Jus1nita

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Wow! It's been an unbelievable 60 days since I began this new life!  My sleeve is tight, not tight, as in tight, like... cool, but tight as in, "I can only eat about 2 ounces of food at any given time."  I'm finally eating solids and was allowed to add fruit to my diet, still waiting to add raw vegetables, but that doesn't come until Week 12 for me!  Other than my pants nearly falling to my knees, I am still doing great!  

One weird thing that had happened is, the bottom of my feet became very dry, and I started noticing they are cracked in a couple of places.  I believe its because I am not drinking enough water.  The same thing happened to my skin, really really dry and flaky, so someone recommended coconut oil... Works wonders on dry skin.  I didn't have this dry-skin problem prior to surgery!  Still, I'm attributing it to not getting in enough fluids. 

Overall, I am doing great, and have lost a total of 35 pounds!  So far, I am averaging 1 - 2 lbs a week, which I am told is average!  I had the impression it would be more since I am only consuming roughly 700 - 800 calories a day which I track using MyFitnessPal... Absolutely love the MyFitnessPal app.  

STAY BEAUTIFUL!  And I'll see ya in 30 days!

Whewww! I reached a significant milestone today.  I am back at the weight I was a year ago after losing 30 pounds on Weight Watchers, which I was unsuccessful at keeping off.  This was my 3rd time on Weight Watchers, and I never lost more than 40 lbs. before returning back to my old habits of stress-eating, eating to compensate for other "non-food cravings" (people who are celibate will know what I'm talking about...LOL), special-event eating, which went way past the event, that eventually turned into 1-week off, 2-week off, and the next thing I knew I was completely off the plan with no return in sight.    

What's so significant now, is that the same 30 lbs. I lost on Weight Watchers, which took approximately 9 months to lose, came off in 30 days with the VSG, and I have refrained from the recent office event-eating, I'm no longer hungry even when I get stressed, or eat a ton of sweets and carbs to make up for lack of sleep.  

With my very busy lifestyle as a full-time single mom, working full-time, and earning my bachelors full-time online, I only get roughly 4 hours of sleep per day, and I would eat to compensate for the lack of sleep, which is why I made the ultimate decision to get the VSG as a restriction to assist me with staying on plan.

Now, my every waking hour is not consumed with thoughts of food and grazing to pep me up and given me the energy I need.  In fact, I have more energy than I had before.  I am however, doing better with getting more sleep, because the VSG is not a magic cure.  I realize I still need to eat right, exercise, drink my water, and most of all.... REST!  

It's Just Nita saying.... STAY BEAUTIFUL! 

It's been 3 whole weeks, and I am totally souped out. LOL  Not really much to share today.  I'm still on soft foods, because I went to soft foods a week early during Week 2.   I have had no complications or discomforts past week 1.  Week 2 was a breeze!  I can see a slight difference in my face.  I feel as tough I can advance past just having soup, cottage cheese, yogurt, and of course..... protein drinks, herbal tea, and my all time favorite.....  WATER!  LOL  

Here is a pic of my 3-Week Lose!  I started at 248, and I'm down to 227, as of today.  I can see a slight difference in the shape of my face and upper area.  

Yay! I'm human!  LOL  OMG! I had theeee best pity party, complete with violins, Kleenix, snot, and tears.  Like... a real "cry me a river" kinda day. But, at the same time...it felt good!  LOL  

But on a serious note, I realized the weight of all that has happened, and there has been plenty, from the initial consultation through the entire process which moved at the speed of light in 3 months tops, plus maintaining all my school assignments during the week of surgery, and now finals this week with two 10-page research papers due tomorrow, which I have yet to start, except for the outline, not to mention a rough time on my job, and a wonderful man in my life who has commitment phobia (that's a whole 'nother book for an entirely different day) LOL All these things just bundled itself up all together, and decided to wage a war on poor little ol' me.  

BUT.... and you all know, I have been encouraging everyone to stay positive, so I waged war right back, and gave sorrow a run for her money.  LOL  So after my Pity Party, I began to encourage myself with positive words of affirmations in order to gain my emotional strength back and defeat self-pity right where she stood. 

Even now as I sit here and write, I have a smug smile on my face of victory, and a joy in my heart that says.... I will not be defeated and even though the BLAH times will come, and there will be many, you go to your pity party, stay a coupl'a hours, then high-tail it out of there, take off your clothes of weeping, and put on your dancing shoes, rejoice in your accomplishments, rejoice in your future, and rejoice in the best decision we could have ever made for ourselves, our family, and all those who care and love us.  

Stay Beautiful!  

I went back to work on Thursday, 10 days post-op and feel great.  Many at my job who've had WLS said I would need a full 2 - 3 weeks because I would be so drained and weak.  I did not experience any of that, so I asked the doctor if I could go back to work early. 

I was already getting up and driving the very next day after surgery because I am a single parent and I had no one to drive my son to school.  I'm also in school and I was able to catch up on all my assignments that were due on the day of my surgery, which I was so worried about because I graduate in December, and start my Masters program in January.

I am sticking to doctor's plan.  I was just advanced to soft foods, so its been eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese and soups.  I've been keeping busy with trying to find creative ways to enhance this limited bland diet.  I buy organic soup fixings, but many come with solids (vegetables and seasonings) so I run it through a strainer to remove any solids... much more tasty than bland broth.   

Yesterday, I bought a box of Zataran gumbo mix, threw in a few shrimp to give it that seafood flavor, strained it and voila.... VSG Gumbo.  LOL  I am a creole and seafood lover, so I can stay on gumbo for life.  LOL Just kidding.  But boyyyyyy.... was it good!  

I haven't been a member of OH for long, but I have noticed in the time I've been here, the questions regarding the future stated of the journey.  Does it get easier?  For me, NO!  Because I believe anything worth having is going to take work, and oftentimes we're going to have to fight for it.  

However, in the struggles, in those times when it seems unbearable, in those times when you fail and you falter, you will have the choice to determine how you'll handle the struggles, and your choice will determine if you will wallow in self-pity, or take the bull by the horns, and ride this thing with every ounce of joy and happiness you can muster up, even when times are rough!

I determined from the onset, that I was going to have the best time of my life on this journey.  I am 50 years old, and I realized I have the opportunity to customize the remaining portions of my life, and how I was going to live it.  When we are younger we don't have enough experience to know how things will go, but ounce you have a few years under, you now have enough to customize your goals for your life, and what your disposition and outlook is going to be in getting there, so I have chosen to ride every wave of this journey in the true spirit of happiness and joy, even when the going gets rough.

I laugh at the pain, I smile at the bad taste in my mouth each morning, I rejoice with the itchy healing incisions, I chuckle at the foul tasting protein drinks, and puleeeeze don't let me get started on these little alien creatures bubbling up in my innards.  LOL  

All I'm saying is that if you approach this thing from a "woe is me", then you will live a "woe as me journey" No one can tell you it will be easy or if it will get better, that CHOICE is up to you!  But we can tell you, that if you make the CHOICE to approach this journey positively, and see every aspect of it in a positive light, you will totally have the time of your life as you enter into a NEW YOU!

Stay Beautiful

Wow! This is amazing!  In one week of liquids only, I have discovered 101 ways to sip water and lap soup.  LOL

Yesterday, I started getting strange intestinal cramps, like a "grab and release" with a somersault, and then gurgling in the back of my mouth.  I have no idea what this is, but it feels like a baby alien is wrestling around in there.

Other than that, my only other discomfort has been Vicodin, which I emphasized to the doctor that I cannot take Vicodin.  What does he do, prescribe Hydrocodone or something like that and I had no idea I was taking Vicodin.  I immediately stopped taking it and felt ten times better.  I honestly think Vicodin is from Hell, so I sent it back to the Devil from whenst it came.  LOL   

But let me tell ya, this head hunger is murder.  I have thought about eating every imaginable food there is.  I even thought about eating food I haven't had since I was a child, like fish sticks.  You know those little fish sticks, that are like fish boards if you leave them in the oven too long, yep those!  LOL

What I discovered that it takes your head a minute to dispel old habits, which is why is really a good thing that you're on a liquid-only diet for two-weeks.  I can't tell you how many times I got ready to grab my purse and run out the door to my old stomping grounds at Dennys until I remembered... "Duh, you are not hungry, put that purse down, get back in there and drink your soup!  LOL

Ok, in all seriousness, this has been a somewhat pleasurable experience even through the pain, the results in the end, I'm sure are well worth end.  

Stay Beautiful, Lovelies!

Today, marks Day 3, and I'm hungry as I don't know what.  I haven't been able to get down much of my protein drink because my taste changed, which naturally means the drink now tastes awful.  Have no idea what I'm going to do with these three cases of ready-made protein drinks, but I definitely have to hit the market to find a flavor that matches my altered taste buds.  

I'm still dealing with tons of burping from the carbon dioxide used during surgery, so that your innards float around making it easier for the surgeon.  I'm told that walking helps to eliminate the gas, so I'm going to do a 30-minute walk this evening.  

I'm a single parent, so it's just me and my 10-year old son here, and let me tell you, he has been the absolute best caregiver.  He keeps better timing than I do of when I need to blow into my breathing thingy, and makes sure I'm drinking water, and prepares my broth.  He even takes my temperature, reads the digital thermometer, and announces the result.  Today, he said, "98.2... not bad" LOL   I am so blessed to have him as my son and caregiver.  

I am here, 2 days post-op and feeling wonderful.  I had minimal pain, and was up walking at my normal pace right after they put me in my room from recovery.  In fact, the nurses had to keep up with me.  LOL  The nursing staff at Marina Del Rey Hospital in California, were phenomenal.  They made me feel as though we were best friends from "way back when".  I could not have asked for better treatment and care.

I've been home for 2 days now, and the only challenge I have is turning in bed from my left hip to my right hip, since I sleep on my side.  I  hurts to roll over, so I end up getting all the way out of bed, and then laying back down in the position I want to be in.  Crazy, yes I know!  LOL

It's just me and my 10-year old son at home, so the first day home, I have to go to market to pick up a few things, and since I had not taken my pain meds, I drove the 1/2 mile to the store.  But boyyyy.... did I pay dearly from the long walk around the store.  The next day, I hurt like crazy.... not too bad to the point of needing meds, but my body was tired, so today I took it easy.