Tomorrow I will be 3 weeks post-op. I've been sleeping better, and my stamina is a little bit better than last week. Easter weekend wasn't as bad as I expected. I was able to eat mashed potatoes with gravy, super soft squash casserole, and refried beans (from Taco Bueno). I even ate a single green bean that was super soft.
So what have I noticed over the past couple of days? My taste buds are really weird. Nothing really tastes the way I remember it. Everything seems to taste "stronger", or "weird". I'm wondering if this is because of the liquid phase, or if it has something to do with me not really being hungry. I had 1 day where I felt like I could never get full, but that was just the 1 day. All my other days have been a struggle trying to figure out what to eat, because nothing interested me. Even pizza, which was all I could think about for about a week after the surgery. Now, I couldn't care less about eating it.
I've been researching various different food lifestyles, trying to figure out which one would be best for me once I'm back on regular food. I'm thinking about the "Caveman" lifestyle, which pushes lots of meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts, and absolutely no grains, pasta, beans, rice, or dairy. I've also looked at some others that limit the "glutens", but I can't seem to make up my mind.
I suspect that once I go back on regular foods, I will have the opportunity to "reorient" my taste buds and I want to make sure that what I choose is the best option for me and my DH. Thankfully, my DH will eat anything I set in front of him, he is not picky. He is also in need of losing a little bit weight, about 30lbs. Which I know he can do if I set the standard and do the cooking -- which I will when I can get back to eating regular food.
So I guess I'm saying that I'm at the point where I need to make a decision on what type of food lifestyle we're going to move forward with. Decisions, decisions. Everyone I talk to tells me something different - how do I know which one is really the best one???? Probably need to start with one and find out. If it doesn't work, then try something different. The important thing is just that I start. A step forward is the only way to move forward.
Saturday, my DH and I hooked up our trailer, loaded our zero-turn mower, and headed to the church. I mowed while he did the weed-eating, and picked up trash around the property. Afterwards, I couldn't stop talking! I had the most energy that I've had in a month, and I think because of being outside, and the physical activity, it got some endorphins bouncing around inside. He was laughing because he said he hadn't seen me this "pumped up" in a while, and he was glad to see it. - He always knows what to say, and that's why he's a happily married man -- go ahead and ask him
Today, Sunday, church was wonderful, and after we got home, we both laid back and chilled. That is until the storm was blowing in. So it was a quick run out to the barn to put up all the animals, when suddenly the 70mph winds hit. Thankfully we had just gotten everyone inside, so we hung out with the chickens, goats, and ducks, until the unbelievable downpour slowed enough.
I guess this means that I'm going to have to mow our yard this week. Thankfully, I am up to the task!
My energy level is better than ever, and I'm really looking forward to what this next week brings.
Hard to believe that it's been 1 month today. I really can't believe the difference! This weekend has been absolutely awesome. Saturday, we worked at the Food Bank, then came home for lunch and a nap (I had tuna salad, hubby had tuna salad sandwich with fresh fruit and potato salad). Then we worked on the fence around our barn, as some of our hens have been sneaking out during the day to go foraging around. We live out in the country where we have foxes, racoons, possums, bobcats and even black bear. Not to mention the dogs that everybody seems to like "dumping" out here. So now the girls can't get out and get eaten. I would dearly miss their fresh eggs! Their eggs have been a god-send during my initial recovery! Later we went to town, and went out to eat. I was nervous about going, but felt that it was time for me to step out and see what I could handle. We ended up at Red Lobster. I ordered the wood-grilled scallops, shrimp and chicken, with asparagus on the side, hold the salad please. I was able to eat 2 scallops and about 5 stalks of the Asparagus - they were super tiny. Got a "to go" container and brought the rest home. DH even ate super slow with me, (got a to go container too) and we spent the time talking and catching up on stuff from the week.DH even confessed that he was absolutely terrified for me having the surgery, but wanted me to be happy, and felt that if this was what it took, then he would support me. He said that he was so thankful that it was working for me, and that I was feeling really good, and he was also very glad that the first month was past.
Today, while I was getting ready for church, I noticed that my pantsuit was way too big. So I had a mild panic attack thinking that I didn't have anything to wear. I looked further back in the closet and found another pantsuit that I hadn't worn in a long time. It was a size 20. I held the pants up to me and told DH that there was no way I could wear them. He said for me to try them on. So I did. And what a shock it was that they went on with no problems, and even after I zipped them up . . . they weren't the least bit tight!!!!! I was so shocked!! I've lost 30lbs so far, but I didn't know it would make such a difference. Prior to surgery I was a 24W, and now I'm in 20's. I keep thinking that maybe they have the wrong size tags in them. After church, DH and I enjoyed our leftovers. I still couldn't finish all of mine, so I had them for dinner tonight too.
On Friday, as I was taking Mom to town for 2 of her doctor's appointment's, she said, "I don't think you notice this, but you have so much more energy". I said, "Well, I'm almost a month out from surgery, and if my energy wasn't starting to ramp up, I'd be a bit worried". She said, "No, that's not what I meant. I mean your energy is much more that it was even way before the surgery. Before the surgery, you always seemed tired. I am really proud of what you've done. It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and I'm really proud of you for doing it". Wow - Mom made my day! I know my Mom loves me, but I can't recall the last time she told me she was proud of me. And, since she's mentioned it, I have to say, that of course she's right. I hadn't really noticed it, but I DO have more energy than I've had in a while.
What a blessing this has been for me so far! I look forward to the next 30 days to see what is in store for me
Both Saturday and Sunday have been difficult being on the liquid diet - but I haven't slipped yet. I've been having some really harsh cravings . . . like things that are crunchy, or a steak. Just anything I can really get my teeth in. But I know that I have a while to go before I can do that again. According to my doctor, I can't really start eating regular table foods until around the 6th week post-op. I have to be on clear liquids for the first 3 days, then full liquids until day 7. Then I will progress to "Blended Soft Diet" until the 6th week after surgery, which will also happen to be my DH's birthday.
It's only 4 days now until my surgery, and it still seems so surreal . . . like it's a dream. I've done everything on my end to plan and be prepared. Even have some new books to read while recouping.
I've been retaining a tremendous amount of water today, but I think it's from the liquids, since they tend to have a high sodiium content. Even though I drink water almost all day. Thinking about taking a water pill, but will ask the dietician in the morning.
OH - one more thing . . . I've noticed that I'm a lot more tired, but again, I think that's from the liquid diet, and not getting as many calories. I've been averaging around 800 a day.
How did I get here? Today is my first day of pre-surgery liquid diet. I had a lapband in Jan. 2007 and lost about 50 lbs. Since then the band has been a love/hate relationship. Mostly I hate it, and it loves to make my life miserable. Between fills and unfills, I've gained every pound back. Plus, I get "stuck" on a daily basis, and I just can't take having the issues with the band, and not getting any results. So I'm having my band removed and the sleeve done on 3/22/12. I've been in a sort of "dream like" trance since attending the seminar. The various different tests (psychologist, pulmonary, etc), have been interesting, but I really didn't start getting excited until my insurance BCBS Anthem approved the surger. Apparently my doctor has had zero success with insurance companies until me. I'm using Dr. Ron Kaler in Hot Springs, AR. He's an experienced general surgeon who has been doing bariatric surgeries for years. My goal is to blog at least once a week regarding my experiences in hopes of helping others like me.
So I had my sleep study last night. When they came in to talk with me, they asked, "Why did the Doctor order this? You don't have any issues". I explained it was required for the type of surgery I was having. They said I didn't snore, or have apnea, or any type of sleeping issues! I sure am thankful! I then went over and had my blood drawn for the pre-op work up. That was the last thing I needed to do prior to surgery. I left the hospital around 9am, and spent the rest of the day running errands. Needless to say, I was caught without any type of protein drinks, or anything. So I went to Starbucks and got a skinny vanilla latte, and then spent the rest of the day drinking bottled water. I got home around 5pm, and then had to go put up all the chickens, ducks, and goats that we have. After that, I had fat-free broccoli and cheese soup (made with fat-free) milk. I think it was about the best thing I've ever eaten! Before I got to bed tonight, I'm going to have a protein shake.
One of the things I bought while I was out on errands was a small collapsible cooler, that I can take with me from now on. I'll make sure to have my liquids with me from now on!
Oh, by the way . . . . my surgery is one week from today!!!!! :D
Probably the food I have most dreaded trying was salads. I have put off eating one for fear of it causing an issue. Well, Saturday I tried a small salad, and . . . TA-DA!!! No issues! I've had one almost every day since! Still no issues. So thankful I have missed having salads and now that it seems they aren't an issue, it's such a relief.
I'm down 45lbs today, and am so happy!! This sleeve definitely rocks!
I watched a series of videos on YouTube last night about a 19 year old boy in Houston, Texas who weighed 799lbs. It was heartbreaking. I thought about how easily that could have been me if I didn't get things under control. It's horrifying what "junk food" and "fast food" can do to one's body, and how horribly addictive those things can be. For me, NEVER AGAIN!! I am now in control of what I eat and what I don't eat.
I never knew that the sleeve was an option for me, if not for this forum. I wouldn't have had the courage to go through with it if not for the encouragement and support of folks on this board! Thank the Lord I found it. :wub:
So far, so good. I got in a 17oz protein shake with 42g of protein, 2 bottles of water, a small coffee, 1 packet of cream of wheat, and a SF pudding yesterday, all with no issues. Just have to take my time and do baby sips.
Slept for 4.5 hours straight last night! That's a record since the surgery. Woke this morning feeling pretty good. I still have brief moments of feeling a teeny weeny faint, but then it passes and I'm good for a while. Don't know if that's lack of food, lack of sleep, or just from the surgery itself.
Today, again I'm going to focus on getting in the nutrition, liquids, and just all around resting. The weather is absolutely beautiful, so the windows are open, and I will go for a few short walks later today.
Yesterday afternoon, I suddenly became ravenously hungry! It was like I hadn't eaten in 3 weeks -- which I really hadn't. It was such a surprise. I also noticed that I could drink without any issues. I guess maybe the swelling in my stomach has gone down . . . I just don't know.
I ate some tuna fish salad, and avocado AND some cottage cheese with pureed peaches.It seemed to take forever to begin to feel any sense of fullness. I ate slowly, and it took me about 45 minutes, but I finally felt satisfied.
This morning I woke up, and I was back to "normal" -- not the least bit interested in eating. Well, I have a TON of errands to run today, and I will be away from home for about 7-8 hours, so it remains to be seen how the day will progress. I am taking my cooler with snacks and drinks just to be on the safe side thought.
CONFESSION - After the "eating binge" I seemed to have had last night, I stepped on the scale . . . terrified that the needle had gone the wrong way, but BEHOLD . . . more weight loss still.
Haven't been on the website much the past 2 days, but been busy running errands, and working up at the Fire Dept. Boy, my stamina is pretty much zilch. Don't know if that's due to the surgery, the lack of calories, or what -- maybe a combination of both. At least I'm back to sleeping better at night.
So I'm starting to get a little bit bored with my food choices, and "regular" food is starting to invade my thoughts. I haven't been cooking because I'm concerned that I might "cheat". I've got another 4 weeks before I can get back on regular foods. Right now, my usual food choices are Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Instant Grits, Tuna Fish Salad, Avocado, mashed potatoes with gravy, scrambled eggs, yogurt, jello, and protein drinks. What I'd really like is something crunchy and salty -- that was always my biggest food issues, fried stuff and salty stuff.
Hard to believe tomorrow will be 2 weeks since my surgery. What a difference 2 weeks make!
Our church has a Food Bank that is open once a month. As the Director of the Food Bank, it's my responsibility to ensure there is enough food to provide several day's worth of meals for those who come in. Normally, we are able to receive food from a non-profit organization that provides about 50% of our food for free, however, this month, they were booked solid and were not able to assist. So i spent all day yesterday out shopping for food, and putting it in the Food Bank. Thankfully, I had a friend who went with me to help. What i wasn't really paying attention to was how very little I ate, and also how many pounds of food that I handled. Putting food in the cart, placing it on the check-out belt, then sacking it, then taking it to the truck, then taking it out of the truck, and then carrying into the Food Bank, then placing it on the shelves. It is such a tremendous blessing to be able to be involved in this ministry, that I just wasn't really paying a lot of attention to what I was doing physically, as well as the amount of food I was consuming. For my food yesterday, my intake was a cup of coffee, a slim-fast shake, a few bites of refried beans, a few bites of chicken fajita meat, and that was it!! I don't know why I didn't think more abut eating. I just wasn't hungry, and I was having such a great time being able to purchase food for those in need, that I just didn't THINK!
So when I got up this morning, I felt really bad. No energy, sore and achy. I decided to step on the scale, and I had lost 1.2lbs since yesterday! I don't think it's a good idea to lose that much in one day - and I would strongly recommend that no one else do it. I can tell you that it sure as heck doesn't feel good. Even though today is my 4 week "Surgiversary", I have learned that I'm not as far along the healing journey as I thought I was. I am not invincible (although some days I feel it), and that I need to pay closer attention to what I'm doing, and what I'm eating. Lesson Learned!
I can't believe I'm just 24 hours away from my surgery! I've lost 8.2lbs on the pre-op liquid diet. Yesterday I had a few hours there where I almost gave in and ate something more than liquids.But I pushed through it. I haven't gotten nervous or scared yet, just still excited. I have had a moment or 2 (very short moments), where I thought that maybe I shouldn't do this, but then they too passed.
I've enjoyed meeting new folks on this website, and the amount of information and support is staggering!
Don't know how I'll spend this day, but DH took vacation and is home today, and won't be going back to work until Monday. He's such a great guy! Taking time off to help me recoup. Guess I'll get all the laundry done since it will be a while before I can do that again
It's hard to believe that a week ago I was in the hospital getting my lap band removed and my sleeve done. This past week has been really amazing, and in some ways really surreal.
I'm feeling really good, not having any issues with anything that I've eaten so far, and I get to start my "blended/puree" phase tomorrow (1st thing on the list is soft scrambled egg).
If it weren't for this website, and the friends that I've made, I don't think I could have been nearly as successful.
Really looking forward to week 2 and the new things I'll learn!
My surgery was on 3/22, and I have to admit that I wasn't even a little bit nervous, until we were actually in the OR. The Head Nurse gave me my "happy juice", I immediately apologized for anything that I might say, then pure oblivion. I had a flash of someone calling my name, and I remember asking, "Laproscopic?". I was concerned that they wouldn't be able to remove my band and do the sleeve laproscopically, even though the Surgeon felt confident he could, he did warn that it might require him to "open me up". Thankfully everything was done laproscopically. I don't remember another thing until I woke up in my hospital room, and my DH was sitting next to the bed holding my hand. I asked him the same question - just in case I imagined the first one - and he confirmed that they were able to remove my band/port, and do the sleeve laproscopically. He told me that the Surgeon said I had a tremendous amount of scar tissue from the band, and that he ended up removing 85% of my stomach. I didn't use much of the pain meds, they made me nauseous, even though they gave me anti-nausea medicine. My pain was about a 7, so I could handle it.The switched my pain meds from morophine to dilaudin, which still made me sick. They waited until the next morning around 10am to do my swallow test, then after that, ice chips. I don't think I've ever taste anything so good in all my life. I've also never had acid reflux before, but I did then, at least until Sunday morning.
BTW - Has anyone mentioned (or experienced) the extreme pain in the head, neck and shoulders? I don't know if it was from the surgery table, being tense, or lack of caffeine and/or food, but my head and neck hurt much worse than my surgery did. It was exactly like the migraine's I used to get.
They discharged me Friday afternoon, and I got home around 6pm. I ended up sleeping on/off until about noon Saturday on the Couch (it has reclining on both ends). Felt a little better Saturday afternoon/evening, but by Sunday was feeling vastly improved. Headache/neckache were finally gone. I ate applesauce, jello, broth, water, and popsicle that day.
Today, (Day 4 - AS) - I get to start full liquids. I'm also feeling almost normal, except for being a little woozy, which I don't know if it's from a lack of food, left over from surgery, or what. I've been working on getting down a protein shake (worth 42g of protein). So far, everything I've consumed has gone down with no issues. No more nausea, no more acid reflux. My big fear now is, how much is too much? How will I know if I've put too much in? Will I vomit (don't want to, that will really hurt), Will my stomach tear (REALLY don't want that), or will I get that sliming/spitting thing I used to get every single day with the band? I'm not willing to push it just yet, so will continue to take "baby sips" all day long.
I have a follow-up appointment for Wednesday afternoon. The Surgeon will remove my drain then. By Friday of this week (if all is going well), I will progress to mushy foods (yayyyy)!.
Also, just a thought, but I KNOW I have never seen so many food commercials in all my life!
Today I went to see my family doctor - the first time since the surgery - and according to his scales I had lost 34lbs - the same as what mine said. They did all my blood work and it came back fine. My cholesterol was 125, my HDL and LDL were within normal ranges, B12/Iron/Folic Acid - again, all normal. The only thing I'm waiting on is my TSH - we'll get that back tomorrow. I figure with the weight loss, they will have to change my dosage. I had to have my thyroid, and one of my parathyroids removed back in 2005, and getting my TSH checked regularly is pretty important. OH - and my Calcium and Vitamin D were great too!!!
I go for my 2nd follow-up with the surgeon on May 9th, and I'm really looking forward to that. I still have a few questions for him too.
Okay, so for my 2nd day of pre-op liquids, I really ended up not doing too well. I stuck to it until about 2pm. I'd been out on errands all day, and noticed that I was STARVING!!!! I couldn't really think of what to do, so I ended up at Burger King . . . yep, that was definitly the wrong choice. I got a Whopper, Jr., and a unsweet tea. Ate half the burger and then drank all the tea. I feel like such an idiot! I have got to plan better when I know I'm going to be gone all day. Now I'm at the hospital for my sleep study, waiting for the folks to come in and "hook" me up. I brought liquids for breakfast, and they put them in their fridge. This place is pretty cool. Looks like a little hotel room with my own bathroom and everything! I really don't expect to sleep too well. I usually can't sleep good when I'm away from home or my DH. Oh well . . . we'll see how it goes!
For this weekend, I have been super tired. Not sleeping well at night. Every time I try to lie on my left side, I get a pain (feels like a pulled muscle) in my largest incision sight.
Enjoyed Easter service, and went to Mom's with my DH. Mom had made some things that I could eat (mashed potatoes, squash casserole, super soft green beans). It was really nice to sit down to a meal with others and visit. One of my cousins that I grew up with was visiting. He looked incredible, and I asked him how he was doing. He had been diagnosed with Rhumatoid Arthritis about a year ago, and back then he was in really bad shape. He said he started a gluten-free lifestyle, went to www.mercola.com, and started on what is basically called "The Cave Man" diet. He said he has never felt better, and eats like a King. Lots and lots of meat, fresh veggies, fruits and nuts. No flour, beans, pasta, diary (except butter), bread, etc. I had heard of something similar to this, and since my taste buds are all "screwy", I thought that once I was able to get back on to "normal food", I might start learning how to cook all over again, but in a much, much healthier way.
My weight has stayed the same for the past 3 days, so maybe I'm at my first stall. If so, that's fine. I'm more concerned about making sure that my new tummy is totally healed first.
This coming Wednesday, I'll finally be able to get out and mow. I can't wait. Our yard is in serious need. Since my DH works 65-70 hrs a week, he only gets 1 day off, and that's Sunday. Since I don't work, I handle the mowing and weed eating. It will be nice to finally get our yard in shape. I can also start working on my garden. We do a "deck garden", on a back deck. I can't wait to plant tomatoes, green beans, squash, bell peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, herbs, eggplant. I love having a small garden that is just big enough for me and DH to eat out of.
Well, I sure hope I sleep tonight. Getting up at 5am is gonna be tough if I don't.
Wow, I can't believe I've made it to this point. I'm still sticking with the diet. Only one slip back on Day 2. I weighed this morning, and didn't lose any more, but that's really not surprising. I think because my calorie intake has dropped so dramatically on this diet, that my body has gone into "starvation" mode and is hanging on to what I currently have. That's okay, as my surgery in in less than 48 hours. So I'm sure that will shock my system in to letting go of some more fat.
I have so enjoyed this website. It has everything! Good, bad, and ugly. It helps me to stay "real", if you know what I mean. And the support out there is phenomenal! I've met so many wonderful people, and have really enjoyed their input. I'm looking forward to all the support and "pearls of wisdom" that I will get after the surgery. No one very close to me has had this surgery, so the support from this website is vastly needed. Even though my DH and family are supportive, no one will truly understand what I will be going through.
Today is Day 7 of my pre-surgery liquid diet. So far I've lost 6.3 lbs (as of this morning). The weekend was tough, even though DH did everything he could to be supportive. He even at the FF cream soups that I ate. I had to apologize to several family members for my attitude. I know I'm sounding more than just grumpy. Why is it that it seems no one can have a conversation without food being a part of it? And the commercials on TV . . . . almost all food. I know that this is part of what I'm going through, and soon this won't be so bad, but right now it just flat-out sucks!!!!
However, with all that said, I can't believe it's only 3 days until my surgery! I am still looking forward to it, and it just doesn't seem real yet. I probably won't believe it, until the night before, when I won't be able to sleep .
Looking around on this website has been very educational, and the encouragement from other's is amazing! I really appreciate everyone being so supportive, and sharing their experiences!
I weighed this morning and lost another pound! That's a total of 5.2lbs in 4 days!! Wasn't as hungry as I had been the first few days. Last night aroud 9:30pm I started getting a little weak and feeling faint, and I realized that I hadn't had anything (except water) since 1pm. So I drank a Myoplex shake, that has 42g of protein. That really helped. I need to remember to eat more often!
Today I'm working at the Food Pantry - giving away food to those who are in need. It's such a blessing. Only 5 days to my surgery and I'm still really excited. I continue to look through this forum, and only just discovered the "photos" tab. Seeing all the amazing before and after shots are really inspiring! Everyone looks so great. I think I'll keep a photo journal, but I don't know if I will be comfortable enough to post it. But, we'll see.
I weighed this morning and have lost 4.4lbs so far on the liquid diet. With all of the "necessities" out of the way (doctor's visits, tests, sleep study, etc), now it's just down to me focusing on staying on the liquid diet. Somehow it seems sorta "anti-climatic" now. I have this sort of "let down" feeling. Not in a bad way, but just that there's nothing in the immediate future for me to focus on, other than my surgery. Down to 6 days now (yayyyy). I'm afraid they will pass really slow, or really fast! I'm looking forward to getting this done, and feeling healthier, but I'm not very good at being patient, so I have no idea how I will be feeling over the next 6 days.
So I lost 2 lbs in 1 day on the liquid diet. I think it was mostly fluid . . . seeing as how that's all I'm taking in (LOL). Wasn't too bad yesterday, and this morning I've had coffee with ff creamer. Will eat some oatmeal soon. That's the strange thing on this pre-surgery liquid diet . . . I'm allowed oatmeal, cream of wheat, cottage cheese and yogurt too. The Post-surgery liquid diet (which I'll do for the day 4-8), doesn't allow for the oatmeal, etc. Today I have a ton of errands to run and I'm a little worried that I will get too hungry along the way. I plan on taking a protein shake with me, but frankly I have a hard time drinking them unless they're super cold, so I guess I'll have to find one of the small coolers and take it with me. I have my sleep study tonight, and I've been warned that it will be unpleasant. Apparently they put a lot of goop in your hair. In the morning, after the study, I get my pre-op bloodwork done. These are the last 2 things that I need to do prior to my surgery. I'm still looking forward to getting the surgery done and over with, and moving forward to new things!
Had a really great weekend! Did some walking, and visiting with friends. On Sunday, our church had a cook-out (hamburgers, hot-dogs, all the trimmings) to celebrate everyone who had a birthday the 1st quarter of the year -- and a HUGE cake. My name was on the cake too, so I felt like I kinda needed to attend. I took my food (tuna salad - just tuna and LF mayo; mashed potatoes w/ gravy; and avocado mixed with LF mayo), and I wasn't even the least bit tempted. Even by the cake!
I have lost 19lbs at this point, and really find it amazing. I was worried that when I had the surgery, I might be one of the folks who weight loss was really slow to start, but so far, so good. I certainly don't expect to keep this up, but will enjoy it while it lasts. I'm sure that as I progress through the food phases, and eventually get back on regular food, the weight loss will drastically slow.
I noticed on Sunday that I can drink more than "baby sips". While I don't want to take large gulps, I'm thankful that the swelling in my sleeve has obviously been reduced. I don't really know exactly how much I can eat at any given time. I eat something (very slowly), until I get a "full" feeling. For me, feeling full means I just don't want any more. When I do eat, I take several minutes between bites. I've seen how others take that "one bite too many" and then have to pay the price, so I really don't want to over do it. Especially at this point! So, once I lose interest in whatever it is I'm eating, I stop.
Obviously I'm still struggling to get in the 60 - 70 grams of protein, but 2.5 ounces of tuna get me 21g, so between that and one of my shakes, I'm getting close!
I haven't been on the forum as much lately. Having to play "catch up" with everything that I put off while recuperating from my surgery.
At almost 12 weeks out, I am now down 50lbs, and in a size 16. Unbelievable! I shopped last week for a few new clothes (don't want to spend too much since I plan on shrinking out of these soon!). I automatically headed to the "big girl" sizes and couldn't find hardly anything that fit! I had to go over to the "normal" sizes, and was able to wear almost everything I picked out - WOW - what a feeling! I bought 5 tops that will I can dress up or dress down, and spent less than $50. As I've said before, I think the dressing rooms are nicer on the other side Of course, it could just be my attitude.
Struggling with my mental image has been interesting. My brain says, "No way you can get in to that", and then I try it on and it's either a bit too big, or it fits just right, and I think "OMG - I can wear this!!!". The other thing is that my eyes are still WAY to big for my sleeve. When I am putting food on my plate, I think, "That's not enough, that won't fill me up", and then I can eat only half of it, my sleeve says "I'm full, STOP", but my brain says, "I WANT MORE"!! I don't know if this is something that I will adjust to or not. As I've said, it took my brain 50 years to reach this point, so it will probably take a LOOOOONG time for it to stop thinking that way.
I went to the first WLS support group last night. There were 2 other lovely ladies there that have had the sleeve surgery. One lady had her's just this past April, another real go-getter had her's in February of 2010. She was amazing! She just turned 62 and looked fantastic. She had also done her very first half-marathon! What an inspiration!!! The setting was just a Q&A of 9 other ladies who were scheduled to get their surgery soon. I think 3 of them were getting theirs in the next few weeks, other's were somewhere in the process of getting approved. They worked for the hospital, and their insurance was now covering their surgery and pre-op testing. They also have the ability to do a flexible spending account to help with their out of pocket. I believe the financial department told them that their total out of pocket would be around the $1650 mark. What a great benefit!! It was great listening to everyone's concerns, and the other sleever's experience. We all had different experiences at the different phases of our journey, but we all felt the same way . . . so very thankful for our surgeon - Dr. Kaler rocks! - and so very thankful for our sleeve! We are going to meet again next month - CAN'T WAIT!!!
I seem to have hit my first major stall - struggling with the same 2 lbs, and I know it's normal. So I think I'll just wait it out and see what happens over the next couple of days/weeks. I know that this is just part of the process and look forward to that next drop on the scale!
I must confess though, that I haven't been tracking my food as well, so that means I've got to get back into it! Gotta be held accountable for my end of the deal, since my sleeve is holding up it's part of the deal!
