Jennifer K.
1 year surgiversary!!!!!!
Oct 30, 2009
WOW it's been a long time since I've posted a blog and I figured today would be the BEST day ever to update it. I have been anxiously awaiting this day and now it's finally HERE!! I can NOT believe it has been a whole year already since I had my gastric bypass surgery!!! I have lost at much as 140 lbs but re-gained 5 of it back since hitting my lowest weight of 238. I started out in a size 30 pants (well I refused to buy 30s so I was squeezing my big fat butt into 28s with the HUGE muffin top bulging out HAHAHA) and now I'm comfortably in a size 18. Not 18/20 but a true 18! I haven't been this small since 8th or 9th GRADE!!!!!! I am the smallest I have ever been my WHOLE adult life!! It's not as easy as it once was to get the weight off by just eating right and exercising anymore. On top of that, my diet hasn't been THE BEST it could be anymore. Just the other day I ate a HALF of a jar of Nutella throughout the whole day, just grabbing a spoon and eating a bite. That was at LEAST 1000 calories I ate in just that alone!! :(:( It is one of my weaknesses that has been since I was a little kid. It's a blessing AND a curse that I don't dump LOL!!!! Incidents like that don't have on a daily basis. I try and eat really good most of the time but when I cheat...I CHEAT! :( Now let's talk about drinking...I literally CRAVE beer!!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!?! I will seriously drink 1-3 beers a night or every other night now and I KNOW I'm not supposed to!! I have NEVER been a big beer drinker but for the last month or two or so I seriously CRAVE it!! It's so WEIRD! Also, I am and have always been a carb sensitive person and I am still struggling with carbs. I want to eat waffles, breads, pastas, rice, and CHIPS!! I need to get this back under control before I stop losing and start GAINING!! That is a HUGE fear of mine!!! Another thing I'm struggling with is this extra skin! And, I still have another 70lbs to lose to hit my surgeon's goal for me! I have 6 more months before hitting that 18 month goal mark and I really need to buckle down and get the rest of this weight off! AT LEAST get under 200 lbs by then! I am losing on average about 5 lbs a month not max so hopefully I can lose 45 lbs in the next 6 months. I am making that my personal goal. But I have some SERIOUS bat wings going on and these upper thighs...oh my!!!!! I am really hoping in time it will get better but I know all the exercise in the world isn't going to tone those parts completely but I'm still working them out the hardest. And, although I'm not at my goal weight I really do notice the difference people act around you because of your size. I had a social life before my surgery and even more so now so at least I have something to compare it to. I really HATE how shallow some people are!!! I get so much more attention now by both men and women, and I LOVE IT...don't get me wrong!! I just always think to myself...would these people act the same way towards be before losing all this weight?? DOUBTFUL!!!! *sighs* Anyways, enough rambling!! Thanks for taking the time to read this and I LOVE THIS SITE AND ALL THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :):)
10 comments
Gallbladder surgery update
Jul 21, 2009
Well I had my gallbladder surgery this morning. It lasted about an hour or so. My surgeon is also a WLS surgeon. She said before going in that she was going to look over my bypass while she's in there and make sure everything looks good. They got my gallbladder out ok. There was a large stone stuck in my common bile duct. My gastric bypass looked good she said and they found a hernia around the area where my intestines were attached together from my RNY. There was a hole in the fat so she just sutured that together to prevent my intestines from going through that hole and possibly causing a bowel obstruction. There were no complications from the surgery. Well, after coming to, I was shaking and shivering so they gave me heated blankets and some demoral to stop the shaking. Then once I was fully out of the anesthesia they got me out of bed and into a recliner on wheels and wheeled me into the day surgery post-op recovery area. They said I could get ready and go home as soon as I felt like it. I asked them for some liquid Lortab while I was in there for the pain :) LOVE THAT STUFF!! Also, they wrote me a prescription for some pain meds in pill form. I told them that my doctor doesn't suggest pills and to give me liquid Lortab. They said you should be fine with the pills. I said LOOK I'm not comfortable taking pills (that are big i'm SURE) so they re-wrote my prescription!! HAHA That's what I though! LOL I left there, filled the prescription at the CVS in town and went by walmart and got some popsicles and soups. Picked up the meds. Went home. I tried to eat some southwest corn cream soup but I wasn't up to eating (which they said just eat as I'm ready to....liquids the first day) so I took some Lortab and went and laid down and slept for about 6-8 hours waking up inbetween for more medicine :) OK so I'm done writing my novel....I'm still pretty sore so I am about to take some more medicine and go back to sleep. All is GOOD! Take care everyone.
17 comments
gallbladder surgery tomorrow
Jul 20, 2009
OK so tomorrow I go in to have my gallbladder removed. It's full of stones. I'm going to see if they will let me see it. THAT WOULD SO ROCK! HAHAHA I am weird I guess but I have seen so many of them come through the laboratory and I'm really interested in seeing my own!!! LOL I'm really nervous because surgery is still surgery and anything bad could happen...so, please, everyone keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate it very much!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE ALL YOU PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!
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Soft foods/puree stage diet
Jul 12, 2009
Also, many people get SO tired of eating the same crap day in and day out during this stage (2-6 weeks post-op). I have gotten alot of questions or inquiries about what I ate in that time frame. Some of the foods below I didn't find out about until I was past the 6 week mark but I still enjoy eating the soft "slider" foods on ocassion...even though I shouldn't!
Here's a list of soft foods I ate from 2 to 6 weeks post op:
pureed chicken/tuna salad
fat free Pace refried beans with melted cheese (sometimes with a little Herdez salsa)
scrambled eggs (with or without melted cheese and some Herdez salsa)
cottage cheese (I didn't use fruit bc of the sugar content but spaghetti sauce instead)
yogurt
deli shaved meats
Ragu (thick meaty spaghetti sauce with 97/3 ground beef or turkey) and ricotta
french onion, cream of potato, fat free split pea or black bean soup
cream of chicken soup and sugar free jello
hummus
oatmeal or cream of wheat/grits
I hope that helps alot!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) xoxoxo
10 comments
Here's a list of soft foods I ate from 2 to 6 weeks post op:
pureed chicken/tuna salad
fat free Pace refried beans with melted cheese (sometimes with a little Herdez salsa)
scrambled eggs (with or without melted cheese and some Herdez salsa)
cottage cheese (I didn't use fruit bc of the sugar content but spaghetti sauce instead)
yogurt
deli shaved meats
Ragu (thick meaty spaghetti sauce with 97/3 ground beef or turkey) and ricotta
french onion, cream of potato, fat free split pea or black bean soup
cream of chicken soup and sugar free jello
hummus
oatmeal or cream of wheat/grits
I hope that helps alot!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) xoxoxo
Getting in your protein!
Jul 12, 2009
I've had alot of people ask me for help with protein so I'm going to post my ideas and thoughts in this here blog LOL! :) I know this was one of the hardest things for me to get down after my surgery and it's STILL a battle on some days. I hope this helps others out as I have picked up info here and there from other WLS friends here on OH or other online sources or books.
Pre-made protein shakes were my LIFESAVER in the beginning. Chocolate...is BY FAR...the BEST flavor you can get because it tastes the most like a regular shake. The rest just made me want to vomit HAHAHA. I like te EAS Myoplex lite and Muscle Milk 100 calorie chocolate shakes. Eventually I would say find a protein powder shake you like since it doesn't have all the preservatives and artificial "crap" in it that the pre-made shakes have. What I've found though if you like coffee, get some instant decaf coffee and add a little to your vanilla protein shakes and BAM!!! INSTANT PROTEIN COFFEE/LATTE :) Another good add in for vanilla protein shakes is sugar free jello powder!! MMMMMMM! Also, try adding peanut butter to your chocolate protein shakes to make it more like a Reese's candy taste AND it adds protein!!! One thing I lived on for lunches was fat free refried beans with some melted cheddar cheese mixed up together (1/2 cup total) and it was a great source of protein and fiber! If you have a food processor you can put some tuna, mayo, and relish s&p in there and puree until it's complete MUSH and eat that. Any good moist protein pureed is pretty much fine...just make sure it's not TOO wet or TOO dry ;) Also, if you buy flavorless protein powder at GNC you can add it to your scrambled eggs or egg beaters before throwing it in the skillet...same goes for the pureed tuna/chicken salad AND hamburger patties! There are many tricks to getting extra protein ;) Also you can add the flavorless protein to some home made sugar free jello to make protein jello (try with instant pudding mix too). If you have flavorless protein powder just add little bits here and there and the amount adds up!
7 comments
Pre-made protein shakes were my LIFESAVER in the beginning. Chocolate...is BY FAR...the BEST flavor you can get because it tastes the most like a regular shake. The rest just made me want to vomit HAHAHA. I like te EAS Myoplex lite and Muscle Milk 100 calorie chocolate shakes. Eventually I would say find a protein powder shake you like since it doesn't have all the preservatives and artificial "crap" in it that the pre-made shakes have. What I've found though if you like coffee, get some instant decaf coffee and add a little to your vanilla protein shakes and BAM!!! INSTANT PROTEIN COFFEE/LATTE :) Another good add in for vanilla protein shakes is sugar free jello powder!! MMMMMMM! Also, try adding peanut butter to your chocolate protein shakes to make it more like a Reese's candy taste AND it adds protein!!! One thing I lived on for lunches was fat free refried beans with some melted cheddar cheese mixed up together (1/2 cup total) and it was a great source of protein and fiber! If you have a food processor you can put some tuna, mayo, and relish s&p in there and puree until it's complete MUSH and eat that. Any good moist protein pureed is pretty much fine...just make sure it's not TOO wet or TOO dry ;) Also, if you buy flavorless protein powder at GNC you can add it to your scrambled eggs or egg beaters before throwing it in the skillet...same goes for the pureed tuna/chicken salad AND hamburger patties! There are many tricks to getting extra protein ;) Also you can add the flavorless protein to some home made sugar free jello to make protein jello (try with instant pudding mix too). If you have flavorless protein powder just add little bits here and there and the amount adds up!
Weight loss and alcohol part 2
Jul 08, 2009
OK so I posted the last blog on MySpace as well as here and a friend who also had WLS replied to it and I felt it necessary to post it here. I will not name names but please read...it really shocked/scared me!! NO MORE DRINKING FOR THIS CHICK!
"Not only does the dense calories cause a stall but I also learned this at the education class tonight (so how ironic you blogged about it) ... alcohol in gastric bypass patients causes huge liver problems. My surgeon was just at the annual GB conference in Dallas and she shared the articles with us tonight ... because it's a malabsorptive surgery we filter things different through our bodies now ... and alcohol is one of them. You are hugely more prone to liver disease or failure as compared to a regular person. I guess surgeons and doctors are beginning to see a big increase in GB patients with liver complications. So I am all for less alcohol and more protein!! :) but that's just my .02"
6 comments
"Not only does the dense calories cause a stall but I also learned this at the education class tonight (so how ironic you blogged about it) ... alcohol in gastric bypass patients causes huge liver problems. My surgeon was just at the annual GB conference in Dallas and she shared the articles with us tonight ... because it's a malabsorptive surgery we filter things different through our bodies now ... and alcohol is one of them. You are hugely more prone to liver disease or failure as compared to a regular person. I guess surgeons and doctors are beginning to see a big increase in GB patients with liver complications. So I am all for less alcohol and more protein!! :) but that's just my .02"
Weight loss and alcohol
Jul 08, 2009
OK, ALCOHOL = WEIGHT LOSS STALLS!!!!!!!!!! UGH! I LOVE my wine and cocktails...maybe a little too much, but it was inhibiting my weight loss. 
DOH!!!! Let's just put it this way...I was drinking probably 2-3 glasses of wine 3-4 nights a week, or more going out with my friends and the scale just wouldn't BUDGE! Finally, I got fed up with it. In addition to keeping my food journal, I put in the wine (120 calories for 4 oz) and I was easily consuming 1600 calories a day on the days I drank!!!! An adult woman only needs 1600 calories to maintain their weight. That makes perfect sense...I wasn't losing but I wasn't gaining either. So if I want to keep losing...I have to consume less that 1600 calories and continue to work out HARDER! NOW I cut out all the wine I was drinking and the scale started going down again! I want to get the most out of my WLS and wine isn't in the solution so...I'm just going to focus on protein, supplements, water, and exercise!!! 
4 comments
DOH!!!! Let's just put it this way...I was drinking probably 2-3 glasses of wine 3-4 nights a week, or more going out with my friends and the scale just wouldn't BUDGE! Finally, I got fed up with it. In addition to keeping my food journal, I put in the wine (120 calories for 4 oz) and I was easily consuming 1600 calories a day on the days I drank!!!! An adult woman only needs 1600 calories to maintain their weight. That makes perfect sense...I wasn't losing but I wasn't gaining either. So if I want to keep losing...I have to consume less that 1600 calories and continue to work out HARDER! NOW I cut out all the wine I was drinking and the scale started going down again! I want to get the most out of my WLS and wine isn't in the solution so...I'm just going to focus on protein, supplements, water, and exercise!!! NOT freaking out anymore :)
Jul 08, 2009
I have talked to many people who have had RNY, my doctor's PA, and watched the most recent episode (36 speaking about things that make you go hmmm) on bariatrictv.com (www.bariatrictv.com) and I have come to the realization that some days I can eat more in one setting than others and that it's NORMAL!!!! My pouch is STILL working right. I'm NOT broken! I am doing everything right. It's normal to be able to eat more than 1/2 cup of food some days and others ONLY 1/2 cup! YAY!!!!!!!! I used to freak out on days that I could eat more but that is a thing of the past. 
2 comments
Almost 8 months check-up
Jun 25, 2009
So I missed my 6 month check-up and finally re-scheduled it at almost 8 months (badddddd I know!!). Anyways, I got in and first things first...weigh in. I was really excited to get on the scale because my digital scale at home broke from water damage. I'M DOWN 113 LBS!!!!!!!! CHYEA!!!!! Oh I was REALLYYYYYYY happy with that because my weight hasn't budged for a while when I was using the scale at the gym so yea, that was great news. Next, I go in the "exam" room and the M.A. comes in, checks vitals, and gives me two pieces of paper to fill out. One is an overall eating behavior questionnaire and the other was a self grading paper. The questionnaire asked things like how often do you eat "slider foods" (nuts, chips, soups), sodas, drink with meals, drink alcohol, eat high fatty/deep fried foods, and so on...you get the point. The answers ranged from never, yearly, monthly, weekly or daily. Now, I didn't do TOO bad but to me I did bad enough because they obviously know around 6 months you kinda start veering off-track. The other page was to grade yourself on you own eating habits and to keep for yourself. They keep the questionnaire. She said it's really only to show you where you aren't doing so good and to stay on track. I think I did fairly well! Next, gallbladder sonogram. Now, let me say this much first off. Before my surgery, they did a sonogram on my gallbladder and I had a few small stones and they gave me a prescription to dissolve the stones. Well, I never turned it in/took them. So, she asked me if I took them and I told her I didn't and she told me that she wasn't going to lie and it's probably worse now. ohhh crap! I lay down on the table, get the hot gel squirted on me, and she looks around and sure enough my gallbladder is FULLLLLL of stones!! DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!!! There are several factors that contribute to gallstones and I had MANY of them. Three big ones stick out the most to me: Pregnancy (I had 3 pregnancies), being overweight (duh), and dropping a large amount of weight really fast (WLS). So, now I have to have my gallbladder removed. So to any of you reading this and this happens with the gallbladder...DON'T BE STUPID!!! TAKE THE MEDS!!!!!! HAHAHA But anyways, other than that, everything was good. I'm right on track. Their goal for a year is 100 lbs and I've lost that 5/6 months. Alright, long enough, thanks for reading!! XOXOXO y'all are the best!!!!!!!!
9 comments
Insensitive Remark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jun 23, 2009
Alright, now that I am pretty much over it, I need to blog about something that happened to me Saturday. Well to start off, I have been dealing with extra (saggy) skin as a result of my 110 lb weight loss and I've become really sensitive about it. I even went and bought a big bottle of skin tightening cream for my "trouble" areas (upper arms, inner thighs, butt cheeks, and stomach). So, as I am rubbing this tightening lotion on my lower body, my husband had the "bright" idea of saying "dang, look at those saddlebags" OMG!!!!!! I was so furious, upset, and mostly HURT! I just gave him "the look" and really didn't say a whole lot. I kinda laughed it off so I guess he thought I was ok with it. Well, in reality, it bothered me ALL day! Later that night, after having a couple of glasses of wine, I was sitting up in bed kind of just spacing out, lost in thought. He asked me what was wrong a couple of times and I said nothing. Finally, I just bursted out in tears and told him that what he said really hurt me, that he knew how sensitive i've gotten about my saggy skin (hell everyone who knows me personally knows how much it's been bothering me), and I just cried and spoke my mind until I fell asleep. He said he was sorry and was joking about it. I can take a joke but that was really hard for me!! Men can be so insensitive and say mean and hurtful things, without even trying. I know he didn't mean to hurt me, but he did. Men, if you are reading this, PLEASE try and THINK before you open your mouth and insert foot! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not man bashing, I'm just saying, you might not know how much you are hurting a woman by certain things you say. OK that's it!! Thanks for reading my thoughts. xoxo
13 comments
About Me
Terrell, TX
Location
32.7
BMI
Surgery
10/30/2008
Surgery Date
Jul 17, 2008
Member Since
