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Hey Everyone,
My name is Lara, I just turned 40 in November, I am from California, and I had the gastric bypass surgery in San Diego 10 years ago this month. I was 230 at my height but I am only 5 ft 3.5 so that was huge for me. My husband and I met (craigslist is awesome!!) in January and he actually was worried and tried to talk me out of it, I had the surgery in February right after we met. We got married pretty quickly (try 4 months) in May after we met because he is Danish and would have had to leave the US.
I had a hard time after the surgery for quite some time but the weight came off fast and that made me so happy. I often threw up water but the surgery was one of the best things I had ever done for myself. Finally I felt full like a normal person because before the surgery I was a bottomless pit and was never satiated. I married my husband on the 4th of May and that was also pretty much the best decision I have ever made. He is a good good man and has never made any demands one way or the other as far as my weight was concerned. Pure unconditional love!! 10 years this May and still going strong!!
So, about a little less than a year after the surgery I decided that I wanted babies really badly. I knew it could screw up everything but my clock was ticking so I went for it. Our first marriage was in Vegas with Elvis and our second marriage was in Greece the same day a year later. I had my dress custom made and it was so beautiful. I was 2 months pregnant the second time we got married. I never reached my goal of 125 before I got pregnant.
So, 3 children later and going up and down in weight, I am now about 20 pounds from normal weight and 35 lbs from my goal. I would love to have 15 pounds to play with so that I will NEVER be considered overweight again. This is the last time I am going to have to lose this much weight. I didn't pay more than 20,000 dollars to gain all my weight back. About a year ago I gave up my biggest weakness which was bread and anything with gluten in it. I have been slowly losing from the moment of making that decision. I now see gluten as poison. This was also a very good decision because I am addicted, and cannot use moderation where bread and pasta are concerned and it makes me super tired. Taking gluten away has taken all processed foods, most sauces, cookies, pasta, bread, cakes out of my diet. It was a huuuge step but I do not really miss it now that it is gone. I have been re teaching myself how to love veggies and healthy foods ever since. Now when I crave something to eat, it is only healthy stuff.
So, joining mfp has been really exciting to me because unlike every other diet I have been on, this time I am sure I will succeed because I no longer eat crappy food. Maintenance will be no problem, the problem will be getting it off because I am now 40 and it is not easy as you get older. Actually it has never been easy for me and this is the one battle I have never been able to win. I am completely ready to win it now. I want so desperately to be happy in my own body and to not wish I was in someone elses. Now I am exercising like I have never done before. The inches are melting away but the pounds are a different story but I am in it for the long haul. Really looking forward to being proud to be me. I am a classically trained singer so it is really important that I feel good about myself and my body while performing.
Here's to being 40 and fab instead of 40 and flab!!0 -
Oh and I admire you all for taking your health into your hands. If you are pre surgery think very seriously about removing your biggest weakness be it sugar or bread or whatever it is, right after your surgery. Never touch it again. You can gain your weight back and as you see here, a lot of people do because they go back to the way they ate before. Change your brain when it is possible to do so and not after you put all the crappy food back into your diets and get addicted all over again. Do it while you are not craving anything after your surgery. Then it will be easier to give it up. Otherwise it is super hard. Hang in there, it is not an easy road to take but a very important one. I am very happy I did it!! You can't put a price on feeling like a normal person.0
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Hi! I am 28 yrs old. I had the RNY on 1/16/12. I am amazed at how easy my recovery was. It was nothing compared to my gallbladder surgery lat year. I am just about a month out, and am enjoying soft food. I lost about 18lbs before surgery and since surgery I've lost almost 15lbs. I got back to work on Monday. I am a respiratory therapist and I work 12 hr shifts so it should be interesting making sure I'm getting all my water and protein in when I am working. I look forward to getting to know you all.0
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Hi! My name is Debbie and I have enjoyed reading a lot of the posts here. I am wanting to get the bypass surgery, I have about 150 pounds or so to lose, but my problem right now is I am disabled so exercise isn't a very good option just yet (I do what I can, when I can), I have started all of the meetings and stuff they make you do before and I have at least another 4 1/2 months to wait. My surgeon and I decided that lap band isn't really going to work for me as I now (for many months now) don't eat nearly enough - I have no appetite and when I do, I find I ignore it a lot and I don't eat very much at a time so my metabolism is way out of whack!! But now the insurance company says they will only cover the lap band. Does anyone know if there is any way around this? My BMI is almost 50 so I need to do something soon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated please!0
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First of all, with your issues, you should look into the Duodenal Switch as it's more powerful than RnY and the malabsorption doesn't fade away like it does with bypass. (If your surgeon doesn't do it, he won't tell you about it and may even give out misinformation about it. The best place to research it is: www.dsfacts.com.)
As for insurance, if you can get them to approve you for one WLS type, you can usually get them to give you the one you want but you have to be willing to fight hard for it. Your state may have a department whose job it is to make the insurance companies play fair too and they can help you.
What does their bariatric policy say? That's a good starting place.0 -
Hello WLS Group,
Last year I was scheduled for Lap Band and I dropped 40 Lbs. using MFP so I decided to put it on hold well I gained back 15 lbs. I have decided to do Gastric Bypass to help me kick start it . My surgery is scheduled March 7 at Magee UPMC in Pittsburgh. Of course I'm excited and nervous. I'm looking for suport and maybe some ideals to help with the liquid diet and what to do . Best Protien drink? What kind of multivitamin? I see the nutritionalist on Feb 15. Any suggestions welcome thanks.I am 352 I was as high as 377 I would love to be 180. Thanks again Toothfairyy
Congrats Toothfairyy on making a decision to be all you can be for you and your family!! I will be praying for an unevental surgery next month!! I am so happy for you and cheers to a new beginning for you!:drinker:0 -
Surgery date is coming I,m happy yet nervous. March 7 is my date. I,m so scared of dissapointing myself and others . what if I dont loose enough? what if I gain it and more back? what if I cant figure out what I', to eat on the liquid diet? I know relax it will be ok .
thanks0 -
Surgery date is coming I,m happy yet nervous. March 7 is my date. I,m so scared of dissapointing myself and others . what if I dont loose enough? what if I gain it and more back? what if I cant figure out what I', to eat on the liquid diet? I know relax it will be ok .
thanks
The most important thing to remember is: YOU are in charge...not your appetite or the things that have led you to where you are today weight-wise. So, get that mind whipped into shape and let the body know who is in charge. Start with this:
1. Instead of: "I,m so scared of dissapointing myself and others" change your thinking to: "I'm so excited about this new journey and the new body that I am going to have. I am going to be my own best friend and others will look at me as their inspiration"
2. Instead of: "what if I dont loose enough? what if I gain it and more back?" Change your thinking to: I'm going to lose all the weight my doctor and I have determined I need to lose in order to hit my goal weight. I will, along the way: learn to cook good foods for myself; only have healthy foods in my home; eat all things in moderation; respect the second chance I've been given at having a healthy body and normal weight; make lifestyle changes relative to eating and exercise that will help me maintain my weight loss; stay in contact with my doctor and do what he/she and the nutritionist say. With this plan in mind, I WILL be a huge success.
3. As for the liquid diet, it's just for a short time. I hated it and almost starved the three weeks I was on it, but damnit, I'd do it all over again to be the person I am today.
In my heart, I can tell you want this and though I don't know you, I understand where you are mentally with this issue---you're at a point where surgery seems like the last resort and you're ready to do it to be a better you. I've been there, done that, would make the same decision again and wish you the best! YOU can do this!0 -
Just found this Group. I had lap band surgery in August 2011 and am currently down 67# (mfp says 65 but is off by 2#). It has been a very eye opening 6 months and I still believe it has been the best decision I have ever made. I am a 47 yr old mom of 3 (27, 22, and 19). My starting weight was 380#. My goal weight is 165. I know i can do this now that I have this tool.
I have the greatest Surgeon, Dr. McDonald at Baptist Metabolic Surgery Center in Nashville, TN. I look forward to learning from all of you.0 -
Just found this Group. I had lap band surgery in August 2011 and am currently down 67# (mfp says 65 but is off by 2#). It has been a very eye opening 6 months and I still believe it has been the best decision I have ever made. I am a 47 yr old mom of 3 (27, 22, and 19). My starting weight was 380#. My goal weight is 165. I know i can do this now that I have this tool.
I have the greatest Surgeon, Dr. McDonald at Baptist Metabolic Surgery Center in Nashville, TN. I look forward to learning from all of you.
Welcome! You are well on your way to your goal. You have come to the right place for support. My lap band surgery was June 2009. It"s been a long road but the journey has been well worth it.0 -
Hi Everyone- I just started using My Fitness Pal 3 days ago and I really like it. My WLS story is that I had gastric bypass 3/17/2008. It took me along time to decide to have the surgery. My older sister, her husband and daughter had the surgery 5 yrs before me and and all three of them have gained back most of their weight. I figured if I was going to have WLS then I wanted to keep the weight off forever. I took about a year to get my head in the right place and thoroughly investigate the doctors in my area that were performing the surgery. The biggest thing I learned during that year was that WLS is not a quick fix. If you go back to your old patterns of eating, you will gain your weight back.
I started at 250 lbs and made my goal of 150 lbs 8 months later. After that I went down to my lowest weight of 140 (with help from a bad bought of H1N1 flu!) and although I loved being down to a size 8, I didn't like how sunken my face looked or how everyone was so concerned that I was losing to much weight. Over the next yr I came back up to my goal weight of 150 and held that weight (+/- 5 lbs) for a couple of years. Over the last 8 months my weight has crept up to 165 and I know I have to get a handle on this before it gets out of control.
My favorite thing about MFP app is that it motivates me to exercise and to lay off the snacks. It was really eye opening to see that on my first day I logged over 700 cals in snacks!!! It's also great to see the impact of pushing myself to exercise more has on my daily calorie count. I'm looking to connect with others who have had WLS so that we can help motivate each other.0 -
My name is Carly and I had surgery in 2004. Old timer, I know, lol. I was 300, lost down to 175 and have had re-gain up to 250. I am now at 225 and losing again. Back to basics, Low carbs, high protein and exercise.0
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Hi all:
My name is Leslie and I will be 34 yrs old on Sat. I had gastric bypass on June 1, 2010 and have has no complications, but nothing has been handed to me. I weighed 216 at surgery and weigh 116 today. I have maintained for months now, which I am proud of. I am very short 4'11" and my surgeon says it is actually safe for me to weigh as little as 95 lbs (not that he says I have to). I really don't care about that number. It's my waist measurement that is disturbing. You "apples" know what I mean. I can't get rid of the belly. My waist measures 32' still! I really need to work on that for health reasons. This is not a bikini contest for me. I am diabetic but manage it beautifully and take nothing except Lantus every other day now. I will never be able to stop taking the insulin (I don't produce any) but I can live with that. I 've never joined any support groups or really shared anything til now. Guess I am willing to try anything once. The sad part is that I have too eat VERY little (less than 700 cal/day) and consume less than 35 g of carb/day in order to lose. It is so difficult. Guess that's why I stopped at 100 lbs. I needed a break! I am a talker (in case you can't tell)
so sorry so long here! Thanks for reading and for the support in advance! Happy Mardi Gras!
Leslie
"I may walk slowly but I never walk backwards" - Abe Lincoln0 -
There's nothing wrong with taking a break!
For the waist, I think it just means losing more weight, unfortunately. Exercise will help though because you'll be able to eat more calories and so it won't be as drastic. Also, if you concentrate on building muscle instead of losing, eventually you'll lose some fat too.0 -
Leslie, it sounds like you have been very successful! I agree there is nothing wrong with a break sometimes. I can't even imagine having a 32 inch waist. I think mine was that size when I was 12.
It does sound like maybe exercise and toning is what you need to focus on, more than actual weight loss. (definitely coming from a "do as I say, not as I do" perspective, lol).
Good luck!0 -
Thanks ladies for your replies.I agee that it is time for some strength training and just a different aproach altogether. Going to take the next couple of days to get a new workout routine together and see where that goes. I have read some of the other threads and I have to say it sounds like everyone has at least one major hurdle facing them. It means alot that, despite the business of your lives, you've taken the time for me and others in the group. Many thanks!!!! I will be awol til next week while I celebrate my birthday this weekend. Hope you have a great weekend!0
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Hi
My name is Maxine and I had a gastric bypass 5 years ago. I have lost 13stone (182lbs) and have managed to keep it off but have stopped short of that elusive 25 BMI. I would love to lose another 20lbs so I am taking the bull by the horns and really going to try and eat a balance diet that I can maintain.
I have planned my meals a few days in advance so that I don't have to think about what to eat and I will see how it goes
wish me luck0 -
hello everyone! I am very new to this site, as well as the idea of mtg friends this way.
I recently had surgery (sleeve on 2/7/12) and am fascinated to know how others are doing on their journey.
my friends & family have been very supportive but I really think those of us who have gone thru similar experiences share a special bond. I originally had the surgery to address some other health problems, but now find myself really hopeful that I might actually lose weight and gain a whole life again. although I work full time and have a wonderful social network, I find myself feeling isolated, emotionally.
I look forward to getting to know others so that we can support each other along the way.0 -
Hi! I had my sleeve 3.5 years ago. Sometimes I can't remember what it was like to be newly out from surgery but I keep a blog so if you want to see what sorts of things you might go through, feel free to check it out.
Fatty Fights Back0 -
HI,
My name is Michelle. I had RNY on February 20th. Doing great just 2 weeks post op. Eating my mushy proteins, back at the gym, back at work. I started my journey at almost 280 lbs. I lost 15 pounds pre-surgery and almost 17 since. I've battled my weight my entire life. I've lost 1000 pounds over the years. I've gained more than that. I expect this to be the LAST time I have to lose a significant amount of weight. I want to learn what makes those who keep the weight off successful. I am here to learn.0
