WLS Wagon - January 2013

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by Hot Tamale

Both of you must be in my head... I still have trouble wearing all of my clothes because I don't wanna mess them up. I have to get over that. I also sometimes still wear a 2x or 3x item which I know makes no sense cause I am a 14 & sometimes even a 12!

Also, Mary, I am right there with missing exercise. I don't have that stress relief and I also had/have too much time to think. All I can say is this isn't forever & we'll be back to it soon. Hang in there!

Oh no HT, you've worked way too hard to be wearing any plus sized leftovers! Whatever they are, go out and buy the equivalent in the right size. You've more than earned it.

[chewiegand]

Originally Posted by Maryposa

I FINALLY took some pics I can post. I have been taking pics weekly but so far they have been inappropriate for posting here. Even this is kinda iffy for me, genie bra and shorts. I don't have a full length mirror.

Wow, you are a totally different person. Love the pics and the new profile pic. Wowowowowow

[chewiegand]

Mary--how soon can you start dancing again?

[Healthy and Happy]

Looking good Mary!!! I hope you can get back to your dancing soon!



I'm doing pretty good, trying to make healthier choices now that my appetite has returned in the 2nd trimester. Been feeling baby girl move this past week, 18 wks on Wed.

[Maryposa]

Originally Posted by chewiegand

Mary--how soon can you start dancing again?

I have no idea! Someone in the excess skin removal surgery thread said expect a 1% improvement per day lol

[ANGELFIRE80]

Looking good Mary!

[ANGELFIRE80]

Originally Posted by Healthy and Happy

Looking good Mary!!! I hope you can get back to your dancing soon!



I'm doing pretty good, trying to make healthier choices now that my appetite has returned in the 2nd trimester. Been feeling baby girl move this past week, 18 wks on Wed.

[Maryposa]

Good morning everyone. Being back in the office is hard... yesterday I came late, took a long lunch (went home and laid down and put my legs up), and went home early and I was still mega swollen and a little sore (overall UNCOMFORTABLE) arg. This morning my thighs were even more sore then when I left work. I am so glad I had these surgeries, so I don't want to be a complainer... I just feel sort of despressed still.

Going up stairs at the office this morning, for a moment I forgot what's going on with my body and tried to start up the stairs like I did before surgery. OMG... It's not that I DID start up that way and regreted it... it's that my body literally COULD NOT do that.

[chewiegand]

Originally Posted by Maryposa

Good morning everyone. Being back in the office is hard... yesterday I came late, took a long lunch (went home and laid down and put my legs up), and went home early and I was still mega swollen and a little sore (overall UNCOMFORTABLE) arg. This morning my thighs were even more sore then when I left work. I am so glad I had these surgeries, so I don't want to be a complainer... I just feel sort of despressed still.

Going up stairs at the office this morning, for a moment I forgot what's going on with my body and tried to start up the stairs like I did before surgery. OMG... It's not that I DID start up that way and regreted it... it's that my body literally COULD NOT do that.

It'll get better very soon.

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by chewiegand

It'll get better very soon.

You're not a complainer. I LOVE LOVE my sleeve and also feel fortunate that I was able to have surgery ~ doesn't take away the part that healing is tough and long sometimes, even when we know the final outcome is worth it. I don't know if this will help, but during my recovery I tried to think of things I could do to pamper myself, I got a pedicure, bought some ridiculously priced but decadent lotion ... some bright spots to help me keep going. I still have a little bit of the lotion and it smells great!! Makes me happy everytime I use it

[Maryposa]

Thanks, Chewie and Jesse. Today my leg (just one for some reason) is hurting and I am propping it up on the trash can under the desk. Also one of my "openings" under my bust is hurting... that one is such a pain... it's always irritated

I took two tylenol and waiting for the day to end.

I am broke so I can't spend any money on pampering, I just want to go back to bed and watch movies or something lol... that is decadent, right?

Feeling like this actually makes me want to eat junk food.... but on the other hand the pain and discomfort and actually the tylenol make my stomach slightly queasy... blessing in disguise.

[Hot Tamale]

Hang in there, Mary. I have all of the issues you are having to one degree or another. I just get an area healed up and another area starts giving me issues. I have also been craving the carbs...mostly abstaining, but it is hard to be patient! You and I know it does get better - just a long time between now and then. Try to get lots of protein and rest a lot. I do think that helps.

[chewiegand]

Hi all. Wow, again we're slowing down here. I guess it's just the winter doldrums. Hope you all are doing well. I'm struggling cause got my first TOM since the surgery 7 weeks ago. Yes, I"m in perimenopause and never know when it's going to arrive. It's making me extra tired and cranky.

[Maryposa]

Originally Posted by chewiegand

Hi all. Wow, again we're slowing down here. I guess it's just the winter doldrums. Hope you all are doing well. I'm struggling cause got my first TOM since the surgery 7 weeks ago. Yes, I"m in perimenopause and never know when it's going to arrive. It's making me extra tired and cranky.

winter doldrums.... yes, I would say so. I am having a hard time emotionally and with my recovery.

I was asked to do a solo in a dance showcase in May. I might try to learn fan veils for it.

[Maryposa]

HT... did you see this? Hottamale....

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by Maryposa

winter doldrums.... yes, I would say so. I am having a hard time emotionally and with my recovery.

I was asked to do a solo in a dance showcase in May. I might try to learn fan veils for it.

Sounds intriguing!

Yes, winter doldrums. It is sooo cold here (I live in Minnesota). Sometimes it's unnerving knowing that on the other side of the sheetrock is a climate so brutal that it could kill you in about 20 minutes if you were thrust into it unprotected. The air temp and windchill is so low right now, that frostbite will begin after 5 minutes of exposure. This is crazy! My only consolation is thinking I must be burning more calories to maintain my core body temperature

[Jesse]

I'd like to hear your best tips for success ~ what is helping you? I'll go first

planning ~ I package up breakfasts and lunches on Sunday. For example, I might make a batch of Chili, and then I will measure it out into 5 containers and put them in the freezer. I don't mind eating the same thing 5 days in a row as long as I switch it up the following week, and then eat THAT thing 5 days in a row etc. If I don't have to think about it everyday, it removes the opportunity to be tempted by a less desirable choice I might have to make on the fly. I read about this idea back in my MO days, but I never got it going very well ~

tracking ~ every diet thing I ever read said this is the key to success. Did I do it? NOOOOOO. But I do now! When I want to indulge it has kept me in line by either forcing me to make room for the "treat" by adjusting elsewhere OR by making me abandon the treat because the calorie cost was just too high. win win because either way, I am in control, not the craving.

What's helping you?

[Jesse]

Did I mention it's cold here? I wasn't able to work out after work today, and I was finally safe and warm in my house, dreading going out there again. But I did go to my health club and on the way home I realized that nobody ever says "I regret working out".

[myyellowstang]

Originally Posted by chewiegand

Hi all. Wow, again we're slowing down here. I guess it's just the winter doldrums. Hope you all are doing well. I'm struggling cause got my first TOM since the surgery 7 weeks ago. Yes, I"m in perimenopause and never know when it's going to arrive. It's making me extra tired and cranky.

And the lower your body fat percentage the weirder your periods are too. Mine are very irregular now and they can be super light or very heavy. Never less than 4 weeks but sometimes as many as 8. I can never tell if or when it'll come.

Originally Posted by Jesse

I'd like to hear your best tips for success ~ what is helping you? I'll go first

planning ~ I package up breakfasts and lunches on Sunday. For example, I might make a batch of Chili, and then I will measure it out into 5 containers and put them in the freezer. I don't mind eating the same thing 5 days in a row as long as I switch it up the following week, and then eat THAT thing 5 days in a row etc. If I don't have to think about it everyday, it removes the opportunity to be tempted by a less desirable choice I might have to make on the fly. I read about this idea back in my MO days, but I never got it going very well ~

tracking ~ every diet thing I ever read said this is the key to success. Did I do it? NOOOOOO. But I do now! When I want to indulge it has kept me in line by either forcing me to make room for the "treat" by adjusting elsewhere OR by making me abandon the treat because the calorie cost was just too high. win win because either way, I am in control, not the craving.

What's helping you?

Repetitive eating. Almost every day for the past almost 3 years my breakfast has been greek yogurt. It graduated from just yogurt to yogurt and fruit, then yogurt, fruit and a cereal/flax topping. I'll go through a phase where I'll eat the same thing over and over and over again. At one time it was spicy black bean burgers with laughing cow cheese. Then it was half a pita with some sort of protein (usually chicken), spinach, cottage cheese, chickpeas and some sort of flavor (pepperoncinis, capers, something with a bite).

Tracking is important. I track every bit that passes my lips. Some people who don't track say that they know how much they are eating, but they're generally way off because they don't account for the bites and nibbles and tastes that add way up.

Workouts are non-negotiable and are just a way of life now. They are not a chore, they just are.

I don't skip a workout, planning to make it up later. That just sets me up for failure and negative self thought. If I KNOW I'm going to miss, I'll bank extra time earlier in the week. If I just miss, well then I don't beat myself up about it and tell myself I'll make it up. Because I won't. I just count it as lost.

I know my weaknesses and they stay off limits. I *cannot* tell myself that one bite won't hurt or that everything in moderation is okay. Some things I just cannot moderate. Sugar is one of them. That's a never food. Don't miss it. At all. And I'm not suffering because I don't eat the cake at the baby shower or the cookies at Christmas.

Don't settle. I tell myself not to say "this is where my body wants to be" because that's a cop out. Actions speak louder than what your body "thinks". If I don't want to be the weight that I'm sitting at now I know how to change it and I can take action to do so. Don't eat the potato chips. Cut back on the peanut butter. Settling kept me at almost 300 pounds.

[Geekin' in Utah]

A quick intro: I have a RNY in 2005. I went from 362 down to around 175. I got into some bad habits with food due to medication issues keeping me from being able to slow my weight loss. That has meant my weight has crept back up to 241. After running out of clothes to change back into, I decided it was time to crack down and started Atkins last week and am down to 230 today.

Overall, I'm thrilled with my surgery, even if I shot myself in the foot a little. I know I would be having a much harder time sticking to induction without it.

Oh, and my wife goes in on Wednesday for a sleeve. She is super excited (and nervous).

[chewiegand]

Welcome Geekin. You can do it. I'm just 7 weeks out so I'm a wls newbie. Just learning what I can eat and stuff.

Jesse--I too am pretty repetitive in my eating. If I like something and it's good for protein, I eat it over and over. I also find if I have a high protein shake for breakfast, it helps set my day up for success. I also get my water in, a good portion, the first half of the day and at work so I don't have to worrry about dehydration. Oh and I make a weekly meal plan for my family and I concentrate on the protein with maybe one bite of a veggie or so.

[Krissy66]

I've been MIA for a couple of months--had my VSG on 11/28, down #32 since surgery.
I was hoping for bigger losses, but I guess it didnt get packed on overnight
I've hit some stalls, which can get pretty discouraging.
People have started to notice, which is nice and all, but I am my biggest critic.
I've been told to stop obsessing about the scale, and stay off of it, but I keep tormenting myself with daily weigh ins.
Mixed advice from other VSG patients--more protein, more water, yada yada..stalls are normal.
I guess I had delusions about quick weight loss with such a drastic procedure.
Kristen

[AllisonB]

I'm so happy for all of us I've lost 75 lbs. since my RNY on August 20. On one hand, I think it should be more, then I tell myself (omg! 75 lbs.!) and I realize how monumental that is. I have 30 or 40 pounds to goal (I keep waffling between 140 and 150 as my goal), and that is even more astounding to me. My surgeon told me to expect to lose 70% of my excess weight at one year. I've kicked that pretty hard, which also encourages me. I try not to weigh every day, the normal fluctuations can be maddening.

I also find that repetitiveness in my food makes things easier. I am a historical self-sabatouer (I don't know if I spelled that correctly) and the less choices I have in front of me, the better off I am.

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by Krissy66

I've been MIA for a couple of months--had my VSG on 11/28, down #32 since surgery.
I was hoping for bigger losses, but I guess it didnt get packed on overnight
I've hit some stalls, which can get pretty discouraging.
People have started to notice, which is nice and all, but I am my biggest critic.
I've been told to stop obsessing about the scale, and stay off of it, but I keep tormenting myself with daily weigh ins.
Mixed advice from other VSG patients--more protein, more water, yada yada..stalls are normal.
I guess I had delusions about quick weight loss with such a drastic procedure.
Kristen

I was also a little dismayed at first about the speed of my weight loss. It actually picked up after the 3rd month. I average 10 pounds a month. Some months hve been 8 pounds. Every month I've lost something. Now granted when I would first start a diet pre sleeve I could blast off 10 pounds pretty fast, but sustain that rate month after month after month? No way! That's where the real "magic" is... some people do lose super fast, but for those of us who are a bit slower, it's the losing some every month that adds up to something wonderful.

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by AllisonB

I'm so happy for all of us I've lost 75 lbs. since my RNY on August 20. On one hand, I think it should be more, then I tell myself (omg! 75 lbs.!) and I realize how monumental that is. I have 30 or 40 pounds to goal (I keep waffling between 140 and 150 as my goal), and that is even more astounding to me. My surgeon told me to expect to lose 70% of my excess weight at one year. I've kicked that pretty hard, which also encourages me. I try not to weigh every day, the normal fluctuations can be maddening.

I also find that repetitiveness in my food makes things easier. I am a historical self-sabatouer (I don't know if I spelled that correctly) and the less choices I have in front of me, the better off I am.

You are a rock star!

[Maryposa]

Originally Posted by Krissy66

I've been MIA for a couple of months--had my VSG on 11/28, down #32 since surgery.
I was hoping for bigger losses, but I guess it didnt get packed on overnight
I've hit some stalls, which can get pretty discouraging.
People have started to notice, which is nice and all, but I am my biggest critic.
I've been told to stop obsessing about the scale, and stay off of it, but I keep tormenting myself with daily weigh ins.
Mixed advice from other VSG patients--more protein, more water, yada yada..stalls are normal.
I guess I had delusions about quick weight loss with such a drastic procedure.
Kristen

32 lbs in two months IS fast... that's like half a pound a day!! I lost 17lb my first month, and 12 my second month. The thing about the sleeve, you don't lose 32 pounds in two months and then get tired of "dieting" and give up or stall out... the weight loss continues. Before you know it, a year and a hundred or more pounds have gone! (I am not saying you even have a hundred pounds to lose, that is a generic "you")

[Maryposa]

Originally Posted by Jesse

I was also a little dismayed at first about the speed of my weight loss. It actually picked up after the 3rd month. I average 10 pounds a month. Some months hve been 8 pounds. Every month I've lost something. Now granted when I would first start a diet pre sleeve I could blast off 10 pounds pretty fast, but sustain that rate month after month after month? No way! That's where the real "magic" is... some people do lose super fast, but for those of us who are a bit slower, it's the losing some every month that adds up to something wonderful.

My thoughts exactly....

[Maryposa]

Originally Posted by AllisonB

I'm so happy for all of us I've lost 75 lbs. since my RNY on August 20. On one hand, I think it should be more, then I tell myself (omg! 75 lbs.!) and I realize how monumental that is. I have 30 or 40 pounds to goal (I keep waffling between 140 and 150 as my goal), and that is even more astounding to me. My surgeon told me to expect to lose 70% of my excess weight at one year. I've kicked that pretty hard, which also encourages me. I try not to weigh every day, the normal fluctuations can be maddening.

I also find that repetitiveness in my food makes things easier. I am a historical self-sabatouer (I don't know if I spelled that correctly) and the less choices I have in front of me, the better off I am.

Congrats!!!

[chewiegand]

Hi peeps. I hate my job. That is stressing me out plus TOM kicked my butt and I haven't walked this week. I found all kinds of excuse---cramps, back hurts, etc. I need to get back on that treadmill. I'm also trying to stay off the scale. It's too up and down to rely on and I tend to have a day dependent on what it says---if down, good, if up or the same, bad. That's not a good way to have a life. Monday will be 8 weeks for me. Seems like just yesterday and I'm still adjusting to what I can and can't eat. My portions are still very small.

[Jesse]

This morning my dh told me "You need to understand I've always loved you, but I never thought you'd be thin again. It's like I got my 20-something wife back. I feel like we're newlyweds." I guess the old adage is true, WLS makes good marriages even better.