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- Writing - I'm 40,000 into writing my first novel.
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Latest Surgery Support Comments
 Comment by jane H. on 1/7/07 12:43 pm
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Dietician Appt # 2 - 6-19-07 on June 26, 2007 4:22 pm
I lost one pound in three weeks, however my clothes fit much better. I can fit into the clothes I was wearing last summer when I was 10 pounds lighter (before my lapband eroded). Here's what I learned at this appointment (which I hope will be of benefit to others, especially the "slow losers" like me):
I kept a food journal with the following: Time/Food/Amount/Hunger Level/Where & With Whom/Activity/Minutes Spent Eating/Feelings.
1) I'm not really an emotional eater but I eat more when I'm stressed. I also tend to munch a lot while I'm watching TV. My action steps to improve these two areas include munching on fresh vegies instead of junk.
2) After 3+ years after WLS, I still have a diet mentality. I can be very good "on", and I can be very bad "off". I thought I was working so hard for minimal results, and most days I ate fairly well, but on my most stressful day I had 2800 calories! Yes, anyone can sabotage any WLS by eating more than 1500 calories of pure junk in one day.
3) I can't lose weight if I eat when I'm not hungry. That seems like a no brainer, but for years I've eaten every 3 hours because of my hypoglycemia that causes migraines if I wait too long to eat. For example, I had a higher than normal calorie lunch, but still had my snack 3 hours later because it was "time". I'm supposed to wait until I'm hungry and carry glucose tablets (15 calories) if I start to feel a headache coming on. And carry a snack always for when I do feel hungry.
4) The "chocolate only on Fridays" rule doesn't work for me. Once I start, I don't want to stop. I need to just eliminate it completely for awhile. Am I willing to do this to lose the last 10 pounds? I don't know.
5) From the first appointment, the areas I was able to change: I am now eating some yogurt every day (non fat/light); I increased my average miles of running each week from 24 to 28.
2 comments | Click here to leave a comment.
Lapband vs. VSG on June 26, 2007 3:52 pm
Lapband
I chose the lapband because it was the least invasive WLS. I was a very happy bandster for 3 ½ years. I was able to reach my goal weight and never felt hungry. There were days when I couldn’t eat any solid food (some think this is from hormonal fluctuations), and sometimes that pissed me off, but I was willing to live with this inconvenience in order to remain thin. I also had my share of vomiting, but again I was wiling to live with this. The port really didn’t bother me either. I was VERY happy to be thin and keep my weight stable. I was absolutely heartbroken when my erosion was detected. I considered having another band placed, but the risk of erosion increases with this, and I just couldn’t handle the possibility of this happening again. I elected the VSG procedure.
Lap band Removal w/ VSG
From what I understand, the chances are greater of complications when the band is removed at the same time the VSG procedure is done. However, I haven't heard of any serious complications from this. You may have to stay in the hospital a little longer for example. I had my eroded band removed six weeks before the VSG because my doctor said the hole in my stomach from the erosion would have to heal first.
My BMI before the band erosion was detected was 21.9. At first my doctor did not want to do the VSG procedure because of my weight, but I showed him my “before” picture, and he finally agreed. My BMI on the day of the VSG operation was 25.4 – I gained 26 pounds in the 3 months that my band was unfilled and then removed. I couldn’t believe how hungry I was during that time – hunger I hadn’t felt in over three years. I have no doubt I would have continued gaining weight.
Recovery
I had a pretty rough first 48 hours after VSG (which again, may have been due to the scar tissue from the band erosion), but after that, life was good again. Other than the normal tiredness, I was able to walk a mile after 1 week, and go back to work in 10 days. And I could run much sooner after VSG because I didn't have that incision soreness at the bra line from the band.
Lap band vs. VSG
The VSG is a cake walk compared to the band. No "deer in the headlights" moments for me with the VSG. I have not experienced any PBing, sliming, or pain from things getting "stuck". I had to overeat once (and vomit afterwards) to test the limits of the VSG. At six months out, I can eat any foods - including pasta, bread, celery, lettuce, ect. Generally, my stomach can hold 1/2 a sandwich (made from home, not giant restaurant portions), 2 1/2 to 3 oz of meatloaf, or 2oz of meat plus some vegetables for example. One of the biggest improvements is that I can enjoy salads again!
I still have the same challenges of sweet eating and grazing. And with unlimited food choices with the VSG, it is easier to choose the wrong foods – foods that may not be as healthy as I’d like. I eat more food (a larger portion, but not nearly as much as before WLS) than with the band, so those choices are even more important for me. That is more easily accomplished without the nagging hunger that always ended my previous diet ambitions. My weight is no longer a yo-yo and I try to focus on healthy foods to fuel my active lifestyle.
Am I happy with VSG? Hell yeah!
Registered Dietician Appointment on June 1, 2007 2:10 pm
Well, I met with a registered dietician this week to get some advice about losing those last 10 pounds. Since people have asked about how many calories we should be eating, I thought I’d share that the dietician advised me to eat 1800 calories per day. I know that is double what some eat, but I just can’t stay that low without feeling deprived.
I burn about 400 calories per day in exercise now and plan to up that average to 450 calories per day, so my net calories should be about 1350. I think this is all doable if I can just stay away from the junk.
Here are my goals:
Eat 1800 calories per day (50%+ from healthy carbs)
Increase running from 24 miles per week to 28
Limit chocolate and other junk food consumption to Fridays only – this will help me not feel deprived (I run 10 to 20 miles every Saturday morning to help burn some of this off)…Yippee! Today is Friday!
Eat less processed and more complex carbohydrates
Eat more fruits and vegetables
Note: My protein level is okay at 75 to 100 grams per day. I go back to the RD in three weeks.
3 Month Anniversary on April 6, 2007 10:54 am
Woo Hoo! I lost another pound. I've now lost 15 of the 26 pounds I gained after my lapband eroded:
Month 1: 13 pounds
Month 2: 1 pound
Month 3: 1 pound
Okay, I'm a really slow loser! Although I'm upset that I don't fit into last summer's board shorts, I can live with this. Losing one pound a month is better than gaining 26 pounds in three months any day!!!!
I'm writing everything down, calculating my calories in (eating) and my calories out (through exercise only, please!). I hate doing this but at least it's making me more aware. Knowing that donut I want is 270 calories is a motivator to stay away from it. And it's also a tool to plan my eating so that I'm not grazing all day. So I'm stuck with keeping track of everything for awhile. It's okay, I have the process down to a science on my computer.
I started weight training again (stopped six months ago when I was depressed that my band had eroded). Aah, now that feels good. Along with my consistent marathon training and eating plan, I should be back in the 140s by summer.
My hunger struggles have improved somewhat. I realize my head wants to eat more than my stomach.
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This Ain't Easy on February 22, 2007 8:43 am
I guess I thought this VSG thing would be easy. I mean, I thought the weight I gained when my lapband eroded (26 pounds) would just fall off without any effort at all on my part, and that I would never feel hungry. This VSG was supposed to be a "miracle". I haven't become a true believer yet, but I'm hoping to get there.
In the last six weeks, I've struggled with hunger and cravings. I've whined because I'm not losing weight fast enough. And I've mourned the loss of my band. Poor, pitiful me!
Okay, reality check. I'm no longer overweight. And more important, my weight isn't sky rocketing upward and out of control anymore either. I've lost 14 of the 26 pounds I gained after band removal. So what if it takes a year to lose the last 12 - 14 pounds. Yeah, some days I say "you go girl", and other days I say "I feel so fat" (it might as well be 120 pounds not 12).
All I can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and try to make more good choices than bad.
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Archive
My Story My “Defect” I’ve fought the battle. I’ve tried almost every diet known to man and I’ve exercised to exhaustion. I have the emotional and self esteem battle scars. Weight loss surgery has taught me that maybe it isn’t my entire fault; perhaps it isn’t my will power that’s the problem. I believe that I have some sort of hunger hormone “defect”. Unless of course I have to survive a famine, then the “defect” would definitely be an attribute. The Lapband I had lapband surgery in May 2004. I was a very successful bandster and reached my goal weight in 2006. I believe the type of surgery that is best for each person is an individual thing. I have a very close friend who is very happy with the RNY she had four years ago. Every surgery has its pros and cons. With the lapband, the port didn’t bother me at all. I learned to eat so that the vomiting (more like spitting up) was minimal. The biggest complaint I had was that some days I just couldn’t eat a thing and could drink only protein drinks for a day or two. “The band is a fickle bitch” and this extra restriction may have been due to fluctuating hormone levels. With the band, my weight was stable for the first time in my life and I was very satisfied. Eroded Band I went to the doctor in October 2006 because I felt a loss of restriction. I thought that maybe I had a leak, but unfortunately I found out my band had eroded – the band had worked its way into part of my stomach lining – and had to be removed. The band was completely unfilled and I felt hunger like never before. I think I was much more sensitive to this sensation because I hadn’t felt physical hunger in over two years. And I was an emotional wreck. It just wasn’t fair! Why me! One of my closest friends told me that I didn’t need surgery anyways – just drink water when I get hungry! However, most people close to me were very supportive. After Band Removal I began researching my options, including getting re-banded. I just couldn’t take the possibility of another heartbreaking erosion (the chances increase with a second band). I also considered a mini gastric bypass. I firmly believe the VSG is the best choice for me. I had my eroded band removed by endoscope in November 2006. I had to wait a minimum of six weeks for my stomach to heal before I could have the VSG done. It has been a difficult period of time. All of my food obsessions and unrelenting hunger returned. I gained a total of 26 pounds in less than three months (14 pounds in December alone). So the day has finally arrived – tomorrow 1/6/07 is my “New Year”! The Beginning My struggle with weight has been a rollercoaster ride that began in my teenage years. At 14 I was a little heavy but not obese when I started running to lose weight (during the jogging craze of the 70’s). I don’t know how much I weighed back then, but I was 5’8” and wore size 14 jeans. Since I was running regularly and feeling good about myself, I joined the high school cross country running team until my coach pulled me aside and said I needed to lose weight. I dropped out. The Athlete I have been a bodybuilder (working out 1 ½ hours six days a week), practiced Tae Kwon Do (earning a red belt), cyclist (completing several centuries – 100 mile bike rides), and a runner (completing 24 marathons – 26.2 miles - in 19 states since 1999). I’m a snow skier, water skier, air chair rider, and a beach volleyball player. Living a very active lifestyle my weight has still fluctuated 100 pounds. The Professional and the Single Mother I went to night school for fourteen years and earned an MBA degree. I’m currently the CEO of a small company. I’m an accomplished, intelligent female (it took me a life time to say that), as well as the proud mother of two wonderful teenage boys on the cusp of adulthood. Yet my biggest struggle has been with my weight. Now that I’m in my 40’s, I’ve come to realize that my weight issues have nothing to do with laziness, intelligence, willpower, or initiative. Weight Chart 05/21/04: Lapband (weight = 205.0/highest = 242.5) 11/18/06: Lapband removed due to erosion (lowest weight in September = 141.9) 01/06/07: VSG (weight = 167.8)
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