update on me

Hi all, I haven't posted in awhile. A bit frustrated. Have only lost 7 lbs in a month. the thing is, I can eat anything! except sugar. I can eat pizza, I can eat bread, I can eat greasy food. Not much of it, mind you. But I feel a little frustrated that I'm not forced away from these foods that i couldn't stay away from preop. Like wayne, I'm not asking for "tough love" I hesitated to even post, but I need to know if I'm the only one who never gets sick no matter what I eat. Like I said, my portions are small, my calories stay under 800 a day. I'm walking on the treadmill. Even bought some swanky new shoes. Today marks nine weeks out. My total weight loss since surgery is 28 lbs, 41 since I started the liquid diet about a week prior to surgery. I have a friend who is dieting and losing faster. LOL What did I DO??? Tracey Bateman

Hi Tracey, No tough love here from me...support, encouragement and some suggestions only. First, thanks for posting. I'm sorry you (and others) ever hesitate to post on our Board. The first step is reaching out and asking for support. Congrats and thanks for doing just that. I know you've heard it before but unfortunately our surgery was on our stomachs and not our brains. We still are the boss of our thinking and choices. I completely understand your frustration sprinkled with some probable fear?? There are many post-ops that don't have dumping syndrome and it seems like you are one of them. Dumping (or not) doesn't determine success or failure with your surgery. You are still early post-op so take this window of opportunity to maximize your weight loss. There are people that "test" their surgery and see where they can go and if they dump. You now know where your boundaries and limits are. You know that you can eat these things. You can now make that choice. You get to be the boss of your choices and not Jenny Craig or Weigh****chers. That's empowering after years of dieting! How did you feel after you ate the pizza, the bread and the greasy foods? How did your body feel? I would guess that you didn't physically feel as good as you do eating something healthier...right?? When I was early post-op, my surgeon told me that just because you CAN eat something doesn't mean you should. I've always remembered that. You've made some great strides in walking on your treadmill and buying swanky new shoes. 41/28 pounds ago, would you have bought swanky new shoes for yourself?? No amount of pizza and bread that are only temporary "yipees" are better than getting to buy, wear and ENJOY your swanky new shoes. If you are struggling with a food choice, get out those shoes. Put them on your counter so you can see them before you reach for the bread or pizza. I would choose swanky shoes as that happy, joyful feeling will last alot longer than the temporary state from bread or pizza. Also, when you feel challenged with a food choice, reach out - post! Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like. Your friends on our Board are here for you. Try to come to the April 10th New Beginnings Support Group too if you can. Let me know what you think or if anything helps. If not, we'll come up with some other things to try. That's the great thing about our surgery and this process is that we get to try things and find out what works for us and not be dictated by Jenny Craig! By the way, what do the swanky shoes look like??!!! Cathy ObesityHelp Support Group Specialist

I'm sure you are not alone. I'd try the main board and find out just in how good of company you are in. I've heard repentedly only about 40% of people dump anyway. You are among the 60% (the sometimes silent majority) who don't dump. Which means your tool works. Albeit you may have to work your choices out a little differently. I'm definately not in a place to tell you what to do I'm only 1 1/2 weeks out but the advice I've read before is the same. Get in a habit early of making wise choices. You've lost 28 lbs in 9 weeks. That is great I don't think I've ever done that pre-op (I don't know about you.) I have a really good realtionship with my psychologist. He is a behavioral psych and he has been a huge help in changes my food choices and my thinking about food. That might be a help. Or maybe, since you've acclimated to exercise (congratulations btw, I know that will be my struggle) maybe its time to kick it up a notch with a personal trainer or weight training. The other things I've heard about situations like this are... 1. Are you due for your period? You might be holding onto water. 2. Was this weight a point that you stayed at a while when you were gaining weight to begin with. They're called set points. Your body loves them and will hang onto them fiercely. 3. You're still losing even if its a little slower. 4. Are you losing inches in the process? 5. Were you a "lightwieght" to begin with? Just over 100 lbs over weight? They seem to lose a little slower comparitively but it still works for them. (They also hae a specialty board for them and if your are you might find even greater help there.) 6. Maybe you need reminding of the the pouch rules. We all need a refresher every once in a while. 7. If you hit a true plateau there is a plateau busters eating plan circulated on the main board nearly every day that seems to help most people. It also helps get back to basics of pouch rules. Aren't we really all scared that we will be the only one that surgery will not work for? Aren't we all scared that the last weigh in will be the last time we see the numbers go down? We aren't and it won't. We may have to learn how to work this thing out but we will be successful. I think you are doing fabulous. You're only a little over 2 months out. You've just gotten past you're 4-6 week recovery time. Relax on the worry and maybe step up the other work. ------------- If I can ask just for me and my journey. And this ? can be for anyone... What made you want to try pizza? Was it just an overwhelming desire or did you not have anything else there to begin with or something else? This is not meant to be slinging mud at all I am really intrested because I'm trying to identify alot of my triggers now and pre-op I was as well. Thanks for your help.

oops I think I might have inadvertantly miscommunicated. I didn't eat pizza out of some need to push my pouch or because I chose to do it out of rebellion against a diet. I've been travelling the last week and my choices have been SOOO limited. When I've had good choices, I chose well. But I've been surprised at the foods I can handle. I made good choices when they were available. None of the food has made me feel bad at all. Pizza or anything else. When I eat bread, (rarely) I eat 100% whole wheat and usually only a half slice. I was just so blown away this past week that I was able to eat these foods. And like I said, I ate them because that was all I had available. Which doesn't mean that now that I KNOW that I won't do that. I'm nervous. I have about three days a week where I'm gone in the evenings or whatever and usually during those times we eat out. Now that I know I can eat foods that I shouldn't eat, I know I have to be more careful. Cathy, I would like to attend meetings, but unfortunately, I can't be away that long through the week. I need to be home preparing my four kids for school the next day. Maybe during the summer. Thanks for the 40%/60% information. I didn't realize that I'm in the silent majority Tracey

Good to know. Limited options must be a bid pain in the patoot right now. Sorry about that. But thank you for anwsering my question about why and not getting hurt. I can totally understand the limited thing and actually I would understand the overwheliming desire to scarf pizza down. hahahaha I think 100% whole wheat bread is a fairly decent choice when choices are slim to none. I believe many people on the main board talk about sandwiches and such and carbs are ok just in limited supply. (And our mantra protein first, protein first, protein first. Ahhhh I can feel the carbs sliding away.) I would probably be shocked and scared to know I could tolerate pizza too. (But I bet you ate a whole lot less of it than you did pre-op!) And you never kow it could be something that went down this time but next no way! I think it may be more of the white bread that can cause problems. It has more sugars and can make a little doughball in the pouch. I hope you don't worry yourself too much over it. Maybe look at it as freeing. You won't have to grieve pizza now. If 6 months or 3 months from now everyone is eating pizza you can have your toppings off one piece and maybe a bite of a whole slice off someone close to you and be satisfied and feel "normal". You are staying away from sugars and making good choices on a daily basis and that is what this is all about. A tool to help us make better choices. Just staying away from sugars helps to kill your cravings for carbs anyway. Give yourself a pat on the back. You've done lots of hard work and should be extremely proud of yourself as I'm sure you are. ANd btw, just how did you get going on that whole exercise thing? I'm gonna need lots of help on that one!

Hi Tracey, That's tough to be out there with limited choices. Sometimes we have to make the best of what we have available to us at the time. I've sure been stuck like that before so I can relate. I carry a couple of small protein bars that fit in my purse that have saved me sometimes. For the times that you know you're going to be out, maybe pack a cooler with some things for yourself that you can eat. I've also run into a convenience store to pick up things in a pinch that have worked out too. I think you're doing just great. Just think, you'll never, ever see those 28 pounds again....bye-bye!! Way to go!!! Cathy ObesityHelp Support Group Specialist

Hi, you didn't do anything....I THREW OUT MY SCALES!!!! They were driving me and so I gave them to my kids to put in their bathroom. I honestly don't know how much I weigh.....but, I know that my clothes fit the same. No tough love from me.....just wanted to let you know that you're doing great and maybe you need to up the protein and eat more in general. 800 cals a day doesn't seem to be enough! You will go through times of not losing very much at all....I guess it's your body's way of catching up. Take care & Hugs!! -Kelli

Most of us can eat those foods. You just have to watch your portions like you are doing and concentrate on getting your water and protien in. I feel we just need to learn moderation, but just be careful this early out and eat protien first then good carbs like fruits and veggies then if you have room have some of the other carbs. I hardly ever dumped and have eaten these foods all along just in small portions and I always get my protien in and I feel I have been successful. I eat the topping off the pizza and leave the crust lots of times as the crust is where the carbs are. I eat sara lee low carb bread all the time. I am not anti carb I just try to eat more of the healthy carbs. I never was all protien all the time.

Believe me Tracey YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!! I also do not dump on anything. I do have problems keeping things down if they are too dry and I do want to remind everyone the tuna is the Keep doing the things you know you should be and make the right food choices and the weight will continue to come off. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. We are rooting for you. Wayne