9 months, 130lbs gone forever!!

May 24, 2011

 What I've learned....LOL  well, I guess that there are no secrets, no easy way outs.
It's pretty much exactly what everyone will read on these forums.   I have had stalls, slowed weight loss, but I know it eventually goes down if I stick to the program and do what I know works.  What works for me is not eating carbs if I can help it, because I am carb sensitive and the weight loss stops when I let myself have some noodles or potatoes.  Which is rare.
I never thought I would be eating the way I do now, back nine months ago.  If someone would have told me that I wouldn't care for the sweets, the pastas, the potatoes and the breads, I would have laughed them out of the room! there was no way I felt I would ever stopped loving nor eating those foods.  but today, I don't really care for them anymore, and certainly can ignore them and eat healthier foods today, which never would have happened presleeve.   I pretty much stay with protein first, then veggies, and carbs lastly, but usually don't have room for the carbs.  I do not have the rapid hunger that I had presleeve.  yes, I still get hungry today, but nothing like before.  It is tolerable now.  I can eat a piece of cheese and be satisfied, whereas before, I would have to have a full blown meal.  I was cranky if I didnt eat, I would get nauseous if I didnt eat something carby presleeve, I thought I wasn't eating much, but I was consuming tons of caleries.  Im amazed at how many caleries everything has now that I keep track.
I am not always good at tracking my food intake, but I do find it invaluable to keeping to plan.  I stay with my 800 caleries per day, 40 carbs or less and 64 ounces of water per day. 
WATER is the key to everything.  water makes you pee, which makes you lose weight.  water keeps you hydrated, and being hydrated is so very important to everything in your body.  I feel lathargic if I don't drink enough.  My skin feels different if I dont drink enough.  so many things have to do with drinking water.  I never ever drink soda (pop here), I didnt much before surgery, so it was not hard to give up.  I drink sf drinks alot.  ice tea is my fav.  Im loving MIO added to my water lately, but also buy alot of the crystal light single powder mixes.  I love all the flavors.  I also drink about 2-3 cups of reg coffee a day, with sf hazelnut creamer.  YUM! 
My diet is very simple most days and I find that I tend to stay with what makes me feel good.  I have never been sick on any food, never throw up, never had foamies, so I can eat anything I want.  BUT, there are foods that sit heavy in my tiny tummy, so I dont feel good when I eat them..I feel sort of like I just ate an entire thanksgiving dinner and it sits like lead in my belly.  so I shy away from those foods...potatoes, breads, and pasta do that to me.  I would rather pass them up and eat lighter foods.  I love eggs, so I eat alot of them.  Also chicken is a fav.  I love chicken salad, chicken breasts cooked a zillion different ways, and I love beef!  all kinds.  I now eat turkey bacon and turkey sausage.  Anything is good once you get used to it.  :)
My snacks are cheese, carrot sticks, celery, pepperoni, popcorn and sf popsicles/sf jello!  can never have enough of those two! bonus! winning!! LOL
I have had at times during these nine months: pizza, cake, pie, cookies and some salsa & chips.  They were at special times, birthday parties, etc.. and I did not eat tons of them...just a handful and i was satisfied.  presleeve, I would have eaten entire packages and been unable to stop eating them.  I used to eat entire cakes..it would take me a few days, but I did it.  Today, I only have a small sliver of a piece and I am happy with that.  It just doesnt appeal to me anymore.  My tastes have changed so much.  Food no longer controls me.  Food is no longer the center of my attention.  Food no longer holds me hostage all day long.   I didnt have surgery to stay on a diet and deny myself all things good, so I take a bite if needed.  Once that happens, I am usually over it and move on.  I dont beat myself up about it, but I do go back the next day to watching what i put in my mouth and watching the scale.  I will never allow myself to have that scale go UP in numbers.  never again.  That's a creeper slide to me, and I refuse to go back to those days.  I don't really do the protein shakes anymore, although there are times if I am busy and dont have time to eat, I grab a protein shake.  the protein bars have too many caleries for my taste.   When I crave chocolate, I keep sf pudding in the house and those cute little cups of heaven at 70 caleries each, are my best friends!
As the weight comes off, I am able to do more and more excercise.  Right now, I walk and walk and walk.  We go to stores, just to walk around.  I prefer it to walking outside around the block.  I want to join the YMCA so I can start swimming soon.  I never imagined me in a bathing suit 130 pounds ago! 
I have tons of hanging skin, but it doesnt bother me.  physically, maybe the stomach flap does, I have to put powder and cream there to keep it dry, but mentally, Im ok with it.  It means I did something... I lost ALOT of weight.  It shows me where I was, and where I could be again if I let myself go with my love of food.   That will never happen again.  I do have restriction with my lovely sleeve! I can only eat about 1 cup (8 ounces) of food at the most, if it is something like soup or salad.  less if it is dense like meat.    I love that.  I love restriction.  My eyes may say..."look, big breakfast....hashbrowns, toast, 3 eggs, 2 sausage, 2 bacon, ham, then dessert after!!", but my sleeved tummy says..."three bites eggs, 1 sausage, 1 bacon, DONE."   I love when we have that conversation, because the sleeve always wins.  :)
I NEVER drink and eat the same time.  just plain cannnot.  I have to choose...either drink or eat, the two won't fit together.  that is hard when eating out, but still doable. 
Take home boxes are my new accessories.  seems like I always have one in my hands, so I try to match them to my shoes.  :)   SHOES!!! OMG!!  I have bought like six pair just in the last few months.  I no longer have chubby, swollen feet, so shoes look cute on my now!  I love wearing darling sandals with my painted toes showing! something I never did before.  I only owned three pair of ugly CROCS!!! a black dressy pair(like there is such a thing), a comfy pair and a winter pair with fur in them!! My feet were too fat to wear regular shoes, and it was too much of a chore to put them on, so slide in shoes were all I owned.  and socks? fergetaboutem!!! I never wore socks.  couldn't put them on.  too fat.    Today, I can not only wear warm socks, but nylons too! :)
Wow, this certainly is getting long.  LOL 
What I would tell newbies that ask me is this...yes, it sucks in the beginning, yes it hurts, it is major surgery and surgery is not easy.  The first two months are gonna SUCK  because you are like a newborn baby learning to eat again, healing, starting over with a new life, and a new attitude.  Take it slow, don't sweat the small stuff, and know in the end, it is sooooooooooooo worth it!!  they are right when they say, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels".  I would do the surgery again in a heat beat! I had no idea how good I would feel at a lighter weight.  Remember, I am still currently at 273 pounds! for me, I feel positively THIN!  I know I am not, but it sures feels a hell alot better than 404 did!!  Im healthier by miles and Im back in the game of life once more.  it's all good!!  WINNING!!  :)

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