LeDoux27
11/09/2003
My story is similar to the majority of people on this support site. My struggle with my weight really began when I was about 19 years old, when my weight gain increased. About a year later I suddenly began to loose weight rapidly. After 6 months of rapid weight loss, I found out that I had developed diabetes @20 years old. So, basically it has taken the last twelve years and a few co-morbidties along the way to understand that this surgery is perfect for me to become healthy. There is a history of heart problems within my family. I began researching WLS about a year ago, with conflicting thoughts about the surgery. At first I was a bit hesitant and decided not to have the surgery, but after a considerable amount of research I decided that the surgery would be an important step towards me saving my life.
So far I have completed all of the required pre-op appointments and will be having my 2nd consult with my surgeon on the 13th of this month. I am a bit anxious about the 10% of weight that I have to loose before surgery. I got advice from one of Dr. Pamela Foster's other patients about trying to get the weight off in time for surgery. So, I am going to follow the post-op diet for stage 2-3, and hopefully I will loose the weight. I have been going to the gym for 4 weeks and have lost a total of 3pds., slow but better than not loosing. I have been drinking the Nectar protein shakes and like the Cherry Berry and apple flavors. I have cut out most carbs, but find that I have a lot of low blood sugar levels after going to the gym. So, I now am having to eat something that has a few carbs before working out. I will see if the following the stage 2-3 diet will help me loose weight in upcoming weeks.
11-13-03
Well I had an appointment with my surgeon today and turned in all my pre-op required testing. Thank God, I have lost 5pds., finally getting closer to the required 20-25pds I need to lose before surgery. So, my paperwork is off to the insurance company for an approval. I will be scheduling a surgery date in the next few days. I was a bit anxious about the appt. feeling that I had not lost enough weight. My surgeon gave me a few suggestions to possibly speed the weight loss up. So, I feel better about the months ahead. I have my next appt., with my surgeon to check my weight loss status on December 18th. Hopefully I will have lost 10 more pounds by then, wish me luck.
11-15-03
I now have to schedule my surgery date with the surgeons office, I called yesterday but the person who schedules appts was busy, so now I will have to wait until Monday. It looks as if I might have surgery in early Feb. This is good, now
I have enough time to lose the required amount of weight without stressing myself out.
11-19-03
Today I got to schedule my surgery date 2-11-2004, yeah! I am so glad that I now have a date to look forward to in the upcoming new year. I am still working on losing the required weight. So far I have lost 5 pounds, but hope to lose more in the upcoming month before my next appointment which is 12-18-2003. I have joined Weight Watchers again, I know that I am able to lose weight on this plan. Plus I have a goal that I am working towards (my surgery), this will definetley keep me motivated.
12-17-03
I have an appt., to see my surgeon today for a weight check up. I have been a little stressed out about this appt., because my weight has been fluctuating a lot in the last two weeks. I have recently been on antibiotics and am retaining water. I seem to always schedule my appt.'s when my period is due; damn. I don't know if anyone else retains as much water as I do it is so amazing that the body can hold so much water. The weight loss requirements before surgery are hard to stick with; if it was easy I wouldn't need WLS. I hope that I will be able to keep my surgery date on Feb. 11. My surgeon is very strict about losing the required pre-op weight. I hopefully won't have to starve myself. I am also having a change of insurance at the end of this month. Luckily the new insurance is excepted by my surgeon and my regular doctor.
I will post an update after my appt. tomorrow with what I learned at the surgeons office. Till then best wishes to everyone on this journey.
12-18-03
Todays appt. was an awful experience for me; mainly because I have not lost weight and actually had gained some. It is definetley a sensitive subject for me because I did not even want to go to the appt. This morning I decided to go ahead to the appt. and face my issues, I wish that I had never gone. My surgeon has a reputation of being really tough, but she was a bit insensitive to me in regards to the way she spoke to me about the weight not coming off. She tried to tell me that I was not ready for the surgery. At this point I was already crying and did not need her to put the icing on the cake. The whole time I felt as if she was not being sensitive, but I guess it has to be tough love from her standpoint. I was openly crying when I left the appt. and was to embarased to make my follow up appt. at that time. I immediately went and called a good friend and cried to her on the phone. She said she would help me to do what ever I needed to lose the weight. It was good to have a shoulder to cry on at that moment. So once I calmed down I was able to rationally reevaluate my situation and decided that I will prove to my surgeon that I can lose weight by our next appt. I had to ask myself if I wanted someone that made me feel so bad doing my surgery. I know she is very good at what she does but I will have to think about my final decision in the upcoming month.
1-9-04
Well I have until the 29th of this month to get the rest of the weight loss requirement off or I will not be able to have surgery. I am working out at the gym everyday, have reduced my insulin intake, and have completely changed my diet. I am eating almost no carbs.and very little meat. But the scale does not seem to be moving. I go to WW tomorrow morning to see if all my hard work is beginning to pay off. All of this anxiety to lose weight has caused a resurgence of my insomnia problems. Last night was the first time I have gotten at least more than four hours sleep. This whole pre-op weight loss requirement is a lot of stress for many people. If the weight was so easy to lose, wouldn't we have done it without the surgery. Well anyway I have 20 days to prove my doctor wrong that I do really want this surgery. I will update next week on the weight loss.
1/19/2004
As of today I have lost 13pds of my pre-op requirement. I have 22 days left until my surgery date (Feb.11) I have been at the gym everyday in order to get this weight off and all my hard work is paying off. I cut out all carbs and was able to reduce my insulin, but had to add more protein to my dinners. Everyday I am on this site reading all the success stories from other people and can barely wait to be in the same position.
1/20/04
Well today I got on the scale and I couldn't believe that I have lost 2 more pounds. Yeah for me, all my hard work is paying off. Next week I will be attending a pre-op class to prepare for surgery. Then on the the 5th of Feb. I will be doing me pre-ops for my surgery. I am happy to be so close to my surgery. I proved to myself and to my surgeon that I am ready for this surgery.
2/1/2004
Last week I had my final weight check w/ my surgeon. I ended up doing my pre-op class and testing the same day. I met a great lady who is having surgery the same day as me (Feb. 11), her name is Renate. We both have the same surgeon and will be keeping each other company after surgery. I was able to get 21pds off, with the most loss in January. I am able to say that I did not starve myself and worked really hard at the gym to achieve my goal. I am beginning to become more nervous and emotional as the day of surgery gets closer. However, I was informed that my insurance company (blue shield of CA) has not given my doctors office the correct procedure code for my approval, what a drag for me to have to deal with the added stress. Hopefully I will have the final approval early this week.
2-3-04
Time is going by so quickly as my surgery date gets closer. Tomorrow will make it only 7 days away. I still don't know what time I will be having surgery, but I am supposed to find out, hopefully, by the end of this week. Apparently Blue Shield is just having some type of paperwork issue, but it is not as bad as I previously stated, so hopefully it will all be cleared up soon. I just want to say thank you to all the post-ops who have shared their experiences of WLS, this site has been so comforting and a great support system.
2-7-04
I went to a good support group last night with my friend Renate who is scheduled for surgery the same day as me. She told me she would be my angel, I am so happy she has offered to be my angel. I have 4 days until surgery and am pretty well prepared, but still nervous. I have seen a lot of people list things that they would like to be able to do as they lose weight and I have thought about a few for myself.
1. Stop taking insulin/ reduce medications- reduced insulin
2. Be able to have a baby/ healthy pregnancy in about 2 years
3. Walk up steps w/ out almost passing out. accomplished
4. Buy clothing anywhere but Lane Bryant Buying normal clothes
5. Cross my legs- was able to do this after loosing 30 pounds
6. Wrap a standard size towel all the way around my body- accomplished
7. Have my boyfriend hug all of me not half- it has been done
8. Not be told "you have such a pretty face"- now people say you look great
9. Not to have family members constantly asking about my health
10.Fit comfortably in an airplane seat and not feel as if I am in another persons seat.-Done
11.The ability to go skiing with my family members
12.Being able to sleep better w/out the mild sleep apnea- apnea is gone
These are some of the things that I want for myself as I go through the weight loss.
2-10-03
Well my time has come and tomorrow I will be on the other side. I have to be at the hospital tomorrow morning @ 6:00 am. My trip to the hospital will not be very long about a 25 minute drive. But of course I will arrive early don't want to risk being late. My angel Renate will be having surgery right after mine, so by Thursday I will have good company. I am calm, but by tomorrow morning I will be a bundle of nerves. I am taking a big step tomorrow that will enhance the quality of my life, so I am proud that I am doing something good for myself. Well I will update when I come home and am feeling up to writing.
2-13-04
10:41 pm
I just wanted to say that my surgery went well and that I feel much better today than I did after surgery. I will post an update this weekend when I am feeling stronger. Thanks for all the words of support and the prayers.
2-17-04
Today has been better than the first few. I only had a few problems with my stomach hurting. Yesterday I had to resume the stage one diet, I was having a hard time keeping anything from stage 2 in my body. I am experiencing major diarrhea from milk products but can eat very mild yogurt. I will be going to get some soy milk tomorrow. At first I was able to tolerate milk but now it looks like it is not going to work for me with my new stomach. I was able to get my first full night of sleep last night and was happy about that; some tossing and turning but better than the previous nights. The lingering back pain is one thing that you don't expect, but when I am feeling better I plan to get a full body massage. I have now lost 20 pds since my surgery on 2-11, but this is my home scale. My appt. with the doctor is not until the 26 th then I will have an official number of pounds lost. I will continue to update as the week progresses and I feel fully human again.
2-23-04
Well I am happy to report that I am feeling like myself again after last week. By Wednesday of last week I had regained my appetite and was able to get in more fluids. This weekend I was able to drink a 16.9 oz bottle of water in an hour. It feels good to be able to get my water in. I also have been able to get protein (35 grms) from protein drinks in the morning and trying to increase the amount throughout the day. The protein drinks go down really well for me, I like the taste of the Pro Score 100 chocolate flavor, I mix it with 8 oz soy milk and ice cubes in the blender. I have tried real mashed potato's and am able to eat 4 small bites at a time. I tried some chicken last night and could only take two to three small bites and then felt full. I have my first post-op check up with my surgeon this week on Thursday, I am sure I will be moved to the stage 3 diet. I need to get more walking in to speed up my weight loss, but I am taking each day slowly. I was able to get out and do a lot of walking around this weekend which gave me a better nights sleep. Overall I feel good and am taking one day at a time.
2-26-04
Today was my first post-op check up with my surgeon. Everything went well, my weight is now down to 267.6, that is a total of 24 pds dropped in two weeks. Dr. Foster's staff members all said that I looked great and that they could really see the changes from the weight I have lost. It seems that my face is where people see it the most, I am seeing the loss mostly in my clothes. My friend Renate that had surgery the same day as me was there for her appt., she looked great. That woman is amazing, ever since surgery she has been very active and having no problems. She amazes me how well she has done, it was great to see her today. Well tonight I will be going to WLS support group @ El Camino Hospital and hope to get some info, from some post-ops who are further out than myself. I was cleared to go back to swimming, my incisions are pretty much healed up. Exercising is what speeds up the weight loss for me, and helps me reduce my insulin intake.
3-1-04
I had my first experience of vomiting on Saturday night, it was a lot easier than vomiting before surgery. I had to make two trips to the bathroom in order to get the food up; it was only some ground shrimp in a dumpling. I was only able to eat the insides of them and they were very bland, but I guess they just did not agree with me. I was moved to solid foods last week, however my pouch is not doing well with chicken or shrimp so I think that I will stay with the soups and soft foods for a few more weeks. It is amazing to me how the scale has not moved in four days, but I am losing so many inches from body. A week ago a pair of pants did not button, but this weekend they were practically falling off of me. I have started back at my gym, slowly working up to were I was before surgery. I hope that the weight loss will start to pick up in the next few days. A lot of my emotions are tied up in the whole "scale" thing, something I am trying to get away from, eventually. I will also be going to the doctor this week to get my insulin changed, I am having some difficulty controlling my blood sugars after surgery. Once I have increased my exercise routine I will be able to reduce my insulin as well as discontinue it down the road.
3-8-04
Well I am so happy for myself, yesterday i went shopping for some jeans that fit and I am now in a size 20 that is 4 sizes down from a 24. The jeans I bought have no stretch in them, yipee for me!!!! I am now down 27 pds @ 3 1/2 weeks post-op. I hope to start loosing more as I start to get more exercise in everyday.
3-17-04
Today I am 5 weeks post-op and have lost 30 pds. The weight seems to becoming off slowly, but I have to constantly remind myself that it is going to take time. I need to increase my exercise to increase the weight loss. Before I had the surgery I was at the gym 6 days a week. I just need to get motivated and return to my routine.
What I am able to eat at this time has improved slightly. I am able to eat a little chicken and some other meats, other than that I exists mostly on soups, yogurt, and protein drinks. My pouch is just very sensitive and I get full very quickly with non liquids. I have found peanut butter to be a life saver in the past few weeks. I have not craved sweets, which in the past I was addicted to, but the peanut butter helps satisfy any small cravings. Until next time.
3-29-04
I have been looking at the message boards for post-op help. There are so many helpful people on this site that offer a lot of needed advice. In the last few days I have been experiencing a lot of vomiting. I have decided to simplify my diet and go back to soups. The only thing I can tolerate that is hearty is Wendy's chili. I have been going to the gym more often and am feeling well and noticed that my weight loss has sped up just by going 3 days a week. I am frustrated with not being able to introduce a wider variety of food into my diet but hate the vomiting that comes with new foods. So at this point I am just going to take things at a slow pace.
4-5-04
I have managed to loose 3 more pounds in a weeks time. I am sure it has something to do with my lack of appetite. I had to take a step back to the basics last week due to more episodes of vomiting. Unfortunately I have had a really bad eye infection for the last 5 days and have been unable to go to the gym. It seems like every time I get in a good routine something interupt's it, but all I can do is start again. I am happy with the recent pick up in my weight loss and hope that I can maintain a 2-3 pound loss each week.
4-13-04
I am happy to report that I am now down -40 pounds. It seems as if it took me forever to loose this much but it has actually gone at a steady pace of 2 to 3 pounds a week. I have an appt. with my surgeon on Thursday and I hope that she will be happy with the amount of weight lost. I will update more after my visit with her this week.
4/25/04
Just stopping in to say that I am now at 245 pds. I saw my surgeon about two weeks ago and she would like my weight loss to be higher each month 15-20 pds. a month. I am going to the gym again, every other day until I am able to go everyday. So, hopefully the weight loss will pick up. I am so glad that I am able to eat salad, tried some today and chewed really well, and it worked. I tried the Garden burger Soy ribblets the other day and they were delicious, however I must not have chewed them really well, because they came right back up. That is all for now, I will check in soon.
5/17/04
Well finally I have made it to 50 pounds off in 3 months. I felt as if I was way behind everyone else. I had to stop comparing myself to others who had the surgery on the same date as me and tell myself I was doing well. My surgeon wants me to average a 15-20 pound loss each month, however I am satisfied in loosing 12 pds. a month. Besides I a have another 6 months to loose 50 more pounds which will put me at my surgeons goal and 20 pds. from my own goal.
5/24/04
I went shopping this weekend at Lane Bryant (still shopping there) and can't beleive how many sizes I have gone down. I was in a 26/28 blouse and 24 in pants before surgery and now I am in a size 18/20 tops and size 16 pants. When I get on the scale I see only a -52 pounds since surgery, but in my clothes I can see that I have lost a lot of inches. I am now 50 pounds away from my surgeons goal and 70 pounds away from my own personal goal. I have to resume my exercise and get back to the schedule I was on pre-op. I know this is the key for me; exercise, even before wls it was the answer for me to feel better mentally and physically.
6-23-04
Well I have been stuck on a plateau that is now going on 4 weeks. It has been hell to deal with but it seems that many people go through this at some point in their weight loss. I have started to exercise again and of course I have been hit with a bad cold. But hopefully I will be able to go to the gym in the next day or so when I have more energy.
Finally my plateau has been broken. After restarting a regular exercise routine I have resumed my weight loss. I have lost 6 pounds this week; yipee. I have had a tough week; one of my good friends passed away on June 27, while in Miami, FL on vacation. She was only 28 years old, and I have been devastated by her death. I had my finals this week in my medical asst. course, but I did well, despite the horrible news I had gotten that day. My friend was very supportive of me being healthy, she was an aerobics instructor at 4 different gyms and she also worked a full time job. I was truly inspired by her energy and in honor of her memory I plan to continue to go to the gym on a regular basis.
7-29-04
Well I am now 33 years old as of Tuesday the 27 th. The best gift I got this year was weight loss surgery. I am happy that I did this surgery; finally taking time to do things for myself. My weight loss has slowed down, but I am only 26 pounds away from my surgeons goal of 202 pounds. I would like to get down to 180, but I need to get my ass in gear and get out of this depression and head back to the gym..
9/28/04
Whooowee it has been a while since I last updated my profile. I have not been loosing weight as quickly as I was in the first 5 months after surgery. I am now working; completing a required 160 hours of a medical asst. externship. I am so amazed about how much energy I know have after loosing 96 pounds. I am able to be on my feet for 9 hours a day and not be exhausted when I come home. I have to constantly remind myself of how much I have accomplished in less than a year. I hope to reach my surgeons goal of 202 pounds by Thanksgiving.
11-15-04
I am struggling with gaining and loosing 10 pounds. My weight has been fluctuating up and down for the last 2 months. I have not been to the gym, but plan to restart my exercise program this week. I have increased my protein intake in an effort to get some kind of weight loss results. I am almost nine months out from surgery and don't feel very successful with my weight loss. It is my fault for not exercising enough and I believe this is the main reason I am not loosing weight. I have been unable to see my surgeon since April, because my health insurance ended in June. I know I need some blood work done; my iron levels may be low, and I will not have insurance coverage until January 1, 2005. So I am on my own trying to get it all together; the mental stuff and physical. I need to refocus and get as serious as I was pre-op. I was able to loose 17 pounds in 3 weeks for my pre-op weight loss. So, I know I am capable of loosing once I get my mind together. Hopefully I will have better news the next time I update my profile.
11-18-04
I am happy to report that I have been to the gym 2 times this week. I have done 40 minutes on the treadmill, which gets me 2.25 miles. As I continue to go more I will be able to increase my speed and get in more mileage. I am just proud that I have recommitted myself to restart my weight loss so that I can get to my goal of 180 pounds.
11-22-04
Last week I was successful in getting to the gym. I look forward to my workouts and the reward of getting in the hot tub afterwards. I will go as much as I can next week. Plus my apartment complex has a treadmill I can use when the gym is closed.
12-20-04
I am happy that my weight loss has finally re-started. I increased my protein intake and have been practicing more portion control as well as cutting the carbs. My going to the gym just has to become more routine.
1-10-05
Okay this is getting ridiculous, I have been fluctuating with 10 pounds for the last four months. Last week I upped my protein intake greatly and the water and started exercising again, but yet I am still not loosing. I stopped taking my Depo shot because I believe it is hindering my weight loss. So I have decided that I am going to have to be as strict as I was when I had to loose my pre op weight requirement. From today on it will be protein, protein, protein. I don't know what else to do at this point. I would like to be at a 100 pound weight loss by my 1 year anniversary which is 30 days away.
1-18-05
Started fresh yesterday with a new game plan. I am exercising, eating much more protein, cutting carbs. and tracking my progress on fitday.com. I want to loose at least 17 pounds before Feb.11. I know I can do it because I was able to accomplish this before I even had surgery. So I am proud that I have started again and have regained my focus. Keep me in your prayers please.
I am constantly battling my depression so I struggle everyday to have the courage and the drive to get out of bed everyday. I accomplished a lot yesterday by getting to the gym. Yipee for me.
1-25-05
Started my new program last week and restarted my weight loss by adding a lot more protein and a lot less carbs. I have also started eating more green leafy veggies to lessen my constipation and it has really worked out well. I have about 2 weeks left to reach my goal of 100 lbs off by my first anniversary; Feb. 11. I believe I am going to make it happen.
3-28-05
Well I am now 13 months post-op and still stuck at 227 pounds. I have not lost any weight since 7 months out. While I continued to loose inches, the pounds have not decreased. I often ask myself if this is it for me, but I know that I have not really tried with the exercise. So, today I will be starting fresh, getting back to the basics; protein drinks and exercise. I want the last 25 pounds to my goal to be off before I am 18 months out. My weight will then be 202. I eventually hope to get to 190 pounds, I had hoped for a weight of 180 but this may happen with plastic surgery. I also need to return to the wls support groups for ideas and support. I am going to try to stay as focused as I was before surgery.
9-28-05
I have decided to rejoin Weight Watchers, in the past it has been a helpful resource for me to jump start my weight loss. I need the support and ideas that are provided in the meetings. I know myself and it seems that I do much better with a structured weight loss program. I guess I was thinking that the WLS was going to solve all of my weight issues. So now that I will have to get on a scale every week and want the success I will be getting back to the exercise and to watching what I eat. I feel that it has helped in the past so I might as well try it again. I am tired of beating myself up for not reaching my goal weight or for gaining. It is time for a solution.
03/05/07
Hello All,
It has been quite a while since I have posted on this board, but I feel that I am not alone in my experience with gaining weight after surgery. I am now 3 years post -op and have gained 56 pounds. I joined weight watchers yesterday and am feeling very positive about trying to get the weight off. It amazes me how some of us fall into thinking that the surgery will cure us of our weight issues, but I have come to realize that it is only a tool and we cannot have unrealistic expectations.
Due to medication changes and old habits I have gained over half of the weight I lost. I refuse to give up on myself and feel that with WW and an exercise program I will one day eventually make it to my goal of 200 pounds. I would be satisfied to make it to my lowest weight of 227, but I am going to take one day at a time and not overwhelm myself.
2-3-2012
Tomorrow will be my 8 year anniversary of having the RNY surgery. I initially lost about 93 pounds. These days I have been able to maintain a 73 pound weight loss for 8 years. Which is pretty good, but I am now focusing on loosing 47 more pounds. I have started to exercise more. My nutritionist thinks that by adding in some more protein into my diet and EXERCISE, I should be able to loose the weight.
Highest weight May 2003 320
Consult w/surgeon Oct. 2003 307
Final Weight check 1/29/04 286
Day of surgery 291
Post-op 6 days 271
2-26-04 267
3-08-04 264
3-17-04 261
3-29-04 257
4-05-04 254
4-13-04 251
4-25-04 245
5-17-04 241
6-07-04 238
7-03-04 232
7-27-04 228
9-28-04 224
11-15-04 230
12-20-04 227
01-10-05 233
01-17-05 238
01-24-05 229
02-03-05 227
03-28-05 227
09-06-05 245
09-28-05 253
02-27/13 249
About Me
Before & After
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