TerSue

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Hi All,
     I had been stuck at the same weight for 4 wks (bouncing between 204 and 206) . I had also quit swimming 7 wks ago due to being ill with a bad cold/bronchitus and then the weather turned too cold at night to keep the pool water warm :o(. About the only exercise I got was mopping floors, mowing grass, and dancing to my ipod while doing other housework, lol.
I finally got my rear in gear and back on a regular exercise routine four days ago with a walk at home DVD. It worked!!
I dropped down to 203 this morning ! I am doing two miles a day right now and wow am I sore...
It felt good to finish my routine this morning without passing out, lol. My goal is to continue two miles a day for another ten days then add the third mile for two weeks until I can do 4 miles a day. I'll stay with 4 miles a day for my morning routine because that should take about 50 minutes to do. I have knee brace straps to wear if I need it. So far I'm okay.
       My fibromyalgia , rt shoulder, and lower back have been giving me fits so hoping the exercise will help. I can't take NSAID drugs anymore because of the gastric bypass and Tylenol doesn't always work.
I'm using short rest periods in between activities, my morning walking, and heating pads with the Tylenol. I'm already on Lyrica which thank goodness I can still take. The weather changes are what triggers my flare ups the most.
      The most frustrating thing about fibromyalgia flare ups are that they get you behind in daily household activities so you're always playing "catch up" on your good days. I've had to cancel numerous doctor appointments because I was too stiff and sore to get myself dressed and out the door. I've been too chicken to complain about my rt shoulder because I know my doctor will want to pressure me into a steroid shot and there is no way I'm doing that. I'm too afraid of the weight gain issues. After four days of doing exercises with my arms I can raise my rt one above my head now. I wear a heat patch during my exercise and other daily activities like washing dishes and it has helped quite a bit.
       Maybe by the end of next week my body won't be as sore due to the exercise routine I started. Exercise is always a struggle to get started again once I stop. As much as the fibromyalgia hurts, I do know that exercising through the pain does help eventually. It's just gritting your teeth and pushing through it the first two weeks. Those with fibromyalgia know exactly what I'm talking about.
I enjoy the walking DVD so maybe between walking in the cool season and swimming in the warm season I can finally keep up a regular workout all year long. My only concern is trying to find an alternative that can take the place of the anti-inflammatory meds I can't take anymore should everything else I'm doing just not work to get me out of this flare up I'm in.
Anyway, can't wait to see how much my weight loss efforts improve by the time I can do 4 miles a day :o).
chat later!
         TerSue

Hi All,
   I'm stuck at the same weight for the last 11 days... It doesn't matter what I do, I can't get it to budge.
However, I am losing inches because I can tighten my belt buckle to the 5th hole instead of the 2nd hole now.
I think I'll ignore the scale for another week or two and then see what happens. I've weighed myself daily since my surgery in March. Everyone says its best to weigh every two weeks so think I will do that.
I've been reading the posts on the Plastic Surgery Forum. I like when people write about how they feel each day after surgery because it gives you an idea of what to expect so long as everything goes well .
I am getting my tummy/breasts/and arms done for sure. I still need to lose about 43 lbs before I can get it done because you do better if you are within 15% of your goal weight. I'll probably get my arms done on a second surgery since you use your arms and legs alot to get up and down after a TT. My one year post op is in March so hopefully I will be close to my goal weight at that time. If I could lose a steady 7 lbs a month I'll get there. Not sure how often our weight just gets stuck while our body adjusts though like I am doing right now.....
   Other than my fibromyalgia flare ups, I am still doing very well. I can't wait for the weather to settle down so I won't be so stiff and sore in the mornings. Cooler weather is almost here and I have lots of projects around my home I want to do now that I have more energy to accomplish those tasks :o). My eating and drinking both are going very well.
I had a Mandarian Chicken salad from Wendy's for lunch today. I normally don't eat fast food since I cook everyday at home but it was so good and fresh!!
Well I am off to put away the rest of my groceries from the store and get some laundry caught up.
Then I'm chilling out with my book later :o).
It's another rainy day here in Louisiana.
TerSue

I had my 6 month follow up yesterday and I've lost 67 lbs so far.
My surgeon said if I lose 15 pounds by my next follow up in December that I'll be right on track.
I hope to lose more than that though. I'm losing about 9 lbs a month now but not sure if I'm due
to hit a plateau soon either. My sz 16's are already getting baggy and I've tightened my belt two more notches.
So thinking I will be in those sz 14's this month. We'll see :o)!
My labwork was all in normal limits but my B12 was getting lower so I had a B12 shot. I hadn't had a B12 shot
since my surgery in March but somehow I managed to keep my levels within normal limits all this time
through my vitamins and diet. I was supposed to be getting a B12 shot once a month because my surgeon said you can't get what you need for the B12 thru vitamins alone after an RNY. I guess I didn't hear that part in the beginning
because I had no idea and have just used vitamins or the sublingual doses all this time.
I will get those shots once a month from now on though or I may see about doing the nasal spray once a week rather than the shots.
They are also recommending taking the multivitamin twice a day now to their patients as well.
I eat a variety of fresh vege's and fruits with my meals so I may just continue to take the single dose on my multivitamin
and see what my blood work shows 3 months from now. If my vitamin levels drop I will take the double dose. I have
a feeling my labs will continue to stay good though because I don't have problems with my diet like some have had after their surgery. So I will be curious to see how I do :o).
I feel really good, loads of energy, and my eating habits are a breeze now. I remember the first 3 months were so overwhelming with learning how to read labels and figure out sugar grams, protein grams, and carbs. Now that I know what to look for, my grocery shopping goes a lot faster and I have fun trying out new things to improve my diet and snacks with.
I'm hooked on the Whey Gourmet protein drink mixes. The Arctic Cappacinno Frappe is my absolute favorite but think I will buy a new flavor to try out. They have so many to choose from!
Nothing is stressful at this point :o).
TerSue

Woo hoo!
I went shopping for pants because mine are too baggy and when I tried the next size down those were too big too!
So I went down to a size 16 and they fit (doing the happy dance!). So I bought two pairs to last me until those get baggy too.
I've only lost 62 lbs in 5 mo's but I've went from a size 26 pant size to a size 16 ! The protein must maintain our muscle weight so we lose just the fat because I'm losing more in inches than weight.
I might be in a size 10/12 by Christmas after all :o).
Life is good.
TerSue

 Just popping in to say "Hi" :o).
I've been busy cleaning out closets and decorating some of the girls rooms at the Special Ed Center where our daughter Kelli lives. Just the hour drive up there and another hour back takes a toll on my fibromyalgia so I can only stay two or three hours or I am totally wiped out when I get back home again. Trying to go up there Mon/Wed/Fri but sometimes I don't make it on Friday because my body says no way :O).
I'm down to 210 so you can really see a difference. That's about a 60 lb weight loss in 5 months. I have hypothyroid so my metabolism is a little more sluggish than some. My legs and hips are just about back to normal.....wish I could get that tummy tuck now but I know things take time and by next summer I may not even need one anyway :o).
I have to rest on the days I'm not traveling to my daughter's home because of my fibromyalgia. Once those projects are finished I will be increasing my exercises at home instead of just swimming each day and that should boost my metabolism up another notch.
Eating without drinking is a breeze now that make sure I have something like gravy or applesauce to keep any dryer meats moist. I avoid fried foods and anything too dry like cornbread stuffing altogether. My food choices are mainly juicy veges and fruits to go with my meat and I can never eat too many salads :o). I don't even want things like rice anymore unless its with a gumbo or red beans N rice. I like taking lettuce and rolling it up with deli meat and cheese for a sandwich rather than using bread. So many changes in my eating habits but yet I don't feel deprived at all. My meals and snacks are more satisfying than with the junk I used to eat.
I'm eating breakfast again too :o). Breakfast....even prior to my RNY, always was difficult because foods make me nauseated in the mornings. Not anymore! I'm eating Dannon's vanilla carb control yogurt with a sprinkle of granola cereal and some fruit on the side. I actually crave breakfast when I get up now :o).
I just need to win my battle with drinking more liquids than I do.
One thing at a time.
Hope everyone is doing well on their own journey.
Chat later,
TerSue

   I forgot to mention that my hair is curly now :o).
I started noticing more body in my hair by my 3rd month post-op. I always dry my hair out straight and with it being all one length, I didn't notice the change as much.
I had my hair cut in a layered shag cut a few days ago and everywhere but the top of my head is covered in tight ringlets now, lol.
My stylist said he's seen that happen before as our hair changes texture every 7 yrs ...
My hair was curly as a toddler but bone straight the rest of my lifetime.
Cody took a picture of my new curls... a little blurry but you can still see what I mean :o).

I guess the hormone changes with the RNY turned my hair curly :o).
I love it !
   TerSue

    I am 4 and a half mo's post-op and I no longer need my blood pressure meds!  I had my dose of Lisinopril cut in half shortly after my RNY and did really well. Last weekend I started getting dizzy spells from my blood pressure dropping so my doc had me stop my meds this past Monday. So far, every day my blood pressure has been normal :o). I only got high blood pressure 3 yrs ago when my weight got over 245 lbs. I'm so thrilled because just 5 yrs ago I was taking 30 prescriptions a month and today ..........
I am taking 4 ! ( Doing the happy dance! )
It's possible I may be able to do away with at least one more prescription but the other three I will always need to take. Still I feel so much better these days compared to my worst between 2002 and 2004.
My weight dropped down to 213 lbs yesterday too :o).
    Today was our daughter Kelli's 22nd birthday. We had a party in her classroom at the Louisiana Special Ed Center this afternoon. I had hot pink roses put on her cake. Frankie ( one of the girl's Aides) had fixed Kelli's hair and it was so cute :o).

 

Hi Everyone ,
      I had my RNY back in March of this year. I have just set up my account here and plan on keeping up with the health tracker and reading tips and hints from others on OH. My weight loss is the slow and steady kind . I didn't have the nausea/vomiting like so many have experienced so I've been able to keep my foods and liquids down. I lost 20 lbs the first month after surgery and am losing about 3 pounds every 10 days now. I swim and jog laps in the pool every day for exercise. I could probably lose more weight by increasing my exercise to twice a day but haven't started that yet. Our heat index is between 103 and 110 and it just sucks the energy out of me. I mainly do in water exercise because I have fibromyalgia and it doesn't hurt my joints that would otherwise keep me from exercising on a regular basis.
My eating habits are pretty good. I get between 60 and 90 grams of protein, plenty of veges, and two - three servings of fruit a day. My liquids on the other hand have decreased since graduating from the liquid diet to real food again. I wasn't a good H2O drinker before surgery so that is an ongoing struggle.
I was/am an emotional eater although I have learned to distract myself in most cases now. I pop on my ipod for an hour while cleaning house or lay down and read a good book for an hour to destress. If I still have to have something to "crunch on", I will eat 100% fruit or sugar free popsicles. Either choice is under 30 calories so you can still eat up to 3 in a row if you just feel the need and still be under 100 calories, lol.
I think this a journey in learning alternative choices and changing our thoughts from the old negatives to new positives. Even after achieving your goal weight you will still have to work at everything to keep it off. My goal is to get the new changes to become habit so I do things without thinking about it .