Intoduction and rebirthday
Hello everyone,
I am pretty new to the board and I have not taken the time to introduce myself yet. I am a born and raised Akronite and I am returning to The U of A in two months to become a Social Worker. I completed my postsecondary options program there but went to Walsh University to become a Nurse. I was unsuccessful in returning to the program after some personal issues arose. I decided that it would not stop me from my dream of graduating and starting a career to help others change their lives.
I looked into surgery at age 18 but was told I was too young and that I should try to lose weight the 'natural way' and if I still could not be successful in three years then I should look into surgery again. In three years, I yo-yoed my way to 405 lbs and tried one last attempt in which I only lost 7 lbs in 6 months. Finally, I found St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Dr. Ben-Meir, and his team. A little over a year later, I was approved for surgery and my journey began on June 18, 2009. I am still working towards my goal of onederland and I have picked-up a few lessons along the way.
I have fallen in love with dancing and I now use it as half of my 2 hr daily workout. My diet is mainly lean meats and veggies with a little reduced-fat dairy and low glycemic fruit. I only allow one serving of a whole grain product per day but I do not eat it on most days. I am usually too full because I try to keep my protein between 70 and 80 g.
Here are my pitfalls:
I do not eat often enough and my meals tend to be large. I only eat two to three times in a day. I was always like that due to being busy all of the time.
I eat for longer periods of time than what I should. It is recommended to eat smaller meals for 30 min settings but I usually take 45 to 60 min. I feel like I might be grazing but I am unsure on how to correct this issue.
I sometimes sip on a little liquid when I feel like something is stuck. Otherwise, I wait my 30 min before I start drinking again. Maybe that stuck feeling is fullness and I do not recognize it as such? It only happens when I eat beef or if I eat too fast.
I still do not have an appetite nor can I tell when I am satiated. I usually have breakfast as soon as possible when I wake-up and wait until I feel a drop in blood sugar before I do eat once or twice later in the day.
I sleep at odd hours. I sometimes wor****il 2 am and then I am up until 5 or 6 am. Other times I am up until 2 or 3 am. I worry about what it will be like when I am back in school. There were days I did not sleep at all and I can not do that again.
Okay, on a lighter note, yesterday was my rebirthday and I celebrated the whole day. After my morning workout, I went to the nail salon and had my fingers and toes painted. Then I went for a cruise with a friend and lunch at the Mustard Seed. After a little nearby mall hopping, I went out solo to a farmer's market for produce and then grilled zucchinis, Bella mushrooms, onions, chicken, steak, and hamburgers so I had a stock of protein for the next week or two and grilled veggies for dinner and lunch today. Bonus, I discovered I can bend over and touch my toes.
I think it's great what you are doing! Cause I'm having surgery on Monday the 24th and I was nervous
about the whole thing . Getting enough protein in then switching over to purée, then soft.
It's a lot to do. But I can't wait to write something like you , a rebirth of myself. Ty for your post.
good luck with everything!
Thank you Brenda and Lisa,
I am glad to hear that my story made an impression.
Lisa, we will see you soon on the coolest losers' bench around. There are plenty of options in the puree stage for protein. Look around for bariatric post-op recipe sites to see what other veterans were cooking at different stages. The main advice I can give is do not go the baby food route. There are options that you can make for both your family/friends and you. They will need to add a few things to make meals for themselves but it is worth it to maintain a sense of normalcy. Also, I would use a bonus shake at the end of the day if my protein was low. This can still be a tricky stage to get in all the protein required but soft and firm solid food stages are pretty easy for the most part. I still have to remind myself to eat.Iknow it seems odd that a foodie needs to be reminded to eat but I really lack the drive I had pre-op to forage.
