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Well I have finally made the decision that I know is going to change my life for the better. I had my first visit with my surgeon (Dr. Steeley at Gateway Medical Center in Clarksville, TN) yesterday. To be honest, I was scared of the visit. I had heard that my surgeon really pushed the full gastric bypass over the band, and I was nervous that he would think I was stupid for not having the bypass. I was pleasantly surprised that Dr. Steeley was about as nice of a guy as I could have hoped for. He did question why I thought the band was a better choice for me, but after telling him that at my age (29), I know I am young enough and active enough to make the band work. I have never had problems losing weight. I have lost 30, 40, even 60+ pounds before. My problem is that I have always gained it back.

I have been obese since I was six years old. I remember the days that the school nurse came and took our height and weight during school were always the days I dreaded most. We got to go to the front of the room in front of the entire class and stand on the scale. I was 185 lbs in 4th grade, 240 in 6th, and 350 lbs from 9th grade on. I weighed in yesterday at 384 lbs. Depressing is not even the word. I felt sick seeing that number, but I am determined to not see it again.

I have my gall bladder ultrasound scheduled for this Saturday, and I have my stomach scope, sleep study, and nutritionalist visits all scheduled for this month. I also have already gotten my doctor to prescribe me Phentermine, and I am taking that with a low carb, high Protein diet to lose the 10% of my initial body weight that I am required to lose for my insurance approval. Hopefully, this will only take a couple of months. My goal is to have the surgery before the end of this year. In the meantime, I am going to continue this low carb diet, and I plan on joining the YMCA on September 1 (my company has discounted membership but you have to join at the beginning of a month).

I also have my beautiful wife who will be undergoing this journey with me. She plans on being banded in January 2012. Our plan is to work together and keep each other motivated and also keep each other honest in order to truly change our lives. Our main motivating factor in undergoing this lifestyle change is our 17 month old daughter, Claire. We do not want her to follow in our footsteps. We want to set good examples of healthy lifestyles for her.

Anyways, that was a quick introduction to who I am and why I am doing this. I will be sure and post further updates as the process continues.

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Good luck on your journey

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Well I have finally made the decision that I know is going to change my life for the better. I had my first visit with my surgeon (Dr. Steeley at Gateway Medical Center in Clarksville, TN) yesterday. To be honest, I was scared of the visit. I had heard that my surgeon really pushed the full gastric bypass over the band, and I was nervous that he would think I was stupid for not having the bypass. I was pleasantly surprised that Dr. Steeley was about as nice of a guy as I could have hoped for. He did question why I thought the band was a better choice for me, but after telling him that at my age (29), I know I am young enough and active enough to make the band work. I have never had problems losing weight. I have lost 30, 40, even 60+ pounds before. My problem is that I have always gained it back.

I have been obese since I was six years old. I remember the days that the school nurse came and took our height and weight during school were always the days I dreaded most. We got to go to the front of the room in front of the entire class and stand on the scale. I was 185 lbs in 4th grade, 240 in 6th, and 350 lbs from 9th grade on. I weighed in yesterday at 384 lbs. Depressing is not even the word. I felt sick seeing that number, but I am determined to not see it again.

I have my gall bladder ultrasound scheduled for this Saturday, and I have my stomach scope, sleep study, and nutritionalist visits all scheduled for this month. I also have already gotten my doctor to prescribe me Phentermine, and I am taking that with a low carb, high Protein diet to lose the 10% of my initial body weight that I am required to lose for my insurance approval. Hopefully, this will only take a couple of months. My goal is to have the surgery before the end of this year. In the meantime, I am going to continue this low carb diet, and I plan on joining the YMCA on September 1 (my company has discounted membership but you have to join at the beginning of a month).

I also have my beautiful wife who will be undergoing this journey with me. She plans on being banded in January 2012. Our plan is to work together and keep each other motivated and also keep each other honest in order to truly change our lives. Our main motivating factor in undergoing this lifestyle change is our 17 month old daughter, Claire. We do not want her to follow in our footsteps. We want to set good examples of healthy lifestyles for her.

Anyways, that was a quick introduction to who I am and why I am doing this. I will be sure and post further updates as the process continues.

[/quote

Hi and welcome to the forum, You and your wife are doing this for all the right reasons. I could be your mom but my answer to the surgeon was that I wanted to live to see my grandchildren and enjoy retirement with my husband. I f I didn't do something, that wasn't going to happen. My surgeon has actually had the surgery himself and lost seventy pounds over an eighteen month period of time. Keep us posted on your progress. I have a fond place in my heart for Nashville. My dad was raised there. I still have cousins in the area. People there are so friendly.

Melinda

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    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

    • Clueless_girl

      How do you figure out what your ideal weight should be? I've had a figure in my head for years, but after 3 mths of recovery I'm already almost there. So maybe my goal should be lower?
      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

        I would use that as a starting point, and then just see how you feel as you lose. How you look and feel is more important than a number.

      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

    • Aunty Mamo

      Tomorrow marks two weeks since surgery day and while I'm feeling remarkably well and going about just about every normal activity, I did wind up with a surface abscess on on of my incision sights and was put on an antibiotic that made me so impacted that it took me more than two hours to eliminate yesterday and scared the hell out of me. Now there's Miralax in all my beverages that aren't Smooth Move tea. I cannot experience that again. I shouldn't have to take Ativan to go to the lady's. I really looking forward to my body getting with the program again. 
      I'm in day three of the "puree" stage of eating and despite the strange textures, all of the savory flavors seem decadent. 
      I timed this surgery so that I'd be recovering during my spring break. That was a good plan. Today is a state holiday and the final day of break. I feel really strong to return to school tomorrow. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
      For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs.
      For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel.
      Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs.
      Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps.
      It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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