JamGal77

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I can't believe that I haven't posted recently. I have been swamped with work and staying active that I haven't been able to blog or check on my peeps. I hope that everyone is doing well.

I had my 1 month check-up on the 21st and things seemed to go well. The PA was happy with my weight loss but said going forward I should be losing on avg. 16 lbs per month at this BMI level... so that would mean that I keep that pace I should make my December cruise goal.

I have been more social lately and sharing more with my friends about my weight loss decision. For example, I went to a ladies night out last Thursday and PF Changs, ate Moo Goo Gai Pan (no rice) and had no issues. Saturday night I went to a sit-down local charity event and was able to eat a little bit of salad and the chicken entree. I was really happy that I didn't stick out like a sore thumb but I was able to eat sensibly, get my necessary protein and not feel deprived because I wasn't eating dessert.

Each day I feel more proud of myself and consider it a victory that I'm seemingly healthy, energetic and excited about the future.  My husband is steadily losing weight (almost back to his college athlete days), so proud of him and fortunate to have his support. However, sometimes he does a bit too much of "oh, I'm sorry that you can't have that" even when I'm not consciously aware of missing a food / drink. I know he means well...

I'm looking forward to next week when I'm cleared to do abdominal exercises... believe it or not, I'm ready for pilates. It's low impact but helps with endurance training with some cardio benefits. We shall see

Sorry for the randomness of this blog... just had a lot to get out I guess. LOL

I lost another pound! If this continues, I will have lost 40lbs this year prior to my next 1mo follow up appointment on Tuesday. I have a few other NSV goals that I'm proud to report:

1)  I returned to work within 4 weeks.
2)  I can walk back and forth to meetings without sweating profusely.
3)  I'm able to drink plain water again!!!!
4)  I enjoy walking and really seeing my neighborhood!
5)  My neck roll is practically gone!!!
6)  I'm having no issues getting my 60g of protein per day.

OK, that's enough "bragging"! There'll be more to come.... This journey hasn't been all gumdrops and unicorns. I still have mental / emotional work to do not to snack or feel too down about not eating foods that played an unhealthy role due to lack of moderation. However, I feel that I'm adding years AND quality to my life... Let's get it!

Well, I have been doing well with my proteins until... TODAY!  I decided to try Chipotle and attempted about 4 ozs of chicken, pork, black beans and brown rice (total weight). However, I managed to eat maybe 10 rice grains (literally) because the chicken and pork were having none of my stomach or the vice-versa! At first, I was feeling pressure in my chest and couldn't burp at all... The pain got so bad that almost started to panic. I hurried and took a papaya enzyme and started walking around the house... and the dreaded pre-vomit saliva thing started then I started praying and walking more slowly and tool ANOTHER papaya enzyme tablet. After what seemed like 20 mins, the pain subsided and I didn't vomit. Soooo, I learned my lesson and won't be eating that combination for awhile.

Other than this crazy episode, things have been just a bit challenging since returning to work this week. my energy levels are OK until I get home and all I want to do is eat a light meal (or not) and just go to bed. I'm struggling still with getting water. Since I have such a backlog of work, emails and meetings, I didn't do a good job of listening to my body and drinking my water. I'm determined to fix this and stay focused.

My weight stall broke by 1 pound but I'll be back in the gym tomorrow. Hopefully, that'll help out. Hope that everyone has a wonderful Friday!!!

So ready to go back to work now... While it would be awesome to be able to retire early, I'm starting to get stir crazy and need to start working my brain!

Plus, 4 weeks is the longest that I have ever been away from work since I was 16 years old.... I don't want to get used to that feeling until I'm independently wealthy... Hey, dreams are goals not yet realized, right???

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thursday!!!! Get that water, protein and supplements in today! *muah*

Well this is day 8 of my weight stall... I know that this can happen, so I'm keeping my eye on the prize and looking for inspiration elsewhere. 

Over the last few days, I'm been scouring the web and bookstores for recipes to break the monotony of my current diet options (e.g. semi-solid foods). I used to a big foodie (in more ways than one LOL) prior to surgery. Now, my focus is creating modified versions of my favorites to ensure that I stay on track with my recovery. Last night, I used a Whole Foods recipe for Turkey meatballs which were so moist and flavorfu, topped with seasoned onions and mushrooms and I also made a red potato mash (mainly for hubby; I only had a tablespoon). Although I could only eat 2 1/2 meatballs, I was more than satisfied...

Tonight, I made a low-fat shrimp salad which I was able to eat 2 oz of with 6 turkey pepperoni chips (courtesy of OH, I got a great tip to have so crunch by microwaving turkey pepperoni for 45 seconds). The turkey pepperoni really satisfied my salt / crunch craving. That craving is sooo weird because I was never a chip person.

I've been really blessed with the fact I have had no food issues. I'm very optimistic that I'm recovering well. Many thanks to my surgeon and the post-op care that I've received. I'm hoping next week to start with regular foods, including veggies like asparagus, brussel sprouts and bibb/ butter lettuce. In the meantime, I'll be trying the other proteins on my doc's list: Pork, Lean Beef and Tofu.

Overall, things are going well... I'm taking my supplements, not snacking between my 3 meals and still striving to get my 64 oz of fluid in daily. I'm a work in progress but I know that I'll get there. On a side note, I'm setting a new goal to lose 70 lbs by my December cruise --- gotta go parasailing in San Juan (hey, it's on my bucket list)! LOL

More good news on the food testing... Tonight I had about 2.5 oz of snow crab legs and 1 floret of mashed cauliflower both with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. It was great and filling. The trick is to pick the crab out of the shell prior to starting to ensure that I'm eating within my 20 min max and my food doesn't get too cold. 

This weekend, I'm going to try turkey meatballs and buffalo burgers... well, at least, I'll cook them for this weekend to have for dinner in the first part of the week for hubby and me.

SN: My husband has been such a great support for me during the last several months. Since my surgery, he has lost over 5.5 lbs by increasing his workouts and avoiding fattening foods, including fast food.

Today I had a chance to have lunch with a few of friends. First the idea of eating out made me panic, but I referred to the great advice on the forum and suggested Red Lobster for lunch! It went really well. I was able to order the broiled fish (without butter) from the kids' menu. The fish was a lightly seasoned flounder. The only issue for me was not having a soft enough veg to eat with it since the broccoli is lightly steamed. However, truth be told, I didn't have any space for it anyways. There are other kids' menu items worth trying... snow crab legs, grilled shrimp, to name a few.

I think that I under-ate since I didn't know the weight of the fish since it was soo thinly sliced. I think that it was the excitement to catch up with my friends that caused me to be a bit distracted. 3 hours later I had to have a cottage cheese snack because, dare I say, I felt "hungry"??? SN: I haven't felt hungry since pre-op. All in all, I think that Red Lobster is a solid choice for me... I may have to request that the broccoli be cooked a bit more or try the asparagus...  At the end of the day, although it took some prep and research, there are lots of options out there for us post-ops.

I tried deli / lunchmeat smoked turkey with a splash of mustard today... I tolerated it really well and liked the taste. Thankful that I haven't rejected any foods except the B-word... (broth).

This was a great victory to me getting back to having additional protein options. Getting burned out from cottage cheese and yogurt. However, I understand the big payoff and I'm finding various ways to prepare both.

My left side is continuing to heal nicely and less pulling sensation in that area, as well. Ready to go back to work soon... geting cabin fever LOL

Have a great night!

I had my 1st post op surgeon follow-up on Thursday. I was ok'd to start adding semi-solid food to my diet one at a time. The foods include FF/LF yogurt, LF cottage cheese, FF refried beans, eggs and LF string cheese. I'm also ok to add a soft cooked veggies and small amounts of canned fruit (in water or juice NOT syrup). As of today, I was able to tolerate all of these foods with no issues. I'll continue for a few more days before I start adding more "mature" foods like tuna, deli meat, lean meats, etc (per doc's guidance).

My real focus now is getting enough exercise in daily. I'm noticing that the scale hasn't been going down as rapidly as prior weeks. However, that's understandable since my diet has changed... I'm excited to get in the gym more often and to be able to start resistance training in another 1-2 weeks.

The largest incision that was giving me problems last week is healing very well now. Apparently, I had seroma inside that burst that afternoon. I still have some numbness at the left of my navel but I find that my abdominal muscles are getting stronger everyday.

Right now, I'm really trying to take each day as a triumph because I'm not having any major health concerns and I'm still excited for the future. Strangely, I'm not having sugar cravings... On the contrary, I am salivating every time that I see seafood or steaks and anything cheesy. As a self-proclaimed sugar addict, that is strange for me... This new stomach is interesting but decidely happy today... LOL!

I hope that everyone is doing well. Life is good on the "Losers' Bench"!

So, after my earlier rant, I put my big girl drawers on and found a way to hydrate myself quickly. Now, I'm able to tolerate my water with little bit of pink lemonade  crystal light and ice chips on the side LOL!

I'm looking forward to my post-op visit this week and to see what type of pouch I really have when I start some soft proteins (e.g. cottage cheese, yogurt, string cheese, protein shakes and cooked eggs).

It's scary and exciting to see the weight loss. As of this morning, I've lost 13 lbs since the day of surgery.

I went to my gym yesterday to add my hubbie to the membership and walked around with him on his tour. However, one of my incisions started a little bit bleeding so I'll go back tomorrow. Today, I'll just do some light walking in the neighborhood. I really want to stay active but just concerned about this one incision... C'est la vie! If this process was easy, everyone would do it, right?!?!