Two Years Post-Op
So it was two years post-op on Saturday. I would like to have something profound to say, but nothing is coming to mind. Hopefully something in here will help someone.
I first discovered this site in 2008 when I was randomly looking for help on-line. To be honest people talking about plastic surgery in such detail scared the heck out of me . I thought these people are chopping themselves up and talking about it like they are making a sandwich. I don't want to have all that loose skin. I wasn't ready. I can do it with diet right? So I tried it again. This time it was Nutrisystem. How could I fail at this one? The meals are prepared- all I have to do is eat them! - Nope.
So I kept gaining and decided I had to do this. I wanted to. I was ready. Please let me be accepted!!!!
One month before surgery I ate like the world was going to end. I told my husband that I was going to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and I asked him not to make any comments. He didn't. I figured this surgery would force me to eat healthy and that I would never be able to eat the foods I craved again. I was saying goodbye. The night before optifast my husband and I went to a beautiful restaurant, ate through all the courses and had a wonderful time talking about the future. I'm really glad I did this.
Optifast
Two weeks. Got through it. Really tough. A couple of days before it was over I went nuts and ate a white bread sandwich with butter and salami. I ate it like a rabid dog. omg have I ruined my surgery???? How will I ever be able to do this if I can't 'not cheat' for two weeks!!! Now I think of that sandwich and it's like a rush of dopamine - boy was it ever good! (no, I've never taken illegal drugs..o.k. I took two puffs of a joint in Thailand in a Reggae bar with two Irish guys but that doesn't really count right?)
My starting weight the morning of Optifast was 294. I was 5'9.
Should I tell others?
I struggled with this. I decided to only share it with my husband. My family can be critical and they are not known to keep things private. Anyway I ended up telling them a couple of months later as Christmas was approaching and I knew I wouldn't be able to sit and eat without them wondering what the heck was going on.
I didn't tell people at work because I didn't want the unsolicited advice and comments every time I sat down for a break and ate something.
I knew this was going to be a lot of work and I wanted all my energy and thoughts to be focused on myself.
So when people would ask what I was doing I would tell them I was getting help from my DR. If they kept asking I would say, "I'm keeping it private for now".
I also chose not to tell people because what if I failed at this???
Anyway, I have since told a few people. My extended family knows and a couple of people I used to work with. So basically everyone right? LOL.
First Year
I focused mainly on getting in 60 g of protein and worked on drinking 8 cups a day.
I used www.personal-nutrition-guide.com and printed off the weekly food diary. I crossed out "calories" and used it as a protein column instead.
I measured and recorded everything I ate. Every day. No guessing for me.
I ate "simply" for the first year. I ate a lot of one-food ingredients... Items that were easy to calculate for protein: Chicken, beef, turkey, cheese, shrimp, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, turkey bites, eggs, oatmeal. I hardly ate any fruit or vegetables. By the time I ate all my protein and drank there didn't seem to be any time or room to eat these things.
Second Year
I think my weight as in the mid 170's. I was there for a good 4 months and I wondered if this 'was it'. I wasn't satisfied there. I wanted a normal BMI. I wanted not to be overweight at all.
So I started using sparkpeople.com and I realized that those peanuts I was snacking on had to go. I ate around 1300calories a day and did the 40/30/30 ratio and got down to 160. I saw 158.8 on my scale once!
Somewhere I started to eat fruits and vegs. and ate more carbs. I also ate more recipe foods (versus the simple basics) for dinner and had to do some guesswork on my protein. I was eating more than 60g.
Bounce back?
I haven't experienced the sudden "omg I blinked and I gained 10 pounds". I did gain 7 over the course of two or three weeks when I spent some time helping my parents move/drive to another province. I don't consider this "bounce back". I consider it going off my normal plan/or eating style and overeating on the 'not -so healthy' options. This is what happens to normal people.
It did scare me to death though and I started walking 6.5 K's 5 days a wee****il it came off.
Exercise
I wanted this surgery to turn me into an exercise dynamo but nope, not me. I was actually scared at first..omg this weight is dropping off of me AND they want me to exercise??? Won't I pass-out? I know for sure I did nothing for the first 6 months.
I'm also the 'all-or -nothing' type. Somewhere along the line I decided to get myself motivated. We were thinking about buying a hot tub so I decided to give myself exercise reward money to count towards the hot tub. I went to the $1.25 plus store (a little dig there) and bought myself some fake money, and made a big poster to record my progress. I stuck with that for a month and a half and bought the tub anyway. That was the end of the exercise. The next big go at it was the 6.5 K's I described above.
Complications
One - Constipation.
I've had some serious bouts!!! I still struggle with it today. RestoraLAX is a gift from the gods.
So where am I at today/what Works for me?
*I weigh myself every week. Monday morning between 0600 and 0630. It's "weigh-in-day" for my husband and I. Even though I'm not losing anymore I look forward to it. Not sure why? We record the weight on our calendar. I fluctuate between 160 -163.
*I give myself a 5 -pound limit. Once I hit 165 I uses sparkpeople.com, exercise and get back down. I'm happy I got to this weight without exercising like a demon. I'm glad I don't have to worry about , "omg what if I stop working out two hours a day...will I gain?" For me exercise is that added security blanket. If I gain, I get my butt in gear and have an extra tool on my side. I'm happy I have achieved a 'normal BMI'. I feel I have been successful so far. I don't' know if I "fear" regain any longer. It does scare me but when I gain I have been able to get myself back in control. That gives me a sense of security. Maybe I can really do this for life!
I'm still working on a balance between being a health nut *****cords everything and watches calories and someone who eats mindfully and doesn't count calories and has the pizza and the treats and eats like a regular normal person. I think I'm getting there. I'm still working on the head stuff.
Plastic Surgery
I believe I have been fortunate with my weight loss. I gain weight all over and I lose it proportionally as well. I have been told by the laser tech that I go to that my thighs look like most people, that you wouldn't know I had WLS. She apparently has seen many women who have and was surprised when I told her how much I lost. My breasts are terrible. Flat and empty. My face is somewhat shallow. It bothers me. I think I even heard a man outside of walmart say, "wow talk about needing a face lift". I can't get that out of my head. F U Mofo. Anyway I'm having a few procedures December 23 of this year. Merry Christmas! lol. I'm in a very different mindset from a few years ago. I'm happy to trade the skin for scars. Every day I get up and pull at my excess and wonder, "is this fat or skin?" Surgery will take care of this. I will have my breast back new and improved!!!! Both my husband and I miss them!!!
_____________________________________________
I am so grateful to have found this site and to all of you who have helped me. I have only met one of you in person as we had surgery the same day and shared our room together. She is rockin' her tool as well. I hope the people who are struggling keep coming here as well.
Thank You EVERYONE.
I first discovered this site in 2008 when I was randomly looking for help on-line. To be honest people talking about plastic surgery in such detail scared the heck out of me . I thought these people are chopping themselves up and talking about it like they are making a sandwich. I don't want to have all that loose skin. I wasn't ready. I can do it with diet right? So I tried it again. This time it was Nutrisystem. How could I fail at this one? The meals are prepared- all I have to do is eat them! - Nope.
So I kept gaining and decided I had to do this. I wanted to. I was ready. Please let me be accepted!!!!
One month before surgery I ate like the world was going to end. I told my husband that I was going to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and I asked him not to make any comments. He didn't. I figured this surgery would force me to eat healthy and that I would never be able to eat the foods I craved again. I was saying goodbye. The night before optifast my husband and I went to a beautiful restaurant, ate through all the courses and had a wonderful time talking about the future. I'm really glad I did this.
Optifast
Two weeks. Got through it. Really tough. A couple of days before it was over I went nuts and ate a white bread sandwich with butter and salami. I ate it like a rabid dog. omg have I ruined my surgery???? How will I ever be able to do this if I can't 'not cheat' for two weeks!!! Now I think of that sandwich and it's like a rush of dopamine - boy was it ever good! (no, I've never taken illegal drugs..o.k. I took two puffs of a joint in Thailand in a Reggae bar with two Irish guys but that doesn't really count right?)
My starting weight the morning of Optifast was 294. I was 5'9.
Should I tell others?
I struggled with this. I decided to only share it with my husband. My family can be critical and they are not known to keep things private. Anyway I ended up telling them a couple of months later as Christmas was approaching and I knew I wouldn't be able to sit and eat without them wondering what the heck was going on.
I didn't tell people at work because I didn't want the unsolicited advice and comments every time I sat down for a break and ate something.
I knew this was going to be a lot of work and I wanted all my energy and thoughts to be focused on myself.
So when people would ask what I was doing I would tell them I was getting help from my DR. If they kept asking I would say, "I'm keeping it private for now".
I also chose not to tell people because what if I failed at this???
Anyway, I have since told a few people. My extended family knows and a couple of people I used to work with. So basically everyone right? LOL.
First Year
I focused mainly on getting in 60 g of protein and worked on drinking 8 cups a day.
I used www.personal-nutrition-guide.com and printed off the weekly food diary. I crossed out "calories" and used it as a protein column instead.
I measured and recorded everything I ate. Every day. No guessing for me.
I ate "simply" for the first year. I ate a lot of one-food ingredients... Items that were easy to calculate for protein: Chicken, beef, turkey, cheese, shrimp, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, turkey bites, eggs, oatmeal. I hardly ate any fruit or vegetables. By the time I ate all my protein and drank there didn't seem to be any time or room to eat these things.
Second Year
I think my weight as in the mid 170's. I was there for a good 4 months and I wondered if this 'was it'. I wasn't satisfied there. I wanted a normal BMI. I wanted not to be overweight at all.
So I started using sparkpeople.com and I realized that those peanuts I was snacking on had to go. I ate around 1300calories a day and did the 40/30/30 ratio and got down to 160. I saw 158.8 on my scale once!
Somewhere I started to eat fruits and vegs. and ate more carbs. I also ate more recipe foods (versus the simple basics) for dinner and had to do some guesswork on my protein. I was eating more than 60g.
Bounce back?
I haven't experienced the sudden "omg I blinked and I gained 10 pounds". I did gain 7 over the course of two or three weeks when I spent some time helping my parents move/drive to another province. I don't consider this "bounce back". I consider it going off my normal plan/or eating style and overeating on the 'not -so healthy' options. This is what happens to normal people.
It did scare me to death though and I started walking 6.5 K's 5 days a wee****il it came off.
Exercise
I wanted this surgery to turn me into an exercise dynamo but nope, not me. I was actually scared at first..omg this weight is dropping off of me AND they want me to exercise??? Won't I pass-out? I know for sure I did nothing for the first 6 months.
I'm also the 'all-or -nothing' type. Somewhere along the line I decided to get myself motivated. We were thinking about buying a hot tub so I decided to give myself exercise reward money to count towards the hot tub. I went to the $1.25 plus store (a little dig there) and bought myself some fake money, and made a big poster to record my progress. I stuck with that for a month and a half and bought the tub anyway. That was the end of the exercise. The next big go at it was the 6.5 K's I described above.
Complications
One - Constipation.
I've had some serious bouts!!! I still struggle with it today. RestoraLAX is a gift from the gods.
So where am I at today/what Works for me?
*I weigh myself every week. Monday morning between 0600 and 0630. It's "weigh-in-day" for my husband and I. Even though I'm not losing anymore I look forward to it. Not sure why? We record the weight on our calendar. I fluctuate between 160 -163.
*I give myself a 5 -pound limit. Once I hit 165 I uses sparkpeople.com, exercise and get back down. I'm happy I got to this weight without exercising like a demon. I'm glad I don't have to worry about , "omg what if I stop working out two hours a day...will I gain?" For me exercise is that added security blanket. If I gain, I get my butt in gear and have an extra tool on my side. I'm happy I have achieved a 'normal BMI'. I feel I have been successful so far. I don't' know if I "fear" regain any longer. It does scare me but when I gain I have been able to get myself back in control. That gives me a sense of security. Maybe I can really do this for life!
I'm still working on a balance between being a health nut *****cords everything and watches calories and someone who eats mindfully and doesn't count calories and has the pizza and the treats and eats like a regular normal person. I think I'm getting there. I'm still working on the head stuff.
Plastic Surgery
I believe I have been fortunate with my weight loss. I gain weight all over and I lose it proportionally as well. I have been told by the laser tech that I go to that my thighs look like most people, that you wouldn't know I had WLS. She apparently has seen many women who have and was surprised when I told her how much I lost. My breasts are terrible. Flat and empty. My face is somewhat shallow. It bothers me. I think I even heard a man outside of walmart say, "wow talk about needing a face lift". I can't get that out of my head. F U Mofo. Anyway I'm having a few procedures December 23 of this year. Merry Christmas! lol. I'm in a very different mindset from a few years ago. I'm happy to trade the skin for scars. Every day I get up and pull at my excess and wonder, "is this fat or skin?" Surgery will take care of this. I will have my breast back new and improved!!!! Both my husband and I miss them!!!
_____________________________________________
I am so grateful to have found this site and to all of you who have helped me. I have only met one of you in person as we had surgery the same day and shared our room together. She is rockin' her tool as well. I hope the people who are struggling keep coming here as well.
Thank You EVERYONE.
Lots of practical sharing and information! Thanks! 
You keep up the great work 
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