moore2cl

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Wow, it has been awhile since I have been on OH. I was on vacation with my entire extended family. We went on a cruise that left from Fort Lauderdale and we visited St. Thomas, St. Maarten and the Bahamas. I had a lot of anxiety about this trip because no one in my family knows that I've had surgery other than my sister Lindsey. I was very nervous as to how I would react to the different foods and also if my eating patterns would draw a lot of attention to me. I was so lucky in that I had only one bad eating experience and it happened before we even got to the ship. I was eating an open face turkey sandwich and took too big of a bite I guess and had a 20 minute miserable episode and ended up throwing up the foamies that I had always heard so much about but had never experienced. At dinner each night we all sat next to different people so that made it easier for me as well. I ate all kinds of fruits - kiwi, strawberries, watermelon, pineapple and was fine. I even ate part of a bran muffin each morning without a problem. I was able to get at least 80oz of fluids in a day which was partly because I was so paranoid I would get dehydrated in the heat. All in all it was a great trip and I had so much fun. I'm going to upload some pictures now so you can see for yourself. 
I weighed myself this morning and I was 174.5 which means I've lost 45.5lbs! I was relieved because I was a little bit of a bad girl on the cruise one night and had four glasses of wine. I was drunk but not sloppy or out of control. I won't do it again for awhile though. 
:) Courtney

Happy Monday! (Yeah right). I weighed in this morning and was 177.5lbs which means I lost 4lbs last week for a total weight loss of 42.5lbs. Pretty exciting especially considering I was afraid I had gained for some reason. I drank two glasses of wine last week. One on Tuesday night and another on Wednesday night. I watered them down with a huge glass of ice but nonetheless I did not get drunk and handled it fine. 
I went shopping this weekend for new clothes for my cruise. So strange that size 12s all fit and some are a little loose. I got the cutest dress at Lily Pulitzer. I'll be sure to take tons of pictures! I leave on Saturday. I'm flying into Fort Lauderdale on Saturday and the cruise leaves on Sunday. My Grandparents are taking all twenty of us on this cruise and paying for everything. Pretty exciting especially seeing that it isn't that often that I get to spend an entire week with my entire extended family. I'm a little nervous about how my family is going to react when they see me as I haven't seen them since Christmas and am 42.5lbs lighter. I just hope I can keep them fooled with my eating as well. I don't want WWIII to break out on the ship when they find out I had surgery (I'll save that for Christmas this year!).

Well yesterday I was nine weeks post-op. Good Lord where is the time going? Each day I do feel better and sometimes I almost feel like I didn't even have the surgery. I've only been able to walk 2 miles 4-5 times a week. For some reason I just can't make my body want to go any further. My sister Lindsey has been walking with me and we are going to try to walk every day this week to see if it makes a difference when I weigh in on Monday. I only weigh myself once a week because I just don't see the need to start obsessing over what the scale says, etc. Yesterday I weighed 181.5lbs which means I've lost 38.5lbs in nine weeks. The most exciting motivator is that I only  have 41.5lbs to go until goal! 
My cruise to the Carribbean is less than two weeks away and my sister and I went shopping. I was a size 12 in all the stores we went to - JCrew, Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, etc. I am so excited. I even bought a size 10 Lily Pulitzer swimsuit and it fits - ok the bottoms are a little snug but it does fit. 
Yesterday at work I had around a dozen co-workers comment on how good I look. I'm very open and honest with all of them when they ask me how I'm doing it. Some are shocked when I say that I had WLS and others are baffled that I'm being so open about it. I've found that my being so open about my surgery has really helped me because my coworkers know and are very supportive!
Happy 4th of July Everyone!
:) Courtney

When I weighed this morning I was 183.5lbs. That is a total weight loss of 36.5lbs in eight weeks. I'm feeling stronger than last week and was able to get in quite a bit of exercise. I need to focus more on weight training this week as it was difficult for me last week. I'm such a wimp! I also took my measurements last night and I'll list them below. If I'm doing this correctly I've lost 25.8 inches!!

Day of Surgery
Neck          15.5
Chest         45.0
Arm            15.9
Waist          41.0
Hips            48.5
Thigh          29.2
Calf             18.0

Two Months Post-Op
Neck          13
Chest         41.5
Arm             14
Waist          38
Hips           43.5
Thigh          27
Calf             16.2

Well actually 7 weeks and 2 days but who's counting, right? Things are going smoothly for me right now. I seem to have a lot more energy and have been walking a lot and also starting weight training this week. One thing I've noticed since surgery is that I don't require nearly as much sleep as I used to. Don't get me wrong - when I push it and overdo it a little I definitely need a nap or can sleep in but it just doesn't seem as difficult to get out of bed in the morning when my alarm goes off.
On Monday I weighed 186 which means I've lost 34lbs. I'm starting to feel hungry again which is both exciting and scary at the same time. I've noticed I can eat a little more too. I've been good and have been keeping a food journal and have been getting in at least 60grams of protein a day. I don't know how some of you manage to get more in. So far everything that I've tried to eat I have tolerated without a problem. Sometimes I still forget and take too big of a bite and feel like my chest is going to explode. Damn the torpedos! Other than that I have yet to dump (fingers crossed, knock on wood, etc).
My youngest sister Lindsey decided to move out to San Diego and is driving cross-country this weekend from Florida. I'm very excited. We will be able to get a fun apartment together and she is a very positive influence in my life in that she is a healthy eater and enjoys exercising. Looks like I'll have a walking partner. I've been wanting to walk with some of my coworkers but I'm afraid I can't keep up with their pace. I'm going to give it a couple more weeks and then walk with them. 
Other than that, life is life. I'm working part time at a restaurant three nights a week so that on top of my regular 40 hour week is keeping me out of trouble! 

Well I can hardly believe that I am already six weeks post op (well on Monday I was so now I'm six weeks plus two days). My best friend Molly and my sister Lindsey were out over the weekend visiting me. I had a little anxiety about going out to eat with them and how my pouch would react to everything but I'm happy to report that I had no problems. For breakfast I would just order one egg beater scrambled and eat maybe 1/4 piece of wheat toast. We had Mexican one night and I had refried beans and a few pieces of chicken out of my sister's burrito. Basically I tried my hardest to make the best decisions and was so happy when I didn't get sick. I did have to take naps over the weekend though as it was tiring to keep up with them and all the walking, the beach, shopping, etc. My sister was very supportive of my decision to have the surgery. She said she was really sad that I didn't feel like I could have told her. I just explained that I didn't want to put her in that position and make her lie for me. She completely understood and is very excited for me. 
When I weighed on Monday I was 188lbs which means I've lost 32lbs since surgery. This entire process amazes me everyday. I've been walking a lot more and started back at my part time job waitressing so I'll be getting some good exercise that way too. I only  have one recent picture posted but as soon as I get the rest from my best friend I'll post some more.

:) Courtney

So yesterday I was five weeks post-op. I weighed in and weighed 192. So that means I have lost 28lbs total. Mind-boggling if you ask me but still very exciting. 
This morning I put on a size 12 pair of dress pants from the Gap. I had bought them by mistake last year and never bothered to return them. I'm glad I didn't. 
I've tried several new foods so far this week and haven't had a problem with anything. Yesterday morning I had Cheerios with skim milk and three small banana slices for breakfast, tuna salad with six whole wheat crackers for lunch and peaches for an afternoon snack. This morning I had a piece of wheat toast with peanut butter but could only eat half of it. I'm just happy to be able to tolerate these foods so far. 
Tomorrow my best friend gets here and Thursday my sister gets here. Looking forward to getting to spend some time with them and I am taking Friday off of work. Hopefully the weather will be nice so we can go to the beach. I know we'll take some pictures and I'll post them next week.
:) Courtney

Well Monday was four weeks post-op for me. I'm doing well. I weighed myself on Tuesday morning and I was only 193.5!! For some reason I just have a hard time getting moving in the mornings. It takes me a little longer than it used to but hopefully that will go away in a few more weeks. 
People at work have been commenting that they can notice that I'm losing weight - especially in my face. It feels so nice to have all my clothes be baggy and not have to worry about finding something to wear that will actually fit me in the mornings. 
I've been bad in that I haven't been exercising but I'm going to walk for 30 minutes tonight - I promise! It is just difficult when you work all day and then get home and I want a nap. I've been very active and am on the move so I don't feel that guilty. I bought 3lb handweights at Wal-Mart and have been doing little exercises while I watch tv. I'm so paranoid about having flabby arms!
My new favorite thing is ice tea. I bought an ice tea maker this weekend and have been brewing flavored ice tea. I'm still on decaf as I'm not sure I want to start the caffeine addiction rollercoaster ride again, especially seeing how I have officially gotten off of caffeine. 
Thank goodness I'm a creature of habit and don't mind eating the same things over and over. I'm ready for Monday to get here when I move onto the soft food diet. I'm planning on using my crockpot and experimenting a little. 
Next week my sister and best friend get here for five days. My sister will be the first family member of mine that I tell about my surgery. I chose not to tell my family and have been 100% ok with my decision. It will be interesting to see how my sister reacts but I have a feeling that she will be fine with everything seeing how the surgery is over and done with and I'm doing well. Who knows though - I'll keep you updated!

:) Courtney

Well yesterday was my first day back to work and needless to say I was less than thrilled about being back. It seems to take me longer to get moving in the morning and to get ready. I find that as soon as I get a good amount of fluid in me I do feel better though. Thank goodness I work a desk job so I'm able to sit here and relax a little. All the guys were glad to see me back at work which was nice. Hard to believe that my three weeks of recovery flew by as quickly as it did.
I'm doing pretty well with the soft/puree diet. It isn't difficult because I'm really not that hungry. In the evenings I do find that I actually do have some hunger which is nice to feel. I haven't had any problems with head hunger or any emotional meltdowns due to not being able to eat the foods I used to. The way I look at it is that hopefully one day I'll be able to eat some pizza or my favorite Italian meal and if not, oh well. There is more to life than food. 
This morning I weighed 195.5. That is crazy to me! I really do need to get on the exercise wagon but it is just so hard when I don't feel like I have enough energy to do it. Next week I plan to start taking walks on the beach at lunch time. I need to take advantage of the fact that I work directly on one of San Diego's most beautiful beaches. I also can't wait for the soft food portion of the diet because I can have wheat toast! And some fruit! 

:) Courtney

As usual, I suck and it has been way too long since my last post. Things are getting easier and I am feeling stronger. I had my two week post-op appointment with my Doctor on Tuesday. I've lost 20lbs! That is so insane to me. They said that I was doing really well and don't have to go back until three months post-op. I was moved onto the next phase of the diet. Our program is extremely conservative so I'm on the puree stage for three weeks. I guess it is better to be safe than sorry. 
Food options scare me. I never know what is going to be the right thing, etc. etc. I had refried beans without a problem but later that night I had an entire piece of string cheese followed by twelve hours of diarrhea. Won't be eating any string cheese anytime soon. Since then I've had eggbeaters with cheese and they are sitting well. I also got the chicken noodle soup from Panera and was able to eat the entire thing. It was over two sittings but I ate the noodles, carrots and even the chicken pieces - I just chewed them up very well. I found the profelt protein bullets and will be using those. 25grams of protein and they are only 3oz. Other than that I have to go back to work on Monday and have been spending as much time on the beach as possible. I'll try to keep this updated!

:) Courtney