hercules411

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"Why can't you just leave me alone and let me suffer?"  That sums up the way I felt when I weighed around 500 lbs, but continued going to work every day.  My feet ached, my knees hurt, and my hips were starting to feel the pain too.  I have a desk job and only stood up when I had to, because my knees hurt so much.  I avoided social situations.. not only because of my appearance.. but the pain made me grumpy. I didn't blame others for my condition.. but felt it would be better if I interacted with them as little as possible.

Now that I am "down to" 329 lbs, and am about to undergo RNY, I feel better physically and emotionally.  Most of all.. I have hope for today and tomorrow.

Today I start clear liquids for two days before RNY. I drank the pre-op prep liquid to "clean me out" at 7:45 AM. Lucky for me.. the doc only said I had to drink one quart.  When I had a colonscopy I had to drink the whole gallon. 

About 45 mins later l began my trips to the bathroom. I was going about every ten mins or so... Then it slowed down.  I became very tired around 11:30 and took a nap (hoping I wouldn't wake up to an underwear accident). But I was OK.
By the way.  If you never had to drink "The Prep".. here's a tip. If you "think" you might have to go the bathroom... GO TO THE BATHROOM NOW!

I drank 14 oz of chicken broth this morning and 24 oz of G2 Low Cal Gatorade.

By 1PM I felt secure enough to go grocery shopping. I hit about three stores..

When I got home I had 8 oz of low sodium chicken broth.

Then I went out to cut the lawn. During that time I drank another 24 oz of G2 Low cal Gatorade.

When I came in, I had a container of Sugar Free Jello.

By the way, I am not eating Red colored G2 or red jello under doctor's orders since surgery is less than two days away, he doesn't any colors that could be confused with blood.

So far today, I have eaten only 212 Calories and 64 oz of water in addition to the other liquids.

My wife and I went for a leisurely 45 minute walk with our Golden Retriever. Then we watched the sun set on the last Saturday of Summer. Life is good.

I had another cup of Low Sodium chicken broth when I got home. There isn't a lot of taste, but the warm broth feels good in my mouth.

A few weeks ago, I would tell you that you were crazy if you said that a 329 pound man could do all I did today on 232 Calories without feeling dizzy, weak, or passing out.

Today was about the most normal I have felt in the past few weeks. I almost feel as if I could get used to drinking nothing but protein shakes.
Here's today's menu.
Smoothie .1 scoop EAS Whey Powder, 8 oz milk, 2T Davinci Carmel sugar free flavor. Ice.

Smoothie 1 scoop EAS Whey Powder, 4 oz milk, 2T Davinci Carmel sugar free flavor, Ice.

1 sm carton Muscle Milk Light

1 sm carton Muscle Milk Light

12 oz G2 Gatorade

1 can Low Carb Slim Fast

Total Calories: 805 Calories

Goodbye to the shakes for a while.  Tomorrow I start clear liquids for a couple days before RNY.

I am grateful for my pre op weight loss.  This morning when I woke up, I didn't have to suffer with the grueling heel pain from my plantar fasciitis that I used to have. The pain is not completely gone. But the pain is greatly reduced.  It hasn't happened overnight, but day by day, I'm feeling better. 

I credit the 100 plus lbs. I have lost so far.  Over the years, I have heard various bits of weight loss advice from various sources.. family, friends, doctors etc.  But the most important bit of advice came from the Associated Press.  About one year ago, I heard a news story about a medical study that found people who have the most success in losing weight, are those who stick to their food plan the most often.  I know you may be thinking to yourself  "Well, Duh! Of course that would be true!"

But for a compulsive over eater like me, I had learned for years to rationalize (translation: lie to myself) over my eating habits.

I would think.. "Well gee... I have to have enough energy to get through the day.  This bucket of fried chicken should do the trick"

So now I know I not only need to measure and log my food... But I need to do it ALL OF THE TIME.

The more I do it, the more consistently  I will lose weight

My surgery is Monday.  I am 56 years old.  I know RNY  is my last chance to avoid an early death through obesity related illness.

I want to fit into more seats comfortably.
I want to shop in a regular clothing store.
I want to not be stared at anymore like a freak at a side show.
I don't want little children pointing out the fat man to their mom and dad.
I want to walk and stand up without pain.
I want to spend less time in the emergency room.
I want to sit in a bathtub and not fear being unable to stand up without help.
I want to sleep at night without a machine.
I want to go places with my wife and family and not feel like I am embarrassing them.
I want to be able to slip my wedding ring on my finger again.

That's why I need my surgery.

Today I felt the most "normal" since starting this 800 calorie a day odyssey.  
Her  was today's menu.
8 ounces of skim milk, one scoop of EAS Whey protein powder.. Ice.. and a blender.
1 can of Low Carb Slim Fast.
1 12 oz bottle of low cal G2 Gatorade
1 small container of Muscle Milk Lite
1 small container of Muscle Milk Lite
1 can of Low  Carb Slim fast

Total calories: 830

I know.. You're saying "Hey.. that's more than 800 calories".   You're right.  I won't punish myself over 30 calories today.. But it does show you how important it is to try to PLAN AHEAD.  I failed to input my daily menu into fitday.com this morning. I kind of guessed.  If I had to do it over... I would have skipped the G2 Gatorade.  Making errors like that once and a while is OK.. but the more frequent misjudgments like that could slowly lead to a daily routine of going back to my old habits.  Other people need to do what is best for them.  But I know what I need to do to continue my road back to health.

I recieved an email from a member here wondering how I lost weight to prepare for my surgery. Here is my response:

First of all... see what your nutritionist wants you to do.. I'll tell you how I did it.. But a lot of people considered it extreme.

Back in April..I was near 450 lbs.  My surgeon said he wanted my weight down to 405 to qualify for surgery.

After seeing my nutritionist a couple of times... I decided that the best path for me was to start counting calories.  To be as honest as possible with my food amounts.. I measure all my food to the nearest gram on a digital scale. I log everything on http://www.fitday.com.  This site also has way of keeping your food in a journal.
FItday shows you a pie chart that shows you the percent of carbs, protein and fat that you take in each day.
Each day  I would choose foods that at the end of the day,would add up to the following ratio on the pie chart.
40% Calories from Protein
40%  Calories from Carbs
20%  Calories from Fat

I started my first week at about  1500 calories a day.
Then each month i would reduce that amount by 100 calories... So by the end of August, I was doing 1000 calories per day.  Right now.. my pre surgery protein diet is only 800 calories.  But I worked my way there.. AND DRANK LOTS OF WATER.. At least two liters a day. 

It seemed like a struggle.. One week I would lose seven lbs.. Then only half a pound the next. (I only weigh myself once a week... On Monday mornings after my shower)

But it has all added up to the point where I now weigh 329 lbs. By surgery on Monday..I will weigh 325 lbs.
My surgeon says he believes because of my weight loss... he'll be able to give me laproscopic surgery instead of splitting me open.

I have to admit... I have been obsessive about sticking to my meal plans.. It takes time and devotion.  I allow myself one meal a month to eat a little more and eat different things.. But I save those days for special occasions like holidays and birthdays.  I still try to measure that food (I take a guess in restaurants) and I write it in my journal. That may seem like a huge sacrifice. But if you are considering weight loss surgery... the amount and types of food you will be able to eat will change anyway.  I say start trying to eat that way now.

Once again.. It is important to work with your nutritionist... especially if you have other issues like sodium and fiber.

Whatever works for you... go for it.

travis1985 wrote:

herc,

first of all, good luck in your surgery, give em hell!


question, how in the world have you lost so much weight up till now?   i am very impressed....i am a 50+ BMI guy, and hope to have RNY in Jan, and i need to get some of this off.


many thanks

I have been a compulsive over eater ever since I can remember.  The only way I lost more than 100 lbs to prepare for RNY was to scrupulously measure and log my daily food intake. But isn't this still a compulsion?  I keep wishing that I could stop thinking about food (either eating too much.. or eating healthy amounts).  But deep down, I still fear that if I don't keep constantly conscious of my daily diet, that I will fall back into overeating. Even after WLS.  Food is sneaky. It waits around until you're not paying attention.. then attacks you.. If you're not careful.. FOOD WILL CONSUME YOU!

Planned diet today..
Two shakes.. EAS whey powder and fat free milk
Two cans of Low Carb Slim Fast

Well.. I have to say.. I don't miss weighing food and assembling it into a lunch box.  But I promise to continue to do so after Monday's RNY. I don't need to start lying to myself again about how much food I am eating.

I feel just OK today. Part of the problem may be that I only got five hours of sleep.

LATE UPDATE:

As it turns out.... my "meals today" consisted of the morning Whey and fat free milk shake..and THREE cans of the Low Carb Slim Fast shake.  I also had 12 oz bottle of G2(Low carb Gatorade) I wanted to try it out... since I'll be drinking it when I start clear liquids Saturday. So I had 820 calories instead of 800. "Forgive me doctor for I have sinned" LOL.  I took a 45 minute walk after work tonight.  I feel OK...but I can't say I feel full of energy. But I am on this pre-op diet to shrink my liver, so it doesn't get in the surgeons way during my operation on Monday.

I thought I'd make a stop at Goodwill Industries to donate my clothes that no longer fit me. I went to my closet and noticed that I only own two pairs of pants that fit.. And three shirts.  To my horror.. There is a winter coat and a Cleveland Browns Hoodie..and another shirt.. That I bought earlier and NEVER WORE. I hate wasting money. They are size 5x. I am wearing size 52 slacks right now.  That's a 3 or 4X depending where you shop. My RNY surgery is Monday.. It pains me to waste money.. But if I donate the clothing to charity.. perhaps someone else struggling with obesity can find some temporary releif.