I survived the holidays!

Dec 28, 2008

I am almost 2 months out from my surgery and all I can say is, I LOVE MY RNY!!  I can't believe at how blessed I am to have had this opportunity.  I am absolutely in love!  I have had no major problems as a post-op and for that I am eternally thankful.  I eat a wide variety of healthy, delicious foods and have yet to find anything that I don't tolerate.  I eat low sugar/sugar free foods, moist meats, low-fat dairy products, cooked veggies, some raw fruits (without the skins and citrus fruits without the membranes), and some raw veggies (cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower).  I have been eating whole grain crackers at breakfast...I often top them with low fat cream cheese that I blend with chopped olives.  I am able to meet my protein goal of 60-80 grams per day through food and one protein drink (Nectar!).  I have to consciously make an effort to get all of my fluids in....and to remember all of my vitamins.  Weekdays are easier for me because I have a regimented schedule with work.  I tend to have a more difficult time with the fluids and vitamins on the weekends because I'm usually running around or just not paying attention to the clock. I've been getting lazy with journaling my food.....I need to get better with that. I think the holidays really threw me off  because of all the running around and the erratic eating schedules.  There is always room for improvement. 

I am very pleased with how I handled the holidays....I made/bought dishes that were WLS-friendly and took them everywhere I went.  I realized at my work Christmas party (where I didn't take a WLS friendly desssert) that I MUST take a dessert that I can eat wherever I go because I was really missing something sweet at the end of my meal and was tempted by the sugary dessert table.  Needless to say, I toted around WLS-friendly desserts for the remainder of the holiday gatherings.  My sister's boyfriend got me a GREAT Christmas present....its a Splenda recipe box filled with splenda recipes.  There are a ton of great ideas for desserts that I can't wait to try.  Another challenge I have encountered is dealing with people who have rude comments about what I'm eating.  One particular comment that came from my father was, "Thats a lot of food....are you gonna eat all that?"  My resposne was to look at his plate and respond, "Thats REALLY a lot of food....are you gonna eat all that?"  I then got an apology.  I vaguely explained my dietary needs with help from my sister (who could tell my blood was boiling).  In what world is it okay to comment on how much food someone is eating, especially when they barely have 1/3 of what everyone else is eating?  I tried not to let it get to me and told myself that the comment came out of truly being uninformed about gastric bypass surgery.  Some people just expect us to eat a tablespoon of pureed mush for the rest of our lives.  Those poor uninformed souls.  =)

I have been having a great time cooking new meals, discovering new recipes, amending old recipes to make them WLS friendly.  I manage to eat out with no problems.  For a while I would stick to meatloaf, meatballs, chili, lunchmeat, and bean soup since I knew these were safe foods for me.  I've started venturing out a bit and am enjoying (and tolerating) seafood....shrimp, crab, fish, and mussels.  I made  a great meal ou of the appetizer of mussels last night at Bertucci's!  I was watching The Food Network yesterday and saw Paula Deen make an incredible looking Seafood Cioppino....it was a tomato and wine-based broth with scallops, shrimp, clams, and fish in it.  I might be trying that out for New Years Eve later this week.  I've noticed a dramatic increase in my energy level and am looking forward to starting my water aerobics class in January.  I feel flabbier by the day and vow to get my butt into the gym to work with the weight machines. 

I used a gift card at Lane Bryant the other day and bought a size 18/20 sweater and my size 22 jeans are baggy now.  Prior to my surgery I was in a 26/28 top and 24 pants.  I've noticed that I fit much more comfortably into booths at restaurants....I no longer get a red mark on my stomach from where the table was pressing into me...and in fact, there is now often space between my stomach and the table.  I was talking to Jay yesterday about how this will be the first New Year in as long as I can remember where my "resolution" does not involve sticking to another diet or to "finally" lose the weight.  Thats pretty exciting.  

People at work continually comment on how big my clothes are getting and they call out to me, "Hey Skinny!"  I would have never thought that I'd be called "skinny" at 250 lbs....haha.  People comment on how "healthy" I look and how I "glow."  Its all very flattering but I wonder if at some point they're going to comment about how I've lost too much weight (I know that tends to happen to people who have had WLS).  I have 10 days until my official 2 month weigh-in and pictures......more joy to come!
 

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