amylynns

@Shadow427--Yes, I can eat a bit more too. But I still get nauseous if I eat one bite too much.

I have noticed I've had some actual hunger this week. But it's PMS week, so maybe that's why.

It's sorda nice to have a little interest in food for a change, but I just don't want it to get out of control at all.

I just logged what I've eaten today, and I'm at 635 calories. It feels like I've eaten a lot though!

And I'm feeling a bit hungry now, so I'd better go eat some yogurt, I see my Protein is only at 35g.

Note to self----If you have some dental work done, be prepared with a smoothie or pudding or something you don't have to chew! Oh goodness, I just had a cleaning done is all, but WOW! I can't bite together at all without pain. So I was just trying to eat some "wet" taco meat, and I couldn't even chew that. Thus...I didn't chew well enough, so I'm nauseous.

@dc0520---I Know!!! I can't wait for 170's! Oh goodness, I see I typed 282 instead of 182. Haha...that wouldn't be good!

I remember feeling that same way. I was so bloated and painfully full of gas. It does pass, promise....

You could put a warm heating pad on your belly (with a towel between you and the pad) That sometimes helped relieve mine.

But yes, it will eventually pass. Hang in there.

Thank you! I was 248 (October 7) the morning of surgery and I was 181 this morning. My weight loss is crawling now but I'm happy with where I am now. I'm 5'2 but really large framed. At my smallest I was still 150 so that's my goal. After three kids and being a size 20 - my 12s are glorious!

I'm more like a 9.5-10. Darn!

I was an 11. I'll have to get measured for sure when I go to buy a new pair.

I had 63 pairs of shoes!! most all of them are too big now :-( I am so sad, and broke so I keep trying to wear them, and yes I have about killed myself a few times.

Oh my goodness!! What size do you wear? I could buy some from you, LOL!!

You're welcome.

Hopefully you won't have to be on any meds!

Good luck with your surgery!!

Weighed in at 274 this morn. 8 pounds in two weeks.

Awesome job!

Just came across your post. I was also banded in 2008 and had it removed in 2013 because of complications. It had moved and was causing everything I ate to get stuck. I had lost 85 pounds from 2008-2010 and then in 2011 slowly started gaining unexplained weight back. (ended up gaining about 75 back)

I have some auto-immune stuff going on as well, so probably due to meds from that we think.

Anyway--I had gastric bypass 4 months ago and have lost 67 pounds. I'm very happy with the progress, although it was a lot bigger surgery/recovery than I expected.

Good luck to you! You're off to an awesome start!!

@Bandista---I have NO desire for pizza, or any food for that matter!

Actually, I take that back. The one thing I have "craved" or that sounded at least a little bit good was sushi. I can eat 2 little pieces and I'm good.

I had severe reflux (barrett's esophagus) and a hiatal hernia also. So that was another reason I did want to do the bypass.

HOWEVER....I still have the flippin reflux and they said I'd have to be on meds for it forever because of the Barrett's. I was not pleased with that.

Yes, the sleeve is much less evasive. I have a good friend who had the sleeve and she's done WONDERFUL with it!

She did have a few rough weeks right after surgery, just hard time getting in fluids and enough food. But that's pretty normal for us all. Just sip, sip, sip! :-)

@k9nana--You'll do great!! This board has been a life saver for me!

Are you having the bypass or sleeve done?

I haven't read everyone's posts, so I may be repeating what others have said....

I'm 4 months post op. I had the gastric by-pass. I should preface by telling you I also had the lap band done back in 2008. Over 2 years I lost 85 pounds, and then began having issues. Ending up gaining back a good 45 WITH the band in, then ended up having it removed because of complications from it in 2013.

Then quickly gained another 25, and during that time looked into having the bypass done. (and I was still hungry with the band)

For me, I chose the bypass because my BIG temptation and downfall is sweets and I knew from several friends/family that had the surgery, they couldn't eat sweets like they used to. I was willing to give those up in order to maintain control of my eating. (and I have had to give up a lot of sweet stuff. I can eat a tiny amount and be ok)

So like I said, I'm 4 months post-op. I've lost 67 pounds and I'm about 20-25 pounds away from my ideal weight. (if I lose more, fine, but if I can get in the 160's I'll be happy)

I would have to say it's only been in the last 3-4 weeks that I can actually say I'm glad I had the surgery. I had a difficult recovery. So. much. nausea. I was dehydrated, requiring IV fluids 3 times, had an infection in one of my incisions and really just had so many moments of saying, "What the F@*K have I done?!"

But now I can say I am SO thankful I had it done. I'd still go back and do it again.

I have a whole new set of issues with food now. I am NEVER hungry. I get to where I'm a little light headed and my stomach "feels empty" (not like hunger used to be) so I know I need to eat something, but no more head hunger at all.

I'd honestly be happy if I never had to eat. I have no real enjoyment in eating anymore. ( I don't know that that's the norm?) I guess that's a good and bad thing. I don't depend on food anymore to make me "feel" something, or I don't "need" food socially like I did before.

I have a heck of time getting in enough calories in a day to keep me from being exhausted. I have yet to REALLY work out. I don't have enough energy to do so.

Just yesterday I went to meet with a trainer to see what I could do so I could start building some muscle back. I've lost SO much. So I'll start doing some of that slowly.

If I eat too fast or even eat just 1 bite too much, I'm instantly nauseous. I really have to take my time and pay attention to my body so I realize when I'm full. And it gets easier every day.

Good luck to you whatever you decide to do!!

@Beni--I put some of that foam stuff in my work shoes too. I'm one of those women who does not have a lot of shoes. If I find a pair that are comfy, I wear them until they fall apart. So the ones I'm wearing now really do need to be replaced. They're not only too big, but are scuffed and worn. I've kept my eye out for a new pair, but just haven't found ones I like that fit well.

I don't really like wearing more than an inch or so heel. I'm on my feet a lot at work, and hate sore feet, plus Brett is only about 2" taller than me, so I don't want to wear high heels and be taller than him, LOL!

I don't "dress up" for work really. Slacks or khakis and nice shirt, never a skirt. Although I'd love to wear a "summery" dress this summer!

@Beni--Was it you who had said something about almost falling with a pair of shoes or slippers that were too big? I had JUST gotten a new pair of slippers in November and spent WAY too much on them, but I wear them all the time and they were SO comfy, I just had to have them. They're not Uggs or anything that expensive, but more than the $10-15 I'd normally spend, LOL.

Yeah, well---I've almost killed myself falling down the stairs with them SO many times because they're way too big (loose) now. I'll go to step down and it'll fly off my foot so I lose my footing trying to keep it on my foot. But I refuse to stop wearing them because I spent too much on the, LOL!!

@@Shadow427

Congrats on your shoe bows NSV. So cool. Last winter, I had to get my son to help me put socks on because I couldn't. Most times I would wear shoes without socks. I the winter not so comfortable. I also didn't buy shoes with shoe laces, for the most part I wore slides. Easy to get in and out. Now I wear high heels and all sorts of fun stuff. Heck it's so exciting I even wear high heels around the house, just cause I can. Right now, I am paying bills with my high heel black boots on and I am still in my nightshirt. Heck, I need to practice walking with these because it has been 10 years, at least, since I could walk in heels.

OH my gosh, Beni! I'm laughing SO hard right now picturing you walking around in your high heeled boots and night shirt!!!!

@dc0520---You look great!!!! I need to be taking some pics, but most of my clothes I have right now are a tad baggy, even my "skinny" clothes, LOL.

I brought in a tote and a big box of "skinny clothes" from the garage that I'd had packed away. I got through the tote and found some shirts, (most of them are even too big now, so they're in the donate pile) but I just haven't made the time to sit down and see what all is in the other box. Maybe some pants! That would be handy.

Had my 3 month check up and blood test. Here's "the skinny."

1. Most of us lose between 2 to 4 pounds a week in the first 3 months. I clocked in 4.65 per week. That's better then most. Well done I was told but don't push it. In other words I should eat a bit more. Was told that I could not skip my afternoon snack. Never in my entire life was I told I needed to eat more, lol.

2. My blood work came out fantastic. All the markers are great. But because I am a detail oriented person i did realize my red blood cell differential was slightly elevated:

RDW was 15.8 and the normal range is (12.3 to 15.4)

Of course that's a very small up from the normal range but I decided to investigate. I think this means there is a larger variance in the size of my red blood cells. When they are formed in the bone marrow they are smaller and they mature over their 120 day life span to a larger size. I am not sure how they take the actual sample nor does it matter because my MCV 82 is normal (79-87). Anemia is not suspected at this point. The most common reason for normal MCV and higher RDW is a recent hemorrhage. I did have surgery 3 months ago but I am not sure if that's too long ago to matter. Iron and folate are key in all this. At the 6 month check up I will investigate further if there is still an issue. Certainly I can't expect picture perfect at this point. I am a work in progress and I am getting there.

3. My Vitamin B12 was elevated as well 1279 (211-946 is the normal range). So, I will take one less drop of my sublingual B12 drops. Because I didn't want to take yet one more pill I got a liquid. But the only one I could find had a higher concentration so I calculated 3 drops per day was a little more then the required amount. Well, I am reducing it to 2 drops instead.

4. I was also told that I have to get my timer back out and eat my 3 meals a day over a 20 to 25 minute time. She said it doesn't matter if I eat 1/2 cup or 1 and 1/2 cups as long as I take my time. This is crucial because as hunger returns WLS patients are at a greater risk of snacking. This causes a situation of being hungry all day and snacking all day. This is how you put on weight later. If I eat slowly I will be able to eat more and get sick less and everything will be better overall. Okay, I will pay more attention to time. For me I think this will mean I have to engage in an activity while I eat or I will naturally go too fast because I want to move on.

5. 48 ounces of liquid per day is fine. So happy, because I have not been able to go much higher then that. Obviously, if I exercise a lot or if I am out in hot weather I will have to increase it. But for my current winter indoors life, I'm good.

Pretty good so far. So very grateful for my surgery, my successful journey and the abundant hope I have for the future. Things have not looked this good in my life in a long time.

Hey Beni!! So glad your check up went well!!! You're doing great!!! Yay!!!

Happy Valentines

Hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow.

Sending you lots of love and "air chocolate kisses"

To you too Beni!!!!

@Bronxmerci---Whoohoo girl!! You must be REALLY tall, because even in your before picture it doesn't look to me like you weigh what your stats say!

You look amazing! And I'm REALLY glad you didn't die too! I know we were all really worried about you for a while there!! So glad you're healthy and feeling good for your sweet little man. And good for you sending your son's father packing! Yay! Takes a strong woman to do that! (coming from the not strong woman who stayed in a marriage for 18yrs before I was finally strong enough to get out)

I'm eating my lunch right now. I take a bite, type for a while, surf the internet, do some work--take another bite, etc, etc.

I've come accustomed to eating barely warm food because it takes so long to eat, LOL. But I'd done that before with the lapband, so that part wasn't new to me.

Oh goodness, last night I was actually HUNGRY. Not grumbly tummy hungry, but I knew physically I needed to eat. It was a long, crazy day---spend 2 1/2 hours at the Dr.'s office, so no lunch time. (I did eat 5 cheese cubes on the way there though) So I had some thick chicken and wild rice Soup finally at about 7PM. I scarfed it down way too fast! I think I even knew I was eating too fast, but I guess I hoped since it was Soup, it would go down easy. Not so much...had to lay down on my right side for a while and that took care of it. But just a good reminder to SLOW DOWN Amy!!

Question to All Gladiators!

For several weeks now.. I have been nausea and vomiting free! Today,I ate ky normal egg beater for Breakfast,and I became mauseated. Then I ate one chicken wing without the skin and im sick to mu stomach!

Any ideas? I really thought inwas over the nausea hump! This sucks!

I've had that happen sometimes too. What I've found with me, is that I was in a hurry and didn't maybe realize it. So ate too fast...or didn't chew well enough.

And then it seems if that happens early in the day, I'm doomed the rest of the day, whatever I eat, I end up nauseated.

But heck, I think some days our little pouches are just ornery!

All of these Protein powders/ recipes look so good, but I have tried and tried to drink Protein shakes, but honestly, they fill me up TOO MUCH! I am uncomfortable the rest of the day if I drink one??! What is up with that?? I just made a little 4oz one even, and I was still over full.

I seem to do better with food I guess. I had a "taco salad" for Breakfast this morning with left over taco fixings that we had last night.

I did this a few weeks ago with left over taco stuff. I ate it for Breakfast for about 4 or 5 days. :-)

_{I'm using a Shampoo that promotes hair thickening, regrowth along with Biotin. I'm losing a lot too. I'll look at the name of it tonight. It's not over the counter. It's from a hair salon. My BF was using it first and I could see a difference in his hair within just a couple weeks, so when I started losing a lot I started using it as well. We'll see!}

189, that's awesome!!!

My hematologist told me that of you are B12 deficient and don't monitor it properly, you could end up in the ER. It affects the red blood cells, but it also really affects the nervous system. It can paralyze you, your muscles stop working, you pass out, can't walk, talk, eat. He said he's had gastric bypass patients before that were in that situation, they ended up in the hospial, because they didn't know enough to have their levels checked every 6 months. Crazy!

Symptoms

Symptoms tend to develop slowly and may not be recognized immediately. As the condition worsens, common symptoms include:

Weakness and fatigue

Light-headedness and dizziness

Palpitations and rapid heartbeat

Shortness of breath

A sore tongue that has a red, beefy appearance

Nausea or poor appetite

Weight loss

Diarrhea

Yellowish tinge to the skin and eyes

If low levels of B12 remain for a long time, the condition also can lead to irreversible damage to nerve cells, which can cause the following symptoms:

Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet

Difficulty walking

Muscle weakness

Irritability

Memory loss

Dementia

Depression

Psychosis

Holy crap!! I'll be asking about that for sure tomorrow.

What does a Vit.B12 deficiency do? All my surgeon is having me rake is Vit. B1. I even asked about Vit B12 because my cousin, who had the surgery years ago still has to get Vit B12 shots every month. So obviously it must be an issue with rny patients. Hmmmm.

I am officially in the 180's! (189, but still. ????) I had to go get new dress pants yesterday. I got into size 14's, which is just unreal to me. Even when I had gotten down to 178 back in 2009 I was in a 16.

I still have no energy to work out though. :-( I'm losing alot of muscle. My appointment with my general Dr. Is this Tuesday so we'll see what she says.