Heather D.’s Posts
I didn't notice I was having fast food twice today! That's definitely unusual. My husband worked late last night so I got the grilled KFC and had the leftovers today because grilled KFC is awesome. Then on Fridays we usually have a "treat" - he gets sushi, I get a bunless burger. I'd love some low-carb sushi, but I have yet to figure that one out. Since I've been on keto I definitely eat/cook at home more just so I can keep a close eye on the carbs. I don't mind going out to eat, fast food or otherwise, as long as I really know what I'm eating (as far as macros). And I definitely consider the weight loss since surgery a success! I don't think I'd have been able to have my kids without it.
I'm 9 years post op. I always liked these threads when I was here daily before surgery, so here's mine.
Pre-breakfast: Coffee with heavy whipping cream & liquid sucralose
Breakfast: Leftover grilled chicken breast from KFC (so good)
Lunch: More coffee, eggroll in a bowl (stir fried pork & cabbage w/asian seasoning)
Dinner: Sonic bacon cheeseburger with with pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion - NO bun
Snack: 1/2 of a Lily's salted caramel chocolate bar
Full disclosure: I initially lost 138 lbs with VSG, but after having two kids and lots of Starbucks, my weight crept back up by 24 lbs. I had to put a stop to that! Plus I still want to lose about 50 more so I'm doing a ketogenic (low carb/high fat/moderate protein) way of eating now. I definitely still have restriction, but not as much as the first several years. Since starting keto I've lost the weight I gained back (24 lbs) but I still have more to go.
B - 1/2 cup 6 grain oat hot cereal with butter & splenda brown sugar
L - 1/2 a grilled chicken pita with tzatziki, a few chips
D - Slowcooker Savory spinach and bean soup (about 3/4 Cup)
Sx3 - Starbucks Caramel Machiatto; 2 graham cracker sheets & 2 Tbsp nutella; 5 Fabe's all natural bakery mini chocolate chip cookies
Prilosec Complete is aaawesome! I had surgery almost 5 years ago but my reflux has been bad the last couple of years. Then I got pregnant and OMG the reflux was awful. I was popping Tums like candy and my perinatologist suggested Prilosec. Changed my life! I could take ONE and instantly felt better. Now that I'm not pregnant anymore the reflux isn't as horrible, but the Prilosec still works like a dream. (I don't work for Prilosec, but I do love 'em!)
How cool to see an update from you. I remember you from when I was on the boards a lot way back when. Congrats on the loss, lift and the baby especially! Today is my 4 year surgery anniversary. I was never diagnosed with PCOS but I wasn't able to get pregnant in the 10 or so years before my surgery and it took two years after surgery for me to have my son. Now I'm pregnant with baby #2 (a girl!). Crazy! Anyway, going to check out your videos now. Again, congrats!
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply! Complications... right after surgery I had an infected incision. I had to have it flushed in the ER and packed with gauze for about 6 weeks before it healed on its own. It wasn't fun, but it wasn't the end of the world either. The scar looks just like the others at this point, so it didn't make a huge impact as far as that's concerned.
For the first year, probably, I would frequently miscalculate how much my stomach could hold and ended up overeating. That lead to burping up chewed up bits of food. It was uncomfortable and pretty gross. Thankfully something clicked (physically or mentally, I don't know) and I haven't had that problem for the last few years.
As for long term complications, I have frequent heartburn, reflux and occasional bouts of gastritis (which is painful!) Because of the reflux I have to make sure I don't eat for a few hours before going to bed. Otherwise, un-fun things happen in my sleep. Uck. The gastritis, fortunately, doesn't flare up often. I had some labs done recently and I had no deficiencies as far as vitamins, iron, etc.... except I was a little low on vitamin D, but my doctor said that's normal for about 90% of the pregnant women in her practice, so I wouldn't say that's a surgery-related complication.
Honestly, I just feel totally normal except I still can't eat much... thankfully! And I am at the point that I don't really even miss the volume of food I used to eat. That mental state did seem to take awhile to get to. I'd see something and think, "dammit, I want to eat it but I can't." Now, I know how much I can hold and I just try to plan accordingly.
Good luck with your surgery! I hope everything goes well and I wish you nothing but success!
Probably very true! When my son came home from the hospital (he was in the NICU for 11 weeks) I would have to choose between eating and sleeping most of the time... and sleeping always won!
I had surgery in October 2009 and since then I've lost (and kept off) 128 lbs (Starting weight was 338!). I was unable to get pregnant for 13 years. I kind of assume I had/have PCOS, but I was never officially diagnosed. But... I did get pregnant in 2011 and had my son in April 2012. Crazy! I noticed during the pregnancy I could eat a little more than I had been able to but I didn't gain much weight. Afterwards I got down to about 190 lbs. Unfortunately when I stopped nursing I gained some back and stopped around 210. I could still eat more than I could before I was pregnant. Honestly that weight gain took me awhile to even notice. (How did I notice, you ask? My underwear kept rolling down. Haha!) When i decided it was time to do something about it... I found out I'm pregnant again. This baby is due in March 2014. I'm nervous (again) and excited (again) and just wish I hadn't waited til I was over 30 to have surgery in the first place.
My food intake is still really restricted. I'm sure I'd have originally lost more weight if it weren't for the debilitating starbucks addiction. That's one thing I know I need to change. I still go for protein first, though a lot of it is in the form of vegetarian meat substitutes. I'm not a vegetarian, but my husband is. I'm just a lazy cook and don't want to make two meals.
So that's what's going on with me. I haven't been here on the boards in a long time, but I know I used to like to see long-term updates on "oldtimers" when I was a newbie or even just considering surgery. So if anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Thanks for reading!
Here's a (crappy) picture of three of my incisions. The one that was infected is on the right. Hope this helps put your mind at ease.
Eating after surgery: You might not get as much water and/or protein as you think you should. Don't freak out, just do what you can as you heal. It will get better over time.
Your specific questions:
Is it true that your hair could fall out around 3 months post surgery? Yes, it's true. But it's not as scary as you might think. It's more of a thinning and it comes back eventually. Mine thinned out, but came back curlier than ever, so that's kinda cool.
Is it really possible to lose up to 100 lbs? Yes. I lost 140+, but I weighed more than you when I started. It varies by individual. Try not to compare your loss to others who weighed the same as you at the time of surgery. You'll go crazy if you do. Just focus on your own loss.
How do I keep from looking flabby? Exercise helps, but you could still end up with loose skin. It also depends on your age and the elasticity of your skin. I wish I would've done more (or some) exercise. I have lots of extra skin. I don't really care too much though, because my clothes hide it and I don't plan on wearing a bikini anytime soon.
I can't answer about Dr. Aceves or Fibromyalgia, as I have no experience with either.
You're not failing! You're trying and you're learning how to live in this new situation. It will take awhile before you're healed enough to form the new healthy eating habits that you want. Don't try to force yourself into them, just do/eat/drink what you can, when you can. It will get easier!
