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Topic: RE: Where is everyone?
Good to hear from you Denise, glad things are going well with you. I struggle daily with making the right choices too. Sometimes I slip and have something that I should not, but I know it and try to make up for it by doing a little extra activity. I do not want to fall back to my problem with thinking of food as a reward and not having it, as a punishment. If I am really craving chocolate, I have a bite...but guess what, I am now satisfied with that bite...whereas before, I would have eaten the whole bag, bar or more.
I would like to lose 17 more pounds and know I will get there, especially now that I just had my tummy tuck. I am looking forward to going back to the gym...which I have steadily been paying for while I could not exercise due to the back pain from the hanging skin and rashes. My health is great and I have never felt this good in my life. The most dissapointing thing that I have had to face is that it is so easy to snack and will continue to be something I will have to watch. This is the best thing I have ever done for myself and future is bright...cause I am gonna maintain myself this way...life is good.
Have a Merry Christmas and a truely wonderful New Year (and new baby...congrats, btw),
Dorothy
Topic: RE: Down side of my Bypass--WOMEN ONLY PLEASE
I ALSO STAY EXTREMELY CONTIPATED, AND BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE, I HAD TO HAVE AN ANAL FISSURE 01-2005. (WHICH IS EXTREMELY PAINFUL). MY COLORECTAL DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT ALOT OF GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENTS DO SUFFER FROM THIS AND HE TOLD ME TO EAT ALOT OF FIBER, NO BREADS & CHEESE (BECAUSE IT HAS THE TENDENCY TO BACK YOU UP. ALSO HE PRESCRIBED GLYCOLAX- WHICH IS A TASTLESS POWDER LAXITIVE THAT YOU STIR YOUR WATER, TEA, JUICE, SODA, OR COFFEE. I HAVE TO TAKE THAT EVERY DAY. HE ALSO PRESCRIBED ME DOCUSATE SOD 100MG, I HAVE TO TAKE 2 CAPSULES 2X A DAY AND I ALSO TAKE A FIBER SUPPLIMENT FROM THE HEALTH FOOD STORE, IT'S CALLED PSYLLIUM HUSK POWDER & COLON CLEANSE. (THE DOCTOR EXPLAINED TO ME THAT LAXITIVES IS MORE OF A TEMPORARY SOLUTION BUT FIBER CAN HELP THE PROBLEM MORE IF YOU USE IT RIGHT, MEANING FIBER CAN ALSO CONSTIPATE YOU TOO IF YOU DON'T DRINK ENOUGH WATER) AFTER ALL OF THIS I STILL GET CONSTIPATED EVERY NOW AND THEN, BUT MY BEHIND JUST DON'T TEAR, BLEED AND HURT THE WAY IT USE TO. THE DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT IF IT STARTS BACK UP, THAN HE WOULD DO A COLONOSCOPY ON ME. MY GASTRIC BYPASS WAS PERFORMED ON 2-23-04. QIYAWNA
Topic: Where is everyone?
It's Friday night - I'm home...too darn cold to leave the house today. It snowed early this morning. 8 inches in central PA - pretty good for early December.
So many "regulars" to the Feb. 2004 SURGERY board have been absent. I hope everyone is ok. Where is Mary? Where is Lee? Where is Joanne? What happened to everyone? We heard from Nick recently...what about Windy Pat?
Yes, it's tough to keep the momentum going...when we seem to be in maintenance mode...I, for one - still struggle daily with food and weight. I'm pregnant, so I treat it like a "get out of jail free" card. I know, I know...wrong attitude, Denise.
With our 2 year surgery anniversary coming, how do you feel with where you are...all things considered? How do you keep the motivation going? How are you looking at yourself differently? What has been the most surprising? THe most disappointing? How is your health? Your outlook on the future?
I hope you are all well. I check daily...not so much posting...but checking in.
Warmly,
Denise
Topic: RE: Transformation of the Holidays... *sigh*
Nick,
I grew up with food being the "main event" of every get together and holiday season. It was, and still is, turkey and all the fixins at Thanksgiving and ham with all the fixins at Christmas. And don't let all of us get together without everyone bringing something to snack on. It's downright pitiful! But... I try to make the best of it. I can't ask everyone around me to change, so I had to change myself. I still have a little bite of this or that and I'm done.
The only suggestion I can come up with is maybe at Christmas, you could fix the main meat with all the trimmings. When you and your family are finished with your meal, maybe you could divvy up the left overs and fix what I call "home made tv dinners" and put them in the freezer for later. There are all different kinds of plastic containers in all shapes and sizes at the grocery. Just fix them up and label them with what they contain. I think they'll keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
I believe this time of the year is the hardest for us with tiny tummies. Especially when we've grown up with food being the center of every event. Its hard to just up and change something thats ingrained in us.
I wish you and your family a happy holiday season.
Wanda
Topic: RE: Hello
Trish,
So glad to hear you're doing well. Its wonderful that you've lost 7 pounds in the past month. I just know you can reach your goal!
It is nice to be able to move on with our lives as healthier individuals. Most days now, I feel "normal". I didn't realize just how far I've come until my daughter had her Lap RNY two weeks ago. Seeing just how little she eats compared to what I can eat now was an eye opener for me. We have really come a long way!
My Thanksgiving was wonderful. I cooked for my family, my brother and his family and my sister and her family. I loved every minute of it and enjoyed being with everybody! I am truly blessed....
Thanks for the well wishes and I wish you holidays filled with love and happiness also!
Wanda
Topic: RE: Transformation of the Holidays... *sigh*
Nick,
This is so familiar to me more than your know. We are the the "Thanksgiving house" we have everyone and their mother and a few new ones it seems every year. Thats how I do it I have everyone over because I love making it. However it is really hard to see them eat all the stuff before the meal, crackers & cheese, veggies and dip, chips, spinach dip... then to see them eat the actual meal. I won't lie it is almost disgusting to me. It almost hurts just to see them eat so much then eat a full meal and go for seconds no less. ugh
I know this is somewhat evil of me, but instead of all the leftovers, I make sure everyone goes home with a care package, and if they try to leave with out it then I will chase them down. I let it be their problem 
I do have the guilt of throwing out what ever is left over or any food for that matter after ward. Its the same feeling of not cleaning your plate. Especially if you grew up poor like we did that was the biggest sin.
There is no real solution to me, it seems like you did the right thing!
Amy
I do have the guilt of throwing out what ever is left over or any food for that matter after ward. Its the same feeling of not cleaning your plate. Especially if you grew up poor like we did that was the biggest sin.
There is no real solution to me, it seems like you did the right thing!
Amy Topic: RE: As the hunger returns...
Oh Amy,
I just got done reading your profile, and I will tell you it hit home more than you know. I also had very similar complications to yours as my blood went septic and I was in a coma for 5 weeks. Basically my stomach filled up with fluid and ruptured shutting down all of my organs. You can read my profile for all the gory details but that is not the reason I am responding to you.
I just recently had my hernia repair and they did remove some skin, and it went really well. As I was reading your profile, I completley understand your phobia's. Boy did I have them, but I faced so many fears and you know what, I am really ok! Even though I know I shoudn't be here today, and I feel incredible guilt on why I was able to stay and others had to go during that time, I am still very supportive of this surgery. People don't understand why, and it is really hard to explain the lesser of 2 evils.
I just live! I live for today, I live for my family and I live because I got a second chance whether I deserve it or not. I am going to try and not screw it up I really do stop and smell every rose (literally and it really irritates people) I look even deeper into others eyes and you can see so much when you do that. I listen to peoples stories a little longer, and I hug a little tighter and I could just go on, but I think you know how I feel. No I wasn't an evil person before that never appreciated anything, it is just on such a different level now.
As far as the eating goes, you are not alone. Truthfully, I was never great at the protein shake thing, and there remained a little bit of a rebel in me, so I get my protein from food. I still to this day eat proteins first and then bites of the rest. This surgery is almost like Pavlovs conditioning. I am not perfect, I have bad days. I constantly fight with the snacking, because crackers go down real easy and seem to settle my stomach and yes, I can tolerate sugar (darn it!) I just really try to stay away from it, truthfully I don't always do that. But all in all, my eatings habits have still drastically changed and for the most part I don't eat the way I used to.
Be proud of the good days you have, fix the bad ones and make them better! Thank you for posting, I hope this finds you well, and I wish you even more success in the future!
Amy (Thats right I am an Amy too )
I really do stop and smell every rose (literally and it really irritates people) I look even deeper into others eyes and you can see so much when you do that. I listen to peoples stories a little longer, and I hug a little tighter and I could just go on, but I think you know how I feel. No I wasn't an evil person before that never appreciated anything, it is just on such a different level now.
As far as the eating goes, you are not alone. Truthfully, I was never great at the protein shake thing, and there remained a little bit of a rebel in me, so I get my protein from food. I still to this day eat proteins first and then bites of the rest. This surgery is almost like Pavlovs conditioning. I am not perfect, I have bad days. I constantly fight with the snacking, because crackers go down real easy and seem to settle my stomach and yes, I can tolerate sugar (darn it!) I just really try to stay away from it, truthfully I don't always do that. But all in all, my eatings habits have still drastically changed and for the most part I don't eat the way I used to.
Be proud of the good days you have, fix the bad ones and make them better! Thank you for posting, I hope this finds you well, and I wish you even more success in the future!
Amy (Thats right I am an Amy too ) 
Topic: Transformation of the Holidays... *sigh*
I'm having a real hard time this year with the holidays...
Like many of "us", but definitely not all, the "holidays" for my family were always about the "big meal", not even about getting together with the family that we WEREN'T fighting with at the time (LOL)...
I have sat down with this enough that I realize that I need to somehow shift this paradigm into something new, but am finding it really really hard to do.
We spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my wife's aunt (which is the only close family she has left on her mother's side), so it wasn't so bad -- I wasn't the one doing the cooking, per se.. I helped, but she "was driving" so to speak.
Two weeks before, I decided I wanted to do our own Thanksgiving here (wife (also RNY GB 8/03), daughter & myself), so I picked up a small (12 #) smoked turkey at a local store that was reasonably priced, and cooked it.. well, okay, heated it up I was thinking about what to have with it, then I realized that we wouldn't even have room for all the turkey, much less any of the sides... So basically, I said to myself "what's the point.." and didn't bother making anything else (stuffing, etc) up..
We ended up putting one of the breasts, both legs in the freezer, used the carcass for soup during the week and still with only the one breast, had leftovers for a few days..
Where I'm going with this, is that it didn't even feel like the holidays without the meal, and the thought of going through any holiday 'at home' without the 'holiday meal' just makes me downright depressed 
The other reason I didn't bother making the sides is that it would really bug me if I made all the stuff, then it ended up being tossed because we didn't or couldn't eat it before it hit the "eat by or else" date (lol, varies based on what it is, but I definitely pitch anything that's been in the fridge a week).
Overall, I know I have to get over this somehow; either get used to throwing food out that could be used by the starving kids in Ethiopia (did your moms use that line on you too?) or come up with some other way to deal with it.. but for the life of me right now, short of going away every holiday, I can't "see the forest for the trees" and come up with any solution at the moment...
Any of this sound familiar to anyone?
I was thinking about what to have with it, then I realized that we wouldn't even have room for all the turkey, much less any of the sides... So basically, I said to myself "what's the point.." and didn't bother making anything else (stuffing, etc) up..
We ended up putting one of the breasts, both legs in the freezer, used the carcass for soup during the week and still with only the one breast, had leftovers for a few days..
Where I'm going with this, is that it didn't even feel like the holidays without the meal, and the thought of going through any holiday 'at home' without the 'holiday meal' just makes me downright depressed
The other reason I didn't bother making the sides is that it would really bug me if I made all the stuff, then it ended up being tossed because we didn't or couldn't eat it before it hit the "eat by or else" date (lol, varies based on what it is, but I definitely pitch anything that's been in the fridge a week).
Overall, I know I have to get over this somehow; either get used to throwing food out that could be used by the starving kids in Ethiopia (did your moms use that line on you too?) or come up with some other way to deal with it.. but for the life of me right now, short of going away every holiday, I can't "see the forest for the trees" and come up with any solution at the moment...
Any of this sound familiar to anyone? 
Topic: Hello
Hello Everyone,
How are you all doing? How was your Thanksgiving? I personally had a wonderful day and ate but didn't over do it.It was hard to be surrounded by so much good food and deserts and not over indulge but I did it.
I am working out regularly now and feeling much better. I am also running 3x's a week.I have dropped 7lbs this month and can't be happier about that. I have only 23lbs more till I reach my goal weight.Wish me luck my target date is my two year anniversary.
You know life has changed so much since my surgery.I have made new friends and most people have no clue I weighted 340lbs, but I will never forget.Although my wls isn't my main focus in my life anymore, I try everyday to remember what life was like before and a before photo on the fridge helps me make some better choices.
I hope all is well with everyone and that your Holidays are filled with love and happiness.
Take care, Trish
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