Audra L.

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Well, I can't believe it, but it's already been three months since my surgery and already I am halfway to my goal.  Excitement!  My husband is doing even better: he has lost over 100 pounds and is well past his halfway point.  We are so enjoying losing the weight and looking like our old selves.

The journey has been pretty easy; it's quite amazing.  I'm still struggling to get 64 oz of water down a day.  AJ is still trying to stop eating before sliming.  He's jealous of me because I haven't slimed.  But I'm jealous of him because he has lost way more than I have, lol.  The hardest thing for him is slowing down eating.  The hardest thing for me is going out to eat with friends.  Since we have made the decision not to tell anyone about our surgeries, it is difficult to hide how ridiculously little we eat now.  So, we don't really go out  at all, except maybe for a cup of soup or a cup of meatballs at IKEA.  "We've become cheap dates," my husband keeps saying, lol.

People at work have started noticing, which is nice.  I even have had a few 12-year-old students notice.  Nice.  I took a picture of us recently and posted it online and friends in other cities noticed the weight loss.  AJ, in particular, gets tons of comments about looking younger.  It's fun.  I'm excited to keep losing.  Right now, I'm losing about 2 pounds a week, and that's fine by me.  I'm hoping to be at goal by summer.

Boy, have I dropped the ball on this blog!  I guess I got tired of writing complaints and being a bit down.  So, today I have good news.

For the past 2-3 weeks, I've been hovering around 237-238 pounds.  I knew about the stalls, although mine seemed to come in week 5 rather than 3, but hey, we're all different, right?  Anyway, today I got on the scale (I try to only weigh myself on Fridays) and--woo hoo--I'm down 5 pounds to 232.  I just updated my ticker and I couldn't believe how close I'm getting to the halfway point!

The past two days I've been ransacking my closet going through old clothes (which range from a size 14 to 24), trying to find clothes that will fit me better.  Lately, the waistband of my skirts and pants have been sitting on my hips!  And that makes my upper thigh/crotch area look really baggy/funky.  So, I need "new" clothes.  Yes, I could go buy clothes, but really, why spend more money on clothes I won't be wearing for long?  Although, I suppose hitting the super-reduced clearance rack at LB might not be quite so bad.  But I digress.  I realized that I had an awful lot of clothes in a size 18.  They will come in handy soon.  Right now, I realize, I'm like a perfect size 20.  I'm a bit surprised that after losing over 40 pounds, I've only dropped ONE size, but oh well... it's all good.  I did find 4 skirts in a size 20 and a couple of blouses.  I might need to slurge on a pair of slacks and a pair of jeans...

Three or four weeks ago, I posted on the boards about my dismay at having returned to work after a summer off and having lost 30 pounds and no one noticed.  Well, up until yesterday, still, no one had noticed.  The difference?  Besides another 12 pounds lost?  The fact that I wore size 20 clothes instead of 22.  Yesterday, a close co-worker said, "You're losing weight, aren't you?"  I said I was.  Another co-worker asked today if I'd lost weight, and I said I had.  Yay! People are noticing.

My husband has lost well over 60 pounds and people are noticing on him too.  One friend said he looked younger, but wasn't sure exactly why.  A co-worker kept starring at him one day and AJ felt uneasy, but then they guy asked, "Have you lost weight?"  LOL.  It's so fun to share our victory stories. :)

I went out to dinner with friends for the first time since surgery yesterday and I had a chicken salad.  No one seemed to noticed I hardly ate of it.  LOL, I felt like an anorexic, trying to move my food around the plate to look like I ate more.  I think it worked.  The only person not buying it, was the waiter.  LOL.  He had taken my friends' plates ages ago and I finally told him he could take mine as I was done.  He gave me a funny look, but did as I asked.  Maybe he was expecting me to ask him to wrap it up?  I don't know... But leftover salad is not yum.

So, things are going well. I'm excited.

Well, things are progressing nicely.  I've lost a total of 27 pounds (woo hoo!), which puts me 1/4 of the way to my goal already!  Now granted, I'm still not eating anything of particular substance, so I expect the speed of weight loss to slow when I start on real food.

Real food.... Oh, what I wouldn't give to eat an egg right now!  I'm in the middle of my 2-week full liquid diet and it's driving me nuts!  I can't wait to be able to eat food, already!  Protein drinks, soup (which I'm not a fan of), and jello are just not doing it for me anymore.  Sometimes I even feel hungry (although a protein drink or cup of broth easily stems that feeling).

Looking forward to next week when I can start my mushies!

Well, it's been a week since the surgery and so far so good.  I've lost 24 pounds so far.  Woo hoo!  I'm not feeling any abdominal pain or having uncomfortable gas problems. Yay!   I still can't lie on my stomach, but I can sleep on my sides.  I can take two normal-sized "sips" of drink at once without any trouble, so that's good, too.  Like I said, so far so good.

I'm losing weight, but that's no wonder when I'm not eating anything! LOL.  I am so stoked to finish my clear liquid diet tomorrow.  I have been feeling really run-down the past two days, and hungry, too, at times. I'm sure it's because of the lack of nutrition.  I've been having a protien bullet every day (I just can't stomach more than that!), but it's just not enough.

Speaking of, I actually came across a protein bullet that didn't taste 100% vile!  I couldn't believe it!  Don't get me wrong, it's not great, or even good.  But it is palatable, and I have no problems drinking it down without holding my nose.  As a matter of fact, it didn't smell too bad either.  It's called Proasis and we bought it at RiteAid.  The flavor I had was "clear Niagra grape" (because, you know, just calling it "grape" isn't good enough, lol) and it was fine (okay).

Today I also finally got my Unjury shipment and I was able to try their chicken soup.  It's not that great, but it is palatable.  I'd much rather sip chicken broth, but this way I get more protein in.

Well, that's the scoop so far.  Thanks for reading!

Okay, so I survived the surgery, and let me tell you: that was WAY easier than surviving this clear-liquid-only diet.  I'm on day 4 of this week-long diet and I'm going out of my mind!  Every time I'm out and about, I see and smell so many delicious foods.  Oh, I can barely stand it.  What I wouldn't give to have a bite of a juicy burger or a cheesy slice of pizza.  Heck, I'd settle for one M&M and enjoy it to it's max.  But I'm being a good girl.  It's just that drinking (sipping, actually) water and Crystal Lite all day is SOOOO BORING!  Oh, and don't get me started on the dreaded protein bullet.  UGH!  Have the people who market the flavors even tasted one of them?  They are so vile, I'm thinking of forgoing them.  My surgeon said we can go without protein for the week, but I thought it best to get a little protein in.  But I think I'm done with those.  They are so nasty!  And I can't even hold my nose and power-chug it (preferred method by most) because I can only sip, sip, sip.  Oh, if you could only see the face I'm making right now!  The only highlight of my day is my chicken broth in the evening... and maybe checking my weight on the scale.

I'm already down 19 pounds!  This is very exciting as looking at my ticker, it looks like I've made a huge dent in my goal weight.  And I can imagine I'll lose another 10 at least with another 4 days of no food and 2 weeks after that of shakes and soups.  Then we'll see how the rest goes.  To be honest, I don't really want to drop the weight quite that fast.  You see, we've decided not to tell people about our surgery, and, well, if we drop too fast, they'll think something is up.  I only see my family twice a year, so I'm sure they'll be in for a shock no matter how fast/slowly I lose the weight.  Well, hopefully they'll just be happy for me.

In other news, I feel good.  I keep taking the pain killers and anti-gas pills I was given and told to take until I run out, but I almost feel like I don't need them.  Yeah, I have some gas pressure here and there, but that's about it.  Nothing I can't handle.  Aside from the sutures on my tummy and the fact that I have to adhere to this diet, I would barely know that I had surgery a few days ago.  Oh yeah, and the fact that if I try to drink something (instead of sip it), I will not like the feeling!  I wonder how long it will be before I can drink something (i.e. take more that a couple of sips at a time).

Well, it's about time for my broth. Yum!  I'll blog again soon.

It's a day after surgery and I feel like train wreck.  I'm in a lot of pain and I've been dry-heaving a lot.  It's all very uncomfortable.  But let me back up a little.

I went in for surgery yesterday around 9am.  They gave me some "sweet gas" and before I knew it, I was waking up in my recovery room. Boy is that stuff a kicker!  I was in a daze for a few hours because AJ swears he held conversations with me, I don't remember them at all.  I don't even remember him being there before his own surgery.  The first thing I remember is waking up in a soiled bed, needing to go to the bathroom.  After accomplishing that, I basically slept for the greater portion of the day.

Anesthesia must be a pretty powerful drug because when AJ came in, he was impossible to turn over on his back and he kept knocking his IV out.  LOL. He doesn't remember any of that.

At about 7pm we started getting up and taking rounds around the hospital wing.  At 9ish we went to bed.  I woke up about every hour when someone came to inject more meds/change IVs, but other than that I slept decently.

At 9am today, we started our half-hourly walks and at about 11 our IVs were taken out and were were giving ice chips to suck on. At first this went well.  But by 2pm I was feeling "full" and stopped eating. But that didn't prevent the wretched dry heaving that ensued around 3-4pm.  It hurt so much I though I popped a few staples.  I was so nervous. 

I was not feeling up to it, so I took a nap.  Then at 7:30pm I got up and decided,despite pain, that I should get a few more laps around the hospital in.  However, halfway through that, I stated dry-heaving again.  This time I barely made it back to the room before throwing up some bloody phlegm.  Ow!  Think that was that, I tried walking again.  This time I didn't even make it back to my room before things came up into my hand and also out into my undies (TMI, sorry),  I sat crying on the toilet bowl.    Then I got into bed again.

The surgeon came around at 8pm, assuring me that many people vomit, and that they never burst their staples by doing so.  I gave me another does of nausea and pain killers, and he said he's set me up with sedatives to sleep at 9 and also an IV drip to prevent dehydration.  He thinks I'll feel better in the morning.

Well, it's just about 9pm here, so I should try to get one more walk in before I sleep.  Hope I'll feel better for discharge tomorrow.

It's a few hours before my surgery, and I think I'm going to be sick!

Oh my goodness, I did not think I was going to get this nervous!  Normally, I'm not one to worry much (if at all), so I'm really surprised at how sick to my stomach I am over this.  I could barely sleep last night; so many thoughts going through my head!  Mostly, "Will it go okay?"  And despite telling myself, "It will be fine," "Dr. Alvarez is one of the best in the world at this," and, "Thousands of people have done this already without problems," I still get nervous.  Funny how the body/mind does that to you.

Plus, I am parched!  We were not allowed to eat anythihng after 11:30pm last night, and I am so thirsty!  It's probably  more a state of mind because I know I can't drink anything, but nonetheless...

Okay, well, time to go; my ride is here.
Wish me luck!

Audra

So, I made it through my week-long pre-op liquid diet and it was fine.  There were a couple of days I was really hungry, but those were the days I went a really long time between protein shakes.  It became especially hard to drink my shakes once I got on a plane to Texas and left home.  Doing the liquid diet out of a hotel is not optimal, since things (mixer, bowls for soup, milk for shakes) aren't so readily available, especially when you're sight-seeing for the day.  But I did okay.  We'll see what the doctor says tomorrow.

So, the surgery is tomorrow! I can't believe the day is here already!  On one hand, I'm glad and excited; on the other hand, I'm nervous and anxious.  And today I've been re-reading post-op stuff and just feeling so unprepared for it all, despite having researched this all for a while.  But I'm sure it will all go fine.

So next up is the surgery, no food on Saturday, start clear liquid on Sunday, followed by two weeks of "full liquids," then one week of soft foods, before I can start introducing solids. 

I'm a bit nervous about getting enough protein during the clear liquids phase.  Anyone have any ideas?  I hear mixed feelings on those protein bullets, although I did see one at mybariatricpantry.com that claimed to be 100% whey protein isolate (which probably means 100% gross-tasting, but hey).  I did order some Unjury unflavored powder (I hear it's clear in drinks and doesn't alter taste--yeah, right, we'll see!), but I don't know that it will arrive in time.  Any other suggestions?

Okay, well it's getting late and I have a 6:45am appointment tomorrow morning, so I best sign off for now.  See you all on the other side!

So, Sunday came and went without instance.  Actually, I'm really suprised and quite pleased.  I haven't really felt hungry at all--okay, maybe a little yesterday when I was in a LONG car ride and unable to get an approved drink of substance.  But as soon as I got home and had some broth, I was good to go again.  I'm really surprised that it hasn't been that bad!

Well, I won't say it's totally easy.  I mean, if it was, I'd be able to sustain this for the rest of my life! Right?  Well, that's not happening!  The worst times are when I open cupboards and see yummy food: crackers, pasta, chips (sense a trend, here? lol).  So, I see why others say to get rid of all that stuff, but I have a teenager in the house that would freak if we put him on the same diet we are.   When I see something I want, I tell myself either, "I've had it plenty of times before and know well what it tastes like," and/or "Don't worry, in a month, you can have a little of it here and there."  And this is what I like about the sleeve: I can still eat all types of food, but just limit it.  Granted, I will want to make better choices, and I know the fact that I have such a small stomach will help me do that.  I remember when I saw on the Weigh Down diet; when I was finally hungry, I knew I didn't want to waste a meal on junk.  I know the sleeve will likewise help keep me on track.

So, I have to say that I'm shocked with how much weight I've lost, just in the first 3 days: 8 pounds!  Part of me is excited. Part of me is thinking, "Well, if I can do this, why do I need the surgery??" (of course I know why: this protein drink diet won't last forever).  Part of me wonders if I continue on this path and lose 20+ lbs one week before surgery if my surgeon will say I don't need it (a silly worry, but a thought nonetheless).   But if nothing else, methinks Dr. Alvarez will be happy with my progress. 

So for those of you curious, here's what I've been eating the past three days:

Day 1: Friday
Morning weight: 272 lbs.
Breakfast: 1 glass of chocolate Muscle Milk (yuck!)
Lunch: 1 glass of strawberry Nature's Way Metabolic Reset (MR) w/2 strawberries added
Dinner: 2 servings of chicken broth (highlight of the day)
Dessert: 1 fudgsicle (not sure if that was allowed; won't do that again)

Day 2: Saturday
Morning weight: 269 lbs.
Breakfast: 1 glass of strawberry MR
Lunch: 1 glass of dark chocolate Atkins protein drink (not nearly as bad as MM!)
Dinner: 1 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
Dessert: 1 sugar-free popsicle

Day 3: Sunday
Morning weight: 266 lbs.
Breakfast: 1 glass of EAS chocolate fudge protrein drink (best drink so far)
Lunch: 1 glass of french vanilla Pure Protein Plus (ooh, quite yummy!)
Dinner: 2 servings of chicken broth
Dessert: 1 scoop of sugar-free Jello (I dished myself up 2 scoops, but was satisfied after 1, go me!)
Plus: a few sugar-free hard candies during my road trip.

This morning (day 4) I weighed 263.5 lbs. 
Right now I'm drinking my breakfast of vanilla flavored MR (not bad).  I think I'll go add some caramel flavoring to it. :)

So, I'm having my surgery in one week... which is both exciting and nerve-wracking.  I'm excited about future change, but I'm more nervous for two reasons.  1) My husband (who is also having the surgery same day) and I have decided not to tell anyone and I'm deathly scared I will die on the operating table and my friends and family will find out and be so disappointed ; and 2) I'm nervous I won't use my tool well enough and just be like the many who lose lots of weight but don't keep it off. 

I know my first fear is just really out there, but it causes me anxiety.  I suppose I can't be too anxious because my blood pressure was only 100/68 yesterday, which I've been told is the blood pressure of a teenager. Go figure!  

Since my BMI is 41-42, I have to start a pre-op diet today.  My husband AJ (bless his soul, he's been on his pre-op diet for 2 weeks already!) poured me a glass of Muscle Milk this morning and ugh, it was nasty!  I kept trying to tell myself that it's "not that bad"--you know, power of suggestion?  Well, no, that didn't help.  Must try other drinks.  AJ has already tried a bunch of them and assured me MM was the best.  Um, no.  And I know you're all wondering why I didn't try the others with him.  Well, I was out of town and I just took his word for it.  Hmm.. I  might have to rethink that strategy.   Actually, we do have another drink which I did try the other day.  It's Metabolic Reset , and although it tastes very strongly of (fake) strawberry syrup, is not that bad; at least, it doesn't have that chalky taste of added protein.

Although I have been enjoying my last few meals this week (and perhaps eating a little too much chocolate), I have been trying to eat smaller portions and stop before I'm full.  I realize it will take a while before I'm eating appropriate amounts.  My worst fault is feeling the need to finish the food on my plate, or--worse--the food I paid for (i.e. getting the most for my money).  This is why buffets are so bad.  I haven't been to buffet in years and don't plan on going to one again (except I've always wanted to do a breakfast buffet in Las Vegas... you know, the ones that cost $ 2.99 and have all-you-can-eat eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes... yummmm!... I really shouldn't be doing this to myself today, what with starting my liquid diet; and besides, I digress...).  But at Olive Garden and Red Lobster (my favorites!), I cannot resist those yummy breadsticks and those absolutely divine cheddar biscuits!   Mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about them! Stop that!  Okay, so the point I was taking the scenic route to make is that, besides said chocolate, I didn't feel the need to gorge on anything.  As a matter of fact, I lost 3 pounds this month, so that's something.

Well, wish me luck as I embark on this lovely diet.  Any suggestions for yummy (or at least decent-tasting) protein drinks would be greatly appreciated.

Audra