keithf

Oof! That hurts. I agree that you may have gained some muscle there, but I question whether it would have made any real difference. If you were able to get onto Group Health coverage, I'd recommend them. Your admission is into a program, partway through which is the surgery. I presume that re-application means another 18# to lose? If so, I think you were on the right track with the < 1700 cal regimen. That's what I did, but I also only did 40 minutes of walking each day, not the triathlon you were pulling off. Good luck with the new application.

Not in the least! My body lives off of food Protein and body fat, not carbohydrates, and I have no problem walking 3 miles in good footwear -- I could walk more but at some point I get bored.

Well, that didn't last long. Shortly after that visit my hunger jumped incredibly. Just got a fill this morning.

Visited my surgeon today. He's quite happy with the 3#/wk rate I'm losing. We discussed my eating habits, the nature of problems I've had, my hunger level, and he's satisfied that I don't need a fill yet. We'll revisit this in a month or so. He's happy with the healing of my scars (there was a mild infection in one that I took care of at home, and that's looking much better). My sleep apnea specialist dropped my apap's lower level from 10 to 4cc. I was obvious that I was hugging that line, so we need to see where I really am at. Indications are good that I could well be off that thing when I reach goal (around November, if things continue as they are). Found out the band they used was 10cc.

Good luck. Remember to diary all your food from here on out -- you'll need to make a study of how you react to certain foods, when you eat them, how you eat them, etc. Like whether you can have solids in the morning, or have to stick to yogurt. I recommend investing in a nice belt (eg, elastic weave) with plenty of room to adjust it, and maybe count on buying new pants in a month or two. You'll be down 3-6 inches before you realize it, I figure. :ohmy:

I've noticed that, and I'm continuously shocked at the apparent lack of post-op support provided to patients I've seen here. Group Health's program *requires* you enroll (about $1400 out-of-pocket, IIRC) into a nutritional counselling program that starts two months before surgery -- they won't even schedule until you're enrolled. Actually, my surgeon was the founding surgeon of the program here, and having the nutritional counselling included was his requirement for starting the bariatric surgery program at all. I have quick email turnaround with them, can call my nutritional counsellor as needed, and they schedule calls on top of that to ensure some minimum level of contact. They're apparently getting inspected this month, to qualify as a Bariatric Center of Excellence so that they can take on Medicare patients. I can't recommend their program enough; I've actually been cautioning folks who are looking into WLS to check about the pre- and post-op support provided, simply because I see so many people not getting it when they have obvious need.

Not bad

I got tired of continuously cinching my (thankfully elastic) belt to keep my shorts from falling off. Went to Eddie Bauer (first time in ages) and bought a couple 42W shorts. They're only slightly snug -- enough that I expect within a month they'll be more comfortable. I was tempted to buy a fourth pair, but I figured that'd be wasteful given the ongoing weight loss. I checked the shorts I had been wearing: 48W. I remember them being a bit painful around the waist earlier this year. 6 inches and 70# since April.. I'm happy about it

I'm actually counting on that to happen. I've a really nice (read: I didn't look at the price when I said "yes" :biggrin:) pair of dress shoes, and with luck I'll fit comfortably in them.

Oh, I almost forgot. If you wear shorts, pants, or skirts, buy a nice, elastic belt. One you can cinch all the way. As you lose weight you run the risk of things falling off you. I've only had that happen in private, thankfully, but there are threads here with anecdotes about clothes falling off in churches, grocery stores, the office, ...

On the off-chance, have you considered trying out a different type of shoe, or is the hip actually degenerated? I couldn't walk more than a few minutes, myself, from knee and fasciitis problems, and frequently had pain just walking from my bed to my bathroom. I switched to MBT shoes (MBT - MBT Shoes - Home of the Anti shoe), and within a couple days the problems cleared up and I was walking 40-75 minutes without issue. I understand from others that it can help with hip and back pain, but I've no information on the type or extent of problems they'd affect. There are other alternative shoes out there, as well. Yesterday, I picked up some of these, which are more like going barefoot: Vibram Five Fingers: Discover the Barefooting Alternative The point of this is, of course, that you might be able to get some relief by altering your footware, which changes your gait, which affects the stress on various joints in your body. It might be worth your while. Even if it increases your mobility a little, that's a good thing.

Fantastic work! It's nice to be able to decide for yourself whether a shirt becomes a halter top :biggrin:

If that's the primary reason, there are a couple different routes. I also suspect in that case that you'd do well. Definitely the sort of discussion to have with are reputable bariatric program. This is good: you'll need to do exactly that. With the support of your husband and friends, you have greater chances of long-term success. As you progress, just keep in mind that different scales read differently, Water is a form of weight you *want*, women tend to lose slower than men, those that start heavier tend to lose faster (it takes more energy to sustain more weight), and that you'll tend to lose weight fastest at the beginning. In the end, don't worry if you gain a pound or two (it's probably water or solid waste). Don't worry if you don't lose for a week, as long as the downward trend continues for the long term (several weeks, etc -- some folks just lose weight slowly, taking years instead of months). Don't worry about comparing loss with others, because everyone's going to react a little differently. And don't worry if you eventually end up feeling great, but your BMI is "officially" "overweight". BMI is just a quick estimate of body composition, and doesn't take into account many factors.

I've taken to 4oz of yogurt for similar reasons. I hadn't thought of romaine mixed with tuna salad. Growing up, it was usually pickle, maybe some celery. Interesting. I'm not brave enough to try whole leaves yet, but shredded's stayed down. I'm a big fan of Bumblebee's Tuna Sensations. 5oz of shelf-stable, pre-seasoned tuna, ready-to-eat without mayo. Great size for meals. Well, aside from the 100-200 cal of ice cream or candy, unless you're getting the sugar free varieties (definitely a reason to read labels). This is a love-hate relationship for me: for me, sugar alcohols (maltitol, etc) can lead to what I imagine is a form of dumping syndrome. This was true for years before my surgery. Congrats! Post pictures :biggrin:

Indeed.. I finally gave up on one pair of shorts that was 6 inches too big. They were snug about 4 months ago, when I started my pre-op diet. Take every success where you can, to get you through the rough Patches. Right now, mine is the sudden increase in hunger levels over the past couple days. I think my first month's loss has finally caught up with my band, and it's now needing its first fill.

I happen to like baggy, so I have a greater tolerance for the over-large shirts. But those pants and shorts will just hafta go Good thing I saved (vacuum-packed) a bunch of clothing over the years with the expectation that I would, eventually, fit into them again.

The internet has a memory, my friend... Internet Archive Wayback Machine

Keeping it off without surgery is something very, very few obese people can do. Something on the order of 5-10%. As I've mentioned elsewhere, all the weight loss really *is* coming from your work. The band will not prevent absorption of calories. All it does is guide you toward portion control by making it easier to feel sated and making it painful to gorge. It won't prevent you from consuming 5000 calories in a day, if you nibble at it throughout; it'll just prevent you from eating it all at once.

They all speak truth -- every ounce of weight you lose will be from your own efforts. You *must* be willing to give up the habits that led to weight gain -- including certain foods and drinks and ways you spend your time -- and replace them with new habits you'll hopefully start developing.. now. The band, as noted is a tool. I like to think of it as a cattle prod -- it will complain if you abuse it, but there are ways to subvert it, just as with any surgery or diet. Consider it a conscience that is much harder to ignore, if that helps, that is there to help train you about a certain range of portion control. It won't help you if you drink all your calories, or spend all your calories on chocolate bars (though perhaps an RNY might), or nibble here and there all day, never giving yourself a chance to experience satiety. So the choice of treatment really is dependent on what underlying problems are behind your weight gain. It can be challenging, but even the pre-op phase can be worth it. I spent two months on a diet about halfway to what I'm eating now, and the improvements in my life just from that were just a preview.

Well-stated, except that I'd consider potatoes non-debateable. Potato *skins*, perhaps. But even still there are more efficient places to get nutrition, as factors of both caloric and metabolic impact.

Bull.. Plenty have been doing so successfully. It's just "difficult" because *everybody else* keeps pushing them, thanks to lobbyists. The same "common sense" that said the world is flat and the only thing you need to lose weight is obey Oprah and go to Weight Watchers -- enough of this surgery crap! -- has continuously worked to slander low-carb research to the point of engendering an environment hostile to getting folks clean of the junk. Use your brain: If you take someone addicted to drugs, get them clean, and then toss them into drug heaven, of course they'll have a hard time reverting. The same goes for food, the same goes for starch and sugar -- the very set of carbohydrates that the low-carb regimens are trying to avoid. I have canines. The fact is our species developed without agriculture -- agriculture is a recent phenomenon. We developed eating meat, with a few wild plants (not grown on -- or even adapted to! -- farms) thrown in. That is what our bodies expect of us, just as vegan kibble is not expected by the bodies of cats and dogs. I do quite well on about 45g carb/day. I'm nearly done for this day's eating and I'm actually around 28g so far; on a binge day where I have some mashed potatoes, I might get in about 60g. This is much lower the several-hundred recommended for my so-called "health". I certainly don't appear to need carbohydrates to live. My brain is certainly functioning *quite* well getting its energy from elsewhere. This claim that I need carbohydrates to live is pure and total, unmitigated lie, promulgated by an industry which stands to lose if people get off them, and perpetuated by an unwitting society of addicts. I know exactly where their recommendations got me when I was 220# (answer, a 130# weight gain), and I know exactly why my doc's pleased with my better-than-target weight loss. I also know why it is I don't seem to have problems with cravings for pizza or sub sandwiches or rice or Pasta -- it's an addiction, just as you would call food an addiction. Some of us have simply gotten clean of it. Just as I'm sure others wouldn't appreciate me pushing a buffet table full of their favorite foods from the past into their face, I know *I* would appreciate it if folks didn't try pushing them back on me, and I'm sure others would appreciate the same.

From a primal site: SimpleFeasts And somewhere in there is a pizza made with a cauliflower-and cheese-based crust.

Yeah.. that one's hard to fight. You're used to trying to wash something down, but there's nowhere for the water to go. If you're feeling the pain in your chest, and maybe you start feeling like you're salivating more, or your nose running.. time to excuse yourself. It's going to come up, and fighting just doesn't seem to help (at least, in my case). I just resign myself after a minute or two, and go stand in front of a toilet, and bend over to try to reduce the amount of work it has to do. This is the punishment side of punishment/reward.

That's also fairly close to my diet at the moment, although my surgeon wants me to keep it as low as possible for as long as possible .. currently < 600cal/day, typically. Generally getting in 60g Protein -- all solid (shakes are liquid calories in addition to any nutrition, and thus won't keep you full as long as solids will). I also have a 4oz yogurt in the morning, since I've had some rough mornings before. There are a couple of low-calorie/low-carb ones on the market -- take your pick. The best lunch I've had so far, in terms of quantity, nutrition, and convenience, has got to be the Bumblebee Tuna Sensations line. They're shelf-stable cans of tuna with an easy-to-peel cover. 5oz of fish, about 180cal, and lots of protein (~30g, I think?). No mayo, either, but juicy (I've not had problems with it being too dry). You could fit one in a pocket, if you wanted. Salmon steaks are also good choices, and there are shelf-stable packets of those as well. I tend to focus a bit on shelf-stable, since that makes it easy to keep a supply of them on-hand home or at work. "K2O" brand protein Water can help get both water and protein in, at only 50cal. You can get the individual serving size packets to mix at work. Fuze Slenderize beverage -- 20cal per 16oz bottle of flavored water, lots of vit C.

I think I'm an Allergan AP, 10cc. Zero fill at the moment, to be revisited in a month.