Not as much stitching as I would like as Kaito, Rikuto & Nanami have kept me hopping. We've been picking blueberries in my yard every other day and I have made muffins and blueberry syrup as well as put up frozen berries for later. Now the plums are starting to ripening as well. Pictures at the following link:
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have now lost 92 pounds since October when I had a gastric by-pass and have been able to cut down many of the meds for my fibro and stop three others altogether. I cleared out a lot of old clothes and got a new hair cut as well.
I hope to get back to stitching soon. (dreaming I know)
Whoa! 'ang on a minute! Aren't you going to give us the details? Was it hard? Painful or tiresome? I'm busting to know! Hunn and I have been dieting our little botties off (literally) for a month and have lost 20 and 15 kilograms respectively. It's gonna take a while, but I plan to get back on a horse some time in 2013. Oh, and I won't need a Clydesdale either. I hope...
Hahahahah! Famous last words. I've been hoping to get back to stitching too, but far too many other time constraints get in my way. I guess you know what I mean, Bobbie? Have you finished losing weight? What happens when you reach your goal? Will you remain skinny forever, no matter what you eat? How about skin? Is that a problem (it is for me)?
At the start of this weight lose journey I was 245 pounds on a 5'2" frame. That put my BMI at 43 and clinically obese. I was in a lot of pain and having a fibro flare every few days interfering with my work and life. I was seriously considering applying for disability. I completed all the requirements for surgery which I mentioned before included lifestyle changes course, nutritional consulting,medical consulting, a psych eval, and attendance at support group.
The surgery was not too bad as I had it done with the Da Vinci robotic arms leaving very small scars. However I did experience withdrawal from one of my fibro meds even though I had weaned off of it before hand.
You have to relearn to eat in stages and the food in the early stages is boring and repetitious. By stage 4 you can eat most foods, but some things you must remember to chew really well and eat your protein first. I must eat 60-65 gram of protein each day. Stage 5 at 6 months out I could have a cup of coffee again. I still have trouble with really soft bread(it can ball up and clog the the exit hole) and can only eat a few bits of sweets (dumps sugar into the blood stream very rapidly and makes you feel like you are morning sick). I must take vitamin and mineral supplements for the rest of my life, but I was doing that already.
The really big difference is that I am NOT HUNGRY all the time. My husband jokes that I am now a cheap date. I am 12-15 pounds from my goal and have very little extra skin that just hangs. The OTC program is calling me one of their success stories and I feel that I can maintain this through the rest of my life.
There is joy in stepping out of the shower and have a bath towel that actually can close around you.
LOLOLOLOL! This is the part that makes me smile. People who have never had a serious weight problem seem to think it's a choice. Who on earth would choose to be that heavy and that disabled? There is a point at which you come to believe it's just not physically possible to lose weight. You give up. I'm *so* glad to see you haven't, Bobbie! Good on you!!!
'Surgery' scares me. Last time I had surgery, I nearly passed on from anaphylaxis. I've been advised never to have surgery again unless I lose a significant amount of weight. Hmmm... Catch 22 again! So, I've chosen a pretty heftily severe ketogenic diet. This is week five and, while I'm not hungry, I certainly get periods of weakness and lightheadedness. Never mind: it's working! ;D
Hunn and I are trying to train our digestive systems to get by on much less. This is OK for me; harder for Hunn. For me, it's the absolute omission of salt and sugar from the diet that has caused the best results. The oedema and cellulitis in my leggies are improving rapidly and I can now go for very long periods without having to rush to the dunny. Hooray! I'm beginning to get back that wonderful feeling of just
- wellness - that I've missed for so many years. Never thought I'd do that...
Bobbie, you ROCK! I envy you the 'not hungry', because when it hits, it's very hard to manage. Still, 12-15 pounds from goal is nothing short of AMAZING! And how come you don't have that much excess skin? I reckon I could paper a room with mine, even at this early stage. LOL!
Oh, I *so* know what you mean: I made myself two or three 'towel-and-a-halfs' for exactly that purpose. (ie. cut a couple of bath-sheets in half and stitched the halves onto full-sized bath sheets, just to get the required circumference). The things y'do, eh?
I have a friend who has yo-yo dieted all her life and lost significant amounts of weight (ie. between 80kg and 90kg) at least four times. She's recently gone from a size 10 to a size 28 and is trying to gear up to diet again. Sadly, her problem is bi-polar and the meds she takes to treat it. She'd probably be a great candidate for bariatric surgery, but, like me, is a difficult case for the anaesthetists.
I think the main lifestyle change we've made is the total eradication of junk and convenience foods from our home. We emptied the cupboards of everything we aren't allowed to eat and that's been a *huge* help. Even the kids are feeling better, since they only have access to fresh fruit and veg at home. DD is actually eating fruit for her breakfast and this is, indeed, a minor miracle!
I'm so glad you made this decision, Bobbie. Even though I'm not even half-way in my own journey, the benefits so far have given me a glimpse of how much better you must be feeling near the end of yours. You're an inspiration, you really are! ;D
Don't apologize for being Off Topic. It is a problem many of us face, in differing degrees. It is great that Bobbie had the surgery.. and that has been so successful.
I also love the pics of the GKs. IIRC, her DIL was pregnant when I went to Japan to meet my Aya (DIL).
Life is a learning experience..and we all learn fro our friends' experiences.
differing degrees. It is great that Bobbie had the surgery.. and that has been so successful.
Japan to meet my Aya (DIL).
Gill, Ayako had JUST had Kaito and I feared you would get to see him before me LOL.
Again, surgery is NOT for everyone, but it was what I needed to do and it is still a lot of hard work. I prepped for a year before I saw the surgeon, in a program that really makes sure that you have the support one needs. I have been successful and have now lost 95 lbs since Oct.
2011. I have submitted several recipes to a new cookbook that will be made available to others in the OTC program. It is hope to be available next spring.
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