grannymedic1
Nearly 8 months out
Apr 14, 2013
I have been maintaining my weight at 135 and that is good. I feel great and that is good. My blood pressure and cholesterol are trending upward again and that is not good. It is a family thing but I had hopes that since I have been off statins since I got my band and off the bp meds since my sleeve that I would be able to stay off them. Well, since I did all of this for my health I guess if meds are needed I will cooperate.
At my 6 months checkup my surgeon was pleased with everything until I asked him if getting stuck and having to bring food back up was normal at that point. He was emphatic that it was not normal and scheduled me for another endoscopy and stretched another stricture (Number 3). It seems to have worked and I am eating much more normally now. I still haven't tried steak and I am really hungry for a very tender rib eye. As soon as it is grilling weather here in our neck of the woods I will try some.
My eating has been terrible for the past 2 weeks and I need to get back on program but never forget how it was before wls and I could never stop a binge. I have that power now and I appreciate it. I wish I still didn't have the binge bug inside but it never, ever, gets as bad as it ddid back then. I could probably still eat 8 candy bars at a time but I have not done so in 3 years. I remember times when I did that and later went back for more. I don't do that now. My binges are nothing in comparison but they bother me so they need to be dealt with. Because of the things I have learned since wls I no longer beat myself up for being less than perfect. I don't even aim for perfect; I just try to learn from my mistakes. Some lessons are bigger than others as are the mistakes. I feel as if the best thing I can do is to not pressure myself and to learn what I can. I am not a failure nor have I failed if I eat things that are not in my best interests. In fact that is all those so called "bad foods" are. They are not inherently evil, just not in my best interest. If I choose to let myself eat them I have to understand that there may be consequences such as increased cravings, weight gain, continuing until it becomes a full out binge. They are my decisions to make and there is no program that fits everyone. Every person has to find their own way and should not expect others to fit into the same program. I have just decided on something I can live with the rest of my life.
Now, about exercise. I wimped out this winter, totally. Due to financial constraints I couldn't join the gym or take classes and I just didn't walk but rarely. Part of it is my hubbie being worried I would fall on ice but most of it was just me being lazy. While there hasn't been a weight gain I have found my midsection being more flabby and I know I have lost more muscle tone. I'm just waiting until the cold moderates and is less windy.
Dealing with Alzheimers has consumed a large part of my life the past several months and I really need to get out walking just for stress relief, especially while I can. I really look forward to doing some swimming , too. Of course most of my beach time consists of sitting in my chair, right in the water, and reading. Talk about relaxing. I just try to get some activity in so I don't look too lazy. Gardening season is getting close, too. I don't do much real heavy duty yard or garden work but just walking back and forth multiple times gets me moving and it is another stress reliever I treasure. I do feel guilty about not doing more exercise but don't feel guilty enough to get out and do it heavily. I ride my bike but not large distances just mostly around town but when you add up the smaller amounts it is enough for me. Now if I could convince myself to do it consistently, year round.
