Today

Yes, it has been awhile.  Too long.  I need to make a commitment to posting at least once a week.  There are no excuses for not posting once a week.  I do have the time. 

Things have been okay.  I have not been making the best food choices of late.  My exercise has slowed down, but I am trying to maintain some sort of routine so that I do not fall out of sorts with it.  I am still getting up in the mornings before work and getting on the elliptical before work.  My downfall is I cannot bring myself to go to water aerobics in this COLD weather.  My instructor will be disappointed.

I was going through some of our picture folders.  Here are a pair of interesting ones.  The first is at my friend Suzy's birthday party, September 2009.  The second one is at her party, September 2010. 

I went to Savannah for Thanksgiving to see my family.  It was so great to see everyone.  Here are a few pictures of me with my brother and sister. 

This last picture is Mark and I outside my mother's house.  My bottom half still needs to catch up with my top half. 

Here is my menu from today.  It does not include what may be a bedtime snack of greek yogurt or a ham and swiss mini lunchable minus the crackers.  I will give those to Ian.

I am right now stating that I will do my best to post at least once a week from here on out. 

If I had known...

If I had known all it would take to break the plateau was to stop exercising, I would have done it weeks ago!  As of this morning, I am almost 4 pounds down in a week.  I came down with a cold/sinus infection last week.  The nurse practitioner said to take it easy on the exercising until I am better.  So, no exercise Tuesday through today (Sunday).  This morning I am exactly 239 pounds!  That is 3.8 pounds in seven days.  I cannot contribute it to less eating.  The cold has definitely NOT stopped the appetite.  I guess my body just needed another reset.  I will get back to physical fitness starting tomorrow morning with the elliptical. 

Here are a few update pictures. 

On the left, me the night I came home from surgery - 335 pounds.  On the right, me tonight 239 pounds. 

 

Closing Out October

I will start with my NSV (Non Scale Victory) of the week.  Here are side by sides of two of my school pictures.  The first is from 2008-2009.  This was the year I decided to have weight loss surgery.  The second is from just a few weeks ago.  It takes these types of pictures for me to really notice what has really happened in my world.   This is what losing 116 pounds looks like. I also cannot believe how much younger I appear.  Am I really almost 39? 

Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I actually see a resemblance to my sister now.   Sandy and I have always favored different sides of the family, she my mom's side, I my dad's side.  Now I am seeing a resemblance between the two of us.

In other news, it took 10 weeks, but I finally lost another pound.  I am now down to 241.  I hope it doesn't take another 10 weeks to lose another measly pound.  It is getting frustrating working my tush to the bone and getting nowhere on the scale.  I am still getting up each morning to work out on the elliptical.  And I am still taking runs/walks through the neighborhood.  I continue to go to water aerobics Tuesdays and Thursdays, even though this week I was fighting a sinus infections and thought it better not to go.

A little, sweet story about the elliptical, well not about the elliptical but anyway.  The other evening my husband asks if I would be attending my weight loss surgery support group that evening.  I was super tired but told him that I needed to go.  When I asked why he said it would determine the course of events for his evening.  My brother calls with a family emergency/dilemma (that's a whole different blog!).   I did not notice my husband disappear.  I go off and return from support group later that evening.  I had completely forgot about my husband and his events.

The next morning, I go down to the basement for my daily workout.  Now, I remember leaving the basement light on.  When I opened the door, it was off.  Those who know me, know I am now a little uneasy.  I get to the bottom of the stairs and there is a red light glowing across the room.  Now I am freaked out.  I turn on the light and there sits a new HDTV.  Not a big expensive one.  A just right TV to watch my favorite shows in HD while working out.  I return upstairs to thank him and to tell him he shouldn't have spent the money on me.  He then says he just wanted me to know how proud he was of me.  I went to get in my shower and cried.  He has been very supportive of me throughout this whole process.  He has not tried to sabotage my efforts, nor has he fussed at me when I have fallen off the wagon.  But it was this one gesture of being proud that really proved this journey has been worth every mile.

My walks/runs are not as often as I like, depending on the weather and the health of my two boys.  We have all been fighting sinus infections the last week.  I am finding my stamina is increasing.  I am able to run farther each time.  It is also getting easier to run uphill.  I am not very graceful at it, but it is doable.

A shout out to Melissa, my water aerobics instructor.  She continues to kick butt!  My butt specifically.  But I totally love it!  I attend the Tuesday and Thursday deep water classes down at the West Gwinnett Aquatic Center.  She teaches the 6:10 and 7:10 evening classes.   Totally worth the $5.

9 Month Check Up

I saw Macik for my nine month checkup today.  It actually went well.  The appointment began with his nurse asking questions and wanting to know if I had any concerns.  I told her my main concern was that the scale has not moved significantly in 8 weeks.  I have been up and down a six pound range since the first week of school.  She then asked about my exercise.  I explained to her everything I was doing.  She then asked about my food choices.  I gave her a list of my staples, and we talked about not being 100% compliant.  I showed her my GoWear Fit and explained on heavy exercise days I am burning upwards of 3000 calories.  I also explained that compliant or not I am not eating 3000 calories of food, which is what it would take to maintain my current weight and exercise.   She seems to think I need to add in more calories, but make them pure protein.  She also recommended I cut the carbs to jumpstart the stall. 

When Dr. Macik came in, he did not harp on how much weight I have lost and how much time has passed.  He looked at me and said it is about becoming healthy.  The fact that I am doing physical things I have not done in years or ever is a great improvement on top of the fact that I am no longer on any diabetes or blood pressure meds.  It was a very pleasant appointment.

In GREAT news, my mammogram came back clean with no new growth!  The tech told me unless I find any changes I do not need to return until I turn 40 for a regular scan.  Woohoo!

I made it to the basement this morning for the elliptical workout, but did not go on my walk/run this evening.  I am quite sore this evening from the tennis outing yesterday. 

Sunday With My Family

Today, Mark and I took Ian down to the neighborhood park to play tennis.  We were down there for almost an hour playing.  We purchased tennis rackets at the beginning of the summer, but it was so hot we never went down after our first trip.  Now that the weather is more agreeable, we will go more often.   According to Livestrong, at my current weight 242, I could burn 772 calories playing tennis.  According to Obesity Help, the number is more like 707.  I think for the type of exercising we were doing today, I am not going to count it that high.  I will be a little more conservative and say 450 calories.  Regardless, that is a good burn for 55 minutes of work!

I haven't put my meals into Daily Plate today, but here is what I have eaten:

1/3 Cobb Salad from Georgia Diner (I ate all the chicken throughout breakfast and lunch) - 27g protein
Peanut Butter and Whole Wheat Club Crackers - 7g protein
Chicken and Broccoli no rice(China Cafe) - 30g protein

Before going to bed I will have - Dannon Greek Yogurt - 12g protein

I see Dr. Macik tomorrow for my 9 month checkup.  I will update tomorrow night.  

Thursday, Doesn't Even Start

No particular reason for the blog title.  I just like the song. 

This week has been busy, but I am continuing my walk/run training.  Yesterday, I took Ian out with me to walk/run around the neighborhood.  For once, my son had a hard time keeping up with me!  Usually, I am trying to keep up with him!  Melissa continues to kick butt at water aerobics.  The last two mornings I have not made it down to work out on the elliptical.  Mostly because my thighs are aching first thing in the morning. 

I think I have solved part of my hunger issues. I fell back into a very bad habit of drinking with my meals.  It is the one rule I find the most difficult.  The last few days I have been super cautious and avoid beverages for at least 30 minutes after a meal.  It is helping with the hunger in my body.  Now it does not stop the head hunger, but now when the head hunger hits, if I take a bite of something, I am instantly full.  This is good. 

The scale continues to fight me.  It is back up again to 247 after hitting 242 last week.  Mathematically, with the amount of exercise I do and the amount of calories I am consuming, this is just impossible.  I am starting to get discouraged, but I chug along.  I cannot let the scale derail my efforts to be the healthiest I can be.  However, my surgeon will be disappointed come Monday morning.  He seems to look at the scale more than anything else.  I am trying to look at myself as an entire person. 

Here are my meals for yesterday and today. 

Monday, Monday

I have been MIA for the last few days because my husband's family had a reunion down in Macon this weekend.  With that happening I spent Thursday and Friday completing course assignments and laundry.  However, I did get my workouts in last week.  Thursday night, Melissa kicked butt in water aerobics.  I LOVE when she keeps us moving.  Friday morning after my endocrinologist's appointment, I checked out the running/walking path out at Shorty Howell Park.  I continued my walking/running interval training. 

This week started off well.  I was able to get downstairs this morning for my usual elliptical workout.  This evening I went for my walk/run.  I was able to go much farther running tonight.  Since I try to make sure I walk/run for 30 minutes, I had to add some acreage to the path.  It was nice adding the extra 1/4 mile to my route. 

As for food, this week has started out rough.  I am not eating poorly (except the Snickers before car rider duty this afternoon).  I am just HUNGRY!  I need the hunger to subside.  I know it is all in my head, and I need to get in more protein.   Here is what I had today.

I Ran! (again)

I was suppose to go to water aerobics this evening, but when I arrived at the aquatic center, the class had been canceled.  Since I did not get my workout in this morning, I can blame the hubby and son for that one, I knew I absolutely had to get out this evening for my walk.  This time I was able to run the distance of three mailboxes rather than two and more often.  I thought it was going to be tough, but it wasn't.  Now, I have no idea how my knee will feel tomorrow morning, but I ran!

If tomorrow morning is a repeat of this morning, I will need to do it again tomorrow evening.  And this is the perfect weather for learning to run!

Sweet Georgia Rain

I have loved today!  There is nothing better than a lazy, rainy, gray Sunday.  We truly needed the rain and the cooler temperatures.

I have taken it easy on the exercise the last few days.  I was getting frustrated busting my butt and not seeing the scale move.  Well, in all my rest this weekend, it moved again, in the right direction.  I am now 242.

I forgot to journal about my experience last week running!  On one of my walks last week I decided to go ahead and do it.  I have been very cautious about running.  It is something I have been wanting to do, but in the last few months I have developed a knee issue.  Who has knee issues after losing 115 pounds?  Me!  It is getting difficult to walk up and down stairs.  I haven't taken the elevator at work since surgery unless I had a ton of things to get upstairs.  The last week or so, I have been taking the elevator most of the time.  My water aerobics instructor mentioned that some people that lose a lot of weight get knee problems because of the shift in how we walk and carry our weight now.  Who knew?

Anyway, while walking one day last week, I just started running. I ran from one mailbox to another.  Then I walked to the next mailbox, then I rain to the next mailbox, so on and so forth.  It felt great to get my heart rate up and my blood pumping.  Since my neighborhood is VERY hilly, with lots of steep inclines, I made sure to only do the running on the slight inclines or more level ground (not that there is much of that here).   

Here is my menu from today. I am at 1138 calories and 65g protein.

Friday, My Friend!

I didn't think it would get here.  I did not put my food into Daily Plate today, mostly because I went to the doctor this morning for lab work and then spent the rest of the afternoon grading test papers so I wouldn't have to bring them home and grade them.  That did not quite work out.  I ended up grading 3 of my 4 classes' tests.  Here is what I ate today. 

No breakfast - Not good, but I had to get to the lab fasting
Lunch - 1 small chicken carbonara sandwich and Baked Lays (ate 1/2 at lunch and the other 1/2 for afternoon snack)
Dinner - I scraped the cheese and tomatoes off of 2 pieces of pizza and one chicken tender (no crust for me since I ate that sandwich earlier in the day)

I did find a few cute ladies XL shirts on clearance at Kohl's today.  I love being able to look other than the women's department for tops.  If I could get to that point with bottoms, life would be fantastic!  I also purchased a new pair of running shoes.  I try to stick with New Balance.  Last time I was in the New Balance store, the guy measured my feet and I was a size 10.5 wide.  Today, I was able to wear a 9.5 wide.  I knew my width would change, but the length of my foot as well?  Weird! 

A much better eating day today.  The menu below looks a little lunch heavy, but it really was not as much as it says.  I am just trying to fit everything under the confines of Daily Plate. I am at 1401 calories today with 88g of protein.  I worked out on the elliptical this morning for 25 minutes and had a kick-butt water aerobics workout. 

Bad Food Day

Today was just an example of a very, very bad food day.  It all started this morning.  I new I should have eaten my breakfast before going to a meeting this morning.  I get to the meeting and there are donuts from DD.  I try to resist.  I did well until I smelled the coffee.  It was the trigger like the one a smoker trying to quit has when they have an alcoholic beverage.  I smelled the coffee and it was all over.  I chose one and poked at it throughout the meeting.  Yes, I finished it.

I decided to climb back on that wagon as it circled around to pick me up.  Little did I know I was sitting on the broken wheel.  During the afternoon, instead of pulling out my cottage cheese, I hit the snack machine.  I felt the need for something crunchy.  As we all know, there is nothing good in a snack machine.  I punch in the numbers and the peanut butter cups fall.  This was not what I wanted.  I was going for the Cool Ranch Doritos.  I try again.  Now I am in a dilemma.  I now have two snacks, neither of which I need.  Instead of just laying them both on the workroom table for someone else to pick up and munch on, I take them straight to my room.  BAD MOVE!  Bad, bad move.

I am now up to 1558 calories and only 64g protein.  All the carbs today are making me feel quite sluggish.  

I did get in my 25 minutes on the elliptical today.   

I am now home.  I did not go for my evening walk, which makes me feel even worse. 

I am going to bed early (I hope).  

Today's Meals

Here is my food journal for today.  As of now I am at 1290 calories and 81g of protein.  I may add a Dannon Greek Yogurt to the list as a bedtime snack.  That will add 110 calories to the total. 
My exercise for the day includes 25 minutes on the elliptical this morning and 50 minutes of water aerobics this evening.   Melissa, the instructor, worked it tonight!  I may be feeling a little sore in the morning. 

Back Again - Menu and pics for Monday, September 20

So I am back again.  Here is my menu from today.  

I am at 1334 calories for the day with 71g of protein.  

My workouts today included 25 minutes on the elliptical this morning before work and a 30 minute walk this evening. 

Here are a few updated pictures.  The first one I am in the background on the left behind the boys.  I was helping my friend, Kacey, with her son, Harris' birthday party.  The second one was taken by Ian the other night.  He actually has pretty good aim with the camera.  We just need to work on focusing. 

My clothes are fitting nicely.  I am feeling pretty good.  When looking at the big picture, I truly cannot complain. 

Finally...

after 5 LONG weeks, the scale has moved below the 244 mark.  I am now 243.  I have not been keeping up with my food intake as well as I should have been.  I am seriously considering going back to the way I was keeping accountable at the beginning, posting my daily intake here.  Even logging it into Daily Plate doesn't seem to keep me on top of things.  Regardless, it is seriously impossible at this point (my pouch is still very tight) to eat 3,000 calories a day to maintain my current weight and activity level. 

I have been thinking about the last 5 weeks and my weight a lot.  I am a very math oriented person.  Mathematically, if I am burning around 3,000 calories a day (according to my GoWear Fit) and only intaking 1,500, that is a 1,500 calorie deficit a day.  I, mathematically speaking, should have been losing 1 pound every 2-3 days, if 3,500 calories equal a pound.  What I have to remember is that our bodies are complex and not mathematical. 

I am now off to teach my first class.  I will post again later today, including my food intake.

Ready for Autumn

I have officially made it through the first four weeks of school!  It feels good to be back on a schedule.  I just wish this heat would end.  The fall is my favorite time of year.  I love the way the evenings feel when it starts cooling down.  There are sensations I experience this time of year that are hard to describe.  It has a certain smell and feel, like no other. 

The weightloss has come to a complete halt.  Things have not moved since I hit 244 pounds three weeks ago.  I did change up my workout routine.  I have been getting up at 5:20 AM each morning to work out on the elliptical.  I have contemplated getting out and walking at that time with the morning temperatures cooling down.  Yeah, with neighbors reporting foxes in the neighborhood, I think I may wait until the time change to get out and walk that early.  I know I have been slipping down a slippery slope that may be contributing to my stalled weightloss.  I am having a hard time not drinking with my meals.  I am making a concious effort to control this aspect of post weight loss practices. 

Everything else is going well.  I went on another shopping spree.  The size 20W jeans I purchased at Kohl's are already getting loose.  I went back and purchased size 18W in the same style.  They seem to be fitting nicely now.  I also purchased a couple of XL shirts from the women's department.  So even though the scale isn't moving the clothes are!!! WOOHOO!

I have added static pages to the top of my blog.  One in particular is a list of my favorite resources on WLS. 

We're Back to School!

So this is the first week back to school with the students.  I hated to see summer go, especially the neighborhood swimming pool, but I was really needing to get back into a routine.  I hadn't been taking my vitamins and supplements like I should have been.  Now that the routine is back, things are much easier and falling into place.

I did not make it to 245 by the first day of school but I did make it to 248!  I am officially closer to 200 than 300!  This is amazing to me.  I cannot remember a time I was ever this "light."

I did go on my shopping spree last week.  I was adamant not to buy any clothes during the summer until school started back, except clothes for the reunion.  It was a blast!  I can now wear things as small as 18W (depends on the cut - my calves are not losing as fast as the rest of my body).  My 22W pants are all loose now.  My stock of clothes to wear are all now 20W and 18W pants and 1X and Men's Medium or Large shirts.  I found some really nice men's Chaps Polo shirts at Kohl's.  They are made of a nice, soft blend and have great colors available. 

I would like to give a shout out to my friend Kay!  She had WLS and is already well below size 16W.  She gave me a wonderful stash of 18W and 16W clothes to wear!  It will definitely make the transition easier as I get into those sizes.  Thanks, Kay!

I have been doing some reading these last few weeks.  I have read  "Okay...I've Gone Through Weight Loss Surgery, Now What Do I Do?" and "Exodus From Obesity."  Both are easy reads.  Neither provided me with new information.  They just keep me grounded in what is going on and what I need to do to be successful. 

My next two reads are "Life After Gastric Bypass" and "The Everything Post Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook."  I am hoping to find some new and improved recipes to try in the cookbook.

7 Months Out

I am just now realizing today is my 7 months out date.  The last month has been fun.  I hit 100 pounds lost, cut my hair, had my 20 year high school reunion, and visited with my family in Savannah.  To date I am 104 pounds down from my highest weight.  I am 82 pounds down from surgery.  It is still slow going, but it is steady.

I have my small pouch days and my bottomless pit pouch days.  On the bottomless pit days, I try to stick with no sugar added popsicles and fudgsicles.  On my small pouch days, it is hard to get in all my protein.  Those days I try to eat a lot of greek yogurt with roasted soy beans to make sure I get some protein for the day.

Once again I will say, this surgery fixes your stomach, not your head.  There are days that I am quite pleased with the weight loss, especially days that I realize the size 22 pants are finally get loose fitting in the waist.  I truly cannot wait to get into a size 20 pants!!!   But then there are those days that all I can think about is the fact that I still have another 100 pounds to go.  There are those days that all I can think about is food.   I need to keep focused on the small goals.  Better yet, I need to make some small goals.  Lets see...

1.  I would like to get below 245 by the first day of school.  That is another 8 pounds in 3 weeks.   My average weightloss is around 3 pounds a week.  That should not be too much to ask, right? 

2.  I want to be able to wear a few size 20 pants (all depends on cut) by the time I start clothes shopping for the school year.  I have refused to buy anything new (except for the reunion clothes) this summer.

Enough dwelling on weight and size.  Here are a few pictures from my class reunion.  I was voted "Most Changed."  That could be taken in a good way or a bad way.  I think most of my home girls that keep up with me on Facebook voted for me.  I am pretty close to the size I was in high school.  However, most remember me with long luscious hair from middle and high school.  As you can see by the pics, my hair has all been chopped off.  Woohoo!

The Century Mark!!!!!

This morning when I woke up and hopped on the scale it read 257.6.  That is 100 pounds from my highest weight a little more than a year ago!  I have lost 78 pounds since surgery in December.  The other 22 came off during my pre-op phase.  As for inches, I have lost 8 inches from my waist, 10 from my abdomen, 10 from my hips, 7 from my breast, 2 from each arm, 2 from each calf, and 3 from each thigh. That is 49 inches lost! 

It has been a difficult journey, but one that I would not trade for the world.  I still have to do all the work I would need to do to lose weight without the surgery.  The difference is I now have the opportunity to keep it off.  I still have to work out, watch which foods I eat, be aware of any trigger foods, and avoid excessive snacking.  Regardless, I would not trade this for anything. 

A few Non-Scale Victories:  I can actually cross my legs when I sit in low chairs.  I can climb stairs without losing my breath and breaking out in a sweat.  I can stand out in the hot, southern sun and not pass out.  And my favorite one - I am completely off of all medications!!! 

Here are a few comparison pics for your viewing pleasure. The first set is the night I came home from surgery.  The second set from this evening. 

Summertime is here!

Well, school is out.  That means I am home with the little one.  That means I need to watch out for grazing.  This is becoming a problem that needs attention.  I eat from boredom.  Not stress, but boredom.  This surgery definitely fixes your stomach, but it does nothing for your head.  I have seriously been considering seeing a therapist for the head hunger.  It can be a big monster every now and again. 

The last month has been a little stressful.  I hit my first long stall.  Up until this morning I was up and down from 265 to 267.  This morning I finally broke the stall and registered my first loss since May 7th.  I have read time and time again that these stalls are normal and a part of life after weight loss surgery.  Knowing that DOES NOT make it any less stressful. 

In other news, I have once again cleaned out my closet.  This time I discarded EVERYTHING larger than a size 22 or 2X.   There are two 40-gallon contractor bags worth of clothes that need to go to family, friends, or the Goodwill.  Getting the clothes to my family means holding on to the clothes until July 9, which is my next trip to Savannah.  By then I hope to be adding more clothes to the discard pile. 

Tonight after dinner, we took Ian to one of those local fairs that set up in strip mall parking lots.  He was apprehensive when it came to riding rides without me.  Luckily, I have lost enough weight to get into a few of the kiddie rides so that he was more comfortable riding.  Once I rode with him, he was totally comfortable riding alone. 


 

My Birthday and Mother's Day

Sunday was not only Mother's Day, it was also my birthday!  Mark had a great idea last week to fire up the grill Saturday and invite some of our friends over.  We celebrated my birthday and honored his mom for Mother's Day during the cook out.  We grilled burgers, hot dogs, and veggies.  My grilled tomatoes were soooo good!   Suzy brought over a yogurt and fruit salad.  Leslie brought fruits, veggies, and dip.  And Jaime brought over cupcakes!  I did not have to bake my own birthday cake!  Her recipe is just a box mix with a can of diet soda to moisten.  It was not bad.  I was only able to get through half of the cupcake.  :) 

Water aerobics continues to go well. 

To date, almost 5 months out, I have lost 70 pounds since surgery and 92 pounds total.  I feel absolutely amazing.  There are days that I still feel extremely fat, but they are becoming further and further apart.  I still have a long way to go though.  I need to lose at least 100 more pounds.  As I continue to lose weight, I am noticing places that will need some tucking here and tucking there!  :)  Especially my arms.  WOW!  Holy batwings!  I have a 20 year highschool reunion coming up in July.  It would be nice to get down at least 20 or 30 more pounds before then.  I think that is totally feasible with this surgery.  I just need to make sure to watch what I eat and continue to exercise. 

Sorry MIA Again

Slacker is what you can call me.  At least for blogging lately. 

Everything has been going well, except for the losses.  Up until this morning I had been going up and down the same 2-3 pounds for the last 4 weeks.  I finally broke the stall this morning.  I am now 64 pounds down from surgery and 86 pounds down in all.  I LOVE that I am so close to the century mark. 

Today, I had a really nice moment.  I saw a retired administrator this afternoon, one I have not seen in almost a year.  She didn't speak to me at first and then realized who I am. She looked at me and said, "There is something different about you.  What is it?"  I looked at her and said, "About 86 pounds."  She was astounded!  She actually confessed not recognizing me when she came in the room. 

Water aerobics is going very well.  I absolutely love it! 

Support group was great this month.  We had a guest speaker.  She is a personal trainer.  Her talk was not about things we should be doing or "moves" or what not.  She mainly spoke about fitness myths, why we should do it, motivators, the difference between exercising and being physically active, etc.  It was a very interesting talk. 

I also borrowed a book from my bariatric coordinator, The Emotional First Aid Kit: A practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery.  It has been quite and interesting read.  It was written by a psychologist, so many of the topics and suggestions are things she does with and for her patients.  It has an abundance of self talk guidelines and many individual stories of success and failure. 

During my last appointment with Dr. Macik, he and his nurse both encouraged me to make sure I am drinking 4 cups of milk a day.  Now, take in mind, I am trying to keep my calories around 1,000 a day (here lately I have been exceeding that number).  Milk has 9 grams of protein and 12 grams of sugar.  Now most of us are told to drink our milk for the calcium and vitamin D.  With my new designer gastric system, I am unable to digest calcium from the milk.  So why should I waste 360 calories on milk?  I posted this question on Obesity Help.  One answer actually blew me away today. Here it is, copied directly from the message board:

Post Date: 4/28/10 1:28 am
Not to get into a major science discussion but if you’ve had RNY, milk has nothing to offer except 12 grams of sugar and all of the wasted calories that go along with it. About 80% of the protein in milk is in the form of casein, the remaining 20% is whey. Whey protein is fast absorbing (40 minutes to 1 hour) and casein is slow absorbing (up to 7 hours). Nutritionists encourage people to drink milk because casein provides a full feeling for longer; the protein is slowly released into the system through the filtration process. Unfortunately that process is dependent upon casein forming a gel in the gut when it combines with the acidic environment in the stomach and slowly working its way through the digestive process. Trouble is that we no longer have our pyloric sphincter; it has been bypassed and is no longer available to contain the milk in our stomachs. Combine the loss of sphincter function with the less acidic environment in our resized stomach and you no longer have a welcoming environment for this long acting form of protein. If it can’t form the gel, it defeats the purpose. For me, I consider milk to be more than a waste; it’s counterproductive to what I had surgery for. Truthfully, I don’t personally know any long term post-ops (5+ years) who drink milk that haven’t had a bad regain issue. I do know lots of post-ops that drink milk and get in the revision line. That’s a pretty dangerous thing to do! I know it’s not popular to come out against milk, but the science is there. Just my 2 cents.

Science. I am not sure how accurate it is, but ya gotta love it!

My Huge WOW for the Week!

So I started back with water aerobics Tuesday.  I have been taking water aerobics during summer months for several years now.  For the past few summers I have been attending classes at the West Gwinnett Aquatic Center about 5 minutes from our home.  Because the class is a deep water class, we are required to wear floatation belts, seen here.  The belts only come in 2 sizes: S/M and L/XL.  Of course I have been squeezing my belly into the L/XL, with the straps pulled out as far as they can go.

Yesterday, I put the belt on and without thinking about it, I have about 12 extra inches on the straps!!!  WOW!!!  This WOW was so much different.  I knew going into this journey that my clothes would eventually get too big.  I knew I would eventually have more stamina to accomplish things in life.  It never occurred to me that I could fit securely into my swim belt!  It was not something that was even close in my mind.  That is what makes this WOW experience one of the best ones so far! 

17 Weeks 3 Days

It looks as if I will continue to use Livestrong/Daily Plate for my food journal.  I do not like Fit Day and Obesity Help does not offer it publicly, except to members. 

I am back to work this week.  It truly helps being on a schedule.  Ian and I traveled to see my mama last week for a few days.  It was very difficult to keep track of how much protein and fluids I consumed.  Being back on our routine will help. 

I am now down 83 pounds.  The last few pounds have been slow to come off.  I have been flirting with 274 for several days now.  Well, actually, it has been close to a week, and I spent a week at 275.  The week before that was 276.  I need to get back to journaling, exercising, and counting protein and fluids.  I know I have not been 100% compliant the last month.  I now hate holidays that have candy.  Especially small candy bites that I can actually eat.  Tootsie Rolls.  Ugh! 

As for exercise, I start back at water aerobics tomorrow!  Yippee!  It is my all-time favorite thing to do!

15 Weeks Plus

Friday was my 5th wedding anniversary!  We celebrated with dinner at Outback.  That was where we had our first date, and we try to go there for our anniversary each year.  I ordered the smallest steak I could get, the 6oz. Outback Special, with garlic mashed potatoes, and seasoned steamed broccoli.  I also added a crab stuffed shrimp just in case I couldn't handle the steak.  It went marvelously!  I ordered the steak medium, but it came out medium rare.  It did not matter. I like a medium rare steak as well.  I cut it up into very small pieces and chewed, chewed, chewed!  It was the best steak I have ever had!  And I had enough leftovers for three more meals (actually more, but by then it wasn't all that great).

I am currently checking out different websites that have food diaries.  It seems that Livestrong does not have the most accurate calorie counts out there.  I am currently checking out Fitday, but may end up just using the one on ObesityHelp. 

Easter candy is the root of all evil.  They come in bite size pieces that are easy to chew and swallow.  I will say no more about that. 

I have been getting more exercise now that the weather is fantastic!  The little one and I have been walking, and I have started taking over the yard work.  Mark gets allergies really bad when he is out there for too long, so we did have someone coming out to cut the grass and trim the bushes.  I am now saving that money (or helping to make a car payment with it), and I am going to do the outdoor work.  I reserve the right to change my mind once the dog days of summer hit. 

Now that it is getting warm, I will be heading back to water aerobics.  The aquatic center down the road has classes Monday through Thursday each evening.  I can't wait! 

Not a Good Protein/Eating Day, But I Am Walking On Sunshine!

Not many know, but today I had a biopsy scheduled.  Back on March 19th, a doctor found that a mass in my right breast, originally found in a July 2009 scan, had grown.  I was scheduled to have the biopsy this morning.  I was okay until yesterday.   Then I became angry at the world.  I was ticked off!  Here I had my insides redesigned in order to become healthy so that I could spend many years with my husband and son.  Now this!  I know, most biopsies come back benign.  Regardless, I was angry. 

One thing to know is that when you go in for something like this, you get the royal treatment.  Everyone is super-duper nice.  It is really a pleasant atmosphere.  I get to the hospital, late, because of Atlanta traffic.  This of course has exacerbated my anger.  I get checked in.  Things start moving quickly, and I calm down.  Once I am changed into the infamous gown, I am taken to a nurses office to go over paper work and to get my vitals.  She takes my blood pressure.  I am expecting it to be sky high because I haven't had blood pressure meds in about a month and my previously mentioned anger issues.  She takes it and asks if I am normally low.  Of course I said no, because I am usually normal only with meds.  She looked at me strangely.  My pressure was 98/62.  WHAT???  She then checked it again.  116/68.  WOW!  What a change that is from my pressure prior to surgery.

After all the typical prep, I am taken for a mammogram.  Yippee.  It was at my scan in July 2009 that I scared the tech by almost passing out during the mammogram.  She had to get out the ammonia to make sure I wasn't going to completely black out.  Today's scans were okay.  I had two to start with.  Then I waited.  The tech comes back.  We need two more scans.  Okay.  Done.  Wait.  She comes back again.  The doctor is having a hard time finding the spot needed for the biopsy.  We need two more scans.  Really??  After a seventh scan the doctor comes to me and says she cannot find the mass in any of the mammogram scans I had done today.  There is nothing there.  It cannot be felt, and it cannot be seen.  It has disappeared.  Needless to say, after seven boob squashes, I am happy that there was no mass present. 

The relief did not hit me until two hours after leaving the hospital.  The sun was shining.  The day was warm.   I was driving around in my car with the windows down and the radio up! 

I go back for a recheck in July. 

A Little Annoyed at 14 Weeks

I am thrilled, THRILLED, with my weight loss so far.  As of this morning I am down a total of 79 pounds!  I am so close to the century mark that I can taste it.  However, when I went to see Dr. Macik Friday, he had the nerve to look at me and say I am about 16 pounds behind for my progress.  I just stared at him blankly.  Of course all the good things I should have said come rushing to me in the parking lot as I was leaving.  What I did say to him was I am quite pleased with the 50 pounds I have lost since surgery, that I have never in my life lost 3-4 lbs consistently week to week, and that I feel better than I have in a really long time.  I am just annoyed that he has lumped me in with an "average."  Anyone who knows me knows I am far from average!  I usually take my own road and make my own opinions, and I do not mind stepping on toes.  Why would I be any different with weight loss and surgery?  I know he does not know me personally, I just do not want to be lumped in there with the rest of the world. 

I have been having issues with eating the last few days.  I guess you could say I am having a small pouch weekend.  I have only been able to eat very, very small amounts of food at a time.  And considering I already eat small quantities, I am not getting much in at each sitting.  This makes it hard for me to keep track.  Things should get back to normal with my work week. 

Sorry for the MIA

This last week has been a doozie!  With my little man turning three, most of the past week has been planning his party, making his cake, and now dealing with his ear infection (ugh!).  Here are a few pictures of me at the birthday party. 

I went shopping last Saturday.  A friend and I went to Kohl's.  Typically, before surgery, I would not be able to find pants that fit.  Never.  Usually shirts were a 3X and I could wear them once (until they were washed and dried, LOL).  I was able to purchase not one but two pairs of Gloria Vanderbilt size 24 pants.  The Lee's were still a little tight in the my massive calves.  I was able to purchase SEVERAL 2X shirts off of the clearance rack!  I am wearing one now!  To be able to purchase clothes from a store other than Avenue and Lane Bryant is rejuvenating. 

My weight loss has been stalled going up and down from 282 to 285 to 282.  I know it is because I have not been keeping up with fluids and protein the past week.  

I will see my surgeon for my 3 month check-up Friday.  I will update with anything that comes from it.  I should also be getting blood work done to check my vitamin levels. 

I have been a slacker the last week with posting my meals on dailyplate.  I promise to get back on track with posting my intake.  And the weather is getting gorgeous!  This means more outside time, more walks, more park time with me and the little one. 

Putting it out for all to see!

This was the day that I knew I had to do something to save my life.  We were at a friend's son's birthday party.  It was early April 2009.  When we got home that day and looked through the pictures I was horrified.  I was 357 pounds.  My best friend looked better holding my son than I did.  We even cropped me out of the picture.  I could barely keep up with Ian running around the front yard.  My diabetes was out of control.  Mark and I had been trying for some months prior to have another baby.  I knew at this point it was only going to get worse. 













I truly believe having this surgery has helped save my life.  I want to be here for Ian and Mark for many years.   I have learned that to truly be the best for someone else, you have to be the best for yourself.  Otherwise, you are just spinning your wheels through life, getting no where fast. 

12 Weeks Post Op!

As of this morning I am 73 pounds lighter!  To celebrate I went back to Avenue and bought some size 24 pants!  The size 26 were a little too loose to justify purchasing. 

Today, my grade level went to lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.  There wasn't much along the lines of protein for me.  I stuck with a spinach mandarin salad with walnuts, and topped it with some hard-boiled egg and cheese.  Lettuce still upsets the pouch.

Here are some comparison pics.  The first set were taken December 25.  I was 7 days post op.  The second set were taken just 2 days ago.  See any difference??  :)

Another NSV (NonScale Victory)

Right after surgery (about 2 weeks I would guess, it was before returning to work), I went through my closet and tossed tons of clothes.  Many were things that I just didn't like, were worn out, out dated, or getting too big.  I kept a few items that still had tags or that were never worn and a few things that were a few sizes smaller than I was currently wearing.  

So after going shopping last Friday, I decided to retry everything in my closet.  Woohoo!  The pants that I saved because they were a few sizes smaller, with tags, fit!  Well, sorta.  They were loose fitting!  I now have a few new pairs of pants to wear for the next few weeks until they start falling off of me.  However, I am a little upset that a couple of pairs I kept I have now bypassed in size.  They look REALLY bad and large.  I guess getting into a size 26 at the Avenue Friday wasn't a fluke after all.  I actually got into a pair of Walmart size 28 pants from 5 years ago!  Everyone knows that Walmart size 28 runs slightly smaller than a Lane Bryant or Avenue size 28, more like a size 26.

My polo shirts are fitting nicely.  Come to find out they are mostly sizes 22/24.  I guess I blocked out buying shirts in those sizes.  I quit wearing them because I was frustrated with them riding up above my waistline.  My only concern now is the way my arms are looking in them.  I have lost some inches from my arms, and they are starting to look a little weird.  I am sure I will get over it.  :)

Just a NSV (Non-Scale Victory)

So I did go and try on clothes yesterday.  I was completely shocked.  Now, I know that sizes vary from store to store, and yes, I know, manufacturers are getting a little larger in there size charts, but just last May (when I decided to do something about the growing waistline), 30/32 was starting to get a little tight for me.  I get to Avenue and start looking.  Take in mind, most of my pants that are currently in my closet are 30/32.  I have a couple of size 28 pants and I think one 26 that still have the tag on them.  The size 30/32 are hanging off my hips now.  While looking around I note that when I try on pants I need a straight or flared leg because of my calves.  I find a style of jeans in the store.  They do not have anything larger than a 26 in that style.  They look kind of big for a 26.  So I try them on.  THEY FIT LOOSELY!  OMG!!!  I keep looking around the store other size 26 pants fit as well, but not all. 

As for shirts, I have been wearing 30/32 also.  I need the larger size for my arms.  However, the last year, I needed 30/32 because I needed them longer in the front to keep my shirts from riding up showing my tummy above the waist band.  I am now wearing some 22/24 shirts, depending on the arms.  If the arms are narrow, I need a 26/28.  The 22/24  covers my front mid-area quite nicely! 

I do have memories of purchasing size 26 pants, usually at Lane Bryant in the Oglethorpe Mall 15 years ago!  I, however, have NO memories of ever getting into a 22/24 shirt. 

11 Weeks

OMG!!!!!  Today, I am 287!  That is exactly 70 pounds down!!!  I do not have ANY memories of the 280s.  I may have bypassed it in my trip up the scale.  I truly am amazed.  I think I am going tomorrow to try on clothes just to see what size I am now.  With my mammoth arms and calves, I may have a ways to go before I see any significant size movement.

I have placed a link to my online food diary at livestrong.com.  Knowing it is there, I am quite diligent in updating it.  I like that.

Not much to add today.  I am feeling really well.  My blood sugar readings are in the normal range.  I just need a good warm up to do more walking outside.

10 Weeks Post Op

At my official 10 weeks post op date, I was on the road to see my mama.  Ian and I took my wonderful new(er) car to Savannah.  It was not a long trip.  I didn't have time to visit with (m)any, other than Mama, Sandy, Chris, and my nieces and nephew.  Hopefully I will get down there during Spring Break and make my rounds to see more family and friends. 

The weight loss is still slow and steady.  Mark and I have been having conversations about it.  He seems to think I will not need as much plastic surgery to remove the excess skin with the slower weight loss.  I agree to some extent.  However, skin GROWS.  The bigger I got, the more skin that grew to cover my body.  There are also parts of my body that have been large for so long that nothing will help.  No, exercise does not help your skin "retract" at my highest weight.  Exercise helps firm up the muscles under the skin, making what is there look smooth and healthy.   It looks like my insurance policy has the no plastics because of weight loss exclusion removed.  I hope it remains that way through 2011 or 2012.  It would be great to be able to get it covered by insurance!  Otherwise, it will not happen. 

So far I am down 67 pounds!  Woohoo!  No complaints there!  I am still having trouble slowing down and chewing.  It is getting easier, though. 

With the exception of this weekend, being on the road and all, I have been tracking my food at www.dailyplate.com.  If I can find an easy way to make it public and linkable, I think that would be the best way to post my food choices for the day. 

Let's try this one.  ----->  My food diary

9 Weeks Post Op

After not having a car payment for almost 5 years, I now have a car payment!  The Passport has seen its better days, and I needed to move on.  Mark and I completed the paper work yesterday evening and brought home the Pilot.  I had to visit the dealership this morning to have the spare keys made.  It is really nice driving down the road and not have an overwhelming concern about the transmission.  I know any car can cause trouble.  I am not unrealistic.  Now I have something I can drive to Savannah and see my Mama!  Ian and I will be making that trip next weekend.   Here is my new ride! 

I am down 64 pounds!  Things are still moving slowly, but they are moving.  I need to exercise.  I know my weightloss would pick up if I were exercising more.  Now that the weather is warming up, I can get back out and start walking again.  On a great note, my blood sugars are normalizing!  I usually wake up with it between 90 and 110.  It hasn't been above 140 during the day at all this week.  Woohoo!

I need to get back to journaling my food here.  It makes me more accountable.  Here is my menu from today.  I did NOT meet my protein goal today. 

Day 43 Post Op

All day - Crystal Light Tea and Lemonade
Breakfast - EAS CarbAdvantage Protein bar - 17g protein
Lunch - Leftover chili from Applebee's the night before 1/2 c.  - 16g protein
Dinner - Montery Chicken Ranch Fajitas (Chicken 2oz, Cheese 1oz, Tomatoes 1oz) from On the Border - 16g protein
PM Snack - SF pudding - 1g protein

Protein Total - 50g

8 Weeks Post Op

Here is a picture Mark took yesterday in the snow.  WOW!  I did not know I looked so different. 

For your viewing pleasure:
This is March 2009













This is yesterday, February 2010 minus 62 pounds

Almost 8 Weeks Post Op

My new yummy discovery?  Diet Lemonade from Chick-fil-A.  Delicious.  I purchased a large beverage Tuesday morning.  By lunch time I had finished about half of it.  My next new yummy discovery?  Unsweet tea with Splenda poured into a half full cup of Diet Lemonade.  It was blissful!  I am not a lemon with your tea person.  Looks like I am a tea with your lemonade person. 

You would think I would learn my lesson quickly.  After all, I am a teacher.  But nooooo.   I have to make the same mistake several times this week.  So I guess I need to write it over and over.  I will chew my food.  I will chew my food.  I will chew my food....

If I do not chew my food it will get stuck.  I do not know where it is getting stuck.  I only know that it hurts.  It also causes an aversion to smells and the need to vomit.  This morning was the worst.  I think I will blame it on the parent that I had to meet with this morning.  I had a parent conference this morning at 7:30am.  It lasted until 8:30am because this parent does not understand that her son cannot read.  She thinks he is just not trying.  Regardless, I had a staff development meeting at 8:00am that I was late for.  This created some difficulty in warming up my breakfast and eating before the meeting.  So I go in late and there are Chick-fil-A Chicken Minis.  Well good!  I can have a few of those delicious and moist nuggets of chicken minus the bread.  Did I chew?  NO!  Once again, I inhale and swallow.  That piece of chicken stayed wedged somewhere in my upper digestive track for almost an HOUR!  On top of the pain and pressure in my chest, it caused a horrible case of the hiccups, of which I have not had since surgery.  Anyone who knows me, knows my hiccups presurgery where loud and painful.  Yeah.  Okay.   I had to leave the conference room to walk around.  One teacher kept offering me water, not understanding that it would not help.  With the chicken wedged in, there would be nowhere for the water to go. 

Fast forward to this evening.  I come home and warm up some left over tilapia.  This fish was moist and falling apart.  It wouldn't even stay on the fork it was so tender and flaky.  Did it make the trip?  Well, not before getting stuck, just like the chicken.  How the hell??  I can only assume the episode this morning caused some irritation and maybe some swelling.  I will need to stick to soups and soft foods tomorrow just to let my insides get better. 

Okay, enough griping.  My endocrinologist agreed to take me off the metformin and the scale is now moving again!   I am now 62 pounds down!  Yay!!!

7 Weeks Post Op

I saw my surgeon yesterday.  It was a delightful visit.  Dr. Macik is not a very talkative socialite.  He is, however, highly qualified in his area of expertise.  He actually talked more than I expected yesterday and smiled a few times!  It warmed my heart.  He says things are looking very good.  He is quite pleased with my weight loss so far.  According to his office records I have lost 30 pounds in 7 weeks (a little more than 4 pounds a week).  I have also lost some inches.  From my measurements yesterday I have lost 4 inches in the abdomen, 2 from the breasts, 3 from my hips, 2 from my left arm, and 1 from my left thigh.  We did talk about the change in medication made by my endocrinologist.  He said the reason he took me off of metformin is because it will slow down weight loss.  Well, as many know, my scale hasn't moved in about a week.  My blood sugars have also crept up.  So I am taking it upon myself to remove the metformin and go back on the glimepiride.  I actually did this today and my blood sugars are already better. 

Chew, chew, chew.  This will have to be the next mantra.  I truly think, now that I have had a real dumping episode, that not chewing my food enough is causing the queasies.  It is my understanding that food has to truly start major digestion in the mouth now since I have no stomach acids to break things down.  Unfortunately, inhaling food is a hard habit to break.  Being a teacher does not help the situation.  We have 30 minutes to eat, call parents, go to the restroom, etc.  So I am now on a retraining mission.  I must chew, chew, chew.  This is not the alphabet chewing that you learn at Weight Watchers.  I have to chew until my food is pulverized! 

One of my administrators saw me for the first time in months Wednesday.  She runs our SST/RTI process (educational jargon) and I do not usually attend those meeting anymore since I am not a homeroom teacher.  She was floored by my weight loss.   She did not know I had the operation, and her reaction was genuine.  I have to say it felt really good!  I also had a student that commented that I was "skinnier" now than at the beginning of the year!  Definitely two nice "wow" moments this week. 

6 Weeks 3 Days Post Op

My relationship with food is changing.  My head wants the food.  My head remembers what all the wonderful foods taste like.  My head tells me to eat the food.  My designer pouch/stomach tells me otherwise.  It (I have not named my pouch yet, but it does seem deserving since it has a mind and personality of its own) does not like most food, and my taste buds do not remember how things should taste.  Let me say, that is weird!  I think I am now learning to eat for sustainability. Many people say they learn eating to live instead of living to eat.  I still enjoy sitting in a restaurant chatting it up with company.  I still enjoy the aromas coming from the kitchen when I cook.  It is just the dynamics within my head and body have changed. 

I am now down 59 pounds.  I have been stuck at this weight for about 4 days now.  I guess you could say this is my first stall.  Most people have one at 3 weeks out, but I did not.  I can definitely see a difference in my face now.  I have this pencil point dimple on the right side of mouth that I haven't seen in several years.  And I am still quite fascinated by the collar bones and hip bones that are quite apparent when I lie down. 

I see Dr. Macik again this Thursday.  I will post another update then. 

40 Days Post Op

I played hookie from school today.  Well, not really.  My boss knew, and the queasies were taking its toll.  The last 2 days, after the queasies hit, I Have felt like I am ready to curl up and take a nap.  I know the last few days I have not taken in enough protein, and I am feeling it.  After Mark and Ian left this morning, I crawled back into the bed and slept until 10:30am.  I then called my surgeon.  He said many people have nausea for up to 3 months post op.  There is not much he can do since I am not actually vomiting my food (yes, I know TMI). I actually see him in his office next Thursday for a check-up.  If it is still going on then, we will have to do something.  Even if it is medication to stop the nausea.  So today I am sticking with foods I know will probably not make me feel sick like cream of chicken soup, pudding, creamed spinach, etc.  Bleh!  I added powdered protein into the soup today at lunch.  It was okay. 

In great news, I hit a major BSV - Big Scale Victory yesterday.  I am now under the 300 pound mark!  I haven't been under 300 pounds since I moved to Atlanta from Savannah in 2000.  I was trying to remember exactly when I weighed less than 300.  The only thing I can come up with is sitting in a Weight Watchers meeting on Eisenhower Drive and weighing in at 295.  Me and the roomies lived in Spanish Villa at the time. 

I have a few NSV - Non Scale Victories that I would like to take care of this year.

1.  Riding a Rollercoaster - When I first moved to Atlanta, my friend Maurice and I (yes, the bake off friend) would purchase season passes to Six Flags and hit the coasters at least 2 weekends a month during open days.  It was maybe about 7 years ago that I went one day with Maurice and couldn't lock the belt on the Batman Ride.  I was mortified.  Needless to say, I have not been back since.  However, I cannot wait to get back on those coasters! 

2.  Crossing my legs -  Not just lady like crossing (which I have NEVER been able to do) but I would like to be able to sit (and this is soooo first grade!) criss-cross applesauce again.  For those that are old school that would be Indian style. 

3.  Buy regular sized clothing - There is nothing worse than having to buy plus sized clothes and pay by the yard for it.  I can't wait to be able to buy regular sized clothes and buy them from a sale rack!

38 Days Post Op

57 pounds gone! I woke up this morning and had lost another 2 pounds! I am having trouble eating again this week. Everything is making me queasy. Hurray for medical starvation! Yes, that was sarcasm you smelled. However, I still do not regret my decision to have this surgery. Not one bit. I am just trying to relearn what is going on with my body.

In other news here is a shout out for my friend Maurice who is one of the finalists in the Pillsbury Bake Off in Orlando! Yayy! This is a link to an article and 3 interviews he did at WJCL in Savannah. The Bake Off will air on the Food Network sometime in April. 

Maurice's Interviews

5 Weeks Post Op

***This was suppose to be posted last night, but I fell asleep before I finished it.  And as of this morning I am down another pound making my total loss 54 lbs!

It has been 5 weeks since surgery.   I am down 53 pounds from my highest weight.  Woohoo!  53 pounds!  I am totally amazed!  However, there are so many feelings of uncertainty that still invade my mind.   Am I eating the right foods?  Am I eating too much?  Am I eating enough?   It is all a learning process.

I am feeling better about modifying meals to suit my needs (even though I cannot eat much at the moment).  My first meal modification was Shepherd's Pie.  Mark and I love it, and I usually cook it at least once a month (a whole dish will give us a week's worth of leftovers).   The motto for gastric bypass is protein first.  So in order to up the protein, I replaced some of the veggies in the pie with edamame.  Delicious!  I also do not use ground beef but ground turkey (NOT ground turkey breast-it can be way too dry).  Cauliflower was the replacement for the potatoes.  I cooked frozen cauliflower until soft and then put it in the food processor with some milk, fat free sour cream, and Hidden Valley Ranch mix.  It ended up fantastic!  The cauliflower holds the flavors so much better than the potatoes.  I know, I know.  Most people do not like cauliflower.  Neither do I, but this was great!  I topped it with some shredded cheese and baked in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes.  Yummy!  The picture is a desert plate with a 3/4 cup serving.  I can eat maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of that now. 

 I think I have a good game plan for vitamins and calcium now.  Since you shouldn't take calcium at the same time with multivitamins that contain iron (iron and calcium fight each other) I had to make a change.  For me the calcium sits better with my pouch if I eat with it.  So I have moved the vitamins to the bedroom, where I will take a vitamin when I wake and when I go to sleep.  This works out very well since I get up at 6am and eat about 8am.  That gives me the 2 hour minimum to put between the multivitamin with iron and the calcium. 

I worry I am not getting enough protein.  My surgeon says 40-60g is good, but the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery suggests 60-80g of protein a day.  There have been a few days that I did not get more than 50g.  Especially right now.  I am still having a hard time eating, period.  Foods that I have been able to tolerate for weeks are giving me a hard time.  I do not think it is the dreaded dumping syndrome.  It is just a queasy, tight feeling in my chest that lasts about 20 minutes.  It eventually goes away. Regardless, I am now adding back some of the powdered proteins to my diet.

I had a support group meeting this Wednesday.  It was pretty good, my first one since the surgery.  It was very strange and enlightening to sit and listen to everything and actually relate to the information.  One of the topics discussed was journaling.  So for anyone out there that may follow this blog, please keep this in mind.  I know that the information I put out may not be all that exciting, but this is my form of journaling.  I find typing my thoughts and concerns easier than writing it all down.  The only thing I actually write down is my food for the day.  I do that because I do not want to forget what I ate and how much.  It is very easy to forget minor details in a menu if you do not record the information. 

Here is what I have been eating and my blood glucose readings:

Day 33 Post Op

Breakfast - 2 oz egg beaters with 2 slices 2% cheese - 14g protein

Lunch - 3 oz Shepherd's Pie with cheese - 19g protein

PM snack - 1/2 banana, 5 wheat thins, and 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese - 4g protein

Dinner - 3 bites of Shepherd's Pie - 3g protein

             1oz sugar free jello pudding - 1g protein

Protein Total - 41g protein

BG - 119, 134, 132, 138

Day 34 Post Op 

Breakfast - 3oz egg beaters, 2 slices 2% cheese - 17g protein

                  EAS Edge (protein drink) - 17g protein

Lunch - 2 bites cream of potato soup with cheese - 1g protein

PM Snack - 1/2 banana, 1 slice 2% cheese and 5 crackers - 5g protein

Dinner - 3-4oz Shepherd's Pie - 11g protein

PM Snack - 16oz skim milk - 18g protein

Protein Total - 69g protein

BG - 122, 125, 138

Day 35 Post Op

Breakfast - 2oz egg beaters, 2 slices 2% cheese and 5 wheat thins - 15g protein

Lunch - 2oz Shepherd's Pie with cheese - 14g protein

PM Snack - 7 wheat thins, 1 wedge laughing cow cheese, 1/2 medium banana - 5g protein

Dinner - 3 steamed Chinese dumplings and 1.5oz sugar free Jello pudding - 10g protein

Protein Total - 44g protein

BG - 138, 125, 132

Day 36 Post Op

Breakfast - 3oz Chicken Quesidilla  from Georgia Diner - 10g protein

AM Snack - 16 oz milk with 1 scopp Unjury - 36g protein

Lunch - 3 oz Chicken Quesidilla - 10g protein

Dinner - 10 Wheat Thins and 1 wedge of Laughing Cow cheese - 5g protein

Protein Total - 61g protein

BG - 138, 101, TBD