LisaPunkinHead

I am an alcoholic -- I have been sober for 15 years. I can see the transfer addiction issue because while I was doing the pre-op classes, I saw a clear connection between changing my life after weight loss surgery and the change I went through when I got sober. The stress management techniques and some of the other things they taught at pre-op class were very similar to the techniques I learned from my AA sponsor.

I am an alcoholic -- I have been sober for 15 years. I can see the transfer addiction issue because while I was doing the pre-op classes, I saw a clear connection between changing my life after weight loss surgery and the change I went through when I got sober. The stress management techniques and some of the other things they taught at pre-op class were very similar to the techniques I learned from my AA sponsor.

What's REALLY going to be surreal is when you try on a size 12 and they are too big!!! That's when I first said "this is so surreal." Good luck! You will do great!

Is anyone else doing a C25K? I am on week 2 day 3. So proud I made it this far. Never thought I would be trying to run a 5k at my size. I hope I can manage week 3. Would love to hear from others on this journey.

I guess I never really thought about that....and let me also add that when I didn't tell my husband, we are in the middle of a divorce and he would just judge saying I was getting surgery so I could get skinny and find a new man - NOT what I am doing at all....so while we are technically still married, we are not really in a relationship.

(clearing throat slowly ....)
I don't think I've acquired a transfer shopping addiction.
(clearing throat slowly again ....)
However (ahem), I have shopped more in the last year than I did in the previous couple of years. And for an obvious reason: As I lost weight, I shopped out of my closet (my old "skinny clothes"). But eventually I lost so much weight I literally had nothing to wear. At 135 pounds, I now weigh less than I've weighed in the last 35 years.
Another thing that happened is that at 70 years old I decided to modify my dress style (which is basically "classic") by adding pieces in some "rocker chic" and "street style" ways of dressing. That has meant more leather, less matchy-matchy, different jewelry, shoes that are less "traditional," more skinny jeans, and outfits that combine pieces from different designers and different stores.
Sounds like it could turn into an expensive new addiction, doesn't it?
Happily, I have found an amazeballs high-end consignment clothing resale store where I now spend 90% of my clothing budget. My new clothes budget for 2016 is only $100 a month, which will require me to do some serious planning before shopping and spending. I probably averaged twice or even triple that amount in 2015 (my first "skinny year"). And if I had more money I could and would spend SO much more money on new clothes.
These days I'm making a list of the types of pieces I want to acquire this year. I think (and hope) this will reduce my impulsive purchases.
Besides, I no longer have the excuse of having nothing that fits me. My closet now contains lots of pieces in sizes 2 to 8.
P.S. Since becoming slimmer, I now understand that what we've always heard is true: Sizes mean absolutely nothing. You literally have to try on a piece of clothing to find out if it fits you.

What's REALLY going to be surreal is when you try on a size 12 and they are too big!!! That's when I first said "this is so surreal." Good luck! You will do great!

What's REALLY going to be surreal is when you try on a size 12 and they are too big!!! That's when I first said "this is so surreal." Good luck! You will do great!

I've seen numerous posts here that run something like this:
"I've gained XX pounds. I don't understand why I've gained weight. I never overeat. I eat healthy food that's good for me. I don't binge. I estimate I'm eating XXXX calories a day, no more. Help!"
What this really means is:
"I've gained XX pounds. I have no clue how this happened, because I don't measure or weigh my food, I don't track or log my food, and I don't know how many calories or micronutrients I'm eating on a daily basis, much less over the long haul. Bottom line is I eat what I want when I want it. I'm astonished, because I expected my sleeve would stop me from gaining weight. I thought I was just supposed to eat less than I used to eat and to stop eating when I felt full and then eat more later when I didn't feel full. Oh, and since I don't weigh myself regularly, I had no idea until recently that I'd actually gained XX pounds. Help!"

So today , this morning to be exact my scale read 170 pounds. Exactly 1 year and 2 days post surgery.
Whew! now the hard part.
My new motto has to be:
MAINTAIN NOT GAIN!

I am currently 27 months post op and maintaining comfortably. There is a point where your stomach is fully healed and the swelling goes away and you may feel like maybe you are able to eat slightly more at one sitting. Just because you can doesn't mean you have to. I also find that if I keep hydrated I am never truly hungry like I was before surgery. hunger changes. Like it's more of an empty feeling than a ravenous hunger. Also, how I eat the day before impacts my hunger levels. If I've gone off plan and eating a lot of carbs and/or sugar I am craving those things and super hungry the next day (or two). But if I stick to the plan and get a lot of Protein in, the next day I'm feeling good and I'm feeling satisfied. You just have to learn to make it a lifestyle change instead of a diet. I would have to work really, really hard at eating lots of food and unhealthy kinds of food if I were to gain the weight back.

I think as long as you are able to be strong about Christmas being one day (not Christmas Eve through New Year's Day -- ONE day) you will do great.

Panda Express is another one of my favorites. I order a la carte and order only the entree. My absolute fave is Mushroom chicken. A 6oz serving is 170 cal 4g sugar and 12g Protein (obviously I only eat about half)

56 before surgery, and 46 since August 25. The clothes, the mirror, those are great. But I've spent the last three weeks working on fixing 300 feet of bad fence around my yard, since my male dog figured out how to chew his way out. I've raked acorns, moved so many carts of dirt, strung hundreds of feet of heavy horse fencing wire, filled holes, carted out junk, taken huge branches to the dump, etc! Last year at this time, I could barely walk around the yard to pick up poop, forget raking acorns. That is my real victory, being able to do what needs to be done. Yeah! I'll be overweight in just a couple more pounds, and 42 to go to a normal BMI. It feels amazing.
I am a little pissed that I skipped right over my hundred pound weight. I wanted a picture of the scale!

I have it too and have since surgery. My blood pressure runs naturally low, so now that I'm almost at goal I run 93/60. I just have to make sure I stand up very slowly!!

food should not be our enemy anymore. Make food your nourishment, a necessity, an occasional indulgence. If you're tracking your intake, make those bites of stuffing part of your daily calories. No harm, no foul.
I eat right 90% of the time. That's why when I do over indulge the other 10% of the time, I feel no guilt whatsoever. See how that works?

Its been an amazing journey so far. My decision to have this surgery did not come lightly and I did lots of research and thinking before deciding it was a good fit for me. I have had many triumphs and victories throughout my 7 months since surgery, but reaching my 100 lb weight loss was the biggest (pun intended) for me! When I stepped on the scale and saw my 100# I cried. Happy tears of course. I am proud of my journey and cant wait to see what more this wonderful life changing surgery has for me in the future! I still have a ways to go, but excited to get there.
The photo I attached is from my monthly photos that I take in the same spot in my house. The first photo was 1 week post op and the second picture is from today100# down!
What has been your biggest victory since surgery?

I did call the office. I started with the program director who sent out the email yesterday. She admitted it was a mistake and she simply forgot to Bcc and instead just Cc'd everyone in the program. She apologized but the damage has been done. After that I spoke with the office manager who apologized as well. I do know one person on the list (the mother of a friend of mine) and Im hoping she ignored the email and didn't take the time to read the hundreds of names on the list. Im still pretty upset. If an office can't be trusted with following simple HIPPAA policies how good are they at taking care of me? I've gone through all the hurdles and my surgery is just three weeks away. I don't want to start over yet Im having trouble mentally wrapping my brain around hundreds of people knowing I've had the surgery and having my contact info. I need to get past this and get back in the right frame of mind but Im still pissed and hurt.

Im a nurse and our facility takes privacy very seriously!
That is a very serious HIPAA violation and someone's booty will be on the chopping block for that. Call office right away. That is NOT ok!!!

Your HIPAA rights were violated.
And other privacy rights of yours were also violated by this egregious email mishandling.
In your situation I'd consult an attorney.
What a f**k-up!

The people at the hospital would be appreciative if you put it in your history and even brought supplies, although they will have supplies there. And if you feel embarrassed, remember that these are professionals who have seen everything. Things don't really surprise them. But I do think it is important to let them know so that if you do have an episode, they won't think it's a complication of your surgery.

The people at the hospital would be appreciative if you put it in your history and even brought supplies, although they will have supplies there. And if you feel embarrassed, remember that these are professionals who have seen everything. Things don't really surprise them. But I do think it is important to let them know so that if you do have an episode, they won't think it's a complication of your surgery.

The people at the hospital would be appreciative if you put it in your history and even brought supplies, although they will have supplies there. And if you feel embarrassed, remember that these are professionals who have seen everything. Things don't really surprise them. But I do think it is important to let them know so that if you do have an episode, they won't think it's a complication of your surgery.

The people at the hospital would be appreciative if you put it in your history and even brought supplies, although they will have supplies there. And if you feel embarrassed, remember that these are professionals who have seen everything. Things don't really surprise them. But I do think it is important to let them know so that if you do have an episode, they won't think it's a complication of your surgery.

P.S. My shrink says that after people lose all their excess weight have to find NEW motivations and NEW goals to inspire their commitment to the lifestyles that will keep them thin. After the initial weight loss, he says, the compliments stop, the thrill of being newly slim fades, boring real life pales by comparison to the excitement of watching the weight fall off. He says those who are most successful long-term are those who actively identify and work toward new goals. In other words, the most goal-oriented patients are those who have a natural advantage in keeping their weight off.