I stayed at basically the same weight from early December till the very end of February. I was not watching what I ate. I was not counting anything other than protein. I kept a running tally in my head as to how much protein I had eaten and just made sure I got in my 80 to 100 grams a day. And, I exercised some, but not a lot. All the while, I stayed between 203 and 206 pounds. For 3 whole months. Then, I kicked myself in the butt and started watching things again and the scale is slowly edging down once more a tenth of a pound at a time. I'm currently at 201.2 and working towards onederland and my goal weight of 185.
But, I was thinking today that if I could go for months eating sensibly but not tracking anything other than protein (even had one day where I did look at totals and hit 2000 calories) and not exercising like crazy or even semi-regularly, would it maybe mean that I will have a bit easier time maintaining when I get to that point of my journey? Or, is it perhaps attributed to the level of malabsorption I currently have and may not have later on? I'd say I was averaging 1500 to 1600 calories a day. I was getting in 80 to 100 grams of protein each and every day. I exercise a bit but not a lot and not terribly regularly (always has been my hold back on getting to goal). I'd like to think that as long as I eat healthfully and get my protein in, I may do just grand at maintaining... But, I am curious what the rest of you think! I don't plan on getting lax again any time soon, but it is a nice thought that the maintenance part of my journey won't be a daily battle to keep from regaining!
I posted this same post to ObesityHelp's message board. Click Here to see the thread and everyone's responses.
Lea
Friday, March 7, 2008
The scale is dropping!
Apparently this effort to get back on track is slowly paying off. I've not had any miraculous drops of 1 to 2 pounds overnight, but I am slowly inching towards 199 with a tenth of a pound dropping most days. Today, I am at 201.2 which is an ALL time low for me so far. I've never even seen that number on the scale for 10 minutes before going back up to something else! You know how every once in a while, you will see a much lower number than you've been averaging but then the next day you are right back where you were two days before? Not even in those situations have I ever been this low! So, 201.8, 201.6, 201.5, 201.4 (for a couple days), and now 201.2. That is more progress this last week than in the last month!
Lea
Lea
Advice from those who've been there...
When asked what was the best advice anyone was given about having weight loss surgery, the following comments were posted:
1) Eat slow and chew, chew, chew!
2) Sip, sip, sip!
3) Clean and disinfect your living space before your surgery. It will keep you busy and keep your mind off the stress of the upcoming surgery in those last few days of preop time. AND, it will make it easier to avoid infection after you return home.
4) Stop worrying!
5) Make up a schedule for meals, water, vitamins, and exercise.
6) Eat every 2 to 3 hours and drink water with a protein supplement between meals.
7) Do not drink (anything!) for 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after your meals.
8) Keep meals to what would have been "snack sized" portions as a preop.
9) Work your tool to the maximum potential in order to make the most of your honeymoon period.
10) Just because you CAN eat it doesn't mean you SHOULD eat it!
11) Lay your fork down between bites. This helps keep you from eating too fast!
12) RESEARCH! Research every form of WLS. Research your surgeon/hospital and any follow-up plan offered. Research postop life. Research yourself and be sure you can handle life as a postop!
13) Put away the scales and only weigh monthly the first few months. This will save you TONS of frustration!
14) Exercise as MUCH as possible as SOON as possible to help maximize your honeymoon period.
15) Lose as much weight as you can BEFORE surgery. That is that much less you have to lose after surgery and it makes your surgery and your healing time easier.
16) Work out with weights!
17) BEFORE surgery, increase your protein and start a vitamin supplement regimen so that you are used to it in advance.
18) Increase your activity level however you can. No matter how sedentary your life is, you can do something! Try leg lifts while sitting in a chair.
19) Don't Give Up! You will have good weeks and bad weeks. Sometimes it will seem like months! But keep exercising and eating right!
20) Remember that everyone is different. Just because one person lost 50 pounds in a couple of weeks does not mean you will. And, you will stall at about 3 weeks out. Don't worry! That is just your body adjusting to the rapid loss.
21) Visit your surgery date forum. You will find that many of those people are going through similar things at the same time!
22) Measure yourself before surgery and periodically after surgery. This will save your sanity during stalls when the scales are not moving! Use Thinner Self or another tracking site to track the changes.
1) Eat slow and chew, chew, chew!
2) Sip, sip, sip!
3) Clean and disinfect your living space before your surgery. It will keep you busy and keep your mind off the stress of the upcoming surgery in those last few days of preop time. AND, it will make it easier to avoid infection after you return home.
4) Stop worrying!
5) Make up a schedule for meals, water, vitamins, and exercise.
6) Eat every 2 to 3 hours and drink water with a protein supplement between meals.
7) Do not drink (anything!) for 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after your meals.
8) Keep meals to what would have been "snack sized" portions as a preop.
9) Work your tool to the maximum potential in order to make the most of your honeymoon period.
10) Just because you CAN eat it doesn't mean you SHOULD eat it!
11) Lay your fork down between bites. This helps keep you from eating too fast!
12) RESEARCH! Research every form of WLS. Research your surgeon/hospital and any follow-up plan offered. Research postop life. Research yourself and be sure you can handle life as a postop!
13) Put away the scales and only weigh monthly the first few months. This will save you TONS of frustration!
14) Exercise as MUCH as possible as SOON as possible to help maximize your honeymoon period.
15) Lose as much weight as you can BEFORE surgery. That is that much less you have to lose after surgery and it makes your surgery and your healing time easier.
16) Work out with weights!
17) BEFORE surgery, increase your protein and start a vitamin supplement regimen so that you are used to it in advance.
18) Increase your activity level however you can. No matter how sedentary your life is, you can do something! Try leg lifts while sitting in a chair.
19) Don't Give Up! You will have good weeks and bad weeks. Sometimes it will seem like months! But keep exercising and eating right!
20) Remember that everyone is different. Just because one person lost 50 pounds in a couple of weeks does not mean you will. And, you will stall at about 3 weeks out. Don't worry! That is just your body adjusting to the rapid loss.
21) Visit your surgery date forum. You will find that many of those people are going through similar things at the same time!
22) Measure yourself before surgery and periodically after surgery. This will save your sanity during stalls when the scales are not moving! Use Thinner Self or another tracking site to track the changes.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
What is YOUR Deepest Fear?
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
by Marianne Williamson
by Marianne Williamson
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
"There's noooooooooooooo crying in baseball.....!!!!!!"
The following is a copy/paste of a bit by Leilani, another WLS postop. She doesn't sugar coat things for anyone! I think it is a great piece and needs to be shared!
"There's noooooooooooooo crying in baseball.....!!!!!!"
That's the sentiment (scenario) that comes to mind sometimes when I hear some of the comments from people who've already had the surgery. In case you haven't made the connection, that's a line Tom Hanks made famous in the movie "A League of Their Own." Resorting to tears or just giving up every time the going gets tough. Or your sick of taking vitamins, getting in protein is hard, water doesn't taste good, etc. That kinda' thinking is NOT going to make you successful or keep you healthy. ENOUGH already! It's time to LOVE yourself enough to get "TOUGH" with your aftercare. Your long term health is worth it!!
Success comes with a backbone, NOT a wishbone!
First and foremost, you have to keep it POSITIVE. As with everything in life, if you think you can't - you WON'T! Simple enough?
I have to wonder when "we" (as adults) finally take ownership for our actions, our life and our health? We have been given a gift, a second chance to actually LIVE life again instead of merely existing on the sidelines. It's up to each of us to do that as healthy and productively as possible.
We're ALL statistics waiting to happen and the insurance companies are chomping at the bit. The bean counters are eager to drop Weight Loss Surgery ("WLS") from the policies; some already have. Don't you know that any negative feedback thrown into the mix only strengthens their cause? I may not be able to control every thing that happens to my body after WLS, but most things I can. I CHOOSE to take control and I will be a positive statistic when the numbers get counted.
The way I saw it, I had a 90 day healing and adjusting period after surgery. My 'super morbidly obese' body had more then enough stores to survive the learning curve. In turn, it gave me plenty of time to heal, adjust and learn. For those of you OVER 90 day's Post-Op, the probation period is over - its time to get serious and LIVE what you've learned.
~*~ You say you can't get in enough liquids through out the day, don't like the taste of water, or just keep forgetting? -- TOUGH! It's not an option anymore. Find a way to do it, get suggestions and tips from others in support groups, message boards, etc. Read, learn and JUST DO IT!! Why do you think there is a choice here?
~*~ You say you don't like the big horse pill type vitamins, or the tart chalky chewables? ...it's, just too many to bother with? Or maybe you just can't remember to take them? -- TOUGH! You gave up the option NOT to take vitamins when you agreed to have your insides rerouted. FIND a way to get them in; crushed, minced, chopped, liquified, in a shake, etc. No exceptions, your health depends on it.
~*~ Protein is a must. So you can't get it all in via foods and you don't like the way the shakes taste? -- TOUGH! Either get it through your meals (and there are a gazillion food choices out there) or supplement it with protein shakes and bars.
Trust me, I don't drink my protein shake every morning because I think it tastes like a chocolate blizzard from Dairy Queen. I’ve tried many varieties over the last 2 years. I'd even venture to say 25 of the top sellers/flavors have crossed my lips. For the record? I've yet to find one that is as 'delicious' as boasted by the distributor. So what. I still drink one every morning. My HEALTH dictates that I need "X" grams of protein per day. If I'm not getting enough from my meals then I supplement a shake. 'Nuff said.
This surgery is a gift, I owe it to me and everyone else fighting the approval process, to do it right! I will continue to choke down my vitamins, my water and my protein every single day, for the REST OF MY LIFE. Some days will be easier then others, regardless, no days will be missed.
It's all about discipline. Create a routine, set a timer, develop a pattern, tie a string around your finger, glue a note to your forehead, whatever it takes.
You're an adult - take responsibility! If this surgery doesn't slap a back bone into you, not much will.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Day 4 of back on track...
Things are still going okay (not great, but not bad either) with getting my eating back on track. I missed my 100 grams of protein today, but the carbs were better than yesterday even with that danged banana I ate...
breakfast--Atkins Advantage protein bar
lunch--ham and cheese Egg Beaters ommlette
snack--mixed nuts and a small banana
dinner--ground beef patty with slice of cheese and sauteed onions on top
snack--Kay's Naturals white cheddar Kruncheeze
Totals for the day are not terrible, but not the lowest so far either! LOL 1200 cals, 60 net carbs and 95 protein and I got in over a gallon of liquids (actually working on the 5th 32 ozs right now). Tomorrow is my 18 mos postop appt with my surgeon. I've lost 207 pounds and am at 203 from 410. I know he thinks I've done good, but I sooooooo wanted to be below 200 by now! The really bad part is that with being on the go all day tomorrow, I'll either not eat enough OR eat too many calories but be low on protein. We'll see how it turns out!
Lea
breakfast--Atkins Advantage protein bar
lunch--ham and cheese Egg Beaters ommlette
snack--mixed nuts and a small banana
dinner--ground beef patty with slice of cheese and sauteed onions on top
snack--Kay's Naturals white cheddar Kruncheeze
Totals for the day are not terrible, but not the lowest so far either! LOL 1200 cals, 60 net carbs and 95 protein and I got in over a gallon of liquids (actually working on the 5th 32 ozs right now). Tomorrow is my 18 mos postop appt with my surgeon. I've lost 207 pounds and am at 203 from 410. I know he thinks I've done good, but I sooooooo wanted to be below 200 by now! The really bad part is that with being on the go all day tomorrow, I'll either not eat enough OR eat too many calories but be low on protein. We'll see how it turns out!
Lea
Questions to ask your surgeon at your pre-op visits...
The following list of questions to ask potential surgeons was gathered from a conversation on the GastricBypass-InfoCentral group at YahooGroups.
1) How many cms of intestine will you bypass???
2) How much common channel will I have?
3) Do you transect the stomach? Do you remove the remnant stomach? IF NOT--Will you transect if I have or revert to an Open vs. lap surgery???
4) How common are staple line disruptions?
5) How common are ulcers around the stoma?
6) How many surgeries of this type have you done???
7) How many deaths are on your record??? (Please keep in mind that the more experienced the surgeon is and the more complicated cases he takes on the higher this number can be so you need all of the facts to make a determination.)
1) How many cms of intestine will you bypass???
2) How much common channel will I have?
3) Do you transect the stomach? Do you remove the remnant stomach? IF NOT--Will you transect if I have or revert to an Open vs. lap surgery???
4) How common are staple line disruptions?
5) How common are ulcers around the stoma?
6) How many surgeries of this type have you done???
7) How many deaths are on your record??? (Please keep in mind that the more experienced the surgeon is and the more complicated cases he takes on the higher this number can be so you need all of the facts to make a determination.)
8) Will I wake up with an naso-gastric tube or JP drains in???
9) Will I go straight to a regular room if there are no complications or
wake up in ICU???
10) What will I do if I have complications and you are unavailable (i.e.
sick, on vacation, away from the office, etc.)? Is there a partner or other
doctor who knows as much about RNY that can help me. (It's been my
experience that docs that practice with another surgeon or surgeons is
better when and if you have complications and your surgeon is unavailable. It's hard to find a surgeon willing to take on complications of a different surgeon outside of their practice.)
11) How long will you follow up with me??
12) What kind of aftercare program do you offer and what kinds of
information and help will I receive during the weight loss process?
13) How often do I need labs done? Will you agree to order the lab tests necessary to keep me in good health?
14) How many supplements should I take? (protein and vitamins both)
15) How big is the pouch you create?
16) How do you feel about milk in the diet? sugar? fats?
17) How long am I off foods?
18) How strict a "diet" will I still be on?
19) If I am still sick/nauseated/vomiting after 3 weeks, what will you do for me?
19) Of my excess weight, what percentage can I expect to lose?
20) Of the weight that I lose, what percentage can I expect to keep off long-term?
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