GiGi

Well it was my first weekend of soft foods and I got a chance to see if my body was going to reject anything. I ate rather well. Friday night I had 3 ounces of Cod that I prepared. Saturday I had an egg with reduced fat cheese and it was wonderful. Sunday I tried Tuna and it did not sit so well with me. It had quit sitting well with me prior to this diet and it again gave me a tummy ache. I made tuna salad and it was good but I think I got over full because I was a bit uncomfortable. Not drinking while eating is very very hard. I would suggest practicing that before the surgery if you have time. It is so typical to drink a lot while eating. I am very thirsty after eating. I am tolerating grits with no problems at all. Actually everything I have tried has been ok. I just can't eat a lot at once which is what this procedure is supposed to do for you. I am very satisfied off one packet of instant grits. I used to eat 2 or 3 packets as a meal. I am very content after breakfast this morning.
I really don't think there are going to be a lot of food issues which makes me very happy. I am keeping my caloric intake at about 800 and I am very pleased with how full I am. This week I am going to start exercising. 30 mins a day on the treadmill. My current weight is now 262.5. I am hoping to loose at a rate of about 3 -4 pounds a week and I will be thrilled. My protein intake is not so great so I do need to work on that. I have to get in 80 grams of protein a day! If anyone has any protein ideas I can use I will take them!
 
Thanks and Happy Monday to everyone (:

Good Morning,
I just wanted to follow up from where I had been when I last wrote which was not a very happy place. My recommendation to anyone having any kind of surgery is to stay on the medications they put you on. I was a fool and quit taking the Levsin Smooth Muscle Relaxers and I paid dealy for it. I probably delayed my recovery time and caused my body a lot of stress. I quit taking the pain meds and muscle relaxers on Saturday because I was tired of sleeping all the time. What I should have done was simply not take the pain meds and stayed on the muscle relaxer (Levsin). I am now taking it every 4 hours on the nose, even waking up at night to take it and I have not had a cramped stomach since. Apparently what is happening is normal. When your stomach is sutured down it naturally tries to open itself back open. It feels very much like contractions. This causes stress on the stomach and is painful. The stomach needs to remain in a relaxed state so that it will heal, the swelling will go down and the sutures will heal. It cannot do that if it is constantly cramping. The Doctor said he cannot tell me exactly when the stomach will give up the battle. It can happen in one week, two weeks and as far out as 4 weeks. I feel much better now and I am eating a lot better. I am having protein shakes daily, soupy grits and soupy mashed potatoes, applesauce, yogurt, pudding and nothing is giving me any problems. I think I am getting about 700 calories a day. I need to get back to logging all my intake so I can keep good track. My weight is 263 so I am down a total of 32 pounds. Right now my focus is on feeling good and getting plenty of rest and the weight loss will come along I am sure.
 
Have a wonderful day!

Today is Monday July 23rd.. I am doing worse that I was doing a few days ago. My stomach is very very much in pain. It is cramping constantly and it just hurts and feels like it is burning. I called the Doctor today and he is calling in some liquid that coats the stomach and you take it before meals and before bedtime. Problem being it also makes you sleepy like the Levsin. I have basically no appetite for anything at all. I am loosing weight I have lost 31 pounds so far but i know I am not getting the nutrients I need or the protein I am supposed to be getting. I am getting worried. Tomorrow morning I have a follow up visit with the Doctor at 9:15am. I will have to drive myself in since my husband is out of town. I just plan on going to bed really early so I can sleep my usual 10-12 hours then get up and get moving around. I did have an applesauce today and a V-8 and a yogurt. I am going to have instant mashed potatoes for supper. Maybe that will stimulate my appetite.
 
I started a video blog on you tube called Jeanne's Journey. I recorded my first episode yesterday and I wasn't feeling so hot as you will be able to see.
 
 


 
Well heading back to bed for a while. With sleep there is no pain. I will let you know if the new meds work for me.
 

Well I have been trying to blog but my blogs have been disappearing for some reason. I submitted a message to the technical folks and they said it is all fixed now. For an introduction you can read my profile but in summary I am a 47 year old overweight woman. I weighed in at 295 at the Doctors office and now I weigh 279.5 from being on the pre-op diet. I have always been able to make the pounds go away but they always return and usually with a few bonus pounds. I am 5’8” tall and large boned.
You might ask why I am electing this surgery and the reason for me is that I want to be around for a while. I have had some really bad problems with my right knee (I had surgery to cut off the meniscus about 2 years ago due to a fall) and also swelling and pooling in my lower legs. The later problem is new and not one that I am fond of. It is painful and prevents me from doing the things I love. Like hiking, walking, touring etc… I am not ready to become an invalid just yet.
I have been on every diet in the spectrum…. Seriously every diet I am sure I have tried it. I am constantly hungry and never have the feeling of being full so keeping weight off is difficult. I love food. It is my pal. It is my buddy. I love to cook. I love to try new things. I love the comfort of food. I eat when bored to help me stay awake. I eat portions much too large. I have had a long and happy affair with my food.
I had a revelation while being on this pre-op diet… I am not tired any more. I used to sit at my desk and barely be able to keep my eyes open now I am wide awake and I sleep like a baby! The pre-op diet is 3-5 protein shakes a day and maybe a broth soup here and there. I have not cheated at all and don’t plan on it. I want to succeed.
Best moment on pre Op? When I made iced tea sweetened with splenda with a fresh lemon slice squeezed in. I don’t know if I have ever tasted something so good. That was about 5 days into the diet and I had not had tea at all. It was a hot day. I had taken the dogs to the park I was so thirsty…
I know the plication surgery is not magic and I am not suddenly going to shed pound after pound. It is going to be a way for me to loose the weight and not gain it back due to the restriction.
I joined a weight loss site called myfitnesspal.com and I LOVE IT. So easy to use and so fast. It is the other tool I am going to use to count my calories after the surgery.
I live with my Husband and two teenage girls. One is 17 the other is 14. I will still cook but it is going to be much healthier. I am the most fortunate person in the world in that my Husband is so supportive. He has been doing the pre-op diet in the evenings with me so I am not so alone in my endeavor.
When I can eat it needs to be healthy and tasty. I have joked about having my own show on food network one day called Potions for Portions or 6 ounce mega taste.. I haven’t worked out all the details of my show.. lol
Surgery date is 7/16/12. I have been told to be there at 6am, surgery at 7:30am, 3 hour surgery, 40 mins in recovery then moved to post op room until blood pressure is ok, can drink something, and breathing is okay then they will release me the same day. They did tell me I will be very very nauseous and sick.
I have a friend coming to stay with me for a couple days so my husband can go back to work on Tuesday.
So… that is where I am. If anyone is interested I have made some pretty yummy protein shakes and would be happy to share my recipes with you!

I will write soon (If this works lol)

GG

Well I made it through with no problem. I meet with a group of women every Wednesday and we either eat at a local Mexican restaurant for lunch or at a local Inn that has a country buffet. Today they chose the buffet.
 
I called ahead to find out what they had and I happen to get the owner. I asked her about just buying one item off the buffet and explained my situation and she said I could just have the childs buffet price and that way I could try more than one item. My plate consisted of:
 
1/2 cup of Black Eyed Peas
1/4 cup of Tuna Salad
1/2 a boiled egg
1/4 cup of mashed potatoes
 
I was pretty full but very satisfied. It was great. I did have to stand up after I ate. That seems to help the food move down for me.
 
Success!

Well it was my first weekend of soft foods and I got a chance to see if my body was going to reject anything. I ate rather well. Friday night I had 3 ounces of Cod that I prepared. Saturday I had an egg with reduced fat cheese and it was wonderful. Sunday I tried Tuna and it did not sit so well with me. It had quit sitting well with me prior to this diet and it again gave me a tummy ache. I made tuna salad and it was good but I think I got over full because I was a bit uncomfortable. Not drinking while eating is very very hard. I would suggest practicing that before the surgery if you have time. It is so typical to drink a lot while eating. I am very thirsty after eating. I am tolerating grits with no problems at all. Actually everything I have tried has been ok. I just can't eat a lot at once which is what this procedure is supposed to do for you. I am very satisfied off one packet of instant grits. I used to eat 2 or 3 packets as a meal. I am very content after breakfast this morning.
I really don't think there are going to be a lot of food issues which makes me very happy. I am keeping my caloric intake at about 800 and I am very pleased with how full I am. This week I am going to start exercising. 30 mins a day on the treadmill. My current weight is now 262.5. I am hoping to loose at a rate of about 3 -4 pounds a week and I will be thrilled. My protein intake is not so great so I do need to work on that. I have to get in 80 grams of protein a day! If anyone has any protein ideas I can use I will take them!
 
Thanks and Happy Monday to everyone (:

Good Morning,
I just wanted to follow up from where I had been when I last wrote which was not a very happy place. My recommendation to anyone having any kind of surgery is to stay on the medications they put you on. I was a fool and quit taking the Levsin Smooth Muscle Relaxers and I paid dealy for it. I probably delayed my recovery time and caused my body a lot of stress. I quit taking the pain meds and muscle relaxers on Saturday because I was tired of sleeping all the time. What I should have done was simply not take the pain meds and stayed on the muscle relaxer (Levsin). I am now taking it every 4 hours on the nose, even waking up at night to take it and I have not had a cramped stomach since. Apparently what is happening is normal. When your stomach is sutured down it naturally tries to open itself back open. It feels very much like contractions. This causes stress on the stomach and is painful. The stomach needs to remain in a relaxed state so that it will heal, the swelling will go down and the sutures will heal. It cannot do that if it is constantly cramping. The Doctor said he cannot tell me exactly when the stomach will give up the battle. It can happen in one week, two weeks and as far out as 4 weeks. I feel much better now and I am eating a lot better. I am having protein shakes daily, soupy grits and soupy mashed potatoes, applesauce, yogurt, pudding and nothing is giving me any problems. I think I am getting about 700 calories a day. I need to get back to logging all my intake so I can keep good track. My weight is 263 so I am down a total of 32 pounds. Right now my focus is on feeling good and getting plenty of rest and the weight loss will come along I am sure.
 
Have a wonderful day!

Today is Monday July 23rd.. I am doing worse that I was doing a few days ago. My stomach is very very much in pain. It is cramping constantly and it just hurts and feels like it is burning. I called the Doctor today and he is calling in some liquid that coats the stomach and you take it before meals and before bedtime. Problem being it also makes you sleepy like the Levsin. I have basically no appetite for anything at all. I am loosing weight I have lost 31 pounds so far but i know I am not getting the nutrients I need or the protein I am supposed to be getting. I am getting worried. Tomorrow morning I have a follow up visit with the Doctor at 9:15am. I will have to drive myself in since my husband is out of town. I just plan on going to bed really early so I can sleep my usual 10-12 hours then get up and get moving around. I did have an applesauce today and a V-8 and a yogurt. I am going to have instant mashed potatoes for supper. Maybe that will stimulate my appetite.
 
I started a video blog on you tube called Jeanne's Journey. I recorded my first episode yesterday and I wasn't feeling so hot as you will be able to see.
 
 


 
Well heading back to bed for a while. With sleep there is no pain. I will let you know if the new meds work for me.
 

Well I have been trying to blog but my blogs have been disappearing for some reason. I submitted a message to the technical folks and they said it is all fixed now. For an introduction you can read my profile but in summary I am a 47 year old overweight woman. I weighed in at 295 at the Doctors office and now I weigh 279.5 from being on the pre-op diet. I have always been able to make the pounds go away but they always return and usually with a few bonus pounds. I am 5’8” tall and large boned.
You might ask why I am electing this surgery and the reason for me is that I want to be around for a while. I have had some really bad problems with my right knee (I had surgery to cut off the meniscus about 2 years ago due to a fall) and also swelling and pooling in my lower legs. The later problem is new and not one that I am fond of. It is painful and prevents me from doing the things I love. Like hiking, walking, touring etc… I am not ready to become an invalid just yet.
I have been on every diet in the spectrum…. Seriously every diet I am sure I have tried it. I am constantly hungry and never have the feeling of being full so keeping weight off is difficult. I love food. It is my pal. It is my buddy. I love to cook. I love to try new things. I love the comfort of food. I eat when bored to help me stay awake. I eat portions much too large. I have had a long and happy affair with my food.
I had a revelation while being on this pre-op diet… I am not tired any more. I used to sit at my desk and barely be able to keep my eyes open now I am wide awake and I sleep like a baby! The pre-op diet is 3-5 protein shakes a day and maybe a broth soup here and there. I have not cheated at all and don’t plan on it. I want to succeed.
Best moment on pre Op? When I made iced tea sweetened with splenda with a fresh lemon slice squeezed in. I don’t know if I have ever tasted something so good. That was about 5 days into the diet and I had not had tea at all. It was a hot day. I had taken the dogs to the park I was so thirsty…
I know the plication surgery is not magic and I am not suddenly going to shed pound after pound. It is going to be a way for me to loose the weight and not gain it back due to the restriction.
I joined a weight loss site called myfitnesspal.com and I LOVE IT. So easy to use and so fast. It is the other tool I am going to use to count my calories after the surgery.
I live with my Husband and two teenage girls. One is 17 the other is 14. I will still cook but it is going to be much healthier. I am the most fortunate person in the world in that my Husband is so supportive. He has been doing the pre-op diet in the evenings with me so I am not so alone in my endeavor.
When I can eat it needs to be healthy and tasty. I have joked about having my own show on food network one day called Potions for Portions or 6 ounce mega taste.. I haven’t worked out all the details of my show.. lol
Surgery date is 7/16/12. I have been told to be there at 6am, surgery at 7:30am, 3 hour surgery, 40 mins in recovery then moved to post op room until blood pressure is ok, can drink something, and breathing is okay then they will release me the same day. They did tell me I will be very very nauseous and sick.
I have a friend coming to stay with me for a couple days so my husband can go back to work on Tuesday.
So… that is where I am. If anyone is interested I have made some pretty yummy protein shakes and would be happy to share my recipes with you!

I will write soon (If this works lol)

GG

Hi all. Sorry so long since I blogged...... I just wanted to report on how things have been going. This past week I had some issues with eating. My stomach was really hurting and I think I just introduced some new foods to quickly. My tummy was burning. It was bad. I talked to the Doctor and they said to slow down with my diet and go back to the full liquids. I did for the most part and I am getting very little calories but I have been loosing weight. I am down to 254 from 295 which is 41 pounds and tomorrow is my 4 week anniversary. I am just eating protein mostly and not eating much because I don't want to disturb my tummy. I have lost a lot of inches too and I really have not been working out too much since I have been a little lathargic. Things are now on the upswing and I am really only eating now just because I know I need to to live. I am trying to get in 800 calories a day but sometimes it is hard.
 
Next week back to exercise and I mean full on work out so I can begin to tone up and loose more fat (not muscle). I have a Doctor follow up visit on Wednesday so I will post about that as well.
 
They put me on Carafate which is a liquid you drink before you eat and it coats your tummy on the inside and it really helped.
 
Sorry to sound rushed but my hungry family awaits

Well it is Friday and I have been doing the liquid diet for almost 2 weeks. I have lost about 14 pounds which is great but I am tired of the protein shakes. I am wanting real food and it is rough drinking only sweet protein shakes. I wish I would have gotten some unflavored so I could hide them in soups, oatmeal etc.
 
I have worked in a couple cans of soup over the couple of weeks but that is the only cheating I have done. I am very proud of myself for being able to stick to this since I really didn't think I would be able to do it.
 
Nervous does not even explain how I feel about Monday. I just want everything to go well!
 
Jumping in with both feet!