mythnea
7 months post op
May 03, 2010
...And feeling great!It has been ages since I updated OH; I sort of fell off the wagon because I got so busy with work and a regular exercise schedule. I am down 173 pounds to date, and as of this morning, I am officially no longer in the "obese" BMI category! This morning I weighed in at 205 lbs, and my next mini-goal is 199. I was hoping to hit it before I leave for New York to visit my dad on May 12th, but I don't know if I will. That is alright with me, though, because I know I will get there. I bought a pair of Bermuda shorts over the weekend. This may not seem like a huge deal to some people, but this time last year, I was a size 28, and I never would have dreamed that I would look good in Bermuda shorts, let alone fit into size 12 ones.
Since my last update, I have started exercising five days a week for at least 30 minutes a day. MWF are my treadmill days and I do running/walking intervals for between 30 and 45 minutes, usually going about 3.5 miles. Tuesdays and Thursdays I am working on a program called Slim in Six, which is aerobic/cross training. In the last few weeks, though, I have felt very burned out with exercise and have decided to change up my program a little bit by doing Slim in Six on MWF and moving running to TTh, and turning up the intensity on my running days.
I am still losing pretty steadily (knock on wood), but the loss has slowed from 5-7 pounds a week to 2-4. I only weigh once a week, on Monday morning as soon as I wake up, because I take weekends off from exercise, so my body has had a chance to lose the water weight my muscles retain during the week.
I have noticed that I bloat up really easily during the week when I am exercising, especially in my ankles and feet, and can sometimes carry around up to 5 lbs of water weight --- closer to 8 if it's "that time of the month." It's awful and very discouraging on those days when I can't help but weigh myself. I am not sure what I can do to fix this, other than start taking a diuretic, which my mother recommended. I drink at least 80 oz of water a day, usually closer to 100.
My protein intake is around 80-90 grams a day, most of which is from food, not shakes. I eat very protein-rich meals and snacks with a little bit of fiber (a handful of leafy greens or some broccoli, asparagus, etc,.) thrown in, usually with dinner. I have been craving apples lately, and they actually don't make me sick, so I have been throwing in two or three apple wedges with my lunch. I pretty much eat the same thing every day, and thankfully I am not getting burned out yet; on the contrary, I have discovered that I appreciate the structure of it. I have found that a great protein option for dinner is taco salad. I prepare ground turkey like normal with taco seasoning and water, as if I were making tacos, add a can of refried beans, some fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, garlic, cayenne pepper, and cumin, and mix it all up. Half a cup of that mixture with some low-fat shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and a little salsa is a quick and easy dinner, and it feeds me for the whole week. On one weekend day, I will make an exception and allow myself to indulge in whatever I have been craving that week, as long as it is in moderation, whether it is a kids' size mocha (usually I can only drink about half of that), a fun size Snickers, or a handful of tortilla chips. I have noticed that the cravings have gotten much better since allowing myself to start doing that, and there are some weeks when I don't crave anything, so I don't indulge on the weekend at all. It's a neat little system. :)
I love how much healthier my relationship with food is now. I have learned that food is fuel; nothing more. Food doesn't make me feel better when I am sad or upset, it is not a shoulder to cry on or a comforting conversation. I would be lying if I said that I didn't still have the urge to eat a donut or half a bag of Oreos sometimes when I am particularly tense or upset, but I am able to rationalize that away now. I never would have been able to do that before. I am able to remind myself of how much unhappier I was at this time last year, and how far I have come, and I always ask myself if I could really live with myself if I undid all of that progress. I also don't beat myself up anymore when I get off track. When I would diet pre-op, if I ate that Oreo or a few potato chips, I would punish myself for it mentally. But now, I can have a girls' night out or have lunch with my mom, or as an example, we recently went on a 3-day trip to Kentucky because my mom wanted to see where I will be living soon, and I ate that way I usually do for the most part, protein first and all that, but allowed little things here and there thoughout the trip in moderation (Panera Bread --- yuuum), and got right back on track as soon as we got back to California. And guess what? I lost 7 lbs that week that we went on the trip, even with those little indulgences. I see that I don't HAVE to beat myself up over little slips like that because my self-control has improved so much; I can say "no" now, and I know that this surgery did that for me.
Not weight loss related --- I am moving to Kentucky from California at the end of May to start school. I am a 22-year-old incoming freshman, so I am a little behind, but that's okay. Since I have lost so much weight, I feel more confident, and I have a better outlook on everything. I am a more positive person in general. So new outlook, new adventure. I am very excited! My mother, who is 7 years post-RNY and a walking success story, has been an amazing support system for me since my surgery, so I am nervous to be so far away from her, but I know she is just a phone call away if needed.
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About Me
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
Location
24.4
BMI
Surgery
09/14/2009
Surgery Date
Sep 25, 2009
Member Since
