Today marks 1 month of my new life with my vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Wow! What a month!

THE GOOD

My "official" weigh in at my surgeon's office (on 7/2/13) was -25lbs. My unofficial weigh-in this morning was -30lbs. I can't believe what a difference 30lbs makes! I feel like I have so much energy, I'm sleeping better, oh yeah, and the bedroom stuff

In the past month:

Lost 1 chin

My engagement ring no longer fits

My wedding ring is loose

My thighs look slimmer

I haven't been having night sweats/ hot flashes (purely bc of weight, I'm 25yrs old)

I've retired my first pair of blue jeans

And every once in a while I see a little peak of my clavicles

What I've been doing?

**I exercise daily: 40 minutes of walking & at least 30 minutes of other stuff (light hand weights) and OMG, my husband and I are doing the 30 day squat challenge!-- it hurts to sit on the toilet! Lol

** I eat my protein first. I get in around 70-something grams of protein per day. I'm eating 3 meals (a protein shake being a meal) and sometimes a snack if I need it.

** H2O: I'm getting AT LEAST 64 oz per day- it's usually in the 70's.

** Vitamins: I'm taking 2 Flintstones, 2 calcium chews, and 1 dissolvable B12 per day. All taken at separate times to increase absorption.

OH, something I thought was really cool: my husband went away for work for a few days and when he came home he was shocked. He thought I looked so much smaller! It was really awesome to see the look on his face!!!

THE BAD

I've heard this rumor about changing taste after surgery -- TRUE. My husband and I ate boiled shrimp (one of my favorite things) and I thought it tasted like band aids. WTH? And I now love Greek yogurt, where before I took one bite and trashed it.

During this month, I felt like I had poor concentration and I kept getting dizzy upon standing, especially when getting out the tub (blood sugar= good, hydration= in check, orthostatic blood pressure= negative). So my doc suggested adding B 12. I can def tell an improvement in both my concentration and dizziness.

I don't think this is truly "bad," I'm just not used to it. *TMI WARNING*. BMs are now every other day- less than what I was used to.

THE UGLY

I did have one vomit episode, but it was purely my fault. I ate too fast and didn't chew enough. LESSON LEARNED!

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But this has truly been an amazing experience so far. I feel so blessed to have this chance in life- to be a healthier, happier person. I'm so excited to see what comes, especially in the next few months.