MikeyMike

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Yes...I'm still stalled. It's like the scale is playing games with me. I bounce between 230 and 232. Some days I'm 230 then 231 then 230 and back down to 231.

I think I'm doing everything right. I'm around 1,000 calories a day. I today focused on how much I've lost both weight and inches wise. Looking at my progress I'm extremely happy. I'm not focusing on the scale at the moment.

Weight Loss:
   March -  21 Pounds
   April    - 21 Pounds
   May     - 13 Pounds
   June   -  10 Pounds
   July     -   11 Pounds
   August -  1 Pound (my frustrating month)

 Total of 75 Pounds Post op....Lets not forget about the 48 pounds preop since December for a grand total of 123 pounds.

I didn't start measuring my body until a week prior to surgery. Since then I have lost 60.9"

I noticed that some of my measurements in my Thigh and Calves have increased slightly (.5 inch) in the last month. I'm assuming that's the fat turning to muscle. Especially since I've been doing alot of walking and taking spin classes.

I went to a support group last week. Maryellen gave me some words that I'm going to live by. She said Remember the 3 "P" rule when it comes to weight Loss:

Perseverance
Patience
Persistence


Here's a sample menu from the week:

 

August 17, 2010

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Meijer - Instant Oatmeal Rasins and Spice, 1 Packet (43g)	150	33g	2g	3g	0mg	240mg	16g	3g
Lunch
Chobani - Peach Yogart Non-Fat, 1 container	140	20g	0g	14g	0mg	80mg	19g	1g
Kroger - Grilled Cheese Sandwich With Wheat Bread, 1 sandwich	230	29g	13g	7g	15mg	0mg	1g	12g
Dinner
Chike, 1 serving(s)	256	21g	3g	36g	30mg	417mg	1g	5g
Snacks
Pure Protein Revolution - Chocolate Peanut Caramel Correct, 50 g	180	17g	6g	20g	10mg	150mg	1g	1g
TOTAL:	956	120g	24g	80g	55mg	887mg	38g	22g

August 18, 2010

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Gfs - Mild Itlian Susage, 1 link	140	1g	10g	12g	40mg	380mg	1g	0g
Cheese - Cheddar, 1 slice (1 oz)	113	0g	9g	7g	29mg	174mg	0g	0g
Chobani - Greek Yogurt - Peach Non-Fat 0%, 170 g	140	20g	0g	14g	0mg	65mg	19g	0g
Lunch
Wendy's - Chilli (Small) From Website, 227 g	220	22g	7g	18g	40mg	870mg	6g	5g
Dinner
Quesadillas - Chicken and Cheese, 0.5 quesadilla	135	9g	7g	11g	58mg	280mg	1g	1g
Snacks
Power Crunch - Protein Bar French Vanilla Creme, 1.4 ounces	205	10g	12g	14g	0mg	80mg	5g	1g
TOTAL:	953	62g	45g	76g	167mg	1,849mg	32g	7g

August 19, 2010

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Chike, 1 serving(s)	256	21g	3g	36g	30mg	417mg	1g	5g
Chobani - Greek Yogurt - Peach Non-Fat 0%, 170 g	140	20g	0g	14g	0mg	65mg	19g	0g
Lunch
Wendy's - Chilli (Small) From Website, 227 g	220	22g	7g	18g	40mg	870mg	6g	5g
Dinner
Chinese Food - General Tso's Tofu, 3 oz	267	31g	9g	20g	38mg	465mg	0g	3g
TOTAL:	883	94g	19g	88g	108mg	1,817mg	26g	13g

August 20, 2010

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Cheese - Cheddar, 2 slice (1 oz)	226	1g	19g	14g	59mg	348mg	0g	0g
Generic - Turkey Susage, 1 oz	43	0g	2g	5g	21mg	166mg	0g	0g
Lunch
Wendy's - Chilli (Small) From Website, 227 g	220	22g	7g	18g	40mg	870mg	6g	5g
Kraft Singles - American Cheese, 19 g	60	1g	5g	3g	15mg	250mg	1g	0g
Dinner
Chinese Food - General Tso's Tofu, 3 oz	267	31g	9g	20g	38mg	465mg	0g	3g
TOTAL:	816	55g	42g	60g	173mg	2,099mg	7g	8g

August 21, 2010

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Chobani - Greek Yogurt - Peach Non-Fat 0%, 170 g	140	20g	0g	14g	0mg	65mg	19g	0g
Chike, 1 serving(s)	256	21g	3g	36g	30mg	417mg	1g	5g
Lunch
Fish - Whiting, Breaded and Fried In Vegetable Oil, 4 oz fillet	193	7g	9g	20g	87mg	325mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	589	48g	12g	70g	117mg	807mg	20g	5g

August 22, 2010

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Chike, 1 serving(s)	256	21g	3g	36g	30mg	417mg	1g	5g
Generic - Bananna, 1 medium	105	27g	0g	1g	0mg	1mg	14g	3g
Lunch
Friendly's - Grilled Cheese, 1 sandwich	490	47g	26g	20g	30mg	1,340mg	4g	2g
Dinner
Popeye's Chicken - Spicy Thigh W/O Skin or Breading, 2 thigh	160	4g	6g	24g	196mg	340mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	1,011	99g	35g	81g	256mg	2,098mg	19g	10g

August 23, 2010

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
General Mills - Fiber One Bran Cereal, 1 cup	60	25g	1g	2g	0mg	105mg	0g	14g
Milk - Nonfat (fat free or skim), 0.5 cup	43	6g	0g	4g	2mg	64mg	0g	0g
Chobani - Greek Yogurt - Peach Non-Fat 0%, 170 g	140	20g	0g	14g	0mg	65mg	19g	0g
Lunch
Homemade - Jerk Chicken, 1 unit (yield from lb ready-to-cook chicken	165	0g	10g	18g	63mg	55mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Wendy's - Small Chilli W/Cheese,Seasoning, 4 Crackers, 1 small	315	0g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Snacks
Chobani Greek Yogurt - Blueberry Non-Fat, 1 container	140	20g	0g	14g	0mg	65mg	20g	1g
TOTAL:	863	71g	11g	52g	65mg	354mg	39g	15g

August 24, 2010

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
General Mills - Fiber One Bran Cereal, 0.5 cup	30	13g	1g	1g	0mg	53mg	0g	7g
Chobani - Greek Yogurt - Peach Non-Fat 0%, 170 g	140	20g	0g	14g	0mg	65mg	19g	0g
Milk - Nonfat (fat free or skim), 0.25 cup	21	3g	0g	2g	1mg	32mg	0g	0g
Lunch
Chike, 1 serving(s)	256	21g	3g	36g	30mg	417mg	1g	5g
Generic - Banna, 1 whole	110	30g	0g	1g	0mg	0mg	19g	3g
Snacks
Chobani Greek Yogurt - Blueberry Non-Fat, 1 container	140	20g	0g	14g	0mg	65mg	20g	1g
TOTAL:	697	107g	4g	68g	31mg	632mg	59g	16g

Still at 231 pounds. I had my scheduled appointments with my Bariatric and primary doctors today.

Dr. Nish was very pleased with my progress. He said I was doing fantastic. I told him that I was in a stall. I asked him about my goal and what it should be. He said it was a personal decision. He said that If I didn't loose another pound he would be happy with my progress. Although he said I should loose another 15 or so pounds.

Got my Blood work back. Good news is that I'm no longer anemic, my iron level is good now as well. Bad new is that my B1 level is now low. I got some B1 vitamins.


He said I no longer needed to take the acid blocker (Prontix). I also told him that I saw several threads that many people take some sought of gallbladder meds to protect their gall bladder. He said he has given it out in the past but most patients don't take it as the pills are quite large and you have to take several per day. He also didn't think that the gall bladder would be much of an issue with the sleeve. He feels the issue applies more toward the RNY. He gave me a script to have an ultrasound to check my gallbladder.

I also talked to the nut. Not sure what my carb/protein and calories totals should be. She told me to shoot for 1,000 cals a day between 50-75 Grams of protein and 60-90 grams of carbs. I also told her that I'm getting constipated. She said to use benefiber. Also increase my intake of water.


Saw Dr. Frank today as well. My blood pressure was a bit high. Therefore he kept me on the Lortrel. Since my cholesterol dropped he reduced my lipitor from 20mg to 10mg. He was very pleased with my weight loss as well.

I've scheduled my next appointments for late November.

It seems that I'm on a roller coaster. On Friday I thought I finally broke my stall. I went from 233 down to 231. On Saturday I weighed myself again and I went up a couple of ounces but I still was on the 231 number (normally I round to the whole number). Yesterday I weighed my self and I went up to 233. Today I'm still 233.

What's going on???

I did go to a BBQ on Saturday. But I pretty much stuck to my diet with the exception of a couple of spoons of Pasta salad (which btw didn't stay down) and a slice of coffe cake.

I even did another Spin class yesterday. I've stopped doing it but I'm going back to myfittnesspal.com and logging every meal. I've already put in everything from yesterday.

Here's yesterdays breakdown:

Breakfast	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein
Cvs Whey Protein - Protein Powder Vanilla, 1 scoop (34g)	140	4	2	25
Milk - Nonfat (fat free or skim), 1 cup	86	12	0	8
Chobani - Greek Yogurt - Peach Non-Fat 0%, 170 g	140	20	0	14
Total Breakfast	366	36	2	47
Lunch
Chobani - Greek Yogurt - Strawberry, 1 container	140	20	0	14
Kraft Singles - American Cheese, 38 g	120	2	9	6
Ham - Sliced, extra lean, 3 slices (1 serving)	69	2	2	11
Total Lunch	329	24	11	31
Dinner
Quesadillas - Chicken and Cheese, 0.5 quesadilla	135	9	7	11
Total Dinner	135	9	7	11
Snacks
Totals	830	69	20	89
Your Daily Goal	600	23	27	68

This morning I stepped on the scale as I've been doing everyday for the last three weeks. Today was a big difference. Instead of bouncing between 233 and 235. I was 231.

Has my stall finally broken??? I hope so.

I was beginning to think that my weight loss was over. I was going to discuss with my Dr. next week during my scheduled appointment. He told me that I should experience a 60 to 65 percent loss of my excess weight. My surgery weight was 309. The high end of the normal BMI is 180. That puts my Excess weight at 129 pounds. 60% of that would be about 77 pounds. That's right were I am.  

I wasn't totally freaked out by the fact my weight hasn't dropped in the last few weeks.

I have felt changes in my body. I feel more bones. I feel the fat being displaced and getting smaller. It may be that my body is just shifting.

My butt doesn't seem to have as much cushion anymore. It actually hurts when I sit on a flat hard surface.

I might have not lost weight but I have definitely lost inches. I took my measurement yesterday compared with measurements from 7/19. Here's the results:

Neck = 16 --> 15.5
Chest = 45.5  --> 44
Bicep = 14.5 --> 13.5
Forearm = 12 --> 12
Waist = 45.5 --> 42.5
Hips = 45.5 --> 43.5
Thigh = 25 --> 23.5
Calf = 18 --> 17

I lost 10.5 inches in a month which I think is great. I'm wearing a Large Golf Shirt, 16 1/2 Dress Shirt and 36" waist pants (they fit, they're not tight or snug).  I think that's awesome.

I think I will wait until tomorrow to make sure that the weight loss is continuing.

I did my First Spin class yesterday.

The class was supposed to start at 6:30. I got to the gym at 6:25. The class was crowded and the only bikes left were in the front row. Note to myself...next time get thier earlier.

There were about 15 Women in the class and I was the only guy. Felt a bit awkward but I really don't care what other people think so I pressed on.

The instructor asked if I was new and I told her yes. I then asked if it was a beginner class and she said no. She gave me some tips and helped adjust the bike for me. She then told me if I get tired just sit and relax. She also said if I leave in the middle of the class that she wouldn't be offended. Funny I was thinking if I could sneak out. Although I would be embarrassed since everyone would see me leave.

I was able to do the whole hour. I really liked it. The only thing is my but hurts from the seat. I don't have much padding back there. I'm going to buy a seat cushion as this is something I will definitely do again.

I felt like a should have dropped at least three pounds from the spin class. I weighed my self this morning and I'm still 233. The discouraging thing is that I actually gained weight. Yesterday I was 233.0 today I'm 233.8.

I changed my diet. Yesterday I had. 3 Greek Yogurts, a Grilled Cheese sandwich for lunch. My wife made Ox Tail which I only had about 2 Oz. Max.

I have a Dr.s appointment next Thursday. That's when I get to see the nut. I'll see if she has any suggestions.

Ok so I've hit another stall. I've been bouncing between 233 and 235 for the last two weeks. It's so frustrating but I'm not letting it get me down.

I'm going to modify my diet starting tomorrow. Not sure what it is that has me in a stall. I did make some changes to my staple diet items.

The first was I added power crunch bars as my main protein supplement. I've been eating at least three of these a day. It does have more fat than some of the other choices out there (205 Calories, 14g of protein, 5g of Sugar, 10g of Carbs an 12g of Fat). But I purposely wanted to increase my fat to aid in Bowel Movements. I guess it may be too much. Well I just finished my last one.

I also started using CVS Protein Powder ( 140 Calories, 25g of Protein, 2g of Fat) I mix with Skim Milk.

I don't believe it's the protein powder as I don't use it as often (maybe three times a week). I'm leaning towards the power crunch bars.

I've also started to increase my weight training. My standard Gym routine is 20 minutes elliptical, and 20 to 30 minutes working my upper body. I'm trying to tighten my muscles to reduce the flab around my biceps, Thighs and stomach.

It also may be that I'm replacing the fat that I'm loosing with muscle. That may be a possibility.

The loose skin / flab is becoming bothersome during my workouts. Today I started running on the treadmill. The Flab on my back and but was start to slap me as I jiggled. It started to hurt.

Well...Starting tomorrow I'm going back to basics. I'm going to try to avoid protein suppliements (powder and bars) and focus on real foods (High protein and low carbs). I've been reading  several posts about fiber to aid with Bowel movements. I just bought some Fiber Choice pills. I'll see if that works.

I'm also going to start journaling my food intake again.

Lastly I'm going to start taking classes at the Gym. Spin and Zumba are on the top of the list.

Just came back from Vacation. Did a 2 1/2 week road trip. Started in New York. Drove down to Myrtle Beach South Carolina and then visited family in Florida (Palm Bay and Hollywood). We then Drove back and stopped in Washington DC to tour the White House and the Smithsonian.

Had a great time. While in Florida I was able to complete a long time goal of mine. To ride a roller coaster with my son (11 years old). We went to Universal Studios and rode the Hulk, Dueling Dragons and went on the Dr. Doom ride. It was great hearing and watching my sons reactions. As we were doing the free fall drop on Dr. Doom my son screamed this was the most fun he's every had in his entire life. We also went on the Harry Potter ride (which by the way is awesome).

I was a bit concerned if I was going to fit on the rides. The Hulk ride has a test seat (prior to getting on line)  to see if you can fit the ride. I guess it's to avoid embarrassment. Which by the way I was totally embarrassed the last time I was there four years ago when I was ejected from the ride because I didn't fit.

Even though I passed the test seat. The thought was still running through my mind. It didn't help that there were signs while waiting on the line that indicated that due to the nature of different body dimensions some riders will not fit into the seat.

Any way I had a blast.

It was interesting seeing my family in Florida as I haven't been there since February prior to my Surgery. Everyone including my mother was shocked. They were all supportive in February when I told them but now they were seeing the result.

It was interesting seeing the reactions. One of my favorite aunts said I should stop loosing. That I was starting to look scary. 

It made me think about my goals. Dr. Nish said I should decide my goal. But he would be happy if I got in the mid 200's. I told him I want to shoot for 220. As of today I weigh 233 pounds. I'm 13 pounds from my goal. 

I was thinking about my aunts comments. I'm happy with where my weight loss is. I had to buy even more clothes as the ones I bought last month which were tight then are baggy now. Today I'm fitting into a Large shirt and 36" waist pants. I haven't worn these sizes since Jr. High School.

I then saw Sky's posting from last week. That posting talked about taking advantage of the honeymoon period (first year after surgery). As that's the easiest time to loose weight. I'm now considering getting down to the Normal BMI range which would be 180 Pounds. If I don't like the way I look I can always increase. I think that makes alot of sense.

As far as eating while I was on vacation. On the road we ate at several restaurants including Denny's, Cracker Barrel, The Waffle House to name a few. It was mostly appetizer food did alot of Chili. Didn't have any issues keeping stuff down. On occasion I splurged and deviated from program. Once I drank a Oreo and Cookie Milk shake from a Ice Cream Parlor named Brewster's in Myrtle Beach. This by far was one of the best Milk shakes that I have ever had.

It was more difficult controlling my self in Florida. I'm from a Jamaican family...Yet I married an American women who doesn't cook any Jamaican food. Therefore I was exposed to wonderful food that I have missed which I grew up on such as Ackee and Salt Fish, Dumplings, Rice and Peas, Plantains, etc...

It was great tasting all that food again. Thankfully my sleeve kept me in check. I didn't throw up anything..

Even though I deviated from program I didn't gain any weight. In fact over the two week period I lost 3 pounds. Very happy with that. I was expecting to gain at least two. Normally I weigh my self every morning. But I didn't have access to a scale.

This was a true vacation...Very relaxing.

So...it's six months since I decided on a new path in my life. On 12/3/2009 I took my first step and had my Initial Consult with Dr. Nishimura. As of today I have lost 108 pounds and 49".

Today I had my three month followup with Dr. Nish. He was very pleased with my progress. My only complaint was light headiness from when I sit to stand too rapidly. He thought I may need to have my primary Dr. adjust my blood pressure medicine.

In reviewing my labs it turns out that I am anemic which he said is a 3% occurrence in Sleeve patients he said that's better than the bypass as they've seen this occur 7% in their patients. He suggested that I up my Iron and perhaps try some red meats (if I can tolerate them). 

I asked him about my goal weight as prior he said he would be happy to see me in the Mid 200's. I weighed in at his office at 249 pounds. He said my goal should be what I want it to be. His goal is for me to be healthy. He said I should determine the number. He said that it was very important for me to exercise..get into good habits as after a year and a half the sleeve will no longer by itself reduce the weight. Exercise and good eating habits will do that. I'm keeping my goal at 220. When I get there we will see if I will re adjust it.

I met with my nut as she works for Dr. Nish. It's all part of the program. I told her that I'm frustrated with their program. There's still so many restrictions. At this point officially all I can have is Chicken, fish, some fruit and veggies as well as liquids. I told her what Dr. Nish said about the red meats. And she said you're doing very well so you can try some chopped meats ie some chili. She gave me a sheet for people that are at five months. I can have all types of proteins and starch. 

Yeah!!!!

So...I've said it before and I'll say it for the rest of my life...I love my sleeve!!!

I now am wearing:
    - 16 1/2" (neck) dress shirt...In December I wore a 20
    -  A large Polo as well as T-Shirts...In December I wore a 3XL
    - 38" Waist Jeans and Slacks... In December I wore a 52"

I now actually love to go clothes shopping. Before I used to order mail order via the Internet and Catalog. I actually enjoy going to the store trying on clothes and looking at my self in the mirror. My 12 year old daughter loves to go with me. She's trying to spice up my wardrobe with different colors. Before I only wore shades of Blue (especially dark) or black. She has me wearing red and orange. She's trying to get me to wear pink.

I'm getting so many compliments form friends and coworkers.


I'm very happy with the way things are going. I wish I would have done this sooner!!!

This has been a great week.

I went on a business trip to Dallas. I had a convention of soughts with my collegues throghout the country. Our meeting last year was postponed due to budget cuts. So I haven't seen some of these folks in two years. We had about 150 people come to this meeting. I had a couple of presentations so I was definately visible. No hiding....

I received several comments (about 20 to be accurate)...I knew some of these people for 10+ years. All the comments were positive...everyone said how great and younger I looked (lost alot of weight in my face). They asked how I lost the Weight. My reply was I had weight loss surgery in March.

I also acheived a couple of my goals. This week I tipped the 100Lbs weight loss mark (since my initial consult with Dr. Nish).

On my flight from New York to Dallas...I didn't require a seat belt extender nor did I need to suck my gut in to make the seat belt fasten. I actually had to adjust the belt to fit snug around my waist. I  had about 10" hanging out the other end of the fastner. I thought it may have been a fluke going from New York to Dallas as I sat in the Emergency Exit row. This is something I always requested as that row typically has more room. On the return trip I was in a normal row (and a smaller plane to boot). I still had room to play with on the seat belt fastner. I didn't feel squished at all. I actually felt comfortable.

We also visited several resturants and I sat in several booths. I used to hate booths as I normally couldn't fit comortably in them. My stomach used to always end up hanging over the table. Guess what...I had several inches to spare. I was actually able to put the napkin in my lap instead of tucking it into my shirt collar.

Something unexpected happened. I was sitting with a group of people. I was very relaxed we were shooting the breeze. All of a sudden it happen. Without thinking about it. I crossed my legs. I didn't struggle to do it. It just happened. I was amased by this.

Lastly, I'm now in the mid 200's (257 to be percise). When I asked Dr. Nish where he thought my goal weight loss should be. He said he would be happy if I got down to the mid 200's.  I told him I would like to go to 220. He thought that was fine. But I know when I see him for my 3 month followup he'll be pleased with my progress.


I love my Sleeve....

Been a while since I posted anything.

I did have an out of the ordinary experience this week.

On Wednesday I had an urge to have some Ice Cream. I bought a six pack of no sugar added Eskimo pie ice cream bars. I had my first one at 10:00am. My experience with carbs/sweets is that I can't stop once I start. By 5:00pm all six were gone. I then decided to have an Entemans (Spelling) Single Serving Coffee Cake.

I was experiencing a lot of gas. This is usually for me when I was on the Atkins diet and went from virtually no carbs to a ton of carbs.

Latter on that night around 9:00pm I had a piece of Cheese as I felt I needed a bit of protein to make my 70 Grams. I mistakenly lied down right after I consumed it.

Then it started...Severe Gas pain. I emptied my remaining box of X-strength Gas-X strips. Took about six of them. Helped a little but was still in pain.

About an hour later the Cheese came back up. Even after that I was still in pain. The pain lasted for about two more hours. 

I was scared to lie down so I slept in my Lazy-boy. I had a very restless night from the discomfort. My mid section was sore from the dry heeving I was doing earlier. 

The next morning I was too tired to go to work. I took a sick day and slept in.

The next afternoon I was back to normal.

I felt as if my Sleeve taught my brain in lesson. Moderation is the key.

I'm back on program.