weezieweeks

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Wow, its been a long time since I have been here!

My last post talked about going back on Metformin, but a reduced dose.  Somewhere in there, I must not have liked it because I have been off it for over a year.  I have been able to bring my A1c from 6.5 to 5.9 on my own!!

I updated my weight too - ugh, I have gained!! 

Today, I went to the dietitian - I had some initial hesitation due to someone at my knitting group telling me she went to the same clinic and had an awful experience. She told me they showed her a video and told her to eat like a diabetic, which she is not. Neither of those things happened to me, I'm happy to report. She seemed very knowledgeable on needs for post weight-loss surgery and gave me lots of tips on improving what I am eating, as well as eating less. She knew alot about the protein and other nutrient needs and helped me set some short and long term goals. I'm going back in 5-6 weeks for a progress check and I feel optimistic about making more changes.

I did make an decrease in my calories on MFP and hope to decrease it over time rather than a drastic slashing. I'm not sure I will eat my exercise calories; they sure do provide more motivation to have room for a snack. I do struggle with the late night eating, especially once I get into bed. I told my dietitian, my husband and now this group that I am not going to hang out in bed before sleeping - I am going to try just going to bed and see if this helps me to not eat right before going to sleep.

So, I started back on the Metformin - one 500 tab twice a day - so far so good on that.  Before I had surgery, I really thought I had problems with side effects, so hopefully this means that my overall eating has improved.

I have doubled up on my iron - essentially this means now that I am taking 360 a day - 120 with each meal and if I can work in an extra dose anywhere after fitting in the calcium I will.  I am eating more red meat and may consider some liquid iron just to increase my options for iron intake.  I am very committed to getting in this iron and doing good so far...

I am taking 1/2 the dose of the weight loss meds and so far am not taking the 2nd dose and feel ok - my appetite is less - so taking this slow.

I did find the name of the therapist I was referred to, and got her information ready to "make that call", but did not yet call her.

I have lost five pounds...

I want to doc last year to get checked out and make sure all is well internally from my RNY done in April of 2008.  I had an EGD and got the all clear.  I have kept off over 100#, but bounce 20 - 30 up and down and I never got to goal. 

If I could just get and stay under 200, I would be happy (debatable, LOL). 

Utilizing the tools - I did return to the WLS support group, took the nutrition class (which was amazing what I learned since my own surgery) and have attended other support groups.

I was also referred to a weight loss doc they were getting at their practice, but I ended up going to a more established one and did get the Phentermine, Topiramate combo.  I did increase the dosages after a couple months and went off them at six months or so.  I did lose 26 pounds and loved the way I looked in my clothes - no "x" in my sizes!  I will say the combination of the support group, the meds, the documenting of all my food at myfitnesspal all helped me to lose at a regular pace.  Probably the biggest thing would be to not snack between meals and I am addicted to eating before I go to bed (which the meds helped with).  Here I am six months later, 20 pounds back on...arghh...

This past Wednesday I went to an Endocrinologist now at the practice of the Bariatric doc I went to last year.  I went to him primarily because my Ferritin was 11 and is now below 7 - this is the first I have had a problem with low ferritin since post op.  He went over all my labs with me and recommended that I go back on Metformin which I was on for a few months before my weight loss surgery.  I could go on and on, but he explained to me why my diabetes needs to be treated and that the insulin production is getting in the way of the weight loss - he said that the surgeons do not arbitrarily take people off the diabetes meds now because they have learned it causes problems years down the road...I did tell him about the weight loss drugs from last year and he recommended that I go back on them, but to take 1/2 the dose I was taking and he really stressed to use the time on the meds as a time to "get it together" with the eating and utilize all the tools, the foods, the support, therapy, whatever it takes to realign the mindset.  I am going to see their dietitian if my insurance will cover, otherwise I have a consult at the base, but the focus on obesity might be better than the focus on military service.

We are going to work together to bring up my iron with meds I am already taking, just take a lot more and with every meal - I really want to avoid a transfusion and know that part of the reason I am eating is due to the fatigue.  My insurance covered some of the cost, amazingly, so I am going to see how it goes.

I did feel like the endocrinologist looked at my whole self and not any sort of quick fix.   He said that there are other options if the meds do not get me going and we can see what happens - he also said that my body just might prefer to be at the weight I am right now.  Personally, I think I would just keep gaining, it is just at this weight I really come to terms with the fact that the weight gain is out of control, to be perfectly honest.

I did not quite gain back all the weight I lost last year, but it is close....

Is anyone out there reading this?  LOL - I am really writing this for me - someone posted - thank you so much!  It never occurs to me to post on someone else's blog; now maybe I will do the same thing.

I go to the doctor on the 31st for my 3 month checkup, but today is really the end of 3 months...I am down 23 pounds - amazing and unbelievable!!  I feel so much better and look so much better.  Even though I have a ways to go, I at least no longer feel like my old, 330# self, thankfully!!  When I look in the mirror, I can see some results, and I am making better choices without a lot of falling off the wagon and climbing back on or just staying off the wagon.  I do have a lot of the old feelings back, like not a lot of real hunger and stopping the snacking, for the most part, has really stopped the wanting to snack.  I might still consider it, but then I think about my next meal and know that will be screwed up and could potentially lead to the next snack, so that is helpful.  I am eating somewhat at night again so am putting it down here to be accountable.  I have really been on the run this month and not really at the FTF support groups and barely at the online groups, so need to get back.   I need it all - the logging, the FTF support group, the online group, accountability, communication with my husband and this blogging probably to really look at me.  And I need to have this be first, not last, which is where I tend to put myself even tho in order to be my best, I need to put myself first....talk soon....

Down 15 pounds!  I am so thrilled!  It is hard to believe.  For once I feel like I am making changes instead of feeling like I am on a diet that I will eventually go off.  I am so grateful to be a member of the OH group Back on Track Together (BOTT), I am also on another online group.  I have reconnected with a bariatric practice support system where I lived in Nevada and have been attending their groups.  As long as I make it Friday, I will meet my goal of attending all four of their groups this month - each one is different and valuable in its own way.  I have been faithful in logging my food on MyFitnessPal.com and also willing to log whatever I eat for accountability - this also helps me to maybe not make the choice to eat that particular food.  I have pretty much let go of between meal snacking, but still have some late night lapses.  This week, and last week, if I just "needed" to have something I have decided I will either have  a mini or half a protein bar (about 100 cals) or a fiber bar (same amount of cals) - so it is either extra protein or extra fiber - both helpful.  My cravings for foods is drastically reduced, which is so great and most likely really contributing to my feelings of finally making a change rather than being on a diet.

9.6 pounds down!!  I am feeling so much better - eating better - definitely eating less at night.  I had a couple really stressful work days, so really was able to see some of that emotional eating kick in....well, it did not really kick in, but it was different and I was able to take a look at it from another perspective.

I have attended the Nutrition 101 class at Bariatric Surgeon here in Las Vegas and I learned alot.  Changed up by B vitamins so that I added B1 and Biotin as well as a 10 Billion probiotic.

The medications have really helped to cut my appetite, but have helped much more so on the cravings/late night wanting to eat feelings - my biggest downfall - always.

My clothes already fit better and I took my biggest clothes (the goto, comfy, no way these are tight) out of the closet and out of rotation for wearing.  There is no reason to endorse the larger size or accommodate it with clothes that have plenty of room.  I have lots of clothes that fit just fine without wearing the ones that are too big, even with the weight gain....

Here I am one week later and I am down five pounds....so grateful!  I know the meds help, but I also know that I am eating less, making some better choices and logging my food and writing some stuff down, as well as participating in some online Facebook support groups.  There does not seem to be the activity here that there was five years ago, but for now, this is a great place for me to journal.

Yay for me!  I took the meds for the first day yesterday and did not really notice any side effects, which is a good thing.  I also logged my food and used a saucer for dinner.  I know I ate less and I would say that when "foraging", that is all I did, I did not eat it.  My sleep was my normal irregular sleep, so no change there.

Today I feel somewhat more focused, so maybe that is a good thing, maybe I am just cheered up seeing that scale move down for a change.

I am posting this here because it fits - LOL.  It looks to me like there are some promotional posts here that take you to some questionable sites, but that is my opinion.

Yesterday I signed up at a weight loss clinic to see if take some meds would help me stop gaining weight and hopefully take some off.  My husband went with me and I found nothing at the clinic that was contrary to my internet research.  I started today with Phentermine Hcl 30 mg and in four hours later will take a Topiramate 25mg.  I am hoping to blog and see how it goes.

In 2008 I had RNY gastric bypass and lost an initial 130 pounds.  I got into "Onederland" for about five minutes and not sure if I had a hard time dealting with that or what, but have slowly gained since then to a gain of 32 pounds.  It has been slow, over 2-3 years, but gaining none the less.

I have not tried jumping back on the dieting bandwagon, as I was such a yoyo dieter, that I really cannot bear that again.  I will say that I had had a very emotional 5 years since the surgery - my brother died at 50 from cancer and I took care of him, my mother in law died and then my mother died after losing her 2.5 year battle with cancer.  I took leave to take care of her and quit my job after - I was doing mortgages, so that was a relief!  It was scary to live on one income, but we did fine.  I went back to work five months later.

We moved to Las Vegas at the end of 2011 - I transferred with my job - and we were able to buy a home there at the bottom of the market this time and have been getting reestablished.  I had hoped being at a lower elevation would help my allergies/asthma, but it is worse, which is depressing, but I am not giving up on finding a good combination of supplements.  I am pretty sure the added weight gain is adding to my problems with respiratory.  Before I had the WLS, I had severe sleep apnea - as I lost the pressure was decreased and I am not wearing the machine right now, but might start back on it.  My husband says I snore, a lot, lately.

We lost our other house to foreclosure in May - somewhat of a relief, but the inner feelings are more tumultuous.  Luckily, right now, we are experiencing no negative side effects, but I worry about the future ramifications.

My husband is disabled and mostly a good source of support for me - I do want to continue to improve my own health in order to be able to take care of him - right now not so much physically, but lots of mental and cognitive stuff to keep track of.  I have him more involved in this journey and I think he is seeing some of my struggles that I do not tell him about and he can be more supportive on his own, without my prodding.

I recently attended a WLS seminar with my friend, to support her, and found out about revision options.  I had an Endoscopy by a bariatric surgeon and all looks good, but he does not do revisions and does not recommend a band over bypass for me, which I had mostly ruled out.  He referred me to their clinic, but we were not all that "warm and fuzzy" about their process, so my husband said to look around.  I met someone at work who referred me to where I went yesterday.

So, I am interested to see where this new journey will take me.  I am very open to feedback/suggestions/opinions, which is why I posted here - I am also going to post this to my blog.  I have not been to a support group since I moved here, but hope to attend some support and even the nutrition classes are open to non-patients as well, so hope to continue to look at getting back on track, as well as looking into a revision.

If you are still here, thanks for hanging in there and listening....

Ok, I updated my weight, again....up again...arghhh....

Today is my first day on weight loss meds.  I am taking Phentermine Hcl 30 and Topiramate 25 mg - the first when I get up and the 2nd 4 hours later - has anyone tried this?

I am a little worried about the constipation side effect, but I usually have no trouble going, so will definitely keep an eye.

I go back in a week and if anything is not "right" this week, I plan to stop.

Any feedback is welcome!!