ObesityHelp

I weighed in on 1.25.08 at 248,  99 lbs gone in 4 months !  I can also start a "regular" diet.  I'm taking it slow and easy.  I've had avacado, salad, corn and fresh tomatoes.  Just 1 or 2 bites of each, at different meals.  The lettuce made my pouch do a flip flop the first time, but so far no major stomach upsets.  I am feeling pretty well.  I am not exercising like I planned, just too tired all the time !  And, we only have one car between the 3 of us.  I do want to start again, I need to stop intending and start to do it.  

My other major goal is going back to school to ultimately get my master's.  I have a long road ahead of me there, too.  

I had my lab done last week, still low on iron and now thiamine. That is found in egg yolk, liver (blech!)  cereal (don't do cereal, I do eat oatmeal)  and I'm going to google and see what else has it.  My bp is doing well.  I got a digital wrist bp machine and I'm keeping closer track of it.  In the AM it runs 118/70- typical for early am bp's.  During the day,  130's/ 80's.  At times 140's/90's.   I'm still on the dyazide.   My edema has resolved.  

Funny thing, I'm cooking up a storm for family, friends and coworkers.  The most fattening things, and I'm having a ball.  Beef sandwiches made with butter (!)  Texas sheet cake,  olive loaf.  Poor people.  

I have my 4 month check up with the surgeon on Feb 5,  I should be 100lbs gone by then !     Amie

I've gotten myself a swimsuit, and I've taken up swimming again.  One of my goals is to bring out my inner athlete.  I was one in high school, swam on the swim team no problem, lots of endurance.  I swam distance.  I was known for my strength.  I graduated hs in 1980, just before or right at the start of women lifting weights.  Once on a whim, while with my hs swimteam in the weight room , my coach had me see how much I could benchpress.  I could benchpress 200lbs (my weight back then) more than what most of the football team could do!!!! The football team was there in the weight room to witness.  I was teased at school for a while, but enjoyed it !   I know that girl is still in me somewhere. so, last weekend,  I went to our local swimsuit emporium,  with great trepidation, on a mission to get a Speedo.   I was expecting surfer guys working there, and the place full of men looking for their own speedo. Not that we have a lot of surfer guys in Omaha, just had that vision in my head. I just didn't want to go in with it crawling with guys. What if they called me on this ?  " Hey you, you have no buisiness in this swimsuit emporium, I hope you don't think you're going to actually find one here that will fit you and purchase it? "  That was going through my mind.    It took much courage to go in.  It's not in a mall so it's not like you can just mosey in and out.  It's in a strip mall. You purposely have to go and park your car and march in.   Anyway,  very intimidating for me with images of surf guys waiting on me, me not knowing what size and if they even carry my size.   I know, I could have called and save myself some grief, but I just had to jump in.  I had researched the Speedo web site and almost ordered one, size 24L according to the measurement chart,  but it said 4-6 weeks delivery and I didn't want to wait that long.  So, off to the shop.    

Well, boy was I in for a surprize.   Not a man in the place.  Well, one little boy, blond (potential surfer guy)  with his mom.   Nice sales girls.  One greeted me at the door,  I said what I wanted and what size I had figured by the measurements on the official Speedo website.  She said, no, that would be way too big.  Gave me 24L, 22L, 20L,  and 18L to try on.   Said with a smile "Try the 18L first !"   It was a sleek, violet number.  A serious workout actual swimmer suite, no sun bathing allowed in this one.  No little skirt to hide my cottage cheesy top of my thighs.  " Hmm,  maybe this is a mistake after all,"  I said to myself on my way to the dressing room.   But, hold on,  guess what ?    THE SIZE 18 L FIT LIKE A GLOVE  like it was made for me.   Oh my goodness.  I was estatic,  shed a tear.   How did she know that was the size ?  Anyway,  of course I bought it and started swimming at 24hr Fitness.  Feels so good to be back in the water.    

Through the Christmas holiday, that is !   I had 2 spritzer cookies but that was all, quite an accomplishment for me.  I did not dump.  I don't know if that's good or bad.  They may have been too small to cause a dump.  So far, all I've had trouble with is milk.  I'm still eating cheese ok.  I have 2 month's worth of monthly pics to post here, I have to wait for my son to help me.  I feel good,  had a sharp pain in my rt side off and on for the last week.  I think it's the remnants of my biliary tree- had a chole with my RNY.  I called the bariatric nurse navagator and she agreed,  had me start Tagamet OTC and that does seem to help.  

On the weight loss side,  I am continueing on my once a month weigh in.  I did go to weekly but I feel I will start getting hooked on that stupid scale/number crap so am going back to monthly.  I know I'm following my high protein plan with a few complex carbs, so I will lose the weight.  

I have been feeling empowered lately.  I want to go back to school and finish my degree.  I feel like I have the belief in myself back, my self esteem is back.  Not to mention plain old energy !  I can start to dream again, I'm not stuck on the couch watching endless mind numbing TV and stuffing my feelings down.  I've said it before-  I just feel relief.  My RNY set me free !!!!

Well, it's been about 10 weeks or so, I have done very well. I am thrilled with my loss so far and how I don't think about food all the time.  It is like a refief.  I will weigh myself in 2 days, I weigh every Friday so as not to get obsessed with the scale.  So far, officially I've lost 60 lbs.  Amazing.  My surgery went very smooth, I had it lap with a bonus chole.  I left the hospital on day 5, felt like I could of gone home the day before. I went back to work after being off 2 weeks total.  Everyone from family to coworkers have been very supportive.  I work at the hospital I had the surgery at, I know people are keeping track of me ! Every once in a while someone will come up to me and tell me how good I'm doing, that they think  I've adjusted to this new eating just fine, and that I'm looking good.  It feels so good to have that support, no one has been negitive.  Only one person, a lady from the lab, saw me on the floor and said "Amie! You are losing weight ! How are you doing it?"  I've known this girl for 7 years and we have always been good friends. Anyway, I told her and she just looked at me for a few minutes blinking, turned her face away from me, then looked back and said "why did you want to go and do that?"  I felt bad, felt sort of shocked.  I told her alittle bit about the process I went through but we both had to get back to our jobs.  
I started in a tight 26/28, 4X  and now wear 1x-2x and 22 jeans.  I'm SO happy about that.  I've been buying sale clothes at Younkers and Kohl's.  I've tried to find things at the thrift strores, but never could find plus sizes I could wear. 
I've done alot of walking and I take an arobic/weights class 2x week at work.  I feel better but I still get very tired and the weights feel like a million pounds.
I haven't been traking my food intake, cals or protien. That's something I want to start on Fitday. I am still on soft foods, no fresh fruits or veggies. I can have crackers. After month 4 I can have regular food.  I've up chucked a few times, eating too much. My total iron was low so I take a chewable iron supplement along with the post gastric surgery vitamins.  My hair so far is OK.  I also have not been good about the RNY forum here, my life just seems busy.