Just when you thought I was gone forever ...

Oct 03, 2011

I show back up :)

20 months out, I now know that not only am I going to live through this experience, but I'm going to thrive because of it.  My weight has settled around 180 pounds with a few fluctuations up or down and I'm happy there.  I never planned on becoming a size 6 and I'm quite content being a size 16.  I have more energy, I feel better about myself, and trying new things is something I look forward to each and every day.

I eat fairly normally most days, in regard to the types of foods that I can eat.  I still stay far away from carbs as much as possible, but if I stray and have a french fry, I don't beat myself up for it.  I eat a lot of soups, but that's because I have always loved soup and because it doesn't cause me any distress as long as I leave out carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, and refined/processed rices, grains, and pastas.  

Things I have discovered the hard way -
1) Whole grain does NOT mean that it hasn't been processed or enriched.  If it's been either, I can't have it because it causes me digestive distress.   The more organic or whole food it is, the less it causes me problems.  They're also higher in protein and nutrition content, which is always a plus.
2) It's far better for me to have something with natural sugar (cane, guave, etc) than any sweetner that ends in -itol.  I would suggest avoiding those to anyone who has had bariatric surgery.  Immediate and nasty results ensue if you don't.  
3) I cannot have carmelized or cooked onions of any kind.  They will make me literally go weak and then pass out.  For some reason, they do not react with my system at all in any way other than bad.  I do not know why when I can eat a few M&Ms or a few french fries with no ill feelings, but the second the tiniest of cooked onions hits my stomach, I literally go weak and pass out.
4) There are days when I just don't do food well without feeling uncomfortable.  Soups, shakes, liquid foods work out better for me than solids.  On those days, i just accept that it's a bad food day and that tomorrow will be better.  

But for the record, I'd still rather have had the surgery and be 300 pounds lighter, even with those things.  I also don't have diabetes, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, or other issues that I once either had or was in danger of having.  My knees don't hurt anywhere near as much, my hips are more flexible, and I can run a mile without becoming winded.  Yes, I said RUN.  Not walk, not stroll, but run.  I can run, I can jump, I can dance, I can bend to the floor and touch my toes, I can pirouette with my granddaughters, I can climb through the monkey bars with my grandsons.  I can sit on a plane without feeling like I'm either scrunched in a seat or that I'm taking more than my share of the room.  I don't need seat belt extenders, I can fit in any car without worrying about whether I can get in or out, and men look at me appreciatively when I walk into and out of a room.  Have no doubt, life is good now and it can only get better.  It may not always be sunshine and roses, but it's always good.  I wouldn't change a thing and I'd have the surgery again in a heartbeat.

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