blessed_patty

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can't believe it's been 5 months already.  here are some stats for you...

                                before                                 now 
                            ------------                          -----------
weight                      220.0                              160.1
bra size                       42B                              34DD            
jeans                              18                                    10
dress                        14/16                                   6/8
shirt                           XL/1X                                  S/M
cholesterol       210 (high)      179 at 1M (normal)
thyroid med                 150                                  120

i think they thyroid med is interesting.  i used to take 120 when i still had a thyroid.  now it's gone and, because of my weight loss, i've been lowered to that dosage again.  crazy!

i'm still consistently dropping weight.  i've never really plateau'd.  i weigh every week or so and i've always had a weight loss.  i know i am really lucky and it doesn't seem to happen that way for many.  i'm still eating what i want.  i try to eat healthy overall, but have bad stuff now and then too - just not much of it!

i still can get weak/sick when i eat.  i'm still figuring out things that work and don't work with my tummy.  i still can't handle eggs (makes me sick to my stomach).  i figured out last week that shrimp does the same thing to me too.  i haven't thrown up in quite awhile.  if i eat too much, i just feel horrible and have to lay down.  it doesn't happen immediately.  it usually starts about 5 minutes or so after eating.  by that time, i've already eaten probably all i can eat of that particular item.  sometimes i wish i still threw up so that i get quicker relief.

shopping is actually fun.  i can pick up most anything and it looks decent on me.  my shopping trips are no longer a painful process of going to the big girl store and trying desperately to find something halfway cute and slimming.  my husband even commented about how happy i was on a recent trip to banana republic...  yup, i get to shop in banana republic and j.crew and not even near their largest size.  i also fit in victoria's secret bras again.  the only down side to shopping is that between me and my husband, we are going broke!

other physical changes - my feet don't hurt when i walk anymore, i don't have to adjust my back fat when i get in the car, my thighs don't burn when i walk up stairs, i don't have hide my heavy breathing walking up the stairs and i can wear thigh high panty hose and a garter belt without thinking of sausage stuffed in casing.

unfortunately, i haven't really had the increase in sex drive that i was hoping for.  i do feel sexier though and my husband claims he's living with a porn star.  sex is getting better.  between my husband's weight loss and mine, i'm having to figure out what works for me again.  losing that padding, if you know what i mean, made a difference for me.

my husband and i still say this is the best thing we've ever done.  my mom tells me she is so proud of me, which is a bit rare for her.  i feel kind of guilty taking the complement because this has been the easiest diet ever.  getting on the scale is like a little gift everytime.  the vsg has really worked wonders for me and i have absolutely no regrets.  i truly believe nothing else would have broken my food addiction. 

no new pics yet.  i'll have to see if i can remedy that...

stay classy,
patty

I am now down 48.1 lbs.  My weight loss seems to be slowing, but I'm still losing something every week.  I've also been eating out a lot more.  Hmmm, correlation??  My hair is continuing to fall out and it is much drier than before.  Not bald yet though.  I again didn't really exercise this month - just a walk now and then.  This coming month though, I'm going to do the Slim in 6 program to give me a goal with a defined end date.  Hopefully, it will motivate me to start moving, which will get me more motivated to move in general.  It's always hard to start, but usually easier once you get in the groove.

Haven't had any real issues this month.  I've learned that I just can't eat any kind of pasta, except for ravioli, or hamburgers because I inhale them.  That used to work in the old days, but now it's a no-can-do.  My stomach pushes the eject button and out it comes.  Since I can't control myself, I avoid those trigger foods. 

I still haven't restricted my eating, but I think I'm getting closer to having to do that to amp up my weight loss.  I eat whatever I want and stop when full.  I think I'm going to concentrate on not eating out more than once a week and exercising this month to see if that helps speed things up a bit.  If not, then next month I'll cut back on the carbs.

Current Measurements:
Bust                       37.75
Waist                     31.0
Hips                       40.0
Left Upper Arm    10.0
Left Lower Arm    13.5
Left Thight             24.75
Left Calf                 15.75

I finally got the nerve to take photos and have posted them in the photos.  You can check out before and after.

 

did you personally experience any stalls, and if so, how did you get over it? both scale-wise and emotional-wise.

i've been very fortunate - i've not had any stalls.  my weight loss has been steady, with some sort of weight loss every week - usually 2 lbs.  i've weighed the same now for a few days, so i may be entering my first stall.  i started out weighing myself every day, then every couple of days and now just once a week (and not even then if i'm on my period).  i've made it into the 170's (178.6 as of yesterday) and i thought i would never see those numbers again.  i almost get scared to get on the scale because i still can't believe my weight loss.  i kind of feel like it's all a dream and the next time i get back on the scale i'll see a bigger number.  but then i get on the scale and it's like a birthday present every time!

as for what will i do when i hit a stall...what i'm doing has worked so far and i have a plan b for when it happens.  i have not followed a strict low carb diet.  i've eaten anything i've wanted (just A LOT less ).  when i do hit a stall, i'll start being more careful about carbs.  my theory is (and this is just my opinion) is to not start off being crazy strict on your diet so that you always have a way to shock your body into losing weight again.  as long as you are losing weight, it's all good.

Share with everyone your diet and how active you are.

i generally eat whatever i want.  it's usually pretty healthy.  i try to limit carbs, but i'm not strict about it.  for breakfast, i have a cappucino and one of those little cups of cottage cheese.  don't really have a lunch routine.  i just eat whatever we have.  for dinner, i usually have some sort of meat (chicken, bbq pork, pork chop, etc) and veggies.  i don't think about it too much.  if i want carbs, i have them.  for example, i had almost one whole slice of papa john's pizza last night and part of those little chocolate pastries they have later on in the night.  the trick for me is to not overthink it.  my stomach will make sure i don't overeat. 

as for how active i am, i wish i could say i exercise every day!  truth is i don't, but i need to.  my husband and i usually walk a couple of miles on Sunday.  i've been working on the house the past few weekends, so i'm definitely getting a workout from that.  the boys go back to school in 2.5 weeks and i think i'll get serious then.
 

What are some of your NSV's?
1.  I can comfortably cross my legs - either way!  Before, I couldn't cross one leg, and could only cross the other leg if I tightened my leg muscles to hold it in place or hooked my foot behind my husband's leg.  Now I can cross my legs either way.  I told my husband about that and he asked, "Is that why you always put your foot behind my leg? I had no idea why you did that."

2.  I can look in the mirror and not hate what I see.  I used to avoid mirrors at all costs.  When I put on makeup, I used a tiny mirror.  When I dressed, I looked quickly to make sure my underwear wasn't showing or somthing.  Now I can look in the mirror again.

3.  I can shop in the misses dept.  I've gone from a tight 18 to a 12 or 14.  I bought 2 size 12 shorts and couldn't believe they fit!

4.  I sleep better than I ever have.  Not sure if that is due to the VSG, thyroid surgery or my husband's lack of snoring thanks to his VSG, but I can now sleep straight through the night.  I can't tell you the last time I did that.

5.  I don't need a nap in the afternoon.  Not sure if it's #4 or the weight loss, but I'm not fighting the whole day to get back to bed anymore.  I'm not saying I have the energy of a cheerleader or anything, but it's definitely improved.

6.  I recognize my face again.  It's not chubby anymore.  It's like I remember.

7.  I don't feel ashamed when looking at my wedding pictures.  I've got 2 wedding pictures in our bedroom right next to my side of the bed.  I used to look at them and think I look nothing in them like I do now.  Now I see the same person - a little older, but a recognizable version.

8.  I took a picture with the boys and didn't want to immediately burn it.  We went on vacation a few weeks ago and I took a couple of pictures with the boys, against my will as usual.  I never wanted a permanent reminder of how I looked.  When I saw the photo, I was shocked.  I didn't look big!

9.  Within 6 weeks, I no longer had high cholesterol and went off cholesterol medicine.

Some other thoughts for you...
My hair loss started right about 2 months.  I've read it lasts for 3 months.  I have hair a few inches past my shoulders and it's naturally curly.  I'm hoping that will hide the thinning.  I was thinking for those who have fine hair, maybe you should get a perm right around the 1 month mark or so to give you hair a little more body to hide the inevitable balding.

I can pretty much eat anything I want.  The only thing that makes me a little queasy, if you can call it that, is still eggs.  They taste good going down, but then get a sickly sweet feeling in my stomach - like a ate too much candy.  I've learned there are 2 foods that get me into trouble - pasta and hamburgers.  I can't control how fast I eat them because they taste so good and I always end up getting food lodged somewhere between my lungs and stomach.  Then my stomach prompty gets pissy and hurls it right back up.  It's usually a one-retch kind of thing and it's over.  I feel fine afterwards.

My stomach gets upset often.  It can cramp when eating.  I could go back to eating mushie or blander foods, but I kind of like it.  It's my reminder that I don't want to go back to where I was.  It's not bad enough to keep my from eating, but bad enough to keep me from eating too much.

There are times when I miss food.  Sometimes you just want a big ol' burger or just something BIG in general.  I've had 2 episodes where I was really mourning the loss of food.  One was a weekend trip to Chicago.  So much good food to eat and I could eat only a few bites.  It sucked.  The other was last week.  I just had that urge to stuff my face and couldn't.  I know those times are going to come.  It's part of the package.  The good news is they pass.

I would do it all over again without hesitation.  You don't know how things are going to go and it's a big leap of faith, but I am very glad I did this.  I was never going to be healthy without this surgery.  It has been lifechanging.

I'll see if I can get some new pictures posted soon.  Hope you're doing great!


 

Random thoughts at 4 weeks out...

Exactly 4 weeks ago, I was lying in the hospital recovering from my surgery.  I think things have gone pretty well.  I'm down 17.7 lbs as of this morning! 

I can eat pretty much anything.  I had mild foamies last weekend when I ate an over-easy egg.  Susan from Dr. A's office told me many people have trouble with eggs and to try again in a week.  Other than that, I haven't had any problems with things I've eaten.  No nausea.  I'm off the antacid.  I can take all of my pills, regardless of size now.  I had a slight problem with my calcium during the first couple of weeks (I am careful to watch for that since my thyroidectomy), but nothing Citracal couldn't handle. 

My biggest problem is I can't tell when I'm full.  Doesn't that sound crazy?  I was hoping I would have the hiccup like some folks do.  Because of this, I often feel bad after eating because I've eaten a little too much.  I still swallow a lot of air when I eat too, but my body is getting better about getting rid of it (I'll leave it at that). 

The other thing I struggle with is slowing down my eating.  I used to wolf my food.  Since I'm having such a hard time with this, I've come up with a strategy.  I eat 2 bites of my food and then push my plate away for a few minutes.  Then I can eat two more bites.  That seems to be helping.  It takes me forever to get through a meal.

Another suggestion I have is to make sure and get a bread plate when going out to eat.  When your food comes, put the amount that looks right to you on the plate and eat from it.  Don't eat from the big plate because you'll eat too much.

I also have real hunger now.  I get hungry usually a couple of hours after eating.  I think I'm going to be one of those people who eats more frequent smaller meals.

My energy is ok.  It has not improved yet and I can tell I'm weaker, but it's not far off from where I started.  I've been walking a few times, but nothing more strenuous than that yet.  I need to concentrate on exercise now.

Food doesn't control me anymore.  I had hoped this would happen, but didn't think it would click so soon.  For example, I took the boys to Macaroni Grill last night and I wasn't salivating at all the choices and didn't eat like it was my last meal.  I actually ordered something I would have never in a million years order before (fish) and was really happy with it.  I couldn't eat much of it, of course, and the waiter seemed quite concerned about that, but it was awesome to leave being completely satisified and not having eaten 2000-3000 calories!  We're also saving $$ on the food bill since we rarely go out to eat anymore.

I'm not anal about the low carb diet.  If I want carbs (like I had orzo pasta last night), I have them.  I do try to eat protein first though and limit my carbs to one meal a day.  If I get stuck on a plateau, then I can ratchet down on the carbs.  Right now, I'm happy with my progress and will keep eating this way until then.

Well, that's all that comes to mind.  Thanks for reading!

I'm down 13.4 lbs of this morning!  My switch to fulls has gone well.  I've found that if get off schedule and then eat something, I get nauseous.  If I don't, I'm fine.

Yesterday was my first day of real, my-stomach-is-growling hunger.  I took that as a good sign that my stomach is almost healed.  I went ahead and ate some cottage cheese last night, chewing it well.  It went down well and I've had more energy today than I've had since the surgery.  Not sure if related or coincidence, but I ate cottage cheese for dinner tonight too just to be sure.  I also took a normal vitamin today without problems (I've given up on the Bariatric Advantage chewables).  I go to mushie food on Mother's Day (I guess it will be my gift :)).

I have to admit to a bit of worry.  Since I have experienced real hunger yesterday and today, I don't feel satisfied when I eat.  I'm worried that this isn't going to work.  I just tell myself to take a deep breath and know that there is  no way it cannot not work.

Oh and before I forget, thanks to the boards, I found a powdered protein that is truly tasteless - IsoNatural by Allmax.  I add it to my soups for extra protein and really can't taste it.  I've heard people bake with it, make pancakes, etc.  My husband put it in Crystal Light and said it was okay.  I'm not willing to go that far, but it is good in food.  Two thumbs up !

1 week ago today I got my new tummy.  Surgery went well.  This time I did have to deal with the gas pains, but that lasted only 2 days.  I threw up once because I decided to take a chewable multivitamin on day 5 and my ultra-empty stomach would have none of it.  Susan told me to wait a couple of weeks before trying again.  Thursday was hard because it was my son's birthday.  We gave him a Happy Meal and a cupcake.  Dear Lord, I wanted a bite of cheeseburger and cupcake!  I made it though and today is my last day of clears (Susan said I could go to fulls a day early because I've been doing so well).  The diet has been the toughest, but if I can make, so you can!

And I've lost 9.6 lbs!

my thyroid was removed on 2/24, as planned.  the surgery was supposed to be 3 hours and ended up being 5 due to complications.  it all worked out fine in the end.  i got the path results yesterday and no cancer!  my voice is fine.  my body seems to be getting used to life without my thyroid.  all is well.

so now back to the vsg!  my husband has been constantly talking about it for himself for the past few months.  at first, i didn't think he should have it done because i don't see him as that overweight.  his feeling is he is tired of struggling with his food.  his weight does yo-yo.  he has never been able to keep it off since we've been together (10+years).  we have the technology to help him with that.  why not use it?  after thinking about it, he's right.  why struggle the rest of your life if you don't have to? 

so after discussing it into the night, we've decided he is going to have the surgery first.  i was going to go first, but his schedule is much tighter than mine and it worked out better for him to go first.  he is getting his sleeve with dr. alvarez on 4/3.  i know he is beyond excited!!  i've tentatively scheduled my sleeve for 4/18 with the hopes i can figure out how to get enough money to do it them.  if not, then it will be at the end of may.  we thought it safer to not to it at the same time just in case something happened.  we have 3 small boys.  i don't think anything will happen, but it is better to be prudent.

so it looks like i am going to get that sleeve after all!!

i am now a little more than a month from my thyroidectomy (it's scheduled for 2/24).  i'm not nervous because it doesn't really seem real and i've got another big event to get through before i get to that surgery (my husband is leaving for india for almost 3 weeks at the end of january and i will be ALL ALONE with 3 boys).  we're also contemplating a move to another country within a year, so lots to think about right now.

something about sundays always draws me to this board.  i've got to be honest and fess up to having mixed emotions about the successes of others on the board, especially those who got the surgery right around the same time or after.  i am really happy for them, but also a little jealous.  that could have been me!  that should have been me!  i often wonder what my life would be like right now if the surgery had happened as planned.  i wouldn't have bought a bunch of clothes at avenue, that's for sure !  i guess having mixed emotions is just part of being human.

i know God's hand is in this, but it still hard.  after my aborted vsg and while i was going through all the testing, i said i would never go back to have vsg.  after reading about others on this board, i'm back to wanting to have it.  also having my husband tell me how he wants to get it done too spurs my desire.  i don't know how long it will take to recover from the thyroidectomy or how long before i could possibly have vsg.  i feel the lesson God keeps having to teach me over and over is patience and this is yet another lesson. 

after many ct's and mri's, the doctors say there is no mass on my pancreas.  a pancreas is supposed to be shaped like a line.  mine is shaped like a "J" and is prominent.  dr. a saw the hook end of the "j" and thought it was a mass.  the odd shape is not a problem, but it's not normal either and that's why it looked odd to dr. a.

there is a small spot on my liver.  instead of performing surgery to determine if it is malignant, my oncology sugeon wants to follow me for 1-2 years to make sure it doesn't grow.  he believes it to be benign, but wants to make me drink that yummy contrast every 3 months to be sure.

but...

during all the tests, they found a large nodule in my left thyroid and a small nodule with a calcium deposit in the right.  my family has a history of thryoid issues and i've been hypo myself since 2002.  i told my oncology surgeon, "wouldn't be funny if i went to mexico for wls only to find out my thyroid is even more messed up than i thought?"  well, i guess it is.

they did a biopsy of the large nodule, which came back indeterminate.  so now they have to take the whole thing out, freeze it and slice it to see if it is malignant or not.  since the other side of the thyroid is not healthy, my endo and thryoid surgeon have recommended the whole thryoid come out.  at first, i thought no way, i can't afford to gain anymore weight!!!  after prayer though, i've decided it's the right thing to do and i need to let God worry about the aftermath :).

so after some really scary days thinking i had pancreatic cancer, the future is much brighter.  even if it is thryoid cancer, it is very treatable.  usually you just take it out (which i'm already doing) and maybe some radiation treatments.  my surgery is scheduled for 2/24/08.

oh and btw - for those thinking about dr. alvarez - he has been wonderful.  i've kept in contact with him through email all this time.  his response time has always been within a couple of hours, if not minutes.  he's told me that he has continued to pray for me, which has really meant a lot.  if i were to ever have the surgery, i would absolutely go back to him without reservation.

For those keep score at home, today is day 2 post surgery and I thought I would let you know how I'm feeling.  The soreness in my abdomen is almost gone.  I'm serious!  I even slept on my stomach some last night (I'm a stomach sleeper) and that is awesome considering it had been a little over 24 hours since my surgery.  When I had my tummy tuck, it was probably a good month before I could sleep on my stomach again.

Now you might think my experience may be different than someone who actually completed the surgery.  After watching some of my video and seeing how he busted through, poked around, cut through stuff and lifted my organs up, I don't think it was really that different.  The only difference that might be between my surgery and someone else's is that he didn't pull the cut off chunk of stomach through one of the holes.  So that hole might be a little more tender for you guys who get to have the surgery.

My biggest complaint continues to be my vocal chords.  They still hurt today, but the pain is not as sharp when I swallow.  My guess is that they'll be fine in a couple of days.  I made the mistake of eating Cheese-Nips on the plane last night and my throat did not appreciate it!  I guess I'm sticking with liquids and mushy foods for a couple of days.  It's like I had the surgery after all !

Anyway, I've got a doctor's appointment on Monday, which I expect to be a non-event.  It's my PCP and she's just going to refer me to a specialist.  I have to go to her first for insurance.  So it will be a little while longer before I know anything more.