I was going to call this Break On Through To The Other Side (thank you Doors). But I figured I'd get sick of it after a while. I'm going to use this space to keep track on the 2 week march toward surgery and then to keep track of the recovery and progress. That way I can keep it all together and if I just do one thread, it's all in one place without clogging up the Blog Area. I'm sure it's gonna be excruciatingly boring to everyone--me included! I'm a list and minutia kinda gal. I like tracking and counting--although I can be equally lax about crap. So I stop just short of OCD town (not that there's anything wrong with that).

My official 2 week liquid diet starts tomorrow. I decided to jump on it today because Sunday feels like a great place to start and because it's hard to do better than yesterday as my last food day before surgery. I'm a Texan, born and raised, and yesterday we had a fairwell to my ass and thighs via a Texas BBQ tour through Houston and Tomball. I ate so much brisket, sausage and ribs, I can honestly claim to be over it. Growing up in a BBQ family, slow smoked meats is almost in my blood. So it was only natural that I would choose that as the last rights.

I'm having RNY on February 20th and as I understand it, moist (fatty) brisket might not be my friend post surgery. Supposedly high fat foods (which moist brisket is) might cause a sort of "dumping" in the poop department. So I figure my future, once healed, might only include lean cuts of brisket and smoked meats. It's a choice I will readily make to lose weight and get my health back.

So the morning Day 1 hasn't been very difficult--a little hunger and growly tummy, but nothing that makes me feel anxiety. Protein drinks on board and this afternoon will shop for SF popsicles, SF jello and bone broth. I think I'll stick to packaged bone broth so I can get the actual nutritional information from a certified source. There's no real way for me to tell how many calories and carbs are in the bone broth I make here at home.

My Pre-Op Plan includes: 80-100g of protein; low fat; 60g carbs and somewhere around 1000cals per day.

4-5 Protein Drinks containing a minimum of 15g of protein per serving. They must be low fat and low sugar and can't contain over 4g of sugar per serving. I can have clear low sodium broths, sugar free drinks, sugar free jello and sugar free clear popsicles (no fudgsicles or ice cream based pops).

I will do this from now until February 20th.

I'm pretty sure I will be doing plenty of the following:

Edited February 4, 20188 yr by FluffyChix

What Am I Eating at 6 Weeks - Breakfast

Egg White Ham Spinach McCheeseCracker

Serves 1

60g Egg Whites (HEB Real Egg Whites)

seasoning to taste

1 slice Hillshire Farms Naturals Black Forest Ham

6g organic baby spinach

1slice Boar's Head Red. Fat Lacey Swiss Cheese (cut 2, 6g circles from the slice)

Nutritionals: 87 cals; 13g protein; 3g fat; 1g carbs; 0g fiber; 1g net carb; 0g sugar

It's been a while since I posted a pic of my food to keep track of where I am visually. I was able to eat the entire sandwich which occupies about 1/2cup of volume. It weighs a little over 3oz by the scale. And that's fairly close to where I should be volume and weight per meal at 6 weeks. I am now getting feedback from my pouch. And my new tiny tummy says, "MMMMMmmmmMMMMMM de-LIC-ious! And just the perfect size of breakfast!"

I was pretty pumped cuz I figured out after all these years of making them, that the nuked cheese crackers work really well with reduced fat cheese slices. These crackers were made by cutting out biscuit round shapes from a slice of Boar's Head Lacey Swiss Cheese. We get our Lacey Swiss, which is reduced fat, cut on a 1 1/2 at the deli and it is about 1oz by weight for the entire slice.

I tore the remaining piece of the cheese into little pieces and nuked them to make crackers for later. Much much much much cheaper than buying Parmesan crisps from Sam's or the grocery store and just as satisfying for a fraction of the calories and fat. Score!!! Huzzzaaahhhh!

I've been eating the same 1/2c volume for a couple of weeks now and still feel perfectly satisfied. I eat about 1 3/4-2 oz of food per meal and then fill up the rest of the volume of the 1/2c with veggies. The only time I get impatient is when I think of eating salad. There simply is a volume challenge to eat salad while trying to get that protein into your bod! And in the rock-paper-scissors game of life, protein beats green.

Anyway, hope this inspires you to go play around with the microwave, parchment paper (not wax paper) and cheese!

Edited April 5, 20188 yr by FluffyChix

Looks delicious, Fluff:)

that looks delish!

Update: 7 Weeks Post - 198.4lbs (-24lbs from SW of 222.4lbs--hey, that's 3.4lbs/wk--I'll take it!!!)

Basic Macros for 6 Weeks: 450-550 cals; 60-65g protein; <25g fat; <20g carbs

Food Volume: 1/2c by volume ALWAYS. I go by volume first. That's about 1.75-2oz protein; 1/2-1oz veggies (no more than 3.5oz by weight)

Wow! Big things happened this week, not least of which were doctor appointments that resulted in changing up medications and also discontinuing a medication! Yippeee!!!

The cardiologist took me off one of my big time BP drugs and started up a diuretic again -- a different one though. It seems to really help. My BP looks better than before and I'm slowly losing my cankles. Thank you sweet baby Jesus! And my pulmonologist said we should try to discontinue an asthma drug I've been on since about 2000. It's an inhaled steroid and there can be weight gain associated with it.

So far, so good on both changes! And the happy miracle is that this week, I've lost about about 8lbs. Now, before everyone goes all sappy. Let me just remind you that most or all of that is fluid. Not real fat loss. But hey, carrying around 8lbs less fluid is grrrrrrEAT! Haha, see what I did there?

I also had a NSV! I appropriated a pair of jeans from Mr. No-Hiney himself. They are too big in the waist, but I fill the hiney just fine. They make a great pair of boyfriend jeans. And that means, I can just borrow them and not have to buy anything. Yay me! It's the first time I can claim being more than 25lbs lighter than him since we met! In fact, I haven't been this weight since about 2000. Wowza!

I still can't admit that I feel like I'm actually gonna make goal. I'm working on that one. I know it "will come" with time and continued success. But I look at the scale at 198 and think..."Gah! I can't wait until I'm 160lbs again." That was the weight I was when Mr. F. and I first met. And I felt sorta kinda like "all that and a bucket of fried chicken too." I thought I was Miss Thang! Cuz, you know, I was only 10lbs more than my high school weight. LOL. OMG. So weird.

I'm still eating repetitiously of the same foods I know I can tolerate (which is a pretty broad food list!). At 6 weeks I'm still eating 1/2c by volume. And I try to limit the weight of any meal to about 3 to 3.5oz max by weight. I honestly don't know if my tummy is talking to my brain. Mainly cuz I think 1/2c volume stretches my tummy, but it doesn't stretch it to top/full capacity. So I'm just abiding by the set volume and knowing that I'm probably safe with that quantity and will do no harm. I'm not gonna test it to see if I can actually eat 3/4c of food by volume. You know? I'm getting about 60-65g of protein in each day and most of that is coming from foods. I look forward to the day (God I hope I don't regret this thought...) when I CAN eat 3/4c of food because I'd like to add in that 1/4c of low carb veggies.

So far, I'm staying very low carb, less than 20g per day total carbs. I'm eating protein, a TINY bit of fat from spray EVOO, and eating about 1/2-1oz (weight) of veggies per meal. That leaves me with 1.75-2oz (weight) of protein per meal. It's right on target with the amounts my RD has in the BIG BOOK OF BARIATRICS. LOL. My calories still average between 450-550cals/day. I'm getting in all of my water each day with a minimum of 100fl oz and often going as much as 120fl oz.

So all in all--a good and productive week. I'll be back next week to report more.

Edited April 10, 20188 yr by FluffyChix

Get yourself a temporary( cause you'll keep,losing and undergrow them soon) belt,and rock HIS jeans. I'm looking forward to snitching Tomkitten's, a Mom should be smaller than an adult son! And by cracky, I'm gonna do it, still at same weight but the durn dam Will break pretty soon and oh what muddy Water will run off down stream! Blub blub and off to the Ohio River, the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico![emoji13]

Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Fluff, your commitment, your eating choices, your outlook, and your progress are inspirational.

I sit in a stall (I know, I know, only for a week, it will pass but SHEESH) and I got huge joy from this post. Thank you so much - sharing your journey has been an unexpected joy on this journey.

That's awesome news! You're dropping all kinds of things- weight, meds, cankles! I'm so very proud of you and your success! I'm going to IM you in the next few days so I can figure out the banner. But I'm at 198.8- we are literally in this together!

Thank you ladies! Thank you for your friendship and support!! You make this trip much more fun--that's fo' shizzle! MUAH!

WEEK 7 What Am I Eating?

What am I nuts??? I'm telling you, I'm tempting the weight loss gods and may surely regret it. I am DESPERATE for the boost from greens. I miss them terribly, and I'm sorry but 10g of greens per meal does not cut it! So what's a girl to do? I decided to try a combination of Dr. Weiner's Green Smoothie and Dr. V's Green Smoothie.

One tiny problem. I only have my gigantor Ninja or burr (stick) blender. Being the lazy ass I am, I opted for the stick blender. Sadly, I decided to leave the apple peel on and so I have little chunks of apple skin in my smoothie. I'm sweating bullets that I don't get it stuck in my stoma on their way out.

Happy to report, I was able to drink a crap ton of blended up veggies and it went through my new tummy very easily. (Sorry no piccys. Again, read the part about being too lazy, mkay?) There is no way I could sit down and physically eat that many veggies right now or maybe ever, post op. But when you blend them, they become a slider food. I do feel full right now though. So I'm not going to put the rest of my smoothie through the tums just yet. It actually made me feel pretty satisfied and I'm sure I got a hit of the carbs from the veggies and Granny Smith apple.

This could come back to bite me in an hour or two. If it does, speak of me well. Swearsies?

Big Ass Green Apple Smoothie

Serving Size a big azz blender cup--maybe about 12-oz? Who knows?

1 oz organic baby spinach, fresh

1/2oz organic super greens trio (probably want to do kale in future), fresh

2oz cucumber, peeled and diced

1 1/2oz Granny Smith Apple, diced (may want to peel this unless you have a serious blender)

2 tbsp lemon juice (or lime), freshly squeezed

16g vanilla protein powder (Isopure)

4-6oz water

4 drops liquid vanilla stevia

4-8 ice cubes

Blend like all hell's breaking loose and smoothie is perfectly smooth without lumps.

Nutrition: 100 cals; 14g protein; 0g fat; 11g carbs; 2g fiber; 9g net carbs; 6g nat sugars

Note: I know this is probably all in my head, but after drinking it, I do feel a small surge in energy. I don't know what is going on right now--whether it is the switch in BP meds, or something, but my ass has been draggin' trail for the past few days. I feel soooo exhausted and like eating can't possibly cure it. But this has made me feel better and so I may have to start making my green smoothies for breakfasts--Dun Dun Dunnnnnnhhhhhhhh--unless that is, this somebeach makes me gain weight.

This post sponsored by Blake Shelton's Some Beach on The YouTube:

Edited April 10, 20188 yr by FluffyChix

7 hours ago, frust8 said:

Get yourself a temporary( cause you'll keep,losing and undergrow them soon) belt,and rock HIS jeans. I'm looking forward to snitching Tomkitten's, a Mom should be smaller than an adult son! And by cracky, I'm gonna do it, still at same weight but the durn dam Will break pretty soon and oh what muddy Water will run off down stream! Blub blub and off to the Ohio River, the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico!

Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Hehe, I'm 5'2" and hubby is solid and 6'3", so even once I could fit my butt into his jeans they would be like a foot too long. Might still be funny to do for a photo op sometime though?

Post it here ---I would love to see it![emoji14]

Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Good news! I made it through the green smoothie apple peel incident without issues. I may have to try another one this afternoon with the Ninja.

What I'm Eating at 7 Weeks

Sorry I should have posted this yesterday to remind myself later! No changes from week 6--still the same quantities, the same protein and veg servings by weight too. But something is happening. I feel impatient at the 1/2c serving and at holding quantities to 1.75-2oz protein + .5-1oz veg. I'm STILL complying, but I'm impatient for more and sometimes don't feel satisfied despite adding in texture and fiber. It's better when I eat raw veg and salad, cuz the texture does help keep things from going down as quickly.

Also, this week, the head cravings are out in force. This is maybe the first real week where I'm craving crappy food. So far, I am just staying the course with my KISS meals and not exploring even "healthy low carb/low fat/low cal" alternatives. I don't want to let the dogs out. I'm just saying though, the drive towards pizza is strong in that one...

Today's 7 Week Menu:

B1: 3c decaff + 3oz PP + Miralax + 2colace (9g protein)

B2: egg white spinach tomato omelet + avocado tomatillo salsa (7g protein)

60g real egg whites (HEB)

1oz grape tomatoes (4)

1oz organic baby spinach

1tbsp avocado tomatillo salsa (HEB)

L: grilled chix boob + 1oz steamed broccoli + 7g grape tomato (13g protein)

2oz grilled chix boob

1oz steamed broccoli

1 grape tomato

1/2tbsp WF Italian dressing

AS: green apple protein smoothie (15g protein)

1 1/2oz organic baby spinach

3oz cucumber, peeled

1 1/2oz GS apple

2tbsp fresh lime juice

4 drops liquid stevia, vanilla

6oz water

16g vanilla whey pp (Isopure)

D: blackened salmon + asparagus + avocado and tomato salad (16g protein)

2oz blacked sockeye salmon

1/3oz avocado

1/2oz grape tomatoes

1oz steamed asparagus

DV: 2 multis, 1500 Ca Cit, 1000mcg B12, 18mg Iron, 100mg Thiamine + all meds

Daily Totals: 480 cals; 60g protein; 9g fat; 26g carbs; 10g fiber; 16g net carbs; 10g nat. sugars

Hi, Fluffy -- you are doing such a great job!!

I'm intrigued with your smoothie idea, so I sent my RD an email asking if I can add spinach to my shakes yet. I've been in a decaf coffee/milk/protein powder combo rut for a couple of weeks now, which is great for meeting protein targets, but doesn't add much else to the party (to quote Alton Brown - haha) in the nutrition department. I'm ready to start adding fruit and veges again!

Boy can I relate to your frustration with the dietary limits. I would kill for a fresh, crispy salad, or chopped raw veges in my tuna salad or scrambled egg, but that's not in my future for another 2 months. Sigh...

Finally, I can't believe you are still stuck with the Miralax and Colace. I have exactly the opposite problem, every day after my morning coffee concoction. Go figure! I don't know the root cause, but the coffee is decaf and the milk is skim Lactaid, so I don't think its either of those elements. Its one of those things I've ignored because at least it happens every day.

1 hour ago, Apple203 said:

Hi, Fluffy -- you are doing such a great job!!

I'm intrigued with your smoothie idea, so I sent my RD an email asking if I can add spinach to my shakes yet. I've been in a decaf coffee/milk/protein powder combo rut for a couple of weeks now, which is great for meeting Protein targets, but doesn't add much else to the party (to quote Alton Brown - haha) in the nutrition department. I'm ready to start adding fruit and veges again!

Boy can I relate to your frustration with the dietary limits. I would kill for a fresh, crispy salad, or chopped raw veges in my tuna salad or scrambled egg, but that's not in my future for another 2 months. Sigh...

Finally, I can't believe you are still stuck with the Miralax and Colace. I have exactly the opposite problem, every day after my morning coffee concoction. Go figure! I don't know the root cause, but the coffee is decaf and the milk is skim Lactaid, so I don't think its either of those elements. Its one of those things I've ignored because at least it happens every day.

Did you hear back from your RD? I feel very blessed to get to add raw veggies back already. I swear I haven't even noticed an increase in gas! Makes me sometimes wonder just how much malabsorption she did on me?

It felt really good to drink that green smoothie yesterday. The chard made it kinda grassy/dirty tasting and it would have been better if it was smooth. But even though I'm sure it was placebo, I felt really good after drinking it. NO dumping or cramping or extra gas--and that with needing to "chew it" LOL! Gross right?

I just got to thinking that Dr. W. might be right from the perspective that until we can get more volume in, doing a "mechanical pre-delivery digestion" with a blender would help make fiber and veggies "slider" foods. The big question was whether it would raise my BG or if it would increase hunger or make the scale go up. That's why I kept the apple skin--to have the pectin that slows down the absorption of the carbs in the apple. I really liked that I was able to get in that many ounces of veggies within about 45 minutes. I may play around in the next few days with ditching the PP powder and just adding some Greek yogurt but that really jacks up the carbs and nat. sugars. :-/ And I don't like the texture of cottage cheese or ricotta in smoothies. So I may just say wth and continue the PP.

I'm looking forward to my gs today though! LOL. As I sit her chewing my chicken and broccoli in WF Sesame Ginger dressing.

I may try to get off the Miralax tomorrow. So far it's yielding 1 smooth move a day. But maybe the colace will be enough to do the same thing? And if not, then a cup of Smooth Move Tea every 2-3 days should suffice? I have no issues with any kind of intolerance--including lactose intolerance.

LOL, I am currently doing my SF Peppermint Mocha Latte with the Choco PP and Torani SF Peppermint Syrup along with the colace and miralax. It's my current crush. I'd started drinking them the year that Starbuck's came out with their Peppermint Mocha Latte, only in the old days I would use SF Hershey's Syrup the SF peppermint syrup and real cream. But the PP RTDs work so great in it! It's easy to put the cream down and step away from the ledge. I'm just using much less PP now that I'm adding the gs in the afternoon!

I'm sorry you're having issues following your lattes. Let me know what your RD says!!!