Rising_Phoenix

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

Hooray - I finally hit the -50 lbs mark!  Finally - it took so long to get those last few pounds off to hit this first major goal - I was beginning to think I'd never get here (yeah, yeah - overexaggeration, I knew I would get here I was just tired of waiting, lol)!  Now only 3.5 lbs until I can kiss the 300s goodbye FOREVER!  I hope those lbs come off faster than the last few. I am going to double down on my efforts to get in all my water and protein. I am starting a yoga and pilates class next week on top of the walking I'm doing so hopefully all that will help!  I am so ready to be under 300!   

Well, technically it was only about 7.5 weeks out but still... At that point I think I was about 42/43 lbs down. As of this morning I am 47 lbs down...  Really wanted to hit the 50lb mark by June 12th (Surgery was April 12th) but I'm close enough!   

The pics in the purple were taken the night before surgery (353lbs). The pics in the black flower shirt were taken last weekend (310ish lbs).




































I've bought a few new outfits - but mostly I'm just "shopping" in my own closet -finding clothes that haven't fit in a long time.  It's kinda fun. Can't wait to see what changes the next 2 months bring!

The Good: 

So, it is 46 days since surgery (roughly 6 and a half weeks) and my home scale said I was down 40 lbs as of this morning - YAY!!!!!  I am so thrilled. Most of the clothes I could no longer wear are fitting again - it's like I get to go shopping in my own closet - love it! 

I am relying on my home scale for my official weigh-ins because I weigh at almost the same time and wearing the exact same thing. Whereas at my surgeons office (which had me 3lbs heavier) I get weighed at different times in different outfits. I know that as I get further along those 3lbs probably won't mean as much to me - but right now they mean a whole heck of a lot!  I am only 14lbs from getting to 299 (a loss of 54 lbs) which is my first MAJOR goal. I haven't seen below 300 in years. I can't wait!! 

I was at the mall last night with two of best friends who talked me into buying something to reward  myself for all the hardwork I have been doing. I was going to wait until the 299 mark - but I found a gorgeous necklace at Swarovski and decided why not?!  I'm looking forward to wearing it and hopefully every time I look at it will remind me of my progress and my goals! 

The Not So Good:

The past few days have been kinda rough. I have been having a hard time eating. I will take a bite or two of solids or a sip or two of protein shake and I start to feel grossed out and slighty sick to my stomach. So, my numbers have been low probably only taking in about 40g of protein and 50oz of water. I really need to work on this. I'm blaming most of it on my monthly cycle which started a few days ago.  We shall see. I also think my potassium is getting low (it has a tendency to do that) because I'm getting a lot of leg and hand cramps. I will be getting my blood work done on Tuesday. My surgeon doesn't want me on a supplement he wants me getting my K+ from foods. I can barely get enough protein - not sure how I'm going to find away to also get in enough potassium rich foods too!!  Naturally, I'm also worried about the additional carbs and calories this will add to my diet - gonna focus on adding soy milk to my protein shakes as soy milk has a good amount of K+.

Ok, enough worrying for today - It's Saturday and I have a 4 day weekend. Time to go do some shopping - looking for a fun pair of shoes to wear out tonight!

 

4 weeks ago today I had surgery. Sometimes it feels like the past 4 weeks have crept by slowly and other times it just seems to have flown by. I am down 30 lbs as of this morning. 30 lbs in 4 weeks - not too shabby!    I am at the point in my diet progression where I am allowed to try just about anything. So far I have had absolutely no problems - I am so thrilled about that! I am still not good about getting in all my protein and fluid but the nutritionist didn't seem too concerned about it at this point. I have had a few dinning out experiences and all have gone well. Went to Outback tonight with friends and split the chicken on the barbie with a girlfriend and then had half of my half of the meal. Had some greenbeans on the side. So, now I have the other half of a half for lunch or dinner tomorrow. It was a strange experience because there was bread on the table and they ordered Cheese fries as an appetizer and someone even ordered a dessert to be shared - but it didn't really phase me too much. I will admit I did have one small fry with some cheese on it and I ate it in really small bites and that was enough to satisfy the "craving." I just don't want to let myself get into the habit of eating those really bad things. I have 23 lbs to go before I hit my first major goal and I don't want anything to get in the way of that.  Okay, time to go to take some vitamins... 

Well it has been 17 days since my surgery and I am down and incredible 24 pounds. I weighed myself the morning of surgery and have continued to weigh myself almost every morning since then. There have been a few mornings where no change was reflected on the scale and then the next morning - bam - 2 lbs gone. Pretty amazing! I can see a difference in my face and some of my clothes are starting to fit a little better. It's really nice to be able to see some of the physical changes rather than just having to rely on a number on the scale.

I am still having a really hard time getting in all my protein. I hit the recommended 80g mark for the first time last night. I tend to get somewhere in the vicinity of 50-70g.  So strange to have to force myself to eat/drink a protein shake. All I really seem to want is water and sugar free popsicles (yum!).   I'm still walking almost every day but can't seem to get past a mile yet. (I used to be able to walk about 4 miles in an hour). Oh well, I know I'll get there.

I went back to work on Monday and man, that was a tough day. I was exhausted and my left side was soooo sore! I walked that evening and when I got home I was in a lot of pain but I used the heating pad and took some pain meds and felt a little better in the morning. I worked Tuesday and Wednesday of this week also - each day seemed to get a little easier but it was still exhausting. I had pre-planned vacation for yesterday and today (because yesterday was my birthday) and that coordinated well with needing to take it slow in going back to work. I'm enjoying my time off, just taking it easy. I'm so ready to feel "back to normal" for lack of a better term.

The mental changes/roller coaster have been ridiculous. I can't even describe the places my thoughts go surrounding this surgery and food issues. There is mourning one minute and then the next minute guilt over eating a tbs of peanut butter. My emotions seem to have regulated a bit - I haven't been tearful since Monday - before that I was crying at the drop of a hat. I still wake up feeling a bit anxious most days though it passes pretty quickly. 

Tomorrow evening will be interesting - one of my friends is throwing a birthday party for me. I typically have big, blow-out birthday parties with lots of people, lots of food, and lots of margaritas - but this year I requested a small, tame get together of just the closest friends. Only one person on the invite list doesn't know about the surgery - but I'll tell him when the time arises. So, I know there will be drinks and lots of snack food for the others and I am hoping my lack of interest in food and lack of hunger feelings will make it smooth sailing for me. I plan to take supplies for myself in case I need them. I'll drink my crystal light out of a martini glass just to be festive, lol!  

All in all things are going really well. No nausea or vomiting. No bad reactions to any foods I've tried (which admittedly have not been that many). I'm sleeping much better. I just wish I had a bit more energy and a bit less discomfort in my left side but I know that will come with time. Trying to stay focused on all the wonderful changes I will be experiencing as I go forward in this journey! 

I can't believe I am already 1-week postop. I had my surgery last Tuesday and I was home on Thursday afternoon. The first few days of recovery were rough but I have been feeling better by leaps and bounds since I have been home. I am getting in my 64oz of water and all of my vitamins but I am only getting about 40grams of protein. I need to step it up especially since  my first f/u appointment with the surgeon and his crew is this Thursday and I know they will be wanting my protein higher! I'm hoping they will take my drains out on Thursday - I am SO ready to have them out!  I'm walking (albeit short distances) at least twice day. I have had visitors over a few time which has been nice. My mom stayed with me until yesterday evening. It was such a great comfort having her here. I cried like a baby when she left. I don't think I've had a week of one-on-one time with my mom in a really long time and it was great (even if I was recovering from surgery). She was such an amazing help! My sister arrives this evening for a few days just to keep me company and help me with the things I still can't do.  I'm going to owe them both some serious thank you gifts, lol. 

Oh, and according to my home scale I am down 12 lbs since the morning of surgery. Not too shabby!  I look forward to seeing what the "official" scale says on Thursday.  

Oh my Gosh! I can't believe how quickly the past two weeks have gone by. All of my pre-op appointments are done and I had my pre-admission visit at the hospital today!  So, now it's just smooth sailing until next Tuesday.  YAY!!  I am supposed to use the incentive spirometer several times a day to "prep" my lungs. I also have an anti-microbial body wash I have to use the night before and the morning of surgery. I don't have any strange pre-op diets or bowel prep to do thank goodness - I am very happy about that!  Just need to get my house in order and my bag packed and I'll be ready to go! I'm so excited and soo nervous, too! 

I was supposed to see my cardiologist on Monday morning but the appointment was canceled as one of the physicians was out sick. So, no big deal, I rescheduled for today.  Everything was going along fine. I have never had any cardiac problems with the exception of borderline blood pressure. I have had so many EKGs and have always been told I have an "abnormal normal" EKG. Well, my cardiologist decided he wanted to investigate further... So now I have to go back next week for an Echo and a stress test - which is fine - except that it is scheduled for the afternoon of the 6th (first available) and I am supposed to have everything done by noon on the 6th when I go for my preop at the hospital.  My surgeon's office was closed by the time I got out of the cardiology appointment so I haven't been able to call and let them know. Which leads me into my own world of anxiety freak-out...  "Oh my God they're gonna postpone my surgery because I won't have everything done" or worse yet "Oh my God there is something wrong with my heart!!"  Sigh...   I know everything is going to be fine I just wish I could get the irrational anxiety ridden part of my brain to shut-up!  I will be on the phone to the surgeon's office first thing in the morning!  Fingers crossed! 

I've never been good at blogging but I thought this would be a great way for me to keep track of my progress, document my journey, and hopefully meet others who are on similar journeys.  So, I figure I need to make the first step by posting something... here goes:

I have been "flirting" with the idea of bariatric surgery for years but it wasn't until November of 2010 that I found the strength and courage to seriously begin the courting process. I had done a lot of research over the years so I knew I wanted to go with the RNY. I did some additional research on surgeons in the area that my insurance would cover, made a selection and made the phone call. My first visit was in December of 2010... and now I am less than 2 weeks from my surgery date!!  I can't believe it's so close! I am excited, nervous, and absolutely convinced I won't have time to get everything done (although there is actually very little left to be done, lol). 

On April 12th my life will change! I am so eager to see what I will accomplish and discover on this journey!  :)