momyshaver’s Posts
on 5/11/19 3:32 pm
Good to know! I appreciate you passing this along. I have family in food services and following food trends has always interested me, by proxy I guess
on 5/11/19 3:31 pm
I hope things go well with the mag citrate. It tasted sort of um...fizzy, to me? I had to take very tiny sips and it took me a while to drink. I know that the directions are on the bottle. You might find less than the bottle effective. It is very much personal and learning what works and what doesn't as a moving target as you know... ugh. It really never gets easier does it?
on 5/11/19 6:25 am
QOTD - I have a cup or 2 of regular coffee each morning before I switch to decaf and it helps. Every now and then I will use a cap of miralax or generic equal. It mixes well in just about anything and in as little as 4 oz. of fluid. If I know I need a good clean out I have to suck it up and get one of those bottles of mag citrate at the super store or pharmacy. It is cheap enough that I bought a few extra bottles for my emergency pantry because wouldn't it be horrible to be constipated on top of any sort of emergency? =D Times of trouble tend to impact (pun intended for some of us), the bowels in one way or the other. It never helps to try a variety of things. You can use a small step stool to multi purpose as a make shift "squatty potty" too and as always, drinking all of your water/fluids and eating some fiber help. Some people have an easier time of it than others. I know life isn't fair that way. Poop is a huge issue for bariatrics. The nurses at my program are always asking how our poop is if we call with any sort of an issue plan to talk about poop. Even if you think you are going enough you might be surprised what is in there
on 5/11/19 3:52 am
Good Morning,
me chiming in late as always but Beth, your garden is like a farm and I am positively thrown back into memory lane thinking of growing up around my grandparents who always had a thriving garden and strawberry patch. Those are good skills to have and I do think science is showing us how good it is for our guts and by proxy things like anxiety and depression to get out in the sun and our hands in the dirt. I am trying to get a garden going in a community garden type setting, (my partner's home). It is a raised bed we built last year but my health was too poor to plant or tend to it. He planted fruit trees around the perimeter, (apple, pear, peach, plum, cherry, hazelnut and berry bushes of red raspberry, blackberry and blueberries. The red raspberry leaves will also be dried for well woman medicinal uses.) We went out to try to stake the blackberries and discovered they were rather prolific and had rooted through the gardening fabric before we got there. Nature is full of surprises! I don't know what to plant. Some kale that was planted last year reseeded but it isn't a full row or anything and my raised bed is pretty small. We had discussed chickens this year (urban) but decided now isn't the right time. I am thinking of maybe a worm tower. That seems easy enough if I can get organized enough to do it.
QOTD - passed along from my grandfather and by proxy my father "consider the source", "lay down with dogs and get up with fleas"/"birds of a feather flock together", "if everyone is doing something pause and think and be willing to turn in the opposite direction" ...lots of old tunes and such that held meaning and more for me I guess as I age, "patience is a virtue", lol...so true. I feel like so much wisdom is being lost. Great QOTD. I enjoy reading the threads even when I am a day late and a dollar short, lol
My accountability hasn't been great although it is not really impacting my weight it is effecting how I feel. Energy has been low and I am just trying to get things done for my kids, whi*****lude my adult kids for those of you who are old enough to understand what I mean. They are always our kids.
One of my adult children asked to stay and save some money for housing with her partner. It won't be easy but I can't turn her away and I love her and he is somebodies child. The mother in me sees most "children" as everyone's child and I hope that someone would extend the same kindness and hospitality towards one of my children if the situation were reversed although I know that isn't the case in our world in these times. I was raised that family does for family and although I am limited I want my children to have the security of knowing they will always have somewhere to turn. It gives me the opportunity to spend precious time with her too. Having young children as well as adults I can understand the saying the days are long but the years are short. I wish I had done things differently as a young mother even doing OK, ...I just didn't grasp things the way I do now. I thought those were the hard years. I laugh at the younger me now as I drink my morning coffee.
I hope those reading are able to be with their mothers or mother figures in their lives. I understand we live in an imperfect world and some of us are motherless for one reason or another and that situations arise that make this Hallmark holiday a painful reminder for many of us. (I have been there.) If you are reading this and that applies to you, just know you aren't alone but thankfully life is about seasons. If you find yourself in a dark place, know that brighter days tend to follow.
on 4/19/19 6:14 am
What an encouraging story. We need to read stories like these. Congratulations to you and your wife. What a journey to experience together...through thick and thin(ner) and more importantly, fitter, which has brought you places together you never imagined. Thank you for sharing.
on 4/17/19 10:10 am
I fondly refer to mine as walking petri dishes at times. Ugh...it is what it is. Somehow mom's cup always looks best though even when I give them their own
on 4/17/19 9:55 am
My kids have a virus, (no vomiting thankfully but it is effecting them all differently so I am bracing myself and getting proactive about increasing MY fluids and protein just in case it hits me I will have had a head start on healing).
Accountability - doing lots of extra things for kids but plan to get on the treadmill if I am able to. Slamming the water, using a straw to get more in and it is working. Increase of my usual protein has been a challenge but shown me that I CAN get more in if I force myself even if it is uncomfortable and challenging I have to actively PLAN for it or it isn't happening.
QOTD: I can't think of a specific song but I found some of the songs mentioned here replaying in my mind. I listen to different things on youtube when I work out. I pay for YouTube red to skip the ads...It is worth it for me because I have teens and I pay for a family membership and it makes my walks go by faster and I try to learn something and that motivates me.
I hope everyone is out there rocking their Wednesdays. Stay safe, stay healthy, Friends
on 4/17/19 9:42 am
What is the no bars plan? Is it no protein bars or something else?
on 4/16/19 12:19 pm
I appreciate everyone who took the time to post their experiences. I really value a long term view. There don't seem to be as many long out versus those who are sooner post op and I think that once that initial OOmph wears off and reality and life REALLY set in I have to realize it will be a moving target and the "right" answer may just be "it depends" based on the responses.
on 4/16/19 7:12 am
Counting Calories. How many of you count calories vs focusing on protein forward and solely intuitive eating? Can a formerly morbidly obese person be trusted to intuitively eat or should an individual track food and/or also calories? If you do count calories, how far out are you and what are your stats/range/activity level and any other information you might want to include?
on 4/16/19 7:10 am
Good day Everyone. It looks like everyone is busy this morning/lately in their own way.
QOTD - I keep saying I would like to start yoga but it has been a challenge just to get my steps in using the treadmill at a pretty slow pace compared to some others who are more fit than I am. It helps my pain and fibro though so I know I want to be consistent with that but I also know that yoga has different health benefits I want to add. As much as I want to be outdoors more my allergies seem to get worse the older I get so realistically, yoga indoors really needs to be my focus and getting outside in nature more would be great too.
Accountability/Food - Honestly I don't know what I will be doing today. I have had coffee with SF creamer and at some point I know I need to eat something. I plan to cook some eggs in the IP and I have greek yogurt. I had oatmeal yesterday but it left me feeling really off and I can't afford to feel that way again today. I need to focus on reaching my fluids too. After a week of not getting on the treadmill I got back on it today despite 2 of my kids being sick. It felt like an accomplishment as I haven't been making the most nourishing food choices and the shame cycle between that and not moving/exercising was getting me feeling really down. Sometimes making even small positive choices feels like such a huge thing.
I enjoy reading all of your posts. Have a great rest of the day Everyone
on 4/16/19 5:07 am
I have found it really interesting how different tummies tolerate various foods after bariatric surgery. It is an adjustment to accept for me at times but I have had to learn to respect my limits even if they bring out emotional responses (for me). I am learning how strongly food and emotions were connected in my life and struggle with obesity. Stomach surgery not head surgery for sure...I sure do miss some foods but I am learning to appreciate new things and so it is what it is, lol.
on 4/16/19 4:55 am
Finally watched GOT - wasn't able to watch it until last night and had recorded the LONG anticipated return of this season lol. It is too bad that it is such a short season.
on 4/16/19 4:51 am
what type of yogurt do you like best? I am finding late in the day it is often lit and fit greek yogurt. Sometimes I can add a few nuts and berries but often it is just the yogurt that sits okay. I sometimes miss being able to eat what I want but I can't unring that bell, lol.
on 4/16/19 4:26 am
I will never cook eggs the same way again. LOVE my IP! I have the insert for the egg bites but I haven't made them yet. I am sure the kids would devour them
on 4/16/19 4:07 am
OH what a combination when anxiety has crept in along with trigger foods. I really struggle when I am in an environment where my trigger foods meet up with anxieties. Sometimes Netflix is the lesser of the evils if it distracts me from wandering into the kitchen and grazing. Our german shephard puppy is shedding and we must sweep several times a day and still find her hairs everywhere. I thought I shed badly, lol. I hope you had a good start to your week. April showers bring May flowers but I am sick of the rain too, lol...although I have noticed trees are budding and that just sort of always brings me a smile every year except ya know, having to mow again is not fun when trying to just find a dry day to do it
on 4/15/19 5:23 am
QOTD - we don't really celebrate anything meaningful although commercially at times have done baskets. We have woven in some aspects of Passover and of all holy days I feel it means the most to us as a family although we certainly aren't as adherent to it as we probably should be. Since bariatric surgery I haven't been able to tolerate pork at all, especially ham. Lamb is pricey but if I had the choice and I was planning a formal dinner I would choose that.
Accountability - not eating as I should really or exercising. I just haven't been feeling well.
My days tend to start with coffee and a protein shake but from there... days tend to get away from me. I try to get ideas from these daily threads TBH. I have been eating minute oats due to craving them very badly. I sweeten with splenda. I also eat light and fit greek yogurts and nuts. I have been craving cashews but I have all sorts of nuts. My weight is up a bit but it may be due to swelling. I really need healthy weight gain but I find it hard to eat during the day and then eating at night which is NOT a habit I want to allow to grow.
on 4/15/19 4:40 am
I had VSG but developed medical complications and had a single anastomosis bypass. I call my stomach(s) thing 1 and thing 2 as they continue to cause me issues. I had stitch ulcers a few months following my bypass confirmed by EGD but carafate cleared those up. Following that my small bowel started twisting on itself and when they went in to take care of that they thought things should be fine but I ended up with peritonitis, likely due to severe protein calorie nutrition along with anemia. My experience is not the norm. Most patients do very well after their surgeries. I was on a medication that interfered with healing and the immune system and my Dr told me to keep taking it and unfortunately it just laid the ground work for a lot of issues I suspect I would not have had to deal with. I will say that before bypass my GERD was increasingly horrible to the point I could barely swallow or speak. It was due to scar tissue creating a stricture and twist and bending that increased the pressure on my diaphram. It also created a herniation in that area. The bypass solved those issues and really was necessary. I still take a PPI due to the previous stitch ulcers and it seems that I really cannot eat a few hours before bedtime without consequence. Revisions really don't lose weight like a virgin surgery. It is possible to eat your way around any surgery and then, if you eat protein forward and respect your tool things tend to balance out in a healthy way. You need to take your vitamins religiously pretty much with either surgery but it is more important after bypass. Playing catch up is a lot harder than just following the general rules of the tool iykwim. Really it is a personal decision that only you can make with your surgeon but if you have GERD I would not hesitate to have it done. Long term GERD is really serious.
on 4/9/19 10:05 am
You have been through a lot since your GB and I am sure you realize through the years that it was not a destination but a moving target. It takes a lot to acknowledge the weight issues and now, how to deal with it. Time to get real. Track your food. Everything that passes your lips. Every bite, lick and taste. I found that when I was out of the hospital and seriously ill after peritonitis I gained weight (but how? I wasn't eating...except I was ...grazing. Just that nightime grazing that I justified in my obese mind (despite being underweight - stomach issues) I was not in my home but the home of someone else where there were donuts, sugary candies of all sorts, all sorts of things that set off a spiral of grazing at night that snowballed QUICK. When I removed those temptations the weight just fell off again. Now I was praised for the weight gain but I KNEW what I was doing and I KNEW that it made me feel so ill and gross inside to be in this spiral of foods that were not nourishing me. I KNOW how I am supposed to eat after bypass and my body is not a garbage can. There is such a thing as "skinny fat" and I want to be healthy and fit. I know there are nutrient dense real foods that can help me put healthy weight back on. Foods that will renew and rebuild my body the RIGHT way. I also wear a fitbit 3 although there are other fitness trackers it is a way I find to keep myself honest with myself about my movement trends, heart rate, etc.
I have had fibromyalgia for many years. I have adults, teens, and younger children. I recognize your challenges. What works for me when cooking meals is always having things that I can eat on hand. I control my environment to a large extent aside from the junk food my teens buy with their money and bring in to the home. I am responsible for what I put in my mouth even when it is very hard to resist and believe me, I can come up with excuses or reasons. Planning ahead works for me. Movement is important for fitness but I don't think you can out exercise a bad diet. Period. I use my Instant Pot to make medium boiled eggs with shells that just slide right off. All of my kids love them that way and they can be a healthy snack or meal that is just right for me. I am trying to focus on modeling good behavior rather than shaming any of my kids for their food choices because we live in such an obesogenic/instant gratification society and hey, that stuff tastes good. I ate my way to morbid obesity for many years so I get it. What bothers me more is realizing that I have to really get my head straight because little eyes are watching. I see some unhealthy food relationships with food and that concerns me much more than the choices per se even though it is all tied together. Another poster mentioned Weigh****chers. It is a solid program. I lost on it every time but I never maintained due to my own choices. I think combined with your surgery you would get results and it is worth a shot as your Drs haven't been any help to you. I believe you need to separate your weight issues from your fitness issues. They are related but distinctly different. Focus on getting your mind healthier and self help too because life happens and that unhealthy regain comes on super quick without us realizing it until we are in a bit of a pickle. Don't even begin to think you can't do this because YOU CAN. I know life with chronic health issues is hard when you are stretched thin but it is possible. Claim that for yourself.
You have made an important step forward by getting real and admitting where you are now. If you only take small changes it is still better than choosing to do nothing, (and yes, doing nothing is a choice but that is not working out for you and for many of us. We get it. Many of us have been there.)
As far as movement, I walk indoors right now because I am too ill to make it to the Y where I have a family membership; however, I am making summer plans that include the children and will return at least one day a week at the Y. The pool is much too cold for me but my community does have heated pools and I am working out a plan to align my schedule with their availability and the schedule/the kid's schedules. If I need to rework the plan it is ok. I try to do that either when I see something is obviously not working or every few months. It is an important part of your self care. I think that finding a solid support group may help you find the answers you are seeking. I watch video blogs surrounding the issues you describe and have found a lot of self help there (for my mind that leads to body changes). This is just what is helping me not feel hopeless in my pursuit of health right now. We may be facing different challenges as far as weight is concerned but aren't they just different wings of the same bird?
on 4/7/19 2:52 am
Those are great memories your son will have. How funny he did that to his mama who stayed to be with him but ended up learning a lesson about pacing himself lol. I have an older teen son too. Is your son in sports? My son has recently put on weight and is not athletic so I'm trying to think of gentle ways to stop this without making it an issue iykwim. You two look great. So happy.
on 4/6/19 7:02 am
My surgeon witnessed it during an appointment and examined me and I was told it's normal. A different person told me it can be common but not normal especially if I'm losing feeds. We are working on trouble shooting but ot hasn't been sorted out yet. At least my skin isn't blewding and just red now. Home health sent extra gauze in the meantime and I'm stocked up on the barrier cream that works best and lots of layers in the meantime.
on 4/6/19 3:57 am
Such good reminders; thank you for posting this! I sent you a friend request. You have a good mindset on this.
on 4/6/19 3:53 am
I am seeking some OH members who are further out to add to my OH friend list/support team. I sent you a friend request also, to consider. You seem like you have a lot to offer in experience and friendly and encouraging and have the time/wisdom to back it up!
on 4/6/19 3:44 am
How frustrating! Have you asked your Dr about these things? I don't know anything about this medication but I do hope that you can decide what is the best choice for you based on what you are going through in an informed, safe way. I would be worried about not being about to get nutrition in past your morning dose. Once you lose your desired weight will that weight return once you/if you regain your appetite? I realize you are in a difficult situation with teaching at University and wanting to get to a healthier weight and I do hope someone has something helpful to add who might have more knowledge than me about this. I just wanted to post that I hope you find a way to make this less intolerable
on 4/6/19 3:39 am
I have not been told what your Dr told you. Was this your bariatric Dr? What I have been told and warned about was what not taking the calcium citrate would do to my body over time after bypass. I will do some more research but until then I really feel it is best to go by the standard guidelines given to most patients after RNY or any type of bypass given what we do know about calcium deficiency. Drinking the daily water requirements may help avoid some issues and I know some health conditions change some things with the kidneys, etc. I am a little confused where this Dr got this information. Is this based on new research or their opinion?
