Lee

Cukie, I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. Tonight is the Kaiser meeting. I can't attend as I have too many things to do tonight. I hope to meet you soon!

Pam, good luck with Dr. Im!

Yesterday was 5 months since surgery. For anyone that thinks the Sleeve is easier, maybe it is, but then again, maybe it isn't. I've been on a big diet everyday since surgery. Think Atkins and you've got it, but I do add some veggies and a little fruit at this point. I track every bite of food and all exercise in Myfitnesspal. com Yesterday's exercise was: 90 minute walk outdoors 20 minutes recumbent bike, weight machines, 100 crunches and stretching 60 minutes pool time working on my arms and legs I ate 650 calories and burned 800. This morning was rewarded with 4 ounce drop on the scale after staying the same for several days. I fight for every ounce that comes off. Protein first always, hydrated always, vitamins always. There's no magic bullet, even with the surgery. Two months I shed only 3 pounds each month. The first time I wasn't exercising as much. The second time I was exercising 60 minutes a day. I don't want to have that happen again, so now I exercise 90-120 minutes daily and shed a little faster. I am trying hard to keep this up as everyone says that the first 6 months are the best time to lose the weight. I'd say I don't care how long it takes, but that would be a bit of a fib. I want to get there ASAP in these early months post-op. Top weight - 249 2/17/2010 - 229 3/17/2010 - 210 - measurements 42-36-50 4/17/2010 - 207 - tough month 5/17/2010 - 197 - started exercising 60 minutes a day 6/08/2010 - 194 - weighed early. Went to France- walked 120 miles in 2 wks 7/17/2010 - 186 - measurements 37-33-41 - Exercising 60-120 minutes a day, 7 days a week I :smile: my Sleeve and Dr. Baggs!

Tomorrow is five big months since surgery. So many changes. I started in a 22/24 pant, 2x or 3x top. Today-16's are loose, tops are L and getting too big. Was 42-36-50, today 37-33-41 Dr. Oz says that a woman's waist should be under 32 for health so I'm only an inch away. He says that at my age the normal BMI is 25-30 so at 31.8 I'm getting closer. Dr. Baggs challenged me to be "overweight - BMI 29.9" at my 6 month checkup which was 25 pounds from my 3 month checkup. Month 4 was a bomb with only losing 3 pounds. Month 5 has been better with close to 9 pounds. Now I have to really rock month 6 as I still have 12 pounds to shed. I've been exercising 60-90 minutes a day. A normal day is to walk 3.5 miles around the lake. Treadmill 20-30 minutes. Walk 30 minutes at lunchtime. That generally clocks me around 7 miles for the day on my pedometer. Then I do 100 crunches and weight machines in my gym. I also try to swim at least once a week to use different muscles. I've hired my son (who has been a professional soccer player in Bolivia and Muay Thai boxer in Thailand) to get me to my goal at six months. I have a feeling my workouts are about to get much tougher. I'm seeing a strong body emerge from these layers of fat. I like what I'm seeing and I love how strong I'm starting to feel. At one of the early Kaiser support meetings, someone said, you're going to have to replace all that "food time" with something else. She mentioned shopping, crafts, exercise and that day I prayed the exercise would become my new big hobby. So maybe it's actually happening. I still need a lot of encouragement (my son) so I'm lucky that he's staying until the middle of August when he has to go back to NY. What are you doing to challenge yourselves? Have a great weekend everyone!

John, tomorrow is our five month surgiversary. Congratulations! I love that we had back to back surgeries and can track our success together. Sherri, the most important thing for you to do right now is get in your fluids. Don't worry about anything else. Eat no sugar added popcicles, find a Sobe Lifewater 0 calorie that you like. Do anything to get in those fluids. It really gets easier with time. I had a smoother recovery and was drinking 64 oz by day 5, but others have difficulty drinking. If it doesn't get better, contact Kaiser because you should be able to get in your fluids. Are you walking? The saying goes sip, walk, sip, walk. If I'm feeling full, and it can be from fluids, walking around helps. Are you getting in your 30 minutes of walking daily? It can be in 10 minutes increments, or whatever. I'm a slow loser and I have to admit that I thought that working 9 hours a day gave me an excuse slip. In month three I started doing 60 minutes a day of exercise and it really picked up the weight loss. Sip, walk, sip, walk, sip, walk... and call Kaiser if it doesn't start getting better by Monday. I was in France last month and ate everything as a normal, thin woman. There was nothing I stayed away from except booze but I just ate small portions. Now that I've been home, I'm back on a stricter diet. I promise that it does get better and soon people won't even know that you had surgery, they'll just think you eat normally and don't snack.

Congratulations on all the pounds shed and on the upcoming surgeries! I'm doing ok. After being stuck for 9 days at 187, I walked 7.5 miles yesterday and was rewarded with the scale going down. It appears that I need to exercise 2 hours a day at least 4 days a week to lose 4 pounds a month. For those of you early out from surgery, keep maximizing these first few months!

Go Espana! I'm excited about the World Cup game later this morning. I've been watching all of the games. It was fun to watch France play while sitting at an outdoor bistro in France. Today I'm going to a party hosted by a friend of my son's. This is a girl who's soccer team he coached when she was in high school. Now she's all grown up and her family is hosting a Turkish BBQ. They were nice enough to invite Zach and I along with two other of his friends. I think I'll go to the farmer's market first and take along a big bowl of cherries so that there is a healthier alternative to chips, nuts etc. I'm eating great. Got in 6 miles of walking plus weight workout yesterday. I'm up to 100 crunches and hoping to get them in daily. It's so much easier with Zach home to motivate me and exercise with me. I'm still holding at 187 and facing down those 13 pounds that will make me "overweight" before my 6 month checkup. OH YES I CAN! What's everyone doing today? Have a fun day. :confused:

Hi Ali, I could have taken all the time I needed/wanted but it was important to continue to run my department at work. It was a personal choice. I would not have gotten full pay while out. The advice you've given is great for anyone who's facing surgery. Remember that you don't have to tell your HR dept or boss what your surgery is. I had my gallbladder out in November, then Sleeve in February and both times just said I was having a medical procedure and needed the week off.

I had my sleeve surgery on a Wednesday. I went back to work the following Tuesday but worked from home. I found myself working a couple of hours, then spacing out for an hour etc. I was back in my office the next Monday but worked 6 hours in the office and 2 hours at home. I wish I had taken 2 weeks off because I was tired and distracted a lot. That said, I'm 59 years old and probably don't have the energy that I did when I was 30.

Andrew, good luck with your orientation! Ali, Last week was my first week of hair coming out in handfuls. I hate it! Yesterday I had all my curls hacked off and I now have a short new summer do. My hair came out medically 10 years ago and I really hoped to never go through that again, but oh well. I'll take these skinny jeans and buy a hat if I need to! Lil'Mo and Ash, next Saturday the 17th turns out to be our summer pool party in Martinez. You're both on the guest list as my plus 2. Wander over to Obesity Help. com California forum and look for the Nor Cal post so that you can sign up for what you're bringing to pot luck etc. Nor Cal Get Together for July, NEXT SATURDAY!!! I'm so excited that I'll get to see you both! Time to get out there and walk my butt off!

Mo and Ash, I haven't been on Obesityhelp.com california forum since I got home. Go on there and look for the Contra Costa Luncheon thread and introduce yourselves. Mo, you've already been so just remind them who you are. I'll have to go RSVP myself and see what the name of the restaurant is. I remember that it's off Clayton Blvd somewhere. There's always a nice clothing exchange. I would LOVE to see you both there! Mo, this week I'm finally wearing the grey/pink sweatsuit that you gave me in January! It's been very cosy walking the lake at 5:30am this week. Kaiser meeting was small last night. Post-op was good meeting and then we joined the pre-ops. Liz was the facilitator last night. She reminded everyone to stay away from Protein Shakes because we don't need them and people who use them lose slower. The main theme was on not snacking.

Hi John! I go in spurts. I tend to stay the same weight for 10 days, then I'll drop a couple of pounds the next week. I'm walking a minimum of 60 minutes a day 4x a week and 3x a week it's closer to 2 hours. Exercise makes a huge difference for me. I'm just starting a weight routine in my gym. I've done it once last weekend and will get down there on Friday and Sunday. I'm going to work in 3x a week in the gym. I lose 4 pounds a month if I don't do this level of exercise. How close to Onederland are you? I read something on OH that said that to be on track to lose 100% excess weight, you need to be 50% there at your 6 month mark. I realized that I had 80 pounds from surgery morning and that I'm down 40+ pounds now so if I keep up what I'm doing, I have a good shot on getting to my goal. We're going to do this surgery buddy!

Tina, Dr. Baggs decided to do the liver biopsy based on my own personal history and what he saw when he was in there. Thankfully everything was perfect! I've never had a fatty liver but he wanted to check some things out. With your experience and pain in the behind with the band, I'd put aside any fears of surgery with the Sleeve because after two days it appears to be a much easier recovery in terms of maintenance etc. I bet you'd be at goal in a NY minute! I can't believe I'm only 38 pounds away from my goal. Dr. Baggs will consider my surgery a success when I get to 174 pounds. That is so darn close! I can't wait to be down 100 pounds from my high last year of 249. That will give me huge satisfaction if my body wants to go that low. :confused:

Lil'Mo, you'll be so happy to be out of the 190's. Make the push and get yourself movin on down. You can do it! I love the 180's! I don't remember the music at all. The first I woke up after the Sleeve was in the recovery room. I was in so much pain that I kept telling Dr. Baggs that there was an elephant on my chest. I didn't know that I had hernia repair plus a liver biopsy all at the same time. Three in one surgery! My friend who was in the waiting room said that Dr. Baggs came out and said that they were having a hard time controlling my pain. I think I was in that recovery room for over three hours before they wheeled me to a room. I remember that part because another of my best friends was sitting there waiting for me. It's a good thing we don't remember the feeling of the recovery room pain or we'd never do another surgery! Kinda like childbirth. :confused: Tamra, I'll see you tomorrow night at Kaiser. Anyone else coming? Who was asking about the luncheon that Mo and I went to? It's on the 17th this month. I plan to be there. Go to Obesity Help.com and look for it in the California forum. It's not at Mimi's anymore but I can't remember the name of the restaurant where we meet! ACK~ The San Leandro support group meeting is also on the 17th.

Pam, good job on always trying to figure out what's going on for you. You really do stick with that aspect of this journey and take good care of yourself. Many kudos to you for fighting this as a lifelong journey towards good health.

Sherri, Do you know who the second surgeon was during your surgery? If yes, I would email them and explain that you have this problem but that Dr. Fisher is not in until the 12th. I had Dr. Baggs with Dr. Fisher also there. John and I had surgery the same morning. He had Dr. Fisher with Dr. Baggs as the second. Maybe they are always paired up? Please let us know when you hear back from them.

I have a 40f and I'm ok with that. My Kaiser facility doesn't do smaller than a 40f. At 4.5 months out I can eat 3 ounces of dense Protein with a little bit of fruit or veggie in the same meal. I can eat 4 oz of shrimp if it has butter or cocktail sauce on it. I'm just starting to eat some fruit and veggies. I have no problem getting in fluids. I figure the Sleeve is a tool and the rest is up to me. I can use it or I can eat sliders. It's all my choice.

Sherri, Who is your doctor? Everyone that I have talked to is on Protonix 2x a day, morning and evening. Find out if you should be taking more given the discomfort that you're having. You may be producing too much acid for your Sleeve to handle.

That's great Tamra. I'll look forward to it. Sherri, the most critical thing for you right now is that you don't get dehydrated. I'm concerned because you have pain drinking water which would have me want to stop doing it. I know a lot of people that had to be admitted to the ER to get hydrated. I'm on Protonix 2x a day for anti-acid. When my sleeve was irritated for a couple of months, Dr. Baggs gave me Carafate at my three month visit. That's what is generally given to RNY patients to coat the stomach and reduce chance of irritation. I only took it for about a week. I've recently determined that what causes the irritation for me is eating meat. As someone who's been vegan or vegetarian for most of my adult life, not eating meat is easy for me. We all have to find our own path. Since you're still on full liquids, I would definitely check in with Kaiser tomorrow and ask for help. This doesn't sound like the incision pain that you're already familiar with. Insist on getting help, even if it's in the form of getting fluids at your local Kaiser. Please keep us posted on how you're doing.

Hi Sherri, I didn't have that problem with my Sleeve. Are you sipping slowly? Sometimes walking around after drinking or eating feels pretty good. What foods are you eating now that you're in full liquids? April, I hope they figure out what's going on with your band before you have anymore pain. Mo - OWIEEEEE Hi and happy holiday weekend to everyone! I just spent a week getting over jetlag from my trip to France where I had a great time. I have been really serious with my exercise so that I'll be at 174 when I see Dr. Baggs mid-August. Last week I only walked 20 minutes and swam once because after 9 hour work days, I was only able to walk 2 miles Monday and Tuesday. The jetlag and 9 hour time difference had me really tired until Wednesday. I hit a milestone on Friday. First time under 189 in over 30 years. I've definitely been celebrating, but with walking, not food. I'm determined to be "overweight" at my six month check-up. Take good care everyone. Kaiser support group is Wednesday night for anyone that wanted a reminder.

April, I'm keeping you in my thoughts. I hope you start feeling better very quickly.

Hi Everyone, I think I've caught up on many of the posts of the last two weeks. It sounds like everyone is doing great! I just spent one week in Provence and the second week on the French Riviera in an apartment that we had. I went with my 36 year old son and we had a great time. It was very strange not logging my food and eating differently. I discovered that my Sleeve really doesn't like meat all that much. I ate a little of everything and sampled things I wouldn't eat at home. I felt a lot better eating more vegetarian and got in my first salads in 4 months and more fruit as well. I definitely ate more carbs and less protein. Now I need to figure out what works at home. I was throwing up a lot before vacation and never did while away. We walked a lot. Last week 47 miles and more the week before. We traveled 25 hours to get home. We got here last night, I slept around 5 hours, then went to work for 9 hours. I was thrilled to come home and have the energy to walk 2 miles. I worried that maybe I gained weight but came home down 4 pounds. YAY! I haven't been under 189 in 30+ years so I'm so looking forward to it! I still have Dr. Baggs goal of being "overweight" at my six month visit so that means I have to shed 16 pounds in the next 7 weeks. That's my recap and now it's time to chill, have dinner and clean up some of this travel mess that's all around me. Take care everyone! Hey, did I mention that I love my Sleeve? :ohmy:

YAY Pat, so good to see you. I've really missed you. Would you please PM me your email address. I thought I had it, but I don't. I met a woman at the Kaiser group that lives up in your area and I told her about you. Riley, I had hoped to finally make it to one of the walks but I'll be away on vacation that week. I leave tomorrow at 3:30am for my 15 day trip to the South of France. I'm so looking forward to it! Take care everyone!

The options classes are held at the Southern California Kaiser Hospitals. We don't have that up here in Northern California. Good luck to all of you with your surgeries!!

Welcome Cole! This is a great website. I'm a Sleever so I don't have info or experience to share on the Band.