MELANIE D.
10/2003- Before Lap-Band Top weight 287
Maintained weight loss of 40 pounds (247) for 2 years then started to have complications. Had band deflated (removed fills) gained 19 pounds.
04/2006- 266 lbs. pre Gastric Bypass Surgery. Surgery Date 4/10/2006. 10 days post-op 4/20/2006 253 lbs. down 13 pounds and stayed there fluctuating a pound or two waiting to start my period. Finally 4/28/2006 251 lbs. 18 days post-op down 15 pounds.
5/2/2006 - 3 week post-op follow up visit Dr. Patel removed my Staples....ouch! Advanced me to soft food diet I weighed 250 down 16 Lbs.
5/10/2006- 1 month Post-op 246 lbs. down 20 lbs.
5/16/2006- 243 lbs. down 23 lbs. I feel better, my clothes definitely fit better. It seems like I will stay at a weight for about four or five days and then lose 2-3 more pounds. I am kind of moody, one day I feel very energetic, positive and happy the next I feel kind of depressed and lethargic.....not sure if this is normal. I have trouble with solid, hard food...about two bites and then I feel pressure in my chest. I do much better with soft food, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, fat free refried beans, etc. It has only been a month and 6 days but it feels like it has been a long time already and I am ready to lose more weight! I am doing well with hunger...I don't feel hungry or deprived. I guess my weight loss is a little slower because I already had the band and that initial weight loss surgery shock already happened when I had the band. But I am happy with my loss....it was weight I could not get off before and the nice thing is this time I know it is not coming back I will never be at this weight again!
5/27/2006- 241 Lbs. down 25 Lbs. I can feel the weight loss my clothes are definitely looser. My step-son was mowing the yard today and I asked hime if I could do it just for the exercise. He and my husband watched as I circled the yard with positive energy. When I finished the yard my husband put his arms out for a big hug and said wow thats the first time you have ever mowed our yard. It felt good and I thought to myself that is one of many things that I am going to do. I am 1 month and 17 days post op. My weight loss has been slow compared to many other people on this site but I know I am not doing anything I shouldn't .....I have not eaten sugar I don't even want it....I don't feel hungry which is a miracle! This is so much better and different than the band. The band does not control your hunger this is so Great because I don't even think about food until I am hungry then I eat a little bit I am full and I go on. I was told my loss would be slower because I already had the band and had lost the initial 40 pounds. My top weight was 287 now I weigh 241 so I am down 46 pounds....WOW, I can't believe that I weighed 46 pounds more than I do now....no wonder I was sooo miserable. Well I feel very confident that this weight I have lost is not coming back this time.
6/10/2006- 236 LBS. down 30Lbs. 2 Mos. Post-op BMI 39.2 now just Obese instead of Extremely Obese. I know I seem to be losing slow but at least I am losing. I am happy about that! I took my measurements today also and I am going to compare them to pre-op measurements:
4/6/2006 Measurements Weight 266 BMI 44.2 Extremely Obese
NECK 14
WAIST 45
HIPS 56
RIGHT ARM 14.5
RIGHT THIGH 31
BUST 50
6/10/2006 Measurements Weight 236 BMI 39.2 Obese
NECK 14
WAIST 41.5
HIPS 55
RIGHT ARM 14.25
RIGHT THIGH 28.25
BUST 47.5
Total Inches Lost: 10 inches
I am going to start a food journal to make sure I am getting enough protein, enough water , enough or too much calories and I need to exercise more. I was walking a lot and then work got crazy and I have stopped walking as much. I need to do the best I can because a lot of people say the first 6 mos. is the best opprotunity to lose the most weight. My clothes are all extremely loose which is nice and I have been rubbing cocoa butter on my scars every night before bed.....they are ugly the staple marks are worse than the actual incisions....I hope they fade or go away. I am registered to go to the OH conference in San Antonio on July 8th so hopefully I will meet some more people there and can get the support I need. Well hopefully next time I will feel more positive. Until then thank god for the loss........I feel better already!
6/18/2006 234 LBS. WEIGHT LOSS IS SLOW BUT STEADY.......
6/19/2006 Today was a great day finally.....I don't know why but for the first time since my surgery 4 different people told me today that I looked Great and they could really tell that I am losing weight! Finally it's starting to be noticable? Maybe that last .5 pound was just in the right spot to make me look better? I am also excited because I found these pictures to make my profile pretty! I will share with you how I did it because I wanted to know how to do it when I didn't know how....you can go to the sites addglitter.com or blinkyou.com or tickerfactory.com just a few I have found so far and find what you want, a box will pop up next to the picture with a bunch of jibberish like a code, cut and paste that text code into your profile update and wall-la up pops a picture!
6/29/2006- Well I had an appt. with my surgeon Dr. Patel today and I weighed 230. Yes down 36 pounds....He said exercise, exercise, exercise......and water, water, water! All my levels were good, protein, B-12 was on the border of low but still within normal range, and when they took my measurements I have lost 16.75 inches. Progress....slow but steady.
7/5/2006 Well here I am after a long day of work hanging out with the OH website! I am going to the OH conference saturday in San Antonio and I am excited a few girls that had surgery around the same time as me are going together! I finally started hitting the gym and walking on the treadmill. It feels good and makes a difference the whole day. I feel stronger already. I put the scale up because I was weighing myself too much.......I think I will only weigh once a week. I feel good, I have a friend who is going in to have a consultation after hanging out with me the other day........I have read peoples profiles who talk about how many friends have the surgery after seeing their success.........like we are walking billboards :) But it's a good thing because the surgery is positive, now I have had both the band and gastric bypass and I would not recommend a band to my worst enemy. The bypass is awesome.........and I recommend it to anyone who needs it. It's nice to know there is a solution. 
7/7/2006- Finally I wieghed myself yesterday and the scale said 228........YES I am in the 20's! A couple funny little stories for you: My mom had gastric bypass surgery a few years ago and she always takes baths well as she had started losing a lot of weight she went to my dad and said I think we have a leak in the tub because it is taking forever to fill up. Later she realized it was because she was so much smaller that it took that much water to fill the tub! Good one mom.......LOL! Well I realized something like that the other day........I keep walking on the bottom of all my pants, so I started thinking what is going on why are all my pants so long? Well because there is not so much width filling them in! COOL........ ; )
7/9/2006 YES.........226 today officially down 40 LBS. it will be 3 mos. tomorrow. That's about 13.3 LBS a month. It has been 13 weeks so that means 3 LBS a week so at that rate my new goal I am shooting for is to be at 186 LBS by 10/10/06 That would be 80 LBS in 6 months. So now I have a number I am shooting for short term goal. If I project that goal out over an additional 3 months that would put me at 146 LBS by 1/10/07 Wow that would mean goal weight by the New Year here I come 2007! I have been walking on the treadmill and it has been helping to shed more pounds!
GOAL................186 by 10/10/06 That would be 40 LBS in 3 Months.....I CAN DO IT! I have been in sales for a long time and I am currently a sales manager at Verizon Wireless, THE BEST WIRELESS company in America and I am always saying you can't reach a goal if you don't have one. Okay so I am going to break this out week by week My surgery date was a Monday so I am going by Mondays.
MON. 7/10/2006 226 LBS
MON. 7/17/2006 223 LBS
MON. 7/24/2006 220 LBS
MON. 7/31/2006 217 LBS
MON. 8/7/2006 214 LBS
MON. 8/14/2006 211 LBS
MON. 8/21/2006 208 LBS
MON. 8/28/2006 205 LBS
MON. 9/4/2006 202 LBS
MON. 9/11/2006 199 LBS UNDER 200 BY SEPT. 11TH!
MON. 9/18/2006 196 LBS
MON. 9/25/2006 193 LBS
MON. 10/2/2006 190 LBS
MON. 10/9/2006 187 LBS
10/10/2006 WILL BE 6 MONTHS POST-OP GOAL 186 LBS. WILL BE A LOSS OF 80 LBS AT 6 MOS.
OKAY SO NOW I HAVE A SHORT TERM GOAL AND MINI GOALS TO HIT ALONG THE WAY! I CAN DO IT...........
I went to the OH conference in San Antonio yesterday with some of my WLS friends and had a good time. It was a little long for me to sit but the event was very positive and I enjoyed hearing peoples stories and seeing the success in the room. I was proud to have Dr. Nilesh Patel as my surgeon he is a very knowledgeable and compassionate man and I appreciate that he helped me get my lap-band converted to a bypass because NO other DR. in San Antonio would see me unless I were to pay a program fee of $1,000 for them to review my case and decide if they would see me. SO thank you DR. Patel for helping all of us miserable band patients who want the full service that you offer and not just a fill station!
Well I am going out to Medina Lake today with some friends on their boat! So I will write more later...........
7/30/2006 Good Morning...........This morning I weighed 220lbs. That is a loss of 46 lbs since bypass and 67 lbs since the band. I feel good. I don't feel like an inflated balloon. My eyes look bigger because my face is smaller! Took my measurements today also:
July 30, 2006
NECK- 13.5
WAIST-39.5
HIPS- 53
R. ARM-13
R. THIGH-27
BUST- 45.5
SHOULDERS-48
Compare to 4-6-2006
NECK 14
WAIST 45
HIPS 56
RIGHT ARM 14.5
RIGHT THIGH 31
BUST 50 Loss of 22 Inches So Far!
8/23/2006
OKAY on a plateau at 216 which is exactly a 50 pound weight loss! I sure feel better and some of my little mini goals are starting to be reached for example................
I sat in an airplane seat and not only the seat belt fit around me but there was about 5-6 inches left over.
I can wrap a regular size towel around me
I find myself crossing my legs and they actually fold down together instead of just putting my ankle on my knee.........if that makes sense.
I feel smaller sitting in chairs
I definitely move around easier
I bought a bunch of size 14 sun dresses and feel cute in them..........Even though I have a long way to go!
I think I have lost the whole 50 pounds in my face!
It is really the only place that really looks smaller in pics........but I know that's not true.
My husband has been giving me a lot of attention and people are making comments like , "You look thin!"
Is 216 pounds THIN? Let's see what 180 Looks like or 160!
I am behind my little 3 pounds per week goal I am supposed to be at 208 according to my plan and I am at 216.................
I need to exercise more and drink MORE WATER!
Oh, ladies and men I have a friend who is an awesome massage therapist and I sware on the weeks when I get a good hour massage I lose more weight I think it breaks everything up inside so it can be flushed out!
Medically necessary 1 hour massage at least 1X per week!
I am starting to get used to this cycle I stay the same weight for about a week and then drop a pound a day for about four days in a row and then stay there............. it's wierd!
BUT IT'S WORKING.............I recommend Gastric Bypass Surgery to anyone who needs it! This is the best decision I have ever made and how incredibly hopeful to know that there is a tool that actually works.
Never get the band it is horrible e-mail me if you want all the details but Don't get a band.............If you are debating between the two do not overlook this and think I am some crazy person who says don't get the band.........for real do not get the BAND I have had both they are not the same they are not even kind of the same.........please if you have the opportunity to get the Gastric Bypass do it and don't look back..............I gaurantee you will not regret your decision!
9/24/2006
WOW..............I can't believe it has been over a month since I posted. I just got home I spent from Sept. 10th-Sept. 22nd in Georgia for a work Leadership conference. It was beautiful there and I met a lot of nice people! My scale at home right now says 210 which is more than I would like it to be but look and feeling wise I am getting smaller! I keep going shopping and it is not a safe place because everything fits and I have been spending too much money..........new clothes, new shoes! And then 2 weeks go by and the new clothes are too big.........what a waste of $ I need to stop shopping! While I was in Georgia, I went hiking at Stone Mountain and worked out in the gym at the hotel a few times and I had $50 a day to spend on food and I think I made really good food choices everyone else ate tons of crap but I would save up my $ for the day and have an expensice piece of fish for dinner that is why I thought I would weigh less than 210 when I got home...........maybe restaurant food has too much sodium? Anyway more mini goals have been realized.............I don't automatically go for the handicapped bathroom stall or dressing room because it is bigger, I can do everything I need to do in a regular stall. On an airplane I used to prefer the aisle seat because I would be overflowing out of the seat but the window or even middle is fine..........there is plenty of room! I never thought I would say that! I can wear high heels! WOW just a few months ago I could have never walked comfortably in heels! Well now that I am home I am going to take my measurements and get back on a plan of consistency.................2 weeks away from home in a hotel is a long time! I will post again soon! I feel GREAT!
10/4/2006
This morning the scale said 205.......... It is still moving down! I definitely feel and look smaller. People are making comments like , "Where is the rest of you?" "You look HOT!" "WoW, I was attracted to you before but now look at you." I feel good but I definitely don't feel all that yet! I am wearing size 16 pants and large shirts some mediums. XL clothes are too big! I had one of those awesome massages yesterday and I know I lost weight this morning because of that. A good deep massage breaks everything up! So, I work this week and next week I fly to California to visit my family that should be fun and I know mom will be excited to see me............she has also had Bypass surgery and took care of me the week after surgery but has not seen me since! She keeps asking me if I am skinny mini.............I am just not there YET but I know I am on the right track and feel and look GREAT! I don't feel deprived, I don't feel sick...............All is well. I DO FEEL HAPPY......and that is truly a gift!
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