MelissaF
Been a While and *A LOT* Has Happened Since My Last Post!!!
Feb 21, 2008
2/21/08 Wow.. look at how long it has been since I last updated. I am truly sorry for this! Life has been HECTIC lately and now its finally slowing down so I an breath and get caught up with life. Where to being wow... lets break it down.
1) I started on zoloft before Christmas hoping it would help me with my anxiety issues I have with life in general and my OCD "tendencies". It zombied me out, I quit working out and started getting very apathetic about life in general. I didn't care of I ate bad etc.. it was the worst thing I could have ever put into my body and a lot of my food issues started at this point (yes, I said food issues.. I will get more in detail on that in a minute). I am now on Wellbutrin, which I guess is not the drug of choice for me and so far other than a dry mouth, I haven't noticed any zombie effects.. WHEW.. I hope it works out well b/c it does provide appetite suppression as well as a side effect for some. I don't need any drugs making me gain weight right now, I have a hard enough time trying to figure out maintenance without the aid of drugs making it harder on me. Doc wanted to start me on premarin also b/c my cycles have been nonexisitent for the most part even with being on the ring. He isn't even sure I am "fertile" and basically said I am in a menapausal state b/c of my fat and weight loss. I am putting that off and seeing if my body will naturally regulate itself. Premarin adds 15-20 lbs of fluid to the tissues for many women and I just don't need that right now, nor do I really wanna put horse urine (yes, you heard me.. empregnated mare urine is what premarin is) into my body.. ugh!
2) The holidays approached.. the anxiety leading up to the holidays and the combination of the zoloft lead me off plan with food.. at this point I wasn't eating "off " my normal plan just too many calories of my good foods. Once the holidays actually came, i did great.. it was the just anticipation anxiety that really took ahold of me. Didn't really notice too much weight gain that I couldn't get off pretty easily at this point.
3) My 31st birthday was on January 5th! I can't believe how old I am now!
4) Went on the WLS cruise with my RNY girlfriends the end of January. I had a BLAST! OMG.. I love these girls and I was so nervous to meet them for fear that we might be "uncomfortable" or different than we appeared to each other online. It wasn't that way at all.. it was great! Like we knew each other for years, which honestly we sorta have! The anxiety leading up to it though allowed me to turn to food and get way too many calories in.. like a lot maybe 2500 a day? Not a good thing even though my RMR testing said I could eat up to 2300 and maintain my weight it just isn't feasible since my exercising basically was done with the zoloft. I would do a day here and there once I got off the zoloft (after the first of the year) but I was so busy getting ready for the cruise that I just found excuses not to go. My weight did take a toll and I got up to 138.. I did the 5DPT and got it back off in time we met it was like wow. But because of the anxiety of meeting them and getting on a plane by myself.. (yes you heard me) I was freaking nervous and so scared. I began eating more "allowed" foods than I should have and getting over 2k cals a day, when I left for the cruise I was around 133-135. Cruise comes along and I quickly realize that people are gonna eat what they want.. and the boat didn't have that great of choices for us even with their 'diet' selections. So I sorta told myself.. "oh Melissa, this is a once in a lifetime deal.. have what you want.. " Hello, DUMB! I was so sick.., I dumped many many times.. almost like I was doing it on purpose to ensure that I was indeed a "dumper" and had many ahem.. malabsorptive stools" and honestly felt like CRAP! My blood sugar only dropped once or twice on the boat but has been a downhill battle since, dropping 4-5 times a day since the cruise.. I have had it! I did bring some bars and shakes and did make salads from the salad bar at lunch but otherwise.. yuck yuck yuck. ***NO THANK YOU!*** The Bahamas was wonderful though.. temperature in the 70's and sunny and water was a beautiful blue color.. so pretty. Palm trees everywhere.. ahh.. the boat did rock a bit and many of us felt like we were rocking on land for a couple days after docking but otherwise the cruise itself was great. I wish they had identified which of us were surgery patients, b/c there were a few that were on there I never got to meet :( Stephanie B from the January Board!!!! You most of all! Oh and Obesity Help didn't sponsor it so it isn't their fault. I have posted a few pics.. it was a lot of fun even if I did have issues of my own with food as a result.
5) PK came home with me after the cruise.. This is Teresa known as Paradise Kitty or originally Plump Kitty on the board. We had a lot of time to bond with each other yet the visit went fast. She took me shopping and we got scrapbooking stuff and I learned the art of that which I am very excited to pick up as a hobby. It takes patience and time and creativity all which I need to be challenged with. So that was awesome but I was very tired as I did have to go straight to work after getting home and leave her here to rest up. I never really got "rested up" so I was a bit edgy by this point and I know it.. I apologized to her. We dropped her off at the airport on Valentine's Day so she could return to Canada and that was really hard to do :( Then Aaron and I had a lovely Valentines Day spent in Minneapolis/St. Paul area. He surprised me with a surprise lunch at a Russian/Polish restaraunt. It was fun and then we just hung out. I realized just how much I miss my husband when I leave.. this trip taught me a lot of things. A lot about other RNY'ers, myself gaining independence and autonomy and just what it feels like to be away for a long time from my hubby and how dearly I missed him and our dog Cody.
6) So my weight was 133 when we got back from the cruise which surprised me b/c let me tell you.. i don't even wanna know how much calorically speaking I had when I was actually on the cruse! People know me as a "drama queen" and that I tend to blow things out of proportion sometimes but let me tell you.. not this time. I bet I ate 3k cals on average every day. No way I could not have put on weight. Well.. 3 days later I can't put on my size 4's anymore nor can I wear any medium tops, my belly is like BLOATED and sure enough my waist size is up over 2 inches and the scale is reading 144. OH. MY. GOD. Sorry.. but I deserved it. This surgery is a TOOL and boy did I get reminded of that!
7) Been doing the 5DPT since Monday.. for me its a great tool to get back to basics and its amazing how much your pouch can loose its sensation when you aren't treating it right, grazing on stupid slider foods and not really taking the time to eat solid protein. Some people (my friends specifically hate the 5DPT, honestly I don't give two poops about what they think.. sorry guys!) I do love you but you have to do what works for *YOU* and for me this plan works.. it is just another way of getting "back to basics".. no matter how u do it, you gotta get the evil carb monster off your back and gain the control.. that means protein only, water, vits and slowly add the other stuff in as necessary.. whole grains, low glycemic veggies and fruit, etc). So .. I gained to 144. Yes.. 144. Hello? Some of it was water yes but some of it was fat, I could tell.. I had been eating bad off and on (mostly off) for almost 6 weeks and nobody can do that and not gain weight, surgery patient or not. It was so sad to me and scary b/c it was the first time I had a significant weight gain postop. I had to go down to the basement and get my size 6/8's out and larger shirts.. I could not wear 99% of my clothes and I was ticked.. honestly. Lesson learned the hard way. I am doing well though and now down to 134.6 as of this morning and I am on day 3 of the 5DPT, however I did start supplementing shakes over the weekend at work and it prob did help jump start me into this. I know a lot of it is water loss also and may come back on now that I am eating more solid food again. But I am ok with that.. more than anything I wanted to gain the control over the munchies and get the feeling of restriction back in my pouch and that is what I have EXACTLY done.. I am getting full off a 1/2 a cup right now. HAVE TO LOVE THAT! At least I know my tool isn't "broken" and I can jump back on the horse if I ever loose the control which I hope to never do again to this extent.. it was a hard cycle to break, easier to stay "in the game" then to get out of the game and if you get off your game.. get right back on b/c when you make it meal after meal.. each time u do it.. its harder to go back to your good routine. I am so glad and blessed that I dump and dump pretty hard on small amounts of things. Many people do not including my husband and some of my RNY friends or at least if they do dump its just more of a "carb coma".. i get the full fledged dump.. and I am happy, I need the behavior modification. And even though I dump now doesn't mean I always will but if I just assume I will then I have nothing to worry about. I have officially tested the waters and that is enough for me.
8) Talking to husband about my food issues and how I have reverted back to some old habits there for a while it made me realize that the losing portion of the WLS is the easy part.. you have a goal in mind and its easy to stay focused on that goal but once you hit maintenance its like NOW WHAT? It has been 10 times harder for me to realize just what to do.. losing is easy.. its later that is hard. For me anyway. We talked about how hopefully with the medication I am taking (wellbutrin, which I am still leary of after my experience with the zoloft, we will see) and my exercise (getting back at it for stress relief also!) seeing my therapist who is helping me learn to cope with my stress (gave me a medication CD that I am excited to try!) and talking through things with her that I still need something else to "occupy" my time. We talked about me volunteering.. I told him I wanted to scrapbook and read.. but he has taken on 2 other jobs.. and will be out of the house days and nights many times and so he wants me to find something to do outside the house. Right now being winter is hard but I plan to get outdoors more in the other seasons. We decided me getting a job not related to nursing and one that is flexible so I can still go home to KC when I want might be the answer. There is an opening in the paper for a customer service position at our local floral shop here in town and it would be good hours for my hours I work already as a nurse. Money wouldn't be the object. More of a way to keep me busy and enjoy something totally different and meet people. I think my work schedule as a nurse being only 2 days a week was good for me during the losing phase but now until we have kids (which is why I took that job in preparation for that to be a stay at home yet full time paid mom) that I need something to do in the interim. I emailed the owner, just waiting to hear back. If that doesn't pan out maybe I will do some volunteering or something. I am also reading a book that my dear friend Britt suggested called the Beck Solution, its awesome and deals with the mental aspects of dieting.. really enjoying it. Thank you BRITT! It is great to have friends like yourself!
9) Talking about kids.. adoption vs. natural. Leaning towards natural b/c of the cost of adoption.. at least for our first one. I wanna be successful at maintenace first. We are also working on financial stuff (savings more than anything) and paying some little debts and working on updating our home.
There ya have it.. you are officially "caught up" in my life. This was a long entry but it felt good to "spill it". So if you are still with me and reading this still.. bless you haha.. I am not on OH near as much anymore.. I mainly stay on my surgery board (december board) and a bit on the RNY board otherwise I may just lurk or not at all.. I use OH for when I need it, I feel its a good thing but sometimes its not as benefical to me as it could be at this point in my journey as I tend to compare and over analyze things too much.. I just need to enjoy my postop life and move on in some aspects. So if you email me or PM me and it takes a couple days please be patient, I do try to respond to all though as I can.
Thanks for listening to my many musings and rambles... till next time :)
1) I started on zoloft before Christmas hoping it would help me with my anxiety issues I have with life in general and my OCD "tendencies". It zombied me out, I quit working out and started getting very apathetic about life in general. I didn't care of I ate bad etc.. it was the worst thing I could have ever put into my body and a lot of my food issues started at this point (yes, I said food issues.. I will get more in detail on that in a minute). I am now on Wellbutrin, which I guess is not the drug of choice for me and so far other than a dry mouth, I haven't noticed any zombie effects.. WHEW.. I hope it works out well b/c it does provide appetite suppression as well as a side effect for some. I don't need any drugs making me gain weight right now, I have a hard enough time trying to figure out maintenance without the aid of drugs making it harder on me. Doc wanted to start me on premarin also b/c my cycles have been nonexisitent for the most part even with being on the ring. He isn't even sure I am "fertile" and basically said I am in a menapausal state b/c of my fat and weight loss. I am putting that off and seeing if my body will naturally regulate itself. Premarin adds 15-20 lbs of fluid to the tissues for many women and I just don't need that right now, nor do I really wanna put horse urine (yes, you heard me.. empregnated mare urine is what premarin is) into my body.. ugh!
2) The holidays approached.. the anxiety leading up to the holidays and the combination of the zoloft lead me off plan with food.. at this point I wasn't eating "off " my normal plan just too many calories of my good foods. Once the holidays actually came, i did great.. it was the just anticipation anxiety that really took ahold of me. Didn't really notice too much weight gain that I couldn't get off pretty easily at this point.
3) My 31st birthday was on January 5th! I can't believe how old I am now!
4) Went on the WLS cruise with my RNY girlfriends the end of January. I had a BLAST! OMG.. I love these girls and I was so nervous to meet them for fear that we might be "uncomfortable" or different than we appeared to each other online. It wasn't that way at all.. it was great! Like we knew each other for years, which honestly we sorta have! The anxiety leading up to it though allowed me to turn to food and get way too many calories in.. like a lot maybe 2500 a day? Not a good thing even though my RMR testing said I could eat up to 2300 and maintain my weight it just isn't feasible since my exercising basically was done with the zoloft. I would do a day here and there once I got off the zoloft (after the first of the year) but I was so busy getting ready for the cruise that I just found excuses not to go. My weight did take a toll and I got up to 138.. I did the 5DPT and got it back off in time we met it was like wow. But because of the anxiety of meeting them and getting on a plane by myself.. (yes you heard me) I was freaking nervous and so scared. I began eating more "allowed" foods than I should have and getting over 2k cals a day, when I left for the cruise I was around 133-135. Cruise comes along and I quickly realize that people are gonna eat what they want.. and the boat didn't have that great of choices for us even with their 'diet' selections. So I sorta told myself.. "oh Melissa, this is a once in a lifetime deal.. have what you want.. " Hello, DUMB! I was so sick.., I dumped many many times.. almost like I was doing it on purpose to ensure that I was indeed a "dumper" and had many ahem.. malabsorptive stools" and honestly felt like CRAP! My blood sugar only dropped once or twice on the boat but has been a downhill battle since, dropping 4-5 times a day since the cruise.. I have had it! I did bring some bars and shakes and did make salads from the salad bar at lunch but otherwise.. yuck yuck yuck. ***NO THANK YOU!*** The Bahamas was wonderful though.. temperature in the 70's and sunny and water was a beautiful blue color.. so pretty. Palm trees everywhere.. ahh.. the boat did rock a bit and many of us felt like we were rocking on land for a couple days after docking but otherwise the cruise itself was great. I wish they had identified which of us were surgery patients, b/c there were a few that were on there I never got to meet :( Stephanie B from the January Board!!!! You most of all! Oh and Obesity Help didn't sponsor it so it isn't their fault. I have posted a few pics.. it was a lot of fun even if I did have issues of my own with food as a result.
5) PK came home with me after the cruise.. This is Teresa known as Paradise Kitty or originally Plump Kitty on the board. We had a lot of time to bond with each other yet the visit went fast. She took me shopping and we got scrapbooking stuff and I learned the art of that which I am very excited to pick up as a hobby. It takes patience and time and creativity all which I need to be challenged with. So that was awesome but I was very tired as I did have to go straight to work after getting home and leave her here to rest up. I never really got "rested up" so I was a bit edgy by this point and I know it.. I apologized to her. We dropped her off at the airport on Valentine's Day so she could return to Canada and that was really hard to do :( Then Aaron and I had a lovely Valentines Day spent in Minneapolis/St. Paul area. He surprised me with a surprise lunch at a Russian/Polish restaraunt. It was fun and then we just hung out. I realized just how much I miss my husband when I leave.. this trip taught me a lot of things. A lot about other RNY'ers, myself gaining independence and autonomy and just what it feels like to be away for a long time from my hubby and how dearly I missed him and our dog Cody.
6) So my weight was 133 when we got back from the cruise which surprised me b/c let me tell you.. i don't even wanna know how much calorically speaking I had when I was actually on the cruse! People know me as a "drama queen" and that I tend to blow things out of proportion sometimes but let me tell you.. not this time. I bet I ate 3k cals on average every day. No way I could not have put on weight. Well.. 3 days later I can't put on my size 4's anymore nor can I wear any medium tops, my belly is like BLOATED and sure enough my waist size is up over 2 inches and the scale is reading 144. OH. MY. GOD. Sorry.. but I deserved it. This surgery is a TOOL and boy did I get reminded of that!
7) Been doing the 5DPT since Monday.. for me its a great tool to get back to basics and its amazing how much your pouch can loose its sensation when you aren't treating it right, grazing on stupid slider foods and not really taking the time to eat solid protein. Some people (my friends specifically hate the 5DPT, honestly I don't give two poops about what they think.. sorry guys!) I do love you but you have to do what works for *YOU* and for me this plan works.. it is just another way of getting "back to basics".. no matter how u do it, you gotta get the evil carb monster off your back and gain the control.. that means protein only, water, vits and slowly add the other stuff in as necessary.. whole grains, low glycemic veggies and fruit, etc). So .. I gained to 144. Yes.. 144. Hello? Some of it was water yes but some of it was fat, I could tell.. I had been eating bad off and on (mostly off) for almost 6 weeks and nobody can do that and not gain weight, surgery patient or not. It was so sad to me and scary b/c it was the first time I had a significant weight gain postop. I had to go down to the basement and get my size 6/8's out and larger shirts.. I could not wear 99% of my clothes and I was ticked.. honestly. Lesson learned the hard way. I am doing well though and now down to 134.6 as of this morning and I am on day 3 of the 5DPT, however I did start supplementing shakes over the weekend at work and it prob did help jump start me into this. I know a lot of it is water loss also and may come back on now that I am eating more solid food again. But I am ok with that.. more than anything I wanted to gain the control over the munchies and get the feeling of restriction back in my pouch and that is what I have EXACTLY done.. I am getting full off a 1/2 a cup right now. HAVE TO LOVE THAT! At least I know my tool isn't "broken" and I can jump back on the horse if I ever loose the control which I hope to never do again to this extent.. it was a hard cycle to break, easier to stay "in the game" then to get out of the game and if you get off your game.. get right back on b/c when you make it meal after meal.. each time u do it.. its harder to go back to your good routine. I am so glad and blessed that I dump and dump pretty hard on small amounts of things. Many people do not including my husband and some of my RNY friends or at least if they do dump its just more of a "carb coma".. i get the full fledged dump.. and I am happy, I need the behavior modification. And even though I dump now doesn't mean I always will but if I just assume I will then I have nothing to worry about. I have officially tested the waters and that is enough for me.
8) Talking to husband about my food issues and how I have reverted back to some old habits there for a while it made me realize that the losing portion of the WLS is the easy part.. you have a goal in mind and its easy to stay focused on that goal but once you hit maintenance its like NOW WHAT? It has been 10 times harder for me to realize just what to do.. losing is easy.. its later that is hard. For me anyway. We talked about how hopefully with the medication I am taking (wellbutrin, which I am still leary of after my experience with the zoloft, we will see) and my exercise (getting back at it for stress relief also!) seeing my therapist who is helping me learn to cope with my stress (gave me a medication CD that I am excited to try!) and talking through things with her that I still need something else to "occupy" my time. We talked about me volunteering.. I told him I wanted to scrapbook and read.. but he has taken on 2 other jobs.. and will be out of the house days and nights many times and so he wants me to find something to do outside the house. Right now being winter is hard but I plan to get outdoors more in the other seasons. We decided me getting a job not related to nursing and one that is flexible so I can still go home to KC when I want might be the answer. There is an opening in the paper for a customer service position at our local floral shop here in town and it would be good hours for my hours I work already as a nurse. Money wouldn't be the object. More of a way to keep me busy and enjoy something totally different and meet people. I think my work schedule as a nurse being only 2 days a week was good for me during the losing phase but now until we have kids (which is why I took that job in preparation for that to be a stay at home yet full time paid mom) that I need something to do in the interim. I emailed the owner, just waiting to hear back. If that doesn't pan out maybe I will do some volunteering or something. I am also reading a book that my dear friend Britt suggested called the Beck Solution, its awesome and deals with the mental aspects of dieting.. really enjoying it. Thank you BRITT! It is great to have friends like yourself!
9) Talking about kids.. adoption vs. natural. Leaning towards natural b/c of the cost of adoption.. at least for our first one. I wanna be successful at maintenace first. We are also working on financial stuff (savings more than anything) and paying some little debts and working on updating our home.
There ya have it.. you are officially "caught up" in my life. This was a long entry but it felt good to "spill it". So if you are still with me and reading this still.. bless you haha.. I am not on OH near as much anymore.. I mainly stay on my surgery board (december board) and a bit on the RNY board otherwise I may just lurk or not at all.. I use OH for when I need it, I feel its a good thing but sometimes its not as benefical to me as it could be at this point in my journey as I tend to compare and over analyze things too much.. I just need to enjoy my postop life and move on in some aspects. So if you email me or PM me and it takes a couple days please be patient, I do try to respond to all though as I can.
Thanks for listening to my many musings and rambles... till next time :)
Happy New Year!!!
Jan 01, 2008
1/1/08 Hello and Happy New Year! Wow.. what a TERRIFIC year 2007 was for me. I was blessed to be able to have my surgery right at the end of 2006 and 2007 was spent relearning how to live with this wonderful gift I was given. I have to say I have made some HUGE lifestyle changes and I just love the life I have right now. I can firmly say that as of today, I have never been happier nor healthier in my entire life.. wow what a statement eh? I have a very loving husband who is tremendously understanding and an awesome family. I love my job and I love the coworkers I work with. I love where I live and we are getting our house renovated a little at a time and what we have done looks great. My health has done a 180.. I no longer have ANY of the comorbdities I had preop.. none.. nada.. zippo! What a freedom! I also have made some INCREDIBLE friends on OH over this past year.. I am going on a cruise in January and will be meeting up with a bunch of them and this to me is the ultimate high in life.. to be around these girls who have supported me HUGE this past year.. what a fun experience this will be. As of this morning I weighed in at 131.6.. 140 was my goal but I guess I am going lower than that. I have been eating a lot more lately.. well as far as an RNY patient is concerned. I am around 1200-1400 calories and I probably need to go a tad higher yet. I went and had my BMR tested and it showed that my BMR is 1681, higher than average for someone of my age and weight. I was sooo happy to hear that. I want to start doing some weight training more vigorously and I know in order to do that I will have to up calories even more. My running I have slacked back.. I probably run an average of 2-3 times a week.. not enough so I need to get back into that but I think the fear of losing too much and just the busy holiday time has gotten me out of my groove but I am gonna get back in it. I have to find a happy medium between that amount of exercise I can sustain and the calories I can eat.. b/c this will be my lifetime regimen. I spoke with Jeremy Gentles, fitness expert on OH. He was awesome. He explained many things to me regarding my resting and active BMR testing and advice for caloric needs.. all in all the verdict is I need more if I am gonna weight train and keep my cardio where it is or a tad higher. So what can I say? I never thought I would be here trying to figure out how I would STOP the loss.. part of me isn't too overly concerned because I know there will be some bounceback later.. I talked to the PA at the office about it, she said minimally 10lbs usually and sometimes 10 percent of our weight. So I am keeping that into consideration. I am wearing a size 4 and small/medium tops.. life is surreal. I love what this surgery has done for me.. more health wise than anything and I plan to continue striving to maintain this health level.. its a fantastic thing to be "comorbidity free" and I don't plan on changing that if I can help it. Thanks to all of you who continue to inspire me daily.. till next time..
1 Year Follow Up!
Dec 15, 2007
12/15/07 Had my one year follow up the other day. Went well, weighed in at 140 on their scale clothed and after lunch. That is 15 lbs down from the last weigh in, not too shabby but I will be honest was wanting to show 135 badly.. oh well. I also had my BMR tested right beforehand and it showed that my BMR was 1681 and could consume up to 2353 in calories a day to maintain my weight.. I know crazy as it sounds this is what it said. It also said that I burn 88% fat and 12% carbs.. hello, terrible carbohydrate burner but I already kew that from how I respond to carbs and previously being a diabetic which is why I limit them so much or get them from natural sources or whole grains. I asked Angie, the PA at my doc's office what she thought. She did not have a clear cut answer but states that I know my body and will figure it out with calories. So I guess I will have to toy with it some. Honestly, I have been eating more lately (this past week) - ok quite honest - its out of control. I am ashamed but I feel the need to admit it. It's like once I got to goal.. now what? I am having super anxiety issues and talked to my therapist and Angie about it and both feel I need to get on some medication and so when I saw my PCP the other day he put me on zoloft, we will see how I do, I see him to follow up in a month. Angie was also worried b/c my total bilirubin wants to keep elevating which she feels could be my gall bladder, my PCP isn't worried about it right now.. he said I he will order an ultrasound for Monday but even if it shows stones he isn't gonna say "go have surgery now" b/c many people have stones, sludge in their gall bladders and never any symptoms and do ok. I have felt some dull achiness on the right upper quandrant of my abdomen but nothing too alarming and could easily be dismissed as gas. Do have some pretty foul gas though, not gonna lie and its worse now than ever.. not sure what that is about thought it might be my gall bladder. So Monday we will see what happens but I don't suspect my PCP will get too hyper no matter what the results. I also have to fax the results to Angie and get her feel on it.
Other than that not much else going on. The holidays are fun yet very stressful b/c it happens to be right when I am a year out and have to be ever more cautious about making good choices.. i did great over thanksgiving but christmas is giving me a harder time I think it is b/c of me being at goal and not really knowing what to do now.. etc.. im just over anxious about it all.. I plan to keep therapy going, take my medication faithfully and make the necessary follow ups I need to. I didn't get this far to fall off the wagon.. I tend to overeat my good calories when I say this and its just out of control. It isn't every day, its just here and there but here and there adds up. Again, nothing like preop but not MY norm.. so back on the horse I go.. time to go run now. I need to get my butt moving.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and GREAT 2008! I know I feel much better than I ever have in my entire life.. thank GOD for RNY!
Hugs! See ya next time...
Other than that not much else going on. The holidays are fun yet very stressful b/c it happens to be right when I am a year out and have to be ever more cautious about making good choices.. i did great over thanksgiving but christmas is giving me a harder time I think it is b/c of me being at goal and not really knowing what to do now.. etc.. im just over anxious about it all.. I plan to keep therapy going, take my medication faithfully and make the necessary follow ups I need to. I didn't get this far to fall off the wagon.. I tend to overeat my good calories when I say this and its just out of control. It isn't every day, its just here and there but here and there adds up. Again, nothing like preop but not MY norm.. so back on the horse I go.. time to go run now. I need to get my butt moving.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and GREAT 2008! I know I feel much better than I ever have in my entire life.. thank GOD for RNY!
Hugs! See ya next time...
One Year Ago Today
Dec 04, 2007
Hello, Hello!!! Just wanted to do a short post and let you all know that I am now below my goal of 140, weighing 136. I have lost 192 lbs total and 144 since surgery day, 1 year ago from today. More than anything my health problems are all resoloved and I am living the life I have never had before. I want to thank all of you for helping me get this far, I know I have said it a million times but without OH and my friends, I would not have gotten as far as I have. A big thank you to all of you for continuing to inspire me daily. I ask that you all "pay it forward" with your postop success. I myself love to do this and make a promise to keep paying it forward as much as I can. A good friend of mine (a 3 year veteran to RNY "paid it forward" to me and I made a promise that I would also do the same). It is the least I can do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your inspiration and friendship, it means so soooo much. ((((Hugs))))
Mind Over Matter..
Nov 12, 2007
11/12/07 Hi Everyone! I was doing a lot of thinking over the weekend and wanted to journal it down tonight.. Here are my thoughts.. consider this just a random rambling post..
1) Transfer Addiction - It is real.. I see it all over the boards these days.. from prescription pain meds to alcohol to promiscuity to even yes another eating disorder.. It makes sense too. We as overeaters and food addicts self-medicated ourselves in attempt to deal with stress, pain and emotion.. it numbed us but at the same time destroyed us physically and even mentally.. it was a downward spiral yet we continued to cycle with it b/c it did give us some temporary pain relief. Once that has been taken away.. one finds out quickly after WLS that you must either face your fears and emotions head on for the first time in your life since your outlet of food is no longer an option or you find other ways to self-medicate. It seems very few are facing their demons head on.. its hard.. its scary and its much easier to find another avenue or outlet to "numb" the pain. Transfer addictions are REAL. And we all are subject to becoming a victim if we don't deal with our issues as they arise head on. Yes, it is scary to stand up for yourself for the first time in your life, speak your mind and not hide.. but its all part of blossoming and being released from that cacoon we once embraced and was hidden in for so long. It is time to face life and own it! I am a firm believer that therapy is very important as part of the postop process. I started seeing a therapist and I am ecstatic to be! I am not ashamed.. I am proud because admitting you need help is OK! I have lost 188 lbs.. I weigh 140 lbs.. I am not the same person I was before physically.. not only do I see myself different so does the rest of the world.. it can be challenging. Especially when you realize as you lose weight you are actually more NOTICABLE and less invisible.. how IRONIC is that?!?! People listen to you when you look better.. sad but its true.. you aren't as discounted any longer. You family might be afraid of the changes that have occurred so quickly and say things like "You are getting too thin". I recently was thumbing through WLS for dummies in the postop section and it addressed this matter. The author says its very natural to get this feedback.. b/c they are either jealous of your success or they just aren't prepared for the drastic change in such a short amount of time.. or both. It makes sense. I have dealt with this part pretty heavily with my own family the past 30 lbs or so in my journey. I was not prepared for this part and my therapist is helping me with this part. I have met my personal goal but the PA at the office said I could get to 135 and be great there.. so I am aiming for 5 more pounds maybe 10 at best. Gives me room to bounce back as really goal is to never be "overweight" again and maintain my normal BMI. Anything over 150 lbs puts me out of normal BMI range.
2) Most people self medication somehow, WLS patient or not. I am realizing more and more how much people in general self-medicate one way or another just to cope with the daily stresses that life throws us. I am really trying to break that cycle or at least "transfer addict" into a more healthy way.. honestly researching about my surgery, being involved in support groups, having control over my eating (which can be good or overdone, I realize this), and exercise has been my transfers. My husband had RNY a few years ago.. he transfer addicted to alcohol and didn't even realize it. He was a social binger.. not a daily drinker. It got him in trouble a couple times and he realized after the 3rd strike it was time to say goodbye to that. He knows he cannot do it or he would not only lose himself but me as his wife and his family in the process. It wasn't till he really understood that though and faced his demons that he was able to be healthy in his choosing of not to consume anymore. He now focuses his energy into our home and his business a bit more and that is ok.. I am glad he was able to overcome this and I am very proud of him. I truly believe in my heart he has "arrived" and will never turn to this outlet again. So, I learned from example of him.. that I cannot even take a sip for fear I will become victim myself.. alcohol will never touch my lips as long as I live after seeing what he went through.
3) More and more I am seeing Eating Disorders becoming the most outstanding transfer addictions across the boards.. makes sense to.. we are trying to control the one demon that "destroyed" us as WLS patients preop. I see postops eating minimal calories spending hours in the gym and it breaks my heart. I mean they feel they are doing the "right and healthy" thing because they have control over the food for the first time in their lives.. but honestly this is almost an anorexic behavior.. I am living proof that one can eat and lose weight. I keep a tight eye on my calories, fats, carbs and proteins I am not gonna lie and I crave healthy foods now (thank God!) but I try to get to 1000 calories a day (my max) and have for months.. I am at goal too. I never starved myself. I worry about these postops because with 600 calories in, at least that much burned off a day in the gym if not more a day and just the amount they burn living a day is a SERIOUS calorie deficit and *CANNOT* be healthy for long term.. we malaborb calories and nutrients and wow.. u just can't be healthy on this and hope they don't suffer the effects of this later with long term health complications etc.. It is easy to let our brains take over justify doing 2 hours in the gym or bringing the cals down to see that magic number on the scale go down.. its rewarding its what "drives" us as a postop but I realize now it really shouldn't be. It should be about health.. living.. how you feel about yourself. The scale is a number nothing more.. even for myself many days that is hard for me to understand but I am trying harder and harder to understand that. Just in the past few months I think I have personally encountered at least a dozen women who have unknowingly or knowingly transfer addicted with another eating disorder. I don't know what the answer would be to remedy this but I do know that postop counseling should be a necessity at least for the first year postop.. my feelings on it. There is just too many reasons why it would benefit.. it can't hurt any of us.
I guess I am done rambling.. sorry for the long post just wanted to get some things off my mind.. I feel I am really making turning points in a positive way with my journey on the psychological level and this makes me very happy.
Till next time...
1) Transfer Addiction - It is real.. I see it all over the boards these days.. from prescription pain meds to alcohol to promiscuity to even yes another eating disorder.. It makes sense too. We as overeaters and food addicts self-medicated ourselves in attempt to deal with stress, pain and emotion.. it numbed us but at the same time destroyed us physically and even mentally.. it was a downward spiral yet we continued to cycle with it b/c it did give us some temporary pain relief. Once that has been taken away.. one finds out quickly after WLS that you must either face your fears and emotions head on for the first time in your life since your outlet of food is no longer an option or you find other ways to self-medicate. It seems very few are facing their demons head on.. its hard.. its scary and its much easier to find another avenue or outlet to "numb" the pain. Transfer addictions are REAL. And we all are subject to becoming a victim if we don't deal with our issues as they arise head on. Yes, it is scary to stand up for yourself for the first time in your life, speak your mind and not hide.. but its all part of blossoming and being released from that cacoon we once embraced and was hidden in for so long. It is time to face life and own it! I am a firm believer that therapy is very important as part of the postop process. I started seeing a therapist and I am ecstatic to be! I am not ashamed.. I am proud because admitting you need help is OK! I have lost 188 lbs.. I weigh 140 lbs.. I am not the same person I was before physically.. not only do I see myself different so does the rest of the world.. it can be challenging. Especially when you realize as you lose weight you are actually more NOTICABLE and less invisible.. how IRONIC is that?!?! People listen to you when you look better.. sad but its true.. you aren't as discounted any longer. You family might be afraid of the changes that have occurred so quickly and say things like "You are getting too thin". I recently was thumbing through WLS for dummies in the postop section and it addressed this matter. The author says its very natural to get this feedback.. b/c they are either jealous of your success or they just aren't prepared for the drastic change in such a short amount of time.. or both. It makes sense. I have dealt with this part pretty heavily with my own family the past 30 lbs or so in my journey. I was not prepared for this part and my therapist is helping me with this part. I have met my personal goal but the PA at the office said I could get to 135 and be great there.. so I am aiming for 5 more pounds maybe 10 at best. Gives me room to bounce back as really goal is to never be "overweight" again and maintain my normal BMI. Anything over 150 lbs puts me out of normal BMI range.
2) Most people self medication somehow, WLS patient or not. I am realizing more and more how much people in general self-medicate one way or another just to cope with the daily stresses that life throws us. I am really trying to break that cycle or at least "transfer addict" into a more healthy way.. honestly researching about my surgery, being involved in support groups, having control over my eating (which can be good or overdone, I realize this), and exercise has been my transfers. My husband had RNY a few years ago.. he transfer addicted to alcohol and didn't even realize it. He was a social binger.. not a daily drinker. It got him in trouble a couple times and he realized after the 3rd strike it was time to say goodbye to that. He knows he cannot do it or he would not only lose himself but me as his wife and his family in the process. It wasn't till he really understood that though and faced his demons that he was able to be healthy in his choosing of not to consume anymore. He now focuses his energy into our home and his business a bit more and that is ok.. I am glad he was able to overcome this and I am very proud of him. I truly believe in my heart he has "arrived" and will never turn to this outlet again. So, I learned from example of him.. that I cannot even take a sip for fear I will become victim myself.. alcohol will never touch my lips as long as I live after seeing what he went through.
3) More and more I am seeing Eating Disorders becoming the most outstanding transfer addictions across the boards.. makes sense to.. we are trying to control the one demon that "destroyed" us as WLS patients preop. I see postops eating minimal calories spending hours in the gym and it breaks my heart. I mean they feel they are doing the "right and healthy" thing because they have control over the food for the first time in their lives.. but honestly this is almost an anorexic behavior.. I am living proof that one can eat and lose weight. I keep a tight eye on my calories, fats, carbs and proteins I am not gonna lie and I crave healthy foods now (thank God!) but I try to get to 1000 calories a day (my max) and have for months.. I am at goal too. I never starved myself. I worry about these postops because with 600 calories in, at least that much burned off a day in the gym if not more a day and just the amount they burn living a day is a SERIOUS calorie deficit and *CANNOT* be healthy for long term.. we malaborb calories and nutrients and wow.. u just can't be healthy on this and hope they don't suffer the effects of this later with long term health complications etc.. It is easy to let our brains take over justify doing 2 hours in the gym or bringing the cals down to see that magic number on the scale go down.. its rewarding its what "drives" us as a postop but I realize now it really shouldn't be. It should be about health.. living.. how you feel about yourself. The scale is a number nothing more.. even for myself many days that is hard for me to understand but I am trying harder and harder to understand that. Just in the past few months I think I have personally encountered at least a dozen women who have unknowingly or knowingly transfer addicted with another eating disorder. I don't know what the answer would be to remedy this but I do know that postop counseling should be a necessity at least for the first year postop.. my feelings on it. There is just too many reasons why it would benefit.. it can't hurt any of us.
I guess I am done rambling.. sorry for the long post just wanted to get some things off my mind.. I feel I am really making turning points in a positive way with my journey on the psychological level and this makes me very happy.
Till next time...
GOAL!!!!
Nov 07, 2007
11/7/07
Hi Gang!
I wanted to tell you guys just how much your support, encouragement, sincerity, humor, love and friendship has meant to me. Without all of you on my December Surgery Board, the RNY Board and on the Main Board or just OH overall this day just wouldn’t have been possible for me. I would have been completely in the dark. Sure, my surgeon and his staff have some general guidelines to follow but I found I needed more than that. I came here to be educated, loved and supported and that is just what I have been given and continue to get each and every day I log on. I also want to thank the staff of OH, Eric the founder first and foremost, and the rest of the staff at OH (Amy, Tooter, Michelle etc..) who have kept this board alive and running. I know it isn’t easy but at the same time I know you wouldn’t do it if you were not passionate about it and that is obvious…. Thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. if OH were to leave I would be beside myself. I rely on it heavily and daily as I know many other do as well.
- I have a normal BMI.
- My diabetes is in remission, no meds since the day of surgery.
- No longer have high cholesterol.
- No longer have hypertension
- No longer have stress incontinence
- No longer have low back pain or plantar fascitis
- The only prescription med I am on is my thyroid medication
- I am no longer “dead” living life on the sidelines.. I am very active in my life now.
- I can run.. I run 3-5 times a week, usually 2-3 miles, it is a dream.
- I am no longer invisible to the world, people notice me now and look me in the eyes.
- I have control over food, it does not control me. I know that I am what I eat and take that to heart.
- I wear a size 3/4/5 in pants and a medium top. I used to wear 28/30 pants and 30/32 tops.
- My measurements I never took before surgery, be sure you do this! So I cannot tell you what I lost inch wise. But as of today they are as follows: Neck – 12.5, Bust – 35, Below Bust – 33, Waist – 30, Hips – 36, Wrist – 6.0, Thigh – 20.5, Calves – 14.5, Ankle – 8.5.
- No more heavy breathing when I walk.
- I don’t live at my town’s pharmacy any more.
- I don’t worry that I won’t wake up the next day.
- I can shop in any store!
- I don’t worry that people are staring at me or thinking I am huge or lazy. Always my biggest fear.. I was a floor nurse even at 328 lbs I refused to be lazy and kept persevering and never wanted to be thought of as lazy. It almost killed me but I did it. If I hadn’t had surgery, I would have had to make a career change soon though.
Some other things I’d like to mention is that this surgery does not.. I repeat.. does NOT fix our minds. We have all heard that. I truly believe that this journey is 98% mental and mind over matter. This tool is wonderful if you use it and don’t let it do the work for you. I was told that as a newbie and even preop and I took that to heart. I never ever take my tool for granted. I treat it like its gold and try do to the right thing every day.. and each day is just that.. a new day. I try to live for the day I am in not tomorrow and not yesterday. If you fall off the wagon get back on! You have no failed. You only fail if you fail to realize that you are beautiful and worth every success your heart desires. Anything is obtainable with your tool and the man upstairs. Surrounding yourself with those who love and support you are so important and also get therapy if you need it. I am not ashamed to tell you that I am seeking it now. After losing 188 lbs in 1.5 years (140 with RNY in 11 months) I need it, who wouldn’t? It is life altering not only for myself but for those around me.
Thanks to everyone for listening to me go gaga.. I love my RNY!
To Being Alive and To Living Life!!!! YES!
11 Months!
Nov 06, 2007
11/6/07 Hi there! I am now 11 months out as of 11/4/07! I am weighing in at 142 on my 11 month anniversary with 2 lbs to my personal goal. I do think I want to get to 135 and then really get the weight loss to stop at that point and I don't think I will have a problem doing that, its really slowed own to a healthy loss for where I am in the game. I lost 5 lbs total in month 10. I am happy with that! I am now wearing size 4/6 in pants. I haven't actually bought any in this size yet but I have tried them on. Here is my dilemma.. size 5/6 in juniors fit me fine but they are too low rise for the amount of abdominal skin I have and size 4 in misses are the right "height" of my waist but "fit" me with a tad of room to spare to I don't like to buy them that way for fear I won't get to wear them too long as the weight shifts. They don't make them in a size 2 in misses.. I can't believe I am on the other end of the spectrum now.. from outgrowing size 28's to needing something smaller than a 4's in misses.. I did buy some stretch 3/4's a while back that are a bit higher but still in juniors and they are stretch, I can put them on but they are a tiny bit snug, maybe I will just hold out till I can wear those. I haven't exercised in a week and a half and I feel lousy about it! Between the home remodeling projects and getting ready for the party its been nuts. I have been moving lots just not with "formal exercise". As for my diet, I am still very healthy with it. I don't eat outside my norms if I do I get sick. I had one half of a gingersnap cookies (prebought) with some homeade pumpkin dip and one Hershey kiss (i planned these treats btw..) and my blood sugar plummeted to 51-52 and I fought for the next 3 hours trying to get it regulated.. no thanks not worth it. I have tried food outside my norm twice now and both times I got rewarded rather not nicely... enough trying for me. Not sure why I even try, its not like I am not satisfied on my healthy diet, I truly LOVE it! I am still in love with Cafe Caramel EAS Shakes.. yum, have one daily! I also started eating my cottage cheese pancakes again and also pizza! Made with Joeseph's oat, flax seed, omega pita pockets from walmart (60 calories) low carb and high fiber topped with pizza sauce, light cheese and veggies! Bakes up crisp and is very low cal! Love it! Went to support group meeting in Cedar Falls (where I had my surgery) and they had a special meeting on "getting back on track". I was proud to say I do everything they suggest and hope I can continue that way. I try really hard to be as successful as I can at this second chance at life. I never take my tool for granted and think that is really key with this. I started seeing Vicki my WLS therapist at Mercy, she is great and really like her after the first visit. She works a lot with Mayo patients and also others and I love the fact that she has understanding of WLS. I see her again at the end of November. We are going back to KC for Thanksgiving. Amazing that will be here soon. I really need to start Christmas shopping! I have two coats for this winter, one is a medium and roomy the other is a petite small.. I just can't wrap all this around my head yet. I am down 186 lbs total.. I only weigh 142.. its weird to say I have lost more than half myself.. weird weird.. until next time..
Creeping to Goal!
Oct 25, 2007
10/25/07 Hey all.. well I thought I would take the time to write again just because! I am about 3/4 of the way into my 10th month and down a whopping 3.5 lbs! Talk about a slow down but I know I am so close to goal I am not gonna complain! I hope to make it to at least 5 lbs for the month, secretly I was wanting to see goal by Halloween but I don't think that is gonna happen and that is ok. The Nuvaring as a birth control option is officially "out" after speaking with the nurse of my Gyno. I kept started a week early even with trying to reregulate etc.. argh so we are gonna try the patch now this coming Sunday and of course I am freaking out that I may gain from this method when I am this CLOSE to goal. Part of me says forget it for a while and get to goal first! haha.. I just hate to gain like 10 lbs or even 5 ya know? I have worked so hard to see my goal. But I also want to get my cycles regulated so I am not so afraid of getting pregnant. If this doesn't work then its either back on the pill or just go with condoms and spermacide. I have tried the pill post op and the same thing was happening so most likely won't go back on that yet. Other than that not much else going on, doing some home remodeling projects and things and will be having a Halloween party for Aaron's family this year. Got some good things I am making of course none I would eat but I will eat something of my own, perhaps a SF pudding.. haha. That is all that is going on here.. currently weighing in at 143.4... 3.4 pounds till goal! Until next time....
10.5 Months Out
Oct 15, 2007
10/15/07 Well I am 10.5 months out, it is hard to believe. I have been weighing around 146 these days +/- a pound. Went to KC last week and well, I had 2 days I went over on cals but ya know as long as it happens "rarely" I shouldn't get so uptight about it. I am so close to goal now. When I am a I think the weight loss is finally slowing down some now. I did lose another 11 lbs last month. So it is hard to say yet. My personal goal has always been 140, why you ask? I have no idea! It is in a normal BMI on the upper range but I am 5'5" and I think it sounded like a good weight. I now realize that I could get down to 130-135 and be ok. Angie even said 135 would be fine for me (the PA at my docs office). I might shoot for that depending on how things go. I am sticking with 1000 cals still and getting in my 90-100 proteins a day. I still am utterly in love with EAS Cafe Caramel Shakes that Terri turned me onto from the RNY board. 110 cals, 17 proteins, I drink one daily. Ok so lets discuss dumping shall we? I tried a cupcake.. yes a cupcake without icing. It was some I made with oreo cookies from scratch. I don't love cake or cupcakes (never have) and was making them for work and my husband's family and well I did get mildly sick, I sweated, got an increased heart rate, face got hot, nauseated, had to lie down and sleep it off for 30 mins and once it was over it was over, just like a switch. At least I know I don't feel well when I do eat it. Thats a great thing! I was more worried I wouldn't. Did I enjoy a cupcake that had 227 calories, 25 carbs and 12 fats? Are you kidding me? Not for those statistics, I could have a mean piece of meat and salad for that... this is why I am so strict with my diet, its about choices.. a cupcake or a whole meal? Give me a break. So there ya go, I did it, I learned from it and now I can truly tell everyone, yes I *DO* get sick (maybe not overly bad) but maybe it would have been even worse with that sweet sticky icing had I put it on there, glad I didn't!!! Three months till the WLS Cruise, I am just so excited about that! I can' t believe how quick it is approaching. I am so excited to finally meet PK, Terri, Jessica, Jenny, everyone!!! I will probably be an emotional mess because I don't know what I would do without these girls now that I am a postop. You feel so close to them even though the relationship is strictly online. I am still running about 2 miles 4-5 times a week and started doing some circuit training at the gym (which may also explain some of the slower weight loss the past couple weeks). It gets me pretty sore but I know its necessary. Do I like it as much as running, FORGET ABOUT IT! But I will do it because muscle is so important to maintain if not build up just a bit for calorie burning, your bones, etc. Terri, you really inspire me with all the weights you lift. I'd rather just run like the wind! I am hoping to do a 5k on Thanksgiving Day in Kansas City. My Dad and brother may do it with me. If they do, we won't run the whole thing, we will jog/brisk walk it and I am FINE with that. I want my family involved in this, its so important. Plus on a "pig out" day like Thanksgiving it will make everyone feel better for sure! I love the life I am living now. I feel so dang incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to wear size 8 pants (some 6's snuggly) and medium tops and have all my comorbidities be resolved, normal BMI. It's like the most pleasant dream.. really. I never wanna wake up if it is. I love what I am seeing in the mirror now, my head is finally catching up. I am going to seek a therapist here close to home, will call tomorrow to set up an appointment. She was recommended to me by a few experts in WLS and I look forward to adding this to my life as therapy is essential when you have lost 182 lbs I feel, my life has totally changed in such a short amount of time. I think it will help me to learn to relax a bit and also learn how to handle those around me that are having a hard time dealing with my loss (how strange to be getting therapy for their problems eh?) Anyway, that is the latest on me. I can't wait to get to goal, its so close I can taste it but I realize it will probably take me several weeks to get there and that is just fine! Until next time..
9 Month Follow Up Yesterday and Today NORMAL BMI!!!
Sep 20, 2007
9/20/07 Hello Everyone! Well I had my 9 month follow up yesterday with Angie, the PA. She was thrilled to see where I was progress wise. I had lost 96% of my excess weight in 9 months. I had weighed 155 clothed and and in the afternoon so I had been eating/drinking some of the day. I was 152 on my scale naked when I woke up. Today... drumroll.. naked I was 150 which makes my BMI **NORMAL** I am just wowed by this!! So according to my scale I have lost 100 percent of my excess weight now. I asked her about reseting my goal etc.. she said now I could go as low as 135. I can't even fathum another 20 lbs but if I can get there I will b/c this would give me room to bounce up later some if that "bounce back" occurred that they talk about. We talked about my worries of losing 10 lbs a month still since I haven't slowed down yet.. she said not to worry it will. (they tell me this at every appointment, it hasn't yet). So I am to keep to 1000 calories and then at 1 year go to 1200. This will be my calorie level for life. Never no more even with the exercise that I do. I find that hard to believe but I will do what they tell me as I never want to sabotage my success in any way. At 8 months out I felt my pouch big time.. I would start to feel full after 5 bites. Now I am back to not really feeling full at meals but I eat my portion and stop. Kinda concerns me I kinda like "feeling my pouch" obviously not getting full on 5 bites b/c I can eat a lot more than that when it isn't being sensitive like that. Like last night I had chicken grilled and some veggies for dinner. I had 3.5 ounces of chicken.. good hunk and some veggies. I wasn't "full" but I stopped. I am sure that is how it is supposed to be. Part of me misses the "full" feeling but I need to get over that. I still eat only good carbs, lean proteins, low fat or fat free dairy products, log everything on fitday, even preplan most days and stick with it. I don't eat sugar or fried foods, no junk, very little processed foods or even prefrozen foods. I am getting around 60-70 carbs a day and my bowels thank me for it. Fruit is still something kinda hit or miss with the latex allergy I have. I am enjoying toying with new recipes and trying new homeade protein bars etc. Molly on the December board has given us some great ideas and I really thank her for that! I still get in 90-95 proteins a day. Angie is ok with this since I run 2 miles most days.. lately been slacking with exercise as life has been so busy and of course now I am sick, but I am gonna get with a program here. I don't want to lose muscle mass. So I think that is about it. I can't believe I am a normal BMI today, tomorrow I may not be, ya know how it goes with Mr. Scale but for today, I will take it!!! Thanks for listening about my latest happenings, until next time...*hugs*
About Me
Northwood, IA
Location
33.8
BMI
Surgery
12/04/2006
Surgery Date
Mar 09, 2004
Member Since
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
Me before... wow, was that me
328lbs
Below goal and feeling fantastic!
133lbs
