June Board Survey & Update

Deb, These are some really good questions! Are you happy with your weight loss so far? YES If no, why? Have you learned to embrace your changing body and accept it where it is? Hmmm.... I am working on this. I was shocked to see my reflection in jC Pennys full length mirror...and it started kinda sinking in. Maybe I just need to go back to Pennys every day. With my luck, I wouldn't see the same thing next time. I hate the way i look naked. I'm excited about getting my arms and breasts done, but depressed that i will have to wait a long time before doing the lower body. I don't want to be a bikini babe - but when i look down and all this skin sagging and wrinkling - I feel just like i did before. Have you had any major (or minor) struggles with your old eating habits? The only struggle I have with the old ways is chocolate. I don't eat a lot of it and certainly no where NEAR what i use to eat.... but I find myself having a square of dark chocolate here and there... or a chocolate covered pretzel rod....or chocolate covered nuts. Granted, I can only eat one square or 5 nuts or one pretzel rod. If I did any more than that I would dump. I find myself rationalizing that I need to eat more anyway...so why not...I'm still losing.... I'm trying to turn to fruit now. But I'm gonna have to keep working on this one. I had a banana two days in a row and it gave me the most HORRIBLE gas ever- HORRIBLE!! It seems that I can eat anything low carb, high protein and not have any gas - or at least gas with no smell - but if I eat higher carb foods, watch OUT! Are you exercising regularily? Ehhhh.... If yes, what are you doing? I walk alot and go to the gym sometimes If no, are you planning on starting a program? I need to get more faithful with going to the gym and doing more cardio and weight training. How has this surgery and weightloss affected your relationships with friends, family, co-workers? Yes. It's very odd and awkward at times. It seems like people treated me differently before and after. This might seem crazy - but it seems like before people treated me with either pity or disgust. A lot of the people i worked with i think treated me with pity. Like because i was a large older looking woman, who was obviously weak, they felt the need to be more protective over me and sort of pitied me. Now, it seems like they see me as a stonger person who doesn't need pity and they are harder on me, expect more out of me and are less protective. It's strange. Hard to describe. Some people suddenly seem angry or disgusted with me (people who didn't act that way before)....it's almost like I have become the "skinny *****" that people hate just because i'm thin. Then, there are people who are inspired and happy for me....and the peope who never really spoke to me before who speak to me now. AND the members of the opposite sex that suddeny realized that I am a member of the opposite sex! Keep your chin up Deb. You are doing great! Pam

Are you happy with your weight loss so far? If no, why? Yes, I am a slower loser and sometimes wi**** was coming off quicker, but I am thrilled with my results Have you learned to embrace your changing body and accept it where it is? I am trying to but it is hard. I have been big all my life. But WLS I was bigger but solid, not I am smaller and squishy. Have you had any major (or minor) struggles with your old eating habits? If yes, what are they and how are you trying to change them? Yes, the urge to run to food when I am stressed or upset pops up every now and then. I try to focus on something else, but would be lying if I said I never gave in. Are you exercising regularily? Yes and no. I start a routine, do it for a few weeks, then stop because I am busy with work and school. Then I start back up again, then stop, then start. If yes, what are you doing? walking, plan to go back to swimming now that the weather is getting nicer If no, are you planning on starting a program? How has this surgery and weightloss affected your relationships with friends, family, co-workers? Yes, a friend and family member have had surgery after seeing how well I did.

Thanks for asking the questions. Are you happy with your weight loss so far? Yes. I'm on track to goal of 210 by Dec 3 2006. Have you learned to embrace your changing body and accept it where it is? I think so. I am very pleased with my new look and feel but I am constantly aware that my digestive system has been "customized." Some sense of loss over the permanent changes that sometime feels like an amputation. Have you had any major (or minor) struggles with your old eating habits? If yes, what are they and how are you trying to change them? At six months out started to get cravings. Took this as a mental urge to DO SOMETHING! And kept my list of small to-do items handy. Recognized that I have eating issues when I am angry and learned to avoid eating at all when I feel that way. Calm down first. Are you exercising regularly? Yes, until I started getting ready to move downstate. If yes, what are you doing? Personal trainer twice a week or 3-4 sessions of cardio a week on my own How has this surgery and weight loss affected your relationships with friends, family, co-workers? All for the better. More respect and admiration. I do notice my younger brother is gaining weight fast and may end up at my original weight soon. Sometimes I want to slap him upside the head and tell him to get it under control RIGHT NOW. Can't say a word because I know I couldn't do it without help. Have a great day, Rich

Debra~ This is a great post!!! Are you happy with your weight loss so far? If no, why? ~This is a hard one for me to answer right now. I am thrilled with my 124 lb. weight loss since June. But, I am soooo frustrated that I am not losing faster and can't seem to break into the 100's. I'm still at 206. I think I feel like a failure since I'm not there yet and I truly believed that I would be by now. I find myself obsessing about it...trying to force it to happen, but all to no avail. I'm not cheating, I'm staying in the right calorie range, and I'm doing tons of exercise...but, I haven't broken that magical number. I'm trying to get past it, and just relax, but some days it's harder than others. Have you learned to embrace your changing body and accept it where it is? ~Yes, I think so. As I've already written in some other posts, I often have a hard time seeing the reality of my body, but I use pictures to help me with that. I, too, have the sagging skin, etc., even on my forehead! I told my husband that it's a good thing I have bangs, or I might end up like a Sharpei. Have you had any major (or minor) struggles with your old eating habits? If yes, what are they and how are you trying to change them? ~Yes, I still tend to want to eat at night, usually from boredom. Also, I tend to want to fix my feelings or stress with food. I'm trying to replace the eating with exercise. Also, am going to a couple of support groups. Are you exercising regularily? If yes, what are you doing? If no, are you planning on starting a program? ~ Yes, I can truly say that I'm not sure I could be doing much more. I'm playing volleyball once a week, racquetball usually3-4 times a week, walking, using a trampoline, and have just recently tried using some weight machines. I walked 6.2 miles (a 10K) on Friday, 4.5 miles on Sat., and am now looking for a 10K walk to do. How has this surgery and weightloss affected your relationships with friends, family, co-workers? ~I think people are somewhat nicer to me now, especially the administrators. A couple of people are more uncomfortable because now they are larger than me. But for the most part, my friendships and family relationships have been really positive. I would have this surgery again in a heartbeat. It has been the biggest blessing in the world for me. I am diligent about taking me vit., calcium, B-12. I always get in my protein, since I love my protein drink. I can participate in life in such a more active way now than I could have before. When I'm not caught up in the numbers game, I feel very successful. I just need to keep focusing on the positive. Thanks again for this post~ it's great to be reflective on how far we've come! Blessings to you all, Kerri

Are you happy with your weight loss so far? Yes - I never in a million years would have thought that I would reach my goal within a year. At 10 months out, I have lost 160 pounds and am two pounds from goal. Granted, my bowel obstruction and a couple of other issues contributed to that, but my bloodwork is healthy, and I look and feel healthy. Have you learned to embrace your changing body and accept it where it is? Hmmm... I think I am working on this one. Fully clothed, absolutely. I can even live with my tummy and arms in underwear. My thighs though... that's another story. Have you had any major (or minor) struggles with your old eating habits? If yes, what are they and how are you trying to change them? My body cannot automatically reach for comfort foods any longer, and that was a real shock the first time I experienced real stress. It has been surprising to me the number of times I have thought, "Hmm... the old me would be heading to the vending machines for a candy bar right now". I am trying to listen to my body and recognize the signals for what they are... stress, fear, anger, whatever. Are you exercising regularily? If no, are you planning on starting a program? No, I am not exercising regularly yet. I *am* moving more, though. My pedometer usually reads 6500-7500 steps per day on days when I did not do anything special. In the old days, that number would be 3000-4000. I do things now like park in the first open spot I see - regardless of where it is, I always take the stairs, I get up and use the copy machine at work each time I need to rather than build up a pile of things to take over. My employer is starting a 24 week program this week to encourage us to walk 10,000 steps per day. As a matter of fact, I am getting my body composition tested tomorrow, which I am excited about. I think this program is going to motivate me to step up what I have already been doing. How has this surgery and weightloss affected your relationships with friends, family, co-workers? I have a couple of co-workers who don't really look at me anymore, or talk to me much. I understand, though - I was the same way pre-op. Most of my friends have been very supportive and understanding. My husband and I are in counseling right now, though. There are issues we are dealing with that go far beyond this surgery... years worth, but my weight loss has opened some new doors. My sagging skin, for example, is a constant reminder for him of just how large I was. We are working on it though, and I hold no ill will toward him for feeling what he feels. It sucked that he married me at 160, and within two years I was much higher than that and never went back down until now. All in all, I am glad I did this and so far, would not change anything. I say this with trepidation about the future... I am hopeful that things will continue to be good, but I think I will always worry about failure.

Happy with the weight loss so far? No but I don't have a clue what number will make me happy. I will say i am encouraged that that there is no longer a 4 or 3 as the first number for my weight. I am fine with my body where it is and look forward to it getting uglier because i know that my plastics will take care of it. i have had a couple of binge eating episodes but very few and far between. I just know when im done the rest either goes in the fridge or trash or i will keep nibbling. I dance for an hour every morning monday through friday. I started it pre op for back pain and still do it for that reason. I have been blessed that my friends family coworkers and even my ex who is again a current have been supportive and more wonderful then i could have ever imagined. Over all though am i happy with the surgery not quite at this point. of course i have to acknowledge that i have never lost 127lbs in my life but im still almost a 300lb woman and im in a starvation mode according to my surgeon and i don't know how i will get in the calories he wants but i will figure it out and trudge on. Thanks for asking Monica