gsuskid72
06-30-06
Today I completed my pre-surgery assessment and am ready and excited about finally getting this long awaited surgery. I go in on July 5th, my new "Independence Day". I can hardly wait!
10-08-06
Well, I am three months on the losing side. I have lost 49 pounds.
FOOD - I just started being able to eat more. I can eat about five ounces of meat a day. I usually eat more vegetables than meat, because it is easier to eat. I don't get sick or nauseous, it's just that I still eat too fast and am not patient enough to take the recommended 45 minutes to eat a good protein packed meal. Rice and bread hurt my pouch when I eat even up to a spoon-sized amount. It feels like it expands and presses against my pouch.
EXERCISE - During the first two months I exercised 5 - 3 days a week. Now I exercise an average of - maybe - two days a week. I need to get back to exercising so I can lose more per week. At first I lost about 6 pounds a week. Then it slowed to 4 pounds a week. Now that I don't exercise regularly I lose between 0 - 2 pounds a week.
CLOTHES - I started out wearing size 24. I now wear regular sized clothes!! I wear 18's and some 16's.
12-09-06 I am now five months post-op. I weigh 181. I've lost 62 pounds.
FOOD - I can eat just about anything now. My honeymoon period is over!!! I had not been eating anything with sugar, because at about five weeks out, I tried a teeny-tiny taste of my daughter's 3 Musketeer's bar and I started sweating profusely and thought I was going to pass out. That was a good lesson...until about four weeks ago. I again tried "real" sugar. It went down too easily. Since then, I have been unstoppable. My bad habits kicked in like what I imagine cocaine must kick. I kept eating it and still do every day. I wish I had never tried it. If it were not for this surgery, I would be back on the roller-coaster. Fortunately, I only eat a limited amount of sweets and can burn it off by increasing my exercise.
Due to the fact that I stopped planning out my meals I have started back grazing. I need to plan out and take my lunch and snacks to work.
EXERCISE - I walk to and from work. It takes me about 20 minutes total. I go to the gym and play racquetball on Saturday and Sunday mornings for about 30 minutes each day. I take 20 minute walks 1 -2 times a week. I lose between 0 - 2 pounds a week. When I exercise more and eat healthy, I lose about 4 pounds in a week.
I am getting hanging skin around my knees and under my arms. I hope I keep losing weight, but I hope it slows down enough that I don't get too much sag. I didn't know this would happen and I try to balance my weight loss with my "skin hang". I like the way I look right now, so I need my loss to slow down a little while to let some of my skin shrink. I want to be able to show off some of this thinner body this summer. ; )
CLOTHES - I am 5'4" and weigh 181. I wear a size medium in tops and most of my pants are regular size 16 not 16W. Yea!!! I can squeeze into 14's, too.
MAY 31, 2007 - I am now almost 11 months post-op. I weigh 158. I have lost 85 pounds!
FOOD - Well, I can eat more and I have my old habits back. I snack all day. I usually eat fruit, an egg, cherry tomatoes, some type of starchy food and ... candy. The very good thing about this surgery is that it limits how much food I can eat. I can no longer eat a sandwich with two slices of bread. I can no longer eat a whole biscuit. I can no longer eat a row of cookies. I can no longer eat a whole chocolate bar. Now, I am satisfied with a small portion of those foods I crave. And for me, that is a God send, especially with rich foods like chocolate and cakes. My system has a low tolerance for rich/sweet foods. When I eat more than a few bites of them, my heart races, my energy drains and I get very hot (like a what a hot flash might feel like). Fortunately I don't like that feeling, so I don't eat much rich/sweet food.
EXERCISE - I still walk to work most days. I have taken to getting outdoors on the weekends and purposefully walking a lot. I do not take elevators or escalators unless I am going up more than two floors. I NEVER would have done that before. I probably would have passed out!
I have decided not to do too much gym type exercise because I like the way I look. I want to stay at or around this weight. I am 5'4' and weigh 158 (most days). Right now I have manageable saggy skin. When I exercise for more than three days in a week, I lose weight and gain saggy skin. I do not want my skin to get saggier. Since the only way to get rid of the sogginess it through surgery, I would rather stay the weight I am and not start thinking about going under the knife again.
CLOTHES - I weigh 158. I wear a size medium in shirts. I have clothes that fit me in ladies sizes 14 - 10 and juniors size 17 - 13. I would say my general size would be 12. It's kinda hard to say, though, because I don't/can't buy clothes to keep up with my changing body. Some days I wear clothes that are too big, usually 14's. Some days I wear clothes that are just right, usually 10's and 12's. I do wear a size 10 in dresses, though. Size 14 dresses are too big on my upper body.
November 7, 2007 I am now 1 year and 4 months post-op. I weigh about 148 which means I've lost 95 lbs.
FOOD - There are only two things that I used to eat that make me sick (orange juice and apple strudel). Nothing makes my really sick. Though I do have to take it easy on cake, cookies and any dessert that has both flour and sugar. That combination in servings more than about 3 ounces makes me light-headed and my heart starts palpitating quickly. They don't make me feel nauseous, but my body lets me know that I better stop. I can now eat more. What actually happened is that I slowed down. When I slow down and take about 30- 45 minutes to eat, I can eat a whole sandwich or maybe a child-sized meal. When I eat at the rate of everyone else, I can only eat about a fourth of what they are eating.
Sugar is still my downfall. I eat candy everyday:( And...the really bad thing about candy is that it never fill my stomach up. It is, was and will always be empty calories. This is a bad habit that scares me that the surgery did not "fix" for me. Unfortunately my lifelong challenge will be to kick this habit.
Exercise - Wellll...up until three weeks ago, I did aerobics twice a week and walked to work everyday. Right now, I am in the last three weeks of earning my Master's degree and have lost focus on everything. Exercising, housework, family time, and even clothes SHOPPING have gone on the back burner. I'll get back soon, though. I love aerobics now that I can wear cute workout stuff.
CLOTHES - My size has stabilized now.
pants - 8's,10's ladies, 9's,11's teens
shirts - 6/8 or small in ladies, medium in teens
dresses - 8's or mediums in all
May 1, 2008
100 pounds!! Woo-hoo! I finally made it! I have finally lost 100 pounds! I've gone from 243 - 142.
Getting rid of the last up and down 2 - 8 pounds was very difficult and took almost 6 months!!! My new goal is to keep my weight under 150 for the next couple of years. I think this is an attainable goal for me. We'll all see.
Woo-hoo!!
December 26, 2008 2 years 5 months - 154 lbs (1 pound less than last year this time)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am now 2 and half years on the losing side. I can eat just about anything. I still have trouble with cakes that have icing, 3 Musketeers bars, and I cannot tolerate citrus juices. When I tried orange juice last, I felt like my body was turning against me. I felt very shaky, started sweating and I think I blacked out for a few seconds. It was like my body powered down. So now, I do not even touch orange juice. I CAN eat sweets though. However, I do have to be very careful with anything that is made with flour and sugar. For some reason that combination sends my pulse into overdrive. I can eat those things sparingly, but I pay the price.
I still eat all the time. I am definitely addicted to eating. It does not even have to be stress. Though stress does make me eat even more. I eat just to eat. I don't know how to stop it. I eat more than anyone I know. If if wasn't for my by-pass, I would definitely be in grave danger. At least this slows the amount down that I can eat. Yeah, I know I need a support group, but I was the moderator for the one here in Japan. I struggle to keep my other priorities in order, so I chose to let this one go by the way side. Maybe I will make the support group my New Year's Resolution. We'll see.
pants - 10
shirts - 8 or small in ladies, large in teens
dresses - 8 or mediums
October 25, 2009
Well I feel like a regular normal sized 41 year old woman. I have gained weight since the last time I wrote in this journal. But I feel good and I feel like I look good. Even though I am up to 166 and wear a size 12, I like it on me. My face has filled back in a little and I have some "junk in the trunk" now.
I exercise 4 days a week and this is good for me. I still eat all the time, though. Food will always be my struggle, but at least I feel like I can manage it with exercise. I am blesses that excercise is part of my life now. Four years ago I wanted it to be, but it was so hard and I felt so self concious. Now I fit in with most other middle-aged women that I know. I feel good.
pants - 12
shirts - medium
dresses - 8 to 10
09-03-2014 (8 years out) 182 lbs
Wow! It has been a reallly long time since I came to this site. I must say that even though I have gained weight, I still feel that this has been one of the very best decisions I have ever made.
I can eat most things without problems. I still eat small portions, but like I did before the surgery I still eat all day long. I do have to be careful with sweets, thank God. Some kinds of sweets still make me dump...(Georgia sweet tea, cupcakes, 100% orange juice) Having the tool of restriction helps me not gain the weight back like I would have.
I exercise sporatically throughout the year. When I am really doing well, I exercise 3 - 4 times a week. When I'm off I may not exercise for 2 -3 weeks at a time. But for my regular life, I generally exercise about twice a week. That is by walking, doing zumba or jogging for about an hour strectch of time. I feel good.
pants = 14/16
shirts = m/l
dresses = 12/14
bra = on my way up to a D cup from a C
