ObesityHelp

I'm back on thedailyplate.com tracking my intake. My weight loss hasn't budged in months and I'm sure it's becuase of the carb situation. The first thing I realized is that my protein intake had slipped down way too far, so I've decided to shoot for 100 grams every day no matter what, in hopes that I won't have enough room or desire to eat junky carbs after that. I snacked all day today, and having a big bowl of fresh blackberries on my desk really helped with the munchies. I am craving berries like crazy right now. Today's calories: 1370, protein: 101g, fiber: 22g, carbs: 163g. My carbs are way too high and I will do better planning for tomorrow.

You know what I can't buy? Hostess 100-calorie packs of Golden Cake with Creamy Filling. They come in a box of 6 packs, and I just found out that I can nibble on them all day for two days until the whole box is gone, 100 calories at a time. Whoops. Oh, and they don't have enough creamy filling in them, anyway.

Yesterday I had a 1-year followup appointment with the study I'm participating in, called "Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery" or LABS. I'm so glad I signed up for it, because before my surgery, they took baseline measurements, weighed me and assessed my body fat, and had me walk 1/4 mile with a timer. There were several questionnaires to fill in, as well. My visit yesterday was incredible-I got to compare all of my current results with my pre-surgery ones, and I was blown away by how far I've come. I've lost over 10 inches in my waist (that's almost a foot!) and 2.5 inches in my neck. My blood pressure is 117/72, down from 139/82. My resting heart rate has gone down 15 beats per minute. Walking that quarter mile was such a piece of cake, unlike last year when I was very short of breath, overheated, and in severe pain in my hips, back, knees, and feet. Seeing my answers to the questionnaires from a year ago really showed me that I am doing even better now than I could have imagined. I wish I could go back in time and give my pre-op self a hug and say, "You might feel hopeless at the moment, but it's all going to be OK". 

Sometimes I feel discouraged that I'll never make my goal weight, and frustrated that the weight loss has stopped so soon for me and I'm still obese, but yesterday made me remember how far I've come. I have gotten used to feeling great and having lots of energy-the way I am now feels like the "real" me, and it's easy to forget how hard getting through life was before. So, if anyone reading this is in the pre-op phase, please know that it's going to be OK. Faster than you can imagine, you will have your life back. Your struggles as a morbidly obese person will soon be a memory of the past. Hang in there!