Walk without pain

I have just passed my 4 month anniversary and have lost just over 60 pounds and the improvement in my quality of life has surpassed all my expectations. I am able to walk and stand for hours which was one of my major motivating factors- pre-op I had horrible pain in my feet, joints, and small of my back after standing or walking too long- that is all gone.

 I am now wearing 16W which I haven’t fit into in years. I am finding great bargains on the sale rack in normal stores. I buy my shirts and pants borderline too tight and they get too loose within several weeks so I go buy more. I really try to avoid wearing baggy clothes because I think they just make me look bigger. I bought my first pair of Spanx and love them. 

I am in the gym every morning at 6:30 am before work. Mon, Wed, and Fri are aerobic days and Tues, Thurs are weight training- I have gotten stronger and have increased the amount of weight I use and have added in lower back and torso to upper body and arms training- the increasing difference in muscle tone is rapidly appreciable. I wish my upper arms would shrink faster but I am not in any hurry for bat wings. The difference in my posture and face are really starting to bring comment from people who haven’t seen me in a while: I even got a hug from a lady at work who was genuinely excited for me. 

My next NSV goal is visible collar bones and my next scale goal is to break into Onderland. I weigh myself every day but do not really get excited about daily fluctuations- I only pay attention when I pass the decades- I just broke into the 220’s and now I am working to get to the 210’s and then magical Onderland- 

I take a daily multi vitamin with iron and calcium and my sublingual B12 every day- the extra iron has helped my energy level. I still take my acid reducers. I still fight to get in my protein and fluids- if I do not keep these things at the front of my mind all the time I do not take in enough of either and I can feel the effects.

My mood swings and bouts of irritability are dying out. I think my hormones are stabilizing- I use Mirena as birth control and 1 of its effects is that it thins the endometrial lining so I did not have a period for months pre op- post op- I think all the released estrogen overwhelmed the hormonal effects of the Mirena and I have been having almost normal periods and break through bleeding. Those are now starting to lighten so I think the lining is starting to thin again- hopefully the periods will go away again. 

I am able to eat anything I want- just really small amounts- I have even eaten a couple pieces of nigiri sushi- with the rice- I had been ordering just sashimi so that was a real treat to eat a little rice again. I still drink supplements and eat my greek yogurt and am still trying to keep carbs under 40/day. 

I didn’t get the jobs I applied for but am not at all unhappy about that. I came very close on the position that would have been a promotion for me. I did very well in the interviewing process but the hiring manager just didn’t know me very well; now he does and the next position that becomes open- hopefully soon- I will be in a much better starting position. 

Life just gets better and better.

I can't believe it has already been 12 weeks since my surgery.

I finally started working out- I started that about 2 weeks ago- we have a fantastic free gym onsite where I work and so really don't have any excuse not to work out. I just get to work about 6:30, work out and shower, and then walk upstairs to my desk. I think my average weekly weight loss has temporarily slowed in reaction to the added exertion but I do expect the loss rate to pick up again as my body and metabolism adjusts to the shock.

I can really feel the muscles in my legs and core getting stronger and more toned- I see a real change in my posture and silhouette. I carry myself stronger. Without the weight of my stomach pulling my back forward I am able to stand straighter with my shoulders less rounded. The gym offers personal training and I have a fantastic trainer helping me- We started weight training for the arms/shoulders/ and upper back last week- ouchie. After a couple weeks I will rotate in a program for lower back/legs/and abs. I like the idea of the fat melting off and revealing toned muscle underneath. Plus, I am hoping that this will help with skin issues and reduce the amount of plastic surgery I will need.

I alternate between different elliptical machines and my favorite- the rowing machine. I love the rowing machine because it is a full body workout without tearing up my joints. 

My energy level is increasing every day. I have energy after work to do more than come  home and collapse on the couch in front of the tv or take a nap. I find that taking the dog for a walk after dinner really help reduce acid and keeps me from having any issues at bedtime. I avoid snacking between dinner and bedtime to avoid acid issues.

I take an acid reducer morning and at dinnertime- occasionally I take one at lunch if I feel the need- it does depend on what I am eating. In my case, it seems the denser the food the more acid I produce and so I adjust my dosages to compensate. I can eat just about anything and I have- just in really small amounts. Head hunger and cravings have just about disappeared- if they do strike they fade rapidly. Sometimes I eat borderline too much and have some discomfort but haven't gotten the foamies for a long time- it only took me a couple of lessons and I learned not to eat past my hiccup.

I have occasional mood swings and bouts of irritability that are extreme enough that I can easily identify them as caused by the released hormones- I just recognize that I am not going to be a nice person for a few hours, grit my teeth, and withdraw to a safe distance until the urge to snap at everyone passes.

I fight to get in water and protein- I have started drinking 1 Nectar a day every am- I sip on it all morning instead of the Special K ice tea. I still drink protein supplements- I try to get in a 1/2 Slimfast or Atkins shake before I work out and then finish it while getting dressed.

I have to plan my meals and snacks or I get lazy and don't get enough protein. If I don't drink enough water I battle constipation.

The past few months pre op I was just treading water at my job- I wanted to finish school and recover from surgery before I made any decisions. With my weight loss has come more self confidence and I have applied for a couple jobs that are big forward steps from where I am now- cross your fingers for me.

I am so happy that I did this- it was money well spent and I love my sleeve

 

Today is my 2 month surgiversary. I meant to write something at my 1 month surgiversary but life and craziness got in the way. I wanted to wait until 1 month because I wanted the post-op glow to have faded somewhat and to have a more realistic view of life and living post op.

 

I could not be happier with the care and experience I had from Dr Alvarez and his staff. Everything was as advertised and as promised. There were no surprises. I was very fortunate- I had minimal pain- no nausea- no acid- no swallowing issues- no bowel issues-no hunger issues- no sleeping issues- I was convinced that Dr A had just put me under- put 5 small cuts on me and poked around to make bruises.

 

At 2 months I am down almost 40 lbs. I have not been exercising as much as I like but I do walk more- as I can now walk without pain. I look better, I feel better, my skin is clearing up from my diet, I am fitting into clothes that I haven’t pulled out for a year and they are loose.

 

I am free from food- I am still battling head hunger- but it is diminishing more and more every week- I can go into grocery stores and bakeries and food courts and walk past items that were irresistible to me pre op. Instead of plotting and planning treats and rewards and unhealthy foods I am planning and plotting on proteins.

 

I did do something really stupid pre op and I should be used as an example as what NOT to do. I finished my MBA Thursday night and flew out Friday morning. I was really compliant with the pre op liquid diet and had not cheated at all. Somehow, I was talked into going out for sushi and saki Thursday night after class. I convinced myself that I could go and have 1 drink and 1 piece of sushi. Normally, I am the designated driver or I only have 1-2 drinks- I quit drinking to excess a long time ago because I could not handle how bad I felt the next few days.

 

Anyway- I ate lots of sushi and got absolutely hammered- bottles of saki were ordered and drank- several rounds of saki bombs hit our table- and as we were standing in the parking lot to leave (I was not driving) another friend pulled up and we went back in to the restaurant and started all over.

 

I spent the next morning wanting to die- I didn’t start to feel human until Chicago and then I spent the whole ride to Eagles Pass trying to keep my heard from falling off my shoulders. Getting through the terminals without eating was easy because I couldn’t have eaten anything if you had put a gun to my head.

 

I drank water and protein all the way to Eagles Pass- I felt sorry for Rosie- I wasn’t much company but didn’t want to tell her I was dealing with a massive hangover- she got me to the hotel- I took a bath, drank some broth- took a xanax and went to bed.

 

I was able to maintain a calm sense of denial all the way up until the end. I was not nervous at all. I went second and just read a book until my turn. I was given a gown- told to take everything off- and they came and got me a few minutes later- I was out before I left the room. I woke up as I was sliding back into my bed- I was told everything went great- gagged a couple times- rolled onto my left side and went back to sleep. When I woke up again- it took a few minutes for everything to come into focus and then from then on every day just got better and better.

 

I did apologize to Rosie on the way back for being such bad company on the way down. She thought the reason was rather funny.

    

 

Post Date: 1/31/08 6:35 pm
Since I started my WLS journey I have been reading as much as I can on the boards. I am planning on going to Mexico in May the day after I finish college. I really appreciate all the personal stories that have been shared. It makes me feel perfectly confident in my decisions and what to expect from the surgery.  

I have nothing to contribute to the boards right now except for information for the many posters who have questions about self pay and financing-

I have read many, many posts from people who apply for the financing with no real idea what their credit score is or how that will affect their rate.  Most times, they doubt they will even get approved. It should not be a mystery when you apply. Your question should be "My  FICO score is XXX, what rate can I expect to get?    

Before doing anything, pull your credit yourself. Get your annual free credit reports and look for derogatory or incorrect entries- If you don't find mistakes you are not reading them right".

Get all 3. Compare. One report can be right while another is wrong. If everything looks good- pay the money to get your REAL FICO scores- you need to know where you stand. If you have good scores, you would probably be better off going through your bank or credit union. Maybe a major bank card if the intro rate is acceptable- just read the fine print.

If you have cleaning up to do, it's not worth paying for your FICOs yet.


If you have incorrect or derogatory information- clean them up- there are dispute systems in place that you can use with the credit reporting agencies TransUnion, Equifax, Experian. There are dispute systems in place where you can get damaging information removed from your reports. You have federal law on your side.

There are a several boards  on credit repair and improvement with people just as caring and knowledgeable as the posters you find here. There are some boards where you will get incomplete or incorrect answers. After a little research, and reading, you will be able to tell the difference.

Serious credit repair is not a sprint, it's a marathon. If you have been denied financing because of your credit score, it can be improved. YOU have control over your score.  You have made the decision to take control of your weight and your health. This was an incredibly brave decision to make. You did the homework, researched the procedure, the doc, the facility.

Unfortunately, money and credit can be as emotionally charged as weight issues. People don't want to talk about money, or financing, or credit- especially if the credit is bad. OH is a community of people who understand weight issues and support you without judgement.  There are other communities out there that will help with credit repair, without judging you.

This is just one more step in your journey. And like weight loss- a good credit score is a beautiful thing that will improve your life for years to come.

I would be happy to help anyone who has questions on how to get started. I can't  and won't do it for you. I don't give financial advice, nothing is for sale. I'm just "paying forward" kindnesses done to me.

I am in my 7th day of the pre-op diet. My instructions were to start on Wednesday but I started on Monday to have a couple extra days for luck

I had a great deal of anxiety about starting the diet- I thought it was going to be really tough because I am weak - so I did a lot of prep work. I knew that if I waited until the day of the diet to  go from my regular routine to the pre op diet I was just setting myself up for failure.

About 6 weeks out I started breaking my crack (starbucks) habit-
I have 2 cups of 1/2  caff  coffee in the morning before I leave the house  and  that's it. It took  2 weeks  before the  headaches and crappy feeling began to go away.

Three weeks before starting the pre- op diet I started slimfast for breakfast and eliminated all snacking during my work day.

Two weeks before starting the pre-op diet I started slimfast for breakfast and lunch and eliminated snacking between dinner and bedtime
(that about killed me)

One week before the diet I had slimfast for breakfast and lunch, no snacks all day, and introduced thick soups for dinner-
I found some great ones at the local "fancy mart"
carrot ginger cashew bisque
cuban black bean
tomato parmesan
squash
southwestern corn
blended red pepper
these are also for my full liquid stage after I return and have graduated to that stage.

I had my final hurrah lunch of Thai on Saturday and started the diet on Monday.

I drink 2 liters of water while sitting at my desk- I flavor mine with the Special K ice tea- it is less sweet and I like it the best. I also have several cups of hot decaf green tea during the day.

I have my protein drinks spaced out during the day and eat LOTS of sf jello and sf pudding.

I am drinking a lot of broths fortified with Unjury. I add chicken protein to the chicken broth and veggie  broth  and unflavored  to the beef broth.
It really helps to slow hunger pains.

The family has helped- DH and kids are doing the cooking and immediately clearing the dishes and putting away leftovers-

I knew the weekend would be rough so I left the house yesterday to run errands and get some Isopure at GNC for my return. I also went shopping for some post op draw string cotton pants and some loose tops.

Today I took my mother out and we got our toes done- that was a nice way to kill some time and was really relaxing. I love the massage chairs.
I may have it all hanging out on the operating table but at least my feet are going to look good.