help with v.poor wl

RE: message board for old people?? Response from Kathleen McCaffrey at 11:12 PM PST on 04/08/2006 Dillsburg, PA - (11/30/2004) - Luciano A. DiMarco, D.O. OK, I will try to make this explanation concise. I went thru the usual Insurance stuff and had to wait for the OK for surgery etc.I had surgery 11/30/04. I weighed 272 at that time and am 5'2" and shrinking. I'm not young , I was 55 y.o. when I started this journey. I lost 30 lbs. the first month and around Christmas I was in for dehydration and dilation of a stricture. After 2 months I had another dilation for another stricture but that was day surgery. At 10 weeks I had lost 50 lbs. And then I stopped losing weight. I could not tolerate any meat, fish, eggs. I was on protien shakes , the vitamins and simple foods. When I would go for a bariactic check up , they were not concerned about my not losing weight or being unable to eat meat etc. I thought something was wrong but couldn't get then to think so. Then in May 27,2006 I had the major back surgery that I had been losing the weight for. I had a major fusion from L2 to S1 with 5 screws and 2 rods put in. I was in a back brace for 3 months and did a little walking but not much else. I developed anemia over the summer and started on iron pills extra from my other mega vits. Again I am still at the same weight loss and now the dr. thinks maybe my Gall bladder is to blame. DUH! So I had my Gall bladder removed 8/15/05. The dr. said it was very bad and good thing it came out. That made 3 surgeries in 8 months. I didn't bounce back very well after the GB. I started to lose hair and was anemic. I think my body was really stressed from 3 surgeries. On 11/05/05 I have my 1 year follow up with bariatic dr. I tell him I feel like a failure since I only lost 50 lbs and he ask if I was eating better and/or my health was improved?? Yes, I said. Since the GB removal and getting back to "normal" I can eat meat in small amounts. Still can't eat eggs, rice, pasta, certain fish . I still have to eat slow or I get severe stomach pain. I am still walking with a cane and I have Gained 15 lbs back! What did I go thru all that stuff for if it isn't working?? My regular doctor says that I am on some meds that make it hard to lose weight. I have had my blood tested for thyroid problems and am told that it is low normal. I see most people have lost 100 lbs. by 1 year and here I sit. I need to do some type of exercise but that is hard with the joint and back problems. I eat small meals. Barely can eat a whole sandwich at a sitting. I still have to eat very slowly and feel like I am hardly eatting . I get my fluids in. I may need to up my protein. I can tolerate some carbs but do have to watch out for hypoglycemia. Which I had before the surgery but not this severe. It can drop to 50's very fast. I can eat salads, fruit, nuts, cheese. Anyone else having this problem? Suggestions?? TIA,Kathy

Hi Kathy, how many calories are you taking in on average? Michelle

Kathy, I'm sorry you've had some many problems. I'm sure it's been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. I happen to believe that hiring a nutritionist (not just a dietician) is very helpful in determining what works for you, meets your nutritionist needs and would help you continue to lose weight. Often such a person will listen to and understand how to help you better than a surgeon or PCP. Losing weight is not necessarily easy even with WLS, unfortunately. I don't find it unusual that you still have to eat slowly or that you can "barely" eat a whole sandwich. I'm 3 years out and could not possibly eat a whole sandwich (and I am definitely not thin), and I'm always the last person to finish eating even though I eat about 1/4 to 1/3 of what most others do. Eating fast makes my pouch hurt. I also avoid all pasta and rice (except wild rice which is actually a grain). Can you eat fish? For me, it's the easiest thing to handle and it is so high in protein. My favorite is tilapia, which is very mild and takes on the flavors of whatever you season it with. Flounder is another great, mild choice. Cod is a good but can be a bit dry if you aren't careful how you prepare it. I love tuna (have it on my salad every single day) and salmon too. Crab, shrimp and scallops are other very good choices, and at least for me, work well. I do believe we need a certain amount of carbs and I get most of mine from fruit and some dairy. Cottage cheese and yogurt are more good options for protein that is usually easy to digest. By the way, I'm nearly 56 myself. And I also get hypoglycemic very easily. Keep trying Kathy. And if you decide to hire a nutritionist, interview several by phone to explain your needs and assess whether the person is the right one to help you. My nutritionist had never had a WLS patient before but she was intrigued by it and up for the challenge and for the research she would need to do (no, I didn't pay for her research--she did that on her own in order to learn and grow). I paid $75/visit, twice a month the first two months, then once a month for 8 more months. The number of consultations was always up to me, but she helped with far more than just eating, such as great exercises that helped me manage my arthritis better, spot reducing, motivation, etc. Take care. Anewme

I don't think the slow weight loss is all about age. I use the Over 50 board a lot and find that each person has their own unique metabolism which accounts for the amount of weight they lose. Do you log your food on a program like FitDay so that you know exactly how many calories, protein, carbs, etc you are consuming a day? If you don't I'd recommend you do that for a few weeks and then make another appointment with your surgeon. Show him the food log and ask him to help you find a solution. My surgeon's nutritionist actually told me I was eating too little at one point so I increased the calories and started losing weight again. I can't believe your surgeon hasn't been more attentive to the problem because it gets harder to lose as we get further out from surgery. Best of luck!

Pat, can you link me to the over 50 board? I cannot seem to find it!

I'm not Pat but go to the over 50 board often. Here's the link- http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/over_50/ Dixie

Thanks for all your help. I do keep track of what I eat but don't have a tracker for the specific break down of each food. What is " Fitday"?? I do have a doctors order to see a nutristionist and I will use it now with a different approach. As Michele sugested. I haven't gone yet because in the past they just did a general overview of foods etc. Thanks for the ideas. Kathy

Hi Kathy ... http://www.fitday.com is a free site where you can journal your food intake, exercise, etc. and it will calculate your calories, carbs, protein, etc. There are a couple other sites I'm aware of (some people say they're better than fitday), but I haven't had a chance to test them yet. Karyn