nuyvon79
4 Weeks Today
Jun 08, 2011
One month ago today, at this time I was in the recovery room in and out of it. I remember waking up and not being able to breathe and shaking uncontrollably. I was cold and groggy and sore but glad that the actual surgery was over and now on to recovery. The first few days were very uncomfortable and I could hardly get any fluids in. I remember laying at home on the couch thinking....OMG my stomach is at the hospital and I can never get it back...what have I done. Not really remorseful, just a bit of second guessing and hoping it will be worth it.
I lost 20lbs within the first 2 weeks and another 6 lbs the 3rd week. And now for the last 12 days or so...complete STALL. From what I understand stalling around 3 weeks is usually common. I am 254 and started at 280. I was weighing myself every day and the scale wasn't budging. I have since stopped weighing. I will see what I weigh on my 1 month appointment on June 20th. I know it is normal to stall and I didn't think I would be the type to be frustrated, after all I did lose 26lbs in one month. But it is frustrating as hell going through the trauma of surgery, the difficult time of adjusting after wards, and everything that comes with it and not seeing the results. I must admit, I know I can do more. I haven't been exercising at all. I guess I am a little scared to, because I can still feel a tiny smidgen of pain in my stomach on my left side if I move a certain way. I also am still so tired and drained I can't imagine working out. But this early out I want to make sure that I am accountable for my progress. I know I can get in more liquids. I'm probably at about 40oz a day. I am diligent about my protein shake every morning. I need to check and see how much sugar that protein shake has. I use Trader Joe's whey protein...it tastes great and has 18grams of protein per serving plus a lot of other vitamins... I used 4 scoops in skim milk equaling 72 grams of protein. I haven't found one I like as much as this one but I need to make sure it is not much sugar.
As far as eating goes, let me tell you...it really is kind of a mourning process. The first week was anger and frustration because I didn't know what to do about not being able to have what I wanted when I wanted. I also noticed that my time to eat was when I was bored or feeling lonely and restless. Food was my go to to numb whatever I was feeling and without it...I had to deal with those emotions front and center. Then I felt a little sad and depressed, not because I couldn't have food, but because of the emotions I used to bury with eating. After facing that, now comes acceptance. I accept that I do have to deal with those emotions and I accept that this is a total lifestyle change. I am ok with not being able to have certain things and I don't feel deprived because of it. That is the good part, not feeling deprived. I think that is the main reason why diets fail. But with the wls, you don't feel deprived because your mindset changes.
It really is frustrating learning how to eat again with your new sleeve. I don't want to damage anything and I want to make sure it heals successfully. Making sure you chew chew chew and trying to figure out what the signal is for fullness. I have yet for anything to come back up or to get stuck that is because I am scared to death of that. Usually I start to burp and I can feel the food in my esophagus. A visual description of eating feels like I an stacking one brick on top of another and I can literally feel when that stack reaches the top. So I picture that is happening while I am eating and I know when to stop....So I think I got it down now. I am able to eat more than I thought at this point. I baked chicken last night and was able to eat about 5 bites chewed really really good before I started to feel my stack reaching the top. I'm am still sticking too...refried beans, soups, yogurt, and seafood. Seafood goes down really well which I am happy about because I love seafood. I can eat about 4 shrimp, maybe 7 small scallops, and maybe half of a small tilapia filet. That is usually what I have for dinner.
I hope to break this stall soon. I can see a slight difference in my body. My closthes are definitely looser so I have lost inches for sure, but other than that...I still see the same body I had a month a go. Hubby says he doesn't see the change either. Sometimes, when I am looking at the before and after pics on this site...I just can't imagine that will ever be me. This early out, not seeing much of a change...I just can't imagine actually being 100 lbs lighter. I can't wrap my head around it. Anyway, my goals before the end of this month will be to drink more water...and once get the go ahead from doc start exercise...and break this STALL.
