Rdsegobia

Had a good laugh????????

Today is one year from my bypass surgery. So much has changed in this one year. Both my life and I are unrecognisable.
Now I am going to attempt to post the obligatory before and after shots.   (please disregard my messy closet in the "after" picture!)

Prior to surgery and the months following, our diets are so restricted and very planned out for us. A question I get asked a lot is what do you eat now that you are a ways out from surgery? So I decided to make a list of recipes and snack/meal ideas I use now at almost 4 years out. Remember, I eat six meals/snacks a day.
Breakfast:
Frittatta with Ricotta and Mixed Greens- omelet Nonfat greek yogurt with fruit and granola. oatmeal (old fashioned oats) with cinnamon and banana One piece of whole wheat or 9 grain bread with Almond/Peanut butter Turkey bacon with egg whites and salsa Special K Protein Cereal with almond milk, or 2% milk Any kind of Breakfast smoothy with Protein Powder Protein shake Morning Snack:
Apple Slices and Almond/peanut butter Apple sauce Fruit- bag or grapes, orange, pear, banana, etc. Protein Bar Homemade protein bites- meat and low fat cheese and wheat thins and a cookie. dinner left overs. Grilled chicken Cesar Wrap (homemade) Tuna fish with low fat mayo, apple and pickle relish with wheat thins. Grilled chicken salad over spinach and kale with veggies and lite dressing. Turkey Meatball sub with heart smart marinara sauce, low fat Parmesan cheese and whole grain/wheat hogey roll. Grilled chicken fajitas and veggies on a low carb, wheat tortilla. Quinoa with black Beans and corn- Jerky Low fat string cheese Sunflower Seeds Protein bar/shake Sweet Snack Rice Cakes Low Fat popcorn (Smart Pop) Celery and Almond/Peanut butter Veggies with lite ranch Hard Boiled eggs Sliced avacado Dinner:
Turkey Chili- pizza Frittatta- pineapple juice and cayenne pepper, served with a slice of grilled pineapple and steamed or grilled veggies. Any type of grilled fish with mango salsa. Baked pork chops over apple pie filling with roasted new potatoes and asparagus Evening Snack:
Low fat greek yogurt with honey or fruit Cottage cheese and fruit chocolate milk Sweet treat Peanut Butter Spoon Protein Shake Fold over Peanut Butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat or whole grain bread. By no means is this all I eat, but this is a list of my favorites and most used. If you have any questions about recipes or preparation or possible calorie and protein amounts just let me know. Hope this helps.

I been YoYo dieting for so many years. Back in 2009 I was 270lbs. Our company have a family party every year in October. I remember taking that picture and hiding it cause I felt so ashamed at how big I was. I remember I signed up at the gym ymca and went straight for one year. I lost 80 lbs and unfortunately letting my self get back to 253 lbs.
This year when we went to the party another picture was taken and I got my old picture out. I now have it here at my desk at work to remind myself I don't EVER want to be at that weight again. This time I don't see this journey as a diet is all about changing my eating habits and remind myself everyday to see food as fuel.

Its getting harder now because i know i can eat anything without the fear of not being able to tolerate the food. My hair is still falling out but maybe not as much and i had so much of it that it didn't affect the way it looks - just feels lighter. Having hard time stopping myself to not wear my old 2× 3× clothes. The 1x still feels good but its probably too big. I bought a medium blouse and 12P pant this week and they fit nice. I need to clean out my closet. I am afraid to get rid of it last time i lost weight i gave it all away and then gained it all back. Then today i was thinking i could give it to coworkers and everytime i saw the clothes on them i could remember wow I use to be that size and stay true to my new food choices.

Surgery date was 12/15/15. HW 293 SW 286 CW 226 The first pic is at my HW the second is a lil over a month after surgery and the third is Valentine's Day

Wow it's been 6 months since I had my surgery!! Time goes by so fast. I don't regret it one bit. Total loss since pre-op has been 70 lbs and more to lose!! I'm very happy with the results. Today my weight was 183 lbs.

@@rln52 happy to hear from you. You are doing great! I'm about 182 right know. I feel like the 180's have been the hardest pounds to lose. For me the nuts are still my weakness.

Have been out for awhile. Happy to hear all are doing well. I am 6 months out now and down to 144lbs. Feeling really good. So much energy. Eating most foods but in small amounts and sticking to my new food choices. I do like layes potato chips thats my weakness. Still want to lose 15 more lbs.

The view from our room. Too bad we leave tomorrow. It's nice seeing dolphins every morning when you get up.

@@lorri716 it sounds so much fun! Enjoy your time with your friend. Just try to stick with Protein first. I notice when I don't eat the protein at the times I should I start looking for something to eat and sometimes is not the best option. Take lots of pictures!!

I always tell my sister I don't see the difference. I went from 410 to now 236 I totally see it now I needed to do this to see it and I'm happier and most of all healthier I still have a long way to go but for my 1st year I'm so proud of myself <3

2 Tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons peeled and grated fresh tumeric
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups Water
1 cup artificial sweetener
Bring to boil and simmer at least five minutes.
Turn off heat and add 6 green tea bags.
Let that steep about 20 minutes.
Now you have an awesome concentrate that you can use to make 4-6 servings of tea.
If you look up the benefits of the first four ingredients, you will be amazed at how healthy it is.
That's good, because it does have a lot of sweetener in it, even though you do divide it out.
I always though green tea tasted like dirty feet, but I can actually enjoy it made this way.

Good morning. I'm on vacation in Virginia Beach with my best friend, give me the strength to get through these next couple days without completely going off the deep end with food and alcohol lol. I'm just hoping to get through without a gain. Wish me luck.

I been ok too, weighing at 182 lbs.. I saw some family members I haven't seen since before my surgery and they were very impressed with my weight loss ????

It has been 6 months since my surgery and I will say that it is the best decision of my life! I am diabetic and was taking insulin 5 times a day with a 300/400 blood sugar everyday! Now... I am off insulin and medication. My blood sugar is normal.
HW --- 230 lbs
SW --- 215 lbs
GW --- 130 lbs
CW --- 163 lbs

I was able to do my full consultations by submitting photos and email/phone calls. She was very specific about the photos, having me take specific angles and positions, which my husband helped me with.
If you have all that work done at once, I think she would really advise you stay the full two weeks (I was VERY glad I did). Travel too soon post-op would be hard and you'd have to make sure you had someone in the states to pull your drains for you if you left any sooner than that. Being in the recovery house for the two full weeks was a huge blessing to me. I didn't have to worry about anything other than recovery, I had all the resources and care I needed, and my surgeon came to check on me every single day.
My surgeon was Dra. Laura Carmina Cardenas and I stayed at the Beauty Care Recovery House.

Thought I would chime in for those considering Mexico and Dr. Sauceda and plastic surgery in general. I had the following procedures done in July 2014:
-Breast Lift and Augmentation (before 38D; after 36DD)
-Arm lift
-Lower Body Lift (360) with autologous butt flap implant
-Neck lift (aka lower face lift)
My reasons for choosing Dr S were many including cost, ability to have multiple procedures at the same time, recovery support, his experience with former morbidly obese patients (please consider putting this high on your list for any doc!), former patient support group, and twilight sedation. All these reasons ended up being why I was so happy with my experience plus a few additional good surprises.
The costs were significantly less than what I would pay in the states. Costs can vary significantly, so get a quote from the doc.
Ability to have multiple procedures. I didn't want to have to spread this out over a year. I own a business and can't afford to be out of commission for that long. Docs in the US use general anesthesia and can only do a certain number of surgeries at a time. Twilight lets you stay under for longer. I had two surgeries while in Mexico. Body on one day and face a few days later.
Recovery support was really important to me. In the US they send you home after outpatient surgery. I was in the surgical clinic with full nurse support and doc visiting every day for 5 days and then in a hotel nearby for the next 8 days with a nurse and the doc visiting every day. I also had two surgery sisters that I had met on Facebook that were having surgery at the same time. They helped tremendously to pass the time and for general commiseration. I went alone so it was nice having new friends there.
Experience with former morbidly obese patients. Our skin is thinner and our lymph systems are different. Don't go to a doc that just does mommy makeovers!
Former patient support group. There is an extremely thorough board on ObesityHelp for Dr S patients with photos, help documents, and patient stories. There's also a private Facebook group with past patients and those with booked surgeries for support before, during and after surgery.
Twilight sedation with epidural pain block. After my 10+ hour surgery I felt like I'd had the best night sleep of my life and woke up in little to no pain. I have had so many issues with general anesthesia (vomiting, grogginess, difficulty waking up, long term fogginess).
Wonderful surprises. I'd heard what a wonderful Doctor Dr S is but nothing prepared me for how humble and kind he was as well as what an artist he is in sculpting the human body. He never promises perfection (and run away from any doc that does) but he does promise to do his best. I was 100% comfortable with him as my surgeon.
Words can't begin to describe Dr S's nurse Paty. Of all the reasons, she was one of the highlights. She has pure magic in her hands. She truly cares about you. I hated leaving and being without her to help change my bandages and compression garments.
Pain and recovery. I had a lot of work done! My pain was mainly from the uncomfortableness of the compression garment and an existing issue I have with the nerves in my elbows. If not for this, I could have done it without anything but tramadol and OTC pain meds. I had itchiness that drove me nuts. Exhaustion for at least 6 weeks and would get tired easily up to 6 months later.
Seromas are very common with patients that have lost a lot of weight. I had one in my abdomen mainly from losing my drain earlier than I should have (busted the stitch that holds it in while I was asleep). Added extra compression and it resolved in a few weeks.
Under or over? I have Gummy bear implants over the muscle. I think they look extremely natural for my age (50). My boyfriend agrees! I'm not a fan of the way gummies look under the muscle. It also adds to the pain and discomfort afterward. Look at a lot of pictures with similar body types to decide. Definitely take the advice of your doctor and what they think is best for you, the amount of skin that you have, how big you're going, and the look that you want. I am tall (5'10"+), muscular, and curvy, so all of that impacted my decision.
Autologous butt flap implants! Whew, that was a decision that went down to the wire. The doc takes the layer of fat that is removed from above the butt area in the lower body lift and implants it into the butt to round out that area. It took the longest to adjust to of all my surgery. It felt weird when I would run (I ran half marathons before). It zinged when I would hit it on something. It was uncomfortable when laying on my back. Even with all of this I am happy that I did it. My butt is not flat and looks good in jeans and a bikini. It is not as big, nor does it have the issues that a Brazilian butt lift would have.
Running. I ran half marathons before surgery. I was back running about 10 weeks after surgery. I started back with couch to 5K but progressed quickly through it, skipping days. Ran a 5K after a month (14 weeks after surgery). Ran a half about 5.5 months after surgery. The butt was the biggest holdup on the running. It just felt weird. Some people will tell you to take it slower. Listen to your body!
Lower face lift or neck lift. So very happy with this. It looks completely natural. Took the longest to heal. The nerves in the face take a long time to come back and some may never return. I had lumps in my cheek that were not noticeable to others but I could feel them. It also "jiggled" when I ran so it took some getting use to.
Scars. All of my scars are fading. The least noticeable are the breast lift (lollipop, so no under boob scar) and the Tummy Tuck portion of the LBL. Most noticeable is the back portion of the LBL. I had some hypertrophic scarring in that area. This is genetic and nothing could have been done to prevent. I may go and have a scar revision done at some point but my bikini covers it and my boyfriend doesn't mind it (and neither do I)! I used coconut oil pretty religiously. I tried silicone scar tape but I have a sensitivity to adhesives so it didn't work very well. I used scar lotion on occasion but didn't notice that it helped. I used vit e oil and I think it helped. I had SilkPeel Dermalinfusion on my back scar and although it helped, probably not enough for the cost of it.
Work. I have a job where I work on a computer sitting down 99% of the time. I also work from home. I was able to continue working immediately after surgery (I even did some work within hours of coming out of surgery). I wouldn't recommend it though! I had deadlines that had to be met so had no choice. Plan for at least 6 weeks off if you can.
Weight loss from plastics. Don't expect it unless you're getting a lot of Lipo. I didn't lose any but I was at my goal weight (175 and didn't get any lipo). I do think that plastics helps me psychologically to keep the weight off. It's like it finished the transition for me. I haven't had any regain and I haven't struggled with my diet (very lucky).
Fibromyalgia. I haven't seen anything posted about this from other plastics patients. I have fibro that was controlled with cymbalta. I think the plastics and stress of it caused a flare up so I had to add gabapentin to deal with nerve pain. I'm finally feeling like its dying down but be aware that if you have other medical issues you may need to manage them more closely for a while.
I am 1.5 years out from surgery and if I had to do it all over again I would in the exact same way. I absolutely love my new body and feel like I've been given a second chance to live fully.
Feel free to PM me with any messages. I'm not on here as much as I used to be but will respond as quickly as I can. 

Wow it's been 6 months since I had my surgery!! Time goes by so fast. I don't regret it one bit. Total loss since pre-op has been 70 lbs and more to lose!! I'm very happy with the results. Today my weight was 183 lbs.

These are pictures from my weight loss journey that I have been on this last 8 months with some before pictures scattered in here and there(and of course, my Grandson and inspiration). I have lost 90 pounds and now only have another 12 pounds to go. I am wanting to start toning now and hopefully in a few months just start maintaining my weight. This has been a long road with some bumps in it, but I wouldn't change anything. I feel so much better, have so much more energy, and I love going to the gym!! I am thankful for all the support of my family and friends as I have been on this road.
https://flipagram.com/f/kGVsefpRaq

My surgery took place on January 6, 2016. I have gone to my 1 month follow up today and have lost a total of 25 lbs. It's great that I can fit clothes that I have not fit before.

Sleeved 9.15 down 90lbs and couldn't be happier

As of this week I finally hit a normal BMI and i promised myself when that time came I would finally share some pictures. By the way, I still do not like having my picture taken but before I hid behind everyone and because I was tall it was easy to hide the rest of me. Now I definitely am willing to get in the shot and I no longer cringe when I see the pictures.
The only pics I could find before surgery were taken on a cruise with my hubby, Son and Granddaughter. These were taken 1 month before my bypass.


My after was taken earlier today, down 137lbs and finally at a BMI of 24.9

Happy New Year!! 2016 to be the best year ever! I'm finally 189 lbs after 3 long weeks. My New Year end celebration was very good, went out with my husband and I actually felt pretty and comfortable in my own skin. I only had half of a margarita not bad at all.