NEVER 2 LATE 4 YOUR 1ST DUMPING EPISODE!!!

To be perfectly honest I think I'm at my 'goal' weight - it hasn't changed in months now. I work out pretty faithfully (last month was bad due to problems with my mom) and my eating is pretty consistent now. And I'm extremely happy with where I am - I started out at 388 lbs and in sizes 4X and 32 pants - and trust me everything STRETCHED to the max!!

I LOVE MY NEW LIFE AND MY BODY - I am down to one small bp pill a day (2.5 mg of Norvasc) - I no longer wear a C-Pap - I am in a size 18 or XL comfortably - I can shop in stores everywhere I go - I've gotten rid of my car seatbelt extender and the ones I had to use on planes - I dropped a whole shoe size - 2 ring sizes - 1" off my bracelets and all of my necklaces are too long now. I have an abundance of energy most of the time that I'm not quite sure what to do with - LOL!! And best of all I can ride a bicycle again!! That's an awesome feeling.

I could definitely stand to lose another 20-30 lbs but you know what? I never thought I'd be this 'small' in my life - its a wonderful feeling. Yeah I have loose skin - my thighs are the worst part and some day I would like to have something done with them, but I can live with the batwings and a bit of tummy flab.

I guess its all in what you expect out of this surgery - if I were younger I might be more motivated to lose the additional weight but I've been horribly obese for 30+ years so losing the amount of weight I have amazes me...and keeping it off for months now without struggling is even better.

How about you??!!

Sorry, your post got past me, [your name here].
About your weight, just went to your profile photos and you look to be pretty tall - am I right?
I'm going to throw out some personally acquired info about myself that may encourage you to  shed enough pounds to be comfortable in, say, a size 14.

This year, after getting yanked off my feet (when my greyhound was provoked to chase a cat I didn't see), x-rays of my knees showed a mild case of osteo-arthritis. The doc said it was probably due to the decades of pressure carrying around excessive weight; and that the healthy life I'd chosen for the past 6+ years probably halted its progression.

The human skeleton is like any other engineering structure: it has a maximum weight-bearing load beyond which, the structural integrity of the object will begin to degrade. Each skeleton is different, so each skeleton has a different max. wt. bearing load. But it's there.

It's easy for me to discount 30 pounds after losing, say, 150.
When clients talk that way, I invite them to pick up a 30 lb. sack of cat litter or dog food and carry it around the supermarket as they continue their shopping; or carry it up the aisle & back, then imagine carrying the sack up & down the stairs in their home or at work.
Try it!
Then ask your knees, hips lower back & ankles how they felt when you put the sack down...
Clothing sizes can be a useful guide to whether or not we're stressing out our skeletal support system.

When my surgeon asked me what my goal for RNY was, I answered that I wanted to live the rest of my life in a size 12 so I could shop in normal clothing stores. It turns out, however, that the healthier & stronger I got, the more "say" my body had in finding its ideal size. That turned out to be a women's size 8. Never in a million years would I have thought I could be healthy, strong and that "small." But I am and have been for almost 5 years now. No wild fluctuations. Steady.
Could I carry a 30 lb. sack of cat litter up the stairs at home? Not sure. I work out with weights and know I could manage 20lbs. but...

So I suggest re-framing the question of weight & clothing size not in terms of fickle fashion, but longterm health & quality of life. I'm determined not to let that osteoarthritis progress. I love walking briskly as I photograph the world around me. I'm a New Yorker, born & bred, and when I go "home" Thanksgiving week, know that my sweetie & I will be walking miles around Manhattan!!

Best, Always!
Lauralyn

No, I'm actually a shortie by some standards - 5'6" on a big hair day. Don't get me wrong - I haven't given up on losing the additional weight I want to lose, but I would be comfortable where I am now if I don't lose any more.

As for my knees I am sporting bi-lateral knee replacements - right one is approx 9 years old, left one is 8 years old. Right now the excess skin on my upper legs is weighing on them pretty good plus it throws me off balance quite a bit. But I can ride my bicycle, my recumbant bike and work out at Curves painlessly. I can walk for hours on end without feeling it and generally feel better all around. Some people thought having them replaced so long ago would have encouraged me to lose weight, and I had hoped it would as well because I was in pain for so long, but life comes along and my weight continued to spiral out of control.

I am still learning to live with my new body and the things it can and cannot tolerate - and hopefully I will continue to lose weight along with it.

Thanks for your support - its always welcome and refreshing to get a new perspective on things. And maybe the encouragement I need to jump start the weight loss again!

Kathy

Got my pompoms ready, Kathy! I'm on your cheering squad, sistuh!

Sorry if I chuckled a little at your expense. But they way you described it gave me flashbacks of some episodes I've had.

I will tell you that I've had a few hershey kisses and felt fine. But fruit KILLS me. Everyone talks about eating fruits and veggies. I avoid fruit. I dump like crazy! And it makes me feel like I am dying.

So I feel your pain. Glad you are feeling better.

FRUIT! Who'd a thunk it? But I gotta wonder how much is an issue of quantity vs. the actual fructose content of the fruit. This summer I had a kiwi every morning for the potassium. My yoga instructor told us it was better than a banana and especially effective at ridding us of muscle cramps. I was fine.
I also have an apple a day (prefer small ones) to keep me regular. No problemos.
But, when I took a whole bunch of over ripe kiwis & bananas & cut 'em up together, ladled them into a bowl & sat down in front of the TV, I must've well exceeded what I was used to.
Fresh fruit is my primary source of sweetness in my food choices. Really enjoy them in my usual, small portions.

You are to be congratulated on using your tool for this length of time and staying on track.  Sorry for your episode, try keeping some sugar free peppermint gum on you, it helps me fight that awful feeling from time to time.  I wish you many more years of successing.

You are to be congratulated on your tremendous weight loss, m'dear! And thank you for your kind words. How badly do you want to shed those last 50 lbs.? Is that still a real goal for your? check out some of the articles on my blog...

I was down to 160# and then my lymphedema flared up and I'm sitting at 200# again in a matter of a week.

Ugh!!  I spoke to soon and had a dump and something did come up.  It was ALL my fault though!  I had less than a half of a protein drink for breakfast, worked all morning in DD classroom, stopped to look at flooring then went and tried on running shoes,  then had a McD's chicken wrap- which I have had before- but I think I was too hungry and too empty.  I did chew really well but it just was not meant to sit right.  I am on my way to lay down now as I am wiped completely out.  Funny- the things we just put up with now that we never would have before.  Every bad thing that happens I just remember how well I am losing!