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