I Made It To Goal and other minutia...

Here's how I made it to goal.... I changed the damned goal. For the last 6 months, I've been fighting to get to 150 pounds. I lose a few, I gain a few. I get within a few pounds and back up I go. I've lost and gained the same 2 or 3 pounds at least 20 times. So today I took stock of the situation. I would be wearing an 8 if the darned tummy skin wasn't so abundant. My size goal was an 8. My body fat is reasonably low thanks to all the workouts. I'm done. I changed my goal to 160 pounds so now I'm under. So there! So I gave Eharmony a shot becuse obviously my man-picker is broke. Eharmony is to Connie what the Soup Nazi is to Elaine on Seinfeld. "No dates for you!" I've belonged to this service for 3 months now and there has not been a single date as a result. I've had other dates, but none as a result of paying mass quantities of money to someone who is supposed to match me on 29 points of compatibility as promised by Neal Clark Warren, founder of eharmony. Everytime I go in to look for a match, I this message: Our matching system was not able to find any new matches for you right now. Nooooooo, I'm not taking it personally. And the battle of the colon continues. My body steadfastly clings to every morsel that passes my lips. Even drinking magnesium citrate, the dreaded potion that we all drank to cleanse us before surgery, has no effect. Last night I declared war on my colon. I assaulted it with Metamucile wafers, Colace and finally 3 glycerine suppositories. Finally! After 4 days of feeling like someone has poured cement into my intestines I'm purged. My reward? A weight gain of a pound and a half. OK,ok... probably too much information. I just want to tell you that when people ask me if I have goals, it takes every fiber of my being not to reply, "I'd just like to crap. Thanks for asking." Hugs to you all, Connie

Well, it's 4:00 in the morning and there's nothing better I'd like to discuss right now than crap... Seriously, are you working with your PCP and/or surgeon on this problem? Did you talk to your PCP about getting a script for Glycolax? You're not talking assault here, girlfriend, what you've described is colon annilation. What are these so-called professional medical experts doing to help you with a problem that continues and that has already had you in the hopsital once? I'd be right there with you were it not for the fact that I take a Colace every a.m. and mix Metamucil fiber gunk into my protein shake once a day. Just stopped the Glycolax and I already feel the difference. Do what you have to do to get this under control and feel better, let alone forstall any major medical complications later on. And forget about eHarmony! Tell us what you're looking for in a mate! Really, Connie, describe your ideal partner and I'll just bet one of us knows an eligible bachelor who would jump at the chance to meet you! Hey, everyone, are you going through what Connie describes in terms of losing and regaining the same 3 or 4 pounds constantly? This has been my pattern for the past few months as well. It's driving me nuts and there's no rhyme or reason to it; the morning after I've had a bad eating day, the scale says I've lost 2 lbs.; the morning after I've had a great, healthy eating day, I've gained those 2 lbs. back again. What about the rest of you? Love you guys, MauREENIE

Hi Connie, I agree with Maureenie, you should be talking to your PCP about this problem. I do suffer from the constipation problem as well, but, not to the extent that you do. & yes Maureen I fight that same 3 lbs all the damn time it seems. I have gone back to the gym & also back to the protein shakes & that seems to be keeping it from coming back on. At least right now. I am still not below that #200 yet, but, I am leaving it in God's hands at this point & just not worrying about it as much as before. Since I did that it seems to be working & going in the right direction. Connie, I do like talking about crap as well, but, really make sure you work with your Doc on this, I don't think you want to wind up back in the hospital, & if your taking all that stuff to clean up your system, you could also be damaging your pouch in the process. Be careful. O.K. Take Care, Marilyn, the Bearlady

Hey Connie; I'm delighted to hear from you although I wish that I had some magical elixer for that damn colon of yours. I agree with the others that you really need to conquer this issue before it lays you low. If your doctors don't have the answer, it's time to get other opinions. This is not something to fool with. We all seem to have some colon issues, but yours are over the top! I'm worried about you!! I can completely sympathize with the bouncing 2 or 3 pounds!! I'm there too dearie. I've made it pretty much totally under the 200 lb. mark (providing I'm playing nudist which means I'm always just over 200 at the doctor's office.....GRUMP!!). I had hoped to get down around 180, but I'm beginning to think that it's not about to happen. I could probably get there if I strictly followed every rule in the book. I've decided that I've gotten to a food intake and exercise output that is realistic long-term for me. If I can maintain my weight with the SINS that I'm commiting now, I can remain reasonably healthy and somewhat happy for the forseeable future. I can accept this and know that I'll lose a few more pounds if I ever get to the TT stage. Maybe I'll reach a point where I can make more progress, but I've decided that if I don't, I'm at a workable place now and am not going to make myself crazy over that last 20 lbs. I wish I knew what to say about the dating issue. I've been married for so long now that dating is something I watch my kids do. I just find it beyond comprehension that someone like you has so much trouble finding someone worth your time. To use baseball terminology, you are a "5 Tool Player" You are extremely intelligent; you have a wonderful way with words; You have an incredible sense of humor; You have a passion for life; and as if that weren't enough, You are a fine-looking woman. I don't get it. All I can say is don't lose heart.....Your luck is bound to change!! Mike

connie, good move on the goal change. Makes sense to me!! Re the constipation...you probably have tried this..but I take 2 fish oil caps a day. Works great. Just thought I'd pass that info on, in case you weren't already aware of it. Plus fish oil is great for your heart. An added bonus.

Oh I'm right there with ya on the goal, sister! I had that "magic number" goal of 150 also, but here I am 189.5 (woohoo - made it under 190!) and realizing that I'm not going to focus on that anymore. Everyone I talk to assures me that I don't look close to weighing 190, and they can't believe I wore a size 16 (I think I'm finally edging down to 14's and only have a couple pairs of 16's that fit right left). So my friend, who is brutally honest and has battled her own weight, told me that by looking at me and knowing size/weight ratios as she does, she would think that I weighed 150. Good enough for me. I'm done too then! Seriously though, I will continue to try to lose more, and I know after plastics it will lop off another 10 lbs or so (if I do the legs, belly and boobs), so I'll be happy to get to 165. That's just around 15 lbs away. Incredible! As for your crapping problem, I have the solution for you. You need to drink more coffee. Drink LOTS of it and often. And if that don't work, you can have a coffee enema. Janet Jackson swears by them. That ought to put a spark in your colon and wake it up. Whenever I start to feel plugged up, I just load up on coffee. And ya gotta eat something. Never fails. I eat something and have a cup of coffee (or 10) and I'm spending some quality time in el bano. I dunno about you, but I'd rather drink a pot of coffee than shove a plastic bullet up my bum. Seriously though - I hope you find the answer to your problem. I know you probably already tried everything you can think of. Hopefully someone will point you in the right direction for resolution. Dina

Is nothing sacred? OK time for my comments! Connie your awesome. I've said it before I'll say it again I live to read your postings! I will admit that now before I start to read if I notice that you've got a posting then I get a towel to sit on. I'm thinking of investing in a box of depends or maybe the toddler super obsorpent pampers. A maxine pad just wouldn't work. You just make the things that we are going through sound so hysterical. I'm telling you if the "others" were to read these even if they didn't need the surgery they'd sign on just so that they could be one of us! I have a reverse of your problem. I will go about 2 to 3 times a day. Rarely do I miss a day. I'm not complaining I think thats why I get away with eating more than what it seems like others who've had the surgery eat. I'm regular. I'm so regular its almost like clock work. Of course now that I've gone on about that for sure I'll be stopped up as bad as my tub is with my daughters long hair. Dynamite can't get that thing to unclog. It seems to go with my gas issue that is terrorizing my house, car, and office. This morning I got into the office at 7am. I don't have to be there until 8:30 but I had alot of meetings and customers to see and I wanted to be prepared so I went in early. NO one is there until after 8. Its so quiet in at that time I get alot done. That was good but I was having my gas issue. What the heck I figured it would go away by the time they arrived. Well it didn't. The office is small it has 10 tiny cubicles. We are sales people who are usually out on the road all during the daytime there is just a small amount of in house employees. I turned the fans on I was spraying lysol I even turned on the coffee but nothing was making that nasty smell disapear. I was getting terrified and the time when people would show up was getting closer and closer. When the first one came in right away I made a comment that something nasty was in one of the garbage cans. It really can be a problem. Its one thing to laugh about it and joke about it but there are times where I really do not have any control over it. Seriously it just happens! So far I've been lucky and no one has been able to pin it on me but that luck is going to fail one of these days. Its not like I eat things that contribute to it. I don't eat spice never have. It just happens. I also have the fight with the 2 to 3 pounds. seems like to be after reading these postings WE are all on the same wave length! Each time I think I'm the only one no one else has the same problems as me I read something here that says HEY your not alone! I've been fighting those pounds for 8 months now. I want to be 150 but its just not happening. I flip between 157 to 159. I love the idea that you have changed your goals! Sign me up! Right now I'm changing mine too! As for men/relationships I don't have any answers. When I was heavy I use to get more dates with losers that didn't last. Now I've got a boyfriend for alittle over 3 years who's a great guy but its just not working. I dread the thought of being out there again. I want someone in my life who has the same dreams, plans, ideas as I do or at least close enough, oH what the heck alive and breathing would be nice!

Have you tried sugar free chocolate? That stuff tastes pretty darned good, and is loaded with sugar alcohols. The sugar alcohols don't trigger dumping for me, but they act like colon dynamite! Might as well use the "side effects" to good advantage! Joy

The morning coffee works for me. I am like Pam, I tend to be opposite and not "stopped" up. I also have a probelm with a few pounds. I run from 155-158. I decided a long time back that if I stayed under 160 I would leave things alone. I am in size 10 but also feel if I got rid of the excess skin in my stomach and midrib areas, I would be in a 6 or 8. Everyone says I look smaller than a 10. And me, I say "thank you" and smile. I also still have a tendency to not believe the skinny person is me.