Staying Power - An 8 Month Update

8 Months post op and honestly I am quite happy with my weight loss efforts thus far.  I feel thrilled with how everything has turned out for me with the VSG and all though I will always wonder if this journey would have been different if I had the RNY.... I feel completely content with what I ended up with.

My journey has not been the typical Sleeve patients story.  Despite having no malaborption of vitaimns my  body has decided it wants to play war with my vitamins and I currently have low Vitamin A, Low Iron, Depleted Iron Stores, and after missing my B12 shot just ONCE....my B12 took hit the bottom of the tank.  There really isn't an explanation for this except that perhaps my body has always had difficulty aborbing vitamins and minerals and it's just hitting the bottom of the barrel now becuase I am eating so little - I did have low iron (although not quite as low) before surgery which may explain a little of what is going on.  I have terrible reflux and my gallbladder is starting to go batty but aside from all of that I feel absolutely energized and like a comletely different person physically.

My weight today is 212 pounds......down from an all time high of 390 pounds.  368.8 was my surgery day starting weight.  The next 22 pounds of weight loss carry some really profound weight loss victories that I am excited to share with you all who have supported me through all these ups and downs....YES including the time I poured my heart out with agony and upset about getting the VSG over the RNY.  Thank you.  

13 pounds to go until 199
16 pounds to go until I am no longer medically obese at 196
22 pounds to go untll I have lost 200 pounds from my highest weight at 190 from 390.

I eat between 600 and 700 calories a day. I drink 3 litres of water a day and maintain my carb intake between 20-40 per day although sometimes it turns out a little lower than 20. This works for me as I have lost almost 180 pounds. I am extremely diligent about tracking my food and water intake again because it works for me and keeps me accountable.

I love being active and outside moving.....it feels so great to actually be able to say that.  I am sure my children appreciate their much more outgoing, social, active mom.  I hope they do.  

Here is where the staying power needs to be accessed.  I am not ready to be done.  My body is still actively losing but I am not naive to believe that at some point this fairy tale comes to a stand still.  I have 52 pounds to get to my goal of 160 pounds and a healthy BMI.  I am curious about how those of you who had a lot of weight to drop kept at it or even if you had a hell of a time getting those last few pounds off.  How did you keep yourself motivated?  What kept you going?  I feel anxious with the approaching winter months which have always been my months of weight gain in the before times.  What keeps you pushing forward despite stalls, despite bad days, despite it all?

Here are some pics.....

BEFORE



YESTERDAY 8 MONTHS POST OP - Son's First Hockey Game of the Season

I am 8 mths out and have some of the same concerns. Just wanted to say your pics are awesome. You look amazing

Awesome pics.

I'm sure you have nutritional advice, but I take a B complex once a week because most B vitamins come in carbs. Extra B & C wash out of the body, so there is no danger of excess. A lot of these vitamins help you absorb the other vitamins.

You can take B12 orally and again, excess will wash out.

You're having such success - I want your vitamins to be good too!!!

Best wishes.

Actually there is danger in some B vitamins getting too high, particularly B6. If you're taking a B complex (as I do) your labs should always include testing for B1 and B6 to ensure they aren't getting too high. And B12 isn't absorbed well orally in post-ops because of the missing intrinsic factor in our stomachs - this is why we need to get it sublingually or by injection.

*Word*

That is all.

P.S.  You're mean.

Well MM has the bariatric bad girls so we can start our own bariatric mean girls.  We can all claw each other's eyes out to see who the leader will be.

What a great idea!

But, alas, I fear you would win.  *****

*kiss*

HRRH tells us to get B12 orally or by injection.   *sigh* another thread hijacked.

While I doubt your version, even if it was true, I don't give a flying flip what the bloody hell HRRH is telling people about B12. The fact of the matter is that post-ops cannot properly absorb B12 orally because their tinsy, tiny stomach cannot produce enough intrinsic factor to unbind the oral formulation to be absorbed by their body. Karen said it better before me, but I'll say it again. I'm here because I care about the people on this board. I care about them getting the right surgery for them, and I care about them having proper nutrition and supplementation after their surgery so that they can be healthy and well. What I DO NOT care about are those who would only parrot what their centre has to say without any thought or regard for whether it is correct or true. Those of us who have some history on this board have the experience and some knowledge from a study or two that might help in this regard. So unless you get some meaningful experience or intend to refute what I say with real, credible sources and not some useless appeal to authority, buzz off. Kapish?

And my apologies to Melissa for this thread becoming off topic from her incredible success. I hope the focus can return to where it belongs, on your incredible efforts and achievements this past 8 months!