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putasleeveonit's Blog
 

Crystal Light

Before a few days ago, I had gone over 6 months without having a single cup of plain water! So I've been forcing myself to drink at least 40 oz of plain water a day and I hope to get up to 60oz a day. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but I immediately dropped a few pounds since starting. It could be due to cutting back on Crystal Light, or it could be due to my dramatic reduction of salt-based seasonings (Dash has some great tasting Salt-Free seasonings!). Probably a little of both!
putasleeveonit

putasleeveonit

0
ChaChaBurch's Blog
 

Easter Weekend

For this weekend, I have been super tired. Not sleeping well at night. Every time I try to lie on my left side, I get a pain (feels like a pulled muscle) in my largest incision sight.   Enjoyed Easter service, and went to Mom's with my DH. Mom had made some things that I could eat (mashed potatoes, squash casserole, super soft green beans). It was really nice to sit down to a meal with others and visit. One of my cousins that I grew up with was visiting. He looked incredible, and I asked him how he was doing. He had been diagnosed with Rhumatoid Arthritis about a year ago, and back then he was in really bad shape. He said he started a gluten-free lifestyle, went to www.mercola.com, and started on what is basically called "The Cave Man" diet. He said he has never felt better, and eats like a King. Lots and lots of meat, fresh veggies, fruits and nuts. No flour, beans, pasta, diary (except butter), bread, etc. I had heard of something similar to this, and since my taste buds are all "screwy", I thought that once I was able to get back on to "normal food", I might start learning how to cook all over again, but in a much, much healthier way.   My weight has stayed the same for the past 3 days, so maybe I'm at my first stall. If so, that's fine. I'm more concerned about making sure that my new tummy is totally healed first.   This coming Wednesday, I'll finally be able to get out and mow. I can't wait. Our yard is in serious need. Since my DH works 65-70 hrs a week, he only gets 1 day off, and that's Sunday. Since I don't work, I handle the mowing and weed eating. It will be nice to finally get our yard in shape. I can also start working on my garden. We do a "deck garden", on a back deck. I can't wait to plant tomatoes, green beans, squash, bell peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, herbs, eggplant. I love having a small garden that is just big enough for me and DH to eat out of.   Well, I sure hope I sleep tonight. Getting up at 5am is gonna be tough if I don't.
ChaChaBurch

ChaChaBurch

1
PAenergy's Blog
 

Post Op Day 3

Still some incisional pain that is much better when I take the Tylenol w/ codeine. I'm still not that hungry, but I am lucky that we don't traditionally have a big Easter dinner. So there aren't a lot of people eating around me. I did go to the movies today because cabin fever is already starting to set in. I wish there was a better movie selection right now, but 21 Jump Street was cute (yet different than the TV version I remember from the 80s).
PAenergy

PAenergy

0
desertmom's Blog
 

Hairy Throat

ok,today is the first day that I feel a little lost in this journey.   I have had a hairy furry feeling with a white coating in the back of my throat since surgery.It doesnt go away.I have been on daktarin gel and on mycostatin and it doesnt help which makes me think it is not thrush.   How do I get rid of this feeling?I want to gag and am constantly busy trying to fix this issue.It is the most aweful feeling I have ever had and I regret having this surgery if only for this.I wish I could just feel normal again.If this horrible feeling goes away I feel I will have my life back.   Help!
desertmom

desertmom

4
lageniafaye's Blog
 

Happy Easter

Well it is raining here, but thats ok. I am going to cook today for the first time sense being banded. I am going to eat some beans and cornbread. Of course the beans will be blendes into liquid, and i will soak the cornbread in the liquid to mush it up, but it will be a treat. Ya'll have a happy Easter.
lageniafaye

lageniafaye

0
For my family and myself
 

12 Days

Well it has been 12 days since I was banded. Yesterday was a bit hard. I was hurting really bad yesterday, where the port is. Is it supposed to still be hurting this bad??? Also My doc told me to keep the port cover at all times (i still have staples in) but the bandages are killing my skin. Maybe thats why it hurts so bad???   Yesterday was my family bbq and it went great. That morning honestly being "the fat girl" I am I was sad that I would not be eating EVERYTHING that was there. I was sad because I was making homemade cupcakes and mac n cheese to take but that I would not be able to eat them. But once I got there and had everyone asking me about my surgery and how I was feeling, they couldnt believe how much weight I had already lost it made me feel so much better. So instead of eating all the bad crap that was there I ate grilled chicken and it was yummy. And this morning I felt even better when I got on the scale and im down13 lbs!!!!
Eviees mommy

Eviees mommy

5
Phoenix Rising's Blog
 

Ha, That Will Teach Me!

Hi Everyone,   Ladies, thank you for your comments, I really appreciate you taking the time and trouble to support me as you do. Well, again from the title of this entry, you will see that my naughty hot cross bun got me in the end!!!   Since I ate it I have been constipated, so had to take some medication to get me moving again. Thankfully, that has now happened, but was very uncomfortable for a while. So perhaps this time I will learn my lesson, and do as I am told by the doctors and not try to run before I can walk!   Don't hold your breath everyone, but I will try.   Well, I have had a lovely easter day, the whole family came around for lunch and I was able to sit down and eat with them. Ok, my portion was a lot smaller than theirs and I ate very slowly, but was able to eat a little turkey, mashed potato and delicious gravy too. I put my food on a small side plate and to me it looked a big meal. I really enjoyed it and yes, I was amazed at how fast my family ate their meals. I was the last to finish, but it was oh so good. I felt 'normal' again eating with everyone else, just much small amounts. Nobody commented on how much I ate as they knew I had been on a liquid diet for over a month and I had told them that my stomach had shrunk!!! I think I can chalk that one up as a success.   My family bought me flowers rather than chocolate for easter, although I do have a tiny little chocolate rabbit that my husband bought for me. So I may indulge later. It is very small so I don't think it will hurt. Actually the sugar content will probably make it pass right on through which at the moment wouldn't be a bad thing. I let you know how it goes. Happy Easter to everyone Phoenix
Phoenix Rising

Phoenix Rising

2
Rhapsody's Rants
 

Week 4/ One Month Since Surgery!

Wow, so where do I start? Let's go backwards   Yesterday I was in the ER. I hadn't had an appetite for 4 days. I'm really dehydrated and I've barely been able to look at any food, let alone stomach it. Around 5pm I started having really bad pains across my stomach and I got really dizzy and nauseated and if I had anything in my stomach it would have been all over the floor.. My heart was racing, I was really hot and that was scary because I'm always cold, and I was hyperventilating. I didn't want to go to the ER because they are HORRIBLE but he made me because I had symptoms of a leak.   Long story short, I left AMA, I mean just walked right out with an IV still in my arm. I waited 3 HOURs for pain/nausea meds and never got them. I was so livid I just walke out. So, I don't know if I have a leak. During those 3 HOURs, my symptoms subsided and I felt a little better and I thought if there was something really wrong, they would have seen it on the xray and I would have been up in the OR by now.   I know I'll probably get some flack for walking out, but I work in medical and let me tell you Bethesda Naval medical center is by far THE WORST facade of a hospital I've ever seen. 3 hours is unacceptable to wait in pain.   I don't know what is going on with me. The first 26 days was great. I was eating well getting in my protein and water and once my period hit, everything went downhill. Is this normal? Does this ever go away and will I ever get my appetite back? I hate being nauseous at the smell of food.
Shemy-away

Shemy-away

12
cmw10000's Blog
 

My Journey

Had the sleeve on Feb. 27, 2012 the surgery went well,(with the exception of the anasteisa). I, ve lost 20 lbs and am learning when to eat and how much. Very little nausia thank goodness. That being said I have had some really crazy mood swings, It's all in my head but I feel like I am missing out on things. I don't enjoy eating it's like a chore now what can I eat how much can I eat. Not to mention who is watching me eat. Has anyone else felt this way?
cmw10000

cmw10000

3
lageniafaye's Blog
 

11 Days Post Op

Today is my 11th day post op. and I feel fine. I still have a huge bruse on my stomach and the steri strips are still in place. I am sick of protien drinks,(slim fast, equate, atkins and chicken broth makes me gag(yuck). I still have a lump on my stomach, I think it is the band I am feeling. I am not depressed anymore and I am not dreaming of food. I think my withdrawls are over. I don't watch food comercials especially the fast food cometcials on TV and I don't watch the Food Network any more. I am ready to go back to work. So I still feel fine. Thank God.
lageniafaye

lageniafaye

2
putasleeveonit's Blog
 

I'm Not At Goal

So tomorrow will be my 6-month surgiversary. I'm not at my goal weight--I'm about 22 lbs away. When I got the surgery, I told myself I would be at goal at or before 6 months.   As far as WHY I'm not at goal? Well, I've pretty much been refusing to follow conventional wisdom--the low carb (under 30g a day) plan. I tried it but the fat content would always send me spiraling out of control with my eating. And the low fat/high protein version of low carb was too difficult (mentally). So I spent a good month or two just splurging on whatever my sleeve could fit--and it turns out, that's just about everything.   Finally, around March 15, I started a plan known as the Alternate Day Diet. Basically, the way the plan works is you eat whatever you want every other day. On "up" days, I can eat anything. There are no calorie limits or anything. On the "down" days, I stick with about 500 calories or less--it's easy to do with the sleeve. I keep it simple by just eating lean chicken or fish. Technically, I eat as much as I want on the down days as well; but with the sleeve, it ends up being 500 calories or less because I can only eat about 2.5 oz of protein at a time. The weight loss on this plan is a lot slower, but now that I'm approaching the one-month mark, I find that I'm not as "crazy" when it comes to food anymore. I feel normal, and I really like the plan, despite the slow weight loss. Slow weight loss is better than no weight loss.   The bottom line is, I just can't deal with being restricted from foods anymore. I know that if I did a crash diet for the next two weeks, I'd have dramatic results. I could do a liquid diet for a month and maybe get close to goal. But I can't make myself do it. At least, not right now. Maybe in a week or two I'll feel differently. But I have made myself jog every day for quite some time now--20 minutes of jogging in place (with the help of Wii Fit).
putasleeveonit

putasleeveonit

0
Best1's Blog
 

Omg! What Is That???

Laying in bed this morning and my arm hits something on my leg...I think to myself...what the hell? Turns out I have a hip and leg bone that has been hiding in my thigh for at least 3 decades. Needless to say it's pretty cool to find all these bones that have always been there but have been hiding...collar bones, shoulder bones, now hip bones...oh and I am even seeing ankles too, real ankles and not cankles. Just thought I would post this in my blog today. Feels good.
BB12

BB12

3
PAenergy's Blog
 

Post Op Day 2

Wow, I'm having trouble just getting in my 48-64 ounces of clear liquid. I ate a half a cup of jello and felt completely full (that's only about 1.5 oz. of fluid). I really don't feel hungry and I am lovin' it.
PAenergy

PAenergy

1
rodswife's Blog
 

4 Days Out And Feeling Guilty

So I am 4 days post op and I am feeling really guilty. I keep reading all these posts from people who are losing mass amounts of weight and I feel like I should be out there running marathons and exercising to the point of exhaustion. I walked around the block once tonight with my husband and we did it fairly quickly and thought that was an accomplishment but now im not feeling that way at all. I have been adhering to my liquid diet and I guess im just worried that I will not lose weight like everyone else is doing. Am I the only one who feels this way or am I alone in this boat? I want to be successful at this since I went through the surgery and made a conscious effort to change my life. I just dont think I can dedicate as much time as some people do to working out. I have 6 children that keep me busy as it is. Sigh. I feel like im just being lazy and it's making me feel very bad about myself.
rodswife

rodswife

11
sunshineinbama's Blog
 

Pain

Good evening all I haven't posted anything in a while i have been doing great since being banded on Jan 3 2012, and i got my second fill last week and i have lost 59 pounds and i have been doing really great unti tonight ....we grilled out with some friends tonight and i ate italian sausage (which i now know i will not eat again)i got really sharp pains in my chest stomach area and it hurt so bad sent me into getting sick but the pain lasted for over an hour is this normal??? i will tell you this it is a lesson learned i will slow wayyyyy down when i eat and now i am scared to eat anything solid now ...any advise will be greatly appreciated.....
sunshineinbama

sunshineinbama

1
Taking Those First Steps
 

Now I Need To Gain Weight?!

After meeting with the dietician and endocrinologist and being medically cleared for the lap band, I was told to start the Bariatric Surgery diet. Not the big, scary, 2-4 weeks of skim milk that is the Pre-Op Diet, but this is basically a low calorie, high protien, very balanced plan. I'm following it to a T and only mildly cheated once last week. I've lost 8 lbs and am feeling great so far. This morning, just for fun, I re-calculated my BMI and it's 35.2. I went into a little bit of a panic spin since my insurance requires a BMI of 35. I remember reading on here that some programs submit the inital weight, and my BMI was 38.6 so I would be good. Just to reassure myself, I emailed the program director.   The surgeon, whom I will be setting up an appointment with on Monday, is the one who makes the final decision and THAT is the information that is submitted to insurance for approval. The dietician emailed me back and said to NOT go below my current weight, and I may need to put on just a pound or two to ensure my BMI is stable before it's submitted.   So here I was, completely focus, in the ZONE, and now I have to gain a few pounds?! I don't like the sound of that at ALL!! I was feeling so great, really on a roll.   I talked it over with my husband, and he said for me to give in tonight to my one craving, something I've talked about since I've been on this strict eating plan, so I had a Five Guys burger and fries. I feel SO SICK afterwards now!! I think it's a combination of mentally knowing I shouldn't have done it, and physically I haven't had a meal that heavy in a few weeks. I think now I will just add in some fruit or veggies to my mid-day snacks....
jen_1381

jen_1381

1
sweetsoutherngirl's Blog
 

Six Weeks Post Op

I am feeling so good. I have my appointment for a second fill on 4/11 and so far this past month I have lost 7 pounds and I am wondering about another fill. I have found myself snacking in between meals. They are healthy snacks but I am snacking where I was not before. I am in a size 18 which is getting more loose every day, so I guess inches are being lost also. I am back at the gym full time and that is a great feeling.   I had to lose a chunk of weight to qualify for my surgery.Before I got approved, I started on my weight loss journey and lost 60 pounds through diet and exercise. Since surgery I have lost 21 pounds. I am going to Vegas in July and would really like to possibly hit the 100 pound mark by June 15th. So we are on the road to 100!!!   Weight loss my friends is hard...probably one of the hardest things to do. It is not pretty, it sucks and you have to work hard. No matter which path you choose. I know for me that choosing the band, was choosing to save and improve my quality of life. The physical perks are nice, but it feels good to know that I am able to play with my kids, climb stairs without being winded and to really like the me in the mirror that is looking back instead of getting dressed and only looking from the shoulders up. It is also about learning to love me again... So I hope on this road we can all learn to love ourselves again.
sweetsoutherngirl

sweetsoutherngirl

3
Lyra's Canto
 

And No, I'm Not Pregnant, Thanks Ever So.

Wow. So much has happened in the last few days. I got my surgery date finalized, apparently it was only a projected date that had to be approved by the OR. Thank god I didn't know that or I would have fretted endlessly about it! I also got my final pre-op blood work done although apparently one of the tests they needed to do was a pregnancy test. Well, the doc didn't code WHICH pregnancy test as apparently there is one that says if you're pregnant, and the other tells them how far along you are. So the conversation went something like this:   Labcorp Tech (LT): So do you know what pregnancy test they want? Me: Huh? LT: explains the two tests. Your doctor didn't specify. Me: Well, it's for pre-op so they just want to see if I'm pregnant or not. I'm not, by the way. LT: We need to double check. He might want the other one. Me: Um...okay. Except the reason he wrote down for me to get these tests was because it's pre-op. If I'm pregnant (and I'm not) then no surgery. Thus meaning that the other test doesn't matter. LT: I'm going to call the doctor and verify. It may be awhile as it's after 5pm. Me: bangs head on wall.   Eh, she was just doing her job, but sheesh. Luckily Dr W called back quickly and I was in and out and thus made it to sushi on time.   I feel kinda odd right now, but not in a bad way. I feel like I'm very internally focused. It's strange because I've been so excited these last few months and now that the approval is in and all I have left is my last class/pre-op doctor's check on the 17th I feel very 'me' focused right now. My friends keep wanting to talk about it and how excited I must feel, and I am really excited, but I don't really want to talk about it. Perhaps it's nerves. I've been finding that while I'm emotionally fine, my brain is buzzing along like crazy. My friends have always teased me that I have the attention span of a magpie (I see something pretty or interesting and I'm off in another direction). I'm not flighty (heh, no pun intended) but I do enjoy learning lots of different subjects and tend to dabble in a lot of unconnected, random bouts of learning. It's kinda why I'm a National Geographic geek.   Speaking of NatGeo geeks, I've recently discovered TedTalks. For those of you who don't know they are a series of conferences that are held each year on a vast number of topics. Anything from the sciences, to art, history, etc but each presentation can only be a very strict 18 minutes. Well, except for Jane Goodall's presentation, but she's Jane Goodall, nobody is gonna boot her from the stage. The top voted person of the talks gets money to put towards their research or their dream that is going to change the world. Cool, huh? How did I not know about this? It's perfect for someone like me who loves hearing condensed talks about a myriad number of subjects. Thank you Netflix for adding a zillion of them to your instant play. My brain is thanking you! I've already watched about 30 of them. Very frosty, very neat!   April is such a crazy month for me. My job as a decorator gets hectic at Easter, then I have to get around to finishing my taxes, get to my class on the 17th, start liquid diet on the 18th, then work a crazy schedule until the 24th before I get my 2 weeks off for surgery.   Somebody at work asked me what my surgery was. I decided to have some fun, so I told him I was getting my own pair of sparkly butterfly wings. I said that because the room we work in is so small we were looking at lofting work stations to fit more decorators and we decided it would be best if I could hover and decorate on the lofted station. Then I told him that I had a traumatic experience where I woke up to this alien thing on my face and down my throat and that I had been implanted with an alien love spore and they had to get it out of me before I did my best Sigourney Weaver impersonation from Aliens 3. That got a lot of laughs and a "Lyra, you're nuts!" from people. While I don't have a problem telling people what I'm having done I was running a little experiment on how people would react if I answered that question with a ridiculous answer. Basically they were amused and dropped the subject. They probably think I have some horrible female related problem or something. It might be a good tactic to use on people who are being really pushy about the surgery. You just have to out ridiculous somebody until they walk away! Or edge away and call the looney tunes brigade....
Lyra

Lyra

0
slimthickens' Blog
 

That Blasted Head Hunger!

So I've been doing great on my high protein/liquid pre-op diet and have lost 11 pounds in 3 weeks from it. As I sit here at my computer with a full belly and not the slightest bit of hunger on my mind and then it hits me. In through my window wafts the awesome smell of someone grilling carne asada and I INSTANTLY feel like I'm starving! I know its only head hunger and that its purely a mind thing so I close the window and distract myself for a few minutes and the hunger is completely gone...go figure...lol
slimthickens

slimthickens

1

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