Six month update

I'm new to the New York board; I've been living on the Jersey Shore for the last three years, but I'm moving to Westchester (see below) in October. First, the WLS update. I bought a home scale today. I didn't know they made home scales in the 400 lb range these days - I always remember 300 being the max, so I was waiting. Anyway, in the almost-three-weeks since my last weigh in, I'm down 7.2 lbs, for a grand total of 103.2 lb in 27 weeks. I broke through 300 lbs, and I broke the century mark! This is also one of the nice scales with the body fat estimator - it tells me my body fat is 39.4%, so my lean mass (if I had ZERO fat - skin, muscle, bone and organs) is 178.4 lbs - which is why I think 175 may NOT be a reasonable target for me, unless I'm planning to LOSE a certain amount of muscle. With that amount of lean mass, at 20% body fat (high normal for a male my age), I'd be 214 lbs. Hell, if I never lose another pound from where I am right now, I have nothing to complain about. I haven't been in Twoterville since college. NSV: I was away in Syracuse all of last week. On the flight home, I was able to buckle the airplane seatbelt comfortably WITHOUT using an extension! Work: I have accepted a job at New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center, my alma mater. I'll be working the night shift, supervising the house staff and running the Rapid Response Team (aka the Code Team). I'll be starting that as soon as my privileges go through, and will be moving up to Westchester shortly thereafter (I have to save enough money to put a deposit on an apartment first). Question: Did anyone else find that they started to get sloppy about eating habits and vitamins in the 5th or 6th month post-op? I'm finding I can eat almost anything now (including small amounts of sweets, as many as three or four cookies), and I'm starting to develop grazing behaviours occasionally - over the course of four or five hours last night, I ate almost an entire bag of pretzels. I'm forgetting my vitamins (not to mention my blood pressure pill and antidepressant). Is it just fatigue with the lifestyle? Am I just backsliding? Any advice for getting back on track? (I'm still losing, of course, but I want to avoid the rebound...)

Great job on the weight loss.   What a great feeling to hit that centruy mark.   Congrats on the new job also.   It amazes me how this surgery helps so many people make positive changes in their life and start new adventures.   As far as the eating habits, I am not quite 4 months out and I can already see how easy it is to allow those old habits to creep back into our life.   I have come to the decision that this life style change is going to be a challenge each and every day for the rest of my life and I am going to have to always stop and look at what I am eating and why I am eating it.     I am going through the whole empty nest syndrome (children have moved out and gone to college) so I find myself trying to fill that void of lonlienss with food and I know that if I want to be successful I just can't do that.    I have heard it suggested that a food journal is a great idea.   Writing down everything you eat and more importantly why you are eating it.   Are you actually hungry?  Lonly?  Board?  Anxious?    I went today and joined curves.  I figured that would occupy some of my time in the morning (I work afternoon shift).  If I can go and do some exercise program that will be 2 hours I am not home thinking about eating.    I guess the other thing is to just not purchase items that you know you should be eating or can't control how much of them you eat.    If you have to drive somewhere to get something to eat  your less likely to do it.    I have to be very careful about the carbs.  They are still my weakness and downfall.   If you have a family who enjoys having sweets and snacks in the house it has to be much more difficult.  Maybe you need to reach out to them and explain how much of a temptation it is for you to have the food items around (cookies, pretzels, ect....).    Good luck to you.  I hope you can find what your "trigger" is that starts the grazing and put a halt to it.   You have done such a wonderful job with the weight loss and you obviously know that grazing is not healthy or good for you and recognizing the behavior is the first step in overcoming it. 

 

Sally

Hi Randy!  Congratulation on your success.  I am 10 months out and down over 100lbs myself.  I feel GREAT!!  I too find myself grazing from time to time.  I try to keep healthy snacks around and stop myself immediately when I discover that I am doing it.  Take a walk, read a book, look for something to DO!!  If you must snack, make sure you only have protein snacks around.  Find support meetings wherever and whenever....attend....it will get you out of the house and away from the cupboard.  If you have a family life, plug into that.  As for me, I'm single so only have myself to take care of....a challenge on most days (ha ha).  Btw, what is your specialty doc?  Good luck with the new job.

I'm also single - which is hard, because I never learned to cook for one!!! I'm struggling because I'm not working, so I'm around the house all day with not much to do. I gave up my gym membership when I lost my last job, and I don't want to join another until I actually move to Westchester. I'm a general internist, but as I said, I'll be working strictly as a hospitalist - no office practice.

I agree, it's a challenge cooking for one, so I don't most of the time.  I buy Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice and other convenience foods.  I don't eat them on a daily basis so I'm not too concerned about the sodium so far.  Since I eat so little, it hardly pays to heat up the stove or the barbeque.  I find myself visiting Wendy's alot, love the chili and the side salads, etc.   You mention that you are single?  Are you interested in meeting up with other single women?  Just curious, I'm ready to start dating again now that I'm feeling much more confident with myself.  But it's tough to find a target rich environment for that as well.  Sorry if this is too forward.  Just thought I'd ask. 

I've also been using the frozen dinners; I'm at a point where I can just about finish the protein and a few bites of vegetables. Actually, I'm gay - which makes everything more difficult. There are no body fascists in the world like gay men. :( I've decided I'm never going to get a date until I finish the weight loss and have the plastics. THEN I might have a chance.

I had that feeling (gay) but didn't know of a polite way to ask.  Actually, my best friend is/was gay, dead over 11 years now.   I miss him, he would have made me a good wife....lol  He loved to cook!!  I love to eat.  I'm 47 years young but look about 29 (and holding).  People wonder WHY I am still single.  It wasn't all because of weight but I'm sure it didn't help.  Still I had no shortage of boyfriends (lovers) just always attract "unavailable" men.  I'm determined to change this.  If you run into single straight guys, give me a hollar!!  Actually I do know a single gay guy about the same age as me...he was my prom date.  If you are interested, I'll let you know.  He's a short runt, overweight too and looking to do the surgery also.  Sometimes its good to have a WLS buddy to keep you on track.

YAY!!!!  Congrats to you!  Isn't it funny how we all get scales after surgery?!  I tossed mine out about 5 yrs ago and hadn't been on one unless I went to the doc, which wasn't often.

Congrats again!

With the change in employment, I no longer have access to a reliable scale, so I had to get one for monitoring purposes. :) I've promised myself no more than once a week.

Very good plan.  I try to keep to that as well, unless I'm close to a mini goal!