welcome back, tj

[Guest guest]

nice to have you posting again. great job on the wl!

thanx for complimenting the group, it means a lot.

lori h.

>

> I haven't posted in a while, I have been very busy at work. I am now

> in the process of getting back to the lists and such, because I have

> been a little lax in my diet and attitude. I had open RNY surgery on

> Feb 12, 2003. As just about anyone hear can tell you, you will have

> some regrets, particularly the first few weeks after the surgery. I

> think everyone goes through the " Why did I do this to myself! "

> syndrome, but after a while, when you start losing weight and

feeling

> better, that goes away. I have been exceedingly lucky, as I had very

> few complications even though I was in the hospital for seven days

> after the surgery (my liver was really big and hard to work around,

> so my surgeon wanted to be extra cautious about leaks!)Since my

> surgery, I have lost around 75lbs! I can't tell you how much better

I

> feel! I was on medication for blood pressure and diabetes, I was

> using a CPAP machine to breathe at night and I was always tired. Now

> I am off both medications and I no longer feel like a medical

> experiment gone bad when I go to bed! I will on occasion miss being

> able to eat huge meals, but for the most part they are few and far

> between. I am at the point now, where I can eat a modest amount of

> food a cup to a cup and a half or so, depending on what it is. I

> focus mostly on protein, but will on occasion have a bite or two of

> pasta or potato, sometimes even bread! It is a big change, as I was

a

> big fan of carbohydrates. I still occasionally go out to eat with

> friends, its still just as much fun, but I am just ordering

> differently. I will get a grilled chicken salad, or just order an

> appetizer. Depending on who I am out with, I will also steal a bite

> of something good from someone else,instead of ordering something

> that I won't be able to finish. Sometimes, I will order something

> that I know I won't finish and bring home the leftovers. As for

> sweets, I am very lucky, I do not get severe dumping syndrome, so

> occasionally (very occasionally!) I will have a bite or two of cake

> or some other sweet. I find that just letting myself have a little

> bit is enough to satisfy me.

>

> You will notice that through out this post, I use the word

> Occasionally a lot! I think it is important to allow yourself to

> indulge in a little treat now and then, but it is important not to

> get carried away. I tend to try to limit my " occasional " treats to

> weekends. Recently, I've been experiencing a lot of stress, and I

> haven't been as stringent as I should be about what I eat. I was

> falling into the same traps that I did before. (How much and what we

> can eat may change, but we still have those same triggers for bad

> eating hidden in us)Luckily, we have this great tool that helps us

to

> deal with these traps and overcome them! I am going back to basics

> with eating and refocusing my efforts. One of the things that helps,

> is everything that I have gone through. The surgery, the post op

> recovery, and all the work to get where I am now. I don't want these

> to go to waste! There are people that this surgery doesn't work for,

> and I don't want to be one of them! All the people here are a great

> help in working toward that, they are a very positive force and

great

> role models and inspirations!

>

> I was against the surgery at one point too, but looking back, I am

> glad that I did it. The way I feel now, is worth all the food

> I " missed out on " . The comfort we get from food is just an illusion,

> because ultimately our eating habits were killing us!

>

> Best of Luck,

>

> TJ

> 02/12/2003

> 325(314 pre-op)/240/???(at least less than 200!)