My week 41 update
Check out my signature below for surgery date, etc... Below is my ramblings about being 41 weeks out :)
I have had my hunger since day 3 post op. It's not acid. It's real, tummy rumbling hunger. I manage it by eating protein first at meals, limiting foods that don't fill me up at all, and by eating regularly (every 3-4 hours).
Overall, things have gone great for me! I am one of the lucky people who have had a pretty easy time with this, and this VSG weightloss is NOT the toughest thing I've ever done. Losing weight "the old fashioned way" was much tougher for me, and I NEVER kept it off. I would work my *ss off on weigh****chers to lose 50 lbs over 6 months, only to gain it back. I would work out, track everything I ate, then "fall off the wagon", and gain everything back and then some...
My doctor (Dr Jones in MN) does not have a strict plan for me to follow at this point. I am not supposed to count carbs, fat, or calories (however, I do pay very close attention to my calories. Early out, I stuck to 600-800. Now, I've set my range higher). Per Dr J, I can eat any type of food in moderation. I should eat every 3-4 hours, and ALWAYS have my protein first at meal and snack time.
I work out 5-6 days a week, and try to get at least an hour in. Now that I workout so much, I eat 800-1200 calories a day. I admit that I've had 6 splurge days since surgery where I've eaten 1400-2000 calories. I am supposed to get at least 70 grams of protein, but have been hitting upwards of 100 grams now. I don't limit my carbs, but my app tracks them, and they are usually in the 90's or lower.
I eat every 3-4 hours. I ALWAYS eat my protein first, followed by up to 1/4 cup fruits, veggies (or sometimes quinoa or tabouli). My meals are 2-3 ounces protein. My "snacks" are usually 1 ounce protein. I eat stuff like like pizza (just the toppings, no crust), burgers (no bun, no sauce), fajitas (no tortilla, just the meat and veggies)... but in moderation- not even once a week. I ALWAYS log what I eat. Normally, I eat a two of the following for breakfast (sometimes with a little grapes or strawberries): bacon, eggs, soy breakfast sausage, 3 ounces greek yogurt. Snacks are usually jerky, soynuts, cheese crisps, turkey pepperoni crisps or a protein bar (I only have the protein bar as a pre-workout snack). Meals are usually plain chicken breast, steak, turkey pepperoni, cheese crisps, turkey meatballs, scallops, shrimp, fish, or turkey tenderloin followed by a serving of quinoa salad, tabouli, or up to a 1/4 cup fruits/veggies. I don't often have bread or crackers or pastryand I don't have pasta - not because I can't, but more because I just don't want them, and they don't "do much" for me anymore.
I must have been allergic to something that I used to eat... I was on allergy medication for almost 20 years, because I would get horrible, itchy hives every night. If I faithfully took something like Zyrtec, I would rarely get the hives. The doctors were never able to figure out what caused the hives... I stopped taking Zyrtec after surgery, and meant to start taking it again after I had my next hive outbreak. Over 10 months later, I STILL have not had hives. YAY!!! I wonder what I was allergic to...
I occasionally have head hunger. I have days where I mourn the loss of my old eating habits. I have days where I miss being able to eat whatever I want, in whatever quantity I want. I'm so glad that I underwent a binge eating program prior to surgery. It gave me the tools that I need to help me cope with my food issues. As others have said, the VSG doesn't fix your head!! I think I would be a mess right now if I didn't have any ways to cope with my issues.
Two foods now give me dumping like symptoms: avacados and blueberries. When I eat them, I get horrible stomach pains and my eyes turn bright red. The pain lasts for about 2 hours. If I eat too many sweets (like 3 christmas cookies, or half a cup of peanut butter M&Ms), I feel crummy in my tummy. Me eating 3 christmas cookies now, makes me feel the same way I used to feel if I ate 10.
At the gym, I take yoga once a week and a cardio weightlifting class twice a week. On those days, I add in 30-45 minutes of elliptical. On the other days, I run, or take spinning, or do the elliptical, or do the bikes, for at least an hour total. I'm trying to work up the courage to take this new, super intense looking class called Tabatas :)
I haven't been my current weight since maybe 7th grade. Being in the 140's is sureal to me. I distinctly remember being 115 in 4th grade, so if I get down to that weight, it will be very weird :) I have went from a tight size 24 petite pant and tight 3X shirt, to being able to fit into size 10 petite pants, and medium/large shirts (depending on the brand). I am under my doctor's goal weight for me, by more than 10 lbs. He said that I can continue losing, and supports my stretch goal of 130 lbs. Honestly, If I keep losing after 130, I'll probably just keep going until I get further to the bottom of the normal weight range for my height and bone structure. According to various charts, 108 is the bottom for someone like me (5ft 3 in, small bone structure), so I have a ways to go before hitting that.
My weightloss rate has went up and down, and is currently 7.5 - 8 lbs a month. I haven't hit any bad plateaus... I have had 2 seperate weeks where my net loss for the week was 0. I have never had a week where I had a net gain. I truly believe that if I was eating this many calories but not working out so hard, I would be at a plateau. My new thing is that I'm playing with when I eat carbs/protein around my afternoon workouts- by having some carbs before and protein immediately after, I'm hoping to increase my energy and muscel gain :)
Since I have been overweight or obese for almost 30 years (since I was 7 or so), I will most likely want to have plasitcs (everywhere :)). I REALLY want a BL and TT! I am thinking that I will start looking into the cost of plastics when I am 2 years out.
In summary, I am SO GLAD that I have had the VSG. I say that I don't feel "better" than I did preop (since I was pretty active pre-op). I say that it just feels weird. But, in reality, I think I do feel a lot better. I can run up stairs now without feeling tired. I can run for 30 minutes without really sweating at all, with very little effort. 60 minutes on the elliptical doesn't wear me out. My resting heartrate is 60-64 depending on the day. My blood pressure is often 80/60 (which they assure me is ok?). My hubby says that I don't snore anymore. I've always had high self esteem, so I don't "feel better about myself" (cuz I'm awesome... I've always known that... I couldn't think any higher of myself :)). I don't think people treat me different/better now (although coworkers, family, etc CONSTANTLY are making nice comments about my weightloss progress). Overall, I am really happy... wouldn't change a thing :)
I have had my hunger since day 3 post op. It's not acid. It's real, tummy rumbling hunger. I manage it by eating protein first at meals, limiting foods that don't fill me up at all, and by eating regularly (every 3-4 hours).
Overall, things have gone great for me! I am one of the lucky people who have had a pretty easy time with this, and this VSG weightloss is NOT the toughest thing I've ever done. Losing weight "the old fashioned way" was much tougher for me, and I NEVER kept it off. I would work my *ss off on weigh****chers to lose 50 lbs over 6 months, only to gain it back. I would work out, track everything I ate, then "fall off the wagon", and gain everything back and then some...
My doctor (Dr Jones in MN) does not have a strict plan for me to follow at this point. I am not supposed to count carbs, fat, or calories (however, I do pay very close attention to my calories. Early out, I stuck to 600-800. Now, I've set my range higher). Per Dr J, I can eat any type of food in moderation. I should eat every 3-4 hours, and ALWAYS have my protein first at meal and snack time.
I work out 5-6 days a week, and try to get at least an hour in. Now that I workout so much, I eat 800-1200 calories a day. I admit that I've had 6 splurge days since surgery where I've eaten 1400-2000 calories. I am supposed to get at least 70 grams of protein, but have been hitting upwards of 100 grams now. I don't limit my carbs, but my app tracks them, and they are usually in the 90's or lower.
I eat every 3-4 hours. I ALWAYS eat my protein first, followed by up to 1/4 cup fruits, veggies (or sometimes quinoa or tabouli). My meals are 2-3 ounces protein. My "snacks" are usually 1 ounce protein. I eat stuff like like pizza (just the toppings, no crust), burgers (no bun, no sauce), fajitas (no tortilla, just the meat and veggies)... but in moderation- not even once a week. I ALWAYS log what I eat. Normally, I eat a two of the following for breakfast (sometimes with a little grapes or strawberries): bacon, eggs, soy breakfast sausage, 3 ounces greek yogurt. Snacks are usually jerky, soynuts, cheese crisps, turkey pepperoni crisps or a protein bar (I only have the protein bar as a pre-workout snack). Meals are usually plain chicken breast, steak, turkey pepperoni, cheese crisps, turkey meatballs, scallops, shrimp, fish, or turkey tenderloin followed by a serving of quinoa salad, tabouli, or up to a 1/4 cup fruits/veggies. I don't often have bread or crackers or pastryand I don't have pasta - not because I can't, but more because I just don't want them, and they don't "do much" for me anymore.
I must have been allergic to something that I used to eat... I was on allergy medication for almost 20 years, because I would get horrible, itchy hives every night. If I faithfully took something like Zyrtec, I would rarely get the hives. The doctors were never able to figure out what caused the hives... I stopped taking Zyrtec after surgery, and meant to start taking it again after I had my next hive outbreak. Over 10 months later, I STILL have not had hives. YAY!!! I wonder what I was allergic to...
I occasionally have head hunger. I have days where I mourn the loss of my old eating habits. I have days where I miss being able to eat whatever I want, in whatever quantity I want. I'm so glad that I underwent a binge eating program prior to surgery. It gave me the tools that I need to help me cope with my food issues. As others have said, the VSG doesn't fix your head!! I think I would be a mess right now if I didn't have any ways to cope with my issues.
Two foods now give me dumping like symptoms: avacados and blueberries. When I eat them, I get horrible stomach pains and my eyes turn bright red. The pain lasts for about 2 hours. If I eat too many sweets (like 3 christmas cookies, or half a cup of peanut butter M&Ms), I feel crummy in my tummy. Me eating 3 christmas cookies now, makes me feel the same way I used to feel if I ate 10.
At the gym, I take yoga once a week and a cardio weightlifting class twice a week. On those days, I add in 30-45 minutes of elliptical. On the other days, I run, or take spinning, or do the elliptical, or do the bikes, for at least an hour total. I'm trying to work up the courage to take this new, super intense looking class called Tabatas :)
I haven't been my current weight since maybe 7th grade. Being in the 140's is sureal to me. I distinctly remember being 115 in 4th grade, so if I get down to that weight, it will be very weird :) I have went from a tight size 24 petite pant and tight 3X shirt, to being able to fit into size 10 petite pants, and medium/large shirts (depending on the brand). I am under my doctor's goal weight for me, by more than 10 lbs. He said that I can continue losing, and supports my stretch goal of 130 lbs. Honestly, If I keep losing after 130, I'll probably just keep going until I get further to the bottom of the normal weight range for my height and bone structure. According to various charts, 108 is the bottom for someone like me (5ft 3 in, small bone structure), so I have a ways to go before hitting that.
My weightloss rate has went up and down, and is currently 7.5 - 8 lbs a month. I haven't hit any bad plateaus... I have had 2 seperate weeks where my net loss for the week was 0. I have never had a week where I had a net gain. I truly believe that if I was eating this many calories but not working out so hard, I would be at a plateau. My new thing is that I'm playing with when I eat carbs/protein around my afternoon workouts- by having some carbs before and protein immediately after, I'm hoping to increase my energy and muscel gain :)
Since I have been overweight or obese for almost 30 years (since I was 7 or so), I will most likely want to have plasitcs (everywhere :)). I REALLY want a BL and TT! I am thinking that I will start looking into the cost of plastics when I am 2 years out.
In summary, I am SO GLAD that I have had the VSG. I say that I don't feel "better" than I did preop (since I was pretty active pre-op). I say that it just feels weird. But, in reality, I think I do feel a lot better. I can run up stairs now without feeling tired. I can run for 30 minutes without really sweating at all, with very little effort. 60 minutes on the elliptical doesn't wear me out. My resting heartrate is 60-64 depending on the day. My blood pressure is often 80/60 (which they assure me is ok?). My hubby says that I don't snore anymore. I've always had high self esteem, so I don't "feel better about myself" (cuz I'm awesome... I've always known that... I couldn't think any higher of myself :)). I don't think people treat me different/better now (although coworkers, family, etc CONSTANTLY are making nice comments about my weightloss progress). Overall, I am really happy... wouldn't change a thing :)
CW: 130ish HW: 264 SW:254 Hgt: 5'2
Goals-Dr:159-MET Mine:140-MET!!! Final Goal: 135-MET!!!!!
W4:-22 W8:-11 W12:-10.5 W16:-12 W20:-11.5 W24:-9.5 W28:-8 W32:-7.5 W36:-8 W40:-7.5 W44:-5 W48: -4.5 1Yr/W52: -7
Thanks!
The VSG journey is definitely different for everyone. Some people have tons of complications, even though they do everything right! I was defiinitely lucky... Not to say there hasn't been any pain for me... I had a lot of pain the first 3 days after surgery, and am really glad I took 3 weeks off to recover. My reaction to avocados & blueberries is actually very painful, and I felt like I was going to die. When I had the stomach flu the day after christmas, I also felt so horrible that I went to the emergency room. Other than those few occasions, things have gone pretty smooth for me :)
CW: 130ish HW: 264 SW:254 Hgt: 5'2
Goals-Dr:159-MET Mine:140-MET!!! Final Goal: 135-MET!!!!!
W4:-22 W8:-11 W12:-10.5 W16:-12 W20:-11.5 W24:-9.5 W28:-8 W32:-7.5 W36:-8 W40:-7.5 W44:-5 W48: -4.5 1Yr/W52: -7
You're doing great! Rock on!
You look great, i'm sure, and you feel great. I'm a couple of months ahead of you having had my VSG in January last year. It gets better, just keep on what you're doing. I'm also 5'3", small-med bone structure, and we have similar workout schedules.
Get ready, because the next 10-15lbs make a HUGE difference. I went from a 10 to a 6 between 145 and 135 or so, and from a 6 to a 4 going from 135 to 131. I still 5-6lbs to go (mostly on my thighs), but the15lbs I've lost since Thanksgiving have done AMAZING things for my figure. It's that last bit that's taken me from being out of proportion.
I've never lacked confidence nor felt 'unworthy' or anything like that. There is a point, however, where you can't help but feel good about looking in the mirror and seeing lean, fit, strong athlete stare back. We all do surgery for health, etc., but let's face it, we're human there's nothing wrong with a little self-appreciation.
You look great, i'm sure, and you feel great. I'm a couple of months ahead of you having had my VSG in January last year. It gets better, just keep on what you're doing. I'm also 5'3", small-med bone structure, and we have similar workout schedules.
Get ready, because the next 10-15lbs make a HUGE difference. I went from a 10 to a 6 between 145 and 135 or so, and from a 6 to a 4 going from 135 to 131. I still 5-6lbs to go (mostly on my thighs), but the15lbs I've lost since Thanksgiving have done AMAZING things for my figure. It's that last bit that's taken me from being out of proportion.
I've never lacked confidence nor felt 'unworthy' or anything like that. There is a point, however, where you can't help but feel good about looking in the mirror and seeing lean, fit, strong athlete stare back. We all do surgery for health, etc., but let's face it, we're human there's nothing wrong with a little self-appreciation.
Carolyn (32 lbs lost Pre-op) HW: 291, SW: 259, GW: 129.5, CW: 126.4
Age: 45, Height: 5'2 1/4" , Stretch Goal: 122 
Single digits!!! That is too crazy to even imagine :) Congrats on being a size 4!!! That is amazing :)
I am really excited to see how my calves will look as I continue to run and lift more... They got pretty excellent a few years ago when I was working out a lot... well, as excellent as they can look on someone who was 190 :) My knees down, my elbows down, and my shoulders up are the three body areas that look pretty awesome right now and are not saggy :)
I am really excited to see how my calves will look as I continue to run and lift more... They got pretty excellent a few years ago when I was working out a lot... well, as excellent as they can look on someone who was 190 :) My knees down, my elbows down, and my shoulders up are the three body areas that look pretty awesome right now and are not saggy :)
CW: 130ish HW: 264 SW:254 Hgt: 5'2
Goals-Dr:159-MET Mine:140-MET!!! Final Goal: 135-MET!!!!!
W4:-22 W8:-11 W12:-10.5 W16:-12 W20:-11.5 W24:-9.5 W28:-8 W32:-7.5 W36:-8 W40:-7.5 W44:-5 W48: -4.5 1Yr/W52: -7
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