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Posted by Leisa J.
on November 16, 2008, 5:51 am
66.223.208.100
Howdy - I belong to a few bariatric surgery World Wide Web groups, where newbie’s are able to observe our discussions of living with our new bodies, but they are not really allowed to chime in until they are out at least a year after surgery.
So many questions & theories come up it can make your head spin. I have people ask me the most in depth questions I never ever even imagined I would ever think of.
I have been asked to summarize my life situations after bariatric surgery - to give insight on many issues - that process has nudged me in the direction of putting my world into perspective & taking note.
Below is an interesting blip of information that I actually had to line out twice. My fingers tapped out all of it, without my feeling like I was really doing it. So much of the time, our own life stories - get developed without us ever really knowing that we are documenting & sharing.
So - here goes, I am 46 years old, have lost 174 pounds & aiming to loose that final 26 pounds - wearing a size 8 but moving down into size 6 again. My biggest wish beyond this is to one day have all the reconstructive surgery that I need for my skin to actually fit.
Life is Good; it starts out with all the potential in the world, the limits are something we create for ourselves. So - push out the walls, expand your horizons! Allow yourself to fly like the beautiful butterfly you were born to be!!! Be Happy!!!
MY SUMMARY TODAY FOR THE WWW group! 11-15-08
Re: Gaining weight (try again response) Ha! Ha!
Weight creep is a fact of life. I'm told that the body goes into 'repair mode', almost the minute the bypass is done. You are able to stretch your food pouch; the small intestine begins to get larger.
I started to gain 5 years after my Scopinero, I was drinking too much fresh milk, & yes getting into carb's & sugar, plus I had to stop jogging for other health issues.
Turns out that I am & probably will always be my own worst enemy. I wanted to get back to where I could hide behind my weight & that would be my sorry excuse for anything going on that appeared 'bad' in my world.
For a year or so, I grieved for the foods that I could no longer have, I grieved for the social aspects of sharing meals or snacks with the people in my life. I could go on & on about the why's of it all.
Friends & family also play a roll - unknowingly I think - because they are waiting for you to get back to your senses & 'eat normally now'. Or - your friends don't want to be around the new you... so at some point you will grieve for the friends you thought you had.
The fix. Go all the way back to your starting day after surgery. Taking in only your vitamins, your protein, I used bullion cubes with twice the water & that turned out to be like a comfort food to me - still is even now. Your weight gain will stop; it may not start to come off like it did right after your surgery...BUT IT WILL START AGAIN!
When you are close to the lowest weight you were just before the creep started add one protein food item for a week or three, like steamed or baked chicken or baked or steamed fish, boiled eggs. No carbs or sugar yet. Then make sure you are doing all the water you were told to have on a daily basis.
If you don't gain weight with the one thing you start off with, add something else...staying in the protein group of solid foods. As you go on adding, if you do notice a weight creep - stop the last food item you added. If it still keeps creeping - take it back another food item & increase your play time.
Give yourself a break from the daily pounding you do on yourself over any sort of 'failure'. Really - my doctor told me, that your body is fighting you - it will stop & hang out at what ever weight you maintained for any length of time. DON'T GIVE UP!!! Then all of a sudden you will be down 2 to 20 pounds. Believe me - you may want to cheer & dance the second pass of that weight on the way down - because now you've had to work harder to get there.
FORGET EXERCISE - don't even give it a thought. Instead - when it's time for everyone to have a normal meal break - take yourself for a walk! Enjoy what ever kind of weather you are living in & take the time to think good thoughts about yourself! Go for a bike ride - take the dog to the park! Never mind that exercise business!! Go on a hike! Go out browsing at garage sales or go to any public park or garden & just smell the flowers or fresh air! PLAY!!! Do that painting project you've always wanted to do! Work & putter around in your garden!!! PLAY! Why do it at the normal meal times? Why not?!?! You don't need to be there to wish for what you know you shouldn't have. You don't have to cause concern for your friends & family because you aren't eating with them like your old normal self!
Let yourself come out of that safety shell, spread your wings & ride in the air like the beautiful butterfly you have inside of you! You deserve to celebrate yourself! You deserve to be happy & beautiful what ever age or weight you are! Give yourself permission to LIVE & Live WELL!
More over - congratulate yourself & celebrate the winning choices you have made to blooming into the freedom of a beautiful life that you now get to be more interactive with.
I know it's a long note, but what I just described to you here & now...took almost 19 years for me put into perspective even for myself. The person I am today - was born in December of 1989. It's been a long - long haul, I gave up trying to keep a tally of all the really beautiful & most rewarding things that have happened from that time period to now. Every day from the time I placed my life in Dr. Fox's hands - has been such a joyous reward & life has much more value because of all the participation that I can choose now.
You made the right decision. You have a wonderful bright future coming straight at you!!! SO - SHORE UP & START OFF EVERY DAY - KNOWING THAT YOU GET TO LIVE & LIVE WELL - AGAIN!!!
Hang In There & Celebrate your choices! Because you're worth it!
With Kindest Regards,
ME...the gal that will never be 'twiggy' I just get to live & have a shot at real JOY - in every day that I wake up to!
person 2 wrote:
>
> Hi, person 1! I had my DS 6 years ago & lost from 257 to 121...that lasted a very short time, but I maintained at 129 - 131 for about 2 years. In the past 2 years, I'm up to 150-ish. If I watch what I eat, very carefully, I can lose; however, my surgeon operated on my gut, not on my head, & I still don't always make the right choices. I've gone from a size 8-10 to a 14. I'm not all that happy about it, & I'm sure at one point I will diet & **gag** exercise, but I guess my head's not there yet.
>
> II think it's the 20-30 lb. "bump" that I've heard so much about.
>
> Good luck--and wish me luck, too!
>
> person 2
>
> --- On Wed, 11/12/08, Stacie
>
> From: Person 1
> Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 6:58 PM
>
> I had my DS about 7 years ago & went from 350 to 130. In the last 2 months or so I have gained up to 160 or so. What's going on? I really don't feel like I am doing anything different.
>
> Thanks.
> Person 1
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