Toomanytacos

Today at the Gym- Ymca to be exact

Feb 28 2018

Still 297, but hey, inches are a'coming off baby!

Thanks guys for all your support.

We're like fam, huh? lol

Hi Balrog.

I'm Joanna. Nice to meet you

Don't feel bad. The lapband is a nightmare. I've heard zero people say they are happy still with their lapband. Had a girlfriend who had it and she lost minimal weight..

I think people got it because it was much safer than the gastric bypass, but at what cost?

hardly any weight lossa nd a dang foreign body in you- for life. Not to mention appointments to adjust it

You will be so excited to have this done. I'm not extremely happy with my weight loss. But I know I wouldnt be where I am without having the surgery

Just a run through

I began preop diet on Nov 27 and at that time weighed 344. Two weeks later exactly, surgery date I was 321 (Dec 11) 2017..

The weight loss has really slowed down but I am going to the YMCA all the time too

Anyways, today I am 290. I was 287, but I gained three pounds this last week. Had my daughters over. Back on track now, I assure you lol

Anyways, again, Welcome

13 minutes ago, dgirl1229 said:

I guess that makes sense. Thanks for replying!! Day 1 is almost over....

Drink caffeine. That is ridiculous. Lol. I drank coffee up until the day before surgery. Even had a diet coke. Now, after surgery is different. For the reason she said above. If you can be sure to drink enough Water and liquids to offset the extra peeing that drinking caff will do, go for it. It's simply that caffeine makes you pee more, period. I hate Decaf coffee, I HATE IT. I drank it for the first week and could do no more. I started drinking my folgers caffienated coffee. I even had 1 teaspoon of sugar free hazlenut Creamer sometimes to it, instead of just plain powder3ed sugar and I am alive today. You can live too.. Just be careful you're drinking enough liquids to offset the pee'ing. K?

If anyone who got sleeved in Dec 2017 met their weight loss goal, their final one, I will cry and sob for a week

Lol

I've only lost about 54 pounds (including preop diet) lol

I have about 120-130 pounds to go, but I will get there, or die trying lol

Keep doing the sticks. You will continue to feel like you just can't do it anymore. You are going to die if you don't have one. But that is part of the addition, that is what nicotine does. Nicotine takes about a week to get out of yoru system from what I recall, so yes, you're dealing with the mental head game, which is JUST as bad.

But man, I'm proud that you can even go that long. I couldnt go half a day without a cigg. The idea made me have a panic attack lol

I'd say about 3 months of non smoking, you start to feel like you actually can do this

The key, and the only key is just NOT to pick up the next cigg.

Each time you don't, that feeling of going crazy if you don't just have one smoke, WILL pass

I swear, it does

Just don't succumb to it and it will pass and before you know it, you will be a non smoker

( I enjoy smoking too)

For the record, if I found out I'd die in a month, I';d pick up a ciggarette and start again, immediately

I so get it.

But contrary to what you think, your body DOES love the nicotine

If it was just behaviorial, you could do another habit with your hands

But in answer to youre question, they will be checking your nicotine levels. So this means, you can't even chew nicotine gum to give you somewhat the same satisifcation as nicotine. This also means no vaping. Believe me, I tried every way for a soultion other than to quit completely

There is none

Now, I've had the surgery

I could start back smoking

YEs, I could

But quitting smoking was the hardest thing I've ever done my entire life, (other than restarting my life over from my late husband dying suddently at age 36) there is nothing harder

I am here to telll you, you CAN do it. It's crazy sounding I know

But you really can

<3

2 hours ago, GayGirlLivingForHer said:

I'm a smoker and, to be honest, I have no interest in quitting. Seriously, absolutely none. I know it's ridiculous but I like smoking and I have only food and cigarettes... soon I will not be able to tale comfort in food so I feel like I need it... My doctor told me they will test me to make sure I've not been smoking.

Can anyone tell me if they will test for just nicotine? Or is there some sort of test for smoking in general?

Hi there

Name is Joanna, former smoker

First off, I won't judge you for smoking.

Actually, I quit because of the reason you're facing. I had to. When I first learned I had to quit, I was like screw this, no wls for me. I can't quit. I enjoyed smoking like people enjoy christmas. I smoked about 2 packs a a day. 30 minutes without a cigg was too long.

After I pouted and ranted and raved over how ridiculous it was that i had to quit to get surgery, I came to realize, it was time for me to quit. The trouble was, I had to decide if I was okay to live in this body and continue to smoke and die young or alteast try to quit and change my life. I promise you, it sucks. But I made the choice to atleast try. I cried a week before to the Lord. I needed deliverance. Smoking was my "crack cocaine" I was not only addicted to it, I enjoyed it. I needed it. It was my friend for 23 years years. I started smoking when I was 14? I was 39, still am when I had the surgery. Which, btw, y es, I quit. The first week was pure hell. I am talking pure pure hell. Actually closer to a month. I did have a smoke aid, Chanitix. that stuff made me get through it. IT gives you thte same sensation of smoking. I can't explain it, but it helps. And the great thing with Chantix is you dont have to quit smoking before you start it. Chantix allows you the option to quit after you start, which is the optiion i chose.

I found out after i quit that i had stage 1 copd. So it was a God thing I quit when I did. I still struggle with wanting one sometimes but it DOES get easier. Tomorrow actually makes 7 months smoke free. Truth? You will always wish you could smoke. Always. but that desire does get easier and you honestly will feel so much better. I could hardly breathe and and I was constantly getting bronchitis and just getting sick. The cost was outrageous and the bottom line, it feels so good not to have to constantly worry about having a cigg on me for when i need it.

I am not judging you. I so get it, I get it

But if you do decide quitting is worth it for you, try using chantix

and a lot of gum

and.. i also bought straws and cut them into different lengths and for the first month or so i sucked on those to give me the sensation of smoking and something in my hands. Sounds so dumb, but it helps.

Hugs and you really can do this

When people find out Joanna no longer smokes, they're like. WHATTT??????

You will find happiess in other ways besides smoking. You don't believe me now but in time, you will.

If you choose to quit... xo

1 hour ago, Angie's_Ocean said:

You seriously made my evening! This sounds like something I would totally do lmao I’m still laughing 5 mins later I love that you actually took a pic

Lol.

Isn't it though? We do it though huh. Most of the time, its thankfully something hasn't realized we have thought by accident. But it's still a little embarressing, even within ourselves lol

I've hit a gain/stal for about a week and a half. I was 291, then 289 (1 week or so ago) then miraculously went up to 293..
I should be used to this by now- I know
Anyway, yesterday, Feb 22, I weighed 287. Whew. But the picture my friend took aren't a good illustration of this win
You know that feeling when you are at your lowest weight so far, and yet, you look BIGGER in this pic than ones 20 pounds heavier?

3 minutes ago, Losebig said:

haha of course! Good thing you looked in the mirror, it's just subtle enough to look like its a birthmark or something and I bet no one would have said anything

lol (((( Losebig))) lol

2 minutes ago, Losebig said:

Great story! Haha love that you put a pic :-)

Do you see the makeup I forgot to rub in?

That is why those men were staring deep into my eyes lol

My daughters tell me, " Mom, you're "too much" Lol

Maybe so

But I am free Lol

I honestly entertain myself

Today, in the car, I was putting makeup on before going inside this building. And ladies, you know how you'll put concealer under your eyes or on diff areas of your face to "sit" , and dry before blending. Maybe 5 min or 10, whatever. Right?
Anyways, so I was doing that. Finished doing other areas of my face and realized, I was going to be late. Got out of my car and went inside. Several different guys were looking deeply into my eyes, as I passed by them in their seats.
I thought "Hmm. Wonder why are they looking at me so intently. I'm not even made up really cute today.Strange"

I honestly entertain myself

Today, in the car, I was putting makeup on before going inside this building. And ladies, you know how you'll put concealer under your eyes or on diff areas of your face to "sit" , and dry before blending. Maybe 5 min or 10, whatever. Right?
Anyways, so I was doing that. Finished doing other areas of my face and realized, I was going to be late. Got out of my car and went inside. Several different guys were looking deeply into my eyes, as I passed by them in their seats.
I thought "Hmm. Wonder why are they looking at me so intently. I'm not even made up really cute today.Strange"

I am so proud of you. You're my sorta mentor, ya know?

So your 59 is not just since day of surgery, but including weight loss in preop. Whew!

Wanna know what sucks. The closer we get to our ideal weight, the harder it will be. You're much closer. I am so excited for you. And me. Thanks for answering back

Hugs,

Jo

2 hours ago, Losebig said:

Hunger decreasing isn’t a myth. The surgery reduces the level of ghrelin, which is the hunger hormone made by the stomach reducing hunger. This is one of the major reasons surgery helps along with the volume constraints and the feeling of being ‘full’ with very little food.

With that said early hunger seems to be pretty common (I had it too), but for many people it fades and a few weeks out you have little to no hunger. When it does return it’s not the same as it was pre surgery for most people. In my case I had a lot of hunger early, then no hunger at all and now it’s there - but not that intense and I can easily distract myself. I’m not sure what it’ll be like when I’m further out, but many people report it returns to a more normal level after several months, but may be less intense.

Once you are on purees and solid food you will also get a ‘full’ feeling quickly and that will help satisfy hunger. Hang in there, you’ll be in good shape.

Hey sugar. I keep meaning to ask you. I may have and you probably told me. Did you have a preop diet and if so how long was it?? What were you when you began your preopdiet, pound wise?

I was 344 on Nov 27, the beginning of my preop diet and 2 weeks later, on surgery date I was 321.

Just curious.

I keep coming back to you, because we are surgery twins lol

Jo

Thanks Kevin

Thanks Walter. Haven't heard from you. You and wife doing good? I love your silly faces. You remind me of me and my late husband ..

Angy, thank you,

Same to Katlady

Miss Topaz and

Losebig..

and anyone else. Thank you. You guys know this journey. We live for "real results"

A big muah!

Joanna

Thank you all. Thank you <3

3 hours ago, Numbergurl37 said:

Great job. You can tell a difference. How much have you lost?

Sent from my SM-G920P using BariatricPal mobile app

From pic 1 to pic 2, not much. Maybe about 10 pounds?

And in general, not too much.. lol

I gained 2 pounds this last week

preop was 344

Day of surgery 321

(I got down to 289 then back up

Today, 292.. Waaa

Picture 1- January 2018
Picture 2- February 2018
Surgery Dec 11.
I see a tad difference. It's there though, right?
10 weeks post op, so I'm still "in the womb"
But it's exciting

TMC?? Taco Belle? lol

I think that's a good thing? *shrugs* lol

((( Katlady )))

On 2/10/2018 at 1:41 PM, Taylor5 said:

Just wanted to throw my two cents in. I had similar feelings of frustration & concern after surgery, and still do at times. My situation is not exactly the same as yours, but some aspects are similar. I never lost the hunger sensation, which was a huge surprise and letdown. I had been counting on that to get me through for at least the first few months, then understood for most it would gradually lessen and likely return to normal. For me it felt the same right out of the gate. I remember my husband eating a burger and fries a few days post-op and the smell was just amazing. -That's another thing that never changed for me was my sense of taste. Everything still tastes the same, making my cravings for unhealthy foods just as strong.

I didn't feel like I had much restriction at first. Actually, I remember saying several times that if I didn't have incisions on my tummy I'd swear nothing had even happened. And I was baffled by that. I was able to drink Water in large amounts right from the beginning (I never meant to gulp it, but would sometimes forget, as I was used to gulping it, but then when I did, no issues...so I'd think...isn't that supposed to be painful?)

But then I would realize that I did have restriction with certain things, which I understand is different from what you are experiencing. Almost all liquids that I can remember I could take in larger quantities, but heavier foods I can feel. For instance I eat chicken salad a lot for dinner. I started with 1/3 cup. One night I felt more hungry so served myself 1/2 cup. I took very small bites and ate slowly, but I finished the whole 1/2 cup. As soon as I did though, I could feel that gurgling sensation in my chest and slight nausea and just knew - nope, 1/2 cup is too much. @dreamingsmall, I wonder if maybe this is what she means by "overeating". When trying new foods and we are experimenting with what works for us, sometimes we take too much, and many of us can tell this because our sleeve will give us feedback by way of gurgling, reflux, an uncomfortably full feeling, nausea, vomiting, etc. and she is saying she never receives this type of feedback. I could be wrong, but that is my interpretation.

I am just over 6 wks post-op. I am down about 29 lbs right now. But 10 of it was lost on the pre-op diet. So 19 since 12/27. No, I have never dieted in my life and lost 19# in 6 wks and kept it off, so it is amazing and I should be over the moon. But I too thought 20# was the norm for Month 1 and that it slowly went down from there. I don't know if it was from reading forums or from surgery center/hospital statistics I collected or a combination, but that was my expectation. So, when it didn't happen I felt a huge sense of disappointment. Even though I lost a total of 15 inches that month & 7% bodyfat, I was so focused on those 20 lbs! And sure I complained and everyone pointed out that my starting weight was lower and lots of other statistics, which was helpful, but I still felt that sense of disappointment, so I can understand where you are coming from.

Not only that, but we were self-pay for the surgery, and we traveled to have it done. I sometimes fear that if I only lose a certain amount that my husband may think, "She only lost 40 lbs? Couldn't she have done that on her own? Did we really have to take out a loan for X amount of dollars and fly x amount of miles and have over half her stomach removed so she could lose 40 lbs?!" Not that he has ever said one negative thing about any of it yet, just that I know the loan/surgery/travel was all a big deal for our family and I carry that with me that it really needs to be worth it. Also, even though I tried to inform him as much as possible ahead of time, he still says things sometimes like, "Oh well why don't you just drink milkshakes? They should be easy on your stomach, right?" -Um, because milkshakes have lots of calories and don't fill the sleeve so I'd be hungry again soon and I would gain weight!! -Oh. or "Oh, well I guess you can take as much Prednisone as you need to for your back pain now without having to worry about it, right?" -Um, no, because Prednisone will Still make me retain Water, and will Still drive my appetite, causing me to overeat whatever foods I'm able to overeat at the time, (milkshakes maybe?) and cause me to Gain Weight! -Oh. I realized that even though he went to informational seminars with me and watched videos with me online, that he thought I could never again gain weight...no pressure there.

Anyway, sorry for that sidebar, lol, but I guess I just wanted to say that I can relate to your reality of how much you can drink and why that concerns you. I can understand why it would concern you to not feel any type of restriction from your sleeve on the amount of food to eat, because for me that is the real benefit I get from it is it only allowing me to eat so much at a time. I understand your dismay at not losing more in the first month or so, but as several people have pointed out, is not unusual - and if you check out the thread Late December Sleevers (which you may already be on) you will notice is pretty common for most of us done in this time frame. I think it's great you were able to be open with your surgical team about this, and awesome that they didn't blow off your concerns. Maybe there is some sort of issue that is causing you not to feel any difference - I mean, hopefully not, I don't want you to need another surgery, but at the same time I know it sucks to feel different but not have a solid reason why. But at least they took you seriously and were willing to take a closer look and see what's going on.

In the meantime I think it's a smart idea on your part to limit grazing and increase water. Yes, unfortunately willpower is still involved - I think what helps increase that though is during pre-op liquid diet you are excited that surgery is coming up so willpower is stronger, and immediately post-op I feel there is fear of damaging your sleeve/hurting yourself physically so you know you are limited in what you consume, plus the scale is going down and that is so motivating. Once you know you are allowed and encouraged to introduce more foods, and especially if the scale stops moving at the same time, I can see that being incredibly hard to call upon your willpower to carry you through - after all - if you had such strong willpower you never would have needed surgery, right?

But, since many people stall you have to think that's all this is (until you get your test results and/or your drs tell you otherwise) and try as many things as possible to keep going. Maybe distraction? I like to paint/draw and read and do decorating projects around the house. Sometimes when I am all caught up in a project is one of those rare instances where I would "Forget to eat" - you know, that skinny girl phenomenon that never made any sense, LOL? For some people it's knitting/crocheting, woodworking, gardening, house cleaning/organizing, writing, cooking (although that seems like a bad idea, haha). If you can find something to keep yourself busy and have healthy things on standby for when you finally "remember to eat" like your Protein shakes/bars, lean Proteins cooked and portioned, Soups, and of course, water by your side 24/7, that might help. And exercise and move around of course. I don't know, just trying to be helpful...I know it's not easy.

One last thing, my surgery center never mentioned calorie intake either, and that bothered me a lot at first trying to figure out where I should be. I found food plans on-line from other programs that were all over the place. Some said as low as 250-450 per day the first month (Insane), others 400-600, some 600-800 and so on. I keep a strict food log and even when my calories are way more than I meant for them to be (about 10 days ago I ate a whole cup of pistachios because I was waiting for them to make me feel "satisfied" or "full" so I could tell what my limit was with them, and realized they just don't create that same sensation of fullness as other foods do, even though they are super high in calories, fat, Fiber, and a good amount of Protein. They are really good for you, and I love them, but it's not a great idea to eat a cup full at a time. And I was really sad to log in 576 calories and 56 grams of fat in one journal entry - especially in what was meant to be more of a "snack" category, but I'm all about being honest with myself, so I did. Anyway, I found I lose more weight when I'm eating around 1000 cals per day than I did when I was eating 700-750 cals per day. So sometimes you do need to eat a little more, but it's important to keep track, I feel, because they can add up fast if you aren't careful. Certainly not preaching, just saying, from my experiment and all But good luck with all of this. I hope you get some answers from your results, and if not, that your doctors can at least give you suggestions on what to try instead....Either way, let us know!

I must know you. I love your personality. Love it.

Will you be my friend? Circle answer (yes/no) Lol

Seriously, you have a wonderful personality and I have

thoroughly enjoyed reading what you've written.. Thanks

4 hours ago, orionburn said:

The first month is pretty damned rough for a lot of us. I had complications and the first 3 weeks were, well, hell. But, I'm a year out and can say I have no regrets at all.

Can I eat a small plate of food? Yes and no. You'll learn how different foods will fill you up. If I'm eating some type of slider food I can probably get 1-2 cups of food in depending on what it is. Other times it's a single cup and that's all I can manage. The next couple months are going to be a learning experience. Some things will frustrate you initially, but you will learn to work through it. Drinking will get back to normal for you. I mean I can't pound down a 44 oz diet soda like I did in the old days, but I can take a pretty decent sized gulp of Water now and it doesn't bother me.

It's pretty normal to have some feelings of regret, especially if you're dealing with pain and difficulty in getting anything down. Try to keep your focus on the long run. I know this phase is pretty depressing but it truly does get better. Once you get past this initial hump and then can start transitioning to regular foods you'll see things start to improve quickly with your outlook and attitude. Hang in there. This will pass.

You are precious Orion.

I seriously love your personality

and your heart. Thanks for encouraging people

Keep on!

On 8/8/2012 at 9:10 AM, geno5150 said:

_{The human body is a really amazing invention. Contrary to what common sense would tell you, the metabolic process is much more complex than calories in vs. calories burned. It will average out to that over time, but there is a lot of action going on in your body all the time- not all of it is burning excess fat.}

_{The body is also very adaptable, so having it trained to eat a ridiculous mount of food for 30 years and then suddenly stop doing that does cause the body to try and preserve itself, i.e. "starvation mode" until it has no choice but to start burning excess fat to survive. While these transitions take place, and it will happen a lot as it takes tiem to retrain the body after 30 years of doing it the "wrong" way, you will experience stalls. As long as the stalls don't last for months at a time, you don't have anything to worry about.}

_{You also should not compare you weight loss to anyone else, unless they are your identical twin and have the exact same diet and activity level. Everyone is different and the only barometer you need is how you look in the mirror. If it looks better every month, then you are doing OK.}

I have to ask. IT's driving me crazy when I see HUGE weight loss numbers such as yours. There is only a one month span of time from your surgery date to when you posted this. And it says you lost like 111 pounds. PLEASE tell me you didn't lose that much in a month or two. Because if so, I will cry. Did you lose some of that, and if so how much BEFORE surgery? How much time did you lose that 111 pounds?

2 hours ago, Shannon226 said:

It looks like I’ve missed out on a lot of good conversations on my original post. Thanks to everyone who gave advice. I had the procedure today but I won’t get feedback until Monday at the earliest. I doubt that the X-ray will show anything unusual. I’m working on trying to limit grazing and drinking Water when I feel hungry. I still haven’t lost any weight in about a month now. It’s really discouraging especially since this is supposed to be the honeymoon period. But I’ll keep trying.

Please keep us updated on how you are. We're like family here, right y'all? lol

Hugs Shannon