disability since then. Since I have had WLS I will be returning to the wok force and one of my biggest projects will be exploring what I REALLY want my career/work life to look like. I did a little bit of this after my layoff, but was so limited due to my obesity and mobility issues, I couldn't really dream big. Once I am back on my feet (literally and figuratively) the sky is the limit. Since your job was eliminated do you have outplacement assistance available to you? If so, I HIGHLY recommend you take advantage of those services, even if you accept a job in the near term. Best of luck with your decision.

I guess it depends on how much you want. I have to be very careful with fruit because even though it has Fiber, Vitamins, and other health benefits, it is very high in sugar. Please talk to your NUT to see how much fruit would work in your plan.

Have you talked to your NUT about your goals? Are you able to eat Protein first and teach your daily protein target or are carbs crowding out your protein? I think those questions are more important than whether or not you should eat healthy carbs at lunch.

I just had a follow-up appointment with my PCP and he is beyond thrilled with my progress. It is so funny to actually look forward to doctor's appointments. (I always dread appointments before surgery because I felt so helpless. Yes, I know I need to lose weight.) I thanked him for twisting my arm and making me at least talk to the folks at the bariatric program he recommended. Who knew that he was referring me to such an awesome program and most of all a very talented surgeon? I couldn't have picked a better one myself. Looking forward to me next follow-up already!