Update- 10 Weeks tomorrow(LONG, really long!)

[Guest guest]

Hi all-

I haven't been posting much to the big list since surgery, but I

thought I would post a little update.

I will be ten weeks out tomorrow. So far, knock on wood, I have had

a picture perfect recovery and have resumed life as usual.

So far, I have dropped 57 lbs from 326 the day before surgery to 269

this morning. My BMI at 5' 10 " has gone from 47-ish to 39-ish.

I feel great. I am not having any bowel problems, except some

occasional gas. Lettuce seems to be the big culprit. I seem to be

able to drink milk without much gas or discomfort. Maybe this will

change, I don't know.

I have been exercising faithfully, including playing softball three

times a week and going to the gym 3-5 times per week where I walk on

the treadmill for 15 minutes, lift weights for an hour and then ride

the bike for 25 minutes. My energy level has been very high and I

find myself moving much more quickly.

My eating habits are very different than before surgery. I avoid

sugary junk food like the plague. I eat sugary things only very

rarely and usually this is to get my chocolate fix- a bite of a candy

bar or piece of chocolate, half of a chocolate chip cookie. This is

maybe once every other week or so. Just to reassure everyone- I no

longer crave these things, and they are not the first thing that pops

into my head when I think of having a treat. I am sick of trying to

get in my protein, but I do it anyway. I eat lots of chicken, steak,

and beef jerky. I also enjoy my vegetables immensely.

Here is an example of what I can eat:

yesterday- skipped breakfast for an early lunch of a frozen

chicken/vegetable/rice entree. Ate about 3/4(serving is the size of

lean cuisine but I am not sure what brand it was exactly). I look

for the frozen entreees that are small but have more than 20 grams of

protein.

snacked on beef jerkey and a handful of almonds

half a croissant to hold me over to dinner

dinner was polish sausage, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes made with a

ton of milk and butter. I ate about two inches of sausage, 1/3 c

sauerkraut and 1/3 c potatoes. I was totally tuffed after this and

could not eat one more thing the rest of the night.

Anyhow, I guess I would say I eat quite a variety of foods but I try

to make sure I get enough protein and my portions are much smaller

than they were pre-op-- but feel so much larger than they were the

first couple weeks post-op.

One of the difficulties has been adjusting my attachment of food and

socializing. We have friends that we go out to dinner with quite

often and I find sometimes I feel a little dissatisfied that I am

full so soon. The other change is that I am now the last person to

suggest eating-related activites as something fun to do. Going out

to eat is no longer nearly as interesting to me as it was pre-op when

it was probably my favorite activity.

I don't know what else to say. My shorts from the beginning of

summer are so big on me they look ridiculous. Thank goodness I have

some previous 'diet' clothes I've saved.

I love what this surgery has done for me so far and I am looking

ahead to the future. I know I still have another 100 or so lbs to

goal but I am so happy having lost this much already that I feel my

surgery would be a success even if I didn't lose any more.

It is so nice not to be up against that wall of " what happens if I

can't fit into the 26/28s at Lane anymore? " . Its nice to be

able to buy a 2xl t-shirt and fit into it- I bought one at the San

Diego zoo and was so excited because I never have been able to get

logo t-shirts from places I've visted before. Its also cool not to

feel obssessed with food anymore, like I am hiding this frantic need

to always have food, always get the largest item on the menu, not to

feel like I am empty and will never be full.

Okay, so I rambled on.

Just wanted to share my thoughts.

Amy Y.

Fremont, CA

DS July 6, 2001

Rabkin/Jossart

BMI 47, now 39

-57 lbs