Hello Friends…I got on the scale for my weekly weigh-in and it read 298 lbs!!  I realize that a lot of people start their journey at this weight, but for me it’s a big milestone to be out of three hundreds!!

So to recap it’s been just over 7 months since WLS and I’ve lost 128 lbs. I’m not going to get too excited because I still need to lose another 50-70 lbs depending on where my Lean Body Mass levels out (FFM ~ 208 lbs right now).

I haven’t had a sustained plateau yet (cross fingers) and aside for a bad week or two after having to put my dog to sleep (broke my heart) I’ve stuck to my meal and exercise plans religiously.

Other aspects of life are improving as well; I’m being more social/active, less chronic pain, reconnecting with friends, body is getting stronger, achieving better work – life balance…all those things that I had hoped I’d reclaim as a result of having WLS  are beginning to come into view. On the flip side, the girlfriend situation has definitely been impacted by WLS, but that’s a story for a different post/forum.

I still don’t consider the camera as a friend of mine (although the camera lovvvees my cute ass..just kidding) so I’ll have to be much closer to goal before I post a progress pic.

Anyway, it’s a big achievement for me and I just wanted to share.

K

What works for me #2: Couple tbsp of Organic Cocoa Powder a day   Prior to WLS I was a coffee fiend and I still am, but just decaffeinated coffee now. The switch to decaf was tough and I especially missed my caffeine kick. So to combat sleepy mornings and the afternoon lull I stated adding 1 tablespoon of Organic Cocoa Powder to my morning and afternoon coffee.   The benefits of Organic Cocoa Powder are (as I understand it):  

• -Flavonoides - antioxidants counteract cellular damage associated cancer/heart diseases.
• -Lowers blood pressure and improves blood flow.
• -Phenylethylamine improves mood.
• -Theobromine acts as a mild stimulate (since I can't have regular coffee)

So of course cocoa also contains some caffeine too, but we are allowed a little caffeine. In fact many foods and even decaf coffee have a little caffeine, but these amounts are considered minimal compared to a regular cup of coffee. We just don't want a lot of caffeine on a daily basis.    BTW the most serious problem with regular coffee and caffeine in large amounts is, as I understand it, that it damages the lining of our stomach pouches and may lead to ulcers (ouch!!).   Anyhoo…2 tbsp of Organic Cocoa Powder a day…it works for me.

I post this not necessarily as advice to other but rather as a record of what I’ve found to work well for me in my 4 months post-WLS. My thinking is that if I hit a plateau down the line then I can revisit my list and make sure that I’m following the good habits that I’ve adopted along the way. If others find it helpful too that’s great.   What works for me #1: Measure your food; don’t just “eyeball it”.   Your eyes can and will deceive you, especially if you’re hungry. Also, measuring helps me to prevent abusing and stretching my stomach pouch and I want to keep it to its post-surgery size of 1 oz for as long as I can!!   I measure to a 1 oz volume on just about everything I eat using the little clear plastic medicine cups that you’d find in a hospital. After returning home from surgery and running out of the medicine cups that my mom “borrowed” from the hospital I had a terrible time trying to find a store that sells medicine cups locally. I finally found some at Amazon and they are invaluable. In fact these should be included in the post-ops check list along with bandages, alcohols swabs, etc. etc..   Anyhoo…measure, measure, measure…it works for me.