FitnFabfor2014

In my first 7 days being sleeved, the top 10 things I have learned :
 
1) In the world of competitive sleeping, I am a Gold Medalist. I can (& do) nap anytime, anywhere.
2) I am hanging up my stethoscope. My new fulltime job is to "sip, sip, sip". Staying hydrated is hard work.
3) The sounds coming from my new stomach are not lady like.
4) I am no longer a bashful burper.
5) Daytime TV sucks.
6) Not every belly twinge is a potential leak. I am a nurse, so I always look at the worst case health scenarios first. Hard habit to break.
7) Isopure gags me, but is tolerable if made into SF jello.
8) Old Navy makes super comfy yoga pants, even if I never assume a "Lotus" pose.
9) Clear liquid diets are doable for a few days. My favorite flavor is blue.
 
and last, but definitely not least, as a wise forum member once advised me:
 
10) Never trust a shart!

I am four months into my six month requirement and this is NOT easy. The protein shakes are fine, the drinking water is fine but, it's the not knowing if I will be approved that is the nerve wrecker. The insurance makes you go through all these humps and loops and in the end it's in their hands. I wish they would give you a pre-approval and surgery date so it's gives you something to look forward at the end of this circus act. The not knowing is the hardest part. All I want for Christmas is the surgery!!! I've been good this year Santa .

Just barely but I’m there. This is a term I learned from hanging out on various online forums. Onderland. That magic place when your weight starts with the number 1.
I have to say, it’s less exciting for me than for some others because I didn’t start that much above it, and only had to lose 30 lbs to get there, but it’s a nice, mini-milestone.
But here’s another way to look at it, and this does indeed excite me. Today, I have lost a third of the excess weight I need to lose. A third of the way there! Now that’s something to celebrate.
It’s also a good way to know that the surgery is working, or rather than I am working it. Once I came off the stall, I seem to have lost .4 lbs, .2 lbs, .6 lbs, but it’s still a wonderful downward trend, and I think I’ll take it!

I'm 2 weeks and 4 days out. I didn't lose very much weight on the pre-op diet. I think perhaps only a pound or 2. I don't know why, it was pretty frustrating and I found myself freaking out that this wouldn't work, etc. However, at the one week postop visit I had lost 12lbs total since the preop 2 weeks prior, and I think it's even more now. I'm not really weighing myself because of the difference of scales, etc, and I really don't want to be obsessed.
So, my clothes still fit, but they do fit better. And I am comfortably in the smaller of the 2 sized scrubs I went between at work, which was awesome to realize. A few people have noticed but I don't look dramatically different.
 
My only complaint is a pretty decent pain near the incision they "did the most work through." It is kind of like a burning knife pain, and it's not all the time, but certainly with some bending, rolling over, etc. I'm having trouble sleeping on my side or stomach, which is awful and killing my sleep.
 
Food & Exercise: I have been walking mostly every day between 2-3 miles, sometimes a little more. I was off work for the first 2 weeks which made it way easier. Currently I am anxiously awaiting Tuesday, when I get to move to the soft foods portion of the diet. I, who gagged thinking of pureed foods, have thrown 2 oz chicken breast in the magic bullet and added to soup. Having trouble getting in all the fluids/protein I'm supposed to. I was doing better when I was drinking the Isopure Green/Black teas, then I read them carefully and realized that I was not allowed! They have caffiene! The other flavors are okay, but so sweet. I add water to them and then it takes forever to drink.
 
Overall, no regrets. I had worked on losing weight since January 2012 and never did it, despite a good effort. Once this pain is gone, I will be a happy camper, protein shakes and all.