Hi Everyone,
Well, I am still on a stall, but I have decided that if that is what my body needs to do right now then I should help it all I can to feel comfortable enough to start losing again. So I am trying to chill out, and not worry about the scale. (I have put it away for awhile) I figure my body has always been pretty good to me, and when it feels happier it will let go of more weight. I guess it is a case of 'catch up' , and by that I mean my mindset as well as my body.
So, to help my mind feel better, I took some more measurements. Whoohoo! Another three inches bite the dust!!!!! Wow in the last year and a bit I have lost over 27 inches all over my body. That is amazing. Ok, with those sorts of changes I can begin to understand why my body needs some adjustment time. Besides, this isn't a race, this is the rest of my life. So slow and steady does it.
I have taken other peoples advice and found some flavoured waters that agree with me, so I have a change from squashes which is great as I was getting really bored with them. The other night my husband had steak with all the trimmings, and I had a small piece of his steak (2 x 1 inch) with a fried egg. I ate all the steak (which was so lovely and juicy) and the yolk of the egg and I was full up. Hooray. I love the fact that these small amounts of food are more than enough. I am also delighted that I am able to eat everything I try. My sleeve is so well behaved, and good to me. :wub:
I am still keeping up with the daily walking and the step every other day and feel quite proud of myself that I am doing it. Usually, if I am not losing I get bored or fed up and quit for a while. My step work is improving and I am thinking of moving on to the harder stuff soon. (At the moment I just repeat the easy stuff about 10 times.) I may leave it a bit longer though as I know how long it took me to feel okish about the easy stuff. I still don't like my feet leaving the floor, but I guess it is getting easier.
I have a dr's appointment for my first proper check up since my op next week, so will let you all know how that goes. Hopefully I will be able to report a bit more weightloss, but if not, nevermind.(perhaps I should change my name to tortoise!)
Best wishes to everyone
Phoenix
Hi Everyone,
Hope everyone is doing well.
I decided I could not stand another day on liquids only and just had to have something slightly thicker or chewier to eat. So I decided to have a boiled egg with a few shavings of cheese. I mashed it all down to pulp and added some salad cream to make it moist. OMG, it was just heavenly, delicious, the very best egg I have ever eaten. I ate it with a teaspoon, chewing extremely well and it went down like nectar. I ate the whole egg!!!! That did surprise me, as most people seem to only be able to eat about three teaspoons of anything. I waited half an hour before I had a drink again, and I had no problems whatsoever.
I am delighted that I am making progress but seriously worried by how much I can eat! I even checked out my paperwork to see what size bougie(?) they gave me, it was a 32.
Can anyone else out there do this, this early in the process? (I am thirteen days out from my op) Strictly speaking I should not have mushies until tomorrow, but hey, I have had nothing but liquids for the last month and was getting desperate. The other question I have is this, does your weightloss stop when you eat mushies? Or do you carry on losing as your meal/s are so small? Or is this what causes your first 'stall'? I know your body does stall, in fits and starts, so I won't get too worried if this happens; but I would like to know ahead of time so that I am mentally prepared for it.
Thanking everyone in advance for any help they may give
Phoenix
I know I mentioned before that I was not computer literate, but boy, I didn't expect to be able to show everyone how computer illiterate I am so quickly!!!! Sorry to the person who had commented on my last entry (I didn't even get a chance to see the name!) While trying to read it I managed to delete it. Oh well, hopefully you will see this and understand that it was not intentional.
The last two days have been quite trying. Not because of the lack of food, but because of (for those sensitive types you may want to stop reading) severe constipation. Wow, who knew it could get that bad. Thankfully I had some fybrogel in the house and got it sorted but not before a lot of discomfort. I think I shall take this every other day for a while to make sure everything is back on track. On the up side, I have lost some more weight. Hooray. I am on day 11 of the liquid diet so have broken the back of it now. I am on the downward count to my operation. Only 7 more to go.
As I have not told people about my forthcoming surgery, I have been looking online to see how people who are a long way out are coping and how much they are able to eat. I don't want people to guess by what I am eating about the surgery. I was pleasantly surprised. Before starting the liquid diet I had been eating a fairly full diet but greatly reduced portions and low on carbs. From what I have seen this will be pretty much what I will be able to eat a year from now. I had been eating off a small tea plate rather than a dinner plate to ensure my portions didn't creep up. Judging by the photos people have posted online, this is about the size of meals vsg'ers are able to manage.
I am also losing inches, following someone's advice on this forum I took a great many measurements (which in itself was pretty horrifying) as they said this was a great way to track your losses even when the scale refused to move. I will eventually post those measurements, but not until I have lost some more. (Pathetic isn't it, like if you don't know my measurements you won't be able to tell that I am fat!!!) Who am I kidding, if I wasn't fat I wouldn't be having surgery. Well it is very late in England and I have to be up very early in the morning so Goodnight all and hopefully I won't delete the next load of comments.
Hi All,
Thanks everyone for all your lovely comments they are really appreciated. Including the one for my husband too. Bless him, he loved that he got a mention.
Last night I slept reasonably well and woke up this morning with my head a lot clearer too. I guess that I am getting rid of all the anaesthesia out of my body. I am walking regularly and managing to take in plenty of fluid. I managed a final count of 50 ounces of fluid yesterday so felt pretty proud of myself.
I am thinking of asking for belching and burping to be made an olympic sport, if it was I guarantee that I would win a gold medal for Britain this year! Does that go on forever? Or does it slowly subside? I am hoping it does subside as this is rather embarrassing to say the least. On the other hand, if it is a lifelong thing I guess I will just have to learn to live with it. Given the burps or being morbidly obese I will happily take the burps thank you very much.
I am feeling very positive at the moment, but I am very aware that I could 'crash' down and feel pretty low. I hope it doesn't happen, but have read so many peoples blogs where they have crashed and felt very low and depressed that I wouldn't be too surprised if it happened to me too. Still, at the moment I am on a high and loving life.
My husband is still being so warm and supportive, that if I wasn't already married to him I would snap him up in an instant. I realise just how lucky I am to have him totally on my side and with me every step of the way on this journey. So nothing new to report except that I am a day further on and hopefully today will manage my magical 64 ounces of fluids. Good luck to everyone out there about to take this life changing step and I hope you have my luck and have a relatively easy journey.
Hi everyone,
Another good nights sleep last night. I was even able to lie down in bed properly. The first night I slept almost sitting up in bed. The best bit was this morning, I was able to get up out of bed by myself and it didn't hurt at all. I was ultra cautious but it was not a problem. Great, that had been one of my worries.
I also seem to be able to drink a lot easier than many on here. I am not sure why, I tend to sip slowly but am still able to get a lot down. I have had milk, orange squash, chicken soup and milk mixed with chocolate protein and have been able to tolerate everything. I am so thrilled that everything seems to be going so well, although a little voice at the back of my head keeps saying 'it's too easy, something must be wrong', 'perhaps they didn't really take out your stomach and it's still too big!'
I suppose we all second guess every move we make in the very beginning of this journey. My medication is getting easier to swallow, and now my brain is working I don't have to totally rely on my long suffering husband. (although I do tend to - as he loves to take care of me)
If anyone has any questions that I can answer then I most certainly will. If I can help others as so many have helped me I will feel that I have been able to give a little back.
Still on a high, happy with my decision and happy with life. Love to all
Hi Everyone,
You will all be delighted to hear that my water weight has gone. My water tablets really kicked in this morning and I lost 7lbs in 2.5 hours. Woohoo! So I am back at my pre op weight. Now I hope to watch the scale drop again and again for 'real' weight loss.
Had a lot more energy today, was able to go to a class, go shopping and for a good walk too. I collected a brooch I had had made from my Grandmother's and Mother's wedding rings today, it is so beautiful. I had a diamond inserted where the rings crossed as the diamond was my Mother's birthstone. I lost her just 22 months ago and miss her so very much. She would have been my biggest supporter and cheerleader too. Now I can wear her ring next to my heart every single day. It helps me feel that she is close by.
Everything is still going well, my incisions are healing nicely and I still have no problems with fluids and protein etc. I haven't felt hungry once yet. Does that continue? Please tell me it does. It is making everything bearable, because I can see food, watch others eat and not be bothered one little bit. Long may it continue. Thanks for the comments ladies, I knew I could rely on you to help me through the iv fluid drama. If I can help anyone else just let me know.
Phoenix
Hi Everyone,
Well, you guessed it, I couldn't resist the lure of the scales and just had to weigh myself again today. Not counting my extra water weight that I lost, I am now down 4lbs WooHoo. I did promise myself that I wouldn't weigh myself all the time and I will try harder to keep to that. Once a week is more than enough and gives my body a chance to really lose some too.
I am still very happy and high in spirits, we are having a very early and warm spring here and everything in the garden is lovely which is making me feel good too. I am now starting to see the difference in myself too. Not huge differences, just little things. Like, it is easier to climb my stairs now. I can bend easier to do up my shoes and I actually have a neck (who knew!).
Now I must go and change my ticker, if I can, I have been having a problem with that. It may be the computer or more likely is that I am doing the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong place. Wish me luck.
Phoenix
Well, here goes, this will be mainly my ramblings about my vs journey. Never done a blog before so this is another first for me.
I started my pre-op diet on the 1st March 2012. This time around it doesn't seem so hard. I am not sure if it is because I know what to expect now or because at the end of it I get my op. I have lost another three pounds since starting it, but I know that I may not lose much more as my body retains water (on medication for it) and will only let go every so often. I will lose a few pounds then stay still for ages then eventually when I think it will never happen again I lose a few more!
My husband is being truly wonderful and supportive, in fact I have never known him to be this supportive before, but I am loving it. I think the hoops I have had to jump through to get this far have impressed him, and he has decided to be as helpful as possible. I am having my op on the NHS and they are very strict about a ten per cent weight loss and maintaining it before surgery. (We have been married for thirty years and I have been overweight for all of them, but seriously overweight for the last twenty).
I am a regular reader and lurker on this board, but have posted now and then. I have found so much useful information and help here, and have researched all I can, that I feel I am ready for this operation and will do everything I can to make it work. I know from reading other people's stories that it will not be a walk in the park, and that I will probably have to work harder than I ever have before, but I am ready for that. I also know that if I am worried, or down, or just wanting to share good news, I will be welcomed with open and non-judgemental arms here.
So, my posts may not be educational, erudite or that interesting to anyone else, but I will feel the benefit of unburdening myself and who knows, I may be able to help someone who may have felt what I felt, or will feel what I may feel in the future.
Being super cool and organised I thought I would get my case packed. Got it down the other day ready to do that. Washed a variety of old nighties and my dressing gown so they were ready. Decided that my slippers could really do with a freshening up.
Big Mistake! I bunged them in the washing machine which promptly decided to eat them!!! Arrrrrrrrgh!
Luckily for me my lovely husband went straight out and bought me a new pair to wear in hospital (ain't love grand). He really is a wonderful husband and he looks after me so well.
I am still doing the milk diet, but it is getting really boring now. Oh well, only two more full days then I get my op. Hooray. It really can't come quick enough now. I have also been changing my 'tracker' as I have lost another pound, and realised that this year I have lost more weight than ever before in my life. WOW! I did a double take when I realised that I was nearly (well 5lbs off) under 300lbs. I have not been that low for twenty years. Ok, I know 300 is not low by any means, but when you have been as big as I have for as long as I have it is amazing. All this even before my op. I have been walking around with a stupid big grin on my face all day. It also means I have less to lose after my operation which just makes me soooooooo happy.
Today I feel invincible. I am trying to memorise exactly how this feels so later on if things get hard and difficult I can boost my morale with the memory of this feeling.
Yay me
