BabeeCakes

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

I went through a small adjustment period after my husband deployed. I found that I would want to snack because I am BORED, close to bedtime. Thankfully I recognized this pattern after three days and nipped it in the bud. Now I keep a water bottle by my side at all times and if I feel the urge to snack, I drink water. Went back to the basics. I've been at a stall for the last 2 weeks. So close to goal, yet so far away. I am currently at 153. To be at NORMAL BMI, I need to be at 145. My surgeon orginally set my goal as 130. The closer I get, the more I push myself in the gym.
For a few weeks I stopped journalling on a regular basis and found that the carbs were creeping up on me without my knowledge. NOTE: I still do not eat bread, pasta, rice, starches, etc. (white or brown). I do eat ancient grains if I eat any at all. So all of my carbs come from fruits, veggies, fish, poultry, nuts, and dairy. I've gone back to pre-planning my meals and food journalling faithfully so I can get to where I need to be. I do still make sure I burn as many calories as I take in daily. Trying to get back on track.

So much has happend in the last 8 months. We moved from VA to TX when I was 2 months post-op. I hated it. I missed my surgeon and my support group. I did jump in and find two support groups here that I could attend. I've met a lot of great supportive people through both of them. I've found that it is not only a challenge and roller coaster ride because of this surgery, but to also have to throw in the military life and deployments are an added factor that make this even more challenging....I love my new skinny self. I love the energy I have to go all day long without pain or being exhausted all the time. I learned early on how food and exercise effected my body and took advantage of it. My wonderful surgeon repeated several times that you will lose most of your weight at an increased rate within the first 3-4 months so I wanted to take advantage of that time as much as I could. I wasn't blessed with the "first 4 months of disappearing weight" like most of my peers have been. Thankfully I realized this early on and worked hard. I work out 3 times a day for a minimum of 3-4 hours a day 6 days a week. On Sunday I take it easy and just do one work out for a minimum of 60 minutes. I still keep a detailed food journal to help me figure out why the scale stalls for lo ng periods of time. For the first 6 months I was a scale whore. I weighed myself 6-7 times a day. I was obsessive. The scale ruled my day. It determined what I wore that day, how much and what type of work out I would do, what I would eat, and how much extra water I would take in that day. I finally put the scale away and now I just take my measurements every Sat. morning and weigh myself at the same time. I am still shrinking in all the right places :-)

SW at orientation: 264
CW: 158
Personal Goal Weight: 145
Surgeon's goal weight for me: 130

Today is my one month surgiversary. I am enjoying my new freedom. I was imprisoned in a body of fat for so long that I had forgotten what it feels like to be able to move around without pain...to fit in a doorway or hallway at the same time as another person...to not have my stomach rub against the steering wheel of my car.
In the last few weeks I've come to the realization that I can no longer enjoy food the way I used to. I am just starting phase 3 foods, but I found that the foods I used to enjoy are no longer enjoyable. I realize that food is fuel and I can't look at it the same way. I've heard so many people say the same thing, but until you actually experience it you won't know the feeling.
Non Scale Victory (NSV): I purchased a large sized jacket hoping to be able to wear it within the next few months, but when I got home I tried it on and much to my surprise it fit and I was even able to button it up without bumps and bulges. 

Here are my #s thus far...
Orientation weight: 264
1st appointment with surgeon: 256
Morning of surgery: 249
Weight at one month: 227

One month photos are posted under photos.

I just checked my BMI to see if it has changed 2 weeks post-op, and low and behold it did. I went from being EXTREMELY obese to now being in the obese category. When I started this journey, my BMI was 48.5 and now I am 39.1It is so nice to know for once in my life that I will NEVER see that BMI associated with MY weight EVER again.
I love to see all of the little non-scale changes that I am going through daily. Its like watching a new born baby all over again. I've started getting rid of clothing that no longer fit. The only clothing I've ever gotten rid of are maternity and clothing that has gone out of style. My closet and storage bins have always consisted of 4 different sizes of clothing. I can proudly say that I will never see size 22 pants again in my life. Woo Hoo!!

I have my 2 week follow up with my wonderful surgeon on Jan. 3rd. I can't wait to be cleared to eat soft proteins. I never thought I would miss the actual act of chewing.

I made it to the loser's bench...My surgery was on Wed. Jan.19th. Surprisingly, I have very little pain. I have more of a feeling of soreness and tenderness. It feels like I did a billion and one sit ups and have muscle soreness the next day. My surgeon and his team (minions as they referred to themselves) were great. I feel so blessed to have been assigned to him and not to any other surgeon. I've heard so many horror stories about some of the other surgeons. After the surgery, I had a hard time with nausea which I am told is common. It prohibited me from getting up and walking around when I was in the ICU/SDU so I was worried that I would be stuck in the hospital for an extra day or so. After I was moved to recovery, I began to feel a little better. I was told that I was being too aggressive in trying to take in fluids. What do you expect? I just went 39 hours without water or sustenance. I had to re-learn how to drink to make sure I was not going to get dehydrated and ensure I was going home on Fri.

Since I have been home, I feel great. I was able to walk up and down the stairs with no issues. Before my surgery, I had a lot of pain in my right heal (bone spurs) which effected how I walked. My weight and carrying around a 27 lb. baby didn't help the pain any. As a matter of fact, the day I went to the hospital for my surgery I had a hard time keeping up with my husband because I couldn't walk at a normal pace. After my surgery and when I was able to get up and walk the halls in the hospital, I realized almost immediately that the pain in my foot was gone. I was able to walk the halls in my socks, no supports from shoes or orthotics. I am so amazed. I was able to go for my daily walk the day after I got home. It was a short walk (20 min), but I felt great. I've been able to keep up the walks everyday gradually increasing my time. I love it.

The only challenges are that I am not feeling hunger at all and have just gotten to where I can drink 64 oz of fluids per day. Also, getting into a comfortable position to sleep has been challenging. Before surgery, I bought a bunch of pillows to prop me up and stuff around and under me to keep from rolling onto my stomach. So far I have not been able to find a comfortable combination in order to get a full night of sleep. DH is going out to buy a recliner to see if that will help. If not, hey, he will get a daddy chair out of the deal. He deserves it. I am so thankful for all of his support and taking care of the kids and house when I was in the hospital.

Here are my #s so far...
Started at 264 the first time I weighed in at the surgeon's office.
Morning of surgery: 249
Today, Jan. 24th: 240

The first few days of my liquid diet were rough...I've concluded that my hunger is all in my head. The first few days it took longer than normal to recall information and I also felt absolutely absent minded (worst than pregnancy amnesia). By the third day I was fine and back to my old smart self. lol. I find that my mouth is constantly dry so I have been drinking and overabundance of water. I average about 100-120 oz per day. I don't go anywhere without my 20oz water bottle. I also always have lip moisturizer (used two tubes since I've started) and Listerine breath strips on me as well. You know, dry mouth=bad breath. The nice thing is that I have seen a loss everyday and the days I go to the gym...wow...lets just say I get on the scale two or three times to make sure I am reading it correctly. Cant wait to see what the scale does after surgery!
I've also become very aware of how unhealthy my eating habits were. I used to do a lot of little things unconsciously as the cook in the house. Such as taste the food while I was cooking to ensure it was presentable to my family. It's hard to believe that I didn't balloon up to 400 or 500 lbs (over exaggeration). It's little things such as mindlessly tasting a spoonful that have caloric value and eventually adds up after a while. Another thing is the amount of sugar contained in everyday foods that one may think or is told that it is healthy. It's shocking, I tell ya!
Well anyways, I've rambled on enough...These last two weeks before surgery are going by soooooo slow. I am so excited that I want it to be the 19th right now.

So I went out and purchased everything I think I will need before and after surgery. I've been watching vlogs on youtube of folks that are post-op. I am trying to mentally prepare myself for what is to come. Throughout this journey I've been told to be careful with the information provided on the internet mainly information from post-oppers that claim to now be experts on the subject of bariatric surgery. Wow, I can see why the real experts fore warn their patients. Some things I did learn though that I am using is 1). ease into the liquid diet. I am supposed to start my liquid diet on Jan 5th so on the 1st I started with two shakes and increase the amount everyday so that on the 5th I will be taking in 5 shakes and drinking a swimming pool full of water LOL. This is to avoid the irritability and headaches. Sounded good so I went for it. If it doesn't work, I at least can get used to the taste and schedule. 2). Make a photo journal with measurements. This is so I can go back and look at the progress I've made to sort of help the mind catch up to the body. Several post-oppers I've talked to say that is the hardest part of this journey. Again, sounded good to me so I went out and purchased an expandable scrap book and had DH take pictures and measurements on Jan 1st before I began with the liquid diet.
 

 

 

Surgery has been approved by all of the deciding factors and a date has been set. I am scheduled to have surgery on Jan. 19th and will begin my liquid diet on Jan. 5th. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to it. Even though the time has seemed to fly by thus far, I feel like a kid always asking "Are we there yet?"...Got a little smack on the hand for gaining some weight back. I fell down the stairs and hurt my back so I couldn't do my regular workout. The modified workout apparently wasn't doing the trick which has given me another reason why I need this surgery.
Woo Hoo!! I have a date and something to look forward to now!