ObesityHelp

Well since I have come back to work, they have decided that I needed to work every waking hour.  I worked overtime on the weekend and then so far this week, I have worked 12 hour days every day!!! Talk about tired!!!!  

The lifestyle change has been going pretty well so far.  I can't say that I've been 100% good.  My diet has been great.  I haven't cheated once.  I just haven't been walking as much as I probably should.  I'm still getting up and around a lot...cleaning the house, grocery shopping, working where I have to walk often and sometimes long distances.  I have walked the length of the factory at least 3 times since I have had surgery.  I need to start setting time out of my day to walk at home as well.  As long as I am working 12 hour days though it sure is difficult! I am just exhausted by the time I get home and so ready for bed and then it takes everything in my power to get out of bed and go to work. 

This is my first day of soft foods.  I'm so excited about it.  I have been milling over my menu for the day for a least a week!!  An egg, cottage cheese, and refried beans with FF cheese on the top.  I'm so excited.  I've only had time for the cottage cheese so far.  I have to say that I ate the cottage cheese with no problem.  Ziploc makes these wonderful little 1/2 cup containers and I put my cottage cheese in that this morning and brought my baby spoon to work.  I ate it and didn't feel stuffed (no behind the chest pain) and didn't feel hungry after I was done either.  So shocking that I can eat just 1/2 a cup of food and be okay. I need to get my protein shake in for the day but have no interest in it at this time.  

I've been finally getting the difference between head hunger and real hunger.  So far I've actually been able to control it just fine!!  I'm so happy about that.  I have no compulsion anymore to eat.  Before, I couldn't stop myself.  Now I feel like I have control.  I just hope this lasts.  I keep waiting for the times before when I was dieting that I lost control and ate way too much. I hope those days are gone!!!

I'm back at work now.  I went back exactly a week after my surgery.  I was worried that I would be too tired to make it a whole 8 hours but I really felt great.  I even went for a walk on lunch break since lunch is just a drink right now.  My co-workers have been very supportive.  They have all wished me well and have even bought me flowers and sent me cards wishing for me to get well soon.  I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful group of supportive people around me.  Thank god.  

I am starting to feel thinner.  I don't know if that's really possible now but I was standing at the front door at work talking to someone and I just felt longer and leaner.  I mean really, it's only one week since my surgery but I can already sense a change.  A change in how I carry myself, a change in how my clothes fit, and a change in my attitude.  

I've been very faithful with my clear liquid diet.  The dietician who talked to us about our post-op diets promised us that if we stuck with the diet and didn't cheat she could guarantee that we would lose at least 20-30 pounds in the first 2 weeks.  I am all about losing that amount that quickly!!! 

I'm ready for the weeks where something fits the first week but doesn't the next.  I'm ready to start feeling so good and having so much energy that I just have to exercise. I can't wait until my entire world is different from what it has been for so many years! 

I got home and got settled in my chair with all of my stuff that I would need and finally felt like I was at home. Tammy ran and got my prescriptions filled and got some distilled water for my CPAP machine.  Side note--I have to wear that now every night no matter what.  That's fantastic.  I have to say it definitely the sexiest thing I have donned yet!  But considering my pulmonologist told me that I could very well end up in a nursing home unable to communicate if I didn't....I am wearing it and if no one finds me sexy doing it...oh well.  I would rather be hideous than in a nursing home.  I was very unhappy with the machine that they had in the hospital.  It had no humidifier so on top of having a dry mouth from the surgery...I ended up with dry nasal passages and a dry mouth...horrible!!!  My CPAP has a humidifier and is much better.  I was very happy to use it compared to the one that I had in the hospital.  

My first night home was a little uncomfortable.  I was debating about whether to sleep in the chair or in bed.  I really wanted to be close to Tammy so I decided to lay down if I could and then resort to the chair if that didn't work out.  I got settled in and slept most of the night pretty well.  I tried to keep walking and keep my meals small.  I pretty much didn't have a problem with that.  I had water and 3 protein shakes.  I had to really take my time with the protein shakes.  Before the surgery, I could drink a whole one with no difficulty...not so much anymore!!!!  That's a good thing.  I need help keeping my meals small.  That's why I ended up here in the first place.  

I have had a pretty easy time since then.  I have not had much more than 1 jello and 2 popsicles besides my protein shakes and my water.  I want to keep that going too.  Its great not wanting to eat everything in sight.  I still find that things sound good.  Tammy has had quite a few things that just smell fantastic.  Pizza, quarter pounders, macaroni and cheese....horrible!!! I haven't been tempted enough to try them but they are torturing me with the smell.  I hope that none of those things sound good after a while.  I am hoping the cravings are left over from my previous diet?  I guess we'll see.  

So I'm going to keep walking and hoping that by the time I go to the doctors for my 2 week appointment, I will have lost 30 pounds.  That's my goal.  Here's hopin!