Weight Loss Surgery If you've had it, or are considering it, share your discussions here

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Old 02-10-2006, 09:55 AM   #1  
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when i started this adventure, i vowed to myself that i would NEVER outgrow the collection of pants that i owned at my lowest point.

well, folks, i've outgrown the smallest ones. i admit that the weight at that point might have been a little on the low side, as i felt very tired all the time. BUT the next size up is now uncomfortably snug.

and i REFUSE to gain anymore.

sooooo, starting today, my life is changing again. back to basics. what i've been considering a snack will now be a meal. and 20 grams of protein in a shake form [which i might mix in yogurt for a change]. i'll add some good carbs in the form of low GI fruit and oatmeal.

no more doggy bags from restaurants. more reliance on deli roast beef and low-salt chicken and turkey. veggies veggies veggies.

why is it that we can either lose or gain, but we can't maintain????? drat drat drat.
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Old 02-10-2006, 10:04 AM   #2  
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You're on the road a lot aren't you jiffy? Up until last September DH and I ate in restaurants far too much. He enjoyed it. Liked the choice every meal. I hated it! Could never find anything that worked for me comfortably and no control especially over how the food was prepared. The single best thing I did was move my office back to my home where I could focus absolutely on my own food preperation once again. I know not everyone can do that but when I read what you said about doggy bags at restaurants it took me back. Now when I take doggy bags, they are literally doggy bags! I have 4 Shih Tzu's (and two litters of pups at the moment too) who literally inspect me for goodies when I walk in the door and they know if there's a doggy bag its got stuff for them.

I had to do a major shift myself last September and although its hard, its the best thing I did. I think we eventually get kind of burned out being careful, careful, careful and then its easy to see a pound, or two, or 10 or twenty creep on.

I'm so with you on this jiffy. The great thing is you know how do do this. Its just a matter of shoving yourself back into that familiar groove you lived in while you were doing all that weight loss before. You know how to eat, what to eat and what that will feel like.

You just took the first hardest step which was to look at it, table it and making the changes will fall into place.

I with ya!
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Old 02-10-2006, 10:06 AM   #3  
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Reading your signature jiffy, I was wondering if you ever had plastic surgery? What was your lowest weight if you don't mind my asking?
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Old 02-10-2006, 10:19 AM   #4  
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i haven't had the plastic surgery yet, although it's a priority for me at the moment. in the past, anything below 160 is difficult for me. since the surgery, however, the lowest the scale ever said was 225. and if we figure that there's at least 30 pounds of excess skin, i'd be happy with whatever my 'real' weight was at that time. i strongly suspect that much of the fatigue was due to a combination of too strenuous an exercise regime [close to 2 hours most days during the week!] and not taking my vitamins.

and so far, we're off to a good start. just finished breakfast: a mix of 1/2 c plain yogurt, about 15 grams of protein, a couple of slices of mango, and about 2 tbs of muesli. tastes great!!!! and i'll have a couple of cherry tomatoes to finish it off....
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Old 02-10-2006, 11:00 AM   #5  
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You know what I think the best part of shifting focus and getting back on track is jiffy? You start really thinking and planning what you're going to eat and its like you rediscover how good food can be once again. You're not just taking it for granted and reaching for whatever sits in the fridge. There can be such delight in the simplest of foods enhanced by the knowledge that you've stayed within your target.

I too am looking at the plastic surgery and I have a huge 'apron'. I also realize my 'real' weight is impacted by this pendulous belly. I had my breasts done a year and a half ago and I'm not happy with them. At all. I had the abdominoplasty booked for last spring but I was not feeling good about the surgery, or strong enough to make it through so I cancelled. Now that surgeon is leaving town and I have to start again with a new surgeon who I expect to meet in April. Then another 6 months before the surgery happens.
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Old 02-10-2006, 03:49 PM   #6  
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geezzzz. ya know, my surgeon told me that the belly had to come first, and then the breasts. so maybe while the new guy does your apron, he can do something about the breasts.

and i'm trying to be optimistic about this. trying to have faith in myself, and trying to do the right thing. but it's going to take minute-to-minute focus for awhile, and that's ok. i had hoped - prayed - that at some point it would be completely automatic, but that's not reality. unfortunately.

it's been a good day, foodwise, despite the temptations. and it is also a major opportunity to reset the dump-o-meter.

<sigh>
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Old 02-10-2006, 04:17 PM   #7  
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The first surgeon I went to refused to do the belly for over a year. He said the chance of gangrene was to great due to the lateral incisions I had and all the complications. But... he was also totally unfamiliar with this as part of a post bariatric surgery process and I asked him to reconsider after he did the breasts. So he wrote to the committee who decides if this will be an insured process and they said no. I was so angry! So I contacted the head of the committee personally and demanded an explanation. He said he was never made aware of my history and didn't even know I'd had WLS!!! He asked me to put into my own words my history and my request and fax it to him. Her personally walked to the desk of every single person he needed to on that committee and called me back two hours later with an approval. Problem was that by then, between the crappy job on my breasts and the lack of proper representation of my situation I had no confidence in the surgeon! When he realized he was backed in a corner and would now have to do the surgery he told me he wasn't even going to bother giving me a new belly button. Just gonna chop the excess skin off and sew me up.

So.... I'm hoping the new guy will handle this professionally and do what needs to be done.

I understand how you feel about regaining control over your food choices again jiffy. Did I tell you about the jelly beans? Last summer, dh and I used to go to this one restaurant about once a week for dinner. In the lobby, they had those 25 cent candy dispensing machines. Jelly beans. Now I have to tell you I love jelly beans. Not the flavour so much as the colours! I'm like a little kid with them!!! So it started with one quarter in the machine as we left for 'dessert'. Hah. Then two quarters. Then I went out and bought a bag of jelly beans and ate them. And then I bought another, larger bag and hid them in my desk. HID them. That was the big wake-up call for me. I was hiding these damn things and mostly, I was hiding them from myself!!! I thought what on earth am I doing!!!! I threw the bag out and realized then and there that I was not going to torture myself doing what I know I cannot do! I was taking Metformin for insulin issues, wanted OFF the metformin and was eating jelly beans!!!! How stupid is that?

That was my moment of truth jiffy.

You'll be fine. You will.
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Old 02-10-2006, 04:48 PM   #8  
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Jiffypop-
I know for me, I'm an all or nothing type of person. When I'm 'dieting', I can stick the program, but when I lose that structure, its like something turns off in my head. I think that is why I'm working so hard to learn to healthy in a way that I hopefully can for the rest of my life. Of course if the gastroparesis gets better enough for to go completely off the feeding tube, I'll have to make adjustments- but I want to think in terms of adjustments, not major changes to what I'm already doing. I've also been taking your advice on the deli meats- its a little easier on the budget since one of the local stores marks down all their sliced meats to either $1.99 or 99c when they go to close the deli at night. I admitt, I've been known to hang around the produce department & pretending to look at stuff, just waiting for the anouncement so I can be the first in line at the deli counter When I get it home, I package it up in 2oz servings and freeze it- it works great when I need the protein, plus I can have variety too. They also mark down their roasted chickens to $2.25- I've started using them in a lot recipes and such. It saves a lot of time & frustration on my part- I still hit the point if I've spent too much time preparing food that I can barely eat it.

Hubs-
I think its a good thing you held on surgery with that other surgeon. There is just something about having to have surgery with someone you pissed off, you know? And besides, everyone needs a belly button ...were would you have to collect lint?

You comments about the jelly beans & doggy bags is so true- I've been rereading a book I bought several years ago called Making a Case for Yourself- a Diet Book for Smart Women- the author is a laywer. She has a chapter in there about how we try to convince ourselves that we're doing the right things, that 'wasting food is bad'- yet when is the price of stale leftovers worth more then our health? It really makes you stop & think before you eat something, is this really worth it?
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Old 02-10-2006, 05:14 PM   #9  
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i LOVE that line christine: since when is stale food worth the price of our health!!!!

that's another one to tattoo onto my forehead!!!!
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Old 02-10-2006, 05:47 PM   #10  
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Why is it that even after losing a lot of the weight, and looking and feeling so much better that I can go back to such stupid bad habits? That comment about the jelly beans hit the nail on the head. I just realized that I am hiding candy in my desk too. Who do I think I am fooling? And why am I doing that again? And I hate it that my clothes are feeling too tight. I hate that so much. Not only has my weight loss stopped, but I am beginning to creep up, I have gained 10 pounds since my lowest point. Ahhhhhhh!
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Old 02-10-2006, 08:44 PM   #11  
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Right now I'm not having any trouble turning away from food....but I know my time's coming. My doctor told me, I've heard it from other people, and now listening to you all I know this two stepping I'm doing with food will get trickier. I shudder to think about the possibility of going through all this and the sabatoging myself in the end. Oh well, one day at a time. It's humbling and inspiring to read about your struggles. Many of you have had a lot more difficulties than me and yet you're still marching forward. I'm proud of all of you. I don't know if I could have persevered the way some of you have.
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Old 02-10-2006, 09:12 PM   #12  
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magi - you'll hear this over and over and over again, and the more i hear it, the more i realize how true it is!!

use this time to relearn how to eat. and how to cope. and how to live a life that's healthier and not focused on food.

it's about figuring out what makes us eat when we're not hungry - and about taking care of ourselves. sounds easy, doesn't it... HA!!!!! it's the hardest thing i've ever done!!!!

but, as the first day of focus [trying to recapture the feeling of not being interested in food], it's been ok. nothing weird happened. no real temptations, just a few thoughts that i banished.

exercise was a 30 minute hike, some qi kong, and 30 minutes of tai chi.

one day down. i'm sitting here drinking orange spice tea with sweetener, and i expect to be able to resist the chocolate. i might have a little cheese before bed....

whew!!!
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Old 02-10-2006, 09:39 PM   #13  
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OHHH ..I know what makes me eat. I didn't spend all that time sitting in 4 different psychologists office and being an out patient in charter peachford for a month and a half for nothing !!! LOL

I have learned some other ways to deal with things but you are so right. It is very hard to apply those tools to my life.

Congrats to you and hubs for your success today.
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Old 02-11-2006, 07:18 AM   #14  
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Jiff, I have faith in you even if you are missing i yourself right now.
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Old 02-11-2006, 09:37 AM   #15  
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Jiffy,

I have absolutely no wise thoughts to help you on this journey, but will remember you in my prayers. I have had many times in my life when I have felt that I lost myself, but I have always remembered a sermon I heard several years ago by a layman. He also had been going through a "lost period". He said the one thing that helped him climb out of the dark hole, was remembering that when he was so lost that he couldn't even pray, he remembered that the Holy Spirit was praying for him in his behalf & when I remember that, it is so much easier to allow myself to be held in the hands of our loving Father. For me, to be in that place gives me the strength I need to face the hour to hour temptations. (Sorry about sermonizing)
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