Kim Meeks

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the last thing i wrote was about whether i needed or just wanted plastic surgery - and the answer is yes - to both

i had a lateral thigh lift - breast lift and augmentation - and nowi want a circumfrential tummy tuck - or a lower body lift - depending on who you talk to - same surgery - different names

i lost the majority of my wt within 8 months of my surgery - and i was at 150 # and was fine with it - but, my wt slowly crept up to 160 and then it kept on creeping - so i decided to put the smack down on it and get it under control - before it controlled me - so, since april or so - i have lost some more wt and i am now at 136#  which is one pound away from my ultimate goal which was to weigh HALF of 270/#  so - that's where i am

i started this new jazzercize class and it is really fun but,
as a former member of the itty bitty tiddy committee - i have a new problem

since losing all of my wt and having plastics - i now have a generous portion of welll - you know -

anyway - i started this new Jazzercize class - but, i have GOT to get this situation under control -

although they do look beautiful with most clothes  - these things are outa control in the dance room!  i wore a sports bra - but, honey -

so - to answer my question that i posed myself over a year ago - yes i do NEED plastics and yes i do WANT plastics

I’m glad that I had the wt loss surgery – It probably added years to my life – I KNOW it added LIFE to my YEARS.

BUT, unfortunately it has left me with a lot of extra skin. This skin causes me several problems with water retention. The water retention seems to be my biggest problem, the rashes are manageable.

Regarding the water retention – depending on my diet and my hormones etc – the large amount of extra skin in my hips and thighs fluctuates quite a bit from day to day – one day I will wt 147 pounds and wear a size 8 and two days later I can wt 160# and wear a size 12.

So we are looking at a 4 to 14 pound increase in a day – it is nothing but an emotional roller coaster every morning! GETTING READY FOR WORK IN THE MORNING IS A REAL CHALLENGE AND IS GRATING ON ME! (AND Bobby)

Emotionally -  being a size 8 one day and a size 12 the next is difficult at best – is is very emotional, and frustrating, and it makes me cry.

But, the HEALTH problem I am having is keeping my electrolytes balanced because of these drastic fluctuations.

My doctor has tried to treat me with diuretics to keep this stabilized, but it isn’t working very well.

Even though I am diligently following a diet which includes a lot of potassium rich foods, and avoid salt – the meds are not really helping. 

Right now I am taking 18 prescription strength potassium pills a day and it is having minimal success on keeping it in the low normal range.  

My doctors (my wt loss Dr. and my internist) are recommending that I see a plastic surgeon to have this extra skin removed.  The extra skin in the tummy area, although unattractive, doesn’t seem to be the culprit, it is the skin on my butt and thighs, that extra skin wants to collect the “fluid” or water.

The cost of having the skin taken from the thighs and additionally from the hips/butt and tummy area is about $16.000.

MY INSURANCE: DOESN’T WANT TO PAY A STINKIN DIME – they say that any of this reconstructive work is elective and there is no medical benefit – they are stupid! we have appealed and appealed and those insurance people SUCK!

EVEN WITH THE ELECTROLYTE BALANCES, EMOTIONAL ISSUES REALATED TO THE EXTRA SKIN AND DAILY CLOTHING PROBLEMS.

THESE ARE PROBABLY NOT LIFE THREATENING SITUATIONS – ESPECIALLY IF WATCHED CAREFULLY

BUT, MY EGO WANTS ME TO LOOK GOOD!

KF

TOP FIVE Worst Foods for Gastric Band Patients

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Watching what you eat is important for anyone who wants to lose weight, but those with adjustable gastric bands need to be even more careful. These are five food categories that band patients should steer clear of:

Ice Cream

This tasty frozen dessert is high in fat and calories and should be a rare treat for anyone. However, for a gastric band patient, even an occasional serving of ice cream can have an adverse impact on weight loss. The average patient should consume about 1000-1200 calories per day. A half-cup serving of ice cream typically contains 275 calories and 15 grams of fat, but do you think the band will stop you at a half-cup? Think again. Ice cream passes through the band very easily, allowing you to eat well over half a cup at one sitting, which could mean up to 1000 calories or more. Let’s not forget about the enormous amount of heart-clogging saturated fat, either. So don’t fall victim to the ice cream temptation.

White Bread (Flour)

This can encompass a whole spectrum of foods, all of which are weight loss killers. Some of them do not pass through the band easily (doughy bread) and some pass through the band too easily (crackers, cookies). Consuming a highly processed white flour product is a complete waste of valuable “pouch space” for a gastric band patient. White flour is a whole grain stripped of its essential components, the germ and the bran (fiber), leaving only the endosperm. It is then “enriched” with vitamins and minerals because the endosperm is so nutritionally empty. White flour is also often treated with potentially unhealthy chemicals that whiten and mature the flour.

Many patients avoid white breads, pastas and rice because they can be painful when passing through the band. Most bariatric surgeons recommend avoiding white flour completely for at least the first year after surgery.

Creamy (High-Fat) Soups

Soups made with heavy cream should be avoided completely. These are extremely high in fat and calories and go through the band easily, which allows the patient to eat more of them at one time. Broth-based soups, especially chunkier soups full of beans and lentils, are acceptable as long as they provide a feeling of satisfaction for a few hours. So, if you see heavy cream as an ingredient in the soup you are about to eat, put the ladle down and choose a lighter meal.

Tough, Chewy Red Meat

Red meat can be a healthy addition to anyone’s diet. Unfortunately, most red meat is very hard to digest and does not pass easily through the band. The leaner red meats will have the word “round” or “loin” in their names, such as beef tenderloin or ground round. Less expensive red meats require a lot of chewing and still may not pass through the band once they are swallowed. Most patients choose to avoid chewy meat due to this.

A pound of beef tenderloin can cost $18 per pound, but most bariatric patients can only consume two ounces per sitting, which works out to $3 per serving.

High-Calorie Liquids

There are very rare circumstances when a bariatric patient should consume a high-calorie beverage. Most of the time, these are completely useless and can hurt weight loss. Sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages are usually high in sugar and calories and should only be consumed in extreme cases, such as after intense exercise. Simple, plain water is always the best choice.

Artificially sweetened drinks can increase appetite, resulting in a higher consumption of food, not to mention the questionable effects that artificial sweeteners have on our bodies. High-protein beverages such as skim milk or protein shakes can be counted by themselves as a meal or snack.

So what should you eat? A basic diet high in lean proteins (fish, chicken, low-fat dairy, beans), fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be the emphasis for good weight loss and overall health.

Michael Murphy, RD, is the bariatric dietitian for The Weight Loss Institute of Arizona in Tempe, Arizona.

 

 

 

 

December 2008

i think God revealed the "handful" to me in a dream because i was dreaming about adam and eve and they were eating in the garden - they didnt have plates or an apron to carry the food around in - so, they ate out of their hands - a handful i guess.

the next morning i was in the shower and i was thinking about my dream - and i thought about my hand and it's size - then i thought about my pastor -he is 6'7" and his hands are much much larger than mine - then i considered that perhaps his hands were the size portion he would eat in comparison to my  hands and the size portion i would eat

so, always lay out what you are going to eat before you start eating
so, if it is cheese cubes, or grapes, or even corn chips

lay out a handful and eat it
dont eat out of the container  - chances are you will eat too much and be miserable


anyway - just thoughts

kf

I know I’m smart – in a nurse way

But, I don’t feel smart

I know I’m pretty – in a photogenic way

But, I don’t feel pretty

I know I’m sweet in a nursy mommy way

But, not sincerely

 

Does that make sense?

It’s like I am two different people

Maybe more!

 

Just call me

Sybil!

 

=)

I had my PS consult last week and i am so excited
i am going to have an outer thigh plasty

doc said scars would probably be very noticable - but, i really could care less about the scars
i mean, how often do we really wear clothes that show the outside of our thighs?
well, i dont know about you - but..................
i rarely wear a swimsuit and most of the time if i am wearing shorts - it is just around the house or to walmart or something - i care much much more about how i look in clothes than i do about the scars.

regarding breast implants - doc also said that if i get smaller implants that i will need a lift - because i have extra skin - but, with a larger implant i wont need a lift - i wonder how big is too big?

i dont want to look like dolly - but, i dont mind looking like pamela anderson or anna nicole!
hehee- i really dont want to look like any of them - but, these little fried eggs i have - have got to go!

tummy tuck is the last thing on my list - i only have enough money to do the thighs and the breasts - so, i will put off the tummy tuck for a while - since i carried most of my extra wt in my hips and thighs i am most concerned about them - the tummy only looks bad when i am naked - and as far as i know - i'm not gonna be doing any nude posing!  =) hehehehe

hubby wants me to do tummy tuck - but, again - it is definitely last on my list

i am getting excited even though i am going to have to wait until after the holidays - i can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  =)

yay!
kf

                 April 2007                       July  2008
                           I love my RNY  I love my life.
           I love the personal progress I have made. 
More than that, i love the opportunities that are open to me NOW - that seemed so, out of reach before. 
           
                  Thank You God and Dr. Syn
for changing things for me, so that the opportunity to run, and jump and climb and play with my children is there.The opportunity for a more fun and active life. My life is so energetic and fun now - I am the wife and mom i always wanted to be.  Now,   i can WORK HARD  &   PLAY HARD
                        Thanks for giving me an oppportunity for a 
                                      DO-OVER
  most people- dont get a "do-over" in life - but i did

my new friend valena  - had  RNY - and lost 100% of her excess wt (160#) and has maintained that . for 4 years! - cool huh!

so, i asked her "what keeps you on target?"

and this was her response:

"What keeps me on target is that I am VERY AFRAID of having a regain. You just have to focus on one day at a time and try not to think about the fact of doing it for the rest of your life. I have good and bad, and struggle with not trying to beat myself up mentally. And I try to move my butt daily. That has never much been my strong point, so I'm REALLY trying to get focused back on it now. I drink 90-100oz of water a day and I think that is a HUGE help as well. "

so, i thought - it would help me to post it here - and maybe help someone else too.

kf

 

my thoughts on reaching "goal"

when i started out i wt 270 pounds  

and had originally set my goal wt to be 150

when i got to about 180 i changed it to 135

so, i finally got down to 143

and now i am back to 150 and have maintained that for months now

since i cant seem to reach 135 i feel like a failure in that area

i wish i had never changed it

but, i dont really think i want to lose 15 more pounds i already think that i look too skinny on top - and of course not skinny enough on the bottom  

we are renovating our backyard

so, my husband and sons have been working hard on it and consequently have tracked half of the backyard into my house -

i have about 500 sq ft of tile and about that much carpet -

our little house is only like 11 or 12 hundred square feet  

i used to hire someone to do my floors cuz i just could NOT do them myslef

but, yesterday i swept all of my tile (twice) mopped all of my tile (twice)

and ran the hoover floor mate over the tile (twice)

then i vacuumed my carpet

there is no possible way i could  have done all of that before surgery absolutely no way  

i washed all of my rugs

swept the front and back porches

and rearranged my closet (tried on a bunch of clothes and got rid of them)

and cleaned one bathroom  

it is like there is no limit to the energy i have now

i get bored easily and dont know how i just "sat" around before  

i used to watch a lot of tv and now - it is just not a priority -

but, i do listen to it while bobby watches and i work from the other room -

it used to also bother me a lot when i would be working around the house and i didnt feel like he was "doing his part"

- but, now - i could care less if he helps me - i get it all done lickety split anyway  

thank God for Dr Syn and my RNY and all of my support system -

at home and on the boards

kf                       

i was all feeling bad about changing my goal and then i got this reply from wanda - she sure changed my perspective

she said:

Goals are fluid and dynamic.  They aren't set in stone.  At 270, you had no idea what 135 would look like or feel like.  Now that you are close, you have every right to evaluate your current situation and decide what's right for you.  Let go of the guilt and enjoy where you are!  You are doing great!

Wanda

i wrote :  
Is it "ok" to change your goal?

my original goal was 150#

but, as i approached 150# i decided to change it to 135

then - i got down to 143

only 8 pounds to go!
but, i have been at 150# for months now!

so, what about changing my goal back to 150!

is that cheating!????
kf




and peaceful daisy replied:

Maybe it's called being realistic???  Being content with where you are???  What is the point of endless struggle to get to a particular weight if your body is telling you that this is its "ideal"???  

Are you healthy?  Fit?  Would losing 8 more pounds really prove anything or make you any healthier???  You look great!  Eat healthy and exercise realistically ... Trust your body to know what is healthy.

Hugs,
Annette

SO:  NOW I HAVE PERMMISSION TO CHANGE MY GOAL
that's all i really needed - you see - all i needed in the beginning was "permission" to have wt loss surgery.  my brother lovingly asked me if i had ever considered wt loss surgery - and from that moment on i have been gung-ho and done well - he mentioned it to me and i grabbed onto that like a little bulldog - and have carried it with me  - sometimes all we need is "permission"   KF