questions from 10/06 post-op

I can eat pretty much anything now... at least that's low in fat/sugar. I can eat cheese. I was able to eat salad at around 4 months or so. Still can't eat beef, unless it's ground beef. Can't do steak, roast beef, that kinda stuff. Exercise helped me feel better and gave me energy but I don't know how it affected weight loss. My weight loss went up and down. Some weeks, I'd lose 5-7 lbs, some only 2-3 lbs. Excess skin is ok. My arms are pretty bad but they were always really big. My "girls" are kinda droopy so those are two areas that plastic surgery will probably come into play. Everywhere else... eh, I can live withit. I'm only 27 though so the age thing really plays a big thing, plus I started at 262. I think the excess skin depends on where you start, age, genetics, all kinda stuff. Also, after about 3-4 months, I do have the occassional glass of wine. I had 2 glasses on New Years and I did fine. I did try red wine at one point and watch out... I was sick, but a little white zin goes down great now and then. Good Luc****ep it up!! Don't get discouraged... it's all WELL worth it!

Hi, Lisa. My surgery was 7/12/06, so I'm right at 6 months. This morning at the gym I was down 125.4 lbs. I started at 337.7 and I'm only 5-4, so my BMI was through the roof. I've lost a lot because I've had a lot to lose. A lot of us look at our numbers and compare our progress to others. As much as you can, avoid that mistake. Set yourself goals that make sense for you on YOUR journey. Ideally, I'd like to lose another 75-80 pounds, though my surgeon never gave me a target weight, and to have my BMI in the normal range. My weight loss has been steady--4-5 lbs. every week, slowing down in the weeks of my period to 1-2 lbs. It picks back up again, though. I've lost the same 100+ lbs. a few times though so the weight loss isn't really my concern--it's the first 5 pounds I gain that's got me worried, frankly. That's why what I've been doing these past 6 months and what I'll continue to do is focus on the new habits I've developed. Exercise: Since my July surgery, I've been to the gym 64 times (I had them run an attendance report just this morning). I spend 30 minutes on cardio. I first started on the track, then moved to the treadmill and recumbant bike, and finally I'm currently tackling the bane of my existence: the dreaded elliptical machine. UGH. (It requires coordination and frankly I was so big for so long that I've lost all coordination. I've literally been relearning how to move my arms and legs at the same time.) Has the gym helped my weight loss? Absolutely. Maybe not physiologically--though I know my metabolism has improved--but definitely psychologically. I always thought my runner-friends were completely whacked when they talked about a "runner's high." Now, I experience it and talk about a mind-blowing experience! Going to the gym is all about me. I have many responsibilities and many people *****ly on me and I'm more than happy to have those responsibilities, but if I'm going to carry those responsibilities, I have to be on my A game, I've GOT to feel good and treat MYSELF right. The gym is my place to do exactly that--treat my body, this physical frame, well so I can leave that place and be prepared to take care of an ailing spouse or aging parents or worrying students. In short, my gym time is totally ME time; it puts me in the frame of mind where I need to be in order to be successful using my pouch. Excess Skin: Stay hydrated and it's never too early to start the ab and arm work. I'm just starting both and I can tell a difference already. I don't foresee plastics, but I'm reserving the right to get it done if I think I want it. I'll tell you one thing: it's GREAT having an a$$ again; my husband thinks so too! Food: My husband is from France, so the thought of no cheese in the house? Quelle horreur! (And I'm definitely a member of a foodie-family: my in-laws and my own!) Luckily, I'm okay with cheese and have been. My most common problem is eating too fast; always when I've vomited, it's because of my eating speed. I've not had dumping, just vomiting from speed. For many of the things we eat, it's about the preparation, not necessary the substance of the thing itself our bodies can't tolerate. Boiled eggs--can't do them at all. Omelets--no problem. Read labels--if the first five ingredients have any sort of (corn) syrup/solids, I avoid it--too much sugar. Cravings? Not yet, though, I'm hankering for some real good bread to slather some cheese on. I don't find myself deprived, though, because for the first time I'm THINKING about food instead of OBSESSING over it. For example, at Christmas Eve, I made the decision to enjoy the fine French spread my mother-in-law put out. And I did, but the decisions I made were informed decisions. For example, if I wanted to take a bite of my sister's famed baklava, I did but I knew then that I couldn't have that sip of my brother-in-law's homemade honeyed wine, another family favorite. I had some delicious roquefort cheese, but I chose no bread. Again, making one decision (having a great piece of cheese) forced me to rule out another option (putting that cheese on a great piece of bread). Literally, with the pouch, you canNOT eat the cake and have the ice cream, too. At least we can't at this point because of the volume of the pouch. Eventually, though, the pouch is going to stretch. It's controllable, though, as long as you THINK about what it is you're doing. That's why I think the most important thing I'm learning during this "losing period" is making and sticking to decisions. The end result? I didn't gain over the holidays. I kept my normal workout routine and my liquids and made decisions about food with the kind of forethought that I never had done before. Co-morbidities: The day before my surgery I was 6 months away from insulin shots, took anti-inflammatories for my knees and ankles, and suffered from chronic pain in the sacral girdle of my lower back. I haven't taken a med for any of those conditions since my surgery. My surgeon is of course pleased, my gp is thrilled, and my chiropractor is a bit morose (because he only sees me now sporadically if I do something stupid at the gym!). I'm loving it. Although I don't post very much, I do regularly visit and read what's going on with all of my other July 06ers. I don't have any great words of advice, but I'll leave you with one thing to think about as you move through the next 3 months: this thing we've done to our bodies--whether it's a gastric bypass or a duodenal switch or a lapband--is merely ONE tool among many. The most important tool we've got and the one we can't afford to lose control of is the eight-pounder above our necks. When they re-routed my gut, they forgot to do the brain surgery that should accompany weight-loss surgery. That brain surgery I've got to do my own and it's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Would I do this again? Absolutely. Without question. Good Luck.