• Welcome to the FREE TUGBBS forums! The absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 32 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 32 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 32nd anniversary: Happy 32nd Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    All subscribers auto-entered to win all free TUG membership giveaways!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $24,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $24 Million dollars
  • Wish you could meet up with other TUG members? Well look no further as this annual event has been going on for years in Orlando! How to Attend the TUG January Get-Together!
  • Now through the end of the year you can join or renew your TUG membership at the lowest price ever offered! Learn More!
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

My Weight Loss Journey

swift

swift

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
2,037
Reaction score
15
Ok, well I am coming out of the closet a little bit here. I have hesitated posting anything about this because weight loss surgery is such a controversial subject but I wanted to share at least my success story so far.

I started the process (research, Dr. appointments and such) back in January of 2008. When after a long discussion with my Dr. we decided this would work well for me. At the time My weight was 256 lbs. My blood sugar was going up and my blood pressure was going up. Both of which could cost me my school bus drivers license. If I lost my license I would loose my health insurance along with it. Not a good place to be. I was also storing estrogen in my fat cells which was causing female problems that my gyno said was leading down a path straight toward uterine cancer. I had tried and tried several other methods to loose the weight always loosing and then gaining back plus. With the Kaiser program you have to go through several education classes before you can even meet with the surgeon. Then education and support groups continue to go on after surgery. This is not an answer for everyone. You need to have a BMI of 40 or above and you need to be aware for this to be a success you have to make lifetime changes. I had the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Which means that I can no longer have real sugar and I have to take B12, Calcium, Iron, and a good multi vitamin everyday for the rest of my life. It is also not a magic wand. I still have to exercise. You have a honeymoon period of 1 year where you will loose most of your weight. After that your body adjusts and it gets a little harder however if you stick with the program make protein your main focus and cut out the bad carbs it can be a success. I can not go back to eating high fat junk food that would be a waste of the tool that I have been given. So far I have lost over 80 lbs. I lost some before surgery as well. I have not had any problems and I still cook and eat with my family. They may have meatball subs for dinner and I will have a couple meatballs with extra sauce to make it moist and for go the bread. Anyway, there is always so much bad press I thought I would share that there are also many who do well they just don't make the media.
For what it's worth here is my progress so far. I would still like to loose at least another 40 pounds.
http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/tl_swift/?action=view&current=dbc3dfe8.pbw
 
Last edited:
Theresa , you are looking good. My neice is doing it now as we speak. She was over 300 lbs and has lost 65 lbs so far. Good luck to you on your endeavor!Hugs, Shaggy
 
Congratulations! I'm glad to hear that it is working for you. Very impressive weight loss.

Sue
 
I don't think it's controversial at all.

I think it was a far less common surgery than it is today, but I think bariatric surgery has become more mainstream.

Congratulations!

You are right the Kaiser program really requires you jump through a lot of challenges, and at the time I looked at it, I wasn't ready. So keep up the good work and good luck. :)
 
You should be very proud of yourself for making such a difficult commitment! Good for you, and wishing you continued success.

Dori
 
I agree with everyone - you're doing great and here's to continued success. I'll add, though, that I think you were very brave in deciding to go through with the surgery. It couldn't have been an easy choice. Good on you!
 
Congratulations, what a great accomplishment. Keep up the good work. :cheer: We'll be looking forward to the next photos. You look "mahvelous".
 
Thanks so much for sharing! You are very brave to confront the problem and do something about it...
 
girlfriend, YOU ARE AWESOME!! keep up the good work and thanks for sharing
 
It's good to hear the postiives about this surgery. I have heard so much negative. Congratulations!
 
Major Serious Treatment For Major Serious Weight Loss.

Anybody who thinks bariatric surgery is the "easy" method for weight loss needs to pay attention to your story.

I applaud your seriousness of purpose & your courage in tackling a tough medical situation via a life-changing regime. Sounds like surgery is only the beginning.

Shux, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass makes the Dr. Phil Fat Folks Diet look like a walk in the park.

Hats off to you. Best wishes for life-long success & good health.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
Theresa,

Congrats on your decision and continued success with your new "tool".

I had Lap RNY on 8/5/09 and have gone thru the various phases, i.e. clear liquid diet, full liquid diet, pureed diet, and experimenting with soft foods and regular foods. It truly is a commitment, but the pounds are dropping, down 26 lbs the first month.

While major changes are taking place, it's just great.

If you have not seen the website,www.ThinnerTimesForum.com, it's a great support forum for WLS patients. The site appears to be down this morning for maintenance, but I've learned so much from the various members...just like TUG for timeshare, it's for WLS. I found some great recipes there too.

Dave
 
Thank you so much for the support and my best wishes to those who are going through this journey or know someone who is going through it. You are right Alan it is not a cake walk or an easy way out it is a lifetime commitment. You can not go back to you old way of eating, even in smaller portions, and expect to keep all of the weight off. There is a saying "They operate on your stomach not your brain" You have to be aware of brain hunger. I no longer feel hunger like I use to it is more like eating by a clock although my mind will tell me sometimes "hmmmm I want......" so you always have to keep yourself in check. Also, it is a challenge to get all of you fluids in. If you don't it can lead to other problems like dehydration or bad constipation. However, to have my health back, bend over and tie my shoes, cross my legs and sit like a lady, walk with out my legs rubbing together and buy size 12 clothes in a regular department store instead of busting out of size 24 in a large person's store has made it all worth it.
 
Last edited:
My DH needs something like this, but I just fear he wouldn't stick to it for the long term. Mentally he isn't willing to give up anything. Kudos to you and thanks for sharing. You look great.
 
Shux, I'm Not Willing To Give Up Anything.

Patri said:
Mentally he isn't willing to give up anything.
Click to expand...
That's why, for me, it's much more a matter of simply giving up & giving in to reality than it is of applying will power, in which I am sorely lacking.

Paraphrasing a departed friend of mine whose words still help me even though he's been gone several years now, I Am Powerless Over Food No Matter Who It's In.

Food, alcohol, sex, drugs, tobacco, gambling . . .

They're all the same when it comes to powerlessness.

Anyhow, that is the attitude with which I am engaging the Dr. Phil Fat Folks Diet -- this time.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
For those that have been following my journey I have recently updated my slide. You can access it from the link below.

It will be 1 year in just a couple of weeks. It has been an amazing ride. I have met my goal and stabilized. Now the job is maintenance. I still watch what I eat, I can not allow myself to graze, and exercise regularly. For me this has been the best gift I could have ever given myself and I thank Kaiser for the education they have given me and for covering the cost for me.

Starting weight 256 lbs Current 134 lbs = 122 lbs total loss
Starting pant size busting out of a size 24. Current size 6

As they say, Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

P.S. Thank you to all who have sent me PM's along the way with words of encouragement. (((hugs)))
 
How wonderful, Theresa! You have achieved something so amazing. Congratulations on reaching your goal, and I would bet you have so much more energy than you had before. Weight can really drag a person down. I should know because I need to lose some weight myself. You are an inspiration!
 
That's an incredible difference between the early pictures and the ones where you are in an orange shirt and an orange striped shirt!!!:eek: :whoopie: :whoopie:

AMAZING & CONGRATULATIONS!:cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

(P.S. As the husband of a long time Kaiser RN, it's good to hear a member thank Kaiser and give it praise! Too often here in CA, all we hear in the press is all the things Kaiser has done wrong, so it's good to hear a member say how good the system truly can be. :) )
 
Congratulations!

Wow! Wow! Wow! You look fabulous! I know you're feeling on top of the world! Congratulations!
 
Theresa kudos to you for realizing you must keep vigilent and follow the diet. Your results are fabulous!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top