Leese_A_New_Life

I have a similar story to yours and can very much relate to what you are saying about higher education. I have my BS degree in Exercise Science and am about to graduate in December with my Master's in Public Health. Here I am at nearly 300lbs and I feel I am discredited or looked over bc "how can someone obese know anything about public health,health prevention, and being healthy" I eat organic, gluten free, and dairy free (most of the time), don't drink soda, love Water, making Protein Shakes, and juicing!! My diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease makes it nearly impossible for me to see quantitative results, which got very discouraging. Then I gained 25 lbs in the last 4 months and saw a full length picture of myself and yikes! Like you said it was the combination of events that led me to my decision. Best of luck to you on your journey!

I have a similar story to yours and can very much relate to what you are saying about higher education. I have my BS degree in Exercise Science and am about to graduate in December with my Master's in Public Health. Here I am at nearly 300lbs and I feel I am discredited or looked over bc "how can someone obese know anything about public health,health prevention, and being healthy" I eat organic, gluten free, and dairy free (most of the time), don't drink soda, love Water, making Protein Shakes, and juicing!! My diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease makes it nearly impossible for me to see quantitative results, which got very discouraging. Then I gained 25 lbs in the last 4 months and saw a full length picture of myself and yikes! Like you said it was the combination of events that led me to my decision. Best of luck to you on your journey!

So did mine!!! How exciting.. i'm all set for 11/17/17- Best of luck on your journey! Be sure to keep us updated post- op

I have a similar story to yours and can very much relate to what you are saying about higher education. I have my BS degree in Exercise Science and am about to graduate in December with my Master's in Public Health. Here I am at nearly 300lbs and I feel I am discredited or looked over bc "how can someone obese know anything about public health,health prevention, and being healthy" I eat organic, gluten free, and dairy free (most of the time), don't drink soda, love Water, making Protein Shakes, and juicing!! My diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease makes it nearly impossible for me to see quantitative results, which got very discouraging. Then I gained 25 lbs in the last 4 months and saw a full length picture of myself and yikes! Like you said it was the combination of events that led me to my decision. Best of luck to you on your journey!

November 20th! So excited! I 'me ready to become the best me. I have a two week liquid diet that will start Nov.6th. I keep telling myself the two weeks before may be a struggle but I've been struggling for the last 16 years with this weight, so two weeks I can do. I have my liquid diet items bought already for nov 6th, just three weeks away! A new healthy slim me is around the corner. I cant wait till 2018 to see how far i can go!
#determined

I just scheduled my surgery for November 17th! I'm very excited and nervous..It is all happening so fast and i'm sure the next 7 weeks will fly by!

Hi y'all. I thought it would be fun to post a real or theoretical day of eating that allows you to get your Protein in at the individual level you're at presently. So like, if you're eating 1/4c per meal and have a protein requirement of 60g of protein for the day--what are you eating. Likewise, if you have a 1/2c per meal allowance and an 80g of protein requirement--what do you eat. Maybe if we do enough of these posts they will be great references for people as they work their way up from the initial 1oz=1/8c per meal, all the way up to 1c=8oz per meal! I know it will sure help me. I'll start by giving a hypothetical example for me when I'm 6 weeks out--on a "good day". You can put everything you're eating, but really I'm just thinking to put the protein component only and if you have room to also eat some veggie and then higher glycemic carb, God bless you! (Oh the big goal is to get as much of your food from whole food sources rather than protein powders/bars/shakes etc.) Ok, let's play!
Goal: 1/4c Food per meal/snack; 74g Protein/day
B: 1 jumbo egg + 1 tsp unsalted KG butter (8g P)
MS: 1/4c HEB 0%Fat Greek Yogurt + 1oz froz blueberries + 6g slivered almonds + 10g Protein Powder (15g P)
L: 2oz stewed chicken thighs + 1tbsp salsa (14g P)
AS: 1/8c homemade sf fluffernutter (peanut butter/marshmallow dip) + 5g protein powder + 1oz GS apple (10g P)
D: 1/8c homemade 2Alarm chili + 1 tbsp pintos + 1 tbsp grated cheddar + 1 tbsp salsa + 1 tsp sour cream (17g P)
BS: 1/4c 2% Daisy cottage cheese + 6g vitacost Peanut Butter powder (10g P)
Daily Totals: 670cals; 74g Protein; 30g Fat; 29g Carb; 11g Fiber; 18g Net Carbs; 10g naturally occurring sugars

Yes! I heard that too. If the liver is too large there will be complications. It is hard to do because the liver is in the way. If the liver bleeds I think that is really bad. But people blame the doctor instead of thier neglect to follow directions.

I've been scrolling this the forum for the last week, before I scheduled my surgery day. It has been very encouraging and supportive to read through all of the stages people are in. I will be here, be sure to reach out to me
Lisa

Thank you! Good luck to you too!!

Hi, Which surgeon in NJ?? I'm from NJ too. My surgeon is Dr. Trivedi from Advanced Laproscopic

The simple fact of the matter is, only a small percentage of people who lose weight can keep it off over a five-year period. There are studies that show this conclusively. Doctors no longer dispute this. It's been years since a doctor suggested that I lose weight, because research shows that when we lose weight our metabolism drops, and it stays at the slower rate even after we regain the weight. That's why dieters who regain the weight often gain more than they lost. It's a losing, or rather gaining, battle. So doctors have generally shut up about weight loss, except to suggest, as mine did, bariatric surgery. It's the only thing that gives us a chance of keeping the weight off.

It's not a character flaw or weakness that gets the weight back on, but the fact that our bodies want it back. This was a great survival strategy when food was scarce, but with our current abundance of food, it's a real problem. I mean, the fact that after surgery our weight loss can stall for weeks at a time when we're eating less than 800 calories a day is crazy, right? Not when you think about the history of our species and how the body will do whatever it can to keep us alive when we're starving.

We're fighting years of evolutionary success at staying alive during hungry times. It's not about willpower.

Sent from my ONE A2005 using BariatricPal mobile app

I am also the 17th! I have all sorts of emotions going on right now. mostly good though!

I have been using Stevia for a couple years. Research is starting to show that fake sugar still effects your blood sugar. The chemical laden ones (sweet n low, Splenda, equal) definitely effect brain chemistry. As far as I know, stevia doesn't effect brain health. Not sure if it messes with blood sugar in a research environment. For me, I can definitely feel my cravings get triggered with the chemical sweeteners, but I do not with Stevia. I don't feel any blood sugar issues when I use Stevia. I think long term it depends on what your poison has been. I plan on eating sugar, continuing to use Stevia in my coffee. Sugar and sweets for me were never my issue. Yeah I love them, but they weren't what caused me to keep my weight on. For me it was fast food. So that I have to avoid like the plague. I believe the more we deprive oursleves and the longer our list of "no-nos" gets, the more it messes with us psychologically and we perpetuate our unhealthy relationship with food. We pretty much all know what we should and shouldn't eat. The problem is in our heads. So the solution needs to be in our heads. I plan to focus on being mindful, listening the my brain-body connection, stopping when I'm full and being kind to my body, eat when my stomach is hungry, not my brain. I know my tastes have and will continue to change and I'll go with that. For me, I have dieted and restricted foods for 25 years and it got me no where. I need to try a different approach besides hard lines and a long list of banned food. (Of course, this is all within the parameter of Protein first, veggies next, carbs if there's room.)

If you are constantly getting some type of Protein in, and Fiber as well, you should not experience hunger. I made sure that every 2 hours or so, I was eating or drinking something. I never got hungry. Before cooking meals, I had a Protein Shake. I then would not be hungry when dinner or Breakfast (on weekends) was ready.
I did a 2 week liquid diet even though I only had to do 1 week. I lost 25 pounds during this time, because I was determined to make it work. My advice would be to get your mind right. This is for you, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You've just got to look for it. We've tried and failed at every diet we've ever tried our entire lives. This tool is worth the trouble and hardships, because it tips the balance in our favor.
It may sound crazy, but self-talk works wonders. Everyday, wake up and look into the mirror. Tell yourself that you are beautiful...That you will work hard to achieve your goals that day.....That you are worth happiness.....That you are going to SUCCEED!
It will happen for you. Good luck on your journey!!

I can understand the second thoughts and challenges. I went through those thoughts all the way through the process. I'm two months post op and overall, I feel great. Down about 85 lbs from my heaviest. The benefits of being lighter outweighs (a bit of a pun there) the challenges the journey brings....in my experience.
I have coffee now every morning. Doesn't make me have any ill effects. I also have the occasional glass of wine. Now I do recommend not trying these things right away...you want to heal up before doing too much. In reality, wine and coffee didn't even sound appealing until much later in the process for me.
I recommend not getting too hung up on what you're giving up...it's not the same type of temptations post op as it was pre op. Everything feels so different post op that it's like trying everything over again and you find new things u like and realize you might not like old things you used to.
These are only my experiences...everyone can experience and tolerate things differently.
Good luck with your journey.

Ok so crazy tram just about sums up my life! I’m 2 weeks out drank 3-4 cups of coffee to start my day followed by a few espressos to keep me going. I took Advil/Aleve like it was candy for all of my aches and pains. I also told myself I was content at the weight I was and that’s what life dealt me. Until my best friend confided that he was going to do the sleeve. I heard his news and felt a twinge if jealousy. I have been on every diet known to man to over-the counter meds as well as prescribed diet pills and nothing worked for me. I fell off the wagon and went back to my old habits of eating.
I got all of the info I could from online and people I knew who had the surgery, then I made an appointment. I was that person who cried at he first appointment. I had a realization that finally I’m doing something that will help me. I want to be around for my kids/future grandkids and to start enjoying life. I always felt like I was being stared at and spoken about. I was never comfortable in my own skin.
The months since the first appointment and all of the pre op clearance fell into place. All along the way I thought something was going to stop my from reaching that date on the calendar.
I was sleeved on 9/18 had my 1st appointment on Wednesday and I was down 12lbs the first week. I had my ups and downs the first week feeling tired shaky and drained. The pain was not bad at all and the shakes was because I was dehydrated. I was back to work in a week.
Was it tough—not really more of an adjustment. I had my doubts post op on getting fluids in, did I make the right decision, what the heck did I do to myself.
But as the days fly by I really am feeling better.
And do you know what I have had no coffee or Advil.
I have no desire for coffee right now because I’m trying to get to fluids in. I’m sure it will change, but I feel so much better.
The aches and pains in my joints have really disappeared.
Sorry to go on for so long, everyone has a different story and a different reason for having the surgery. You need to weight the pros and cons. Think about why you started the journey in the first place and decide from there.
My pre op course was a lot shorter than yours, however my friend’s is as long as yours. He goes 11/3 and I will be there for him every step of the way.

With your stats, you have a good chance at ending up around 145lbs. If you are only 5'0, then at that weight you might not be "thin". But dropping 50lbs would make you much healthier, lighter on your feet, and into smaller sized clothing. How low you go, most of the time, is up to you.
With PCOS, it IS more of a challenge, but surgery will give you your best shot at losing some weight and keeping it off.
Long term eating, although smaller quantities, is just as satisfying for me (I'm 6 months out.. so not terribly long term). But then, I never had a food addiction, either.

I just scheduled my surgery for November 17th! I'm very excited and nervous..It is all happening so fast and i'm sure the next 7 weeks will fly by!

November 2nd for me too!