Hey there!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Sunday (and Easter if you celebrate!). Today was mostly spent slaving over finishing my 13 page paper, but I had a wonderful break hanging out with my friend Morgan and holding her new fuzzy baby chickens! They were fuzzy and totally adorable and I may or may not have tried to walk out with one ;) Enough craziness here without adding in baby chickens, but very cool to have a friend who is raising some for eggs/as pets.
Holding Baby Fuzzy Chickens!!
I went on a nice evening walk tonight in my neighborhood before dinner and wore my new regular size women's XL workout gear from Old Navy which made me feel great. I walked for 2.69 miles and my pace is fastest it has been since surgery (about 18 minutes and 20 seconds a mile) which was nice.
New workout gear!
Nice early evening walk
So I am not officially supposed to start my pureed diet until tomorrow, but I started early tonight by having my fiancé Steve make his amazing home made meatloaf. He was really sweet and put everything in the food processor before cooking it so that it would be nice and small pieces that would go down easily for me. It was the most amazing thing I have eaten since surgery… I took my time, chewed everything very carefully and fully, and was able to eat 2.5oz in about 25 minutes then stopped. And, I actually felt really full (but not too full!) I got a nice food scale before surgery and it has been really useful with making sure I weigh out between 2 to 4oz for right now to make sure I keep my portions down and don't overdo it. Totally amazing to eat this little and be this sated and full. I am loving this as I have struggled with feeling full even with the lap band at times…this is a very good sign going forward!
Sorry for the TMI again but I posted a few days ago that I was struggling with being backed up and not having a real BM since surgery which was frustrating. Because I am also posting for others with bariatric surgery I wanted to put it out there that Miralax is a lifesaver. I started using it a few days ago and the problem has been resolving and I feel much better. I am hoping for a better weigh in from this tomorrow!
The family I nanny for gets back into town tomorrow night, so I have one more day off work tomorrow that I will use to go on a nice long walk and get started on the many many upcoming assignments I have due for graduate school. I am looking forward to now being on a soft pureed diet officially because it now means I can eat greek yogurt and meat… YAY for real food!!
Hey there!
While taking a break from working on finishing the 13 page paper I have due tomorrow night, I went to the gym for the first time since surgery (all of my walks thus far have been outside because it has been beautiful out!). I did the elliptical for about 30 minutes and it actually felt really good! I didn't go as hard as I usually would as I still need to get clearance from doc on wednesday, but nonetheless I enjoyed being back in the gym.
After the gym I decided to go into Old Navy because I have ordered some great plus size workout gear online from in the past and could use a few new pairs of workout leggings. After I walked in, I immediately remembered that Old Navy only has their plus sizes online and almost left, but decided to take a look around anyway. I picked out some cute workout leggings and shirts in their regular size XXL to see if they MIGHT fit, but expected them not to. I was absolutely ASTONISHED to find out that not only did the regular XXL fit, but they were TOO BIG!!!! I ended up buying REGULAR XL workout stuff and was happy as a clam. I have not felt this good about trying on clothes in who knows how long (nor have I been able to buy a regular XL in a non-plus size store! :) I also happened to find an amazing pair of linen pants with a stretchy top which is PERFECT for me because they are professional enough for doing clinicals and observations at school, but comfortable enough to wear on my tummy with incisions (and very cute!).
Hell Yes! Regular XL linen pants with stretchy top at Old Navy
It was an absolutely gorgeous day out and on my way home I took a gorgeous shot of the sunset… A great end to a great day. Hope you all are enjoying your weekend as much as I am (minus the dumb paper).
Hey there!
Hope everyone had a great week thus far. So on wednesday when I walked farther than I had since surgery, I ended up taking my little dachshund doggie Lola on a walk when I got home from work. I ended up getting lost in my own neighborhood (we just moved here in January) and walked an additional mile and a half or so! Lola was pooped and so was I, and when I woke up the next day I noticed that I was incredibly sore on my right side incision and my stomach hurt a lot. The pain was pretty severe and I called my doc and was able to speak to the nurse there who told me it could be a number of things… I may have overdid it with the exercise, lifted the baby I nanny for too soon, or eaten too quickly. Either way, she told me to take it easy for a day or two which is what I have done.
This is my last semester of course work in graduate school before I do practicum (being a supervised therapist on campus for a semester), then internship (being a supervised therapist for free somewhere in the real world), and then graduate with my masters, and I have a serious case of senioritis! I have about a month left before summer and it has been really hard to focus on the many many assignments I have due when I am so excited about recovering, working out, losing weight, and planning my upcoming wedding! Today my fiancé and I met with out florist and bought his wedding band which was really exciting. I can't wait until I can devote all of my time to pinterest and planning every detail of my upcoming August Wedding, but I have a 13 page paper that is due sunday at midnight that needs to get finished :(. I just need to be patient and budget my time between everything but realize that recovering and finishing this semester (and hopefully maintaining my 4.0) is my number one priority right now.
Tonight was the first night of passover and I celebrated it with my best friend and her brother, his wife, and their two kiddos. I wasn't able to eat much because still technically on full liquids, but definitely offered to make and bring the matzo ball soup which was sheer heaven. My doctor has told me to avoid booze until my wedding, but I had sips of wine for the seder when required and did just fine.
Matzoball soup is good for the soul!
I am definitely planning on getting some good walks in this weekend (but not overdoing it) in between catching up on the crazy amount of assignments I have due for school, and look forward to weighing in on monday. I am also looking forward to my first post-op appointment with my bariatric doctor on wednesday. I hope you all have a great weekend celebrating Passover, Easter, Spring or whatever!
Hey again
So yesterday I was absolutely STARVING and frustrated and called one of my fiancé's Aunts who has also recently gotten the gastric sleeve done. She suggested asking my doctor if I could have chili (as long as pureed) because she found that low calorie, high protein, and filing around a week out where I am now. I called my doc and the nurse there gave me the go ahead telling me to take it slow and see if my new stomach could handle it. Lucky for me… it did! I must be a freak of nature because I have only had chili one other time in my life because I am a very picky eater (and I believe it was drunken munchies with a friend so I probably would have eaten a shoelace) and I now LOVE IT! I ordered a cup of bison chili from Ted's Montana grill right by campus and it was delicious, tasty, and very filling. I was able to eat 3oz and for the first time since surgery felt like I actually had energy and was full. A full 8oz serving only has 210 calories and 20 grams of protein, so 105 calories and 10 grams of protein AND tasty is AMAZING. I am totally going to make a big crock pot of it at home and freeze some for whenever!
If you like chili, this is amazing! Ted's Montana Grill
Being back in class wasn't bad after having some chili and feeling full of energy :) This morning I woke up excited to get on the scale, then was utterly flabbergasted that it STILL reads 273!!! How could this be?! I have literally been only eating liquids (mostly protein shakes) and about 400 to 600 calories a day since surgery! I have also been walking every day further and further. Frustrated, I turned to a bariatric forum I belong to and wrote about my dilemma. Apparently this is pretty normal after sleeve surgery. I guess my body is in shock from the surgery and from the lack of calories (and not to mention I still haven't had a BM since surgery). Other people on the forum wrote about this happening to them at first too, but then dropping between 5 to 10 pounds another week later. I am trying not to get discouraged because I know I am doing everything I need to do (eating right/what I am supposed to, drinking enough water, sleeping well, taking vitamins, going to therapy, exercising) so I just need to be patient and let my body heal.
I went back to work today(nannying) and it was SO great to see my little buddy! He is seriously the most smiley, happy kiddo I have ever nannied for and I missed him a lot while I was recovering last week. We went to a nearby park and fed duckies, laid in the grass, went on the swing, and goofed around. It was 75 degrees and sunny so it was sheer bliss!
My 7 month old buddy Ravi!
When it came time for little man's nap, I put him in the stroller and did a walk I had been doing pretty regularly before surgery around Sloan's Lake (2 and half miles around). My pace was not as fast as it had been before surgery, but this is the longest walk I have done since surgery 9 days ago and it felt great. I got a Fitbit Charge HR a few weeks before surgery and I love tracking how many steps I take, my heart rate, and calories burned! I am also using a cool little app called Map My Walk on my phone which logs how far you walk and your exact pace.
Longest walk since surgery 9 days ago!
The family I nanny for is going out of town tomorrow for passover until monday night so while I will miss my buddy again, it will be nice to have another few days off to catch up on life and homework and recovering. Hope you all are having a great week so far!
Today is the first day that I woke up STARVING and actually really hungry since surgery… prior to surgery I always woke up very hungry and first thing I did when I woke up was breakfast. I gulped down my liquid vitamin crystals then drank 6 oz of a protein shake which took the edge off, but doing all liquid for another week is going to be tough :/ Nonetheless I am going to stick to it (mostly for fear of stretching/damaging my new stomach). Something I have also noticed over the last week is that my breath is super stinky from being in ketosis… from a lack of carbs and being on all liquid my body is burning fat into a chemical called ketones which make your breath and urine smell awful! This wasn't an issue the past week as I was either in the hospital or at home, but tonight I have to go to class :/ I will be heavily armed with sugar free mints!
I don't have class until 6:30pm tonight but think that I am going to head to campus early and get a jump start on some projects I have due soon… I am hoping that being out and about on campus will keep my mind off wanting food (versus sitting around at home constantly thinking about it!). I am also excited to go to work tomorrow… The wonderful family I nannied for over the course of last year moved too far away to commute to so I started with another amazing family this past January who has a 7 month old baby boy named Ravi. He is ADORABLE and I have missed him the last week and a half! I can't wait to see him tomorrow. I am also going to get on the scale again tomorrow morning to see my progress! Wish me luck ;)
Hey there... been a long time, but I am proud to announce that I have finally switched to the gastric sleeve! I had surgery (lapband removal + gastric sleeve) 7 days ago (March 27th) and am recovering well. I had to take another 6 months of nutritional classes to have the revision covered by my insurance, but it was well worth the wait.
What is the gastric sleeve you ask? Watch this video for a quick explanation :)
So before I get into how surgery was and my recovery so far, I need to eat a bit of humble pie. I had unfortunately put on ALOT of weight in the later part of 2013 and most of 2014... much more than I ever wanted to admit. When I went into surgery for lapband I weighed 304lbs, and by November of 2014 I was back up to 298lbs. It was the scariest thing in the world... here I was maintaining a 4.0 in graduate school, an officer in the counseling honor society, a mentor in my program, and working fulltime, but suddenly almost right back to the exact scary place I was years ago. It was daunting and humiliating that while everything else in my life was amazing, I had lost control of my weight and eating again. I was eating horribly and on the go all the time, and getting sick often from both poor choices and good ones. I contacted my bariatric doctor and we together decided that a switch to the gastric sleeve would be a much better option. I knew in my heart however, that I needed to seek counseling because until I could get a grip on the psychological aspect of my eating, nothing would ever work long term.
As a future therapist myself ( I am finishing graduate school to become a clinical mental health counselor) I am definitely a huge proponent of therapy, but had totally forgotten how scary it can be to be in the client role. I did not like my first therapist, but luckily found an amazing one shortly after that I have been seeing since November. I feel like I have accomplished alot with her and have gotten a much better grip on my unhealthy relationship with food. Since seeing her, I started working out again, began to eat better, and I went from 298lbs to 283lbs by early February. I am going to continue to see her twice a month to continue to work on my relationship with food.
Now onto my surgery! I was really lucky because my Mom came out again to take care of me for surgery :) I had to do a 3 day clear liquid diet prior to surgery which was totally awful (I had to do the same for lapband surgery back in 2012 and forgot how horrible it was!) but managed to get through it without mauling anyone. I clocked in at 279lbs the morning of surgery and was pretty excited. When I woke up from surgery, I was in alot of pain and very nauseous. I felt much more pain and gas with this surgery than lapband, but I was also in the hospital for 3 nights (whereas with lapband I was home the same day as surgery). Most gastric sleeve patients stay only 1 night to 2, but I had to stay longer because was throwing up some residual blood from the surgery and unable to keep liquids down for the first 2 days.
Day 1 and 2 were sheer hell in the hospital... I was super bloated, gassy, and in more pain than I had ever felt. The pain meds via IV were making me too nauseated, but I couldn't swallow a pill yet to take anything else. My Mom brought me a popsicle and I was finally able to keep that down and got more liquid down by adding water to the popsicle and smushing it into a slushie of sorts. Despite all of this, however, the nurses on the floor called me the lap queen because I was really good about getting up every hour and a half or so and taking a walk around the floor with my IV stand. Day 3 was a huge turnaround, and I was able to keep liquids down, and was finally released home on day 4.
Since being home, I have been on a full liquid diet which is essentially a clear liquid diet plus protein shakes. I have been doing well with this and tolerating the protein shakes, but at day 7 I am now finally beginning to feel hunger again and am totally sick of liquids and craving "real" food. My stomach is really confused (and rightfully so now that 85 percent of it has been removed!) and everything feels strange. It is tough to tell when I am hungry or when I am full, but that is due to the nerve endings being in shock, and this should improve daily. Eating is a new ballgame as well... I am having to relearn how to tell when I am full. So far, I am able to tolerate about 2oz to 4oz in a sitting of a protein shake and know to stop when I get this little burp followed by a rumble in my tummy. I will be on a full liquid diet for another week before I move up to a pureed diet.
I have been walking a little bit further with my dog Lola each day and feel that I will probably be back into an hour walking workout in another week. I am still pretty sore and still taking pain meds to manage this, but have decreased the frequency and amount as of today. My doc went through most of the old incisions from lapband which I am happy about because was afraid of new scars and a "frankentummy". The incisions seem to be healing nicely thus far. I go back to school tomorrow and luckily only have to work one day this week (nannying), but have had a solid 7 days off from everything and feel ready to start to get back in the swing of things.
It feels good to be back blogging, and I am excited to progress and heal from surgery :) Talk to you all again soon!
Hi again!
It has been a while since I have posted because I have not had a lot to share unfortunately :/ I am bummed to report that I seem to have hit another plateau and think it is from a combination of things. My schedule has gone back into serious full swing again (working two nanny jobs, graduate school, honor society etc.) and I have not had the time (or I guess I should say have not made the time) to exercise as much as I was, and although I am still eating pretty well, since my addictions course ended, I have re-picked up a few bad habits (such as diet soda drinking, drinking while eating, etc). Needless to say, I have not lost any weight since my last post :( I have not PUT any weight on, which is a plus, but feel stagnant. I am also really frustrated with my lap band overall, currently, because things have been getting stuck more than usual that shouldn't be and I have been getting sick a lot.
I have taken some serious steps in a new direction this week that I would like to share. I realized that no matter what surgery I have, I will NEVER truly grasp control over my weight and become and maintain a healthy weight until I conquer my compulsion to eat (even when I am not hungry) and the emotional aspect of my eating. Yesterday I called an eating disorder center that has a staff of outpatient therapists that work with all types of eating disorders and troubled eating, such as myself (who may or may not be considered a food addict). I am going to start seeing someone once a week for a few weeks to see if I can work through some of my issues with food, which is a huge step in the right direction.
Another step I am CONSIDERING (not for sure about yet) is switching from the lap band to the gastric sleeve. My lap band doctor thinks that I would fair better with the sleeve, and I found out that medicaid would cover the entire switch as long as I attend one 4 hour nutrition class once a month for six months (which is what I had to do to get lap band covered). The classes are free and offered at my doctor's office, so I am going to start attending this month. I still need to speak with the insurance woman in the office to find out exactly how much I would be paying out of pocket etc.. but after doing quite a bit of research on the sleeve, I think it truly would be a better fit for me. In fact, many other bandsters I follow blog-wise are considering the same switch. The band was a good fit for me when I had nothing else to focus on but losing weight and nannying, but with planning a wedding, going to graduate school, being an officer in the honor society, working two nanny jobs, and getting a little R and R in-between! While no surgery is going to "fix" my problem for me, the sleeve seems like a much better fit.
Here is a page comparing the sleeve to the band: Band VS Sleeve
With the lap band, the fills have been painful, it requires frequent tweaking, and I have been getting sick a lot. The gastric sleeve is more invasive, but Dr. Brown (my bariatric doc) thinks that I will have much more success IMMEDIATELY (think 90 lbs or so in 3 months) and overall for my busy lifestyle, the sleeve will work better. As I said, it is just something I am considering right now, but will let you all know what I ultimately decide of course.
Anyway, Steve and I had our 9 year anniversary this month and we celebrated it by going camping with our new pup Lola! Lola is a sweet little wiener dog/jack russell terror mix and we love her to pieces. Here is one of my favorite pics from the trip :)
I will post again soon with progress reports on all issues above.
