What would you do differently???

Hi Kathie, I wlll PM you on this!

I'll just answer the question in your title: I would have done very little differently in my process, except that I would have paid more attention to working on muscle mass sooner. Not for the weight loss or the appearance (no, building muscle mass will NOT do anything for your skin except give it formed muscles over which to drape) issues, but because good strong muscle structure is essential to protecting bones and joints from stress. You become less vulnerable to injury and chronic pain stuff that way.

 Hi Kathie:

You did so much hanging out here as a pre-op, that I'm sure you know the ropes just fine, and I suspect you'll be a great post-op!

First and foremost, do not compromise your protein intake in any way.   When I read of post-ops at six, eight months out who state that they're getting in too many carbs, I think, "my gosh - they must be getting in too little protein," because for the first year, it took all I could fit just to get in 100+ grams of protein a day.   

Carbs are likely going to stall your loss, so restrict them as much as possible until you get to goal, then play with them until you find your "sweet spot" maintenance-wise.  Don't play with them to find your "sweet spot" weight-loss wise!    I've read too many regrets on this board to advise otherwise.  I am lucky - I can pretty much eat what I want and not gain, but I wasn't about to discover that while I was still losing, I weighted until I got to a healthy BMI.

The fluids, vitamins, etc, they're a given, right?

The only thing I would have done differently was to not listen so much to my surgeon's advice about nutrition and listen more to the boards.    This caused deficiencies that were hard to make up for.

Good luck!

Julie...

You know I idolize you, right?

Thanks for the sound advice. I don't mess with carbs. I was blessed as a diabetic to have to watch them for years, and post surgery every sugary drink they gave me made me want to gag. I know they will likely pose a threat in the future, but for now I'm not really attracted to them.

I finally found a protein drink that I am loving - Muscle Milk. It does have 5g of carbs, but with 30g of protein in 11 ounces, I will take those few sugars. It has helped me get in well over 75 grams of carbs in per day for the past week, which I think is decent at only 4 weeks out.

I really do hope to find a goal weight close to yours. I am 5'5", and my back surgeon told me that he would like to see me weigh in somewhere between 125 and 135 - just because of my ddd. So, I don't want to mess this up.

Working on the vitamins. I'm placing an order with Vitalady on Monday. I tried to use the supplements that I could find here, but I just don't feel like they are going to work the same for me.

Thanks for being so faithful to these boards. I'm sure you have no idea how many people count on you. Bless your sweet soul!!!

Oy....I meant 75 grams of protein. Do you see why I keep my hair blond? I should avoid late night typing at all costs.

 One of my very favorite old-timers, Lola, who I wish would drop in here every once in a while and  say hello, swore by Muscle Milk as her primary protein drink.     As to the five carbs....my Power Crunch bars that I swear by have, I think, seven or eight carbs.   I like them though because 1) They have no artificial sweeteners and 2)  They taste great.  I' ve been eating one a day now for about four years and they seem to work for me.   If I noticed any regain, I'd take a look at them as a source of higher carbs, but for sure, I'd probably eliminate the potato chips I can't seem to leave alone first, LOL!

And thank you for your kind words....nothing here to idolize....I'm just a regular gal who can't seem to go away......

Another random thought: Your comment about the infection brought back a good memory :-). The place where we stayed after my surgery, a Residence Inn, was fantastic about pretty much everything, but especially about attention to cleanliness. The woman who took care of our suite six days out of seven really CLEANED and disinfected with great attentiveness. I got clean sheets every other day IIRC.

She was great with our dogs, too, including the late beloved Millie, who was stranger aggressive due to anxiety. They were best buds, and the dear lady could come in even if we weren't there.

Nice to think about good people :-).

Sounds like most topics are covered. You have a great doc ! Did you measure, so that when the scale stops you can see the inches being lost ? Anytime the scale slowed or stopped I dropped inches like crazy and it kept me going. I had DH take pics every month and measured once a month and kept the weight loss once a month as well.

Other than that things have been well covered by others.

The one thing I'd done differently is not try to impress or be important. I SO wanted to do this right and I just completely failed at my DS by not speaking up and saying exactly what was going on with me.

I couldn't eat much and pooped it out as soon as it came in, and I never told a soul. That is till I was half dead. So ..ya know what..don't be a hero, don't think that the DS stats depend on you alone..just be honest. I got really sick and should have shared a lot sooner. I am beyond happy with my results,and I was revised to get a longer channel....so in the end, it was exactly what I needed, but thank God my body and heart held out till I let someone know.

So...THINK OUT LOUD. Never sit on anything and do not worry about getting flamed or bitten. Just say how you are doing...that's what I'd do different.

Honestly, I'm not sure I would have done anything differently.  Okay, maybe I would have tried harder to find a protein powder I liked and started sooner on a good protein shake routine.  Some people can get in enough protein from food alone (and their bodies hold onto that protein), but I am not one of those people. 

As for the weight loss:  I think what you have lost at one month out is awesome.  We only have so much control over how fast our bodies let go of the weight.  If you are doing everything in your power to help it along, like getting in your fluids, protein, and vitamins; limiting your carbs; and doing what you can for physical activity, then you just have to allow your body to lose at it's own pace.  This isn't a race, although we all get so impatient to get all of our excess weight off of our bodies.  I lost fairly quickly for the first four months, then slowed way down, but I hit goal at 9 months out.  Then I went a few pounds lower, and bounced back up over my goal by 3 to 6 pounds, depending on the day.  I've stayed there for the past six months, never really waivering...until this last month, when I dropped back down to my original goal weight.  So maybe I'm not even completely done losing, even though my weight was stable for so long...who knows?  My point is...we're not entirely in control of this.  All we can do is try to follow "the rules" to the best of our abilities - don't obsess over this...you'll just make yourself a nervous wreck!