jessgnc

I wanted to pop in and share my frustration here! My back finally was good enough to work out again in the beginning of December. About a week later, I broke my foot. I SWEAR TO GOD I JUST WANT TO DO YOGA GIVE ME A BREAK! <muppet flail>

@Jenn1 - Whoa whoa whoa, let's not put words in my mouth!

ARG! I just needed a place to get this off of my chest.
I travel a lot for work. I'll spend 3-4 days in hotels with ridiculous food options out there. When I started this job, I put on a bit of weight because I wanted to try a little of everything during mealtimes and breaktimes.
This past week I was at another meeting and while I wasn't perfect, I ROCKED it. I tracked down a small plate to use instead of the giant ones. I filled my plate with salad so there was less to fill on other things. I ate my Proteins first, veggies next and only once did I have carbs when I was still hungry afterwards. I avoided Desserts for the most part. During breaks, I grabbed the healthy options (celery, tomatoes, nuts). I chewed thoroughly and ate slowly. I left food on my plate and stopped when I was full. I run these meetings, so I have been running around like a crazy person, getting around 15k steps each day.
Yet despite all of that, I put on 8lbs since Sunday. I'm sure some of that is Water weight, but it is SO frustrating to see that.
If anything, it helps solidify my decision even more that I'm making the right choice to have surgery. For years, no matter what I did, nothing made a difference. I can't wait until I'm post op and eating and exercising actually makes a difference.

UGH. I read your post and got irrationally mad. It's the reason I didn't tell most people about my surgery beforehand. I don't need your unsolicited opinion on how *I* should handle *MY* body.
Maybe for them eating small portions and exercise worked. For me, I had a medical condition which wouldn't let my body lose weight. So despite eating right and exercising, it wasn't enough.
Next, it isn't about being skinny. It is about being healthy. My body is a car. I want what is under the hood to work well so I can drive it around for years to come. If good maintenance results in a good looking exterior, awesome. But that isn't the main goal.
Finally, f**k her for thinking it is the easy way out. The easy way out is doing nothing. The hard way is:
* Accepting you need help. This one may sound easy but I know that for me, this was admitting that I couldn't handle this myself. It was admitting defeat.
* Saving money for the doctor. Going to classes and education sessions for months to qualify for a major surgery.
* Going on a strict diet prior to surgery.
*Staying on a strict diet after surgery.
*Staying on a strict diet and Vitamin routine for the rest of your life.
So the "easy" way out is an insanely strict diet and major surgery to get a tool installed?
Screw her. Sorry, you touched a nerve here. One of my husband's friends lived with us for about 6 months. He had gone from 350lbs to about 150 after getting diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. How did he do this? He switched from drinking a 12 pack of regular soda daily to a 12 pack of diet soda. Seriously, that was it and the weight evaporated off of him. I had to live with 6 months of watching him drink a gallon of milk a day, 12+ sodas daily and nothing but fast food, while he'd preach to me about how easy it was to lose weight if I just put in some effort. Meanwhile, I was weighing all of my meals, not touching carbs (or soda) and working out with no results.

UGH. I read your post and got irrationally mad. It's the reason I didn't tell most people about my surgery beforehand. I don't need your unsolicited opinion on how *I* should handle *MY* body.
Maybe for them eating small portions and exercise worked. For me, I had a medical condition which wouldn't let my body lose weight. So despite eating right and exercising, it wasn't enough.
Next, it isn't about being skinny. It is about being healthy. My body is a car. I want what is under the hood to work well so I can drive it around for years to come. If good maintenance results in a good looking exterior, awesome. But that isn't the main goal.
Finally, f**k her for thinking it is the easy way out. The easy way out is doing nothing. The hard way is:
* Accepting you need help. This one may sound easy but I know that for me, this was admitting that I couldn't handle this myself. It was admitting defeat.
* Saving money for the doctor. Going to classes and education sessions for months to qualify for a major surgery.
* Going on a strict diet prior to surgery.
*Staying on a strict diet after surgery.
*Staying on a strict diet and Vitamin routine for the rest of your life.
So the "easy" way out is an insanely strict diet and major surgery to get a tool installed?
Screw her. Sorry, you touched a nerve here. One of my husband's friends lived with us for about 6 months. He had gone from 350lbs to about 150 after getting diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. How did he do this? He switched from drinking a 12 pack of regular soda daily to a 12 pack of diet soda. Seriously, that was it and the weight evaporated off of him. I had to live with 6 months of watching him drink a gallon of milk a day, 12+ sodas daily and nothing but fast food, while he'd preach to me about how easy it was to lose weight if I just put in some effort. Meanwhile, I was weighing all of my meals, not touching carbs (or soda) and working out with no results.

@Jenn1 - Whoa whoa whoa, let's not put words in my mouth!

So, the conversation went like this. Person who I’m sure I want in my life moving forward, “ ummm well, if that’s what you want to do. You know, I lost 50lbs the natural way but eating small portions and walking.”
Me: “ I’m glad you’re happy with your results. There’s no hard way or easy way, there’s only the permanent way and however means you choose to get there is the right way.”
The person I no longer like, “ well, sorry you don’t like what you see in the mirror that you want to mutualize your body to be “skinny” that’s really low self esteem”
WTF. by now I wanted to b***h slap someone but I took the high road and responded. “ you don’t have to understand or even agree with my decision but I ask that you respect it and me. “
End of conversation.
My rant goes: why the stigma of wls vs the natural way. I get so annoyed when I hear that statement. The perception that going the surgical route is not by any means the easy way to go.
End rant.

No chiropractor, but I did go to my regular doctor. He checked me out and agreed that I was fine, just an awful muscle pull. He gave me drugs to help me get through it and said to keep doing what I was doing.
Your injury made me cringe. OW. I'm glad it was resolved quickly and you are okay. Still, OW OW OW OW OW.

Chaos and I had the same surgeon and I agree with her assessment 100%. I personally adore my surgeon. I did a lot of research beforehand and picked mine over the other 2 in the practice simply because he mentioned something that I had a passion for. He was wonderful though. This was a non-mandatory surgery for me. I've had surgery in the past and I was indifferent to my doctor. I just wanted someone competent to cut me open, since I'd probably never see them once I was healed. For this, it is a long term relationship with a doctor and a practice. I wanted to make sure I didn't dread going to the office.
So tl;dr, I do love my doctor! He is professional, one of the top surgeons in his field and really took the time to get to know me and provide me with personalized medical treatment. The same applies to his PA's, who are both outstanding.

Yesterday I went out in public in skinny jeans. Size 14 skinny jeans which were honestly a bit loose*.

For context here, I am the person who, even in my 20's wore mom-jeans. Big and loose, size 18/20s with a waistband over my bellybutton. Truly sexy, I know. I have a stitchfix subscription and one of my notes on things I want/don't want is "NEVER SEND ME SKINNY JEANS - It is never going to happen."
I feel like I'm having an identity crisis! I went from hiding everything to going out in jeans which are clinging tightly to me and making my butt look fantastic. I sent my husband a text when I went out yesterday that said: "I AM WEARING SKINNY JEANS IN PUBLIC WILLINGLY. I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE."
His reply was "A skinny mini with self confidence. "
Anyway, this is a big deal for me. My scale has been saying 200.00 for the past week, but my NSV seemed almost as wonderful as entering Onederland!



*I bought them last week. I went in thinking "maybe a 16 will work" and 14 did. 14 might be loose but I didn't want to press my luck and ruin my happy mood!

@shedo82773 - Great tip, thank you!

Yesterday I went out in public in skinny jeans. Size 14 skinny jeans which were honestly a bit loose*.

For context here, I am the person who, even in my 20's wore mom-jeans. Big and loose, size 18/20s with a waistband over my bellybutton. Truly sexy, I know. I have a stitchfix subscription and one of my notes on things I want/don't want is "NEVER SEND ME SKINNY JEANS - It is never going to happen."
I feel like I'm having an identity crisis! I went from hiding everything to going out in jeans which are clinging tightly to me and making my butt look fantastic. I sent my husband a text when I went out yesterday that said: "I AM WEARING SKINNY JEANS IN PUBLIC WILLINGLY. I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE."
His reply was "A skinny mini with self confidence. "
Anyway, this is a big deal for me. My scale has been saying 200.00 for the past week, but my NSV seemed almost as wonderful as entering Onederland!



*I bought them last week. I went in thinking "maybe a 16 will work" and 14 did. 14 might be loose but I didn't want to press my luck and ruin my happy mood!

Yesterday I went out in public in skinny jeans. Size 14 skinny jeans which were honestly a bit loose*.

For context here, I am the person who, even in my 20's wore mom-jeans. Big and loose, size 18/20s with a waistband over my bellybutton. Truly sexy, I know. I have a stitchfix subscription and one of my notes on things I want/don't want is "NEVER SEND ME SKINNY JEANS - It is never going to happen."
I feel like I'm having an identity crisis! I went from hiding everything to going out in jeans which are clinging tightly to me and making my butt look fantastic. I sent my husband a text when I went out yesterday that said: "I AM WEARING SKINNY JEANS IN PUBLIC WILLINGLY. I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE."
His reply was "A skinny mini with self confidence. "
Anyway, this is a big deal for me. My scale has been saying 200.00 for the past week, but my NSV seemed almost as wonderful as entering Onederland!



*I bought them last week. I went in thinking "maybe a 16 will work" and 14 did. 14 might be loose but I didn't want to press my luck and ruin my happy mood!

So 3 weeks ago, I threw my back out. I don't even have a fun story. I pulled my chair in to a table and my back said "nah, I'm going to stay here." Cue agonizing pain. The worst part was that I was on a 3rd story rooftop bar with my friend, 9 hours from home. I learned the bar didn't have a service elevator, so I had to take a few shots to get downstairs. I could barely stand up, I needed something to dull the pain! The 9 hour drive home wasn't much better either. Fun times!
ANYWAYS.
I've been going to the gym 2-3 times a week like clockwork. I'll do Zumba, yoga and/or step class usually. I have now been unable to go for the past 3 weeks. Once upon a time, I would have been thrilled for an excuse not to go. Now though? I'm getting antsy. I want to go get my heart rate up. I want to go relax while doing yoga.
Relax? Exercise? What madness is this?
I never thought I'd be that person that MISSES working out. Hell, I still barely am. But it became part of my routine and I am getting stir crazy being unable to unwind in a nice childs pose.

Seriously though, who am I?

Yesterday I went out in public in skinny jeans. Size 14 skinny jeans which were honestly a bit loose*.

For context here, I am the person who, even in my 20's wore mom-jeans. Big and loose, size 18/20s with a waistband over my bellybutton. Truly sexy, I know. I have a stitchfix subscription and one of my notes on things I want/don't want is "NEVER SEND ME SKINNY JEANS - It is never going to happen."
I feel like I'm having an identity crisis! I went from hiding everything to going out in jeans which are clinging tightly to me and making my butt look fantastic. I sent my husband a text when I went out yesterday that said: "I AM WEARING SKINNY JEANS IN PUBLIC WILLINGLY. I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE."
His reply was "A skinny mini with self confidence. "
Anyway, this is a big deal for me. My scale has been saying 200.00 for the past week, but my NSV seemed almost as wonderful as entering Onederland!



*I bought them last week. I went in thinking "maybe a 16 will work" and 14 did. 14 might be loose but I didn't want to press my luck and ruin my happy mood!

I have the same struggle. My office is filled with candy, chips and free food. As the holidays approach, it is only going to get worse.
I don't always succeed, but I have tried to at least curb the temptation. When I see something, before I take it, I ask myself "do I actually want this, or do I just want it because it is there?"
Usually the answer is "no. I just want it because I saw it and it caught my eye." Sometimes I actually DO want the cookie or sandwich or whatever it is and I'll take it. Not the best choice, but at least I know it is something I want and not me on autopilot.

I have the same struggle. My office is filled with candy, chips and free food. As the holidays approach, it is only going to get worse.
I don't always succeed, but I have tried to at least curb the temptation. When I see something, before I take it, I ask myself "do I actually want this, or do I just want it because it is there?"
Usually the answer is "no. I just want it because I saw it and it caught my eye." Sometimes I actually DO want the cookie or sandwich or whatever it is and I'll take it. Not the best choice, but at least I know it is something I want and not me on autopilot.

I have the same struggle. My office is filled with candy, chips and free food. As the holidays approach, it is only going to get worse.
I don't always succeed, but I have tried to at least curb the temptation. When I see something, before I take it, I ask myself "do I actually want this, or do I just want it because it is there?"
Usually the answer is "no. I just want it because I saw it and it caught my eye." Sometimes I actually DO want the cookie or sandwich or whatever it is and I'll take it. Not the best choice, but at least I know it is something I want and not me on autopilot.

Is this a serious question?
There's no way you can accurately determine your rate of weight loss after a whopping four days post-surgery. Your body underwent trauma and it's normal to hold onto fluids before dropping pounds.
For now, stay off the scale until four weeks post-op. The first month is notorious for stalls, plateaus, and weird changes.
Also, weight loss after bariatric surgery doesn't happen in a predictable, linear pattern. You lose a few pounds, hold onto pounds, and sometimes stall and plateau before you start losing more weight. In other words, you won't post a daily loss. Weight loss starts and stops and resumes.
I lost an average of about 6 pounds per month after weight loss surgery. However, I'm pleased with the overall outcome: I've lost 100 pounds and have been keeping it off so far.
Good luck to you.

@Nancy MBGC - LOL! That certainly helps. Mine looks like Andre from The League!

I love to cook! I missed my calling as a chef. I wanted to go to culinary school and my parents talked me out of it. It's my one major regret in life. So I still absolutely love cooking and experimenting. Being post-op hasn't changed my passion for trying new things, helping teach cooking classes or hosting dinner parties. It has changed some of the things I cook and what things I'm actually eating after I cook them.
That hasn't changed too much though. I used to rarely eat what I baked. When you see how much butter and sugar goes into something, you lose your appetite (or at least I did)! Now when I cook, I'm similar. I'll make a great meal and just focus on the Protein first.
For example, last night I made my husband a meatball sub. It was this huge sub roll, slathered in cheese, Tomato sauce and meatballs. It was a beauty. I served myself 4 meatballs (tiny ones) and that was my meal.

I looked at reviews and feedback on the surgeons in the practice before choosing, but what I truly loved was that at all of my appointments, my surgeon was available to me for questions, wasn't hurried, and listened to my concerns. I actually brought a list of questions to my second visit and he sat and went through every question on my paper, lol. I do love my surgeon, he is great.
As an FYI, I haven't seen him since my hospital stay after surgery, I usually see one of his PA's for follow up, which is fine with me because there are only two of them and they are both amazing as well.

Maybe she is just against doing it in Mexico? I would wait and get it straight from her instead of her staff. Flat out ask her what her specific objections are? Have you been battling obesity for years, have you dieted only to gain back more?
Some physicians are very biased. Just because she is good at being a PCP does not mean she is well informed in the area of obesity. Ask her how many obese patients in her practice have been on a program under her to lose weight and have maintained it?

@FluffyChix My biggest challenge even now is trying to figure out how much to cook so I'm not stuck with too much left over. One time I had a whole freezer full of chili leftover, I used up all my 4 and 8 oz containers. I'm still sick of chili!

So 3 weeks ago, I threw my back out. I don't even have a fun story. I pulled my chair in to a table and my back said "nah, I'm going to stay here." Cue agonizing pain. The worst part was that I was on a 3rd story rooftop bar with my friend, 9 hours from home. I learned the bar didn't have a service elevator, so I had to take a few shots to get downstairs. I could barely stand up, I needed something to dull the pain! The 9 hour drive home wasn't much better either. Fun times!
ANYWAYS.
I've been going to the gym 2-3 times a week like clockwork. I'll do Zumba, yoga and/or step class usually. I have now been unable to go for the past 3 weeks. Once upon a time, I would have been thrilled for an excuse not to go. Now though? I'm getting antsy. I want to go get my heart rate up. I want to go relax while doing yoga.
Relax? Exercise? What madness is this?
I never thought I'd be that person that MISSES working out. Hell, I still barely am. But it became part of my routine and I am getting stir crazy being unable to unwind in a nice childs pose.

Seriously though, who am I?