Down 2 pounds

I'm down 2 pounds from yesterday.  So that's a good thing.  Hubby and I are doing our best to be good and track those calories.  I had to stop at Jewel today with the girls, they wanted ice cream.  So I got SpongeBob Pushups which are 80 calories each and mini ice cream sandwiches which are 90 calories.  I'm going to be reading labels even more than I already have!

Weekly update #2

Today's weigh in was 365, so I'm up 3 pounds from last week.  We had Monkey's birthday party on Saturday, so that might have something to do with it.  I'm doing my best to track food better on myfitnesspal.com, and hubby is tracking his as well.  It makes it so much easier to have someone doing it with you, and we are holding each other accountable for tracking.  So that should help.  It's amazing of how much of an eye opener it is when you track your calories.  We are just beginning, but we will make it a habit, that's for sure.

I'm also starting my sample of protein shakes, and I have a list to the right on this blog to keep track of what I'm trying and how I rate the flavor on a 1-5 scale.  This way, when I am closer to surgery and after surgery, I will already know what I like and don't like since those shakes will become common for me.  So if you have any suggestions on ones I can try, please comment below.

I am making a conscience effort of getting more protein in my diet, which is hard for me, since I'm such a carb lover.  And I'm trying to take it slow so that the lifestyle change sticks.  If I do too much, too soon, I will be more apt to drive myself crazy...or should I say crazier than I already am!

Weekly update #1

I have decided to try and start to do weekly updates (at least) on Mondays.  Things are going well so far.  I have dropped a few more pounds, so I am now at 36 pounds lost.  Only 4 pounds away from 40!  Yippie!!

I am doing better at resisting second helpings and continuing to make better choices.  I find I do much better at work because I have better control.  I am also finding that I'm not as hungry as I used to be.  All of these things are good.  Baby steps for right now, I must remind myself, baby steps.

I'm looking forward to adding exercise to the plan as I am able.  It's really hard because of all the joint pain and fatigue I have, but again, I must do baby steps with that too.  I'll be happy when the water park opens.  The season pass is sitting there waiting to be used.

A small surprise

So I was out of town with the family over the weekend, and I tried to be "good" with my food choices.  It's not like I was snacking like crazy, cause I wasn't, but there was that cheesecake for dessert Friday night, and my friend's birthday cake Saturday night, and the chocolate dipped peanuts and chocolate cashews on Sunday.  Plus having 2 lunches at Culvers.....anyways, when I hopped on the scale this morning, I fully expected to see that I gained a pound or two from last week.  I was really surprised to discover that I LOST a pound.  A nice small surprise!  I like it!!

Surgery recovery and early loss: what nobody tells you but EVERYBODY asks

Secret Agent Sparklekitty, who is on the forum, ObesityHelp.com, posted this the other day.  I thought it was great material and received permission to re-post it here on my blog.  I know I will be referring back to this post many times after surgery.

There's a TON of reading material out there on the pros and con's of each surgery, what to do to prepare, what to eat afterwards, etc. But there a lot of questions that pop up and apparently few surgeons discuss these! So consider this a mini-FAQ of sorts, based on LOTS of posts here over the past year or so, and it may be useful to those soon bound for surgery or those who're in the early days on the losers' bench.

1. You will feel like you've been hit by a tour bus. This is normal. Your body has been through major changes in surgery, and healing takes tons of energy. Plus your entire system has to get used to living on a different number of calories than it has in a long time! Even after the first week or two and you don't completely feel like death warmed over on a cafeteria tray, it's very common to have low energy and feel a little "out of it." Hang in there! It gets better, and most people are back to full speed in a few weeks. In the meantime, don't feel guilty for taking a nap if you need to.

2. Everyone's loss is different-- don't compare yourself. Many people see a big change on the scale in the first week after surgery. Others may gain a pound of two instead. We all come from different medical situations and it's impossible to compare ourselves to others, so there's no point in panicking that you haven't lost X lb in your first week like PosterXYZ and assuming that you're doomed for failure.

3. Your loss will not be consistent. Most people come home from the hospital, lose weight with each daily weigh-in, and then at some point between 3 and 5 weeks out, the scale stops moving for a few days. This is the dreaded "three week stall" and pretty much EVERYBODY goes through it. It is normal, it is healthy, it does not mean that you or your surgery are faulty-- it means that your body is finally saying, "hey, I guess I'd better learn to live on Y number of calories now" and adjusting to everything. Be patient and know you're not alone.

4. You will not feel much restriction, if any, until several weeks post-op. The nerves in your stomach have been cut and can't feel a darn thing, including how much food is in there. Once again, your surgery did not fail because you don't have restriction-- you just need to regrow some body parts! Trying to eat until you "feel full" is dangerous, because you likely won't reach that point and you could wreck havok on your newly-rearranged guts, so be careful!

5. There are many post-op eating plans; follow the one from YOUR doctor. Some people get "mushies" at 1 week out, others wait a month, and there are all sorts of variations on what's OK and not at each "stage" of recovery. Just because you see another poster mention eating 1/2c of yogurt at 2 weeks out means that you should do the same if YOUR surgeon wants you only drinking protein shakes at the 2-week mark. The person who read your medical history and cut into your guts AND went to med school knows better than any random stranger out here in Internet-Land.

6. You will probably be hormonal. It's the surgery and it's OK. Our bodies store estrogen in fat cells, and when we lose weight rapidly, we lose the hormones along with it-- leading to the infamous "hormone dump." You may feel cranky, grumpy, snappy, and have mood swings that rival your teenage years... think PMS x 10. Luckily it slows down with your initial weight loss, but this is not a good time to make sudden, big decisions (buying a Jaguar, finding and marrying a hot young pool boy, etc., breaking up with your BFF). And ladies, be prepared for your "monthlies" to go a little wonky, you may find your cycle thrown off or even have a light period that lasts a week or more. If in doubt, call your gyno

Dietitian appointment #1

Today I saw the dietitian.  Her name is Erin.  I really like Erin.  She is very easy to talk to, and I was very comfortable with her.  We talked about my eating habits and I'm doing well and what I need to improve on.  I told her how I realized I was a stress eater, and she gave me ideas to combat that.  She told me that now I need to start counting calories instead of carbs, and I should be consuming 1600 - 1800 calories per day right now pre-surgery.  For the first 6 months after surgery, I will be at 800-1000 calories per day.  When she showed me what the portion size would look like post-surgery, I admit is was frightening to see.  I would be eating many tiny meals about every 4 hours.  After 6 months I will be able to go up to 1200 calories per day.  She told me that I pretty much would be counting calories the rest of my life and as much as a pain in the ass that sounds, I know that is what I have to do.  I know I'm not going to starve, and it's a total change in lifestyle and mindset.

Besides calories, we talked about protein.  I will have to make sure to eat a lot of protein and to eat that first before my veggies and carbs.  Protein will help me retain muscle while losing the fat.  I would like to try tofu, and my hubby says that he has had it and it's not that bad.  I'll look into eating more beans too (the family will love that when it comes to gas department!).  I'm also going to start experimenting with protein shakes now so I can figure out which ones I like.  I'll be drinking more of those as I get closer to surgery and then after surgery.

Another thing we talked about is having a healthy back up plan.  When we have those evenings when neither one of us feels like cooking, we need to have healthy choices on hand (even microwave meals) so that we're not tempted to order in or go out to eat.  As an interesting comparison, Erin said that a peanut butter sandwich would be much healthier than running to McDonald's.  She also that on those occasions we do go out to eat, I should look at the menu online first and plan what I'm going to have.  This way I can compare the calorie counts and go with what is best for me.

We reviewed making sure to drink zero calorie drinks and what all the options are there.
Some of the suggestions for the stress eating were talked about too.  I've already started chewing gum, and am trying to do that more before reaching for a snack.  We talked about healthy snacks to have on hand as well.

Erin also gave the ok for me to start the pre-op classes.  I go to class #1 on May 6.  Then I see the psychologist in the middle of May and I see Erin again at the end of May and on that visit we are going to talk about healthy cooking.  May should be an exciting month!!  And I lost 6 pounds according to their scale!!

Upcoming appointment and other stuff

I haven't written in a while because there really hasn't been much to report.  I have hit a plateau and have stayed in the 368-371 range.  That tells me I need to really start to push myself and work harder.  I also really discovered that I am most definitely a stress eater.  Quarter-end was very stressful at work, and I was munching and snacking like crazy.  So I need to really be mindful of that and find other ways to relieve the stress.  I've started carrying gum with me, so when I do feel like snacking, I'm chewing a piece of gum first.  It is helping so far.

I have the appointment with the dietitian on Wednesday, and I'm really interested in what she has to say.  I will share the results of that appointment shortly thereafter.

To those of you who have asked how I'm doing, I say THANK YOU.  It touches me more than you can imagine that you are keeping up with my progress, and are checking this blog on a regular basis.  Please continue to share your thoughts and comments.