Little things

"Just because your miracle doesn't look like the miracle you were expecting, that doesn't mean it isn't the one you've been waiting for" http://www.live-inspired.com/Fight-On-P1257

I was asked today what things in my life have changed since I had bariatric surgery.  My attitude towards food and the way I eat of course are the biggest.  But upon reflection I realized that a number of other smaller changes have occurred. 
I have re discovered my love of tea.  Not just any tea but a good cup of herbal tea.  I actually had to buy a tea pot, cups and saucers.  Drinking tea from a cup and saucer makes the tea better and serving it from a ceramic tea pot seems just perfect.  I really enjoy my evening ritual of making and drinking a pot of caffeine free herbal tea before bed.  It has reminded me how important the little things are and that sometimes simple pleasures make a much bigger impact than you realize.  I feel more grounded since I have started this ritual again and have been able to handle the high stress in my work life much more calmly.   I now have a hot water maker in my office at work and spend the first hour drinking a cup of zen tea every morning while addressing my email. 
So yes re discovering my love of tea has changed my life.  This would have not happened without my having bariatric surgery.  I have been to addicted to Coke Zero and Diet Coke to even think about enjoying a cup of tea.

6 months after surgery

Well it's been 6 months since surgery.  It's hard to believe.  I keep thinking how people say having bariatric surgery is the easy way.  I hate to tell them it is so far from the easy way.  Your life and the way eat changes whether you want it to or not.  If I eat one bite to much I'm throwing up, I have tripled the number of pills I take even though they are all supplements.  You have to keep track of how much protein and water you have every day.  You actually have to set a timer to remind you to eat.  food doesn't taste the same as it used to.  I still am not able to eat salad, tomato soup, eggs and shrimp. There are things I think will be good that after one bite I never want to eat it again. 
While the benefits definitely out weigh the inconveniences it is far from the easy way out obesity.  I spend more time tending to and monitoring my weight and food intact than I ever did on any diet.

Reflections

I finally wore the new scrubs I purchased the week before I had surgery.  They are 2 sizes down from then.  As I was posting the pictures earlier I realized how much weight I have lost.  76 pounds is a lot. To put it in perspective pull out a pound of butter/margarine (or 4 sticks).  I've lost 304 sticks of butter or 76 pounds of butter.  I wish I could get a picture of 76 pound containers of butter.  I think it's amazing how we don't really think about our weight in terms of food products.  But I know I have eaten my weight in butter over my life time probably 3-4 times.
Yes I feel better although I have periods where I'm tired and that is more related to low blood sugar and forgetting to eat.  I'm also working on lowering my last blood pressure medication and my blood pressure is lower than it should be at times which adds to the tired feeling.  However my labs look great and that is because of the juice plus, zinc, B12, calcium, and iron.  I also am strict about getting my water and at least 90 grams of protein in a day.
I'm asked all the time if the surgery was worth it.  The answer is yes and I'll never regret finally doing it.

4 months and 76lbs pounds gone

8/18/2013/4 months after surgery-273lbs

3/29/2013-2 week to surgey-349lbs

107 days and counting

It's been 107 days since my surgery. Everything seems to be going smoothly.  The weight loss tally so far is 70lbs lost.  I'm told frequently that I don't look like someone who has had bar attic surgery.  Because I look healthy and do not have a grey sickly tinge to my skin.  I know may people start to look wiped out around the three month point.  But I'm very careful about following the rules of getting enough protein and water in everyday.  I also make sure to take my juice plus, B12, zinc, calcium, and iron.  These things are very important to keep you well nourished after surgery. But the protein and water are the highest priority.

July 30, 2013

Today the Doctor stopped one of my blood pressure medications.  I'm so excited to finally see some of the medications starting to be dropped off.  Now I'm just waiting for my first set of labs to come back......

A Day in the life.

The morning starts with B12 and a blood pressure pill

Breakfast 0900- 30 grams of protein

1030 starts the first liter of water

1130 need a little stress reducing, 6 M&M's

1pm it's lunch time- another 30grams of protein

2pm starts the second liter of water for the day

3pm a little cinnamon coated nuts- 15 grams of protein

It's 4pm and I still have about 3/4 cup of water to drink to get my 2 liters in.

530pm- it's dinner time-14 grams of protein with a little carb

Whats left after dinner,  I could only eat the slider patty and half the bun.

7pm I needed a lime Popsicle as the slider was a touch spicy.  This is a mini one

8pm I start taking my Juice plus, Calcium and night time pills.  This will take me 1 hour.

Little frustrations.

So this week has been sort of annoying.  I have had an acne break out on my face, I haven't had that issue in many years.  I've also been very tired, nodding off while I'm working at my computer.  I called the doctor and she had me start Zinc and Vitamin E for the skin issues, she also told me to use Aloe gel on my face at night.  These three things worked with in 24 hours for the skin issues.  I was told to increase my protein shakes so I'm getting 90 grams of protein in plus whatever food I'm eating.  I'm hitting a period of rapid weight loss as I've lost 3lbs since Monday and need more protein to maintain my strength.  This morning I was a little weak and felt very depleted.  However after I had my morning shake I felt better.  I really notice that the mornings are tough if I don't get in that protein shake with in 2 hours of waking up.  Going for so many hours at night without having anything to eat really takes a lot out of you.  During the day I need to have something at least every three hours and that is pushing it.  I keep nuts at my desk to munch on along with my water.

I had to order a special pill holder/keeper so I can keep track of everything I need to take.  At least a lot of it is vitamins and not prescription meds.

New clothes are needed

Well a week ago Sunday I tried on a several pairs of pants that I've been waiting to wear.  They were all to tight to button.  So this week I have two pairs of them and they are both way to big.  I may only lost 3lbs but have lost 3 inches as well.  It's great but a little harsh on my wardrobe.  I guess I'll be shopping this weekend for some work pants.  I haven't lost that many inches in my upper body mostly in my legs and waist.

An exciting moment..

So today during a meeting at work I leaned back in my chair and crossed my leg at the knee level.  It took a few minutes to sink in but I was so amazed.  I have not been able to sit with my legs crossed in years.  I was so taken back that I forgot I was in a meeting.
I know that I've dropped 60+ pounds but I don't think it really hit until today.  Yesterday I realized that the pants I had on were way to big.  I of course did not notice until half way thru the work day.  I added them to the donate pile when I got home.  Even though I have not lost any weight for two weeks I have dropped several inches just in the last week.  On Monday I wore a pair of hospital scrubs to work and I washed them Wednesday and wore them again today.  They were very loose and I had trouble keeping them tied tight enough to stay up.  I didn't have that issue on Monday when I wore them.

I understand that I will always have a body image issue.  You can not weigh over 300lbs for most of your life and not have one.  But little things like being able to cross you legs and walking up a flight of stairs really make you realize how much in life you have missed.  I see my co-workers who have had this surgery and you can tell they are loosing weight.  However when I look at myself I feel like I haven't lost as much.  But in reality I have. 

My first big social event after surgery.

On Thursday I attended a 3 day scrapbooking convention here in Las Vegas.  This was my first big outing away from home since I had surgery.  I had it all planned out.  I packed enough protein shakes, juice plus, b12 and calcium for the three days.  Not only was I going to be attending classes but would also be working our Close to my Heart booth for 4 hours each day.
Living in Las Vegas I know how important water is and certainly learned that the first week back to work after my surgery.  So I made plans to keep up with my water drinking.  When I work and at home I keep 4 32 ounce bottles filled with water in the refrigerator and I make sure to drink at the min 2 of those a day.  I usually get in 2 and half.  I will do three if I've been traveling out in the heat or have spent a lot of time outside.
Well my careful planning did not turn out the way I would have liked.  I was so excited on Thursday that I only really drank 1 32 ounce bottle of water and did not really have that much after that.  On Friday I only got in about 40 ounces.  I realized Friday night that I did not get enough water in.  I was having headaches and was very tired even though I had a 2 hour nap that day.  On Saturday my headache continued and was really constipated.  My lips were dry and chapped and I was really craving water.  I had 40 ounces of water that morning while I worked in the CTMH booth but is was not enough.  Once I got home around 5pm I proceeded to drink 64 ounces of water and my headache went away.  I still felt weak, tired and vomited my dinner after I ate. I ended up sleeping for 14 hours but did get up 3 times during the night to get more water.
Sunday was much better as I drank 4 32 ounce bottles of water and really focused myself on getting enough water in me to re hydrate and get myself back on track.

After the incident I had the first week back to work I have been very careful about water and getting enough.  But it is so easy when you do social events that are out side your normal routine to get off track.  You are really more susceptible to dehydration after any bariatric surgery.  Next time I will be more focused on the water and make sure to take at least two of my water bottles with me to keep track.  While this time the dehydration was not as bad as before it definitely was not fun and it was a learning experience.

I did have lots of fun, bought some really great stuff and picked up a few new customers for my Close to my Heart scrapbooking business.

8 weeks since surgery

 It's now been two months since I had my surgery.  It's been a journey so far.  I've had re learn how to eat and drink.  It does feel strange to never have hunger pains and to feel full after only a few bites.  I'm still amazed at how little I eat.  While food tastes good I really only have a few bites and am done.  I have discovered that I much prefer to have a protein shake or nectar protein drink.  I feel better with those than when I eat something.  I think it's because of the high protein content. 
I've had a few bites of cheesecake and a little chocolate but not much.  I like the sugar free products better.  I really enjoy weight watchers snack size fudge bars and ice cream cones.  Those are the perfect size.  I also like weight watchers candies if I need a bite of chocolate.  although wanting a piece of chocolate and ice cream is more my taste buds and my head.  My stomach could care less what it gets. I really do never feel hungry.  I can tell when I've gone to long as my stomach will start to cramp because it's empty.
Today I had a chicken wing and yes it was deep fried. Don't ask me why I had it.  It tasted good but boy did it sit like a rock in my stomach for about an hour.  It was my first fried food and I will be steering clear of that for a while.

I've been very careful about getting enough water in.  Since I live in the desert and we have started having daily temps of 110 I really push to 2.5 liters in a day.  I carry around a 750ml water bottle that I sip all day.  I was working outside on Tuesday in the heat and I noticed quickly that I needed to keep drinking to stay hydrated.  You don't realize how hard it is to get enough water in when you can only drink so much at a time.
Anyway as of Monday June 10, 2013 I had lost a total of 54 lbs.  I feel thinner and my clothes are baggy.  You can really see it in my face.