New Member
Hi Everyone. I'm a new member here, and just wanted to say Hi, and send thanks to everyone for their honest comments, pro and con, on these forums. It's awesome having such a solid place to get so much good information.
A bit about me: I'm a 65 year old male living in Washington state. I've fought the weight loss dragons my whole life. I had Lap Band surgery in 2010, and initially lost 125 pounds over about 10 months. I started at 320 and got as low as 195, I was very pleased with that result, but it was unsustainable, and within about two years I had gained back about sixty pounds. My weight yo-yo'ed up and down since then, as low as 225 and as high as 290, until complications set in as my Band began to seriously fail last year. I contacted my surgical center for help, and we decided it was time for a revision surgery to remove the Band, and do a VSG. I went through the whole pre-op process again, and I had surgery five days ago.
I'm recuperating at home, and I'm amazed at how good I feel. I'm especially amazed at how well I'm doing - much better than when I had my Band surgery. I'm still on a Stage 2 liquid diet, (mainly protein shakes and water), and things are going fine. I've eliminated pain meds except for Tylenol a few times a day, I'm sleeping well, incisions are healing properly, and I'm ready to face the next phases of this journey head-on. It's too early to count weight loss from surgery, since I'm still healing, but for the record, I'm down about eight pounds from what they weighed me in the hospital on surgery day. I'll take it. ;)
For those who are still pre-op, or who are considering having surgery, my encouragement is to focus on your goal, do your research, and make informed choices. This is definitely a journey. I wish you success going forward.
Dave
Welcome!
Glad things have gone well. You must have really worked hard with the band as you don't always hear alot of centurian weight loss with that method.
Also, the fact you sought out another surgery also says alot about your desire to get and stay healthy!
I had the sleeve done in 2015 and began regaining last year in part due to being seriously ill most of 2017, but mostly due to emotional eating (anxiety) regarding my illness.
However, I still say the entire WLS process...pre-op and post-op has been a blessing. I may have regained, but I still make healthier food choices and exercise. Been on MFP religiously for almost 4 years. My lab work is always good. And like youI was older when I began this journey (57) so I am grateful this old dog could learn new tricks!
Keep us posted!
Kathy
Thanks, all. The Lap Band surgery was my attempt to control what had been wildly out of control in my life - not just eating, but outrageous swings in my weight. I jumped in with both feet, and did everything by the book: I ate perfectly, I worked out five or six days a week, and I didn't get near anything that would derail my plans. The scale was all I saw, and I was determined to get my weight down. It did work, and I was thrilled when the scale broke 200 for the first time in many years. But I think the Band was too tight, I was on a diet that was unbalanced and unsatisfying, and it was all just too much too fast. My bariatric team advised that I needed to back it off, and I did. They loosened the Band some, and I relaxed my diet some. The weight came back slowly but surely over the next several years. Even when I changed back to that early diet, I couldn't lose any more weight. It was like the perfect storm of weight loss had passed. Then I had knee replacement surgery, and things changed even more. I was unable to work out like I had in the past, and my results were dissatisfying. I ate as good as I could, worked out as good as I could, but my weight still yo-yo'ed. Gradually, it just got to be higher and higher. And then I got very ill. I spent weeks wracked with the hardest coughing fits that I'd ever had. I've learned since that my Band had been placed incorrectly. I was getting sick at every meal. Surgical relief was the only option.
The surgical team at my surgery center had changed to all new staff by then, and the new folks were great. The surgeon told me on the first day I met him that Lap Bands did not provide the long term effects they were intended to, and were no longer the recommended surgery of choice. He drained the Band, relieving me of the too-tight constriction that was making me so ill, and we started plans for revision surgery. It was a good choice, and I'm glad I'm at this point with things.
I know a lot more now than I did before, and I won't be as aggressive this time around. Instead of the scale and focusing only on numbers, this time it'll be about eating right and being healthy. The weight loss will happen on its own. I'm in this for the long haul. :)
Dave
Hi. Since I'd had so many years experience eating with the Lap Band, the diet change wasn't all that hard. I just followed my head, and reduced the carb amount by a lot. I was used to eating protein first, and avoiding large or unhealthy meals. The pre-op diet with high protein and very low carbs is intended to shrink the size of your liver, so it can be maneuvered out of the way during surgery. The smaller it is, the less they have to move, and the less chance of complications. For that last few weeks before surgery, my surgeon asked me to try and reach 100g protein, and stay around 20g carbs daily.
My usual daily diet those weeks consisted of something like this:
Breakfast: A Premier Protein shake (30g protein 5g carbs), and a Jimmy Dean "Simple Scrambles" (21g protein 2g carbs.) The "Sausage" variety is sold in a four-pack at Costco. (It's an awesome, easy breakfast, consisting of eggs, sausage, and cheese. Two minutes in the microwave made a tasty, satisfying breakfast. It has plenty of salt, so only needed pepper to taste great. No ketchup.) Those two items alone were 51g protein, and only 7g carbs.
Mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks: Half an Oberto pepperoni stick (comes in a big bag from Costco, cut in half to net 1 ounce portion, has 8g protein, 1g carbs), OR a "Tillamoos" Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese stick (1 ounce pack, 5g protein, 1g carbs), OR a Cheese Head String Cheese (6g protein, 1g carbs) I typically had two pepperoni sticks and one each of the cheeses in my lunch bag, so by end of day I'd had 27g protein, and 4g carbs. (I also used these three snack options whenever I needed a snack. One or two satisfied the urge, and kept me on focus.)
Lunch: Don Lee Farms Chicken Patty (19g protein, 3g carbs) These come from Costco, too. (Notice a trend here? ;)) Easy microwave, tasty if not overcooked. I'd nuke it, cut it up, and dip it in a tsp of lite Ranch Dressing. Usually had unsweetened iced tea or ice water to drink.
Dinner: Grilled hamburger patty (20g protein, 0g carbs) The 1/4 pound patties from Costco are great for this. One or two grilled up, and if needed, with a bit of that lite Ranch dressing on the side, or maybe a spoonful of fresh salsa. Easy dinner.
By the end of an average day, I'd easily be at 117g protein, and 14g carbs. (Plus the few extras from the ranch Dressing or salsa, but these didn't ever amount to much, so I didn't count them.) The trick was to eat often, but not a big meal, and drink lots of water. It kept away the hunger pangs, and I didn't ever feel like I was depriving myself. I work full time, and am an "on the go" kind of guy, so I opted for quick and easy meals. I didn't drink alcohol, milk, eat any bread, chips, or pasta, or have any sweets during that period. I knew I was prepping for surgery, and wanted to give myself the best chances for success. The rest was turning off my brain from over-analyzing things. If I fell short one day, I'd try again the next day.
There are a million recipes out there, and everyone is different. I know you'll be able to find the magic methods for yourself. One tip: Take smaller bites and savor the flavor your chewing. It's not a race to empty your plate. Good luck with your surgery!
Dave
P.S. It feels awesome being on the other side of things! I'm one week post-op today, healing well, I'm off all pain meds, handling the Stage 2 liquid diet easily, and I'm focused on the future. I'm excited about life! :)
