Miss Mittie

Well, I weighed in this morning and I have gained 1/2 pound. Not bad considering I was on vacation 4 out of the 7 days this week. I need to increase my protein and fiber (which is probably why I have gained instead of lost) My nutritionist was much more positive today and actually told me I am doing great! Kind of made me feel a bit bad calling her a skinny ____ in my earlier post but she really was acting awful! My blood pressure is perfect (such a change from before when it was always high!) and I feel really good today. Actually received a new workout dvd yesterday and looking forward to trying it tonight. I am going to see a big change next week - I can feel it! I have to keep myself out of my own little pity party so I am going to play the glad game from now on.

@Samomom - wow! I said I was frustrated and angry - not that I was going to give up! Please don't give up on yourself. I will cheerlead for you! Really, I think that I put my body through surgery and actually overcame so many fears just to get that far that I just can't give up. I must try for me and the kids. I want them to see that anything worth having is worth waiting for - even if it does take longer than I expected and even if it does have me peeved and very, very frustrated. You should always have hope. I go weigh again tomorrow and though I don't imagine I will see a big change, I am willing to take it. I have noticed such a wide range of emotions since I started this journey that I never let myself feel before (I was a stress eater, an emotional eater, oh man!) - I love food and I ate all the time! Now I don't and many times I find myself "too busy" to eat. I honestly struggle to get in the amount of Protein I need in 1 day and forget about the calories - I am averaging about 800 calories and that is stretching it! I try to have a protein shake for breakfast, some lean protein for lunch and a sensible dinner that I eat with the kids. I have an almost comical love of sweets and carbs and that didn't stop with the surgery. I have to really push myself to push away from these things. I do fine pushing the Water, but I need to get my protein up. I can do this, I need to do this, I just feel really alone in my journey sometimes.

I am 6 months out and have lost 30 pounds. To say that I am frustrated and discouraged is an understatement. I journal religiously, I drink my Water and am waiting for it all to come off - eventually. My cravings never stopped when I had the surgery so it is an uphill climb every single day. My doctor says it "is not that bad" but I know that I had higher expectations. My nutritionist has suggested that maybe I am not "serious enough" - skinny b%@*% - does she think I went through a very involved surgery, etc. for recreation??? I am tired of making excuses to myself - not to mention my not-so-well-meaning relatives that just CAN'T understand why I am not skinny yet. Ugh. I don't want to say I am a disappointment to myself, but I am. I am really grasping at straws here. If anyone has had this happen to them - can you please let me know? Also if you have gone through it and it turned out fine - I REALLY want to hear from you! Thank you in advance!

I also felt the need to chew something. And I was only a week out from surgery and I ate 1/2 a biscuit. Yes, I know it was wrong. Yes, it hurt like Hell. And no - I won't do that again for a very long time. I did not do any permanent damage but it did scare me enough to put me back on the straight and narrow. I just keep reminding myself that I have been heavy almost my entire life and I must re-teach myself how to be healthy. I have 2 little ones at home who depend on me and I want to see them grow up, graduate, get married (if that is what they choose), and whatever else their lives hold for them. So listen to your body and I promise, it does get a little easier. I am 4 weeks post-op today and have 2 more weeks left of my soft/full liquid diet. I have just filled the time I used to spend eating with walking, or research and my work, which I love. It also helps to have someone to turn to when you get these urges. Your support team is super important. My doctors office nurses all gave me their cell phone numbers that I can use if needed and that has done wonders to relax my fears. I wish you the best and hope your cravings get easier. Good luck!

I have migraines also. I take Maxalt-MLT and it dissolves on my tongue. It is not a narcotic either. I even got a migraine after my surgery and convinced the nurse to let me take one of my own I had brought from home (she said what she didn't see didn't happen and proceeded to leave the room - ha!) and it worked great. I have been taking them for a very long time and they still work. Hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!

I am 4 weeks out today. I exercise at least 5 days a week (still only doing walking - doctor said I can't add anything else yet) and eat only what I am supposed to - even though I seem to be having trouble getting enough protein or calories in. I have been in a stall for 2 weeks already and I am trying not to get frustrated. I know I am retaining water, but enough not to show a change in the scale? I am hoping it doesn't last and I am going to try and increase my water intake. Any other words of wisdom or hints to try?

I had back pain almost immediately after surgery. I normally have back pain anyway from arthritis, but this is different and hard to relieve. I find that sleeping with a body pillow helps for some reason. I am normally a stomach sleeper but haven't been able to do that until just last night (I am 7 days post op). I find that I am guarding my belly which will lessen as I heal, but for right now I am a bit of a swollen bruised mess and I don't want that to get any worse! Hope the pains get better for you.

I answer to just about anything! Ha! You will do great!

I am 7 days out and I could actually drink more on days 2-4 than I can now. It takes me about 1/2 hour for 8 ounces, but my doctor suggested I make that more like an hour so I am trying. I love my water too and am used to drinking approximately 100 ounces per day, but that has gone down to about 80 now and I am really pushing to get that in. I don't have any pain with drinking, but I do get an extremely full feeling if I overdo it.

I don't know about everyone else, but my cravings diminished substantially since I had the surgery (even though it has only been one week). I was a total carb junkie before and was always an emotional eater, but just going through the surgery itself has not only curbed my physical cravings, but the whole process has helped me feel so much more confident that I will be able to do this. Do not beat yourself up. It is OK. We all fall down and then get right back up. Good luck to you!

Good luck for Saturday! You will be fine. Many doctors have different rules pre and post-surgery. If your doctor says you are fine and your liver is fine, then I don't see any reason to worry. I was PMS-ing prior to my surgery and it was all I could do to stay on the liquid diet and not stray at least a little bit! I am now 1 week post-op and feeling great!