RESTORe Update-3 Months

Congratulations!!!  I'm so happy for you.  And I'm so encouraged to hear that kind of success at the  3 month appointment.  Gives the rest of us something to look forward to.   I only have 40 lbs of regain to lose so I don't expect to lose at the rate you did, but at this point I'll take any loss.  Thanks for sharing what you eat in a typical day - I made a note of it for future reference.   But it really sounds similar to the way I ate as an early post-op, before the grazing and snacking on carbs resumed.  You're an inspiration that we can all use to help us get back on track.  Weigh to go!  Please continue to keep us apprised. Betsy

Betsy you are a total sweetheart!!!!!!!

Lullaby! Your meal schedule looks fantastic!  Weigh 2 go!!!!  Do you include protein drinks?  Do you worry about counting calories or just try to eat lean? As a new "baby Distal", I MUST push protein drinks as well as the healthy meals.  So, I'm my day looks much the same as yours except I have a protein drink first thing in the morning, a couple of hours later I eat 1 or 2 eggs or some cottage cheese or yogurt.  Protein drink mid-morning and then whatever my queesy tummy feels it can handle for lunch (new system is still sensitive).....I often have a lean cuisine while at work because they are under 200 calories, high in protein and HOT.....I almost always have grilled fish of some type for supper because it seems to make my "system" happy!  lOL  I have a protein drink in the evening and some snack that's on the healthy side......Right now Dr. Schlesinger has me nibbling banana chips for the potassium.......When I stray to far from this path then I might as well grab a good book and lock myself on the potty for the night!  Yikes!  ........ I look forward to that big 'ol healthy salad for lunch that you are enjoying!  Right now, any fresh veggies causes major chaos!  I"m pretty much on the toddler plan:  Overcooked bland veggies!  lOL! Congrats to you on your resolve to stay focused!  It definitely pays off with not only weight loss, but renewed health!  You inspire.....Love your posts! -25 since revision with about 15 to go......:)

Joyce- Are you going to be able to maintain when you lose your last 15 pounds?  You may end up losing more than you anticipate!!   Knowing you're going to have a rough bathroom experience is a pretty strong deterrent for eating "badly"...especially if you're not at home..lol.  I know exactly what you mean about the salads...during my first 6 weeks of healing I couldn't have them and now that I can I feel like I can eat almost "normally."   Hopefully you'll be able to partake soon without negative aftereffects..lol I don't need protein drinks anymore.  I drank them for a little over 2 weeks after the procedure.  They told me as long as I can get at least 60 grams of protein in a day then I didn't need them anymore.   I don't count calories but I use fat free cheese, and lean proteins.  I use turkey instead of hamburger..no fried foods..that kind of thing.  Thank you for your encouragement!!  I'm looking forward to seeing your skinny photos very shortly!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!  You are an inspiration for not only myself but so many others here.  I am so proud of you, as I am sure you are proud of yourself...and you should be.   I am sitting here thinking about the hope I have with this study, and the success that is possible, the success I really didn't have with my revision (which was a year ago today), and I feel renewed and hopeful again. I have 18 days and counting down.

Reese! I totally feel you girl..LOL!  I think most of us feel the same way.  If we could just get another chance.....well this is my chance and yours will be coming up soon, one way or another eventually!   Thank you for your kind words.  I'm trying to give as much information as I can because I know how "hungry" I was for some kind of help and I desperately needed to hear from others when I was looking for a revision. Can't wait to hear about your experience Feb 13, right?

Lullaby you are really awesome!  I love hearing about real experiences because I know that when next Friday comes, my life will change and I will keep needing to hear what others are eating so that I can kind of  "normalize" my own situation.  Joyce, you also are an inspiration...to think that I stumbled onto this web site 2 or 3 weeks ago and now I come back to it as much as I can is remarkable!! I am amazed that I have let life get by me...I feel as though I have lived in a vacuum...I gained my weight back and just accepted that fate for many, many years.  I now feel as though I have a second chance to it right this time.   Sue

Yep, Feb 13.  I have to get through my vacation first  who would have thought I would be anxious for that to be over   hahaha!   I feel luckier than most as I am getting a 3rd chance, but I really feel like I doing something to give back too by being part of this study...I  hope it will help others in the future and be a win-win situation.  We will be driving home that night and I will be off work that next day, so I will be posting!

Reese - I will probably have mine done about the same time as you, although I don't have my date yet.  I had my endo on Jan 11th so I figure mid-February at the latest.  I'm just waiting for the study coordinator to give me the date.  We are all so fortunate to be given another chance.  Yes our stomas dilated, which contributed to the weight gain, but I, for one, definitely didn't work the tool.  I've eaten many of the wrong things (slider foods), allowed sweets back in, and started drinking with meals again.  I've done a lot of sole-searching about how I'm going to stay on track this time.  How am I going to avoid letting the carb monster back into my life?  I did so well for the first two years after surgery, but then I think feeling "normal" kicked in.  I moved away from the town where I had my surgery, so I lost my support network.  I never really connected with a network here.  But those are empty excuses.  We need to figure out what really happened to cause us to slide back to old eating behaviors (I've always exercised so that's not the problem).  Anyway, I think since there is a group of us now who are having/have had this new procedure and new lease on life, we need to spend some time exploring what happened, and more importantly, what we can do to stay on track.  Agreed? Betsy

Betsy, you are so right. My habits have gotten horrid and my desire for sweets is like it never was even before surgery. I'm hoping I get a second chance, too. I go Feb. 7 to see if I qualify and I'm so scared I won't qualify and so scared that if I do, I won't be compliant and I'll let the carbs back in, too. I want to get to know all of you on here because I never had a support group after my original surgery and I'm hoping this will be it. My surgeon was almost an hour away and I only attended one meeting. I also stopped coming to the OH boards. Before surgery I came on here several times a day and didn't come bac****il about  2 years ago when I started thinking about a revision. I even stopped doing that until recently when I was so desperate because I've gained almost 35lbs. and never reached goal. Then I stumbled upon the RESTORe study and here I am. Everyone is such an inspiration. Brenda