February has been a crazy busy month for me. The last week has arrived with blessedly little to do on the calendar, and I'm really looking forward to a low key week/weekend. I like being busy and have enjoyed most of the business of the past month or so. And I won't be upset if things come up this week. But still. Some down time is always nice.
I keep thinking that I need to be posting - I really want to have a record of my whole WLS journey. I just don't think that I really have anything to say. Things are just moving along.... I'm currently down about 130 pounds. I did buy a pair of size 12 jeans at Wal Mart the other day. They are probably the only pair of size 12s in the world that fit me, but still...there's one. I'm torn between being excited about this and desperate to hit a single digit size. Crazy, I know. I don't know which is more amazing - the fact that I ran 5 miles today or the fact that I no longer find that blogworthy.
Bad eating habits are starting to creep back in - grazing, "needing" something sweet because I'm so grumpy, etc. Not as bad as they were before, but they are things that I need to address NOW. It's hard for me because even with that, the weight is still coming off. It's hard to remember that won't always be the case. So that's my current struggle.
I promise I'll work on thinking of something interesting to say before I post again....
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
6 month "nut" follow up
I'm supposed to meet with Pam, my nutritionist - or nut as refer to them in WLS-land - at the same intervals I follow up with Dr. Elliot. That is 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months or something like that. So my 6 month appointment came at 7 months and a week...that's close right? And isn't there something about close counting when it comes to horshoes and hand grenades? Julie?
Anyway. The point is - I met with Pam. One thing I wanted to talk to her about was how to eat while I'm in training. (Let me point out here that I LOVE to say that I'm "in training" and bring up being in training and/or running as frequently as possible. Much more often than I actually "train".) I've read a lot about eating just before and after runs and wasn't sure how that applied to me as a post-op. Well, as it turns out, she gave me pretty much exactly the same advice as I had heard other places: carbs before, carbs and protein afterwards. We talked about some good choices for me to make at those times. I also admitted to her (as I am here, to you, now) that I have gotten into a bad habit of grazing and I'm worried about that. Pam whipped out her little calculator and figured out that I'm burning about 2,000 extra calories a week with my running. (Can I just stop here and say WOW?!?!) So she said, "You're probably hungry" Hmmmm.... who would've thought???
So that was mostly what we talked about. She was pleased overall with my progress.
Have I mentioned that I broke my scale? Yes, 125 pounds ago I stood on that thing no problem. NOW it decides to crack on me??? So I don't actually know if I've lost any more weight. I feel like I have, though, because my clothes are getting looser. Getting a new scale is on my list...
It's definitely off to bed for me tonight!
Anyway. The point is - I met with Pam. One thing I wanted to talk to her about was how to eat while I'm in training. (Let me point out here that I LOVE to say that I'm "in training" and bring up being in training and/or running as frequently as possible. Much more often than I actually "train".) I've read a lot about eating just before and after runs and wasn't sure how that applied to me as a post-op. Well, as it turns out, she gave me pretty much exactly the same advice as I had heard other places: carbs before, carbs and protein afterwards. We talked about some good choices for me to make at those times. I also admitted to her (as I am here, to you, now) that I have gotten into a bad habit of grazing and I'm worried about that. Pam whipped out her little calculator and figured out that I'm burning about 2,000 extra calories a week with my running. (Can I just stop here and say WOW?!?!) So she said, "You're probably hungry" Hmmmm.... who would've thought???
So that was mostly what we talked about. She was pleased overall with my progress.
Have I mentioned that I broke my scale? Yes, 125 pounds ago I stood on that thing no problem. NOW it decides to crack on me??? So I don't actually know if I've lost any more weight. I feel like I have, though, because my clothes are getting looser. Getting a new scale is on my list...
It's definitely off to bed for me tonight!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Being 31 - ahhhh!
I am not and will not do a sappy reflection on how different my 31st birthday was from my 30th. Because that's just not how I roll. But I will say this - I know I'm different than I was last year, and I got more love and attention for my birthday yesterday than I would have thought possible. I'm clearly in a different place with the people around me, especially at work. To be completely honest with you, it was a bit overwhelming. I'm not terribly shy but I think I'm glad birthdays only come once a year :)
I also decided that since it was my birthday I could eat whatever I wanted all day long. And I did. MISTAKE, Sarah. I'm not going to go into what I ate - because I'm embarassed, and because that's not what I do, and a lot because I don't want to be reprimanded - but I ate basically throughout the day. I didn't get sick or dump or anything, but I did feel generally yucky. And it didn't really help me enjoy my birthday. NOTE TO SELF: Find other ways to celebrate your birthday. :)
So this morning was my first run in the YMCA 10k training program. (They ran last week, but I was in Charleston. Luckily for me, too, because apparently it was 7 degrees last week. SEVEN. This week it was 52. Much more acceptable) We did 2.5 miles today and I did fine, although my knee was bothering me some at the end. I stayed somewhere in the middle of the huge group (there were like 200 people there!). I definitely got passed a lot, but I passed some people, too - mostly walkers. :) They put us into groups based on our projected finish time. I signed up for a wave that finishes in about 70-75 minutes - about a 12:00 mile. That was the fastest group at the training this morning, which is scary. (I'm signed up for the novice runner group - there are some run/walkers - there's also a walkers group and an intermediate group) I hope I'm not in over my head here. I definitely felt like the fat girl that everyone was looking at going, "Seriously? What is she thinking?" It may not be true, but that doesn't stop me from feeling that way!
I also picked up my schedule for the next 9 weeks and surprisingly enough, the most it ever has us running in training is 6 miles, which it only has us do once two weeks before the race. Then it backs the mileage down until the day of the race, which is 6.2 miles. Does this strike anyone else as odd?
I also decided that since it was my birthday I could eat whatever I wanted all day long. And I did. MISTAKE, Sarah. I'm not going to go into what I ate - because I'm embarassed, and because that's not what I do, and a lot because I don't want to be reprimanded - but I ate basically throughout the day. I didn't get sick or dump or anything, but I did feel generally yucky. And it didn't really help me enjoy my birthday. NOTE TO SELF: Find other ways to celebrate your birthday. :)
So this morning was my first run in the YMCA 10k training program. (They ran last week, but I was in Charleston. Luckily for me, too, because apparently it was 7 degrees last week. SEVEN. This week it was 52. Much more acceptable) We did 2.5 miles today and I did fine, although my knee was bothering me some at the end. I stayed somewhere in the middle of the huge group (there were like 200 people there!). I definitely got passed a lot, but I passed some people, too - mostly walkers. :) They put us into groups based on our projected finish time. I signed up for a wave that finishes in about 70-75 minutes - about a 12:00 mile. That was the fastest group at the training this morning, which is scary. (I'm signed up for the novice runner group - there are some run/walkers - there's also a walkers group and an intermediate group) I hope I'm not in over my head here. I definitely felt like the fat girl that everyone was looking at going, "Seriously? What is she thinking?" It may not be true, but that doesn't stop me from feeling that way!
I also picked up my schedule for the next 9 weeks and surprisingly enough, the most it ever has us running in training is 6 miles, which it only has us do once two weeks before the race. Then it backs the mileage down until the day of the race, which is 6.2 miles. Does this strike anyone else as odd?
Saturday, December 6, 2008
What 100 pounds feels like - Sarah style
**Author's Note ;) - I've been working on composing this post for a while now. I went back tonight to edit it down to a manageable, readable length. But then I decided not to. Because I want to be able to go back and re-read it and remember how I felt. So, it's awfully wordy - 10 words where 1 will do kind of thing. But that's just me! So feel free to skim/skip at your leisure, as always**
Well, I posted my before and post-100 pound pictures. So I thought I would also post about what losing 100 pounds feels like. I’m always a little leery about posting things like this – things that make it sound like I’ve met my goal. It’s easy to forget that I still have 50 pounds to go. But I want to remember how I felt along the way. And try to enjoy how far I’ve come, because I get very frustrated very easily. So, because I can, here is...
How it feels to lose a 5th grader...
- HARD WORK. It’s cliche, especially in the WLS world, but in no way was this surgery “easy way out”. I don’t know if that’s still the perception among people who don’t know much about it or not.
- There are about 13,782 rules governing all my meals - what to eat, when to eat, how to eat, how much to eat. I can’t ever just not think about it. There is no cheating when I’m frustrated. I can get sick at any time – sometimes I know what caused it, sometimes I don’t. I miss food, and I miss it being easy. Imagine being on an extremely restrictive diet and knowing that you have to do it every meal, every day for the rest of your life.
- I have to exercise. Have to, have to, have to. And it’s a lot of work. I try really hard to push myself. Both to burn those extra calories and to build the muscle that will burn more calories at rest and help me avoid the excess skin.
- I have to be vigilant about vitamins and supplements. At least 5 pills a day, each one 2 hours apart from all of the others.
- Although, just to confuse you (and me) a little bit, and to bring out my multiple personalities it’s also...
- NOT AS BAD AS IT SEEMS. Yes, it’s a lot of work. But people see me eating such a little bit, or not being able to eat things, and are always talking about how bad they feel for me. And really, once I get past the head hunger thing, I don’t really miss it. My little tiny bit of food really is enough for me. I eat it slowly – it often takes me longer than it takes other people to eat their regular size meals – and it feels like a real meal to me. Someone asked me today about cravings and I’ve found that they’re getting less and less. Because when I crave something and eat it, a lot of times it doesn’t taste very good. After a few times of that, it gets easier not to eat it. I know it sounds like I’m contradicting myself. It’s hard to explain. Roll with me here :)
- RUNNING. I talk about this a lot, so I won’t expand on it too much here. But the difference in what I’m able to do when I exercise is amazing. I can run! I can do an entire aerobics class (remember way back when Zumba kicked my butt?). In fact, the other day I did a Zumba class followed by a Body Pump class. And smaller things – I don’t get winded walking up stairs. You can’t imagine how much time I spent when I was bigger trying to hide the fact that I couldn’t breathe after walking just a few stairs.
- SITTING. I’m not as scared to sit in chairs anymore. I had a constant nagging fear of breaking chairs before. Also of spilling over into people’s chairs next to me at church. (Ok, this is still somewhat of a fear) I’m sitting here right now on my sofa cross legged. Earlier I had my knees up in front of me. I can cross my legs. It’s not super easy, but I do it pretty much every time I sit down. As early as this summer, when I was only like 50 pounds down, I rode on an airplane and didn’t need a seatbelt extender. I feel now like I’m almost to the point where I won’t be embarrassed for people who have to sit next to me on planes or buses.
- BAGGY CLOTHES. I have to tell you – I’m getting a little tired of wearing clothes that are too big. Which is strange, because I’ve always worn my clothes fairly big. I can buy clothes that are too small because I know I’ll fit into them soon. It’s amazing how quickly my clothes get to be too big, while at the same time I feel like I haven’t lost enough sizes. (I know, another crazy contradiction from the crazy head of Sarah) Which leads me to...
- FRUSTRATING. It’s hard for me to know what kind of realistic goals to set. Good enough is never good enough for me. I never feel like I’m losing quickly enough, or I’m doing well enough. I get frustrated about the clothes thing frequently – they’re too big, they’re too small, I don’t have enough.... (see the “hard work” point for other frustrations)
- ON DISPLAY. It feels like people are watching me constantly. They’re not obviously – or if they are it’s out of curiosity, not judgement. I can’t blame them because I do the same thing. But still, whether it’s what I’m eating or how I look, I often feel like a sideshow act :) Of course, I bring a lot of that on myself – I talk about my surgery a lot, and I blog my every action and thought. And I don’t mind answering questions or sharing my experiences at all.
- CONFIDENTER. So confident, in fact, that I dare to use the word confidenter instead of more confident.
- COLD. I’m cold. All the time. Very, very cold. Yes, part of it is losing my 100-pound coat. But part of it is my body adjusting to all the changes.
I’m sure there’s other stuff, too. But that’s quite enough for now, don’t you think?
Well, I posted my before and post-100 pound pictures. So I thought I would also post about what losing 100 pounds feels like. I’m always a little leery about posting things like this – things that make it sound like I’ve met my goal. It’s easy to forget that I still have 50 pounds to go. But I want to remember how I felt along the way. And try to enjoy how far I’ve come, because I get very frustrated very easily. So, because I can, here is...
How it feels to lose a 5th grader...
- HARD WORK. It’s cliche, especially in the WLS world, but in no way was this surgery “easy way out”. I don’t know if that’s still the perception among people who don’t know much about it or not.
- There are about 13,782 rules governing all my meals - what to eat, when to eat, how to eat, how much to eat. I can’t ever just not think about it. There is no cheating when I’m frustrated. I can get sick at any time – sometimes I know what caused it, sometimes I don’t. I miss food, and I miss it being easy. Imagine being on an extremely restrictive diet and knowing that you have to do it every meal, every day for the rest of your life.
- I have to exercise. Have to, have to, have to. And it’s a lot of work. I try really hard to push myself. Both to burn those extra calories and to build the muscle that will burn more calories at rest and help me avoid the excess skin.
- I have to be vigilant about vitamins and supplements. At least 5 pills a day, each one 2 hours apart from all of the others.
- Although, just to confuse you (and me) a little bit, and to bring out my multiple personalities it’s also...
- NOT AS BAD AS IT SEEMS. Yes, it’s a lot of work. But people see me eating such a little bit, or not being able to eat things, and are always talking about how bad they feel for me. And really, once I get past the head hunger thing, I don’t really miss it. My little tiny bit of food really is enough for me. I eat it slowly – it often takes me longer than it takes other people to eat their regular size meals – and it feels like a real meal to me. Someone asked me today about cravings and I’ve found that they’re getting less and less. Because when I crave something and eat it, a lot of times it doesn’t taste very good. After a few times of that, it gets easier not to eat it. I know it sounds like I’m contradicting myself. It’s hard to explain. Roll with me here :)
- RUNNING. I talk about this a lot, so I won’t expand on it too much here. But the difference in what I’m able to do when I exercise is amazing. I can run! I can do an entire aerobics class (remember way back when Zumba kicked my butt?). In fact, the other day I did a Zumba class followed by a Body Pump class. And smaller things – I don’t get winded walking up stairs. You can’t imagine how much time I spent when I was bigger trying to hide the fact that I couldn’t breathe after walking just a few stairs.
- SITTING. I’m not as scared to sit in chairs anymore. I had a constant nagging fear of breaking chairs before. Also of spilling over into people’s chairs next to me at church. (Ok, this is still somewhat of a fear) I’m sitting here right now on my sofa cross legged. Earlier I had my knees up in front of me. I can cross my legs. It’s not super easy, but I do it pretty much every time I sit down. As early as this summer, when I was only like 50 pounds down, I rode on an airplane and didn’t need a seatbelt extender. I feel now like I’m almost to the point where I won’t be embarrassed for people who have to sit next to me on planes or buses.
- BAGGY CLOTHES. I have to tell you – I’m getting a little tired of wearing clothes that are too big. Which is strange, because I’ve always worn my clothes fairly big. I can buy clothes that are too small because I know I’ll fit into them soon. It’s amazing how quickly my clothes get to be too big, while at the same time I feel like I haven’t lost enough sizes. (I know, another crazy contradiction from the crazy head of Sarah) Which leads me to...
- FRUSTRATING. It’s hard for me to know what kind of realistic goals to set. Good enough is never good enough for me. I never feel like I’m losing quickly enough, or I’m doing well enough. I get frustrated about the clothes thing frequently – they’re too big, they’re too small, I don’t have enough.... (see the “hard work” point for other frustrations)
- ON DISPLAY. It feels like people are watching me constantly. They’re not obviously – or if they are it’s out of curiosity, not judgement. I can’t blame them because I do the same thing. But still, whether it’s what I’m eating or how I look, I often feel like a sideshow act :) Of course, I bring a lot of that on myself – I talk about my surgery a lot, and I blog my every action and thought. And I don’t mind answering questions or sharing my experiences at all.
- CONFIDENTER. So confident, in fact, that I dare to use the word confidenter instead of more confident.
- COLD. I’m cold. All the time. Very, very cold. Yes, part of it is losing my 100-pound coat. But part of it is my body adjusting to all the changes.
I’m sure there’s other stuff, too. But that’s quite enough for now, don’t you think?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Some thoughts from the head of me!
I met with my nut, Pam, again today. She was pleased with how I've been doing and even said that she thought she was too hard on me last time. (She wasn't, by the way - I needed to hear it. I honestly had thought I was doing ok but I wasn't) She gave me a lot of new helpful suggestions. *note here - none of these suggestions were for foods that I hate followed by "just try it". This was my old nut's way. This is why I no longer see her* She's very sweet and non-judgemental, which makes it easier for me to be as honest with her as I can, which makes it easier for her to help me. So it's good all around. I told her today that I worried that I never hear from anyone else who is not completely in love with their WLS. I tend to be pretty honest about admitting my doubts and frustrations about my surgery. And she told me that there are other people who feel that way, they just don't go to support groups and follow up appointments like I do. So that made me feel good. I'm going to keep fighting for this!
I'm still so tired it's almost dangerous for me to drive, but I went to bed earlier last night and I'm headed that way tonight as well. I need to give this "getting enough sleep" thing a legitimate shot. ;)
I'm still so tired it's almost dangerous for me to drive, but I went to bed earlier last night and I'm headed that way tonight as well. I need to give this "getting enough sleep" thing a legitimate shot. ;)
Monday, October 13, 2008
A Busy Weekend
I've been doing much better these past 2 weeks with my food choices and I hope when I go back to see Pam (my nutritionist) tomorrow that she'll be pleased. I know the weight has been coming off faster, although the last few days it's slowed down again some. I'm working on being ok with that :)
My big complaint at the moment is that I'm SOOOO tired. All the time. I just can't seem to shake it. I feel asleep at my desk on Wednesday and I feel like I crash every chance I get. I don't know if I'm a little sick, if I'm not getting enough sleep, or if I'm missing some vitamin or something that I need. I don't want to jump to conclusions or be paranoid about it, but I'm tempted to call Dr. Elliot and ask him to go ahead and do my bloodwork just to check. He said he would do it at 6 months, which would be January. Maybe this week I'll just focus on getting to bed early and see if that helps.
My big complaint at the moment is that I'm SOOOO tired. All the time. I just can't seem to shake it. I feel asleep at my desk on Wednesday and I feel like I crash every chance I get. I don't know if I'm a little sick, if I'm not getting enough sleep, or if I'm missing some vitamin or something that I need. I don't want to jump to conclusions or be paranoid about it, but I'm tempted to call Dr. Elliot and ask him to go ahead and do my bloodwork just to check. He said he would do it at 6 months, which would be January. Maybe this week I'll just focus on getting to bed early and see if that helps.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Great Beach Retreat
(This was part of a longer post about my weekend at a beach retreat with my Sunday School class)
I haven't posted about my meeting with Pam, the nutritionist, last Tuesday. But we're talking about changing a lot of things about the way I eat and I've been working pretty hard at it. I did pretty well this weekend. I took some things to eat/drink, but tried not to make a big deal out of it. I told some people about the surgery when it came up, but not everyone. I really don't mind talking about it, but I don't want people to feel like they have to listen to me go on about it, know what I mean? Sat. afternoon I did get sick and that was pretty miserable - especially since all of the bathrooms were occupied by people showering after an afternoon at the beach.
I haven't posted about my meeting with Pam, the nutritionist, last Tuesday. But we're talking about changing a lot of things about the way I eat and I've been working pretty hard at it. I did pretty well this weekend. I took some things to eat/drink, but tried not to make a big deal out of it. I told some people about the surgery when it came up, but not everyone. I really don't mind talking about it, but I don't want people to feel like they have to listen to me go on about it, know what I mean? Sat. afternoon I did get sick and that was pretty miserable - especially since all of the bathrooms were occupied by people showering after an afternoon at the beach.
Monday, September 29, 2008
3 month follow-up
I also went for my 3 month follow-up appointment today. I had lost 17 pounds since my last appointment a month ago, bringing my total lost to 81 pounds. I, as usual, was frustrated with that but my dr. was pleased. He said that starting month 3 (which this past one was for me), bypass patients should lose 15-20 pounds a month. This is not fast enough to satisfy me! Of course, I think I'm starting to feel about losing weight the way that one of the Rockefellers did about money. Someone asked him once how much money was enough and he answered (quite cleverly, I thought), "Just a little bit more" So I need to watch that I don't drive myself crazy over this. I have a family reunion at the beginning of November though, and I really want to have lost 100 pounds by then. It's 6 weeks away so that's a fairly realistic goal, but I'm definitely going to have to work on it. Although to be honest with you, most of my family there probably won't even notice I've lost weight. A lot of them are 2nd cousins and such and at the last family reunion I was actually at my lowest weight with Weight Watchers, and I should be right around that weight again. Which means, yes, in the last 5 years I have gained and lost 100 pounds. How scary is that? (well, not quite yet but you see what I'm getting at)
So I took my food journal in to show my dr., even though I really didn't want to. I know that I haven't been making the best food choices and I'm frustrated with myself about it. I exercise, I get in my water, I take my supplements, I eat appropriate portions - I'm just not choosing the best foods. Which was my problem pre-op, too. He acknowledged that but was much nicer than I thought I had a right to expect. He focused a lot on the weight that I've lost and the things that are going well and said, "Well, you can't argue with the weight loss" Not that he let me slide on it - he talked about what I should be doing and tomorrow I see the nut and have to really face the music there. She's very nice, too. I don't know why it is that I have so much trouble with this. It seems so easy when we talk about it, but then I drag myself through another day and it's all I can do to get off the couch and eat anything at all. I know all the good things to do - cook ahead, plan meals, only keep healthy things in the house, even just forcing myself to cook something and it's never as big a deal as I make it out to be. I guess I'm just a crazy whack job. But I have come a long way. The choices I'm making now, while not great, are way better than what I was making last year at this time. So I just have to keep working at it. Like Dr. E. said today, I need to develop good habits now b/c in 5 years the surgery won't be helping me so much and it will be up to me to keep the weight off. I know I talk about this a lot - and at length.
Tonight I went and took a Zumba class at the gym! I did this once way back in the spring when I had to wear my heart monitor. I remember that I had such a hard time getting my heart rate down where it was supposed to be - the class kicked my butt. Tonight I definitely worked, but I didn't die! If you're not familiar with Zumba, then clearly you've been living under a rock. The Zumba craze kind of reminds me of the Tae-Bo craze 10 years ago. (I bought into that one, too - I had the tapes! Go Billy Blanks!) It's like a dance class with salsa, belly dancing, Latin moves, stuff like that. It's really loud and high energy and fun - and a lot of work. My class tonight had probably 50-75 people crammed into it. That's a lot of people to hide behind, and trust me - there will be someone there less coordinated than you. There was a man in his 50s in our class tonight! But you can't really be shy and do Zumba - and it would probably be better if you had some dance experience. Or some rhythm. So, if you were not me. But as much as I stress about it, no one is there to watch me. I know you find that hard to believe, but I've come to learn it's true. I'll probably go back. Anybody want to Zumba with me? (If you get the chance to take a class with Angela at American Family West End, I highly recommend her)
So I took my food journal in to show my dr., even though I really didn't want to. I know that I haven't been making the best food choices and I'm frustrated with myself about it. I exercise, I get in my water, I take my supplements, I eat appropriate portions - I'm just not choosing the best foods. Which was my problem pre-op, too. He acknowledged that but was much nicer than I thought I had a right to expect. He focused a lot on the weight that I've lost and the things that are going well and said, "Well, you can't argue with the weight loss" Not that he let me slide on it - he talked about what I should be doing and tomorrow I see the nut and have to really face the music there. She's very nice, too. I don't know why it is that I have so much trouble with this. It seems so easy when we talk about it, but then I drag myself through another day and it's all I can do to get off the couch and eat anything at all. I know all the good things to do - cook ahead, plan meals, only keep healthy things in the house, even just forcing myself to cook something and it's never as big a deal as I make it out to be. I guess I'm just a crazy whack job. But I have come a long way. The choices I'm making now, while not great, are way better than what I was making last year at this time. So I just have to keep working at it. Like Dr. E. said today, I need to develop good habits now b/c in 5 years the surgery won't be helping me so much and it will be up to me to keep the weight off. I know I talk about this a lot - and at length.
Tonight I went and took a Zumba class at the gym! I did this once way back in the spring when I had to wear my heart monitor. I remember that I had such a hard time getting my heart rate down where it was supposed to be - the class kicked my butt. Tonight I definitely worked, but I didn't die! If you're not familiar with Zumba, then clearly you've been living under a rock. The Zumba craze kind of reminds me of the Tae-Bo craze 10 years ago. (I bought into that one, too - I had the tapes! Go Billy Blanks!) It's like a dance class with salsa, belly dancing, Latin moves, stuff like that. It's really loud and high energy and fun - and a lot of work. My class tonight had probably 50-75 people crammed into it. That's a lot of people to hide behind, and trust me - there will be someone there less coordinated than you. There was a man in his 50s in our class tonight! But you can't really be shy and do Zumba - and it would probably be better if you had some dance experience. Or some rhythm. So, if you were not me. But as much as I stress about it, no one is there to watch me. I know you find that hard to believe, but I've come to learn it's true. I'll probably go back. Anybody want to Zumba with me? (If you get the chance to take a class with Angela at American Family West End, I highly recommend her)
Monday, September 15, 2008
Be glad you can't see me right now...
I'm really sweaty and gross. Really gross. I took a picture to show you, then vetoed it as un-bloggable.
I always think that's a great way to start off a post, don't you? More people should do that. Maybe I should lead a blog school.
Anyway, I just got back from using the trail around my apt. complex. And I'm proud to say that I did a jog/walk combo for most of it. I'm not going to say I jogged half of it, but I did do a significant portion which is fairly amazing for me. I literally used to run like 3 steps and feel like I was going to die. If you have never been really fat, you may think that is an exaggeration, but it isn't. I did about 3 miles in 40 minutes, which for those of you keeping track (i.e., me) is an average of about 4.5 miles an hour. When I started out, I was doing about 3 mph. So that's exciting. And encouraging for me because I'm going through a "I can't see the weight loss" phase right now that's pretty discouraging. But I am definitely seeing an improvement in my exercising, which is good motivation for me to keep doing it.
I've been hungry today, which is strange. It's hard for me to know if it's real hunger or just a habit of being hungry in the afternoon after school. Sometimes I don't feel like I eat enough - it almost seems like the weight comes off better when I eat a little more. But most of the time I feel like I eat as much as an average person does. I probably don't, but it seems like it. There was a girl at my school last year who had this surgery (she's not there anymore), and everyone keeps explaining to me how little she ate. Which makes me feel like they think I'm eating more than that and I shouldn't be. Whatever. I'm working on keeping a food journal to take to the doc and the nut this month, so we'll see what they have to say.
I always think that's a great way to start off a post, don't you? More people should do that. Maybe I should lead a blog school.
Anyway, I just got back from using the trail around my apt. complex. And I'm proud to say that I did a jog/walk combo for most of it. I'm not going to say I jogged half of it, but I did do a significant portion which is fairly amazing for me. I literally used to run like 3 steps and feel like I was going to die. If you have never been really fat, you may think that is an exaggeration, but it isn't. I did about 3 miles in 40 minutes, which for those of you keeping track (i.e., me) is an average of about 4.5 miles an hour. When I started out, I was doing about 3 mph. So that's exciting. And encouraging for me because I'm going through a "I can't see the weight loss" phase right now that's pretty discouraging. But I am definitely seeing an improvement in my exercising, which is good motivation for me to keep doing it.
I've been hungry today, which is strange. It's hard for me to know if it's real hunger or just a habit of being hungry in the afternoon after school. Sometimes I don't feel like I eat enough - it almost seems like the weight comes off better when I eat a little more. But most of the time I feel like I eat as much as an average person does. I probably don't, but it seems like it. There was a girl at my school last year who had this surgery (she's not there anymore), and everyone keeps explaining to me how little she ate. Which makes me feel like they think I'm eating more than that and I shouldn't be. Whatever. I'm working on keeping a food journal to take to the doc and the nut this month, so we'll see what they have to say.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Back to Real Life
I continue to be frustrated with my weight loss. I'm losing about 2 pounds a week, which is actually pretty good weight loss if I was doing Weight Watchers. However, one of the reasons that I chose this particular surgery is that I'm impatient. And it's a lot harder than WW. So it should be coming off faster. I'm trying not to get too frustrated and be patient, but it's hard. I'm eating real food now, which I love, but it comes with some challenges of its own. While in Charleston, I ate things that I'm allowed to eat, but I didn't make the best choices I could possibly make. Does that make sense? I didn't cheat, per se, but I could have done better. Another hard thing was eating slowly when I was with my family. I got food stuck after a lot of meals, which isn't fun. I actually threw up on the street in Charleston, which was totally embarassing. It just came out of nowhere.
That was yesterday, and food hasn't been sitting very well since. It's weird - I get hungry and then as soon as I get to the point where I'm going to eat, I don't want to eat it at all. Tonight I went over to a friend's house and I ate some chicken - just a little bit of chicken breast on the grill. I've been eating chicken for a long time now! But boy did I pay for it tonight. I was back and forth to the bathroom. I threw up 4 times, which is unheard of for me. I couldn't imagine that there was anything left in there to throw up! I had my papaya pills, and they helped some but it finally just took time. I have no idea why it happened - the only thing I can figure is that the chicken was too dry. (Not an insult to the cook, by the way!) They were cooking with barbeque sauce, and made mine without it b/c of the sugar in bbq. He seasoned it - it tasted good! - but maybe I need to make sure there's something giving it more moisture. Who knows.
Here's a little warning, which is going to contain TMI, so feel free to skip:
After surgery, pay attention to your poop. If you haven't gone for a few days, you're going to want to take some fiber or something. Don't just not pay attention and ignore it. Because eventually, it's going to want to come out. And it's going to hurt.
That was yesterday, and food hasn't been sitting very well since. It's weird - I get hungry and then as soon as I get to the point where I'm going to eat, I don't want to eat it at all. Tonight I went over to a friend's house and I ate some chicken - just a little bit of chicken breast on the grill. I've been eating chicken for a long time now! But boy did I pay for it tonight. I was back and forth to the bathroom. I threw up 4 times, which is unheard of for me. I couldn't imagine that there was anything left in there to throw up! I had my papaya pills, and they helped some but it finally just took time. I have no idea why it happened - the only thing I can figure is that the chicken was too dry. (Not an insult to the cook, by the way!) They were cooking with barbeque sauce, and made mine without it b/c of the sugar in bbq. He seasoned it - it tasted good! - but maybe I need to make sure there's something giving it more moisture. Who knows.
Here's a little warning, which is going to contain TMI, so feel free to skip:
After surgery, pay attention to your poop. If you haven't gone for a few days, you're going to want to take some fiber or something. Don't just not pay attention and ignore it. Because eventually, it's going to want to come out. And it's going to hurt.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
A Good Day :)
So today - a whole day of feeling normal! Woo-hoo! I ate normal people food and didn't feel nauseous all the time. I'm excited about it, and hoping that it continues. Of course, I got carried away and ate too much at dinner - a whole 1/2 cup! - and that was a mistake. So I'm learning as I go. Tonight's lesson - measure your food. Eat slowly. And STOP. But that's what these first few months are about.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
***Warning - May contain TMI***
I'm going to post briefly b/c I am not feeling well at all - however, if people are considering this surgery they need to know everything that goes with it.
I'm still feeling nauseous all the time, and eating and/or drinking seem to make it worse. It's making me exhausted and very, very cranky. I'm wishing that I had never done this in the first place. As my sister pointed out, if this were Weight Watchers and I felt this way I could just cheat. But I can't. I'll get sick. And I know that's why I chose this surgery still....
So if you've looked into WLS surgery at all you've probably heard of a phenomenon called "dumping",which by the way is a name that I hate. I "dumped" yesterday for the first time. I had gone out to a Mexican restaurant with some friends, and I ordered a quesadilla with chicken. I ate just a little bit of the shredded chicken and cheese, which I figured would be fine since basically all I've eaten the past 2 weeks are eggs, chicken, and cheese. But I guess the restaurant cheese had a lot more fat than the cheese I use at home b/c a little while later I was in my friend's bathroom. I felt like elephants were stomping on my stomach, I was sweating like crazy, I was shaking, and I didn't know which end to point at the toilet ;) I stayed that way for about 20 minutes. It was awful, and left me feeling worn out and weak.
I'm just so freakin' tired of feeling bad and not being able to eat things. When you feel nauseous, what do you do? Well, you can drink some ginger ale. No can do - no carbonation allowed. You can eat some crackers - no can do. No bread or crackers allowed. You don't keep eating and drinking stuff - no can do. Have to get a minimum in. So I could go on and on ranting about how sick and angry and frustrated I feel, but I won't.
This is why - first of all, who wants to read that? Second of all - and it pains me at this moment to write this - it will pass. I know it will. I know that lots and lots of people feel this way at this point after surgery (especially the what have I done? thing. I don't know about the nausea.) Ok, off to feel sorry for myself some more.... :)
P.S. - Added later - I wanted to add that I have yet to actually throw up since the surgery. I've wanted to - plenty of times. But I haven't. I very rarely do, as a rule. But if I had a stricture, a serious concern post-op, I would be actually throwing up everything I ate or drink. So it's good to know that's not the problem. And, by the way, I'm updating this at 11:30 at night when I should be in bed because I'm too nauseous to lie down quite yet...
I'm still feeling nauseous all the time, and eating and/or drinking seem to make it worse. It's making me exhausted and very, very cranky. I'm wishing that I had never done this in the first place. As my sister pointed out, if this were Weight Watchers and I felt this way I could just cheat. But I can't. I'll get sick. And I know that's why I chose this surgery still....
So if you've looked into WLS surgery at all you've probably heard of a phenomenon called "dumping",which by the way is a name that I hate. I "dumped" yesterday for the first time. I had gone out to a Mexican restaurant with some friends, and I ordered a quesadilla with chicken. I ate just a little bit of the shredded chicken and cheese, which I figured would be fine since basically all I've eaten the past 2 weeks are eggs, chicken, and cheese. But I guess the restaurant cheese had a lot more fat than the cheese I use at home b/c a little while later I was in my friend's bathroom. I felt like elephants were stomping on my stomach, I was sweating like crazy, I was shaking, and I didn't know which end to point at the toilet ;) I stayed that way for about 20 minutes. It was awful, and left me feeling worn out and weak.
I'm just so freakin' tired of feeling bad and not being able to eat things. When you feel nauseous, what do you do? Well, you can drink some ginger ale. No can do - no carbonation allowed. You can eat some crackers - no can do. No bread or crackers allowed. You don't keep eating and drinking stuff - no can do. Have to get a minimum in. So I could go on and on ranting about how sick and angry and frustrated I feel, but I won't.
This is why - first of all, who wants to read that? Second of all - and it pains me at this moment to write this - it will pass. I know it will. I know that lots and lots of people feel this way at this point after surgery (especially the what have I done? thing. I don't know about the nausea.) Ok, off to feel sorry for myself some more.... :)
P.S. - Added later - I wanted to add that I have yet to actually throw up since the surgery. I've wanted to - plenty of times. But I haven't. I very rarely do, as a rule. But if I had a stricture, a serious concern post-op, I would be actually throwing up everything I ate or drink. So it's good to know that's not the problem. And, by the way, I'm updating this at 11:30 at night when I should be in bed because I'm too nauseous to lie down quite yet...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
1 month checkup
Ok, well it hasn't technically been a whole month...more like 4 weeks tomorrow. But I went back to see Dr. E today, and I met with Pam, the nutritionist as well. Let me remind you that I am smack in the middle of the why-in-the-world-did-I-do-this-crazy-thing-I'll-never-make-it-
when-can-I-eat-real-food-like-a-normal-person doldrums, in addition to constant nausea. Yesterday I got a sudden pain across my abdomen that was killer bad. I waited it out about 20 minutes and finally took some of my pain medicine and slept it off. So when I got to Dr. E's office and was meeting with his awesome nurse, Michaela, and she weighed me and I found out that I have only lost 6 pounds in the last 2 weeks...... let's just say it took all the strength I had to sit in the exam room waiting for Dr. Elliot and not bawl. But Dr. E said that was a total of 27 pounds the first month (53 pounds lost now total), which was average for the RNY (Since when has average ever made me happy?) and that it was just my body adjusting and getting used to the changes. So he didn't seem worried about it. Me? Worried. Stressed. Unhappy. In other dr. appt. related news...
when-can-I-eat-real-food-like-a-normal-person doldrums, in addition to constant nausea. Yesterday I got a sudden pain across my abdomen that was killer bad. I waited it out about 20 minutes and finally took some of my pain medicine and slept it off. So when I got to Dr. E's office and was meeting with his awesome nurse, Michaela, and she weighed me and I found out that I have only lost 6 pounds in the last 2 weeks...... let's just say it took all the strength I had to sit in the exam room waiting for Dr. Elliot and not bawl. But Dr. E said that was a total of 27 pounds the first month (53 pounds lost now total), which was average for the RNY (Since when has average ever made me happy?) and that it was just my body adjusting and getting used to the changes. So he didn't seem worried about it. Me? Worried. Stressed. Unhappy. In other dr. appt. related news...
- ****WARNING***** This bullet may contain a little TMI for some of you. You may want to skip to the next one. Dr. E thought that my stomach pain could be from a number of things, but that it wasn't worth worrying about (clearly he wasn't the one doubled over in pain :) ) unless it happens repeatedly. Michaela, the nurse, said that it could be from constipation and suggested that I start taking Benefiber. So I am. See, that wasn't too bad now was it?
- As for the nausea, Dr.E said that wasn't terribly unusual, but that some patients got nauseous from the Actigall that I'm taking. So he said to stop taking it for a week and see if it improves. Although I don't know what he's going to do if it does help, b/c I'm supposed to take this stuff for 6 months. Maybe there's something else he can give me? We'll see.
- Dr. E and Pam were both pleased with what I'm eating - how much protein and liquids I'm getting in, etc. I talked with Pam for a long time about ideas for things that I can do once school starts b/c it's going to be much harder when I have to get up and get out the door, and pack my lunch.
- Next Monday I get to go to solid foods! Wooo-hooo! Pam suggested still staying with softer foods, but a whole world of food choices are going to open up to me :) I don't even know yet what I'll eat. But I can't wait.
- Dr. E didn't look at my incisions, which I thought was strange. But I didn't think of it until after I left.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
I posted earlier about not getting all of my protein in, and Dawn had a good question. She wondered how I was not getting it in when 2 protein shakes should easily meet my requirement for the day. Here's the answer - and when I go to see the dr. for my 1 month follow-up on Tuesday I'm going to double-check on this - my surgeon wants me to eat 3 meals a day and nothing else. He will (grudgingly :) ) allow one small snack mid-afternoon if I have a long time between lunch and dinner. He counts a protein shake as a meal, not as part of the liquids that I do during the day. So I've been trying to eat actual food rather than protein shakes - mostly because I like it better :), but also because long term that's what I need to be doing and what my doctor prefers. So I'm not doing many protein shakes at this point. I have been doing one for breakfast a lot of days, and that's helping. The past few days I have gotten to my protein and water goals, which is good. I worry some that Dr. E. only asks me to get in 40 g of protein, while Pam (the nutritionist) said 60, so I try and go higher than 40 when I can. I have to keep reminding myself that he's the doctor and I'm not.... a little bit of knowledge can be a bad thing :)
I'm still feeling kind of generally run-down and nauseous. Not in a hugely major way, more in an annoyance kind of way. I'm exhausted, but having a lot of trouble sleeping. Last night (now, don't fuss at me. I know I shouldn't do this and am NOT going to do it again - it was a one time thing) I was so tired that I took some of my pain medicine just to help me sleep. It was awesome. I conked out quickly and was dead to the world for 9 hours. I really needed that! I also have nausea medication that Dr. E prescribed for me when I left the hospital, but I haven't taken any of that yet. I think that makes you sleepy, too, and I just haven't felt like I feel bad enough to take it. I'm going to talk to him about all of this on Tuesday,when I go to see him. I have been trying to notice if I feel worse after I eat certain things, and I haven't noticed anything. Just a general feeling worse in the morning.
I'm also in the "Dear-God-what-have-I-done-this-is-insane" stage where I'm totally freaked out and a little regretting that I had the surgery. However, from what I understand almost everyone experiences this at about this point, so I'm confident that it will pass. Probably when I start noticing significant weight loss. I'm still at the point where I can hardly tell. I'm wearing all the same clothes, although they're a little big. But I still feel like 50 pounds down they should be bigger than they are. Patience, Sarah, patience!
I'm still feeling kind of generally run-down and nauseous. Not in a hugely major way, more in an annoyance kind of way. I'm exhausted, but having a lot of trouble sleeping. Last night (now, don't fuss at me. I know I shouldn't do this and am NOT going to do it again - it was a one time thing) I was so tired that I took some of my pain medicine just to help me sleep. It was awesome. I conked out quickly and was dead to the world for 9 hours. I really needed that! I also have nausea medication that Dr. E prescribed for me when I left the hospital, but I haven't taken any of that yet. I think that makes you sleepy, too, and I just haven't felt like I feel bad enough to take it. I'm going to talk to him about all of this on Tuesday,when I go to see him. I have been trying to notice if I feel worse after I eat certain things, and I haven't noticed anything. Just a general feeling worse in the morning.
I'm also in the "Dear-God-what-have-I-done-this-is-insane" stage where I'm totally freaked out and a little regretting that I had the surgery. However, from what I understand almost everyone experiences this at about this point, so I'm confident that it will pass. Probably when I start noticing significant weight loss. I'm still at the point where I can hardly tell. I'm wearing all the same clothes, although they're a little big. But I still feel like 50 pounds down they should be bigger than they are. Patience, Sarah, patience!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
3 week post-op tidbits and observations
- I rarely feel hungry - more like I eat because I'm supposed to, measure it, and eat how much I'm supposed to. On the flip side, I don't really feel full either. I do have "head hunger" quite often where I really want particular foods, though.
- I've found that water doesn't sit in my stomach very well, especially in the morning. By evening I can usually tolerate it. If I add any kind of flavor to it, though, I'm fine. Even sipping throughout the day, it's hard to get in my 64 oz. If I drink too fast, it hurts! It kind of feels like someone is stepping on my chest.
- Interestingly enough, I tolerate protein shakes better in the morning than I do in the evening.
- It's hard to get in 40-60 grams of protein when your total food intake for the day is only 3/4 of a cup! (40 is what my surgeon says, 60 is from the nutritionist)
- I've been dizzy a lot more since surgery. You know how when you stand up too fast you get dizzy for a minute? That happens to me almost every time I stand up now. Weird.
- My incisions look awesome. The lowest one is the worst, because my clothes rub against it. It's REALLY hard for me not to pick at them!
- For the most part, I feel as good as I did pre-op, energy wise. I still get tired a little bit easier, though. It seems like so long ago - it's hard to remember that I'm still just 3 weeks out!
- I have take Zantac (an antacid, to prevent acid in my stomach while it's still healing - this lasts for 30 days), Actigall (to prevent gallstones since they are often caused by rapid weight loss - this lasts for 6 months), chewable Flinstones Complete vitamins, and Viactiv for calcium each twice a day. The Actigall, vitamin, and viactiv all have to be taken at least 2 hours apart from each other. The Zantac can be taken with the vitamin or the viactiv, but not the Actigall. So basically every 2 hours I have to take some sort of pill. This is much harder than it seems to remember to do. In fact, right now I just realized I've missed one. *sigh* I put all 6 pills in a little baggie at the beginning of the day to help me keep track of what I've taken and what I haven't. I need a better system. Maybe a watch with an alarm?
Today, however, I have not felt so good. I can't imagine that it was leftover from this weekend, so I don't know what it is. I've felt nauseous and a little crampy most of the day. Not serious, call-the-doctor-sick, just yucky. In fact, I never ate lunch and I'm having problems getting my water in. That may be the problem. I had my shake at breakfast and that's all I've had today. I may just have another shake for dinner and go back to liquids until this passes. I also went back to the gym today (yay!) and swam laps. I swam a whole mile - it took me about 50 minutes - and that may have been too much. I felt fine while I was doing it, but when I got out I was definitely sore and exhausted. This heat probably has me run down, too.
With all those negatives, here's something that I have been doing well post-op - eating very slowly, taking very tiny bites, and chewing my food nearly to death. When I ate with my family, my little 1/4 cup (using those little white prep bowls I posted a picture of a few days ago) usually took me longer than it took them to eat their whole meal!
Alright now, be cute one and all!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
soft foods
So I've been able to "eat" again for 2 days, and I'm already over it :) Ok, to be fair I haven't exactly branched out yet. I've basically had eggs and cheese. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad to have them. And I have a whole list of other things I need to try. It's just inconvenient. It's hard for me to be patient enough with this thing. Dr. E says that my pouch is still swollen and needs mushy foods only to help it heal. And I believe him, I just.....am anxious. To see results, and to be released from all of these food restrictions. (There are some lifetime food restrictions involved, obviously, that I came to terms with long ago. )
I think I'm tired tonight, and that's contributing to my frustration. I spent most of the day playing games with my friend Theresa and her awesome son Cameron, then went to the pool and played games with some other friends. So while it wasn't exactly a stressful day :), it was full.
I think I'm tired tonight, and that's contributing to my frustration. I spent most of the day playing games with my friend Theresa and her awesome son Cameron, then went to the pool and played games with some other friends. So while it wasn't exactly a stressful day :), it was full.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Thunderstorms and Oatmeal
We've had periodic thunderstorms the last few days and I'm loving that as well. They're a double blessing these days b/c I enjoy watching them and when it's not bright and sunny I'm not as sad about the fact that I can't go hang out in the pool.
Plus - tonight I ate oatmeal!!!! It took me about 45 minutes to get the whole bowl down. (I'm using a toddler spoon, which I fill about 1/3 full for each bite) Which is fine except that the oatmeal was cold by the time I got to the end. Which is not quite as yummy as hot oatmeal.... Still, it felt like food and not a protein shake. Isn't it odd that oatmeal is considered a liquid?
Plus - tonight I ate oatmeal!!!! It took me about 45 minutes to get the whole bowl down. (I'm using a toddler spoon, which I fill about 1/3 full for each bite) Which is fine except that the oatmeal was cold by the time I got to the end. Which is not quite as yummy as hot oatmeal.... Still, it felt like food and not a protein shake. Isn't it odd that oatmeal is considered a liquid?
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Press On
I'm tired tonight.
I've been trying to find the balance between resuming a normal life - which is good for me! - and respecting the fact that I had major surgery less than a week ago. So, I think I did too much. And I ate lunch late which made dinner late ("lunch" and "dinner" being code names for "protein shakes") Being tired makes me easily frustrated - such as with the fact that it feels like a long time before I'm going to be able to eat again.
Game Club was tonight, which was fun of course, but it was late when I came home. On the way home, I heard a song on the radio. The chorus went something like this:
And that's how I feel right now - like I'm just pressing on. But it was a reminder to me that I prayed long and hard before committing to this surgery and decided that it was the right thing for me. I feel confident that, for whatever reason, this is where God's plan for me leads. So that knowledge made it easier to press on. Not easy. Just easier.
I put on some of my favorite Christian music as well, which always makes me feel better. Music is always my favorite part of church, and I am so thankful for Christian artists. Tonight I went to two of my favorites - East to West by Casting Crowns and My Jesus by Todd Agnew. So tomorrow is a new day and I will try to keep the balance better.
I've been trying to find the balance between resuming a normal life - which is good for me! - and respecting the fact that I had major surgery less than a week ago. So, I think I did too much. And I ate lunch late which made dinner late ("lunch" and "dinner" being code names for "protein shakes") Being tired makes me easily frustrated - such as with the fact that it feels like a long time before I'm going to be able to eat again.
Game Club was tonight, which was fun of course, but it was late when I came home. On the way home, I heard a song on the radio. The chorus went something like this:
"In Jesus name, we press on
Dear God,
With our eyes on the prize
We find the strength
To press on"
Dear God,
With our eyes on the prize
We find the strength
To press on"
And that's how I feel right now - like I'm just pressing on. But it was a reminder to me that I prayed long and hard before committing to this surgery and decided that it was the right thing for me. I feel confident that, for whatever reason, this is where God's plan for me leads. So that knowledge made it easier to press on. Not easy. Just easier.
I put on some of my favorite Christian music as well, which always makes me feel better. Music is always my favorite part of church, and I am so thankful for Christian artists. Tonight I went to two of my favorites - East to West by Casting Crowns and My Jesus by Todd Agnew. So tomorrow is a new day and I will try to keep the balance better.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Mom's gone :(
Well, I really loved having my mom here to help me out post-op. She has been wonderful, doing everything for me - and I mean everything. Plus, I had a good time with her. But she went home today. She was supposed to start back to school today, so she had already missed one day of pre-school week. If I was feeling bad, she would have stayed another day, but....
I'm feeling great. I am really doing very well. There's a slight ache in my stomach most of the time - it gets worse when I walk briskly - but that's it. I haven't had any pain medicine in a few days, so I can drive. I even slept on my stomach the past two nights! I do get tired more easily when I go walking, so I'm trying to take it fairly easy while still walking regularly per my doc's instructions. He wants me to walk at least 4 times a day, 10 minutes at a time which is totally doable. Sometimes I do stuff around the house or go shopping to count for my walks, and sometimes I walk the path around my apt. complex.
So my goals now, in addition to the walking, the breathing into the incentive spirometer, taking my temperature twice a day and taking my medications, are to get in my fluids and my protein. I've been doing protein shakes (think Slim-Fast),which are going ok. I'm supposed to do 3 a day as my meals. Slim-Fast high protein is my favorite so far, and my nutritionist told us that we could add 1/4 c. of Eggbeaters to it to make it creamier. I tried this, and it was good - plus added 6 g. of protein, which I needed. Our shakes are supposed to be about 20 g. and that one is only 15. So I think I'm going to keep going the Eggbeaters route - extra protein, better texture, and tasteless - that's a win, win, win as far as I'm concerned!
I can also add unflavored protein powder to strained creamed soups or oatmeal, which are allowed on my full liquid diet. But, as one of my favorite bloggers, Eggface, points out - unflavored does not mean tasteless. It means not chocolate or vanilla. So it does add a little bit of a taste. Worse, it adds a bad aftertaste. And I put it in my Magic Bullet to mix it up so it wasn't lumpy, and it made it really frothy which was gross. So I attempted this last night with some broccoli cheese soup and I Magic Bulleted it for a long time and it was really frothy and really gross. So then I tried a protein shake sample that I had that was supposed to be "Roadside Lemonade". Again, I hit the bullet too long and it was way frothy which made it gross. I had a little breakdown about getting my protein in. I tried some protein water a friend had brought me but couldn't get much of that down either. So, on my first day of full liquids I got in about 2/3 of my protein. Today at lunch I tried again - this time with potato soup, and I only bulleted it for about 2 sec. Much less froth, and this time I got about half of it down. I couldn't finish it, so I had some milk later to get the protein count back up. (my doctor wants us to drink milk - some drs. don't) Mostly I'm thinking, though - for right now, I'm fine with the protein shakes so why push this? The shakes are what my dr. recommends, I'm fine with drinking them, and it's way easier so........ maybe I was just bored. :) If I get really tired of the liquid diet, I may just have some soups as part of my liquids, which is ok, but not try to use them to get the protein in.
I have to be sipping pretty much constantly to get my fluids in, which is tough. But I'm working on it. My initial goal is 48 oz. and I'm hitting that every day, but my ultimate goal is 64 oz. and I'm not there yet. I don't know when I'm supposed to hit that 64.
I do find that I miss food some - it's all in my head, I know. Like when my dad brought my grandmothers to visit yesterday and they all had pizza for lunch. And I couldn't even pinch off a piece of cheese! I miss the food and the social aspect of being able to go out to eat - I know this is silly b/c I've only been home from the hospital 3 days. Still, I've been mourning it a little bit. But, soon enough I'll be able to eat again. Knowing that this is a temporary thing, and that I WILL be able to eat again is getting me through it. Also, knowing that most WLS patients go through this "head hunger" makes me feel more normal. It's hard for me not to want to just hit the FF button and be 6 months down the road - having lost a good amount of weight, and comfortable enough with what I can and can't eat to be in a good routine. But it will get here, I know.
My good friends in Richmond are coming over tonight to play game with me. Bless them! I'm off to make another protein shake.....
I'm feeling great. I am really doing very well. There's a slight ache in my stomach most of the time - it gets worse when I walk briskly - but that's it. I haven't had any pain medicine in a few days, so I can drive. I even slept on my stomach the past two nights! I do get tired more easily when I go walking, so I'm trying to take it fairly easy while still walking regularly per my doc's instructions. He wants me to walk at least 4 times a day, 10 minutes at a time which is totally doable. Sometimes I do stuff around the house or go shopping to count for my walks, and sometimes I walk the path around my apt. complex.
So my goals now, in addition to the walking, the breathing into the incentive spirometer, taking my temperature twice a day and taking my medications, are to get in my fluids and my protein. I've been doing protein shakes (think Slim-Fast),which are going ok. I'm supposed to do 3 a day as my meals. Slim-Fast high protein is my favorite so far, and my nutritionist told us that we could add 1/4 c. of Eggbeaters to it to make it creamier. I tried this, and it was good - plus added 6 g. of protein, which I needed. Our shakes are supposed to be about 20 g. and that one is only 15. So I think I'm going to keep going the Eggbeaters route - extra protein, better texture, and tasteless - that's a win, win, win as far as I'm concerned!
I can also add unflavored protein powder to strained creamed soups or oatmeal, which are allowed on my full liquid diet. But, as one of my favorite bloggers, Eggface, points out - unflavored does not mean tasteless. It means not chocolate or vanilla. So it does add a little bit of a taste. Worse, it adds a bad aftertaste. And I put it in my Magic Bullet to mix it up so it wasn't lumpy, and it made it really frothy which was gross. So I attempted this last night with some broccoli cheese soup and I Magic Bulleted it for a long time and it was really frothy and really gross. So then I tried a protein shake sample that I had that was supposed to be "Roadside Lemonade". Again, I hit the bullet too long and it was way frothy which made it gross. I had a little breakdown about getting my protein in. I tried some protein water a friend had brought me but couldn't get much of that down either. So, on my first day of full liquids I got in about 2/3 of my protein. Today at lunch I tried again - this time with potato soup, and I only bulleted it for about 2 sec. Much less froth, and this time I got about half of it down. I couldn't finish it, so I had some milk later to get the protein count back up. (my doctor wants us to drink milk - some drs. don't) Mostly I'm thinking, though - for right now, I'm fine with the protein shakes so why push this? The shakes are what my dr. recommends, I'm fine with drinking them, and it's way easier so........ maybe I was just bored. :) If I get really tired of the liquid diet, I may just have some soups as part of my liquids, which is ok, but not try to use them to get the protein in.
I have to be sipping pretty much constantly to get my fluids in, which is tough. But I'm working on it. My initial goal is 48 oz. and I'm hitting that every day, but my ultimate goal is 64 oz. and I'm not there yet. I don't know when I'm supposed to hit that 64.
I do find that I miss food some - it's all in my head, I know. Like when my dad brought my grandmothers to visit yesterday and they all had pizza for lunch. And I couldn't even pinch off a piece of cheese! I miss the food and the social aspect of being able to go out to eat - I know this is silly b/c I've only been home from the hospital 3 days. Still, I've been mourning it a little bit. But, soon enough I'll be able to eat again. Knowing that this is a temporary thing, and that I WILL be able to eat again is getting me through it. Also, knowing that most WLS patients go through this "head hunger" makes me feel more normal. It's hard for me not to want to just hit the FF button and be 6 months down the road - having lost a good amount of weight, and comfortable enough with what I can and can't eat to be in a good routine. But it will get here, I know.
My good friends in Richmond are coming over tonight to play game with me. Bless them! I'm off to make another protein shake.....
Friday, May 23, 2008
Cheating
Hi from Charleston! I just got here (around 10 pm) so I won't get to see that sweet baby until morning. I can't wait!
I totally cheated tonight. On the way here, I did something I haven't done in a long time - stopped at McDonalds for dinner. I haven't had McDs in 6 weeks since I started all of the special diets. Also - I got a Diet Coke! I haven't had one since I gave them up 2 months ago. And guess what? It was gross. Hated it. All of it - even the coke. I couldn't even eat it. Before I would eat it when I wasn't even hungry.
So I guess I really am changing, which is a good thing. I know I have to be careful so I don't change back. But it makes me feel like I really can do this thing. I've been worried because one of the benefits of the RNY surgery is that you get sick when you eat things you shouldn't. In the past, that hasn't exactly stopped me from eating them. But tonight I learned that it can. And it will.
Happy long weekend!
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