I am amazed at all the changes in the last 4 months since I got sleeved!  For the first time ever, I can actually say I like Sleevie alot...almost love him.  It hasn't been easy but it has been worth it so far...

I still have a bit of nausea but it's not a lot and I can deal with it pretty easily now.  I can eat better and don't throw up like I used to.  (I think it's a combination of Sleevie being healed and I don't test limits as much in the amount I can eat...and he has stretched a bit.  I can eat up to 6 oz of thick soup in a half hour or up to 1.5 - 2 oz of meat.) 

As many of you know, my family has been in crisis the last week or two with my daughter having brain surgery and then in ICU (and she is now at home resting comfortably as she mends).  I had prepared a bit, by buying ready made protein drinks & bars - which helped a lot!  I also abandoned low carb during this time, and guess what...I actually have more energy!  Obviously, the "stress diet" of living moment by moment in a hospital setting has played it's part in my weight loss (I have averaged 3 lb or more in loss each week for the the past 2 weeks), but my activity level has increased dramatically in trying to be everywhere at once & taking care of everyone else first.  For now, I am okay with carbs as long as they give me energy & I continue to lose at a decent pace.

The minor hair loss issues are okay too.  Supposedly we lose 120 strands of hair a day normally, and that is probably what I am seeing now.  I run my fingers thru my hair at various occasions daily and note that I get 5 - 10 strands each time I do that.  Nothing dramatic...

The thing I am most concerned about right now is not reaching 60 grams of protein daily as much as I should in the last few weeks.  Before my recent labwork come back (with it's favorable account of my vitamin intake), I would calculate my nutrition (protein, calories, carbs, & fluids) throughout the day in my notebook and if I got to the end of the day, short on anything (but carbs), I would stay up a little longer to eat or drink my way up to 60 - 80 g of protein, 600 - 800 calories, and at least 50 oz of fluids.  But since my labs came back great, and I realized I was doing better with nutrition than I thought, I have slacked, realizing that if my calories are higher, then protein isn't as big of a deal (because your body will convert the extra carbs into what it needs).  So I have had days of only reaching 40 g of protein (but everything else was fine...calories on the high end).  I may pay for this with more hair loss or bone/muscle loss, so I don't want to make this shortage a habit.  Let's call it part of the survival mode I have been living in the last couple of weeks.

Also, I live in the desert and as I write, March temperatures have been reaching up to the low 90's (we are about 15 degrees higher than normal right for this time of year).  This means I need more fluids.  I miss the days of guzzling water but I can't drink that fast now.  Water is still an issue for me, frequently making me nauseous if I drink too fast.  I need to increase my fluids to about 100 oz per day but with all the busyness, I don't know how I am going to do this.  All I know is I frequently ride the line between hydrated & dehydrated (I get a little dizzy & faint sometimes), and 110 degree weather is coming...

Overall, I like my life, warts and all.  I like that I reached my halfway mark today in weightloss (if I stick to my original goal of 150 lb).  I am only 45 lb away from the "normal" range now.  It's pretty cool when I think about it...