WLS Wagon April 2012

[Maryposa]

Originally Posted by jolenethequeen

Hi everyone! I am a lurker and have read almost all the posts on here for the past year within a week or two! With all the posts and my research I am so ready to have the sleeve! Wish I could have it done tomorrow, but i guess its not that easy! Went to my PCP and he referred me to the nutitionist to start my 3 months of supervised diet, but when i called them, they said I had to go to a seminar first! I went to Dr. Atkinson's seminar today (only one covered by my insurance) and I have to call them Monday to see what I do next!

I am very excited and hoping that i can get sleeved early September! You ladies are all amazing and very inspirational! I hope I can have just as much success!

Jolene

[jolenethequeen]

Thank you Maryposa!!

[Hot Tamale]

Hi Jolene and welcome! We are glad to have you! Post often and feel free to ask questions. The majority of ladies on here have the sleeve, so I know they can be really helpful. As you may know, I had a gastric bypass, but the general WLS guidelines pretty much apply to all of us...nutritional stuff, too... You are starting out on an amazing journey!!

[Hot Tamale]

Savannah - you take every NSV that comes your way! Claim it all!!! I also loved coffee before surgery, but didn't go back to it afterwards. I tried it once and didn't care for it, then tried some in a protein shake once and didn't like that, either. I figure it is one less thing to worry about - although plenty of people still like it and enjoy it, I guess it just isn't for me.

Angel - I love your new avi! You look great!

Hi Maryposa - So nice to see you!!! How's it going?

[emily1965]

Welcome Jolene. You are going to love your sleeve.

[Maryposa]

Originally Posted by Hot Tamale

Hi Maryposa - So nice to see you!!! How's it going?

Hi HT... you are so sweet.... are you sure you're a hot tamale and not a dessert tamale? like a pineapple one? mmm my friend's mom makes those... yummy. haha sorry just being a goober (I just woke up)

Same ol' same ol' for me.... tired of complaining about work so I don't have much to say.

Oh here's two things, I am enjoying playing with the light poi and I received my perfect pull up yesterday evening.

[Savannah]

Good Morning everyone!

Welcome Jolene!!

to me today!!!

I am not going to weigh myself as I am addicted to the freaking scales & find myself on & off several times a day. It is such an obsession with me & find my moods fluctuate with the numbers & movement or lack of movement on the scale. I am insulin resistant & surgery doesn't make the fat melt away overnight. I just want it off of me though so just going to work harder with increasing exercise & no junk like bars for me aren't going to work. I'm also older than lots of folks so this is probably a factor too! My doc & surgeon both said look at the big picture & the plateau's will happen, followed by more loss.
Sojust go with the flow, but today I'm impatient!!! LOL the addict wants it right now

[Hot Tamale]

Maryposa - I am FOR SURE a sweet tamale!!! And yes, I would say I am pineapple! I really only have three flavors of yogurt anymore, blood orange, key lime, and my favorite: PINEAPPLE!

Savannah - I went from weighing every day (which also had me pretty paranoid and freaked out) to weighing only on mornings after I had some...shall we say, movement in the bathroom area...to once a week. I found that I almost always had a loss and I was more careful all week thinking about that weigh-in. These days I almost always only weigh on weekends after I've walked but before I shower. I don't know if that helps you any, but it is what I do... Also, as far as making the numbers move (and I need to practice what I am about to preach...), I scale everything back and go back to basics. Bare minimum carbs, lots of eggs and meat and very little anything else. No fruit, bars, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes...you know! Also, lots and lots of water!

I walked an extra 15 minutes this morning, for a total of about 80 minutes.

Here's what I have eaten/will eat today:
B&S: blueberry protein shake
L: cheeseburger (no bun) with mayo, mustard, and some ketchup
1/2 roma tomato
D&S: 1/2 protein shake and a key lime greek yogurt
WATER WATER WATERRRRRRRRRR

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday!

[jolenethequeen]

Thank you Hot Tamale, Emily, and Savannah!

Hopefully I will find out this week how much its going to cost me out of pocket, hopefully with my insurance it wont be too much and i can just borrow from my 401k!

A little background on me, Ive always been heavy, since about 2nd grade. Just packed on a few pounds every year. Started the yo yo dieting around the age of 16 and lost about 40 pounds every time, but then gained it back plus another 10! Had two little boys in 2005 and 2006, so there were a few more pounds! Highest weight that i actually remember was 357, but it was probably higher and I just dont want to remember! lol
My sister was getting married so I went with her to the gym with her and got down to 316 with eating right and exercise, and mantained with little effort! So then i met a great man and we got engaged (2nd marriage by the way) He is amazing and since I had a wedding to look forward to i decided i would give hHCG a try. It was a little hard at first, but amazing! I lost 30 pounds the first month. Then maintaned that for a little while, did it again and got down to aout 273! I was so happy and excited! My wedding dress was a size 20! (first one was a 24, should have been a 26! lol) Dress was bought in June of 2011, and by the time the wedding came around, the bust was a little snug, but still, it was amazing. Got married on the beaches of Bahamas and ate a lot! It was all inclusive, so we ate and drank to our hearts content! Got back, a another wedding party, then the holidays, and now since I wasnt paying attenion Im back to 332! )= and thats what happens when you stop weighing yourself everyday!! luckily, i only went up one size, and not two!

I am excited to see what the nutrionist says, and I am going to do my best to lose a few pounds before the surgery because I KNOW i wont every gain those pounds back!!

All of you ladies are simply amazing! And I really do appreciate all of you sharing your stories on here. It makes it so much easier for someone to make this choice when you can read about real people and their experiences. The good and the bad!

[Savannah]

HT- thanks for the input I am doing meat, eggs & very few carbs for the next week. I need to eat up my turkey breast anyway! for the scales tossing them aside & will only weigh weekly! Great idea! Yesterday I had a decaf
coffee. The creamer was my big addiction so if I drink decaf I will try some
flavored coffee to cut that out too!

Jolene- thanks for sharing your backround !

Hey when did anyone start eating lettuce after surgery? I want some, but I read it is hard to digest for some people. I prefer Romaine ? anybody?

Thanks

[emily1965]

HT....what kind of key lime yogurt are you getting? Is it a Chobani that I haven't discovered yet or some other brand? That Blood orange flavor is to die for, also pretty darned fond of the apple cinnamon. I bought a carton (individual sized) of Oikos the other day and the texture was so gross, I threw it away without even tasting it because I was afraid it was spoiled.

My scale issues have pretty much gone away over the years. When I was pre-opping, I had my husband hide the scale and then I weighed the morning I flew out for surgery. I didn't weigh again until my 30 day post op mark, and then again not until my 60 day post op mark. I was rewarded with really big losses that way. Now, the scale sits in the bathroom most of the time, but if I start having issues, Hubby removes it for a period of time.

But, I was never, ever one to weigh more than once each day. I weigh immediately after getting up and peeing and before drinking anything. Any weight after that point is going to be higher no matter what. If I have a little coffee before weighing, then weighing just isn't going to happen that day.

I wish I could help, Savannah, but the thought of lettuce was not appealing to me until maybe 8 months or so out. Even with that, it's only sounded good 2-3 times in the last few months.

[Melodye]

Hello all!!! Today has been very busy. I met with surgeon this morning ast 8:00 and they did my pre-op orders and went over everything once more, then at 10:30,I had to be over at the hospital to see the anesthesiaologist and have some bloodwork. I am already for surgery on the 14th of May . I can't wait. I was 15 pounds down from my last weight at the doctors office, so I am happy about that. The doctor wants me to drink 2 protein shakes a day and eat 1 sensible meal until day before surgery. That shouldn't be a problem. Also , wants me walking 60 minutes a day .

Hope you all have a great evening!!!

[HAB]

Originally Posted by LisaBisa

oh, and my before the 30th goal was to below 220...i made it. my birthday goal, may 16th is to be 215.

Congrats Lisa!

HT-thanks for the "big deal" post. Tried to quote but lost it, anyway it helps to read things like that. Those yogurt flavors sound so good! So good that I need to stay far away from them, lol!

Angel-how is your mom doing? Hope she's feeling better!

Jolene!

Everyone else, hope you had a great weekend!


I think I've posted about this before, but I think my biggest freak-out right now is that I'm afraid the surgery won't work. Ummm, yeah. My problem is not being able to stick to my chosen plan, restirct calories or exercise, but that even when I do all that I don't lose. So, I am afraid to go through such a major thing and still fail.

So far there's been nothing found medically to indicate why I cannot seem to lose. I have a lot of the symptoms of PCOS but my doc is on the fence about whether or not I have it and will not prescribe anything to treat me as if I have it and see if that helps, other than BC pills. I'm not sure Metformin or anything else would help anyway since my BS is low 80's and A1C was 5.2. I finally talked my doc into testing fasting insulin, normal. I did lose w/ FF and induction plus having my IUD removed but now I am stuck/bouncing around again and have been for months. I have my referral appointment set up with the endo for next month (finally!), maybe they will have some answers???

So, I know Maryposa and Monkee were in the same boat pre-surgery, but you guys also had obvious metabolic issues and like I said, it doesn't appear that I do. Not quite sure what to do about it? I've always wanted to go with VSG because I thought it was the best option for me, now I'm wondering if I should consider something else because I may need more than just restriction?????


I've been doing JUDDD+Atkins for two weeks now and am just bouncing up and down 3 pounds. I'm considering throwing in the towel on it as I really don't like it and it doesn't seem to be working for me anyway. I find it very difficult to eat almost 2,200 calories of LC foods, but I have to stay fairly LC anyway because of issues with wheat/gluten, etc. I'm kind of burnt out on dieting and counting and weighing, tired of thinking about it all the time so I may just take a break for now. I'll still be LC of course but not actively "dieting". I don't want to be burnt out for when/if I go ahead with surgery.

As usual, I intended to only post a little bit but ended up blathering on.

[ANGELFIRE80]

Hi everyone. Just an update, my mom is home now. Dr is attempting to treat this ulcer with meds but will more than likely have to do another surgery within 1-2 wks. Just basically seeing now if she can stay hydrated on her own without the assistance of an iv. It would be great if she didn't have to have surgery again, but I have a feeling it's going to have to be done. I just hope they get it taken care of soon so she can start benefitting from her surgery instead of dealing with this crap! Thanks for the prayers and thoughts.

[Nana Lee/MA]

Originally Posted by ANGELFIRE80

Hi everyone. Just an update, my mom is home now. Dr is attempting to treat this ulcer with meds but will more than likely have to do another surgery within 1-2 wks. Just basically seeing now if she can stay hydrated on her own without the assistance of an iv. It would be great if she didn't have to have surgery again, but I have a feeling it's going to have to be done. I just hope they get it taken care of soon so she can start benefitting from her surgery instead of dealing with this crap! Thanks for the prayers and thoughts.

I don't understand. Didn't the doctor check your mother over to see if something like this existed before the surgery? I know my doctor wanted to know if I have any abdominal problems at all. No matter how small.
I hope your mother heals quickly and if she has to have surgery again that everything goes super! Give her a hug, once in a while, from me!
Lee

[ANGELFIRE80]

Originally Posted by Nana Lee/MA

I don't understand. Didn't the doctor check your mother over to see if something like this existed before the surgery? I know my doctor wanted to know if I have any abdominal problems at all. No matter how small.
I hope your mother heals quickly and if she has to have surgery again that everything goes super! Give her a hug, once in a while, from me!
Lee

Nana, supposedly this developed since her surgery. And thanks

[Hot Tamale]

Hi Savannah - I only eat lettuce every so often...it seems like it "sticks" a bit when I eat it and I'm supposed to avoid dark green vegetables due to my blood clotting issues (it counteracts the blood thinner I take...). I for sure didn't even think about eating it for at least 6 months after my surgery...I was too busy making sure I was getting all my protein in and I was afraid lettuce would just fill me up without "helping" my cause (losing as much as I could...).

Lisa - I do buy the Oikos brand of key lime yogurt. I didn't like the other flavors of Oikos I bought, but the key lime is great! Its smooth and creamy and just delicious! I also like the apple cinnamon - it tastes like the inside of apple donuts! I just don't get it too much because I just like the other ones too much!

Melodye - Congrats on the preliminary work for your surgery. It all becomes more and more real now, huh... Walking an hour a day - wow! I just recently started doing that a few days a week maybe two months ago. It really feels good when I'm done is all I can say!

Hi HAB - While I am not a doctor I can say I think that this surgery will give you an awesome tool that should make losing weight so much easier. It changed my cravings and urges to eat and the success I initially had helped motivate me to work harder and harder to keep losing. I'm glad some of the things I say help people. I was once sitting there wondering if I should have WLS...I am so, so glad I did.

Angel - I'm sorry your mom is having these issues, but at least they are being addressed. Hopefully in a few weeks this will all be a thing of the past and she can start feeling good about things. My continued prayers for the both of you!

Hi Nana - I'm pretty sure Angel's mom's complications happened after the surgery - I know my doctor does a thorough exam of everything before he will even agree to operate. People's bodies react to WLS differently. Developing an ulcer is not common, but it is far from unheard of...

Well Ladies, Looks like I will not make my 4/30 goal. Despite careful eating and an exercise push, I was actually up .2 this morning. I still ate carefully today and walked/jogged 2 miles after work (would have done more but I had to drive the mom taxi...) - maybe I'll see a woosh. In any case, I'll keep on keepin' on - my new goal is to get down to 194.anything by next Monday - my next support group meeting. Wish me luck, will ya?

[Savannah]

Emily- Thanks for trying to help with lettuce it doesn't sound good to me either, so sticking with meat & eggs.

Angel- Good to hear your Mom is comming home. So sorry she has to have more surgery though! Love your new avi!! for Mom!

Hi to everyone!


I did not have any sweets last night just toppings no crust & I enjoyed every bite!!

Have a good evening ! & no exercise except for all the miles I walk at work my knee is killing me tonight rain is in the forcast & my knee agrees!!

[myyellowstang]

Originally Posted by Hot Tamale

Okay Ladies, Here's my latest issue (which I've always had, but maybe someone here can help...). I seem to be very sensitive to anesthesia. I lose a lot of hair afterwards. As many of you know, I've had 3 pretty major surgeries since 11/10 (WLS, Hysterectomy, and my first round of plastics...). Between losing my weight and these surgeries my hair is ATROCIOUS! Initially I lost about half of it, so I don't have too much left. That hair has started to regrow, but its all at different lengths all over my head. It sticks out all over. Its now also curlier than ever before, but if I try to scruntch it and wear it curly it just ends up looking frizzy. I put it in hot rollers and that seems to smooth it out a little. I have switched from Nexxus shampoos and conditioners to the Wen haircare line, but I am not sure I've seen significant change. I am stumped - and my hair is awful. Do any of you have any tips/tricks to deal with this? I do take my vitamins faithfully and I also take Biotin... Help!!!

I had a ton of hair loss from about month 2 1/2 to month 7. My hair got seriously thin. Now it's super curly, and I prefer it sraight like it was before! I had a long period of regrowth where everything just looked flyaway and frizzy. Short of cutting your hair to try to make it blend in more there's really not much you can do but live with it I think. High protein and biotin should help with regrowth, but not prevent the loss. That's gonna happen no matter what it that's the reaction you have to anesthesia. The Wen and all that probably won't help either, as that just helps thin hair look thicker. The reason we lost hair is not the same mechanism some of this stuff is made to "treat". The frizz will get better as the baby hairs get longer. As for the curls, I just decided to embrace them rather than fight them. I use a shampoo for curls (it makes a difference, trust me). Currently I am trying "Tousle me Softy" by Herbal Essence and I actually like it. I also use a curl serum that I put on after I towel dry but my hair is still wet. I also use a texturizing mousse at this time too unless I am going to bed. The thing that helps most is the curl serum - it smoothes the curls without weighing them down and makes them soft and bouncy.

Originally Posted by Hot Tamale

Can I get all of you to post your menu for today? I'd love to see what other people are eating. Maybe it will help me stay in line. I do know I can eat so much more than even a year ago. I am trying hard to pre-measure and just not take more because I will tend to eat it.

I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you! Have a great Saturday!

My Menu:
B: 1/2 pita with 1/2 roma tomato, 1T mayo, and 3 strips bacon
S: 1/4 of a fresh, cored pineapple
L: 1 slice cheese pizza (I wouldn't normally have this while trying to lose, but it is a family function thing I can't get out of. If there are other options, I will get something different, but I won't know until I get there...)
S: small sf frozen yogurt with fresh fruit
D: Some type of protein shake (but not my peanut butter-banana one...)
and WATERRRRRRRRR!!!

Please post! I need encouragement & I think we can all get lots out of it!!

I do best at work, and not so best at home. It's all because of planning and packing.

I drink a bottle of water on the way to work (17 oz).

When I get to work I have breakfast. 4 oz 0% Fage plain with 1.5 oz fresh or frozen fruit (usually strawberries or frozen cherries, today it was fresh pineapple) and 2 splenda. I top it with 0.5 oz Special K Protein Plus cereal and 2 tbsp ground flax. This averages around 220 calories (depending on fruit choice) and gives me 23g protein.

I'll have my decaf coffee with spenda and fat free non dairy creamer in a few minutes (30 calories total).

I'll drink a minumum of 48 oz water between then and lunch.

Lunch today will be just under 3 oz (2.8) of grilled marinated skinless boneless chicken breast and a light mozzarella cheese stick. I have an apple or some applesauce to go with it if I'm still needing food. This will be 260 calories and 24g protein.

24-48 oz of water between lunch and leaving work.

Around 3-4pm I will have 1 1/2 scoops of Matrix 5.0 Mint Cookie protein for 35g protein and 210 calories.

I have no idea what dinner is. This is where I tend to struggle after I get home. There are so many options to graze and browse. I'll grab a pickle or two and eat it. Stuff like that, and I need to quit.

I plan that dinner will be a lean protein and a veggie side. More often than not it just ends up being something I grab out of the fridge. Last night it was pineapple (fresh and also grilled with cinammon) with a couple pieces of raw broccoli because I munched on it while the chicken was cooking and I got full. I following it up an hour later with a 35g protein drink. I need better strategies for dealing once I get home.

Originally Posted by Savannah

I didn't go back to coffee post-op because I felt good off the caffeine &
since my HR is always so high I decided to stay off. I still drink iced tea though
& I'm considering decaf coffee.

I quit caffeine just prior to surgery. I only have it when I buy a diet lipton green tea or a diet snapple half n half, so it's rare. I drink decaf coffee and decaf hot or iced tea. I used to have a high heart rate pre-op, but that was weight related. My HR lives right around 50-60 and sometimes dips around 30 when at rest right before bed. I asked about it and my doc said it was common with this type of surgery. At first the 30 alarmed me, but I'm not symptomatic so I'm okay with it now.

Originally Posted by jolenethequeen

Hi everyone! I am a lurker and have read almost all the posts on here for the past year within a week or two! With all the posts and my research I am so ready to have the sleeve! Wish I could have it done tomorrow, but i guess its not that easy! Went to my PCP and he referred me to the nutitionist to start my 3 months of supervised diet, but when i called them, they said I had to go to a seminar first! I went to Dr. Atkinson's seminar today (only one covered by my insurance) and I have to call them Monday to see what I do next!

I am very excited and hoping that i can get sleeved early September! You ladies are all amazing and very inspirational! I hope I can have just as much success!

Jolene

Originally Posted by Savannah

Yesterday I had a decaf
coffee. The creamer was my big addiction so if I drink decaf I will try some
flavored coffee to cut that out too!

I used to drink coffee with my creamer and sweetener. I liked it light and sweetened. I had to taper myself off of it. So I started with my original amount and tapered it by one tsp a week until I got down to where I am now. I use 3tsp (1 TBSP) in a 16 oz mug. That's 30 calories total and I can live with that. I used to drink a lot of calories in coffee during the day. Now I only have it in the morning and on long boring all day meetings/conferences I'll have 2-3 cups throughout the day. Most often just one a day though.

Originally Posted by Savannah

Hey when did anyone start eating lettuce after surgery? I want some, but I read it is hard to digest for some people. I prefer Romaine ? anybody?

Thanks

I craved salad early out, but it was not beneficial to me at all. At two years out it still really isn't. I just don't have room for it really. When I'ma few MORE years out and can eat more I might have a need for a low calorie filler food, but I just avoid it now. If I want a salad I'll just eat some tomato, cucumber, onion and olives with a lil ranch dressing.

[Savannah]

Hi to everyone!

I had a very frustrating day at work. No food to smooth over all the stress & constant irritations of telling people over & over & over!!! So now I'll have to take disciplinary action Oh well they should listen!


Heather-- Thanks for the info about lettuce/salad I don't really have room for it either just wandered what people do. I see some folks eat cucumbers with some ranch I may try some grape tomatoes & sliced cucumbers just for some crunch.

I haven't been able to exercise the past couple of days because of my knee & then my back yesterday. I do walk a lot at work so I did some extra laps around the building. Also struggeling with severe allergies. We didn't hav enough cold weather this year so this spring is really miserable with congestion & headaches

Well I'll check in later

[myyellowstang]

New thread.

WLS Wagon May