Six Week Update

04/14/2012 - At my highest weight

05/02/2013 - Down 58 pounds!

Hello everyone.  I just passed my six week surgery anniversary.

Six weeks means that I have no more food restrictions, so now I just need to slowly add normal foods back to my diet.  Of course, “normal” now means low fat, low sugar, and small portions.  On Wednesday I ate lettuce for the first time in many weeks, and it tasted glorious!

I enjoy my food so much more than I did before.  I’m sure that this is mostly because I had to eat such bland food for six weeks, but now every bite of vegetables and fruit taste like heaven!  I can’t believe how much I missed eating fresh food.  I have not had any sugar or fat cravings (yay!); in fact, the sight and smell of things like brownies, cookies, etc. make me a bit queasy now.  I have been able to eat some toast though (1/2 a slice at a time), which has also tasted wonderful!

A big challenge for me is learning to cook smaller portions.  I’ve always believed in cooking plenty of food for each meal, and now I’m trying to make just enough for three people. (Mom and I equal one person when it comes to serving sizes.)

I am really enjoying cooking again.  I’m having fun trying out new recipes and converting old recipes so that they are lower in fat and sugar.  Pinterest has been an awesome for new recipes and ideas – love it!!!  I even bought some hard red wheat so that I could grind some whole wheat flour and make bread - something that I haven't done in years!  (Yes, I own a stone wheel grain mill.)

As for my health, I visited my surgeon for my six week follow up today and he is very pleased.  I’ve lost about 15 pounds more than his average patient has at six weeks!  Also, I haven’t taken my blood pressure medicine since I had surgery, but my BP today was 120/72.  Woot!!  Dan and I walk twice a day; I usually log about 6,000 steps a day, but I have gone as high as 8,000.  My goal is to walk 10,000 (or more) steps a day on a regular basis.

My surgeon has also released me from any physical restrictions, so Dan and I are going to start working out with regular gym equipment next week.  I’m really looking forward to that. 

Dan has been great!  He’s also been working hard and is now at his lowest weight since before we moved to Ohio 18 years ago. 

Oh, and just for the record, I’m now down 58 pounds for the year (40 pounds since surgery)!

Hugs,

Sandra

Three Week Update

My big craving right now

Today is my 3 week surgery anniversary and I’m feeling great!  Granted, I still get tired easily, but I’m getting stronger every day.

I now walk about 3,500 steps a day and have no trouble at all going up and down stairs.  I’ve also started cooking dinner for the family a few times a week.  Mom was preparing some wonderful meals while I was out of commission, but I enjoy cooking and it gives me another opportunity to be on my feet for some time each day.  I am planning a really nice meal for tomorrow using recipes that I found on Pinterest.

Speaking of Pinterest, I have spent so much time on that site during these last three weeks!  What a great source for healthy recipes!  I’ve also added quite a bit to my Fashion Wish List and Must Try This DIY boards.   Pinterest is definitely a fun way to kill a couple of hours!

Even though I’m cooking for the family, I’m still on a full liquid diet myself, and I admit that I’m at the point where I am sick to death of yogurt, pudding, and protein shakes. I’m really, REALLY happy to be moving to pureed foods this Wednesday. 

Even though I’m sick of my current diet, I’m not having any trouble resisting out of bounds foods.  I’m sure that as I heal I will be tempted now and then, but I’m glad that I don’t have to deal with that now.   I do have the occasional craving; for instance, last night I really wanted a piece of toasted multi-grain bread (dry, with no spread).  

I sort of started back to work today, and will be going in to the office tomorrow.  For the rest of the week I will be working half days, then I should be starting back full time next week.

OK, here’s the big news – I’ve lost 24 pounds in the last three weeks and 43 pounds altogether in 2013.  Woo-hoo!  I still have a long way to go to reach my ultimate goal, but my face is getting thinner, my belly is getting smaller, and my clothes are getting to be too big for me.   My doctor told me that the average weight loss is 30 pounds during the first six weeks.  Since I’ve already lost 24 pounds in three weeks, I’m really hopeful that I will do better than average.

I plan to post a picture of me every four weeks, so I’ll also post my “before” photo next Monday along with my first post-surgery photo. 

I think that’s all my news for now.   Thank you again to everyone for your support!  And special thanks to my wonderful, wonderful husband.  I couldn’t have done this without Dan, he has taken such good care of me.

Hugs,

Sandra

Just an Update

Still no new pix, so here's Bob and Sydney instead

This is just an update on how I'm doing; nothing earth-shattering today.

Tomorrow will mark two weeks since I had surgery.  I anticipate being off work this week, returning April 8th.  I've lost 16 pounds since surgery, which makes 34 pounds total this year.   I do find it amazing that I can lose more than a pound a day!  It certainly does jump start the weight loss.  

Of course, it's not really surprising when you look at the numbers.  During this full liquids phase I am taking in only 400 - 500 calories per day and lately I've been burning 2,000 - 2,500 calories per day.  I will be able to move to the soft foods phase next week, during which time I'll eat about 600 calories per day.  This should increase slowly over the next several weeks and months until I reach what should be my normal daily allotment of 1,000 - 1,200 calories per day.

I'm getting stronger every day and healing very well.  Dan and I walk around the block twice each day.  I'm slow, but not too slow, I think.  I am tired after these walks, but they feel so good!

I've also finally figured out the protein problem.  GNC makes a protein powder that has 60 grams of protein in per 3 scoop serving.  I mix this with 12 ounces of nonfat milk and the combination equals 73 grams of protein!  I divide the 12 ounce serving into three smaller servings, and I replace four of my meals with two of the smaller servings.  The best part is that the vanilla flavor is quite good.  It's not too sweet or thick, so the end result is like drinking slightly sweetened milk.

The rest of my daily protein I get through yogurt, sugar free pudding, and by drinking Miso paste mixed into hot beef broth (my new "cup of hot brown," replacing coffee).

I'd say that the hardest part of my new eating regimen for me is not being able to drink for a half an hour before and after eating.  Most people get a large share of their liquids in the foods they eat, but my small meals don't do that, so I am always thirsty.  If I don't put my glass out of reach while I'm waiting for my 30 minutes to pass, I often forget and start drinking.  It's just habit now to constantly sip on my water throughout the day.

I think that's all the news for now.  Everything is moving along beautifully and I'm healing quickly.  I have no regrets about this surgery; I am confident now that with the help of this needed tool I will be able to lose my excess weight and be the active and energetic person I used to be.  Yay!

Hugs,
Sandra

Feeling Good!

I don't have a picture for today, so here's Bob instead.

So it has been a week and a day since my surgery and I feel surprisingly good!  I’ve also lost 10 pounds since surgery, which is pretty darn cool!

I walk six times a day for about five minutes at a time, so I’m getting in about a half an hour a day total.  I tolerate my food well and haven’t eaten anything yet that causes pain or nausea, so that’s a big plus.  I also have started sitting up at my desk a couple of time a day, although I do find that I still get pretty tired after just a short amount of that.  I also don’t feel as sharp mentally and I do when I’m well, so it’s a good thing that no one is really counting on me for anything important, like writing reports to send to the CEO.  :)  I’ve noticed that it takes me longer than usual to work a puzzle or solve problems and I make a lot of typos.  I suspect this mental dullness has several contributing factors:  residual anesthesia, mental distraction, bodily resources going towards the healing (instead of thinking) process, and fewer calories than I’m accustomed to.

I am struggling to get enough protein.  I eat six ¼-cup meals a day and I am supposed to fit around 75 grams of protein into those six meals.  So, I’m getting as much protein as I can creatively fit into these meals, but it isn’t 75 grams.  I’m hoping that this becomes easier when I start eating more solid foods.

I’m also struggling to get enough water.  I am not supposed to drink any water during a meal or for 30 minutes before and after.  So that’s about 1hr 20min for each meal during which I can’t drink.  Multiply that by my six meals and that makes eight hours of water-free time during my day.  I’m supposed to carefully sip 64 ounces of water during the rest of the time that I’m awake.  Hmmmm.

I’ve found a great blog written by a woman who had gastric bypass surgery in 2006 and has kept the weight off.  She has developed dozens of delicious looking dishes over the years that are low fat, low carb, and geared toward health.   They are also usually pretty simple, and use ordinary ingredients that most of us have in our kitchens already.  I highly recommend these to anyone who is trying to eat more healthfully – you don’t have to have had surgery to enjoy these recipes.  Here is a link to her site:  http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

My first post-surgery doctor’s appointment is Thursday, at which time he’ll remove my drainage tube, something that I am REALLY looking forward to!  And on that note, I think I’m out of news for today.

Hugs,

Sandra

Surgery!

I'm home from the hospital, safe and sound (I came home Wednesday afternoon).  I'm healing well and I have almost no pain.  So, I thought I'd catch everyone up on what all happened this last week.

 

My surgery was scheduled for 8:00AM on Monday and I was told to be at the hospital at 6:00AM.  So on Sunday night, I got everything all ready to go, laid out my clothes, and set the alarm clock for 4:00PM.  Yes, PM.  (Any reference to "the best laid plans of mice and men" would be appropriate here.)

 

A hospital rep called on Monday morning at 6:15, asking where I was.  The correct answer here would be "in a panic."

 

Dan and I threw on clothes, grabbed the bags, and ran out the door.  We had to stop running at the door though, because there was freezing rain and we had to move carefully to get to the car safely on the layer of ice that had accumulated.  Yay!  We're two hours late, in rush hour traffic, AND it's pouring down freezing rain.  Awesome.  Dan drove while I cried and beat myself up and we arrived safely at the hospital at 7:40. 

 

Those wonderful, dear people at Mt. Carmel hospital calmly checked me in, prepped me for surgery, and moved ahead without recriminations.  The surgery started at about 8:30.   I'm not sure what time they finished, but sometime later I woke up in recovery, feeling very little pain, but weak as a kitten.  I never have had much pain, but that first day I was so weak that I found it difficult to do anything for myself.  I even had to ask others to feed me ice chips, since I found it hard to hold the cup and spoon by myself.

 

Speaking of ice chips, I never realized before Monday that they are actually ambrosia from the gods and that they would become the most wonderful things I've ever eaten!  I was so dry and so thirsty, but all that I could have on Monday were ice chips.  They tasted sweet and refreshing, and they made me feel more alive every time I ate a few.

 

My hospital room was very nice.  The nurses told me that it was the biggest one on the floor, and that become obvious as I walked the hallways later.  From the glimpses that I got of the other rooms, it appeared that my bathroom alone (which was ginormeous!) was bigger than most of the other rooms. 

 

I was supposed to walk on Monday evening, but I immediately became very nauseated when I stood up, so after that passed, they put me in a chair for a while.  When I stood up again, the dry heaves started again, only more violently, and it became clear that I wasn't going to do any walking that day.  I actually vomited on Tuesday when they helped me stand up, so then I got smart and started asking for nausea medicine shortly before each walking session.  That made all the difference and I was able to start walking later on Tuesday without being sick.  I have to say that the dry heaves and vomiting were far worse than any other pain that I've experienced from the surgery.  Walking was (and is) wonderful though!  I feel so much better after every walk; it's amazing!  I feel more energized and clear headed after each walk and actually feel pretty normal then.  I am highly incented to keep up the walking!

 

Speaking of feeling normal, I keep thinking that I should feel different somehow, now that my insides have been rearranged, but I don't.  I feel just the same as I did before, except for the fact that I don't get hungry. Now I have to watch the clock to know when to eat, since my stomach doesn't remind me.  I do feel light headed if I forget to eat though, so I guess that is my new way of experiencing hunger.

 

I had nothing but clear liquids on Tuesday, then they moved me to "full liquids" on Wednesday.  Full liquids are thick like protein shakes, pudding, Cream of Wheat cereal and cream soups.  I'll be on these for about three weeks, then I'll move to slightly more substantial foods.  Right now I'm supposed to eat 6 meals a day, each about 1/4 cup in size.  Yesterday I managed to have 5 meals, so I did pretty good.  I've got to work harder on my water consumption though.  I'm supposed to have 64 ounces a day and I only had about half of that.  I have a 64 ounce container of water by my chair that I use to fill my glass, so I'll know when I've had my daily amount.

 

Well, Dan just got home with groceries for me, so I'm going to go make some cream of chicken soup for lunch.  BTW - Dan has been so wonderful!  I don't know how I'd do this without him.  He is taking such good care of me. 

 

Hugs,

Sandra

Celebrating My Family and Friends

Dad and I - 1992

I have read a lot about weight loss surgery (WLS) over the last year, both online and in books, and I am saddened to read how unsupportive many patient’s friends and family can be. 

Many people don’t understand how WLS works and view it as the “easy” way out, sort of a cop out for people who are don’t want to work at losing weight.  Of course, WLS is not a magic bullet, it is simply a tool.  I will still need to restrict my calories, eat the right foods, and work out regularly to get to my goal weight.  I will need to continue these habits for the rest of my life if I am to keep the weight off.  WLS will be a great help at first with restricting calories, but the rest is up to me (especially long term).

But people can be so cruel.  I’ve read quite a few stories from obese people about how perfect strangers would lecture them in supermarkets or shout insults at them.  Quite often their families treated them even worse.  I’m happy to say that I have not experienced this kind of treatment.  While I’m sure that plenty of folks had things to say about my weight behind my back, no one has ever been rude (or brave) enough to insult me to my face.  So I’ve been very fortunate in that area.

However, when I decided to have WLS, I admit that I wondered how people would react.  I debated whether or not I wanted to tell folks outside of my little circle that this was happening.  It didn’t take long for me to decide (obviously) that I was not going to hide what I’m doing.  I’m not proud of the fact that I’ve made it to the ranks of the morbidly obese, but I am proud that I’m ready and willing to do what it takes to regain my health.

I’m also pleased and so very proud to say that my friends, family, and coworkers have all been extremely supportive!  The most common response I’ve received when I say that I’m having WLS is “Good for you!”  I truly feel like the most fortunate of women to be surrounded by such loving and supportive people.  Thank you all for making this step so much easier for me.

I received a card yesterday from a friend and coworker who is VERY fit and who works out many hours a week.  Of all people, I would have thought that she would see WLS as a cop out, not because of anything she’s said but rather because she is so fit and dedicated to her health and well-being.   I was so wrong.  This is what the card said:

“What you are doing is very brave and shows your determination.  I have no doubt you will be successful…A favorite quote is: ‘Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal.'  I will be thinking of you.”

Mom and I - 1992

Yup, this brought tears to my eyes.

Thank you, all of you lovely people who are sending encouragement and help my way!  I truly am blessed and it is because of you.

Four days to go!

Hugs,

Sandra