50 pounds down

Ok everyone.  Here is my update:  (drum roll please)

Starting weight:  274

Surgery weight:  257

Current weight:  224

I am in disbelief.  I have lost 50 pounds and 33 if those have been since Novemver 21st. 

My clothes are way too big.  Time to pull out the archives of 5 years ago when I got down to this size.  This time it was about 4 months total (2 post surgery and 2 pre surgery ).   When I lost all of that weight years ago, it took me 8 months to go down 50 pounds.   

So time was cut in half.   I'll take it 

5 week check in

It's hard to believe that I had my surgery 5 weeks ago.   I am officially on a regular diet and so far I'm tolerating everything and I'm being super careful.   I am remembering to eat protien first and anything else later.  

I would be lying if I said eating was easy.  It is a struggle to eat the recommended amounts of everything including how many small meals a day.  In fact, I'm failing miserably.   Some days are better than others.  I still try and will continue to try. 

So here are my numbers  as of this morning:

Starting weight:  274

Surgery weight:  257

Current weight:  237

So I have lost 20 pounds since surgery and 37 pounds total.   Wow!!!

I had the typical stall at week 3 that lasted 2 weeks.  So I back on the losing trail.  

More to come........

workout begins...no pain no gain?

Since I have been released with no restrictions, I decided to meet with a personal trainer and start my work out routine.   We came up woth a fitness plan that will target my lower back, weak legs and knees, and build stamina....all while building muscle.   Before I met with the personal trainer, I did about 30 minutes of cardio split between the exercise bike and treadmill 

Also I have increased my water intake.   I was able to drink 48 oz today.  I was very happy with that.   I hope it helps with the weight loss as well. 

I'm enjoying eating more texture food.  Eggs, chicken salad, etc.    It just tastes good.  I just need to work on the protien aspect of my diet. 

All in all I feel great.  I'm not sore or anything.  I'm not as tired as much as I was last week.   I feel like the worst is behind me  

2 week Post OP appointment

So today I had my 1st post op appointment which is 2 weeks from when I had my surgery. As you all remember I am on a liquid diet up until this point. I am happy to report that I have been upgraded to a more soft through diet. Some of the things that I can have is ground beef or Turkey, thinly sliced lunch meat,  chicken salad, tuna salad, fruit as long as it is cut into very small pieces (and no berries or acidic so more like melons etc), mashed potatoes etc. I'm pretty excited to be able to eat real food. The doctor said that as long as I could tolerate what I'm eating then in 2 weeks I can go to a regular diet and to just gradually ease Into it. 

I've lost 12 pounds since surgery (2 weeks) which was a little disappointing for me because I wanted to lose 15.   I lost the first 10 last week and only 2 this week. But I'm also retaining a lot of water and he said that is because I'm not drinking enough water and my body is a little bit dehydrated so they want me to drink more and that should fix that problem. I do not have to go back until 3 months which is in March.  When I go back, I have to do blood work so they could check on my vitamin levels and see how my other levels like cholesterol etc are doing. 

So over all it was a very good visit

the struggle is real

On Monday, I returned back to work after being off for a week.   It was a great diversion from thinking about this new stomach all day long.  In fact, I found myself not thinking I was so hungry as I felt in days prior.   

I am definitely exhausted at the end of each day.  To say I am struggling to get in 500 calories is an understatement.   I am trying hard to meet the protien goals.  I'm failing, although not so miserably.  I just need to work harder and when I get to the real food stage I hope that will be easier.  

I also started back into the walking routine.  On Tuesday, I walked about a mile.   Again I was wiped out when I was done.  I just wished it didnt get so dark so early.  I am not a morning person and treadmills are harder on my knees.  

I wasnt able to walk today.  My boss came into town and we were non stop all day.   We had to stop in between clients for lunch and she was kind to chose a place that had something to offer for me.  We went to Panera Bread.   I ordered potato soup....just a cup.  I struggled not ordering the full bowl plus a side like I would always do.  But I reminded myself that a cup of soup should be fine.   I only ate half lol.   This was my first time going to eat and ordering my food and my mind was on the old tummy times.   That's going to be a challenge 

I do wish I could say that I feel fantastic.  The trouble is, I'm exhausted all if the time.  I feel like I recovered from a tummy bug where I feel hungry but afraid to really eat to my potential.  So this is being a huge struggle for me

I go to the doctor in two days (Friday) where I hope to be upgraded to some more substantial food.  That should make me feel better and give me more energy. 

Expect the unexpected

The one thing I have realized in my journey, everyone's journey is different.  

While most say they can only dink a few sips at a time, I find myself able to drink more than what I expected to be able to drink. we measured that I consumed 16 ounces of broth in a 30 minute period.    That was probably one of the most frustrating things done me.  I was under the impression that I couldn't consume as much.  My dr assured me that this was perfectly fine. 

But those hunger pains......or are they really hunger pains at all?  On person in a facebook group I belong to (the sassy sleevers) said that she had the same thing and that her dr told her that she had a lot of inflammation in her tummy and so it rumbles etc and mimics that of hunger.  Makes sense to me seeing that last month the rhe dr did an endoscopy and I had inflammation then so I am sure I have it now!! 

Expect to not have a bowl movement for days after surgery.  I ended up taking milk of magnesia about 5 days out.  It took about 8 hours but was much more milder than any other alternative and you have to be careful of dehydration.  Even after that, it was another 3 days before I started going regularly on my own. 

The water retention is real.  And frustrating at the same time.  Again you have to be careful how you address it because of risk of dehydration.  

Today I stepped on my scale at my home.  The scale where it all started.  My scale is much different than the dr scale but its the same scale I was on since day one.  So here are my numbers:

Starting weight:  274

Surgery weight:  257

Current weight:  247

That's right, in 9 days I have lost 10 pounts.  27 pounds total with my pre surgery weightloss. 

One thing I can say will be consistent with all that go through this process........the roller coaster of emotions and frustrations.  

When my abdomen is no longer swollen from the 5 incisions that are healing, I will post an updated before and after picture.  

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.   Today I am one week Post OP.   I am still on the liquid diet phase for one more week.  So far it hasn't been so bad.  Mostly because we have had variety all week.   

Today i woke up feeling a bit tired and lethargic.   Mostly because my body is going through a transition from the high fats, high carbs, high sugars that I would always eat to basically nothing.   

I spent Thanksgiving with my best friend Sue and her family.   She really helped make my meal to be as symbolic of a Thanksgiving as possible.    We took the turkey drippings and made me a wonderful Turkey broth.   It had a hint of sage and it was delicious.    The mashed potatoes we made into a soupy consistency for me and then made raspberry jelli, but instead of water we mixed in sugar free cranberry juice.   For my desert we took premier banana protien shake and blended it with whole bananas.  Then mixed half of fairlife fat free milk and put it in the freezer and every hour or so I would blend it.  We then added pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract and made a pumpkin smoothie topped with fat free whip cream and a sprinkle of sugar free cocoa.  I can tell you, I feel like I truly had Thanksgiving.  And I even feel like I'm in that post dinner coma.  

I dont know what I'm going to do when I have to go home tomorrow.   I have been truly lucky to have a friend to help me through this recovery.