ObesityHelp

Post Date 4/28/07 8:14 am
Last Edit: 4/28/07 8:15 am
Topic: RE: Question about crunches

I agree with Vi -  I have a friend who is a body builder and she has the most fabulous abs!!!  I asked her how she got them and she said "alot of hard work" - but her routine does NOT include crunches!  She said she had a ruptured disk in her neck a few years ago and the chiropractor told her that crunches are the worst!  They make you put un-necessary strain on your neck.  Instead she does the "bicycle" - lay on your back, bend your knees and pretend to be pedalling a bike.  Another excersise she does - again laying on your back, hands behind your head, bring up one knee to the opposite elbow and then repeat the other side.  An excersise ball is great to do reverse sit ups - lay tummy down on the ball (get your balance!) hands behind your head and curl back.  Another excersise she does on the ball - which took alot of practice getting the right balance - is to sit on the ball next to a weight bench, then roll down till you are laying on your back, reach over your head to grab the sides of the weight bench, then lift your legs - very impressive to watch!  You can also do this by just laying on the floor - it does not isolate the muscles as well, but is much safer! Oh - and she does not count how many repetitions of each excersise she does - she just does it for ONE HOUR!

Post Date 4/14/07 8:25 am
Topic: RE: SCLEROTHERAPY

I had the schlerotherapy procedure done two weeks ago - and this was my second one in two years...it is NOT a revision, so it is not a permanent solution.  The first time I was not really prepared for it...my doctor scoped me just to see what was going on - it had been four years since my surgery - the stoma was a little larger than it should have been, so she did the schlerotherapy as a procaution.  It reduced the amount I could eat for a few days - but since I did not commit to eating smaller portions and not to drink with my meals - I was right back to my normal eating habits after a week.  The reason I had it done again two weeks ago - was because I had too many "odd" things happening at the same time.  I had gained 7 pounds in about a week, I was having acid reflux, lots of gas (uggh!) and foods that made me feel full pretty quicky (ie rice) all of a sudden were not.  So I called my surgeon and asked to be scoped - since she knew I had been thru it before and she trusted that I knew my "system" she agreed.  I also told her to be "aggressive" with the amount of injections - because I was determined to do it right this time - so I wanted the stoma to shrink as much as possible. The past two weeks have been a revelation to me - besides the fact that I have lost 12 pounds!  I have completely changed how I eat.   I have kept myself to alot of soups, or blenderized foods for the past two weeks - AND NO DRINKING WHEN I EAT!!!!! It amazed me to realize that I had "forgotten" what full felt like!!!  Since I had been drinking with my meals,  food was never filling up my pouch.  I would just eat until the dumping kicked in - and that usually took alot!  Not drinking with my meals has drastically reduced the amount I eat - I now feel that uncomfortable feeling again when the pouch is full - amazing!  But I know that I have to work on keeping it this way - no pushing it!  Because I know that I can eat my way thru this again - and I am committed to not do that!! So I guess what I'm trying to tell you - is don't think of schlerotherapy as being the answer to all your problems - it's another tool - you still have to do the work!! Good luck!

Post Date 4/6/07 11:36 am
Topic: RE: Discussion: Maintainance

Hi Debra ~ Thought I would throw in my two cents...and don't worry, I don't think you are being judgemental of those like me who have regained - my reaction was one of helping you to NOT become like me! I am six years out from my surgery - have gained 65 lbs from my lowest weight - never reached my goal and just this week had to have the scleroherapy procedure done....again. 

I can remember coming to this site so often after surgery to post updates on my progress and being so happy to type statements like "50 pounds gone FOREVER"  oooohhhh if I only knew!  The only explanation that comes to mind is "Denial ain't just a river in Africa"  LOL  Denial is a big problem. 

We all know that it was our tummies not our brains that were changed.  And if we don't work to find out why we were fat in the first place - then the surgery is just a band aid.  The first year or so after surgery is a dream - a lot is being done for you...nothing has stretched yet, so the amount of food is taken care of....the dumping is still strong, so you are afraid to eat the wrong thing...and the pounds are flying off...geez you can sneeze and lose 10 pounds!  You are feeling great, looking great and forgetting what it was like to be fat... I have always weighed myself everyday...sometimes this worked for me, sometimes it worked against me.  At first, when I would be a pound or two up - it would motivate me to get back on the program - watch what I ate and exercise regularly.  Then it started working against me...when I thought I had been good, got on the scale and it hadn't changed or had gone up a pound...I would get so defeated - Gosh why am I killing myself!?! It didn't make a difference anyway....where are my twinkies? After two years is when it started to get away from me - the surgery started to fail, or more correct, I started to fail the surgery.  I got into the bad habit of drinking with my meals...actually taking a gulp of something after each bite.  So now I was eating way more than I should have.  This also dulls the dumping syndrome....all of a sudden a peice of chocolate cake isn't going to give you the shaky sweats when you washed it down with a diet coke!  And for me, what was further keeping my head in the sand... I kept saying to myself "Hey, I still look pretty good...better than 300lbs looked" Denial, denial, denial. So before this post turns into a novel....what I am doing to try and turn it around - the sclerotherapy is working ( yes it's only been 5 days) - I have decided to make the most of it and turn my diet back to what it was in the first weeks after surgery - liquid/puree diet and no drinking when I eat!  I have lost 7 pounds, so that feels great and I hope to build on that momentum.  Also, I have started seeing a therapist - and this I think is even more important in my "recovery" than the sclerotheapy - I am determined to find out what the hole in me is that I am trying to fill with food! I hope this helps - thanks for posting this question - I know it will cause all of us, no matter how many years from surgery and how many pounds gained/lost, to think about what we are doing! Take care!

Post Date 4/4/07 1:57 pm
Topic: RE: Needing to remember basics

Hi Debbie! Definitely do not drink and eat at the same time!  I posted this week about having to get scoped and have injections in the stoma because it was too big...and the reason it is too big is because I would take a big gulp of water, soda, chrystal light etc. after each bite!  I have gained about 50 lbs - but thankfully due to the injections - I should get back on track!   Check this out...I plan to live by it!   http://www.renewedreflections.com/gastric-bypass-information/gastric-bypass-pouch-rules Good luck!  Nicole

Post Date 3/31/07 8:31 am
Topic: RE: TIME FOR A WLS GRADS ROLL CALL

1.  First name or name you go by on the boards : Nicole 2.  Surgery type : Roux n y 3.  Surgery date : 2/2001 4.  How far post-op : 6 years!!! 5.  Highest weight: 301 6.  Day of sugery weight: 301 7.  Goal weight : 170 - was there once!!!! 8.  Current weight : 230 9.  Low weight post-op if different than current weight :170 10.  Biggest struggle as a post-op : stretched stoma