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A blog by deedee

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A Good Day

Today I had a gyn appointment. When the nurse took me back to get my weight she moved the 50 pound weight to 0, thinking I weighed under 150 lbs. :thumbup: She did have to move the 50 pound weight over again, but I was wearing my jacket (it was so cold, I wish I had taken it off--I could have had a weight under 150 on their scale). At Jazzercise tonight I weighed in on their scale and it read 151.4 lbs. Even though it's not my scale and doesn't really count, I can't believe actually weighing in the 140's is an actual possibility for me. It completely blows my mind!!! Not everything is roses and sunshine though. Although my weight loss has slowed down (I lost 9 pounds in December-less than any prior month), my lose skin is getting worse. Maybe it's just finally catching up with me. My arms (triceps) are so flappy...I've made a decision to start using 10 lb weights when I exercise. The upper part of my tummy has a lot of lose skin as do my upper inner thighs. BUT, I'd take these issues over being unhealthy and fat any day.

January 6, 2010

4

I'm Losing It (my mind that is)!

I'm almost to my 6 month mark and this is typically where (in the past) I start to lose dedication/motivation to living a healthier lifestyle. THANK GOD I have the sleeve! Because this last week all healthy eating pretty much flew out the window. I was like a bottomless pit and did not fill that pit with the good protein I should have. Both Thursday and Friday I bought a bag of chips from the vending machine AND yesterday bought a bag of candy from their as well and had nachos for lunch. I could sense it coming too. That's why last weekend I called to make an appointment with Jenny Craig. I realized that I do not have time/desire to cook (it was so different when I was off work this fall--I used my cookbooks, planned out and made meals, etc.) when driving 80 miles round trip for work and 30 miles round trip for exercise. I'm going in this afternoon just to pick up some food...I explained about the wls and how I just wanted access to their food and they seemed fine with that. I know frozen, processed foods are not the best, but for right now I need the ease and structure. I figure one meal per day will last me for breakfast and lunch and then I'll buy a couple more for dinners during the week. I like these better than the ones sold in the grocery stores and they have a whole lot less sodium. On the other side, I'm still keeping up with my exercise routine, but it's getting harder. My body has been so exhausted. One night I got home and could barely move, but made myself get ready and drive the 25 minutes to class. It really helps that I made the goal of becoming an instructor because that is what keeps me going right now. I knew I was expected to teach a couple of routines so I had to be there. I WILL get passed this 6 month hurdle (still two weeks to go) and come out victorious because of this great tool! I even managed to lose a little this week, down 1.5 pounds since Monday, so I guess the extra calories aren't bad, I just need to make them healthier calories.

January 16, 2010

3

Bad and Good News

I was given some devastating news Tuesday of this week that has pretty much set me on an emotional roller coaster ride. Being off work due to the weather all week hasn't helped because I've had nothing else to take my focus. BUT the good news is I never turned to food for comfort. It didn't even cross my mind that I "deserve" this food or that because of the news or if I can make it to this point I should reward myself or plan a special meal, etc. It wasn't until last night that I even realized something was different. As an early post-op, I remember going through a mourning stage when the sleeve wouldn't allow me to use food as a comfort friend to heal emotional and physical pain. I guess I can say that I truly look at food now as a source of energy rather than a friend. This is not to say I don't have cravings and sometimes make the wrong decisions (eating chips, grazing all day long, etc.), but my relationship with food has changed completely and I couldn't have asked for more from this procedure.

February 13, 2010

3

Shopping victories!

Yesterday I had a major shopping trip and for once didn't go with anyone else so I could go to all the stores I wanted to, spend money on what I wanted, and not have to worry about accommodating others or wondering if they're judging me for what I bought or how much I spent :ack2: It also allowed me to explore some areas of my wardrobe that were lacking. I found and bought the most comfortable pair of pumps. I've never worn pumps for work (only special occasions) or play because they always hurt my feet so much. Maybe now because I'm a little smaller, they are more comfy or maybe because I got a little higher quality shoe, but I'm so excited to have found these shoes. I got them in black. http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3034548/0~2376780~6009391~6014000~6014004~6014012?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014012&P=1 Another thing I managed to do was finally shop in White House, Black Market. I've adored this store's window display in downtown Annapolis since I moved to the area 9 years ago, but figured nothing in there would fit and never ventured in. At the mall I decided to just bite the bullet and go in. Well, it's really not all that I was hoping for, but I did find a pair of cute jeans (in short :w00t:) and a cute top for my Florida trip next month. But isn't it funny how we build things up in our minds and then when we really look, it's not just that big of deal. My last victory of the day was finding a fabulous dress for Valentine's Day. I had already purchased a red dress in January, but it's sleeveless and even with a cardigan I still only have sandals to wear with it, so it's a no go with our current weather. It's sort of like this, but with pink and black instead of blue and white. I can't wait to wear it with my new black pumps! http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3068494?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=dresses&origin=searchresults

February 13, 2010

3

5 weeks out...food issues (just cranky)

It started Saturday after my first Jazzercise class. We went to Bob Evans (a breakfast like restaurant) I got eggs whites with sausage bits and cheese in them, and actually felt anger that I could only eat a few bites. The anger got somewhat worse over the weekend as I was throwing away leftovers from my fridge (both doggy bags and home cooked) from the past week. I have a couple of weight loss surgery cookbooks that I just love, but even when I halve the recipes it makes way too much to finish in a few days, and therefore I have to throw food away. My husband and I eat out 3-4 times per week, but since I'm on soft/mushy foods, I still have to order my own meal (soup, crab, fish, etc.) and then just let it go bad in the fridge as there is no way I can finish it. I tend not to be one to anger easily, but I'm also not one to hold emotions in, so yesterday when I got home from visiting friends and had to throw out food from Friday and Saturday, I lost it. I don't yell, but I just couldn't get myself out of this anger funk. My husband was trying to help by saying things will get better and although I didn't want to hear it at the time, I know he's right. Each week has been better than the last with learning my new stomach and getting in liquid, protein, and vitamins. I'm still learning my new stomach and how to eat and plan meals. My nutritionist says that I should be eating 2 oz. of protein at a time, but I find that I'm lucky to get in 1-1.5 oz if it's something like chicken or salmon. Usually pushing myself to get the 1.5 oz makes me feel stuffed and uncomfortable. She really stresses only eating 3 meals a day with two protein shakes for snacks, but I think I'm going to have to deviate from her plans because I'm only averaging 450 calories a day (but that's usually with just one protein shake) and really want to get more protein from foods throughout the day. I'm going to call her today to discuss. As I said to my husband last night, I am so very happy that I took this step and had this surgery and feel so fortunate that we could afford it. I think this is one of the best things I could have done for myself (right up there with earning my degrees). I'm blessed and in no way wish that could reverse the last couple of months. It's just that each day/week I seem to discover another food issue (mostly mental). I guess that's why I'm in therapy:-) One day I hope to be able to say that I'm over my food obsession and I don't even think about it, I just "eat to live." But I'm not there yet, I'm still working through the fact that food brought me so much joy and comfort and I'm missing that somewhat.

September 8, 2009

3

Feeling down...

I've been feeling somewhat sad for the last couple of days. For some reason I'm feeling fatter right now than the day of surgery (I know it's not rational and not true, but it's how I feel). I'm very happy with the weight loss number I've had so far (it has exceeded my expectations by so much, I was hoping to be here by Christmas initially), but when I look in the mirror I just see an unattractive, overweight woman. This morning my husband came in and informed me that our scale was not working because it said he was 6 pounds lighter than last week and we needed a new one. I explained that it matched my surgeon's scale exactly last week, but he just wouldn't let it go. I lost it and started crying and told him if it was broken then I must weigh 6 pounds more than I thought. I know he felt bad and it wasn't a big deal at all and nothing worth crying about, I just couldn't help myself. He sent me 3 emails throughout the day saying how proud he is of my progress, I thought that was nice. Tonight at Jazzercise, a woman came up to me as we were transitioning between routines and commented on my weight loss. She asked if I was doing Weight Watchers or something else (I guess she wasn't there the many times I mentioned my surgery) and I told her that I had surgery. She just sort of gave me a baffled look, her whole excitement level changed, and she went back to her spot. It was the first sort of negative reaction, but at least I didn't cry. I'm not sure what is wrong, but I just don't feel right. I'm thinking it might be a hormonal change like I've read about with major weight loss. I think I'm going to have to drop one day of my exercise classes to start going back to my therapist again (haven't seen her since mid-September) at least for right now.

October 9, 2009

3

I went to McDonald's and got...

...a bottle of water. Pre-surgery, McDonald's was one of my daily stops. I LOVED salt and grease. Even during my pre-op diet (July) I would stop by for breakfast and get a breakfast sandwich and take off all of the bread. Well, before I was sleeved I decided that McDonalds would be off limits to me. I knew this was possible because in the 4 years I've been with my husband he has never once eaten there (or any fast food) that was always something I did with friends or alone. He always said how the smell made him sick, although he does admit to eating there a couple of times during college. Well tonight I left Jazzercise without filling up my water bottle for the ride home (about 25 minutes) and I was so thirsty. I turned to stop at a gas station not realizing that they had a barrier on that side and had to continue to a different road and turned around in the McDonalds' parking lot. While there I thought I'd run in and grab a water there. I couldn't believe it, as I stood in line nothing smelled good. I did not have any cravings! I got my water and left. This was so amazing to me because I was such an addict before. Now, I'm still not perfect with food, but I feel so much better knowing that this tool is such a help in keeping really bad foods at bay.

October 29, 2009

3

First time in front of the class

This morning at Jazzercise the instructor announced to everyone that I would be trying out in Feb. to be an instructor and invited me to come up front to get a feel for how it would be. I was less than thrilled, feeling tired, bloated, and crampy, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. I'm glad I had the experience. It is different having to do all the routines in a different direction and having people watch you for the way the movements are supposed to be done (it made me a lot more conscious of how I moved and did not allow me to get sloppy). It also reaffirmed how much better shape I need to be in before auditions. There would have been no way that I could have done the routines AND cued the movements today with the headset microphone...I would have been breathing so hard they wouldn't have been able to hear any of the directions:-) The best part actually happened after class. Many people came up to talk with me and I got a lot of positive feedback on both my movements and my weight loss. One lady actually said I was easier to follow than the instructor (it's not true, our instructor is FABULOUS, but it was nice to be told anyway). My weight loss has definitely slowed to a crawl. This week's total weight loss is -1 lb. It was a hard week in the beginning and now I'm on my period, so I guess I am just grateful for any loss.

November 21, 2009

3

No vacation for me:-(

I've been feeling under the weather off and on for over a month now. I thought the most recent bout was simply allergies. I was able to get back into my doctor yesterday afternoon and he gave me a couple of prescriptions, but my husband and I had to cancel our trip (to get a full refund and/or credit) by yesterday. We went ahead and cancelled. I have these 5-15 minute coughing attacks and we were afraid to fly if those were not under control (I hate to be on an airplane when someone is obviously so sick). This morning I already feel a little better, so I'm kind of bummed that we cancelled, but I know that traveling, and even beach lounging, isn't so fun when sick. Oh well, I am now planning a major shopping excursion next week to make up for it. It still won't be the beach, but it's something I guess.

March 26, 2010

3

My husband called me "skinny"

:001_tongue: I was drying off this morning after my shower and he opened the door to tell me something and stopped and smiled and said, "wow, you're getting so skinny." It was exactly what I needed to hear because while I was in the shower I kept pinching all of my fat around my belly, hips, and thighs and was feeling pretty disgusted about the fact that I have lost 75 lbs. and still have so much fat and flab. This comment made my whole day because it was such a sincere expression almost like he was caught off guard. I also stopped off to do a little shopping and bought a pair of size 8 pants from Lands End. They are tight, but I can sit in them comfortably. I can't believe that 5 months ago my 22 W's from Lands End were tight and those were the ones with a hidden expandable waist. I LOVE my sleeve!

December 1, 2009

3

Changes

Today I posted a thread about New Year's resolutions and responded to one of Chancie's posts regarding something that has changed for both of us: being cold a lot of the time now, instead of always hot and sweating. Both these things got me thinking about how much has changed in my life so far and the changes that are still yet to come. My husband loves baseball (still relives his high school glory days:blush:). We had season tickets for the first few years that the Washington National's first came to town. They are currently a horrible team and we did not renew our tickets for last year, but it had more to do with my health than their record. During the hot months, I could barely make it from the parking lot to the stadium and after the game had trouble making it back...we started taking golf cart rides because of my knees. I had so much trouble not passing out from the heat during the spring/summer games. There were more games than I can recall where my husband insisted we leave early because he was so concerned about my health. I felt horrible for him, I felt like a lousy wife. Last year we resorted to buying club seats when we went so that I could sit in the air conditioned club level in the back, where I'd stay for the majority of the game leaving him in the seats by himself. I'm so looking forward to this new season. This year we purchased a partial season package (1/2 of the games, I mean they really are a crappy team, it wasn't completely my health that made us stop getting full season tickets) and I am so happy that I can do this with him! Another big change that hit me today happened when I went into this little boutique in my town. They opened last April and I've always admired their window displays, but had never gone in. Today after going down to the post office I walked over to the bakery and passed the boutique. On my way back to the car I decided to pop in and they had some super cute stuff, although a lot of it more trendy than I typically wear. The owner came over and asked to start a fitting room for me and went and exchanged the medium dress I had for a small. She explained that the dress ran large and the small fit more like a medium. When I went to try it on she was right. I spent about an hour looking through the different racks, it's pretty small. For the first time in my life I realized what it must be like to be a normal sized person shopping for clothing. I've never had a problem shopping (actually have had problems in the past with shopping too much) and have shopped department stores and boutique stores, I just never had been in one where every style in the store actually had my size. I didn't have to dig to the bottom of the pile to look for the largest size. Also, the only boutiques I'd shop in were ones I'd been to with my skinnier friends and saw that they had clothes that fit me. This was a wonderful experience. I can't wait to see what other changes are in store. I LOVE BEING (sort of) NORMAL. I never realized how much my weight (and health) impacted my daily life and the kind of concessions and adjustments it forced me (and my husband) to make on a daily basis. Sure I was pretty happy before, but it's like the old saying "You can't miss what you've never had." I've never had a normal weight (okay I still don't yet), so I didn't realize all of the things I was missing out on.

December 22, 2009

3

Tomorrow is the big day:-)

This time tomorrow I will be sleeved! I am excited, but starting to get really nervous. Today has been kind of tough, it's the second day of my clear liquid diet. My husband heated up something in the microwave for lunch and it smelled sooooo good. I asked him to go out for dinner and not bring it home:-) Right now I'm re-reading about all of the possible complications that may occur, but I keep telling myself that I just have one more day and all will be fine. I'm hoping and praying that everything goes well. On a positive note (sort of), I resigned from my job last week and don't have a new one lined up to begin until October. Financially this will be a little tough, but this should give me plenty of time to recover and try to work this sleeve to the best of my ability when it comes to food and exercise. Next time I post, I should be on my way to a healthier me.

August 4, 2009

2

A couple non-scale victories!

Today, for the first time in a long, long while, my husband complimented a part of my body besides my smile:-) I was walking down the stairs as he was about to leave and he said my arms were looking smaller! Yay! My shoes are getting baggy. I wear flip flops all summer. Last Friday when I put a pair on there seemed to be more space. A couple days later a different pair fit similarly, but yesterday I wore my running shoes to go walking for the first time in about two weeks and they were so lose. I wouldn't say that I have lost a half or whole size (like I've read can happen when you lose weight), but I'm definitely losing fat from my feet.

August 14, 2009

2

PMS-cramping, irritability (TMI)

The good news is I think I'm getting back to a normal cycle. My last period started on July 15, and this one started today, August 19. Over the last year my cycles have ranged from 55-90 days (except for the 2 months after a myomectomy where I had two 34 day cycles in a row). Now for the not so good news. Since I was 11, I've always had really horrible cramps leading up to my periods. I have found a combination of otc pain relievers (sometimes prescribed stuff depending on my doc) to use throughout the days leading up to my periods and the beginnings. Since I am just 2 weeks out of surgery, I decided I would not take anything and see how it went. Well the last two days have not gone well at all. I usually also have really runny bowel movements during this time. Since going on mushy foods I have only been having a bowel movement every other day, so maybe I just had a lot built up, but yesterday as I was driving to meet friends, my stomach cramped so bad I was actually screaming in the car. I drove to one of their houses and ran straight into her bathroom. As I was going, I felt so chilled and began to perspire horribly on my face and arms. When I was through I sat on her couch with a heating pad and started to feel better. After about 30 minutes the cramps had subsided. Now similar things have happened to me in the past, but I think pain relievers have helped me from feeling all of this at once. I usually try and stay in front of the pain. The temperature change and sweating usually cannot be controlled, but happen so rarely. As for the other symptoms, on Monday I began to realize I was really getting annoyed by many people (that's how I guessed I was getting back to a normal cycle). I mean really annoyed and that's just not like me, I teach middle school! I'm doing pretty well not responding or being rude, but inside I feel just constantly annoyed by most people I come in contact. Intellectually I know they are not doing anything deliberate, but I just can't seem to help my feelings. All of these things have helped remind me what an emotional eater I was. With yesterday's pain, in the past I would have "rewarded" myself with some fattening, greasy, salty food for "making it through." But because of the sleeve and all I've worked towards, that thought didn't even cross my mind until I reflected this morning. Again, in the past I would have "treated" myself to some sweet treat to help my feelings of annoyance with others, but I have no interest now. I guess I just feel grateful for having this tool. Not only is it helping me get physically healthier (and more regular:-), it is also helping me slow down and take a good hard look at the causes of my emotional eating.

August 19, 2009

2

I'm Overweight!!!!! And some other stuff...

Well, I just wrote a thread about a couple of successes and then went to change my ticker. Guess what? I am no longer obese. My BMI is now 29.8!!! I cannot believe it...this sleeve is amazing. I am still a work in progress when it comes to this new lifestyle, but every week I get better. Food is no longer an addiction, but I am falling back into some addictive shopping behavior patterns that I worked hard throughout my 20's to overcome. I did much better this weekend with my shopping and didn't spend nearly as much money as I had a few weeks ago in part because the clothes I bought a few weeks ago are already starting to look frumpy. I'm convincing myself that I do not need cute clothes at every size and also think I'll buy more dresses that I can wear through multiple sizes. Unfortunately they do not have very good thrift stores around here and the consignment shops (that I have found) only take really high-end clothing and I'd spend much more at them than at discount or regular department store sales. Did I mention that I LOVE MY SLEEVE!

October 19, 2009

2

Huge NSV!!!

I really love Lily Pulitzer clothing and a few years back they stopped making size 16. I was upset, but went ahead and bought a dress in a 14 at the end of one season (when it was like 60% off) with the goal of being able to wear it after whatever diet I was on at the time. I never once have been able to get it zipped, when I got really heavy last year, I couldn't get it around my hips. Well, this dress sort of served as my carrot. Every weekend since I started my pre-op diet I have tried it on. This weekend I had another big closet clean out where I try everything on in my closets, dresser, and under bed bins. I got to this dress and told myself that maybe in another couple of weeks it would fit perfect, but guess what...IT ZIPPED! I was so ecstatic!!! I had told myself that it would eventually fit, but to actually be able to zip it up was WONDERFUL. I had my husband take some pictures, I'm going to try to post one here and in my profile. The funny thing is, I don't really like the dress that much now that it fits, but it is such an accomplishment that I will always keep it. Edited: cannot figure out how to put a picture here, so it's just in my album.

October 25, 2009

2

Working toward my goals

Tomorrow morning I will go to a movement screening to see if I am able to try out to be a Jazzercise instructor in February. I'm very excited, but also nervous. I am still not in the best of shape and I need to definitely work on strengthening my core as well as all other areas, but we'll see what they say. To become an instructor has been my fitness goal. I'm considering signing up for personal training for 6 weeks to see if that helps me build strength and drop the last 22 pounds. The training studio is on my way home from work after I get out of the city and would be twice a week sessions with a personal trainer. I'm going to call after I find out how I do tomorrow and maybe schedule a fitness evaluation. On a completely different note, this morning I weighed in at 169.5 lbs. I'm out of the 170's, yay! So I'm still trekking towards my weight loss goal, although things are slowing down.

November 13, 2009

2

Much Better Day

I had a physical this morning with my PCP. I saw him about two weeks before my surgery and briefly explained what I was having done and he hadn't seen me since. At the time he seemed a little skeptical, but was of course professional. Today I was shocked with how supportive he was. We talked for a long time and I told him the lab work I wanted for sure and that my surgeon wanted (vitamin D level was low below surgery) and he actually left for a few minutes to research what else he might want to order due to me having bariatric surgery. This was great because I was self-pay so if he didn't order everything I would have had to pay to get the additional labs done. Another great thing is that on their scale I weighed 164 lbs. I know it doesn't count because it's not the scale I weigh on all the time, but it was great to see that number fully clothed. The nurse who weighed me kept looking at my chart and then back to the scale and then finally I realized that she must be comparing my weight from the end of July (around 230 lbs) with this weight. I smiled and told her I had wls, she chuckled and said "oh." Then she told me how well I've done with it and asked questions about the procedure. I love my sleeve! Lastly, I decided to join the same gym as my husband as a way to do more things together. I only signed up for a month to see how much I actually am able to attend. Right now I can squeeze in a workout before tap class on Mondays, and Fridays after work, and Sundays. Every other day I'm pretty much booked up with Jazzercise although I might try to workout some days before going to class. We'll see.

November 19, 2009

2

Doctor's Appointment Update

I went to a scheduled doctor's appointment today to discuss my low blood pressure issues. Over the past week my blood pressure had seemed better (101/57), but I kept the appointment because he only works one Saturday a month. The nurse took my bp and it was 96/61. The doctor took it manually and got a very low reading as well and then switched to a different cuff. He told me that because of how small I am now a child's cuff would give me a more accurate reading. With it he said I'm definitely "low," but my pulse rate is slow as well, so he's not concerned like he would be if I had a normal pulse rate. He explained the whole thing in detail, but my eyes glazed over and I just half listened. BUT, the good news is that I'm okay for now. He was also really glad to hear that I was trying to maintain. He didn't say that I shouldn't lose anymore, but if I did, it needed to be at a much slower rate. My husband actually came to this appointment with me and at the end brought up my emotional state. The doctor confirmed that the weight loss is a contributing factor to my state. After more of a discussion though, we decided I would try a low dose of an anti-depressant for a month and then see him again. I won't go into the contributing factors here, but he also wants me to see a psychiatrist. I'm cautious, but a little hopeful that maybe this medicine will help get me in a good place again. I'll be seeing my surgeon on April 1, and will see what he has to say about these issues as well.

March 20, 2010

2

I can do this!

Okay, I think I can do this! I freaked out a little about lowering my carbs and upping my protein for my pre-op diet. Although I've been on and off of diets for 20 years, I have never tried a high protein diet because of my addiction to potatoes. The first week of trying, I was visiting family in another state. I had a mini-meltdown when I discovered I really did not know much about carbs in the foods I ate. I decided that I did know that I could eat meat, cheese, lettuce, and eggs. So I decided I could really focus on protein for breakfast and lunch with no or very little carbs and then not stress about dinners. I thought it was at least a start. Upon my return home, I had another meltdown. I was exhausted from the 13 hour drive the day before and just wanted something to eat. I had a protein bar for breakfast and one for lunch, but realized I would need to go grocery shopping. To tide me over I decided to have a yogurt and as I was eating it, read the back and realized how many carbs it contained. That's when I lost it. I felt that I did not have any idea what I was doing and that maybe this surgery wasn't going to work for me. Thankfully my husband was home and decided we needed to take a field trip (I'm a teacher, so he talked to me in my terms :-). I protested feeling that I needed to read the two South Beach diet books I had picked up and make a plan before heading to the store. He basically said that this wasn't that difficult and I could do it; I'd been talking daily about surgery for the last three months and reading like crazy. (A little background: my husband exercises at the gym 7 days a week and eats pretty healthy all the time, but never really knew how many carbs certain foods contained...he just makes sure to eat a balanced diet and stays away from potatoes.) We got to the store and started going through the isles reading labels and putting together foods I liked that could be for breakfast and lunch and snacks. This went really well and I was surprised at how many things we found. This all happened Wednesday, and I can say that each day I grow more confident that I am making the changes I need to to live a healthier life. I've also discovered that I enjoy cooking. We did go out on Friday and I was very pleased that I didn't crave fries. I had a salad without dressing and a chicken burger without the bun. On Saturday, we went to a baseball game and stopped by Subway (one of my favorite fast food places) and got a spinach salad with chicken and a cup of dressing on the side and didn't even use 1/4 of it. Tomorrow I meet with the nutritionist, so we'll see what other changes I need to make, but I feel good right now and think I can do this.

July 5, 2009

1

Back to it

Well, today I started back to my exercise routine (after the long hiatus I took when my emotions were so out of sorts). IT KICKED MY BUTT!!! After about the third song, it was difficult to breathe, but I kept pushing through and I felt my body get used to it about half way into class. I almost dropped down to my 5 lb weights, but stuck with the 8 lbs. and I made it through. I couldn't quite keep up with the ab routines, but I did my best. Overall, I'm pleased with how easy it was to get back in the swing of an aerobic workout. I know before the weight loss, if I ever went a month or more of working out, it was so difficult to get back...I basically had to begin at the very beginning. Today I realized that my body is strong and understand that although there might be other times in life I have to take exercise breaks, it's really important for both my physical and mental health to exercise.

May 8, 2010

1

I'm Sleeved!

It turned out to be a little more of an operation than originally planned. The surgeon told me that he found a hiatal hernia and had to deal with that as well. I'm still a little confused about exactly that was/is, but we will discuss it more at my first post-op next week. Yesterday was my first day home and I sort of took a turn for the worse. In the hospital I was up walking and talking to everyone, very happy and feeling great. Late in the morning they took me down for an upper GI, and I ended up puking and getting the shakes from the stuff they had me swallow before the barium. I was never able to do the barium because I was shaking and chattering too bad. Once back in my room, I started to feel a little better, but not as good as the night and morning before. I got the news that based on the pictures they were able to take, everything looked fine for me to begin clear liquids. Around 3:30 PM all the IV fluid was through me, I'd spoken with my surgeon, the hospital dietitian, and many others, and the nurse was ready to go over my discharge paperwork. This morning I definitely felt better than last night. Last evening I barely finished a 15 minute walk on the boardwalk. Today, I easily did 30. I'm still not getting much in myself and really need to work on that. Other than that, I'm trying to take my pain meds on schedule. I have an OnQ pump for pain relief support that I'll have to remove on Sunday afternoon. I started my vitamins today and think that might have helped me feel better.

August 7, 2009

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First Post-op Appointment

Well, today I had my first post-op appointment. Each day I have been feeling so much better and the pain less. I did have to report that I am only getting in about 20 oz of liquids a day. The good news is I am not dehydrated, but I told them that yesterday was the first day I started to have dry mouth...so thinking that maybe I was headed that way. Ironically, today was the first day I could sip water without any kind of discomfort, so I was able to get around 50 oz. I have also not been able to get in protein supplements (5-10 grams per day). I purchased an ice cream maker on my way to the doctor's and plan on trying some protein ice cream to help with this. Today I weighed in exactly 30 lbs less than I did on my initial consultation day on June 24. On August 4 (surgery day) I weighed 222 and today I weighed 208. Now that I'm cleared to go to soft/mushie foods, I understand from what I've read I might gain some or not lose any for a while. But it sure has been nice seeing the scale drop everyday this week. Walking has been going well. Today I did about 1.75 miles in about 33 minutes, but before I had been doing 1-1.25 miles in 20-30 minutes. I just seemed to have so much more energy after I was able to get in protein from some pureed chicken.

August 14, 2009

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The scale moving in the right direction again

I KNOW that during my period I gain anywhere from 4-8 pounds, but that did not stop me from weighing myself. It was hard to see at first when I jumped up 2.5 lbs from one day to the next, but it was a good motivator to not comfort myself with bad foods. It made me more determined to follow the plan...I took in more protein than I ever have since surgery (still not the surgeon's goal, but better). Today, I was back down and even took off another 1.5 lbs. I now weigh 202. My first major goal was to be 199 lbs by October 12, my 30th birthday. I'm only 3 lbs away now. I'm thinking if I really work hard, I can be there by next Friday. But even if it takes longer, that's okay...the scale is again moving in the right direction. Next Tuesday marks 3 weeks post-op and I've read a lot about a stall at that point, so that's why I won't get too excited about getting out of the 200's soon, but I know it will happen one day. I'm just getting very excited!

August 21, 2009

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Blood Work Results

Finally had my blood work done this past week (had the order for the last 2 months, but I really hate needles) and the surgeon called to go over my results. I thought things would be much worse because I haven't been as good about taking my vitamins for the last month or so, but all my levels were normal except for Vitamin D. Last time (November 09) my iron was a little low, bad cholesterol was high, vitamin d was high, and b12 was high. Now my vitamin d was too low (22), but still higher than last summer (18) before surgery. As of today, I am recommitting to taking my vitamins daily. Still love this tool and am continue to happily maintain between 138-140 lbs.

May 29, 2010

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