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Eating and exercise... There's no rhyme or reason I think.  LAUGH  Why do I say this?  Because I've had weeks where I ate few calories, did great workouts, and lost maybe one pound - if anything.  Then I have weeks where I've measured my food, worked out ok, allowed myself maybe something slightly fun (frozen yogurt for example) - and dropped FOUR POUNDS.

Today's weigh in has me down 41 lbs from my procedure.  That's 41 pounds in eleven weeks.  A few weeks back I said my goal was to lose 50 by mid/late February.  I don't think I'll realistically hit that goal at this point - I have only 17 days left - and 9 pounds.  But whatever I lose, I'm going to be happy with it.  And I hope at least ONE person who doesn't see me often (many of whom I'll see in a few weeks) notices the weight loss!

I know.  I'm not losing weight for others - rather for myself.  But for any of us who've struggled... there's a special joy in having other people complement our achievements and take notice of what we've done.  Actually - this goes for ANYTHING in life really.  But certainly applies to weight loss in particular!

At this point my diet is open to whatever I want to eat.  I tend to stick to the same things a lot.  Bocca burgers (70 calories, 14 protein), 1/2 a baked potato (80 calories, 1 protein), 1/2 cup of veggies, and of course... my cheese.  Which I measure every single time I eat it. 

I'm doing better at this point at "eyeballing" serving sizes - but I don't rely on this.  I weigh, count, and measure everything.  Unless I'm eating out.  LOL Even then, I try to keep a mental idea of what I'm eating and what I've been served.

Looking SO forward to the -50 pound mark...

Ok, so it's JUST over a month but still... ;)

Weigh in today 12/14 has me down 30 lbs.  From last week to this week I've only lost 1 lb.  And that REALLY depresses me.  Why?  Because I worked out (avg cal burn: 340) 4x this past week.  My avg food intake was 1040 calories.  And I only lost ONE POUND.  It makes me not want to eat at all.  Which is silly because I get hungry!

On 12/9 I started Stage 3 of my new diet - semi-soft foods.  Not much different than Stage 2, except I don't have to mash everything.  Just really cook it to a soft consistency.  Oh, and I can have CHEESE again.  And I am loving every bit of it!  Measuring it for sure - as cheese is my weakness - but enjoying it.

Not a whole lot of cravings.  Except for creamy.  Cheese, cottage cheese, mayo, milk, whipped topping.  Not all together of course.  LOL 

Went food shopping tonight and it took me a while.  I wanted something different than turkey (I've had turkey burgers and turkey chili for a month).  Funny thing?  All told, turkey is one of the BEST foods out there.  Low fat, moderate calories, high protein.  I bought a package of the all-natural Buterball turkey burgers (180 calories, 22g of protein).  I also bought a package of the new Oscar Meyer uncured beef sausage (180 calories, 6g of protein).  Sausage isn't NEARLY as high in protein, but it's a delicious change from the turkey.

At this point, I've set myself up to lose about 1-2 lbs a week.  My goal is to be down 50lbs by late February.  I have to travel for work then, and I'll be seeing people I haven't seen in awhile.  It's my wish that they'll at least NOTICE I've lost some weight!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since my procedure!

This Friday (a month exactly), I'll get my measurements and see how they look.  As of today (the 9th) I've lost 29 lbs.  The only difference I see is my clothing is slightly looser.  Friends and coworkers tell me though they can see the difference.  This makes me happy!

Today marks the newest update in my diet.  Now I'm on semi-soft foods.  Now I can eat boiled eggs without mashing them.  I can have turkey patties or chicken patties without mashing them.  I can have Bocca and soy burgers (which I LOVE).  And most of all... I. CAN. HAVE. CHEESE.  My favorite food in the whole world.  I'm enjoying it right now in fact.  A 1/4 cup of shredded Gouda with my turkey chili and protein powder-infused mashed potatoes.  YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two other things I've noticed:

1) I get full on MUCH less food right now.  Granted, I'm eating more than 1/4 cup of food.  In fact, I'm eating about a cup.  But my surgeon is fine with that - because I'm losing weight very well.

2) I've come to realize that the #1 reason I would eat was due to BOREDOM.  Now that I can't eat, I'm finding new ways to combat the boredom.  Playing games.  Getting up and dancing/singing to music.  Going for a walk.  Or just enjoying a good book.

Total caloric intake at this point is still about 800 - 1000.  That's not including what I burn off exercising (330 - 350 per day).  My prayer is that the feeling of fullness continues!

Thanksgiving turned out to be WONDERFUL for me.  I was with brothers and sisters, and my favorite cousin.  They all cooked food for an army, and only 5 of us were there.  laugh  I behaved SO WELL.  Brought a turkey burger (can add this to my diet now!), 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes, and a SF pudding.  Didn't eat or drink when I wasn't supposed to, and enjoyed myself just as much even though I couldn't eat what they ate.

Was looking forward to my weigh in Monday - hoping for at least a 2 lb loss.  I had a 2 lb GAIN.

How in the name of all that's holy - can I have a gain?!  My average calorie intake: 850.  Plus I exercise daily burning between 300-350.  I was so frustrated Monday I about cried.  After my 25lbs, I thought maybe I'd beat the negativity and actually lose some significant weight.  I'm really down right now.

I sent my dietitian an email hoping she could provide insight.  I won't go into too much detail, but I will say that being a woman, and dealing with certain physical goings-on every month, which just so happened to be going on last week, maybe that's the cause for the weight. 

Looking forward to seeing my doctor this Friday for my first post-op visit.  Maybe I'll be lucky and have lost the errant 2 lbs by then...

Hard to believe it's been almost two weeks since I've had my procedure!  Normally, I weigh in every Monday.  On the 16th, I wasn't going to thinking that I'd just had the procedure 5 days ago.  But then, for fun, I decided to weigh in.

I have a nice Weight Watchers scale.  I knew from my experience on the 11th, my scale was reading the same as what was at Evanston Hospital where I had my procedure done.  At any rate, I'm fairly confident now my scale is accurate. 

I weighed in 3 times on the 16th.  And per my scale, I'd lost SIXTEEN pounds.  Most likely water weight but WOW was I surprised!

Was doing the liquids but finding myself VERY hungry.  I have a new dietitian (I'll meet her for the first time on 12/17), and we talked on the phone last Thursday.  I told her my frustration with being hungry, and nauseated.  I explained how I'm dealing with severe Vitamin D deficiency as well as extremely low iron and iron storage levels in my blood.  I mentioned I'd been diagnosed with Hashimoto's in 2014.  And that my PCP is evaluating me for possible Celiac (or gluten insentitivity at the least).  In other words, I'm a problem patient.  Laugh 

Kimberly, (that's her name) was great to talk to.  She had me tweak my plan to include more protein rich foods.  I incorporated cottage cheese, chilli, and refried beans.  Plus greek yogurt, and Gerber baby food (because it's fortified with iron).  It's helped a LOT.  My calorie intake averages about 750 a day, but I've had two days of nearly 1000 calories and I'm worried about that!

I try and work out at least 4-5 days a week.  Either walking (my favorite) or my recumbent stationery bike.  For at least 40 minutes (or about 1.5 miles).  Keeping in mind, I'm still recovering too from 2 stress fractures to my right foot (been out of the walking boot coming up on 3 weeks now!).

I'll weigh in tomorrow and update accordingly.  This Wednesday, I adjust my eating plan.  Basically, it'll be what I'm eating now with a few other things! 

It's been a LONG time since I've come in here and posted.  However, I wanted to revisit this site as I've just made another major weight-loss major change in my life!

Quick rundown:

1/25/2001 - Open Roux-en-Y Proximal Plus Gastric Bypas.  By 2003 I'd lost 186 lbs.  One major complication is intestinal blockage.  It's happened every 4 years (2005, 2009, 2013) and landed me in the hospital both in 2009 & 2013.  Another complication is horrible malnutrition - constantly tanking iron, B12, and Vitamin D.

Weight on 1/25/01: 403 lbs

Lowest weight: 232 lbs (in 2003)

Current weight (11/12/15): 298

Now been diagnosed with severe arthritis in my knees, ankles, and feet (2008 - 2015)

Diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis August of 2014.

Started discussing addtional bariatric options with Dr. Michael Ujiki in November 2013 after seeing him for a full GI to determine issue of blockage.  Proceeded in May 2014 to go through the full approval process for insurance.  Took 4 months, but I got approved!

11/11/15: Dr. Ujiki performed an Endoscopic Gastro-Jejunostomy Revsion Procedure at Evanston Hospital, Evanston, IL.  Whole process took about 3.5 hours.  My throat and upper chest hurt - typical from being intubated.  Dr. U. said the procedure went very well.  Tightened up my pouch and reduced the size of my stoma (which had REALLY stretched!).  I'm praying for about a 40-50 lb weight loss which is rare, but possible.  Wish me luck!!