Update: Bad News and Good News

psychoticparrot
on 8/26/16 9:52 am

Hi, sleevers. It's been a while. I'm updating my status to both help others and receive some much-needed help myself.

I'm a 64yo woman, was 275 pounds at my highest weight, and had my sleeve surgery 2/2/15. In June of this year I was at 140 pounds and nearing goal. Then ... well, here's the bad news:

  1. I had (and am still having) an episode of mild depression. I've had major depressive episodes (needing hospitalization) in the past, so I know how to judge this one. It's just bad enough to keep me inactive -- just getting out of bed is a chore -- and just bad enough to make me not care as much about what I'm eating.
  2. My 8yo grandson came to stay with me for four weeks this summer. I love him to death, but that child refuses to eat a vegetable, lean protein, or even a piece of fruit. When I insisted he eat a bite of a tasty cooked vegetable, he did, and then promptly ran to the bathroom to throw it up. A future obese person, I fear. The only things he would eat were pizza, spaghetti, hamburgers, GoGurts (a disgusting kid food**** cream and chocolate bars. Having those "foods" on board did me no favors. I nibbled.
  3. I gained 10 pounds. Not a huge amount, comparatively, but 10 pounds in two months is a lot. And even more worrying is the common-to-us-all tendency to keep right on regaining.

The good news:

  1. Yesterday I started tracking my food again. Make no mistake, newbies, tracking is absolutely necessary to lose and (especially) to maintain. 
  2. I'm re-creating my food plan to get back on track. Now that my grandson is back in school and visits will be short and exposure to junk foods withstandable, I can now look out for myself again, as I should have been doing even while he was here. I should have planned better for his stay with me.
  3. I'm making a re-commitment to exercise. Nothing intense at this point -- a 20-minute daily walk is about all I can manage. It should help lift my depression, which will in turn make everything else a bit less difficult. If I see no improvement in 2 weeks, then I'll have to get back on my meds. Not a step I want to take but will if I have to. Depression sucks.
  4. I'm rereading the excellent "Refuse to Regain" by Barbara Berkeley. An extremely good whack upside the head that I desperately need.
  5. I plan to check this site daily, as I used to do. You guys are and have been my best support from the beginning.

Please help me out with any advice you think will be beneficial. It's been a year and a half since my surgery, so I'm not a newbie anymore, but that doesn't mean I have nothing left to learn. Thanks.

 

psychoticparrot

  "Live for what today has to offer, not for what yesterday has taken away."

Shel25
on 8/26/16 10:12 am

Give yourself lots and lots of credit for paying attention and jumping on it now!  I don't know about you but I have a terrible history of denial and giving myself permission to worry about it another day with disastrous results. 

Be kind to yourself as you move back on plan. 

No "should-haves!"   Just a learning experience.  Thanks for posting so we all learn along with you!

Best wishes, 

Shel

HW:361 SW:304 (VSG 12/04/2014)Mo 1:-32  Mo 2:-13.5  Mo 3: -13.5  Mo 4 -9.5  Mo 5: -15  Mo 6: -15  Mo 7: -13.5  Mo 8: -17  Mo 9: -13  Mo 10: -12.5  11/3/2015 Healthy BMI Reached Mo 11: -9  Mo 12: -8    12/27/2015 Goal Weight Reached!

psychoticparrot
on 8/26/16 10:23 am
On August 26, 2016 at 5:12 PM Pacific Time, Shel25 wrote:

Give yourself lots and lots of credit for paying attention and jumping on it now!  I don't know about you but I have a terrible history of denial and giving myself permission to worry about it another day with disastrous results. 

Be kind to yourself as you move back on plan. 

No "should-haves!"   Just a learning experience.  Thanks for posting so we all learn along with you!

Best wishes, 

Shel

Shel wrote: "No 'should-haves!'  Just a learning experience."

 

As my son like to yell at moments of family hilarity, "I REGRET NOTHING!!!" 

You're right. What's past is past. Only today counts. Thanks.

 

psychoticparrot

Sparklekitty, Science-Loving Derby Hag
on 8/26/16 11:11 am
RNY on 08/05/19

Depression sucks, and I'm sorry you're struggling. It's OK to be on meds if that's what keeps you healthy. I'm happy to commiserate if you ever want to ***** about psych meds.

In regards to gogurt, I'd suggest getting some refillable pouches on Amazon that you can use for yogurt, I think the brand I use are called "squooshi." They're like the ones used for pureed baby food, but you can fill them with yogurt on your own and re-use them. It would be easy to have some on hand filled with Greek yogurt and fruit, plus they have cute designs-- I have a set with lions and parrots!

Sparklekitty / Julie / Nerdy Little Secret (#42)
Roller derby - cycling - triathlon
VSG 2013, RNY conversion 2019 due to GERD. Trendweight here!

psychoticparrot
on 8/26/16 11:40 am

Thanks, Julie. Actually, I was never tempted by the GoGurts. I tried one and found it almost disgustingly sweet. Not a yogurt fan in general. The ice cream, chocolate and pizza -- they were the problem. But now that my grandson is back at home, those junk foods have been banned from my home. Your suggestion about the refillable yogurt pouches may come in handy next summer when he comes back to visit.

I had been on Celexa for years until, with my doctor's approval, I weaned off them this spring, hoping never to have to need them again. I suspect I was a little over-optimistic about that. Weight loss does not necessarily = end of mood disorders. My hesitation about using Celexa again is that I have reservations about its long-term health effects. While I'm on it, it does work great, though. So I'm trying to decide whether it's worth it to wait out this depressive episode or to go back on the meds. Tough call.

 

psychoticparrot

Sparklekitty, Science-Loving Derby Hag
on 8/26/16 1:12 pm
RNY on 08/05/19

Yup, I was thinking about the pouches for the grandson. :)

I was on Celexa many years ago, but I've been on Lexapro for the past two years or so. It works just as well, since it's more or less the same ingredient, but seems to have far fewer side effects and less worries about long-term impact. So that might be an option?

That said, going on meds doesn't necessarily mean going on and STAYING on. I've heard lots of people on Celexa/Lexapro who will take it for a bit, say 6 months to a year, and drop it when they don't feel they need it. Perhaps that might be an option?

Sparklekitty / Julie / Nerdy Little Secret (#42)
Roller derby - cycling - triathlon
VSG 2013, RNY conversion 2019 due to GERD. Trendweight here!

psychoticparrot
on 8/26/16 3:31 pm

I'll see my doc soon and discuss Lexapro with him and how long I need to be on it (or Celexa). Thanks.

 

psychoticparrot

happyteacher
on 8/26/16 5:44 pm

Are they hard to clean?

Surgeon: Chengelis  Surgery on 12/19/2011  A little less carb eating compared to my weight loss phase loose sleever here!

1Mo: -21  2Mo: -16  3Mo: -12  4MO - 13  5MO: -11 6MO: -10 7MO: -10.3 8MO: -6  Goal in 8 months 4 days!!   6' 2''  EWL 103%  Starting size 28 or 4x (tight) now size 12 or large, shoe size 12 w to 10.5   150+ pounds lost  

Join the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker group for recipes and tips! Click here to join!

Sparklekitty, Science-Loving Derby Hag
on 8/26/16 9:44 pm
RNY on 08/05/19

I actually haven't had any trouble with them so far. The bottom is like a zip-lock bag, so you can run ho****er all the way through. Then I run them through the dishwasher, each one "skewered" on a prong in the top rack. Super handy!

Sparklekitty / Julie / Nerdy Little Secret (#42)
Roller derby - cycling - triathlon
VSG 2013, RNY conversion 2019 due to GERD. Trendweight here!

Paula1965
on 8/26/16 12:34 pm
VSG on 04/01/15

Nice to see you back. I always enjoyed reading your posts! Good luck with your recommitment!



5' 4" tall, HW: 242, SW:215.4 Weight Loss - pre-op: - 26.6, M1: -15.4, M2: -16, M3: -11.4, M4: -11.2, M5: -12.2, M6: -7.4, M7: -7.8, M8: -2.0 Goal of 130 lbs. reached at 8 months, 2 days post-op!












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