Brandy H.

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Wow. It feels like the last year has just really flown by. It is so difficult to wrap my head around having dropped 168 lbs over just 12 months (the week of March 19th I got down to 193, which put me at 170 lbs lost but that was because I couldn't eat anything - at 195 today). It's been a crazy year, with weight loss, a new position at the Credit Union I work for, working on my associates degree (will be done by the end of this year), and everything else. I feel like I have been going non-stop for the last 365 days, but I am so glad I've accomplished what I have since then.  I haven't felt any type of depression and I am so thankful I do not eat the way I used to.  With that being said, let me give you a list of the things I have tried that really mess with me:
1. Soft baked pretzels - Typically if I feel hungry in between meals,I will eat low-sodium pretzels for a snack...I recommend that you DO NOT eat soft baked pretzels....one of the worst pains, I promise.
2. Peanut butter sandwiches - I thought peanut butter would be good protein, but I have a hard time eating it by itself. So one day I slapped some peanut butter on a piece of bread, folded it in half and ate half of my half sandwich...5 minutes later I was sweating bullets, thought I was going to vomit...ran to the bathroom and laid on the floor for about 2 minutes until I started shaking so bad because I was freezing.. Laid down in my spare bedroom and woke up 2 hours later feeling fine...I've sworn off peanut butter since then.
3. Chips, Candy, crap.... - So let me tell you, I've tried chips and unless they are the Olean low-fat tortilla chips, I get so ill!! I can eat Chili's chips with no problem, but Tostitos - forget it. My heart begins to race and I feel like I have the worst stomach aches ever. Candy I have had very very rarely - maybe six pieces of candy in the last year...never in a large quantity - just remember to stay away from the things that got you in trouble in the first place. All other junk food, stay away. If you need to snack, choose something healthy - like Dannon Light & Fit No Sugar Added yogurt - it's excellent. Or try cottage cheese, cheese sticks, fresh fruit, or fresh vegetables. You chose this new lifestyle, so do your best to get used to it.
4. Not measuring my foods - So, over the last five or six months I've gotten away from measuring my foods. I just thought I could measure by sight, but I'm not so great at it. Sure, I don't eat nearly as much as I did a year ago, but I could eat less...
5. Not drinking enough liquids - Typically I do get in all of my liquids, but there are some days where it just doesn't happen. Try your best to ALWAYS drink at least 75-80 ounces (or more) of water per day. If I don't, I can literally feel it. I get dizzy and lethargic...and it's not fun.
6. Not exercising properly - I will admit, the first seven or eight months after my gastric bypass surgery, I didn't really bother exercising. Now even today I have my moments..I'm not a gym person and I'm not a heavy-duty cardio person, but I love to walk. As the weather has started getting better, I've been taking my dogs for walks at least 3 to 4 times per week for 2-4 miles at a time. I keep a pretty good pace, but I know I could do more. Really, I probably could have lost another 20 lbs by now had I been hitting the gym like I should.

Now, at one year post op I am still so thankful for my decision. Of course, I'm a little sad that I have to have surgery on Friday April 10th to have my gallbladder out, but oh well. I just hope everything goes well and I'm back to normal as soon as possible. Just remember that if you are not mentally prepared for weight loss surgery, you should rethink your decision and wait it out. I'm so glad I did because I was prepared in every way to have this procedure. I can't say that of others that I know that have had the same procedure. It's important that you have people that support you and that will be proud of your successes, so make sure your loved ones understand your decision. I am so thankful to my husband, my family, my friends, my co-workers, and everyone that has been supportive of my decision. Had they not stood by me and I backed out again (did it in 2005), I probably wouldn't be here today.  363 lbs was closer to 400 than 300, so like I said...I still CANNOT believe I am less than 200 lbs today. 195 lbs is amazing..I started in a 26/28 top and 30/32 pants..Today I am in a L/XL (12/14) top and XL (14/16) pant. Still hoping to drop to my goal weight of 150...but we'll see what happens as I am still losing...slowly but surely.

Good luck to all of you thinking about starting this journey. It's such an amazing tool and I'd do it again over and over. Just remember, this is an individual decision, so make sure it is something you are truly ready for.

So I had to have an ultrasound done this morning so Dr. Gibbs and Carrie could figure out what was wrong with me.  Turns out I have multiple mobile gall stones, so I will have to have surgery to have my gallbladder removed.  My office visit is scheduled for March 31st and my surgery is scheduled for Friday April 10th.  Hopefully the time goes by quickly because I certainly haven't been able to eat much the last four days.... :-(  Anyway, I'll keep my page updated for all of you who might be reading it and so I can look back on it in the future! 

Happy Thursday night!!! YAY!!

So I finally called my surgeon this morning because I have had the worst stomach pains since Monday morning.  I haven't been able to really eat anything and I've dropped 5 lbs just since Monday (which while the goal is to lose weight, I don't think it should be that fast). Anyway, its been like a gnawing tight feeling right in the pit of my stomach. I explained this to Dr. Gibbs' nurse Carrie and she said it sounds like I might have gall stones.  No fun.  I have an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9:15 a.m., so I will keep everyone updated.  I will say that with dropping an extra 5 lbs, I have lost 170 lbs total! YAY!!!!  Started at 363 and was 193 this morning.   Awesome!

Oh my goodness. Let me just start by saying that today has been a crazy crazy day.  I am one of those people who is up at the crack of dawn doing things before I go to work in the morning.  I am always early and I always have time.  Well, the exception to that happened today.  I woke up at 7:34 a.m. and I have to be to work at 8:15.  Thank goodness I only live 6 or 7 minutes away from work, because if I was any further, there is no way I would have made it on time.  And..The only reason I woke up was because I heard my husband come in from work (he works 11pm - 7am) and my dogs started going nuts.  So, anyway..I flew out of bed and ran to use the bathroom.  After emptying my bladder, I threw my clothes off and started the shower water.  Since it took a while to get my water hot, I went ahead and weighed myself and to my surpise...my scale said 199. I was so thrilled and I am even more thrilled to see it written down.  It is so hard to believe that less than a year ago I weighed 363 lbs and today, only 11 months and 5 days after RNY, I am down 164 pounds.  Unbelieveable!! And you know, getting below 300 was a feat, getting below 275, 250, and 225 was amazing...but so far, nothing tops dropping below 200 lbs.  My overall goal is 150 lbs, but we'll see if that happens. I am just so happy and so amazed at the progress I've made since last April.  I am so thankful to my surgeon and for my new life - this is the way it was supposed to be.

YAY!!!!!

So one week from today I will be 11 months Post Op.  It feels so strange and like my surgery just happened yesterday.  I weighed in this morning at 206lbs and to date I have lost 157 lbs.  I haven't lost a lot in the past two months, but I am still steadily losing. I finally started exercising. I walk my dogs at least 2 miles every day (unless the weather is bad). The only weeks I go less miles is when aunt flo is visiting. Which is another story in and of itself.  Since I was so heavy for so long, I didn't have my period for like 12 years.  I started when I was 11, only had it for 1 or 2 years and this month is the third month in a row I have had my period. It's exciting and makes me very happy to know that I am becoming "normal." I have my goal weight set at 150 lbs and lately I've been wondering if I will make it.  I think maybe that might be too low for me...but I don't know..I hope to get there, but I think losing another 56 lbs will take quite some time.  Maybe by my 26th birthday (January 3, 2010) I will be there. It sure would be fantastic. 

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking and I am pretty certain that I want to have kids.  I've been undecisive for a very very long time and now I am sure that it will be a part of my future.  The only thing is that my husband has always been undecided and I haven't told him yet that I really want children.  I'm not planning on this year or even next, but definitely before I am 30.  I think I just need to feel like I have more purpose in life and being a mom will definitely give me that.  There is still a lot I want to do in life, but I am sure this is a step I want to take. The next step is telling my husband what I want and hoping he does too. If he doesn't, I'm not really sure what I will do or what will happen.  I will just continue to hope and pray that he'll want what I want...

So, January 7th, 2009 put me 9 months post op from Gastric Bypass surgery.  I always thought I would be one of the people that would update their blog constantly so others could see my progress.  I guess I thought that because before I had surgery, all I wanted to know was how well other people did. So, I apologize for not updating, but here is the latest scoop.  Of course, weight loss has begun to slow down quite a bit. I started my journey at 363 lbs and today I weigh 219.  Such an amazing feat already, but sometimes I feel like I should weigh less.  I am not complaining, but I do still have 69 lbs to go till my goal of 150.  I will say that things have begun to get a little harder.  My intake is still limited, but I can definitely eat more than I could three or four months ago.  I don't watch my protein intake as strictly as I did before and I really need to get back into the habit of doing that.  There are many things I have learned about myself over the last nine months and thankfully the one thing I've learned is that I have not let my weight loss change me.  I am still the same bubbly girl I was this time last year, just 144 lbs lighter.  I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for me.  Hopefully by my one year mark I will be around 175.  We'll just have to see!

So today is officially 5 months since my surgery day.  I have really started to slow down on my weight loss, but I knew that was coming.  When I weighed in today, I have lost 103 lbs so far.  I couldn't believe it. I almost cried.  However, I was slightly disappointed because I only lost 9 lbs in 20 days.  I guess that isn't too bad.  I just remember my honeymoon period when I dropped weight like crazy.  I've been having a hard time trying to find the time to exercise.  It isn't that I don't want to, but I work full time and I go to school full time, so there always seems to be not enough hours in the day to get exercise in.  Since the weather is starting to cool off, I am going to go back to walking my dogs every night.  I need to get myself to the gym! 

Lately I've been reading a lot of the posts about food, because I've questioned some of the decisions I've made.  I maintain a well balanced diet that is high in protein, low in fat, and low in sugar.  The only thing I have experienced dumping syndrome over is a banana, which I ate two weeks after surgery.  But I do try a lot of new foods.  For example, I made tacos this past week and used 97% lean beef. After I cooked the meat, I washed it throughly and added water and taco seasoning so there was not any grease.  I loved it!  But I thought, maybe tacos aren't such a good idea.  So I searched the obesityhelp site and read some posts about tacos. People were talking about how you'll go back to your original eating habits and no wonder why you don't lose weight if you eat those.  But I think in moderation, we can truly have anything.  Of course, I wouldn't dare have tried eating a taco any sooner than 4 months out, but I am going to try all different types of things.  I make my food healthy, so I'm really not that worried about it. Plus, its not like I can eat much of it anyway!

Anyhow, I went to Cato (a clothing store) on Thursday evening because I needed jeans to wear to work on Friday.  Before my surgery, I wore size 28 jeans, but most of mine didn't fit and I did own some 30s.  Anyway, when I was in Cato, I picked up a 24 hoping that it would fit, but found out it was too big!! So I left the store with size 22 jeans. I can't hardly remember the last time I was in a 22.  Its still a large pair, but I'm excited.  Well, I'm going to stop blabbing along.  Have a great day everyone!! 

So I've been waiting and waiting and I am so glad to say that I am finally below 275. I weighed in this morning at 271 and have officially lost 92 lbs.  I have found a new weight tracker that I thought was really neat.  It is posted below.  I've been having issues overeating.  I don't know why I do it, but I just haven't been measuring like I need to.  Then I eat just a little too much (and I'm talking maybe an additional two teaspoons or tablespoons), but then I am miserable.  I started going back to measuring everything today and I feel so much better.  I just have to continue to measure because I do not want to mess up such a great thing.  I am enjoying my new life and I feel so great when people can see a difference in me.  I love the way I feel and how well I fit in my clothes.  Its really nice to fit in my car well too!  Anyhow, I'm off to bed, just wanted to share the news with the OH world.  Good luck to all of you out there.

Apparently my ticker won't show up. I'll try again later!

So I am currently on vacation in Illinois and my goal was to have lost over 75lbs before I came.  Tomorrow is 4 months since my surgery and as of today, I have lost 88 lbs.  I'm hoping I stay lucky and keep losing weight. I'm so afraid to eat too much and gain anything back.  Right now I am down to 275 which seems so crazy to me.  I haven't weighed that in years.  My next goal is to lose 100 lbs, which is only 12 lbs away.  Then after that, I'm shooting to be down below 250.  Its been such an amazing journey.  Everyone is really shocked when they see how restricted the diet is, but it really doesn't phase me. I'm so used to eating without fatty and sugary foods, that I don't think any different.  However, ever since I've been at my mom & dad's, I have something sweet at night.  Sugar free sweet of course.  But the last three days, I have had an ice cream cone and I don't need it.  I'm hoping the next 88lbs are easy too.  Even 88lbs more will put me at 187.  To get to my all time goal, I still need to lose 125 lbs, but I think I can do it.  I visit this page all the time, I'm just terrible about posting blogs.  However, when I read back on my previous ones, it makes me realize why I did this and how far I have come.  I know that there is no way I can go back to what I was before.  I am happier and healthier, but I know I will be in an even better place once I get down below 200.  I can't wait.

So I can't believe its been 2 months already.  I have been exploring new foods every week to see what I can handle.  Today I tried scallops and potatoes for dinner.  It was a great meal and I haven't had any trouble with it.  I'm enjoying eating healthier and it seems that my husband wants to eat healthier too, which makes me really happy.  So far I've lost 52 lbs and I have only 161lbs to go till I reach my goal.  Had I done this on my own, there is no way I would have already been down 52 lbs.  Funny thing is though, I've lost that amount of weight and I'm still fitting into my clothes that I wore before surgery.  Sure, some of them are loose on me, but nothing under a size 28 fits yet, so I guess I'll stay there until I lose a little more.  I can't really see a difference in myself yet, but everyone around me keeps telling me that they can tell.  I'm going on vacation the first week of August and I'd really like to have lost over 75lbs by that time.  That gives me over a month and a half to lose 23 lbs, so I'm sure I can do that.  What really makes me happy is knowing that I am only 12 lbs away from being outside the 300lb mark.  I can't remember the last time I weighed in the 200s.  

I scared myself a little bit yesterday. I was online reading another OH member's profile and she had gastric bypass surgery years ago.  After her surgery, she lost 87 lbs but started eating too quickly and eventually stretched out her pouch.  Now she is back at 220 (which I think she was much smaller than me to begin with) and her goal is 120.  I have always been a pretty slow eater, but that was usually because I had so much food or I took a long time to chew my meat.  Now, I find it really difficult to spread my meal time out to 30 minutes, but try my best.  I just don't want to get into any bad habits.  I've been drinking a lot of 100% juice, but I learned that doing that does not account for my daily liquid intake and can put me way over my calorie limits.  So, I stopped drinking juice on Wednesday (three days ago) and I've lost 3 lbs since then.  I just want to make sure that I make the right choice every time.  I never want to be where I started at.  I stay completely away from sugar and do not even think about eating foods that contain sugar.  I do have a sweet tooth, so I've been eating sugar free popsicles pretty much every day after dinner.  I love dessert, so this has really been a lifesaver for me. Speaking of lifesavers, some of my sugar free popsicles are lifesaver brand! :-)  Anyhow, I'm off to bed now.  I just wanted to post a message for those that might be out there looking around, and for myself to look back on in the future.

Good night!