14 weeks out...

Just over three months postop and the scale says down 56 pounds this morning.  Almost half-way, woo-hoo!!  Still struggling to get in the protein, but I'm doing a little better every week.  If only someone would make a protein pill, or just anything besides the shakes and bars.  Just typing that last line made me start to gag a little, and I'm not kidding.  


Assuming it ever gets here, I am going to attempt Zumba fitness.  I ordered it over a week ago, but it got lost in transit (guessing it is on one of those UPS trucks we saw stuck in the snow this past week) and I had to re-order, so I got a little reprieve.  I am sure it will kick my butt, but I'm going to at least try it.  If I don't post here anymore, you will know I didn't survive it.  :)


These pics were actually taken 2 weeks ago (or 7 pounds ago), but they are the most recent that I have.  Thanks to you all for the wonderfully-encouraging messages and notes.  They really do help; I feel like I have my own little cheering section.  I love it, and I appreciate it more than you know.  

I didn't think I could see the weight loss in my face, but then I found this copy of my driver's license (taken May 2010) and I decided I can see it :)  I suppose I will always have chubby cheeks, but at least they are getting less chubby.

Enjoy the next mini-blizzard coming our way.  And I never thought I'd EVER say this, but I'm ready for the snow to stop!!!  I am suffering withdrawals from Chloe and I need a fix.  Take care everyone, and be safe. 

~k

pseudo before and after (11 weeks) pics...but not really :)

Okay, so I keep getting hounded about posting some pictures, but the truth is that I am really not used to letting anyone take my picture.  In fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of snapshots that actually contain me, and none of those were with my consent (or at least I was grumpy about it).  So I have a couple of before pictures from this past fall and then a couple that I shot last night (sans make-up and everything).  They are only pics of my face because I couldn't get any of them to turn out right while using the mirror and it was just plain bizarre anyway.  I don't know if my face looks thinner yet; if it does, I certainly cannot tell.  But at least these first pics are a start.   I am going to make an effort to take more pictures to document this journey, at least for my own benefit.  I just hope it will start to come more naturally in time...(this feels really weird, I gotta say).


Weight loss between the before pics and now is 49 pounds (as of 3 days ago).  :)

hard to believe it's been 10 weeks already

I am sitting here in my living room, having just built a blazing fire and getting cozy in the squishy chair under my OSU blankie, and looking at the pretty white stuff out the window.  These are times when I truly wish we could move somewhere north, where I could have real winter with real snow for several months at a time.  Oh well.  Maybe someday.


Kelsey officially has her own place now and I am using this excuse to get rid of most of our flatware, dishes and other kitchen accessories.  We have so much stuff that the only thing I really get to replace is the silverware, but that's okay with me.  She can use this stuff, along with our old couch and a table or two, and we can use the space.  Maybe we can finally get this house uncluttered a little.  But then again, I'm sure we will re-clutter with amazing efficiency.  We always do.  Then Spencer will be moving down to Stillwater this summer and things will be really weird around here.  But since we don't see either of them all that much anymore these days, it probably won't be all that different than it is now.


Today marks 10 weeks since my surgery and I have lost 45 pounds so far.  I am also finally starting to see and feel that weight loss, which is nice.  I have about 6 tubs of clothes in our room and closet that I've kept and now I am having to dig through them to find clothes to wear to church.  I wear pajamas around here nearly 24/7, but those aren't really acceptable cantor clothing, so I've had to go digging.  It's kinda fun to find clothes I haven't seen in a while and realize they fit again.  Last night also marked the day when I finally took off my wedding band and engagement ring and put them on a ribbon around my neck.  I have those little plastic ring-sizer things, but the problem is that they get stuff in them when you wash your hands or work with food or whatever.  And forget putting on moisturizer.  So I guess they will just stay around my neck until I'm done losing and then I will get them re-sized.  I have about 75 pounds to go, but I'm not in a hurry.  Slow and steady wins the race, right?  


Time to put down the laptop and go stoke the fire a little.  I hope it snows more and I am thankful I don't have to get out in it.  Chloe already got her first taste of snow yesterday when she had to be parked outside so Spencer could use the garage to fix his car and I don't think she liked it.  I know John didn't care for it.  Luckily John has a nice big truck now and he can handle all my shipping and fetching chores.  Chloe and I will stay nice and warm inside.  :)

6 weeks out now

Today it has been 6 weeks since my RNY and my scale says I have lost 40 pounds.  The other weights were all from professional scales at the doctor's office, but I am guessing this is pretty close.  I am not eating or drinking nearly enough, which is actually a bad thing, but the flu made it almost impossible to do either.  I am feeling better today than I have in the past couple of weeks, so hopefully that is almost gone and I can get back to some semblance of normalcy...whatever that is.  


Hope everyone has a great day today and enjoys the wonderful cold.    :)


~k

One month postop and feeling great :)

I can hardly believe it's been exactly one month since surgery, nor can I believe how fast this year flew by.  I don't know what happened, but it's suddenly December 1, 2010!!  

I am feeling great and eating a full diet now, basically whatever I choose.  So far, so good.  As of this morning, I am down 31 pounds since surgery and feeling pretty good about that.  I have a ton to go, but I'm not in a hurry.  I'm still having some difficulty getting in all the protein and remembering all the vitamins, but I'm doing the best I can.  I go for my first lab test in about 3 weeks, so that will be the real measuring stick.  I have read and heard the horror stories of people who don't take their vitamins or get in their protein and I don't want to be one of them.  Some malabsorption cannot be avoided; it's simply the nature of the beast.  I just have to do my best to be sure I don't end up on the "bad" side of this particular beast.

Another thing I can hardly believe...it's all becoming real to me that my baby will start college next fall.  I couldn't be more thrilled that he's going to my alma mater, I just cannot believe he's that old.  Where has the time gone??  He's retaking the ACT next Saturday, trying to achieve a 33 or 34 so that he can up the scholarships (hopefully).  Then we begin filling out FAFSA, grant and scholarship applications, making housing decisions, et cetera ad nauseam.  And we haven't even done his senior pictures yet.  Yikes.  But one thing I know for certain.  I will be at the doors to the Mabee Center at 5 p.m. on the day he graduates.  I don't need to learn that lesson twice!  The only way to get a seat so that you can actually see your child without binoculars is to get there when the doors open and make a mad run for it.  I'm ready!!!  Just not ready for him to graduate...

*sigh*

I wanna drink! AND during a meal!

Maybe I just drink more liquid with my meals than others.  I don't know.  But it is just bizarre and wrong to not be able to take a sip of something while I'm eating.  I am sitting here now, having my pseudo-lunch thing, and I have to physically restrain myself from picking up the water bottle beside me and taking a swig after every few bites.  It's usually safer for me to just not have a drink on the table at all while I am eating.  I understand the reasoning behind this rule, but I don't have to like it.  I would challenge anyone to try this at their next meal.  Every time you reach for your glass of water/pop/tea/whatever, stop and tell yourself NO.  Then when you are finished eating, set a timer and don't let yourself have a drink for another 30 minutes.  Maybe it's just me, but this type of thing seems cruel and unusual punishment when I am supposed to drink 64 ounces of liquid a day and then can't have it when I want it most!


But it's a fairly good day protein-wise for me because I just finished 35 grams, half my requirement for the day, and I've still got about 8 hours to fit in the rest.  Yesterday I felt bad all day and just couldn't force the food or drink down.  As long as I can keep those bad days to a minimum, everything will be okay.  Now if I can just remember all the vitamins...


~k

first postoperative check-in with Dr. G.

First time on a scale since before surgery and I'm down 25 pounds.  Hooray!  If I weren't feeling so tired today, I would be even more excited.  I don't know why, but I just cannot seem to get the fog to clear from my brain this afternoon.  The nurse at Dr. G's office told me it's probably because I am having trouble getting in all my protein, and she may be right.  But I did manage to get at least 65 grams in on Wednesday and Thursday, so I'm getting better.  I must admit that it is MUCH more difficult than I ever imagined.  I have almost decided that the people who do manage to get in all their protein and all their water must not sleep at night.  Using the full 24 hours is about the only way I can figure they are doing it.  The pouch only holds a tiny amount and it takes a long time to eat.  So there's no time or room for anything but protein.  Since we aren't allowed to drink anything at all from 30 minutes before a meal until 30 minutes after, you can see how getting 64 ounces of fluids in a day gets to be a little tricky.  


Ah well, I am not complaining.  I will work through it and do my best, just like the hundreds of thousands of other people before me.  I have been extremely fortunate, indeed, as I have had no complications whatsoever thus far and I feel really great most of the time.  No trouble with any foods I've tried, no feelings of nausea or unease in the GI tract, no unexpected pain, nada.  


So yeah, I'm pretty pleased with 25 pounds in 22 days.  The loss won't stay at such a high rate for long, nor do I want it to.  If there's only one lesson I've learned in my 20 years of struggle with weight fluctuation it is that the faster you lose it, the faster you find it again.  I know that with a pouch so small, my chances are much improved this time around...but still, I'd rather lose it slowly. 


Thanks so much to my friends and family for your thoughts and prayers.  I know God heard you and I am thankful He has made this such a breeze thus far.  I will remember you in my prayers, too, and my thanks to God for you and your faith and friendship.  


Love to you all :)