The Loser's Bench
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Hi my name is Cindy and I am a doctoral student and also have had a lifetime of dealing with my weight. I am doing a project on whether peoples' expectations after surgery were met and also want to know if surgery affected people at work. This survey takes only about 10 minutes and you would be helping me and others with your responses. Thank you and best of luck and strength to everyone. The link for survery is:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/weightandwork
I am almost five months out, and after a delay of three months, I am back to swimming as my main exercise. My stamina is INCREDIBLE! Before surgery, I was swimming between 2000 & 2500 meters three or more times a week. NOW, I am swimming a minimum of 3000 meters, FIVE days a week. Today, I made a personal best - 3500 meters in under two hours.
My first set of labs was great, and I am looking forward to later in May getting my six month check up. Many of the aches and pains are less, I am losing slowly but steadily, and my primary doc is ready to do back flips over my progress (it is nice to have professionals give you the high five!).
My daughter told me that I am now a "normal fat person," which was her way of saying I have lost a LOT of weight, and no longer look like some huge land mammal. Friends are starting to really notice the weight loss, which is pretty cool.
In total, from the beginning of my journey, I have lost 110 pounds - not just from surgery. I started out at 474 pounds, so being in the mid 300's is a cool place to be for the moment.
Brenda : )~
I am no longer on my meds for diabetes and my sugars are normal I am due for blood work for my april 28 appointment for diabetes. so we will see how things go.
(((Erica))),
I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time. I do understand. This winter I slipped and fell on the icy driveway fracturing my wrist and several of the vertebrae in my middle back. I've been on my back or in a chair much more than I would like and have to really watch my weight so that it doesn't creep back up because I'm not exercising to speak of right now. Like you, I've also have a great deal of stress in my life... job loss, several deaths in the family, lost our home, etc... and I'm a 'emotional' eater.... so I really do get it. I also don't do real well with 'deprivation'... as a matter of a fact, I turn into a 3 year old and rebel.
I have felt really overwhelmed. One of the things that I have done that has worked was spent some time writing down all of the things that I really appreciate about being thinner and/or why I want to be thinner. I found that they basically broke down into these categories: health, quality of life, and appearance. I now pick one of those things from my lists that fall into each of those categories that I want to have in my life. Then during the day I try to think about the decisions I'm making to see if they helping me or hindering me from attaining those things. It sounds hokey, but it's really helped.
I also have had to trim down my intake since I've been less active. When I'm 'normally' active for me, I typically ingest about 2000 to 2200 calories a day. Now, I'm more in the 1600 to 1800 calorie range. As I said before, I'm really not so good at deprivation so diets don't work too well for me. What I have done is leverage the power of my tool. I load first with protein, then backfill with colorful carbs that I like and are prepared in ways that I really enjoy. Finally, if I want them, I have some simple carbs, but they are limited by space.
Please consider finding a buddy that you can talk to, call, text, whatever when you are considering doing things that might undermine your health and/or weight, or not doing things that will support your goals.
Your are worth it. Take the time and initiative to take care of yourself as well as you would take care of others.
I don't know if any of this might be helpful to you, but I hope it is.
Barbara
ObesityHelp Coach and Support Group Leader
http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/bcumbo_group/
High-264, Current-148, Goal-145
I am just over 2 years out, and I'm struggling. After an initial loss of 140 pounds (got down to 4 pounds below my surgeon's goal for me), I have regained 25 of those pounds. For almost the whole first year after surgery, I was an exercise fiend, working out at least 4 hours at a time, usually 3 days a week, with the treadmill or stationary bike in between. That was while my epidural pain shots lasted. But then, they quit working, and the pain in my back and legs was ferocious, and I could barely walk, let alone exercise. I ended up having back surgery when I was 13 months out, and was in a huge brace and not allowed to do ANYTHING for more than 3 months (other than walking - but less than a month after surgery, I was feeling so good and pain-free that I got careless and fell hard at work, breaking my knee-cap right in two, and breaking my right wrist). I was in a wheelchair for a month, and in a leg immobilizer and a cast on my arm for 9 weeks. So, still no real opportunity to exercise. Then, in August this past summer, I finally got to do some physical therapy, and by October, I was back to working out 3 to 4 times per week, and even swimming. But then, in mid-October, I tore my rotator cuff and wreaked out my biceps tendon, and once again had to have surgery that pretty much immobilzed me until about two months ago. And during this time, the weight has crept back on. I'm frustrated and scared. I recently began deep-water aerobics twice a week at the warm water therapy pool at National Jewish because my knees are pretty much bone-on-bone (and I've been told 3 times in the last 6 months that I need total knee replacements), so walking is getting painful again, and even using the stationary bike can cause my knee to swell up double its size. I went out and bought some dumbells and resistance bands, and a balance ball so that I can do strength and toning exercises at home in addition to the treadmill, stationary bike and water aerobics, and I've got this incredible pedometer that records all kinds of stuff and you can upload data to your computer, and I've even got (and wear) a BodyBugg (which measures your caloric output and when you log your intake and upload the data from the bodybugg it tells you where you're at system-wise - how many calories you need to take in and how much calories you need to burn to lose weight)... but it seems like most of the time I am just not motivated to go downstairs and JUST DO IT!!! I need help.... I am attending a 4 week Behavior Modification group series put on by one of the therapists who works with my bariatric surgeon, and I also have a Health Coach through my place of employment who is working with me... but I have not held up my end of the bargain and honored my commitment to come home, go downstairs and walk for at least 20 to 30 minutes on the treadmill, or get on the stationary bike and pedal for 20 to 30 minutes. I KNOW I need to do it.... but it seems I always find excuses not to. I just feel sooo tired all the time (and yes, I'm taking my vitamins and have had comprehensive bloodwork recently, and all is fine)...
I need a good swift kick in the behind.... but what I really need is someone who will go with me, and be a workout buddy. Someone who will motivate me to get off my duff and do what I know I need to DO!
Feeling like a failure....
Erica
"She changes everything She touches,
and everything She touches, changes!"
Hi Anne,
We have found ourselves in very similar cir****tance regarding both the 'ability' to go for appointments and associated labs and doing those things we can control to take care of ourselves. I'm sure that things will turn around and that you will be aple to get insurance and your regular exams. In the meantime, kudos on doing what you need to do to take care of yourself.
See you soon,
Barbara
ObesityHelp Coach and Support Group Leader
http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/bcumbo_group/
High-264, Current-148, Goal-145
Cheryl
You are right though support and follow-up has to be key to continued success to stay healthy for the rest of our lives.
Blogs mysecondhalfoflife.blogspot.com/ and amanicinsomniacsreadinglist.blogspot.com/
High/Surg/current/goal - 320/253/150/healthy - I am 5' 3" tall - Size 8 now! Past surgeon's goal now!
I told her I still want to do lunch but she offered to have her housekeeper make the chicken salad.
So I agreed she could do that keeping in mind no added salt.
The main thing is not so much the food part even tho I so love creating healthier foods.
The most important thing is spending time with my family.
My sister saw my brother two weeks ago and called me crying saying he looks so bad and wants my opinon.
My brother wont go out in public anymore because how bad he is looking right now.
My heart breaks for him but also at the same time I remember how ashamed I was to be in public because of my weight and low selfesteem.
Annie
