Surgically Altered

Feelin Good

2011-03-20T17:05:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody.. Happy today. Happy everyday, but I feel good. The scales are moving a little every day now. I've lost 31 pounds, and a total of 53 since I started.

I went out last night and had a few sips of a drink and felt fine.. I nibbled at some appetizers, had some cottage cheese from the salad bar and all was good.

Just call me Whiney!

2011-03-14T19:18:00.000-04:00

It's been quite some time since I've posted anything here, mainly because I didn't want to whine every day, and not just about the surgery, but life in general. Work Sucks lately, but that's another story.

I'm feeling like the surgery isn't working for me and I'm destined to be fat! The scales just aren't moving. It's been 56 days since the operation and I've lost 25 pounds. I saw my dietician last week and she gave me a chart that tracks the expected weight loss of a bypass patient. It stated that you should lose 1/2, to a pound a day, the first 3 months. I guess I'm averaging the half a pound a day and that's not too bad really. Ok, so I'll quit whining. I hadn't actually stopped and figured it out til now. Seeing the dietician was a big help. I was drinking too much protein. I belong to a support group and everyone there was aiming for like 80 and 90 grams a day, and Anne (Nutritionist) told me 60 is plenty. More is not better. Now I've got to change my routine. I had become addicted to this protein coffee drink in the morning and that alone was giving me 41 grams. I feel good. I'm feeling better all the time. I didn't make it to the pool tonight, but I will be going tomorrow night for sure!

There is an upside to all this. I had sushi this past weekend and I kept it down, unlike so many other favorite foods I've tried, and it was delicious! Yayyyyy!

See you all soon with happy thoughts!

Back to work

2011-02-22T17:58:00.000-05:00

Today was my first day back to work. I was actually nervous. I remember one of the last things being said to me as I left before surgery being, 'we probably won't recognize you when you get back' yeah well I hardly lost any weight at all so being that I'm paranoid I guess, I figured everyone would be talking about me. Like, OMG, she doesn't even look like she had surgery. She's still just as fat as she was, blah blah blah. I was pleasantly surprised. I got such a warm welcome. A big hug from the president of the company who is just the nicest man you ever wanna know, and everyone said they could tell I'd lost weight. My clothes were bigger on me, and it was just a very nice day. I'm still frustrated with the scales, but I guess they'll move when they're ready!

Saturday

2011-02-19T17:32:00.000-05:00

I completely missed yesterday. I was so sick, but I'm better today. Oh I got my medical bracelet today and I love it. Not a great pic, but isn't it cute?

A medical bracelet is a necessity after surgery. It can save your life. I shopped online a lot and there are so many sites out there that sell them. I wanted one that just looked like a bracelet, with a dangle on it, but thought would they really catch that? I didn't want to take a chance. I'm happy with my choice. Gotta get ready to go out and once I'm dressed, I'm going to step on the dreaded scales. God I hope they moved!

Stomach bug?

2011-02-17T16:38:00.002-05:00

I woke up feeling awful this morning. I think it's the little guy to the left. Mr. Stomach Bug. Yeah, he's cute, but we all know looks can be deceiving. He's wreaking havoc on my tummy!

Needless to say, I had an appointment today for a haircut and I did not cancel. I needed it bad.

The last time I saw my doctor, he asked where my water bottle was and I said I didn't have one. He said, your water bottle should be an extension of your arm. You should carry water with you at all times and sip, sip, sip. So, I bought myself this really cool water bottle at Kohl's. It's called Cool Gear. It has the tube thingy in it you can freeze. I popped it in the freezer when I got up. I filled the container when I was almost ready to go and guess what, there it sat. I forgot it, and didn't even realize until I was thirsty. It's gonna do me a lot of good!

Got my hair cut and here I am, still feeling pretty horrible. I don't know what to think really. I guess we'll just see what tomorrow brings.

Oh, I got my Celebrate samples today. They now have something called ENS "Essential Nutrient System' Everything you need in one packet that you mix with water. I haven't tried it of course, but I will and I'll let you know my thoughts on that. What I did try was the calcet chocolate bites. I think they're yummy! If you're interested in the Celebrate samples, you can find them here: http://www.celebratevitamins.com/. I don't know how long they will be offering them, but free is good!

Signing out for today and hoping to feel better tomorrow. See you then!

Measuring my Success

2011-02-16T14:40:00.000-05:00

It's gonna be hard, but I've got to say good bye to my scales. I don't know if I can, but I'm going to try. Today I am going to pull out my tape measure in hopes that it's long enough to even work for me and start tracking inches. I wish I had done this pre-op, but oh well, better late then never. I know I've lost inches. I can reach beyond the moon and that was quite difficult previously, so I know I'm losing. Why the scales won't tell me so, I just don't know. I'm not posting those measurements, not yet anyway. They're too scary, but once I see a difference in the numbers, then I'll share.

Have a great day everyone. I'm off to do some shopping!

Just down

2011-02-15T15:18:00.000-05:00

Today is not a good day.

I'm quite depressed. It's my one month anniversary and so many others that had surgery the same day as I did, or even after I did, have lost double and triple the weight I have. Everyone keeps telling me to be patient, everyone's different, your body is still recovering, etc. I'm not sure about any of it. I have no choice in the matter so I wait. The scales are my enemy!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T16:56:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Today started out fun. I made my husband his favorite cake only to realize I left my cake pan at my sister's house at Christmas time. I thought I had another, and I did manage to find it, full of dead spiders in the cellar. Cake is made, homemade dark chocolate with dark chocolate frosting. It's strange, but I'm not even tempted by it.

I went out today. It was my plan to go stop at two places, but by the time I finished at one, I was exhausted, so here I am.

I got on the scales AGAIN. Looks like I'm down 1.5 pounds since I saw the doctor on Thursday. I can't wait for this process to speed up. I'm so frustrated. The doctor said you should lose a pound a day. I need to catch up!

For those of you interested in a freebies, Eggface is having a Valentine's Day Giveway. The Prize: a HUGE 5 lb. Tub of SEI Max Protein (in their Valentine-y pink Strawberry flavor) and a Hot Pink 28 oz. Blender Bottle Shaker.

You can visit her here: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

What's Cookin?

2011-02-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

Today was on ok day.

I made my husband a tossed salad, beef stew, and homemade beer bread, and I was really looking forward to trying some of that stew. I put about a half cup on a plate and mashed it into mush, but after just 3 bites, that was it for me. I really can't seem to get past the soft stuff. Everything else just sits in my chest and it's a horrible feeling.

This is my last week out of work, so I'm hoping to get out and about this week. I need to shop! I haven't been in so long, and yeah, basically, I'm a shopaholic. I love to shop for almost anything, but I do have a reason for shopping this week. My niece is turning two on Friday and she needs a present. I'm also making her birthday cake so I need to get supplies for that.

They say the weathers turning warmer so that's a plus as well. Possibly in the 60's by Friday. Maybe I'll open the sun roof!

Tomorrow's another day!

Catching up on days lost

2011-02-12T15:23:00.000-05:00

I had wanted to start a blog early on, but just couldn't find the right place. Now that I have, lets catch up.

It's been 26 days since my surgery and I've lost 16 pounds. Not a lot really, but the doctor says it will come off faster as my body gets used to the changes. I should mention that my surgery was robotic and if ever you are given the choice, choose robotics! It is amazing! I was never in any pain at all and the first week prior to seeing my doctor post op, I would swear that I didn't even have surgery. The only side effect from the surgery was complete fatigue. I couldn't walk from one room to the next without feeling exhausted.

Stage 1 takes place in the hospital and you are allowed water only.
Stage 2 takes place in the hospital as well, and you have clear liquids, and jello.
Stage 3 starts in the hospital and you go home on this stage. This is the same as stage 2 only you add carnation instant breakfast.
I was released to stage 4 after seeing the Doctorr one week post-op. Stage 4 is pureed foods. Chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, baby foods, and protein drinks. The only food I was able to keep down was cottage cheese, but I was fine with that. I'm not really hungry at all.

I saw the doctor on Thursday, February 10. All is well, and I've been released to Stage 5. Stage 5 is a regular soft diet with various choices, mainly protein. I'm still on liquids mostly, and I'm ok with that, but tonight I'm going to try to eat a piece of hamburger. Woo Hoo! Sounds exciting huh? I'll let you know how that goes. I don't see the doctor again for 3 months and he says by then I'll have lost 90 more pounds. I don't quite believe that, but we'll see. Sure would be awesome!

This post may have been boring to some, but I needed to show you where I'm at and what I'm doing.

Talk to you later!

Hello world!

2011-02-11T19:15:00.000-05:00

I have been overweight all of my life. At age 15, I had my jaw wired shut to lose weight. I’ve been hypnotized. I’ve done Weight Watchers, Tops, Medifast, Mayo Clinic, Atkins, The Zone Diet, South Beach, etc. I’d lose and I’d gain, and I’d lose and I’d gain. It was a vicious cycle and I never really won. More recently my life had become just a day to day existence, and not really life at all. My non existence is what lead me to this decision. I’m 52 years old, but better late then never I guess. I want my life back.

I’ve decided to track my journey in hopes to hear from others who are traveling here on this same path.

I’ve got a long way to go, and the road ahead is rough, but I’m ready.