istytehcrawk

Tonight's experiment: wonton wrapper lasagna (made with ground turkey and a Greek yogurt cream cheese/mozzarella/cheddar/spices mix instead of ricotta, which I don't like) and tacos (made with taco meat pilfered from my sister's supper). In the oven now!

My jeans were literally starting to fall off me, so I caved today and bought a pair of 26/28s to hold me over until capri weather hits, hopefully in the next few weeks.

The important part, though, is that I bought them at WALMART! I haven't been able to buy pants there in YEARS because they didn't go to my size. Unfortunately, I still had to pay $17 (so much better than the $60ish at Catherine's though), because the 26s that were on clearance for $9 were still too small to be comfortable. SOON, though!

Moment of whining: I know this is totally head hunger, but I am missing pasta SO MUCH right now. Especially mac and cheese or chicken fettucine alfredo. Creamy, gooey, deliciousness.

Why isn't there a way to block people on this site? I'm sick of scaremongering and would rather not see it.

Peekaboo! Popping in for a year-end update.

I've lost juuuuuust over 100 pounds in 2018 (including pre-op), but I've been stalled in about a 10-pound range for almost three months now. I'm the first to admit I've slacked in sticking to my program's rules; I really need to get back on track with my eating and actually start exercising (the gym membership was short-lived because the expense wasn't worth it on my budget). 

Hoping to jump-start the downward trend again now that the holidays are over. I see my PCP in 2.5 weeks and my surgeon a month after that (at which time I will be a year out, holy crap) so I'd really like to be out of the stall by then.

As of this morning, officially down 75 pounds from my highest weight!

A little annoyed that I'm up about two pounds since yesterday (weighed yesterday because it was my one-month anniversary and today before an appointment with my PCP so I could compare the difference between my scale and theirs), but my doctor says it is likely water retention because I've been spotting the last few days (I don't get true periods anymore because of the Nexplanon implant). I just hope it passes soon.

Went to the store tonight and stocked up on some items that will help me make healthy meals, so I'll actually make new things instead of relying on the old stand-bys that are getting repetitive. 

I got:

• bag of chopped broccoli/cauliflower (currently roasting in the oven with some baby carrots)
• two Roma tomatoes
• Laughing Cow light Swiss
• wonton wrappers
• turkey pepperoni
• 90% lean ground beef
• Greek yogurt cream cheese
• mozzarella cheese sticks (like string cheese, not the breaded kind)
• Canadian bacon
• regular bacon
• a squeeze bottle of ginger
• skim milk
• EVOO
• pizza sauce
• a bag of clementines
• small cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes
• a can of chickpeas (to try @AshAsh1's roasted chickpeas -- I've never had chickpeas, only hummus)
• pineapple tidbits in juice

The ham, pizza sauce, pineapple, and some shredded mozzarella we already had are in the oven with the veggies, becoming crustless Hawaiian pizzas based on this recipe: https://www.ellaclaireinspired.com/no-crust-pizza-bites/

I also plan on making these mini cheeseburger meatloaf muffins, though not tonight: http://www.hungry-girl.com/ask-hg-q-and-a/seven-healthy-protein-packed-recipes

Three minor disappointments today:

• My favorite shirt is officially too big to wear, because it sits awkwardly on my shoulders and doesn't stay put.
• My good-occasion bra is ALSO too big in the cups. Like, to a startling degree, considering my other bras still fit fine.
• For the first time since surgery, I've gained a pound, though I *think* that's due to digestive delays.

10 weeks out from surgery, and I just ate popcorn (Smartfood white cheddar, 3/4 cup) for the first time since surgery. It was SO GOOD; now I just have to see if it sits well. So far, so good.

Have been gradually working on trying new things; so far, nothing has given me even semi-major issues, but taco seasoning still doesn't sit well in my stomach.

Ughhhhh. Worst case of foamies/slimes I've had yet. It's been going on for nearly two hours now, and I'm not sure why. I ate the same thing for supper that I ate for lunch (half a piece of Mediterranean chicken from Denny's), and it sat FINE after lunch. 

As of this morning, I have officially hit 50 pounds down since surgery! That means I'm averaging 20 pounds per month. Even though it seems slow week to week, I can't argue with that!

My tailbone is not happy with my weight loss. I have to reposition SO OFTEN at my work desk because it starts hurting if I sit one way for too long. This has never been a problem for me before!

I have reached a new level of ridiculous, even for me. This morning I downloaded an app to help me track my bowel movements to make sure I'm not at risk of constipation/an obstruction. It will alert me if I haven't gone #2 in 36 hours. 

My surgery lasted six hours because I developed a leak before they closed me up. Surgery was on a Thursday (Feb. 15, 2018) and I went home on that Saturday (Feb. 17). I had five incisions, plus a JP drain, which I went home with. I also had some sort of allergic reaction to the hospital's no-slip socks, which apparently runs in the family. 

Notable: So far, I have not had any nausea/vomiting. Sometimes I get air bubbles in my chest after taking a drink, no matter how small; usually they just feel weird, but sometimes can be painful. Attempted to drink from a water fountain three weeks post-op; that was a BAD idea because even with a tiny sip I took in way too much air, and it gave me a very painful air bubble, though it went away within a couple minutes.

Some post-surgery highlights:

• Feb. 18: bought a new mattress because my old one was so worn out it was too hard for me to get out of without help
• Feb. 22: post-op appointment; down 9.6 pounds (all weights per home scale for consistency); got drain out; started puree diet
• Feb. 23: switched from Norco to Tylenol, which helped more with the pain
• Feb. 24: slept on side for the first time
• Feb. 25: discontinued Tylenol; down 18.2 pounds
• Feb. 27: attempted to chew gum (OK per surgeon), but it gave me LOTS of air bubbles
• March 1: down 25.4 pounds; drove for first time since surgery
• March 4: was able to bend enough to get tennis shoes and socks on
• March 5: slept on stomach for the first time; scabs started to fall off incisions
• March 6: down 30 pounds; had hiccups for extended periods three times over the day
• March 8: started soft foods; tested (steep) steps up to my office at work (success); down 31.4 pounds

It's taken two miserable days of Miralax, stool softeners, and reverting back to a liquid diet, but I am about 95% sure I've managed to stop a would-be bowel obstruction in its tracks.

Finally made it below 350 pounds and am exactly 80 pounds down from my highest weight!

I started taking Benefiber this morning (mixed it in with my Premier Protein shake), and within 15 minutes my body was going "Fiber? What's THAT?!?" 

I knew it would work, but I didn't realize it would work THAT quickly.

When I got dressed this morning, I realized I was wrong about the size of the jeans I got at Walmart the other day. They're not 26/28s; they're 24/26s! Which is even better, but also ridiculous because a pair of size 26 pants from the same brand were too small. The jeans have stretch, though, and the pants did not.

Had to do a makeshift repair on my capris today, using paperclips, because the hem of one leg came undone on my way to work. That's what I get for wearing these for the first time in two-ish years, I guess (they're a 30 but run small because they are the same size as a similar pair I own that are 26s).

Don't mind my super-pale leg. I'd blame it on this being the first time this year that I haven't worn long pants, but the truth is that I'm almost always that pale, except for the forearm that hangs out the window while I drive in the summer, which burns and then gets a brief, faint tan.  

My body is not liking anything I attempt to consume this afternoon, food or liquid. Major foamies/slimes. Blech.

Three months post-op as of today!

It's my first day back at work, and my stomach/esophagus have been making such hilarious noises (because of air bubbles I think) ALL DAMN DAY. It's so ridiculous I have to laugh. 

Fit back down into the (new) size 28 jeans I bought like six months ago!

Woot, I was finally able to eat a slice of 100% whole wheat toast without dumping! It'd been two weeks since I tried and dumped after just two teeny tiny bites.