Long Dry Spell

My summer flew by and I did not write a post since the meniscus. I am holding steady at a weight loss of 146 pounds. I haven't lost in the past two family doc visits so she is happy and I realize if the excess skin were removed I would be well under college weight, so I would have to agree with Dr. W. Enough is enough. I am 1 1/2 yr out from RNY surgery and can sample most normal foods. I believe I have become intolerant of mushrooms, they make me queasy. I have had a very few sweets, very few, and have had no problem with all but one. I had a cupcake (small) from a cupcake bakery at my grandson's 1 year b-day-- It seemed to have double the sugar--so so sweet--and I was really ill from that, some vomiting, foaming and my nose swelled shut. My symptom for having one bite too many, and stop now is a slightly running nose-- that means NOT ONE MORE BITE-- do not go there. This time the nose started to run and swell shut at the same time. It probably took an hour to recover. So not worth it. I will not be going there again. I have had OK experiences with sugar free ice-cream, but just so you WLS ers who might read this know, this also involves the famous WLS gas and also has joined the list of not worth it. I don't know why, but I can eat popcorn and I enjoy it with no problem.

I really hardly swam this summer, some things got in my way and one was a health issue. I had not taken the importance of iron as seriously as all the other vitamins. I floated down to anemia and had two solid weeks of vertigo. Basically, I could not leave the house much, I was staggering and bumping into walls. I never fainted or fell down. I am taking a wonderful iron supplement from bariatric advantage that is chewable and tasty, I am very compliant now. My body is still trying to amass a store of iron, climbing very very slowly, but I am out of the dizziness. Do not underestimate the importance iron following WLS surgery, it is a change in absorption issue, not a "I never had a problem with iron in my life" issue. I must have been distracted when they mentioned iron absorption, it may have been the terrible ice storm the day of the dietary class and the 14 hours it took to get home 90 miles.

Weight Loss Report WLS

I have bumped along here for a month and am now officially down 140lbs and need to lose zero. My workouts are making me stronger by the week and I am stepping up on two steps now, not one. In the past, no matter how much I worked out, step ups were just too painful. I am lifting more and more compared to when I re-started weight training. My trainers are great, we get them through a school wellness program in our town and they do a different workout each and every time. There is always something new. Support meetings for St. Vincent's have started up again with new leadership and it is good to be back, though I do find myself impatient with a person who repeatedly says and asks the same thing over and over again. I finally told him he may not be ready to make this choice. Choosing WLS is definitely a life changing decision with lifetime commitment to vitamins, minerals, and other aspects of health. One must really make up one's mind to follow the rules after going through this. My surgery has been 15 months now and I am still doing great with no bad after effects or incidents. yet. I say yet, because I have read enough to know that things can happen a year or two out that are still related to the surgery. At the moment, and I am not complaining, my family doc wants me to get my calories up and the first few days I made a big press for that, I lost two more pounds after being stagnant for a month or so. I am wondering if I should get the shots in my knees again now that I am normal weight. Yes, you read that right, normal. I think I might ask the arthritis doc this summer what he thinks.

Weight Loss Report

I am 13 months out from WLS and hovering between 130 and 136 pounds of weight loss. My skin has held up remarkably well and I am really toning up since I restarted weight training. 2 or 3 months ago I was 32% body fat, now I am 25% body fat. (and 62 years old) Woo hoo! I went to a big gathering of cousins and they pronounced me very healthy looking and strong looking. I know that my posture now is straight up, not bent over in pain, and the work of carrying all that weight around. And then I add some skechers roll bottom shoes to it and they must add 2 inches to my 72 inch frame! If any WLS'rs come here, I have discovered unjury protein powder, nectar protein powder and click. Unjury and nectar can be stirred with a SPOON! and no protein after taste. I think the nectar has to be bought in a medical setting, but go find it! My one year blood tests were normal, a tiny bit low on the protein so I have stepped up the powders, seems to be the only way I can get enough. I have managed to keep my hair, I take all my vitamins most days and try my best to get the calcium. Love the chewable lemon creamy thingies but crystals are my mainstay, stirred into yogurt. Another recommendation I make is the shaker cup that I buy from amazon.com, I am getting a second. That thing has made the blender and the hand held whirly stick unnecessary, as well as finding the very stirrable protein powders. The Click needs the shaker bottle.

Posting 1, 2 ,3 Posting 1, 2, 3

I am not sure when my last post was, I'll look in a bit. Next Tuesday is 6 weeks out for my husband's quintuple bypass and he will be out of the back seat and into the driver's seat next week. His recovery has been wonderful. I expect he is stir crazy or has cabiin fever though he gets out and walks good distances almost daily, barring intense cold. He has officially done the taxes in record time and that's always a relief. He had some time at home...

The weight loss: I am so close to wedding weight I cannot believe it. I am having a fairly easy time with the restrictions and am doing better all the time with the vitamins, in particular getting down the required calcium citrate. The calcium is the hardest. I was one year out on February 11 and still have not had my year's check up. I also forgot to fast this morning for the big 47,000 tubes I hear they take for this blood test. OK, do that another day. The docs office has once again changed my appointment to an inconvenient time:^( I am going to ask for one at any time of any day of my spring break. Gotta get that over with. I never took one of those pictures of me in my giant jeans, I just gave them to goodwill. Don't seem to care about a photo record. My daughter has enough pics of the fat me to do the trick. I don't know exactly what my top size was, it was one of those mystery sizes from lane bryant's but now I am in college sized attire, so I am exactly where I want to be, I still have hair and I still have bones. I am rebuilding muscle in regular weight training and cardio classes and am having some improvement in the skin due to the exercise.