Newme17

I think I'll go to the bookstore and find the book PROTEINAHOLIC by Dr Garth Davis.  I just read some accounts of his patients being on a plant based diet and being very successful.  I even read that his points are very valid about the amount of protein we have all been lead to believe we need.  I'm super excited, because I've been trying to do plant based for a while now and I've got the support of my husband who wants to go plant based as well.  Now, I have to get very creative for my kiddos.  The easy part with them is that they tend to not eat meat anyway.  I've got to sneak veggies and legumes in...LOL  LIke black bean brownies.  They'll for sure eat those!  I HOPE!!!!

Went to the movies with my hubby this morning. (We're taking advantage of a kid-less day) I did have some popcorn (no extra butter--never get that stuff anyway) and no, it wasn't the end of the world!! Lol. I enjoyed every little bite I had (obviously it wasn't much). I did not die. I did not gain a lb and I did not crave more either. It was good. 😁

Went to the movies with my hubby this morning. (We're taking advantage of a kid-less day) I did have some popcorn (no extra butter--never get that stuff anyway) and no, it wasn't the end of the world!! Lol. I enjoyed every little bite I had (obviously it wasn't much). I did not die. I did not gain a lb and I did not crave more either. It was good. 😁

Went to the movies with my hubby this morning. (We're taking advantage of a kid-less day) I did have some popcorn (no extra butter--never get that stuff anyway) and no, it wasn't the end of the world!! Lol. I enjoyed every little bite I had (obviously it wasn't much). I did not die. I did not gain a lb and I did not crave more either. It was good. 😁

Well...I just got my first lesson on how this surgery is a tool, not a miracle. Went grocery shopping hungry, bought some "extras", came home and made some poor choices for the rest of the day. It is scary how quickly the calories added up, and how quickly my sleeve feels empty after eating. I ate a lot of food 
I feel bad, but I'm gonna use this as a lesson. First off, it's not the end of the world. I'm 6 weeks out tomorrow, and this is the first time I've fallen off the wagon. That level of adherence to my diet was unheard of preop - I always broke within a week or two. Also, I went back and re-read my NUT materials. It's a good time for a refresher. I'm gonna learn what I can and just move on. Yesterday's poor decisions have no control over my choices today. 

I loved the Bariatric Advantage calcium chews until two days ago....all I taste is a metallic chemical taste. So gross. Guess I'll be changing my calcium here too. 

I loved the Bariatric Advantage calcium chews until two days ago....all I taste is a metallic chemical taste. So gross. Guess I'll be changing my calcium here too. 

I loved the Bariatric Advantage calcium chews until two days ago....all I taste is a metallic chemical taste. So gross. Guess I'll be changing my calcium here too. 

Yesterday was my last Omeprazole pill.  Today I start my journey believing that acid reflux/heartburn isn't for me.  Certain types of food always brought it on before.  If I stay away, I should be fine.  Besides, I'm claiming it isn't for me.
 So i decided to eat some diced peaches.  Totally forgot the one I have is sugar free and it's the worst tasting peaches I've ever had.  Took it to the trash.  NASTY!!!  Should have brought a fresh peach instead.
Oatmeal it'll be.....
 

I have a new-found respect for cottage cheese. 4oz is 100cals and 15grams of protein. Super filling for my sleeve too!

Yesterday was my last Omeprazole pill.  Today I start my journey believing that acid reflux/heartburn isn't for me.  Certain types of food always brought it on before.  If I stay away, I should be fine.  Besides, I'm claiming it isn't for me.
 So i decided to eat some diced peaches.  Totally forgot the one I have is sugar free and it's the worst tasting peaches I've ever had.  Took it to the trash.  NASTY!!!  Should have brought a fresh peach instead.
Oatmeal it'll be.....
 

My youngest brother asked me today to do Tough Mudder with him next May!!! Everything inside me cringed.  LOL. Maybe ten years ago I would have said YEAH! I'm reminded just ow my words to him the other day (he works out with a Marine), "your body can do so much more then you think you can." I guess I should chew my own words and do this thing. Would you do it?

My youngest brother asked me today to do Tough Mudder with him next May!!! Everything inside me cringed.  LOL. Maybe ten years ago I would have said YEAH! I'm reminded just ow my words to him the other day (he works out with a Marine), "your body can do so much more then you think you can." I guess I should chew my own words and do this thing. Would you do it?

Happy Monday all! Well, I hit my step PR today during my walk - 4k steps. It's not much, but it's progress so I'll take it. And I wasn't dizzy after I got home. I wish I could have stayed out longer since it's so beautiful out, but I started feeling a bit woozy so it was time to pack it up. 
I also increased my calories from 800-950cals, so I'm wondering if that's what is helping with the dizziness. In the grand scheme, I know it's a low amount of calories for anyone, but it's like I almost feel guilty for eating "so much". I'm only 5 weeks out as of tomorrow, and I've seen people posting 600-800cal/day at 5weeks. I'm 6'0 and I'm wondering if that may have anything to do with it. I don't want to undereat if that could be what is making me so tired and dizzy, but I also have this fear that it's a slippery slope and before I know it I'll be back to overeating. Of course, I'm doing all that I can to prevent that, but this is something I feel I'm gonna worry about until I learn to trust my sleeve more.

So a while back I was asking about eating nuts for snack and got a good response . Then I came upon an article (now anything I read on line I take with a grain of salt) that does say eating certain nuts is good for the waist line. eg. Almonds,cashews and walnuts. This article also lists other foods that will help in that field such as tomatoes,oatmeal,meat/fish,eggs,olive oil,broccoli,avocado,berries,hot peppers, spinach and lastly green tea. I can honestly say I eat all these items and are mainly my daily diet...but the hot peppers. I would direct you to the site but can't find it. sorry
any feed back ??

Sorry I am sooo late. I will make it short and quick.
6/15 - Keto nothing out of the ordinary. 
6/16 - Gym and healthy eating. 
6/17 - I had a small I mean baby spoon of Red Velvet cake for my b-day and I was out for the count. I had to use the bathroom a lot. My mom said, "uh hmmm. was it worth it?". I whispered, " Yes" lol. Just an overall bad day. I broke the diet and ate carbs and sugar. Shame Shame !!!! Lol I am only Human.
6/18 - The cake was still messing with me so I barely ate or even drank water. I was exhausted all day. Weighed in at 209.8 lbs.
1-Month Post Op Overall Loss: 14.6
2-Month Post Op Overall Loss: 8.8 lbs
3-Month Post Op overall loss: 10.8 lbs
6/19 - Barely ate or drank water again. I just slept most of the day away. Spent a lot of time in the bathroom. 
6/20 - Still followed the Keto Diet.
6/21 - Still followed the Keto Diet. Still time, adding breakfast foods to the option instead of a shake or protein shot. 
6/22 - Breakfast: Baked Turkey Bacon (3 Slices), 1 Egg white. 1 Romaine Lettuce leaf. 
Snack: 14 Olives
Lunch: 2 oz of ground chicken, mild salsa, 1 tsp of sour cream, and 1 romaine lettuce leaf.
Snack: Sugar Free Popsicle. 
Dinner: 2 oz of ground chicken, mild salsa, 1 tsp of sour cream, and 1 romaine lettuce leaf.
Snack: 1 pickle
6/23 - Breakfast: 3 Egg Whites
Lunch: Homemade Chicken Salad - no dressing. 
Dinner: Pickles and Sugar Free Popsicle. 
6/24 - Went to a friends baby shower. They actually had healthier food options. Met a few of her extended family whom had Bariatric Surgery. One woman (weighing 392 lbs) had the bypass 17 years ago. She said back then there was not a pysch eval, waiting period or even a pre-authorization. She said she went to the doctor Monday and that Thursday she had the surgery. She showed me all the scars from access skin removal. She told me that nothing prepares you for the disappointment you will feel when you work hard and you do not look the way you thought. She had to have a full body lift and breast augmentation. It was soo enlightened to speak with someone whom was from that time and had the experience. She told me that sugar kills her but rice and bread is her fave. She stated that she got down to 125 lbs and felt soo unattractive. She stated that she gained her weight back up to 185 lbs and have maintained that weight for over 10 years. 
6/25 - Had my Keto Meal. 
Breakfast: Baked Turkey Bacon (3 Slices), 1 Boiled Egg white. 
Snack: 14 Olives
Lunch: 2 oz of chicken, 1 tsp of sour cream, and 2 romaine lettuce leaf.
Snack: Sugar Free Popsicle. 
Dinner: 2 oz of Chicken and Romaine Lettuce with 1/2 tomato. 
Snack: 1 pickle
My best friend is trying to get me to try Isagenix (https://www.isagenix.com/en-us/products/weight-loss). She has lost 55 lbs since February on it. It is like $378 a month. I am like the hell!! Bro whom has that money. She is really excited and she wants to me to try it so bad. I am tempted. Keto has been awesome but I am bored now and want to try something else. I think I am a Fad Diet Groupie. 
Oh and the Hydrate. On the days when I focus on water. I am barely eating. I love those days. Food does not be on my mind. Below I have screen shot my progress. So yayy. Keto has really helped me get back on track. 

Well it's about bloody time. I'm down a couple of pounds...257 lbs from 260 lbs after almost a month. 
By the way does anyone snack on nuts like almonds or peanuts or cashews or sunflower seeds...I know there fattening but aren't they healthy fat ?

Happy Thursday! Nothing much to update on, I'm just writing to keep up the habit. I've been plugging away at food/protein/water goals. Going grocery shopping tomorrow, so next week I'll be (slowly) introducing new foods to my sleeve. I still feel a good amount of fatigue which currently is my biggest frustration. There are people who reported feeling their energy come back by now, and while I have had a steady increase, I still get fatigued pretty quickly. Fingers crossed that I'll turn a corner soon!

So today while I was watching this female Asian longhorned beetle oviposite her egg I was thinking about the science behind WLS. How many experiments aka..clinical trials have been done, are still being done, and will be done in the future to help doctors figure out the complex mysteries of this disease we call obesity. It blows my mind to even try to think of all the variables involved in the design of these trials.
My research focuses on this beetle, a much simpler organism, and yet it can take days of thought and reading current published research to determine the variables that need to be considered and controlled during a planned experiment. Sometimes we even design pre-experiments just to figure out whether something is going to effect something else before we run the main experiment. All of this thinking has made me realize how little we really know. Why has my diabetes gone into remission after surgery? This surgery has done what following a low carb diet alone could not do, normalize my blood sugars minus any medications. I haven't had time to read all of the published literature on this subject, but I would like to.
My mind is trained to looked for patterns in data so of course this is the way I am approaching my journey after this surgery. I am logging everything I eat, drink, and my exercise. I will export the data to excel and graph it to see if I can figure out how my body works now in relation to theses things and weight loss.  I know for some people, maybe most, this is not something they would want to do. It may seem excessive and time consuming, but I hope to learn something that will be useful to me during the maintenance phase. 
I am increasingly more convinced that low carb is going to be the best diet for me to follow long term. I just don't see any reason to test the waters when I am doing so well right now. I have zero cravings for sugar, bread, rice, pasta... my energy levels are good, my bs are excellent, and I am losing weight.  These are my musings for today, 5 weeks post-op.

Month 1 is in the books!! 17lbs lost since surgery, 32lbs down in total. I am so happy with my progress. I have a long way to go, but I am so psyched to see a loss this big on the scale. It's been years since I've seen any real loss at all. Goal for this month is to work on increasing my activity. Let's do this!!!

Increasing my meals from 4-5x/day went very well. The portions are smaller, so I don't feel as run down after eating, and I had more time to drink my fluids instead of rushing in the evening to get the rest down. Hooray for successful experiments  

6/8 - KETO KETO KETO. I am trying everything I can with KETO. Nothing out of the ordinary. 
6/9 - Breakfast: Had two egg whites, and 1 slice turkey bacon. Lunch: Turkey lettuce wrap (delicious). Dinner: Protein shake. Got my Hidrate bottle and immediately fell in love. I went as far as purchasing another one in Teal. I plan on having all the colors. Yayyy. Having difficulty with this 64 oz water intake I see. All this time, I thought I was drinking way more water than I was. SMH.
6/10 - Meal prepped for the week. Mozzarella stuffed chicken with Mushrooms. It is soo delicious. Low carb and high in protein. The remaining prep for breakfast was turkey bacon (BLT) with lettuce as the bread. 
6/11 - Nothing out of the ordinary happened. 
6/12 - Could not get out of bed. I felt burnt out and just exhausted. I went to work but could not function enough to hit the gym. I slept so long.
6/13 - Still felt exhausted. No gym and had a massive headache. It could possibly be this NYC heat. My fan is not cutting it anymore. 
6/14 - I actually had enough energy to workout (with the help of C4). I have been slacking in my vitamins for the evening so I am wondering if this could be the reason why I was out of it. It does not help that I am overworked as well. However, that C4 gave me a kick that I needed. I still have a buzz going. I hope I do not crash. I only took 1/2 scoop which is below the recommended. My mom went and brought some organic Turkey Burgers lol. She was sooo excited and happy. She goes, "Look Mocha. It is for you. I know you cannot have the other food at the cookout but I got you some Turkey burgers and I will make some chicken and shish kabobs for just for you ." She had the biggest smile. It was too cute. 
Well this is it for now. I am sorry that I do not post regularly like I used to. I am taking on a new business project and it is taking a lot of my time.

So 31 years ago today I married my best friend and we are still as in love today as we were back then. We have had our ups and downs as all couples do, but I wouldn't trade my dh for anything or anyone. We are opposites in so many ways, but we bring out the best in each other. I am missing him tonight since he is away, and Saturday can't come soon enough. 

Today marks 3 weeks post op  I already can't believe all the changes that have occurred. I still have my ups and downs energy wise, sometimes I get a little attitude from my sleeve when I take too big of a spoonful at once, but I'm happy that I'm tolerating foods well and I'm continuing to slowly progress my diet. 
I was thinking today about how just a few days before my surgery I was contemplating whether or not I should even go through with it. At that point, I was thinking maybe I could do all this on my own (even though I have been trying to lose weight for the last several years and have done nothing but gain weight). Well, it's been 3 weeks now and I have followed my diet to a T. Although I've had some junk food "fantasies", I have never been tempted to actually break my diet. Preop, the longest I could last was a few days, 4 days max, and I'd break and order grubhub. Yes, the sleeve is a tool, but right now it has been instrumental in my ability to stay on point. I would never have been able to do this pre-op. Trust me, I've tried!

Did Dr Oz do a segment on Endoscopic Sleeves or something? What is with all the questions suddenly.