So glad to have been told about this group... ? insulin resistance

I like the vsg board but being over 3 years out,  I needed more people with my problems and experiences.. 
About the surgery.. I started at 388.. DOS was 356 after liquid..  I am now at 260...  I didn't want to stop here at all..  I am having real problems, but I am taking action to reverse that :)  I feel a lot better of course, i am 128 lbs lighter..  My BMI has gone from 63 to 41..  still not good at all, but a lot better..  I knew i would not get to my goad weight.. but i did want to get to 225 and then have this HUGE apron of skin removed...  I really want to do this right and lose more..  


I have had a really hard time getting here...  I had extreme insulin resistance before surgery and it got much better, but i found out the insulin level is in the 20's and they want it to be at 10 for weight loss??  They want me to take metformin, so far i haven't but wanted to see if anyone here has to..

Also, lots of things happened since the sleeve..  Back surgery for ruptured disk...  Ankle fusion which did not fuse so i spend 10 weeks in a cast starting Dec 31 09..  then to a boot, for 2 months..  then weaned out and a LOT of pain..  eventually they did an MRI and found out it didnt fuse.. so back in the boot and a bone stimulator for 3 hours a day for 3 months..  Still didnt fuse..   so I have good days and bad, but i am still trying.. I finally progressed well enough to join the Y and i get to town and try to swim 3 days a week, hope to do more soon..

I just finished the 5 day pouch test tonight..  will add veggies tomorrow.. I was actually hoping to see some examples of meals everyone eats..  I was snacking too much, but still basically maintaining..  I had gained back 10 lbs since the ankle surgery but i was immobile for so long..  If i hadn****ched what went in my mouth i would have been in real trouble..  

I really appreciate any help and info i can get and look forward to talking with all of you..  
God Bless

Cindy

Hi Cindy! It's good to see you here. It's funny your high weight is exactly the same as mine.. 388. I might have been more at some point but didn't have a scale that went that high.

You sure have been through a lot physically haven't you? I have been fortunately injury free which allows me to do a lot of exercise which really helps with the weight loss and insulin resistance.

I also am very strict with low carb as I am so carb sensitive. What are you eating on a daily basis? Maybe I can offer some suggestions?

Also please check out my profile as I have a bunch of recipes that are really helpful to me to keep my nutrition in line as they are low fat, cal and high protein and so I can "snack" on them a bit more without as much damage.

Have you ever tried the "sit and be fit" exercise program or searched for exercises you can do with an ankle injury? There are a lot of things you can do that don't require you to use your ankle and I think those can help you.

If you google various things like exercise for people with ankle injuries you'll find a lot of interesting stuff, like this page:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5669543_exercise-broken-ankle.html

Hope that helps and hugs...

Wow....you have some challenges for sure!  Mobility issues really impact EVERYTHING in your life !   I hear ya on that.  I agree W/ sublimate.....find something that works for you "exercise" wise.  Then work on the nutrition part.  I am still doin' very low carb/high protein.  I am still in the "losing" phase!  Due to VERY high insulin resistance (my endo's words!)  Low carb works well for me.  It is NOT easy.....but I have been doing it for soooo long it is "natural" to me now.    I will post a sample of what I eat if you would like. 
    I just wanted to commend you for sharing your struggles W/ us.  It took a lot of courage to "put yourself out there"  like that.   I hope you stick around.    lots of great info.....even greater people here!  Hey there might be several people "lurking" out there who have similar stories....but don't post about it.  Your post.....and the info you receive....may help others too!  Welcome......you CAN do this!....Good luck!

It's late and I will have more to say tomorrow, but for right now, I just want to say I am glad you found us.  Welcome, this is a great place.

Welcome Cindy. I used to live in the midwest and spent a lot of time in Kansas City and other parts of Missouri. My little doggie is from Belton.

With all your injuries and such you have done really well keeping off the weight you lost. Must be really rough.

You asked about sample menus for weight loss. I followed my doctors program pretty strictly with 600 to 800 cal per day, less than 40 g carbs and 70 g protein. So I might have two scrambled eggs for breakfast, a premier premixed protein shake for lunch, dinner  3 oz salmon and two asparagus spears, and maybe some greek yogurt with a dab of honey in it. I kept my carbs well under the 40 limit. My rate of loss was not particularly fast and my surgeon told me to increase protein to 80 to pick it up and it did. just go back to eating like you did when you were 6 months out from surgery and do a protein drink per day. check back in and tell us if any of this is helping.

Diane

welcome to the boards, there used to be someone on the boards about 2 yrs ago that used to talk alot about insulin resistance she wanted a vsg but ended up having a rny... Terry, well she was a big supporter of using metmorfin to help with getting the weight to drop.

maybe someone has her full id so you can contact her and she will be able to give you some of her thoughts.

Hi Cindy, the member that Mini is talking about is Teri J.  Se has a Jane Jetson Avatar.  I don't know if you remember her.  She wanted a sleeve but finally had to get a RNY as that is all her insurance would cover.  She had lots of issues with IR and highly advocates the use of Metformin.  Maybe you can search for her and send her a PM.  I know she'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.  Good luck and welcome to the maintenance board!

Laura

 Hey Cindy,
You and I are practically twins! My DOS I was 352. I have extreme metabolic resistance. I was suffering with a achilles tendon tear for the year following my surgery. I hit 216 while I was actively losing (like getting my butt to the gym and drinking protein vials once or twice a day two years post-op) and have creeped back up to 240. I am just getting, at 4 years out, to the head space to make ME the priority again (back burner the kids and the house a little) and get my butt BACK to it. I do so want to go a little lower (though, at 240 even I am SO MUCH BETTER OFF THAN I WAS BEFORE it's a little too easy to get complacent). 

So, yeah, I'm taking metformin. My GP is a gem, and though he has said since my numbers are great (cholesterol, triglycerides, BP etc) he was willing to write the 'scrip because he understands the insulin resistance part (knows I'm not just sliding carbs down my gullet anytime I can). He's tickled with the 240, says I'm going to live to 100., but knows I want to get lower. I'm taking 1500 mg of metformin a day. One nice side effect is that the met helps with regular elimination (see how I said that all grown up-like) which had been a problem post-VSG...
I pretty much have to keep my carbs (and it's total, not net) at 20grams to stay losing. I buy those danged ketostix to check to see how far into fat burning I am. The only way to keep my carbs that low is to eat pretty much pure protein . . .which I can only do for a while before it becomes onerous.  

At the beginning, right after surgery, it was a LOT easier to focus on myself and though I could cook for the family I would eat only the protein that I made for them. As the years have dragged on (and my weight loss slowed) I was adding bites of rice or bread or occasionally potatoes, and that just kills ALLLLLL progress for me. 

I've been off the boards for awhile. I am planning on ramping up my participation again simply to hold myself accountable. I hope that you will stick around and maybe we can make some progress together.
Mary Claire

 Thanks to ALL of you for your very warm welcome and so glad to be here.. i would have posted yesterday but i hurt my knee.. icing it still, how much bad luck can i have?? Don't ask..  :)  Mary Claire... HI :) It has been forever... thanks for the input on the metformin and i will be researching it more.. i was prescribed 1000 a day to start..   I don't think anything could ever make me regular , not even metformin, lol...   You guys are all great, and I am making myself much more accountable here.. thank you for listening and ALL input is appreciated.. when i need a kick in the butt please feel free..  
Lets all make progress together..