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StephanieF.'s Blog
StephanieF.'s Blog

Checking in...anyone here tonight?
on May 20, 2012 7:53 pm

Hello, anyone who might be reading this on this quiet Sunday night...or later.

I told you guys about my sis having surgery back in late Januray; she's doing so great, and is almost in one-derland, if she isn't today! So proud of her.

As for me, my weight stalled out again when I returned to my job after I left sis when she was home and recuperating well after her surgery.

Then I even started to gain!

Here's what the problem has been, for me: snacking at my desk at work. It's so easy to go to the vending machine and grab some Gardetto's snack mix or peanut butter crackers, following them with a diet Dr. Pepper. I was totally addicted to those things, too.

So, I took matters into my own hands, finally. I dropped carbs, except for a few things like 40 calorie wheat bread, beans, and a little bit of grits occasionally.

I also don't snack in between meals. At all. If I get the munchies, I sometimes grab a protein drink or have some hot green tea. It's working well; I have already lost 9 pounds, and I haven't been doing this for very long.

So, I feel like, after nearly six years since my surgery, I'm on a level playing field with most other normal weight people. I was at a HUGE disadvantage six years ago, and needed help. But now, I can gain a bit if I don't watch it, just like anyone else.

And since I don't intend to ever go back there to morbid obesity, I will watch it. I will take care of myself, and eat healthful foods that keep my heart safe, etc.

I did have caffeine withdrawals, by the way, when I finally quit drinking diet Dr. Pepper. I was sleepy and had a headache for about 24 hours. But now I'm off of it, and I feel so good about that!

Still no exercise, though. Will I ever get into that habit again? We shall see.

Hope you're doing well, too, and if you're pondering WLS for yourself, please feel free to ask questions here. I am happy to help if I can.

Enjoy your week!

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In the hospital...
on January 25, 2012 5:51 pm

I'm in the hospital this week, but not for me. I'm with my sis, who is having RNY gastric bypass, just as I had in 2006! She's doing great, and we'll go home to her house tomorrow where I'll stay with her while she recovers.

It's been great to revisit a bariatric unit, spend time here, and be reminded of all the things I need to do to stay healthy and keep my weight under control. I love that I've had this surgery and still feel great! I would like to lose 30 pounds, and am working on it and succeeding, I think.

I had lost some, but went to work full-time in August at a local tv station. I love my job, but it has taken the place of my walking I used to do. I gained weight quickly when I stopped exercising! Got to get myself to the gym on that treadmill. We have a free membership through work, so I need to find time to work it in a few times a week, at least.

I can do it! You can, too. :)

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I just had a revelation
on January 2, 2011 2:28 pm

You know, it amazes me, really, when I think about being four and a half years post-op from my RNY. I can't believe that much time has passed! I think I will celebrate on my five year anniversary, which will be July 26. I'll have to think of something fun. Maybe a professional photo of something, I don't know. Something creative.

I have been avoiding weighing myself for the last couple of months. You see, with the business I'm in (baking) it is so easy to nibble a cookie here and there. I still get sick if I eat more than one, thank God, but those cookies and other little carbs here and there, combined with lack of exercise, have added up to some weight gain.

I initially lost 154 pounds. Isn't that amazing? I am so proud of myself and thankful for this life-changing surgery. However, I stepped on the scale the other day and found that I now need to lose 30 pounds to be at my "happy weight" again. But you know what? I'm almost FIVE years out! I have kept off over 100 pounds! Over 100! This means that I'm a success. A success. I love that.

Here's to losing 30 pounds, and staying healthy.

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Remember me?
on December 26, 2010 2:09 pm

Hey friends! I decided to come back here to check in and realized when I arrived that I hadn't updated this blog in over a year! And what a year it's been. So many things have happened!

I have done things in this year that I would never, ever have considered doing when I weighed over 300 pounds. I began working in social media, representing a few different clients (restaurant, etc.) with their Facebook and Twitter pages, doing PR for them, basically. That has been fun! Through that I have met many interesting people; for example, a friend named Ellen, who works for our area's ABC affiliate tv station. When the station's food producer was searching for a fill-in for a segment for that week's cooking segment on the evening news, he asked Ellen for ideas, and she thought of me. I received a direct message from her on Twitter from her asking if I would be interested in filling in! Of course, my first instinct was to say "absolutely not!" because how terrifying is it to think of being on tv, and doing a 3 1/2 minute cooking segment when you've never done anything like that before? But I've tried to make it my goal over the past couple of years (post-WLS) not to say "NO" when life presents an opportunity, so I reluctantly agreed. It actually went great! Shock of all shocks, I really enjoyed myself, and have now done it four different times! You can see my t.v. appearances if you go to my food blog (www.mamastephf.com) and search for KLTV.

Now, a lot of folks here would not be happy with WHAT I'm cooking on these segments, as it is not WLS-friendly. My specialty is baking cookies; my husband and sons love cookies, and just because I am not supposed to eat them doesn't mean they can't, so I still bake. That's what I've made on those four segments, specialty cookies, and have even started a small business because lots of people started calling me to see if I'd sell some to them. How could I refuse? ;)

So, the reality is that I am making money and enjoying life as a cookie-baker. Have I tasted my cookies? Of course. Have I gained any weight? Yes, I have. So I have decided that I need to get this under control so that I am not continually gaining and getting unhealthy.

The absolute truth is, I had gotten down to 147 pounds after WLS in 2006. I was happy to see those numbers, as it had been many years since I'd seen it. However, when I went to a plastic surgeon to see about having some improvements made, he looked at me and declared me "nothing but skin and bones." My skin was hanging from me, and you could see all my bones along my chest and down my back. I know it seems that 147 isn't very small, especially since I'm only 5'6" tall, and I know people my height who weigh 130 or less. What can I say? I must have heavy bones and organs. haha I was just too skinny at 147.

Well, of course my WLS office always warned me not to expect to stay at my lowest weight; they said that almost everyone has a weight bounce-back, that it's normal for your body to find a happy place after the fast loss, and I did see that. I was hoping to stay in the 150s, but soon found myself even-ing out at around 163. Truthfully, though, I really liked that weight! I felt curvier, sexier, and more like myself. So that's my current goal; I would like to get down again into the 160s. That is a healthy weight for me, low enough to keep me from getting diabetes that my family is so prone to.
How much do I need to lose? Well, as a result of total lack of exercise (I had previously been walking three miles a day and doing yoga several times a week, plus line-dancing lessons, etc.) and beginning to dabble in those cookies and other carbs, I have gained to 193. Yes, it's awfully freaking close to 200! That has a tendency to freak me out when I let it, but I'm trying hard to keep my head on straight. I don't have 150+ pounds to lose, like I did four years ago and felt so hopeless. I have 30 to lose. That's not so bad. I can do that. So, my goal is to A) begin exercising again, even if it's just twice a week at first, and B) up my protein/decrease my carb intake. I need to do this for my health as much as for my appearance, and I need to remember that.

I still feel pretty, even with this added weight. I have more self-confidence now, and I don't think it's solely because I've lost so much weight and look better; I think it's because since I've lost the weight, I started allowing myself to take risks and try new things, and that has caused me to gain self-confidence, because I've had success and fun! I don't get angry with myself, and berate myself until I'm depressed. I accept myself, and just know that I need to gain a little more control over what goes into my mouth, for my health and safety and peace of mind. I need to exercise to fight diabetes and heart disease and other ailments. I'm sure now that it's almost January, I'll have lots of company in this new adventure. :) Who's with me?

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Still here!
on October 1, 2009 9:42 am

I have been MIA for a couple of days due to the death of a friend of my sweet husband's. She was an amazing person! Was diagnosed in '88 at age 15 with an inoperable brain tumor, and was given two years to live. Here we are 21 years later, and she has passed away after a very productive, inspirational life. She got her RN and worked with children who had brain tumors at Shand's Hospital in Gainesville, FL. She wrote a booklet for their families about how to help children deal with their tumors, and was on the board of directors at the Ronald McDonald House in Gainesville. Rest in peace, singing and dancing in Heaven, Traci!

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