Roxine

I just hit Onederland this past weekend - and rewarded myself with a massage and facial. Let us know what you decide - and Congratulations!

Haven't checked in for a bit - but wanted to update now that I'm 3 months post-op. (Surgery date 3/5/18) This week was monumental in that I am now in Onederland! I hit the milestone over the weekend and currently weigh 198! As a mid-point reward, I treated myself to a massage and facial! To know that I will never be over 200 pounds again feels incredible! For me, the eating/working out is no longer a chore or a task - it just "IS" what I do - every day. Three meals a day only - focusing on protein and vegetables. No drinking 10 minutes before, during, or 30 minutes after - at LEAST 64 ounces of water per day (and one cup of coffee in the morning) - and walking/core workouts almost every day. I'm now in a size 12 - from a size 20! Shopping is so much fun. I used to loathe the dressing room - but now I have to try on clothes because styles that used to work for me don't work on my new form. Things i would never consider trying on (like pencil skirts with shirts tucked in) now look amazing! But each store's sizes are a bit different so what may fit as a 12 in one store may be a 14 or 10 in another. Here's a before and after photo from a week ago. This was before I hit Onederland and shows a 60 pound weight loss - 261 on the right, 201 on the left. Thanks for letting me share my journey here...

Congratulations! How are you feeling?

Which FB group?

70 pounds is a HUGE DEAL! How can you not be positive about such a tremendous victory? I encourage you to create a ticker and track your loss - it's HIGHLY motivating as you can physically see yourself moving towards your goal. Watching both the loss and to go numbers change as well as your BMI reduction just reinforces moving towards a healthier, happier you! Also, it's not just about the numbers on the scale - what non-surgical victories have you achieved? Smaller size? Walking upstairs without getting out of breath? You've already mentioned compliments, so your body is definitely changing and others are noticing. Find that motivation from within. Follow you plan, know every day that you are fueling your body properly - you are moving more - and most importantly you are drinking your water. And when you're ready, post some progress pictures. You lose inches faster than weight - so seeing before/after really helps. I have very few full length shots of me as I avoided the camera, but here's one from about 6 months pre-surgery side by side with the one I posted yesterday.

Hello MGBG'ers! It's been awhile since I've posted - sorry! Things are going great! I'm down 51 pounds! Here's a recent picture (please excuse the messy bedroom!) If you want, please post your progress pics as well!

I LOVE eating out - and we also as a family do those Healthy Fresh meals at least 3 times a week - and breakfast - my husband loves making breakfast and we always sit down as a family to eat. Know what's changed since my surgery? Nothing. We still eat out, we still prepare Healthy Fresh meals 3 times weekly, he still makes breakfast on the weekends and we sit down as a family - I just eat less. And we save money! Because I eat less, we order one entree at dinner - I take my 3-4 ounces and he eats the rest. And for Healthy Fresh? We only need to order for 2 (instead of 4) because there's plenty of food for 3 people out of the two servings with me taking my 3-4 ounces - and for breakfast, I just eat less. He doesn't feel bad that I'm eating less. In fact, he and my son have begun picking up my healthy habits - eating proteins first, not drinking with meals, eating on smaller plates. It's a lifestyle change for the whole family. Your wife will not suffer. Her hunger has nothing to do with yours. You won't be hungry - at least not for a long while. You will eat, but you won't feel like you want to... This is a good thing...believe me (My surgery was March 5th). Roxine

Welcome to the group! How are you doing now? I really don't have much of an appetite either - sometimes I have had head hunger - but not true hunger. I do, however, eat 3 meals per day regardless. You should set up a ticker to monitor progress. Sometimes it feels like it's so slowwwwwww - but when you look back at where you started, you realize how far you've come! I can't believe I'm down 44 pounds! I'm OVER 1/3 OF THE WAY THERE! 16 more pounds and I'll be half way to goal!

jldoublee - What a great report! And I agree with you about the increased energy. I can't sit for too long, always have to keep moving - feel so great in my clothes (everything's loose) and this weekend I actually bought a t-shirt and a zip up sweatshirt in a Women's Medium!! You are FAR ahead of me on the workout train. I'm still mainly walking. But I do need to increase my strength training. You have inspired me to begin moving some light weights and resistance bands tonight. Down another pound over the weekend - though I was afraid my salt intake was too high and that I might be retaining water. (Was out of town and ate out every meal) I made good choices, but in looking back, noted that a lot of my proteins were very high in sodium content. Keep up the good work - and keep checking in! Happy to see my BMI is down again...so close to laying on that beach...

Hello fellow MGBG-ers! I've been out on travel for work so haven't had time to post any updates. Big NSV this week - had to fly to Tennessee - I not only fit into the seat comfortably (not "hanging" over and impinging on my neighbor and feeling uncomfortable the whole time trying to lean away from him/her) - but the seatbelt FIT! It not only FIT - but i had to TIGHTEN IT!!! OH IT FELT SO GOOD! This morning I weighed in at 220 pounds - which according to my Baritastic tracking ap lowers my BMI to 38! (Although my ticker here still says 39, so I'm assuming it's like 38.9 - but it's still 38 and heading down!) This was the first trip I have made since January - where I was at my high weight - so people definitely noticed and commented. We did a lot of tours with a lot of walking with a lot of uphills/stairs/in and out of small spaces - and I never got winded nor had to rest nor fell behind. My energy level was great! We also did a construction tour where we had to wear reflective vests for protection. The last time we were there - I remember distinctly - we posed for a picture and the vest they gave me wouldn't zip so I left it hanging open. This time it zipped up and I had room to spare! Also we did a tour of a lab and they said we had to wear lab coats - one of the guys was handing them out and said "here you go - you look like a medium" - I was VERY nervous because I'm used to being at least a 1X or 2X - but I put it on and it snapped up! It was snug - but not tight - and didn't pull at the snaps - so I wore it proudly Lots of eating out for business meals - but I made excellent choices the entire time. Luckily a lot of restaurants now offer small plates, so it's easy to order something right sized for me where it's not apparent I'm only eating about 1/6 of what a normal person would. I also steered clear of wine - which is also a bit part of the social aspect of business meals - and just ordered water. A great trip - today's a great day - and I am going to remain committed to the plan until I reach my goal! I hope everyone is doing well - Roxine

Yes it hurt. It felt like a deep pressure all the way down my esophagus, from the back of my throat into my pouch. It was almost like even saliva might cause me to vomit. It was the most uncomfortable feeling I've ever experienced - and one I don't want to experience again. Now I know when I may have made an "oops" didn't chew that quite right - and I pause, breathe, and think really hard before attempting to eat again. I also make sure I look at the clock when I start eating, put my utensil down between each bite, try to count how many chews (20 - 29 is my goal) of each bite, and go slooooowwwwwwww.

Sorry to hear - I did that once - didn't get sick, but couldn't take another bite - couldn't move - just couldn't do anything but pray, swallow slowly, and hope that it passed (literally) and didn't come back up. It was miserable! No rushing. Always make time for your meal - and don't eat distractedly. I'm reminding ME not you I'm still at risk to do it again! Hope you're feeling better!

I think mine shows both too - maybe delete and recreate your ticker FluffyChix?

Thanks for sharing! I'm only one month out but already can see and feel the differences. I can't wait for each month to pass. But I am being patient. This is for the rest of my life, not a quick fix. Congratulations on your success! Hope you continue to check in as we walk this road behind you! Roxine

Hi - just checking in - sorry I missed this message. I can't do any meat products yet - not until week 7. If eggs and salmon aren't working - maybe hummus? Can you tolerate soft vegetables? I really like cauliflower mash. Are you still doing protein shakes? (each doctor is different) - but if not, and you're not able to tolerate most proteins right now, I would call your doctor/NUT and see what they say. I hope you are doing well!

Good Morning MGBG'ers! I hope everyone is doing well. I am just having my breakfast - a little bit of scrambled egg with cheese. Delicious! I did face a moment of "uh-oh" as I was eating and writing this - I think I swallowed a bit of not properly chewed scrambled egg and thought I was going to get sick. I had to get up, walk around, stand very straight and breathe. It has passed now and I am slowly chewing and eating a bit more - but ~whew~ that was close! Remember to slow down - don't get distracted (I'm talking to me now *grin*) I've attached a face picture from pre-surgery and from today. I can see the difference in my face thinning out. A bit more definition in the cheek bone. Also, they say you lose weight in your back first - so here's mine pre and 30 days post (down 37 pounds). I can definitely see the difference here. At my SW, I was wearing a size 20 - now I'm in a size 14 and can buy clothes in the "regular" misses section versus the plus size. But I do admit, it's a hard habit to break

Maybe try a bit of salmon? I could do tuna and salmon on week 4 which helped with that "full" feeling as you always lead with your protein. Scrambled eggs are also good for that fuller feeling. Let us know how you tolerate them - just remember to go slow I made a mistake once with scrambled egg and a small bite of toast - apparently didn't chew it enough and couldn't eat another bite. It was not fun - just forgot for a moment to slow down and chew chew chew chew chew (like 29 times!)

Congratulations! Oddly I wasn't nervous the day of surgery. I was so prepared and ready to take back control of my life that I was eager. I had mine at Reston as well and was very pleased with the level of care I received. Just remember when you wake from surgery to walk, walk, walk, and sip, sip, sip. The more you walk, the quicker you will relieve the gas pressure in your belly, and the sooner you can get down enough fluids, the sooner you get to go home Look forward to watching your journey over the next several months!

At three weeks I was allowed to add soft foods - scrambled egg (i could eat about 1/2 of it), Yogurt, Loose oatmeal, and loose mashed potatoes. It was nice to have something with texture after being on fluids for so long. What does your plan call for at 3 weeks?

Hi - welcome! I had my surgery with Dr. Fitzer March 5th and am doing well. I hope your 6 months passes quickly! Please ask any questions you have. Perhaps I'll see you at a meeting? I've not attended one yet, but plan to in the near future. Roxine

Today is my official 30 days post-op - I am down 36 pounds since the start of my journey, 26 pounds in the 30 days post-op. My BMI is now BELOW 40! (Okay, it's 39.9, but that's still below 40 ) I have increased my cardio, walking every single day at least 20-30 minutes at a brisk pace. I have added in other activities - bike riding, light weights, core work - and can really feel and see the difference in both my body and energy level. I will be taking pictures over the next several months every 30 days and will put out a before/during/after collection once I have reached maintenance. I hope everyone is doing well - looking forward to hearing your success stories as we walk this path together. Roxine

Everything is going well - but today I experienced something I hadn't before, so thought I would share here for any input from others who may have experienced the same thing. I am very diligent about eating my 3 meals per day, drinking my 64 ounces of water per day, and not drinking 10 minutes before, during, or 30 minutes after my meals. However, today I literally had to force myself to go get lunch. I grabbed a bit of hummus and a few crispy crackers and tried to eat some. But after literally 2-3 very small nibbles, I couldn't eat anything. I felt as if I would make myself sick if I tried to eat anything. So I threw it away - and went for a 30 minute walk. The full feeling has passed and I am back to drinking my water, but because I'm consuming so few calories at this point (450-550 per day) it does concern me that I didn't get my typical lunch in. Anyone else have experience with this? I'm not experiencing any blockage or anything - I have been having regular bowel movements - and other than not being able to eat I feel perfectly fine. Thanks for any advice you may have Roxine

I thought I had stalled - but found out it was that time of the month Which means I was still losing, but with retaining water weight and feeling bloated around my monthly cycle, it was a push - hence a stall. Once I finished my cycle, I was down 2 pounds. If you follow the plan, you will lose. It will slow down, sometimes speed up, but in the end you will be successful. These "stalls" seem like they take forever - but they are just a blip in time. Allow yourself to adjust to the new normal - maybe stay off the scale for a few days (as hard as that can be) - give yourself a week, walk, exercise as appropriate, eat as recommended - then step on a scale. You'll drive yourself crazy stepping on it every morning...

One tip my surgeon gave me is burping (and flatulance) are normal - you are expelling all of the gas that was introduced during your procedure. However, hiccups can be a sign of overfilling. Also pain just in the center of your chest can be a sign of overfilling. If you experience either of these, stop eating. In my plan, we don't drink with meals (no liquids 10 minutes before, during, or 30 minutes after meals) so that helps prevent over-filling. He also mentioned if you want to help clear your pouch, stand up very straight - as that will help facilitate moving foods/fluids through quicker. Hope this helps?

THANK YOU for this tip! It worked (probably too well - hahahaha) this weekend. Of course, I probably over did it - I think I drank it 3 mornings in a row - and boy did it clear out everything. I felt 10 pounds lighter Will now only use it perhaps once per week - as needed. But highly recommend if anyone is struggling with constipation or having irregular bowel movements.