Question from Al Roker.............

Unfortunately I do get the "hungrys" LOL! And then all that old munching comes back into play. Wouldn't have it been nice that our eating disorders that got us fat in the first place could have been removed with the surgery {sigh}. I munch all day basically. Breakfast is a coffee and then a protein drink or bar, I just can not do cereal at all. I can do sometimes oatmeal with protein powder. Lunch is whatever is available or what I'm munching on. I do eat one "normal" meal which is dinner but I can some days eat up to a normal portion and others my post surgery size meal it seems to depend. Unfortunately I'm getting perimenopausal and it's bringing on all sorts of hormonal hungrys especially late at night! I'd like to do the 6 small meals which would go hand in hand with my munchy habits just need ideas nutritionally. And at the best of it, I'm still smaller than I ever was but still......I have a closet full of great clothes I can't into!

My PCP has asked that I always come to her office dressed and equipped like the last visit. She is always looking for indicators of weight gain and figures that removing variables gives her a better picture of what is going on. She is not so concerned about my weight per se, but I take ACTOS, which tends to be an appetite stimulant in higher doses. She wants the highest possible effect of the medication w/o crossing over the threshold into making me ravenous. What has reinforced my eating habits was a increase in blood sugar levels. I had to return to a more protein-oriented, less while food approach to get them back in check, which in turn seems to keep my weight in check. Nowhere Man/PH/Jay (2.5 years post-op and +5 pounds over lowest weight reached (194))

Hmm Dx I saw the show this morning--at least part of it and posted about it on the main board. I found it interesting that I thin he originally said he thought he had gained to 230 and then when he got on the scale it turned out to be 240. That is a pretty significant regain--but probably in keeping with that 55% figure which was quoted in the MSNBC article this morning on the various forms of surgery. What has to be really scary is the a little can become more and more. I lost to 158--for about 1 day--maybe it was an hour--I don't know. I regained up to 177 (Holy camoly--that was almost 20 and I had no idea it was that much til I weighed while preparing for the plastic surgery) then got back down to 160 and just went up to 163 over the holidays. Talk about scale issues. Speaking of scale issues--when we returned from the cruise my daughter got on the scale to check out the damage. I had been looking at it and was afraid but took the leap. It was up two and then we've had two weeks of holiday eating (I ventured on the scale despite my fears this am) and I was up another lb. Now my goal is to rid mys self of these three before it turns into more. While recovering from the plastic surgery I had absolutely no appetite at all, but I managed to not lose anything because I have the metabolism from hell. I must exercise and be active. That is more important to me than the eating is. Happy New Year!

I never reached goal. I do 3 meals, 3 shakes inbetween so count that as 6 feedings. Between years 3 1/2 to now I have had a 25 pound regain. Some I will admit to as my fault. Some I say is the standard of the normal gain we do when we are "settling" in after the rapid weight loss. I now take dance lessons and do cardio at the gym. One night is dance and 3 days at the gym. With practice inbetween. I am as active as my aching bones will allow me. I do not exergerate on the aching bones. Constant pain as some may know already. What to do about this? Haven't a clue. More exercise? Less foods? ??? Darlene

Ya know, I never thought I was a very supersticious person. HOWEVER, I am afraid to state, I attribute my success to ____ as it might jinx me lol. I find it interesting that he is going to do 'feedings' and resistence stretching. I guess if I attributed my 'success' to anything, it would be those two things - and sheer FEAR of going back from where I came. Interesting topic.

Dame T, I did think of you When he described the small "mini-meals." My doc pushes this notion and so that's How I started, but good to hear it supported From yet another source. Best Wishes- Dx

I am about 10 pounds higher than my "marathon weight", about 20 from my lowest (which was too low). I do 3 "official" meals a day, but often snack for the added calories. Sometimes it feels like I'm eating all day. I attribute my 10 extra pounds to being coldish/fluish and not running as much as I usually do since about Thanksgiving. That schedule is picking up again, so keeping the weight on will become an issue again. He is a bigger man than I (to coin a phrase) doing anything in front of what must be hundreds of viewers on TV. I want to wear a disguise when I run at 4:00am on empty streets. My 'biggest fear' is getting used to sleeping in until 6:00am, and liking it more than running. From what my surgeon said, Al didn't really follow a plan, apparently in some interview he said he could pretty much eat what he wanted, in smaller quantities. I don't really follow what other people do, or say they do, but my surgeon felt the need to tell me since it was an article about Al that got me interested in WLS in the first place, so I guess he wanted to make sure I did not have the wrong idea. I remember in the first year post-op, before I would go in for my monthly weigh-ins, I would take off my watch, and leave my keys and cellphone in the car. Tek

Tek--I agree he is a much "bigger man than me". I admire him for putting it out there. I would definitely be working on it in private. What he did with the eat anything just smaller quantities may work for some--but to me it all gets back to the fact that something in many of us doesn't quite operate like the "normal" population. The thought of failing at something as drastic as weight loss surgery absolutely terrifies me.

Although I wanted to get to 115 lbs. as a goal, my REAL goal was to be a size 8. Single digit clothes would be good, I thought. Then I got to a size 6. OK, even better! I can live with this, plus I was still not at 115 lbs. Finally some size 6s were getting too big. Oh no! PLEASE don't tell me I'm a size (gulp) 4!! But I was!! You know how hard it is to find size 4s???? But I decided to embrace my 4-ness and this is the size I typically buy, with a few size 6s for good measure. Now that I'm used to being this size, and never having gotten to 115 lbs., by the way, I want to stay where I am. Regaining is not an option!! It's my biggest fear. So that brings me to the scale issue. I was all for staying off the scale as I was losing and did ok with that, but when the loss slowed down and I was able to eat more, I got on the scale more, and now I weigh every day. I think this is good, so that not one single lb. sneaks up on me. I also track whatever I eat on Fitday.com so if it's good or bad or 3 meals or 6, I still know what I consumed. That's my plan and thus far, I'm sticking to it!! I wish I had seen the Al Roker thing. I never thought he ever really made it to goal and I also thought he had regained some, but I didn't want to believe it. Bless his heart! Jan

Jan, I'm also a daily scales person. I've seen "Throw away the scales," So often, but it has been great for me. It doesn't make me crazy (in the sense of being upset) If the numbers go up a bit for a few days. It does give me a gauge to follow daily however And By sticking with my scales, I don't think That much weight will "sneak up" on me. I also was a little shocked that he was actually About 10pounds heavier than he thought he was Before stepping on the scale. I've also gone below goal, But it's not Too small for my frame. And I only passed my goal by 6 pounds So actually, depending on the time of day I may only be 2 pounds below. I'm glad that I'm not alone in using the scales daily. I know the focus is on my overall health and not the numbers, But they do supply me with a constant source of Factual objective proof of my progress. I do still wonder how much my keys weigh Every time I weigh in at the Doc's. Best Wishes- Dx