Last Monday I started back to work. I'll admit, it was kind of bittersweet. I was eager to get back to the office because I had so much to do, but after being away for 2.5 weeks, it was going to be hard to get back into the normal work routine. I've been diligent about weighing my portions and packing my meals at night. Since I leave the house so early in the morning, I generally wait until I get to the office to eat breakfast. It's usually yogurt or oatmeal. Lunches consist of tuna or some sliced turkey. I'll have some sugar free pudding in the afternoon if I'm looking for something sweet. All in all, the soft food diet is going okay. I meet with the nutritionist on Friday. I've been a good little do-bee and have been chronicling all of my meals in a food diary which I'll show her then. The first week on soft food I didn't lose any weight - I was a little nervous. Surely I hadn't plateaued yet, I was only 3 weeks post surgery. But over the weekend the weight started to come down again which made me feel better.
Current Stats
Previous Weight: 249.2
Current Weight: 248
Total pounds lost since 26 June 2013: 22
23 July 2013
11 July 2013
Food, Glorious Food
I had my post-op appointment with Doc on Tuesday. It went well. Everything looks good. I was hoping he would let me go back to work on Wednesday, but no dice. He said that they would prefer that I had a few days of eating solid foods in me before going back to work. So I start back on Monday. He also said I could start eating solid foods on Day 15 post-op.
Today was Day 15. Hooray for solid food! Not all solid foods mind you - I have a list of approved soft foods. I'm so thrilled to be off the all-protein-drink diet that I don't mind that I have limited options for the next 3-6 weeks. So what did I eat? For breakfast I had 3oz of non-fat Greek yogurt. I mixed a mashed banana and some sugar-free Torani Vanilla syrup into it. The vanilla really gave it an extra kick. I had a little bit of cottage cheese for a snack. For lunch I had 2oz of tuna with a tsp of chipotle dressing and a half a container of sugar-free vanilla pudding. Dinner was a half of a black bean burger with ketchup and mustard (no bun) and 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes. Finally, for a snack I had a slice of American cheese and a slice of deli chicken. With some subtle variations, this will be my diet for the next 3-6 weeks.
Current Stats
Previous Weight: 252.6
Current Weight: 249.2
Today was Day 15. Hooray for solid food! Not all solid foods mind you - I have a list of approved soft foods. I'm so thrilled to be off the all-protein-drink diet that I don't mind that I have limited options for the next 3-6 weeks. So what did I eat? For breakfast I had 3oz of non-fat Greek yogurt. I mixed a mashed banana and some sugar-free Torani Vanilla syrup into it. The vanilla really gave it an extra kick. I had a little bit of cottage cheese for a snack. For lunch I had 2oz of tuna with a tsp of chipotle dressing and a half a container of sugar-free vanilla pudding. Dinner was a half of a black bean burger with ketchup and mustard (no bun) and 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes. Finally, for a snack I had a slice of American cheese and a slice of deli chicken. With some subtle variations, this will be my diet for the next 3-6 weeks.
Current Stats
Previous Weight: 252.6
Current Weight: 249.2
07 July 2013
It's Been Awhile
It's been awhile - over a year. And in that 15 or so months so much has happened. I got a new job, I left Texas, and I returned to my hometown. I also made a huge life decision once I got home. A week and a half ago I had bariatric surgery. When I made the decision I told some friends and they were all shocked. They insisted I couldn't qualify for the surgery, I couldn't meet the criteria. While flattering, I had to explain that I had struggled with my weigh since I was a teenager with varying degrees of success and more often than not, failure. My body liked to hold on to the fat. I also dressed well and was able to camouflage a bit. However there were silent issues related to being overweight - like high blood pressure. I was obviously not one of those people who could be fit and fat. Losing weight is hard. I am envious and in awe of those people who can lose weight on their own through good old fashioned diet and exercise.
Starting my new job, I was looking over the health benefits and discovered that for qualifying individuals insurance would cover bariatric surgery. I had already given this some thought and had done some research when I was in Texas. This was not a fly by night decision. After much consideration I decided on the sleeve gastrectomy. I also decided to have the operation at Brigham & Women's in Boston. I worked in one of the best medical cities in the country, why not put it to good use? So why the sleeve? Well, the idea of the lap band didn't sit well with me. While I was fine with the doctor going in and removing a large portion of my stomach, I was less enamored with a foreign object taking up residence in my abdomen. I had similar issues with the gastric bypass. There was rerouting and what not there. The sleeve seemed much more straightforward. In removing that much of my stomach they would also be removing the part of the stomach that releases the hormone that alerts you to hunger. Bonus! Since I felt like I was always hungry, this seemed to be a good option.
I did all my pre-op - doctor's appointments, nutrition appointments, a psych eval, a lot of reading. All of which I passed. Insurance gave the go ahead and on June 26, I had the operation. I've never had surgery - not like this in any event. You can't really compare having part of your stomach removed with having LASIK or having your wisdom teeth out. I was nervous, but they put me under anesthesia and the next thing I knew I was in my room on the 15th floor with six small incisions on abdomen. I spent the next two days sleeping, a lot. I also attempted some water and some crystal light. I was sore, but not in a lot of pain after that first day. The worst was the nausea, which didn't really go away until halfway through the day after the surgery. By Friday, I was ready to fly the coop. I wanted out. I dutifully drank my two protein drinks, kept them down, and was discharged late in the day.
I spent the next few days resting. I watched a few Top Chef marathons until the urge to actually eat again kicked in and I realized I was torturing myself. So I switched to Wimbledon and Mad Men (almost done with season 1). The hard part now is the diet. I call this part a diet because it is short term. Protein drinks and sugar free liquids (crystal light, G2, water...). That's all. The first week was fine. I had no desire to eat, so having Mom and Rich stop to get food on the way home from the hospital was nothing to me because I had zero appetite and zero interest in eating. Around the one week mark, I got really tired of the protein drinks. I keep going though. I see my doctor on Tuesday and I am hoping at that point he gives me the all clear for the soft food stage of the diet. It will be easier watching other people eat if I have my own food to eat as opposed to only being allowed protein drinks. I know why I'm on them - my stomach and digestive tract are still healing. I get that and I don't want to do anything to hinder that recovery. I just want to eat real food. There are a lot of things I'm able to eat on that stage so I won't feel deprived when others around me are eating. Keep your fingers crossed that Doc gives me the okay on Tuesday. I'm really looking forward to mashed potatoes.
So now that I'm eleven days out how am I doing? Well, I feel great. I've been up and moving well since the one week mark. I can tell in my face that I've lost weight. When I start getting dressed for work next week, I should be able to tell in my clothes as well. This is my new journey - one with a smaller stomach and a new eating lifestyle ahead of me. I'm excited as to where this will take me.
Stats
Pre-Surgery Weight: 270
Current Weight: 252.6
Starting my new job, I was looking over the health benefits and discovered that for qualifying individuals insurance would cover bariatric surgery. I had already given this some thought and had done some research when I was in Texas. This was not a fly by night decision. After much consideration I decided on the sleeve gastrectomy. I also decided to have the operation at Brigham & Women's in Boston. I worked in one of the best medical cities in the country, why not put it to good use? So why the sleeve? Well, the idea of the lap band didn't sit well with me. While I was fine with the doctor going in and removing a large portion of my stomach, I was less enamored with a foreign object taking up residence in my abdomen. I had similar issues with the gastric bypass. There was rerouting and what not there. The sleeve seemed much more straightforward. In removing that much of my stomach they would also be removing the part of the stomach that releases the hormone that alerts you to hunger. Bonus! Since I felt like I was always hungry, this seemed to be a good option.
I did all my pre-op - doctor's appointments, nutrition appointments, a psych eval, a lot of reading. All of which I passed. Insurance gave the go ahead and on June 26, I had the operation. I've never had surgery - not like this in any event. You can't really compare having part of your stomach removed with having LASIK or having your wisdom teeth out. I was nervous, but they put me under anesthesia and the next thing I knew I was in my room on the 15th floor with six small incisions on abdomen. I spent the next two days sleeping, a lot. I also attempted some water and some crystal light. I was sore, but not in a lot of pain after that first day. The worst was the nausea, which didn't really go away until halfway through the day after the surgery. By Friday, I was ready to fly the coop. I wanted out. I dutifully drank my two protein drinks, kept them down, and was discharged late in the day.
I spent the next few days resting. I watched a few Top Chef marathons until the urge to actually eat again kicked in and I realized I was torturing myself. So I switched to Wimbledon and Mad Men (almost done with season 1). The hard part now is the diet. I call this part a diet because it is short term. Protein drinks and sugar free liquids (crystal light, G2, water...). That's all. The first week was fine. I had no desire to eat, so having Mom and Rich stop to get food on the way home from the hospital was nothing to me because I had zero appetite and zero interest in eating. Around the one week mark, I got really tired of the protein drinks. I keep going though. I see my doctor on Tuesday and I am hoping at that point he gives me the all clear for the soft food stage of the diet. It will be easier watching other people eat if I have my own food to eat as opposed to only being allowed protein drinks. I know why I'm on them - my stomach and digestive tract are still healing. I get that and I don't want to do anything to hinder that recovery. I just want to eat real food. There are a lot of things I'm able to eat on that stage so I won't feel deprived when others around me are eating. Keep your fingers crossed that Doc gives me the okay on Tuesday. I'm really looking forward to mashed potatoes.
So now that I'm eleven days out how am I doing? Well, I feel great. I've been up and moving well since the one week mark. I can tell in my face that I've lost weight. When I start getting dressed for work next week, I should be able to tell in my clothes as well. This is my new journey - one with a smaller stomach and a new eating lifestyle ahead of me. I'm excited as to where this will take me.
Stats
Pre-Surgery Weight: 270
Current Weight: 252.6
07 April 2012
Hello April!
I am so glad that March is done. It was a rough month. I missed the last two weeks of WW due to illness and then due to a fall that resulted in a twisted knee and a weekend of doing nothing much so as not to exacerbate the situation. So when April 1 came around, I was so thrilled for the new month. And this week was good. I made my first homemade, from scratch, vegan dinner that I had for dinner Sunday - Tuesday. BBQ "beef", beans, and biscuits - it was a casserole type thing and it was delicious. I have pretty much completely omitted dairy, egg, and meat from my diet with the occasional foray into sushi. Breakfast most days consists of a smoothie I make before I head out the door and drink throughout the morning. Super easy, filling, and gives me energy through the morning - 2 frozen bananas, 1 cup of almond milk, a few ice cubes, 2 tbsp of ground flax seeds, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp peanut butter. For lunch most days last week I had a vegan burrito. Snacks consisted of fruit and flax seed crackers. Plenty of water. Dinner Wednesday I had sushi and since I was on the Denton campus Thursday and started at a meeting out of the office, I didn't want my lunch sitting in the car in the heat, so I planned for sushi in the cafe that day too. Thursday night dinner was pita pizzas with vegan mozarella and vegan pepperoni. Dinner Friday night was on the fly, an english muffin with vegan butter spread. I have discovered So Delicious mini bars and a bite of something sweet in the evening. Very points friendly and for someone who hates coconut, to be gaga over something with coconut milk, means you can't even taste the coconut. Score!
So I after two weeks of being away, I was nervous because I didn't weigh myself last weekend and the weekend before when I was sick, I weighed myself at home and I had been up from my previous WW weight of 255.8. I got on the horse though and made it to my meeting today. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I LOVE my WW meeting. I have, hands down, the best WW leader ever. Cassie is awesome. She's funny, she's supportive, and she's done it. Twice. Leaving there I feel energized and ready to make good choices for the week. And...I hit my five pound mark. Finally! I have already planned my food for this week. For lunches - red beans and rice with soy chorizo and for dinner tacos with vegan meatless crumbles.
Weekly Stats:
Current Weight: 254.8
Lost: 1
Total Lost: 5.2
So I after two weeks of being away, I was nervous because I didn't weigh myself last weekend and the weekend before when I was sick, I weighed myself at home and I had been up from my previous WW weight of 255.8. I got on the horse though and made it to my meeting today. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I LOVE my WW meeting. I have, hands down, the best WW leader ever. Cassie is awesome. She's funny, she's supportive, and she's done it. Twice. Leaving there I feel energized and ready to make good choices for the week. And...I hit my five pound mark. Finally! I have already planned my food for this week. For lunches - red beans and rice with soy chorizo and for dinner tacos with vegan meatless crumbles.
Weekly Stats:
Current Weight: 254.8
Lost: 1
Total Lost: 5.2
27 March 2012
Here I Am
Sorry for the delayed post all, I had a paper due on Monday night, a conference all day Monday, and precious little extra time (but enough time to go see The Hunger Games!). I didn't make it to my meeting this week, which I wasn't thrilled about, but I did weigh myself at home and I maintained this week. I wanted to get to the meeting for the sake of the meeting not for the weigh in though. I radically altered my diet last week and am "leaning into" becoming a vegan.
I'm not going to proselytize, it's a personal choice. I'd be thrilled if my friends and family decided to become vegan too, but I'm not going to be pushy and preachy about it. So how did I decide to become vegan? I read a book. I happened to be working from home one afternoon and Ellen had a guest on, Kathy Freston. Kathy is the author of Veganist. She discusses weight loss as a side-effect of a plant based diet, but that's not why I made the choice. I got behind her story, the information put forward by doctors, and the stories of others. She talks about how she became vegan. Kathy calls it "leaning", slowly eliminating those parts of your diet that are animal based (dairy, eggs, meat products) and substituting alternatives. She started by eliminating chicken, then red meat. I already steer clear of milk and eggs, and I'm not a huge meat eater, so eliminating those from my diet isn't hard. Cheese? hard. Very hard. But at the end of the day, I believe in the health benefits more than I love cheese, so I can let it go. Ice Cream. So so difficult, oh my stars. But again, you are what you eat and I don't love ice cream more than I love me, so it will have to be sorbets and tofutti cuties when I need that fix.
I'm not going to proselytize, it's a personal choice. I'd be thrilled if my friends and family decided to become vegan too, but I'm not going to be pushy and preachy about it. So how did I decide to become vegan? I read a book. I happened to be working from home one afternoon and Ellen had a guest on, Kathy Freston. Kathy is the author of Veganist. She discusses weight loss as a side-effect of a plant based diet, but that's not why I made the choice. I got behind her story, the information put forward by doctors, and the stories of others. She talks about how she became vegan. Kathy calls it "leaning", slowly eliminating those parts of your diet that are animal based (dairy, eggs, meat products) and substituting alternatives. She started by eliminating chicken, then red meat. I already steer clear of milk and eggs, and I'm not a huge meat eater, so eliminating those from my diet isn't hard. Cheese? hard. Very hard. But at the end of the day, I believe in the health benefits more than I love cheese, so I can let it go. Ice Cream. So so difficult, oh my stars. But again, you are what you eat and I don't love ice cream more than I love me, so it will have to be sorbets and tofutti cuties when I need that fix.
18 March 2012
Back on Track
I feel better. I'm back on track and back on plan. Thanks to the whole "hamburger debacle" I had a rough week. I spent last week focusing on being healthy, making smart choices, and bumping up the intensity on my exercise. Let's rewind to last Sunday. I started by riding the exercise bike for an hour, which I usually do on Sunday mornings. Instead of maintaining the resistance for the whole ride, I bumped it up from 4 to 5 halfway through. Sunday is generally crockpot day around here, so I had bought a pork loin and slow cooked that in barbecue sauce and made pulled pork to have for dinner for most of the nights last week. It came out really good. I put some of the pork on a sandwich thin and included some corn as a side, plus a pickle and it was a pretty good dinner. Since I only cook for one, I am always interested in good recipes that I can make and then eat for most of the week. It cuts down on me eating out, and it's so so easy to come home from work, work out, and then pop the leftovers in the microwave. Dinner in seconds. The crockpot meals usually hold up really well as leftovers.
For lunches I took salads on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday I ate out, and Thursday I had a sandwich from the deli. I checked the menu before I went out to lunch on Wednesday and decided in advance what I was going to have. It's so helpful when you can plan in advance and take a look at the menu. I had class Thursday night so ordered some sushi for dinner Thursday on my way home from school. I ordered an extra sushi roll so I could have it for dinner on Friday too (lent = no meat on Fridays).
I also worked out four times during the week (including Sunday). I usually ride the bike for a half hour on the weekdays, but I increased it to 40 minutes and permanently increased my start resistance to 5.
I was still hesitant when I went to my meeting yesterday. I never know if it's going to be a good week or not. I thought I had made good choices and I tracked everything. I ate most of my weekly points (I never touch my activity points, I track the activity just to keep a record). I worked out a little more, but I so easily gain and have a hard time losing, that I always have a moment of anxiety before I step on the scale. This week I was down 1.2 pounds. Whew :) A loss always feels good. I also felt good because I ate good food this week. More fruits and veggies. I'm not a huge fan, but I know which ones I like and I do feel better overall when I eat better. So for me, I need to really make an effort to only eat out once or twice a week and to make smart choices when I do.
Weekly Stats:
Current Weight: 255.8
Lost: 1.2
Total Lost: 4.2
For lunches I took salads on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday I ate out, and Thursday I had a sandwich from the deli. I checked the menu before I went out to lunch on Wednesday and decided in advance what I was going to have. It's so helpful when you can plan in advance and take a look at the menu. I had class Thursday night so ordered some sushi for dinner Thursday on my way home from school. I ordered an extra sushi roll so I could have it for dinner on Friday too (lent = no meat on Fridays).
I also worked out four times during the week (including Sunday). I usually ride the bike for a half hour on the weekdays, but I increased it to 40 minutes and permanently increased my start resistance to 5.
I was still hesitant when I went to my meeting yesterday. I never know if it's going to be a good week or not. I thought I had made good choices and I tracked everything. I ate most of my weekly points (I never touch my activity points, I track the activity just to keep a record). I worked out a little more, but I so easily gain and have a hard time losing, that I always have a moment of anxiety before I step on the scale. This week I was down 1.2 pounds. Whew :) A loss always feels good. I also felt good because I ate good food this week. More fruits and veggies. I'm not a huge fan, but I know which ones I like and I do feel better overall when I eat better. So for me, I need to really make an effort to only eat out once or twice a week and to make smart choices when I do.
Weekly Stats:
Current Weight: 255.8
Lost: 1.2
Total Lost: 4.2
04 March 2012
Lesson Learned
This was not a great week. I knew around Wednesday that I had probably gained this week. I didn't need to step on the scale to know this. My eating was all out of whack and when that happens, I invariably gain wait. What happened was, I was craving a burger. I wanted a burger so bad. So instead of taking the hit in my points, I ate everything else and still went over my points so when I finally broke down and ate the burger Wednesday night, I had already wrecked my week. I got back on track Thursday and Friday and exercised both days, but the damage was done.
I was tempted to skip weigh in this week, but I went. If nothing else, I went for the inspiration and I wasn't disappointed. I always leave inspired and ready for the week ahead.
Weekly Stats:
Current Weight: 257
Gained: 1.6
Total Lost: 3.0
I was tempted to skip weigh in this week, but I went. If nothing else, I went for the inspiration and I wasn't disappointed. I always leave inspired and ready for the week ahead.
Weekly Stats:
Current Weight: 257
Gained: 1.6
Total Lost: 3.0
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