Calling all boring DSers...stop hiding. Come bore us with your ordinary life. LONG.

Welcome to what I call the "post-op epiphany" ..   I had that same experience at Chili's when I first ate there again after a few weeks out ..   It's really odd sitting on the outside watching people wolf down huge quantities of "bad" food ..  esp., knowing that I used to be one of them ..  !    I just wanted to jump up and yell, "stop ..  you don't have to do that to yourself!" so badly ..   

 When I was in Brazil I saw how people there do NOT heap up on such foods ..  They eat healthy, home-cooked lean meats, fish, soups ..   Almost NO "fastfood" as we think of it here (there was ONE McD's in all of Vila Velha, a very large, resort coastal city, and that was "mostly for the American tourists", per my concierge) ..  I think about the only obese folks I saw while there were either tourists, or in my surgeon's waiting room ..   Coming back here it was amazing noticing for once all the ads on T.V., billboards, etc.  hawking food at us, virtually nonstop ...  

Haha my surgery is tomorrow and this post made me cry.

Congrats! Now just come back and be boring with us!

Good luck!

Nicolle

I'm the queen of boring...just ask Shani.

Anyway, my DS surgery was so uneventful I checked out of the hospital within 24 hours of having surgery. I was walking the halls alone 3 hours after being returned to my room. 

DH and Son#2 parked me in the living room close to a bathroom, kitchen and a large table where I could record all my inputs and outputs in my journal. The rest of them time I watched Indiana Jones movies, slept, took vitamins, drank protein shakes, ate soup, drank diet cranberry juice and got up to walk the dogs every hour or so. I went back to work at 2 weeks post-op.

I've had zero complications and stay happily in my rut. You know how deep my rut is if you've followed Bites & Vites for more than 3 days. I do like my variety of foods when I go out with friends and I do that a lot! I guess that's the biggest change for me. I'm no longer isolated and enjoy going out with great friends I've met here on the DS board as well as those on the lightweight board. I was pretty isolated even before I gained weight after retiring. That has totally changed and I love it!

Gina
  

Okay, girl, you comment plenty enough to not be invisible out here.

I, too, have a very boring DS post op life.  **** I don't even count carbs, for the love of Pete.  That being said, though, I am still conscious of when I'm eating too much crap, and I do from time to time.  I also do a self-imposed detox to myself when I find myself craving too much crap.  It's interesting how I have that control.

I've battled my D because the knowledge about  megadoses wasn't as out there as it is today back when I tanked.  Now I know better and will chime in whenever that subject comes about. 

Funny that you mentioned portion sizes, because my eyes are often still bigger than my stomach.  My husband is a better judge at how much I can eat than I am.

Oh, I COMMENT alright, LOL. That's the easy part.

I just don't share MY story much. For example, I do not ask questions about any of my health issues, big or small. I do not post what I eat, what my vite routine is, what my labs are, etc. I just float along, selfishly listening and learning from others. Keep myself "safe" and not boring others.

I need to be more of a true member of the community here, and sometimes that means putting my crap out here for all the world to see.

Nicolle

What a cool idea!

Your post made me realize that every thing I've done the past week, and will be doing the next week would have been impossible 2 years ago.

1. I am currently at a Microsoft developers conference in LA, and the plane ride would have been a problem before my DS.

2. My hotel is almost 2 miles from the conference, and I've been WALKING to and from it daily.

3. I spent a day at Magic Mountain, and stood in 3+hour lines in the sun (NOT fun, but at least possible) and rode anything I wanted without worrying if I'd fit.

4. Another day at Disney, soo much walking, and fit on all rides and through turnstiles, and even bought several CHILDREN SIZED sweatshirts for myself!

5. I will spend next week skiing at Tahoe.


Life is good.

Hi - I'm Lindy - I'm another BORING DSer...

3 years out. Uneventful surgery, smooth recovery. Had kidney stone issues, but am well past that now.

The drama was mostly internal! Adjusting to a changing body and self-image was my biggest challenge.

Things are REALLY boring at 3 years out. Not so many WOWs from other people now, they have adjusted to the "new" me.

I posted a three year surgiversary update a few weeks ago, and I mentioned the "luxury of just living life without the pain of MO."
THAT is the true blessing of the DS!

I think my DS life is MIRACULOUS, but yes, it fits this definition of boring and uneventful. I eat protein first and foremost without regard to fat content. Once I have enough protein in my belly, I eat whatever else appeals to me. I take supplements in 4 daily doses. I lost 100% of my excess weight. I get labs done every three months. I run low in A and D, but as long as I take my supplements, I keep the levels up and climbing slowly over time.

It's been simple. It has saved my life. It's a miracle.

Let's see - my boring life.  

I am post-op fifty months or a little over four years.    I knew about weight loss surgery for years thanks to the girl from Wilson Phillips who made it a house-hold name, but I wasn't ready until I learned about the DS.    it was love at first sight.   I was so sure that this was the right surgery for me that I actually TURNED DOWN a RNY Gastric Bypass paid for by insurance, and instead travelled to Brazil, and went the self-pay route.    I was fortunate at the time to have the means to do so.  

Before surgery, I had high cholesterol, and had topped out at 277lbs.     Bear in mind - I am UNDER five feet tall, so despite the low number, I was still Super-Morbidly Obese.    I also had/have hypo-thyroid, a genetic condition I inherited from my mother.    Within 6 months of surgery, I no longer needed ANY cholesterol medication, and my stats are enviable.   In fact, one of my blood tests actually showed my good cholesterol level HIGHER than my bad.   My doctor had never seen that before.    My triglycerides dropped 90% from 650 3 years pre-op without medication (when I was first diagnosed) to 76 post-op without medication. 

I have lost and maintained a 100lbs and am regularly at about 160lbs.    This is about 15lbs higher than my lowest continual weight, and it's weight I would like to lose.    To do so, I'm working out and watching carbs.  I am not, nor have I ever been at all interested in moderating carbs in any fashion.    I keep a general eye on carbs with the idea of keeping it between 100-150g a day.    

A couple of years ago, the stars aligned, I lost about 10lbs of water weight.   Looking back, I believe this was related to one of three things - I was anemic at the time, had recently upped my Vitamin D, and had changed my thyroid prescription.     At that same time, I was working out quite a bit as well (although I have done this before & since with no such diuretic results), so I had quite a bit of muscle mass.    My body fat at that point was under 15%, which is Olympic athlete levels, yet my BMI still showed me in the "overweight" range.    My lowest weight ever was 141 lbs.     BMI charts want me at 118lbs.    Had I lost EVERY ounce of fat, I STILL would have been "overweight" per the BMI charts, so a good bit of that extra weight is just excess skin.

I have not had plastic surgery, yet, although I DEFINITELY want to.    Based on conversations with a couple of plastic surgeons, I can expect to lose 15lbs of excess skin through a LBL.    I'm also not interested in augmentation, but do want a breast lift as well.   I have enough stuffings for a C-cup, which should be more than plenty on my tiny frame.

So what is my life like today?

I have a great job, working for a large well-known telecommunications company.    I'm a NOC manager, with a good group both under me and above me.    Was it just being in the right place at the right time?    Who knows?   But I have always been a hard worker, a go-getter, and the kind of person who does things well.....but it was only AFTER I lost 100lbs that this opportunity presented itself.     There are other managers here who are overweight, some significantly, so it may be just coincidence.    Or it may be that the change it had on ME gave me that extra oomph to get the job. 

I have a vitamin sorter that I can next to the toothpaste, and my morning routine includes teeth, vitamins (1 dose of prenatals, 20 MEQ of Potassium, 100,000 Units of Vitamin D, and Synthroid for thyroid), and a good healthy bowel clearing.     I actually weigh myself before and after, and generally lose about 2lbs!!     It's one of the ways I can tell if I'm done.   *heh*    

I bought a motorcycle a couple of years ago, which I love to ride.   I actually ride year-round as long as the roads aren't icy.    This uses a lot of muscles, especially on long rides.   I would like to do an iron-butt ride, which is a minimum of 1000 miles in 24 hours.     I found a freeway in Texas that would be great for that - speed limit is 80mph, so I can go fast LEGALLY.   The longest I've ever ridden is 19 hours, but that included a lot of rest stops to warm my hands.  Now I have heated gloves. 

I also learned to rock climb, although I haven't done as much lately because it's expensive and I've been cutting back.    To really rock climb well, you need to climb at least 3x a week.   Twice a week you'll maintain but not improve.  Gym membership is either $100/mo or $15-18 each time.    So, I'm rearranging some expenses so that I can afford it. 

I'm in two pool leagues, 8-ball and 9-ball, so I play twice a week.    Andre usually has iced tea waiting for me when I arrive, and I typically order the mini-corndogs.    For 8-ball, I have to get to the bar before 7pm to get breakfast.    Pre-op i often ate dinner foods for breakfast.   Now I eat omelets for dinner, and will go out of my way to be there on-time to get one.   My captain refers to my meal as "the plate o'cheese".     I get a ham & cheese omelet with cheese on the hashbrowns.   Yum!!

I buy Premier Protein RTD shakes, which I love.   They have a decent flavor (similar to Muscle Milk Chocolate), but they have 30g of protein and only ONE gram of carbs. 

I have developed hypoglycemia post-op, and that actually gives me more trouble than anything else DS-related.    It means I *have* to carry food with me at all times.   This is especially problematic when travelling.     I need a) protein & carbs that will b) pass TSA regulations that c) doesn't need heating, refrigeration or d) any kind of implements that wouldn't pass TSA restrictions and e) won't drip, leak or explode in flight.     Since the airlines don't feed you anymore, and the food places in airports close at night, I cannot depend on them to make sure I'm okay.      My solution?    A peanut-butter and jelly sandwich.     I even managed to get one to Hawaii and back.   It was a little smushed, but hey. 

I still don't like how I look in a bathing suit (too much flabby excess skin), but I can buy a pair of jeans or a shirt without trying it on, and find them in almost any shop I go into.    I can also buy stuff off the cheap racks, in the discount bins, or the consignment shops.    One time on the way to the gym, I realized I didn't have a clean shirt - it was actually cheaper for me to run by Plato's Closet (clothing thrift shop) and buy one (for a dollar!!) than it was to spend the gas to drive home to get one I already own.

I get more attention in stores, restaurants, malls, movie theatres, etc from the staff than I used to pre-op, and it's easier to get waited on.     I'd like to find a boyfriend,  fall in love again, maybe have a family.    I'd like to make more money, but I'm happy to be working in an environment where I'm appreciated and am less likely to be laid off.   (No one is safe, but some areas are safer than others).   I'm not gorgeous, or beautiful or anything out of the ordinary.    

I'm just a normal healthy middle-aged woman who doesn't look half bad in a sweater and jeans - and I paid a lot of money out of pocket to be able to say that.  

--BT