February 2019 weight loss buds

[froufrou 678]

1 minute ago, Sheribear68 said:

I’m quite surprised I haven’t had issues.
Moment of complete honesty: I took my ursodiol for all of 2 weeks PO.
It made me nauseous and I was barely eating 80 calories/day so decided I was just going to have to take the risk of my gall bladder needing to be removed.

So far I’ve been lucky, but maybe that’s where me having a slow and steady loss has been a blessing rather than a curse.

Now watch.... next week I’ll probably have an attack from out of the blue and need to have it taken out

I just read in an article about elevated cholesterol and rapid weight loss that exercise can help, and I do seem to remember that from many years ago on some other weight loss journey (there's been too many to count). It kind of mops it up. I haven't been too concerned about exercise, but I think I might start now just for that reason alone.

[Recidivist 1,141]

13 hours ago, Everythinganna said:

Uuugghh. I think this is what I did to her with those cinnamon apples! She was doing so good and then I walked in her room this morning and found this bag almost completely eaten. I asked her and she told me she just got it yesterday. There are 1500 cal in this bag so I’m estimating she ate 1200 cal of candy yesterday. She got really really angry with me and accused me of lying to her about a Multivitamin that I bought ( she accuse me of slipping her a diet pill, which I would NEVER do). I just don’t want her to go through what I did my entire adult life. It is such a sensitive topic.... teenagers!!

Everything, your daughter saw you overweight for much of her life and then saw you go through the surgery because there were no other options. I think the last line of your post suggests a good approach. Have you shared with your daughter that you don't want her to go through what you did? If not, why not give it a try? It is genuine and caring.

[Recidivist 1,141]

14 hours ago, Everythinganna said:

Uuugghh. I think this is what I did to her with those cinnamon apples! She was doing so good and then I walked in her room this morning and found this bag almost completely eaten. I asked her and she told me she just got it yesterday. There are 1500 cal in this bag so I’m estimating she ate 1200 cal of candy yesterday. She got really really angry with me and accused me of lying to her about a multivitamin that I bought ( she accuse me of slipping her a diet pill, which I would NEVER do). I just don’t want her to go through what I did my entire adult life. It is such a sensitive topic.... teenagers!!

I also think it's wonderful that you two are communicating about this and that she is not lying to you. Try to keep that up!

Edited August 29, 2019 by Recidivist

[Recidivist 1,141]

So, I saw my surgeon and nutritionist today. Here are the highlights:

- My surgeon thinks my weight has stabilized (147 today) and that I should now start maintenance. She said I should increase my calories to 1200 per day to start with and see how things go. I can tweak it as I go along to find the sweet spot where I'm no longer losing nor gaining. She did say I can expect a gain of 5-10 pounds once I'm on maintenance.

- Both of them told me it's very natural to be able to eat more at this point. They said that eating more is fine as long as you continue good habits and know when to stop.

- My surgeon was actually happy that I'm able to drink so much Water and said it was not an issue. (I'm getting 90-120 oz per day.)

- They both said I should not be counting calories nor grams of Protein if I have a good sense of what works for me--and I do. They said the strict calorie counting and measuring was more of a learning tool during the first few months and was not intended to be a life-long habit.

- They said I should eat more fruits and vegetables, even if it means getting a bit less protein. That made me very happy!

Otherwise, they were very pleased with where I am. The surgeon said my saggy skin was not that bad compared to other patients, which made me feel better!

Edited August 29, 2019 by Recidivist

[Sheribear68 3,201]

Okay. Saw my surgeon a couple of hours ago.
I’ve officially lost 78 pounds since surgery day and he laughed when I was bummed that it wasn’t an even 80.
According to him, I’ve lost right at around 80% of my excess fat, which qualifies as “success” in his book.

When I discussed that while I was very grateful for the 80 pounds, my ultimate goal was another 23-25 more.
He nodded and agreed that it was a totally reasonable goal, but to allow that it might take another 6 months for that to happen and to not be alarmed if immediately after that I find 5-10 pounds of “bounce”.
He says that if I keep on running my program the way I have been, I should be able to get there.
And in case I do not get there, then it’s my body telling me I’m not meant to be there.
When I asked him what someone with my BMI and progress should expect on a monthly basis, he said 4-5 pounds max is what I could expect.
That number somewhat bums me out (I was hoping he’d say 7-8) but his numbers make more sense within another 5-6 month time window vs my goal

So I’ve got some labs ordered that I’ll do sometime next week and I won’t know results of those til about this time next month.

I’ve got a FU with my NUT in 3 months, but my surgeon says he doesn’t need to see me til I’m 12 months P.O.

He also told me he’s taking me off of the ursodiol (he jokingly said that I’ll never again lose 78 pounds in 6 months so there’s no need) and wants me off of my pantoprazole.

One big reason is that med leaches Calcium from your bones and that coupled with my VGS and carrying around less body weight, and being post-menopausal can lead to bone density issues later.

He said to keep up with Pilates and my walk/run/incline training on the treadmill and I should be fine.

[ldawn 178]

I’m down 76 pounds. My mini goal is to be 100 down by thanksgiving. That gives me right at 3 months to lose 24 pounds. I need to exercise. I signed up for 4 weeks of gladiator camps. I will likely drop dead during class but the fact that it was $10 made it hard to pass up. Not sure I can meet this goal but I’m going to try. I have some slow months for weight loss which is very frustrating.

[Gottajustdoit 220]

That sounds like a tough four weeks of camp! I have never gotten into exercising and now that my weight is leveling off I'm very discouraged. I've tried gym memberships many times and have lost a lot of money. If I enjoyed it and maintained it, I doubt I would have gotten as heavy as I was. I still have no interest. I've gained two pounds from my lowest weight and feel as if the scale is set and I now I need to work really, really hard to maintain the weight I am at now (even though I was hoping to be a size 8, not 12). I have to be honest with myself: I'm not going to be able to keep it off with exercise. 😞 Maybe someday as you all inspire me. I'm sure Gladiator classes would kill me too. Good luck to you!

Last night I had dinner with a friend who is about 8 years older than me and she is considering botox. I know I look older since the weight loss and have been wondering about going down that road. Has anyone done it? What do you think about it? I have so many other areas I also want to work on, like a breast reduction. I swear the girls are just flapping into each other now and it's ugly and uncomfortable. The extra tummy skin is yech, but tolerable with Shapewear. Sorry for the complaining. I do feel blessed to have been able to lose 60 lbs since surgery, but am at a scary point. I have done too much googling about people who have gained some or all of their weight back since gastric bypass. To be honest, I didn't even think gaining all the weight back was doable! What about the lack of absorbing calories? Can I really stretch out that egg-shaped stomach so much? It's daunting. The surgery was tough, the mental prep was tough....where is the good news about people who have kept it all off? I need to start reading success stories!

[EmzBee 123]

Thought I'd upload a shot if me wearing that dress. Same one I wore onstage in my band all those years ago [emoji4]

Went to a conference and wore it at a cocktail party. Lots of people there didn't even recognize me!

I've finally transitioned from 'obese' to 'overweight', by BMI standards, anyway! I'm still losing significant weight atm (I think over 10 pounds last month) but I'm expecting a stall soon. My stalls are getting longer and longer... it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if I lost nothing this month at all.

Hope everyone's doing well and keeping positive!

Where's Recidivist at? Have you moved to winterless Australia yet, my friend?? Can't wait to hear about your move! Stay away from the TimTams. Hehe! [emoji23]

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

[froufrou 678]

This is my last month... up a few pounds, down a couple, etc etc. such a pain in the arse

[Gottajustdoit 220]

4 hours ago, EmzBee said:

Thought I'd upload a shot if me wearing that dress. Same one I wore onstage in my band all those years ago

Went to a conference and wore it at a cocktail party. Lots of people there didn't even recognize me!

I've finally transitioned from 'obese' to 'overweight', by BMI standards, anyway! I'm still losing significant weight atm (I think over 10 pounds last month) but I'm expecting a stall soon. My stalls are getting longer and longer... it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if I lost nothing this month at all.

Hope everyone's doing well and keeping positive!

Where's Recidivist at? Have you moved to winterless Australia yet, my friend?? Can't wait to hear about your move! Stay away from the TimTams. Hehe!

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

Emzbee--you're rocking it! Thanks for your photo update. Your hair also looks great--not thin at all. And the Timtams? They are soooooo good. We have them in the States now (I first tried them in Australia). Deadly.

[Gottajustdoit 220]

3 hours ago, froufrou said:

This is my last month... up a few pounds, down a couple, etc etc. such a pain in the arse

You've lost 118 pounds! Amazing! I feel your pain, though. It can be very discouraging.

[Goody222 139]

On 8/28/2019 at 7:44 PM, Sheribear68 said:

I’m quite surprised I haven’t had issues.
Moment of complete honesty: I took my ursodiol for all of 2 weeks PO.
It made me nauseous and I was barely eating 80 calories/day so decided I was just going to have to take the risk of my gall bladder needing to be removed.

So far I’ve been lucky, but maybe that’s where me having a slow and steady loss has been a blessing rather than a curse.

Now watch.... next week I’ll probably have an attack from out of the blue and need to have it taken out

I had the same problem with the ursodial, I got so nauseous I had to get an infusion to snap back. I have not taken it since. Hoping my gall bladder can hang in there. Also, @Sheribear68 I am trying the intermittent fasting 16/8 . Thanks for the suggestion. I will report back on how it goes. Like everyone else, the six month point (and a little before that to be honest), the stall happened. Do we ever get out of the stall or is it just a lot harder from now on?

[Recidivist 1,141]

4 hours ago, EmzBee said:

Where's Recidivist at? Have you moved to winterless Australia yet, my friend?? Can't wait to hear about your move! Stay away from the TimTams. Hehe! 

Looking very glam, Emzbee. Congratulations!

Recidivist is still in Washington DC. I leave for Denver on Tuesday for a week, then to Stockholm for a week, and finally to Madrid for a week before heading down under. (I'm taking the scenic route.) I arrive in Canberra on September 25. And don't worry, I've never been a big TimTam fan!

[froufrou 678]

13 minutes ago, Recidivist said:

Looking very glam, Emzbee. Congratulations!

Recidivist is still in Washington DC. I leave for Denver on Tuesday for a week, then to Stockholm for a week, and finally to Madrid for a week before heading down under. (I'm taking the scenic route.) I arrive in Canberra on September 25. And don't worry, I've never been a big TimTam fan!

Oh, welcome to Denver! Have you been here before?

[Recidivist 1,141]

39 minutes ago, froufrou said:

Oh, welcome to Denver! Have you been here before?

I grew up there and went to high school and college in Denver! (Lakewood, actually.)