Day 22

Day 22 means only 6 more days of my lifting restriction, and marks the date when I add even more vitamins and supplements to my routine.  I'm down 18 pounds, but have hit my first plateau, having hit 18 pounds at day 18 and the scale not moving since.

My doctor told me that the scale is not my friend, and I should lock it away and only let it out once a week max.  I may have to start following that advice since I'm obsessing a bit.  My next mini goal is to into the "overweight" BMI category, which is about 3 more pounds.  After that, 5 additional pounds to make me the thinnest I can ever remember.

I'm walking about 30 minutes each day most days, and have stepped up the pace so that it's about the fastest I can walk without running.  Running will be the next logical step, but somehow it seems so hard!

Oh, and I found a new food today that I really like - Campbell's Tuscan Style Chicken and White Bean Soup.  It's low in calories (140 for 1 cup, although I can only eat 1/2 that), and high in protein (12 grams per serving).  And it's delicious!  A much-needed change from the norm.

Day 15

I awoke this morning to some scale goodness - I am down 13 pounds from my surgery date!  Two more pounds before I hit my "stable" weight, and seven to go before I'm no longer consider obese, but simply overweight, and ten to hit my lowest weight ever.  As my mother used to say, "it's all water weight", but it still feels good to have it gone.

I am obsessive about tracking my food and exercise on MyFitnessPal.com.  I'm getting plenty of protein but worry a little bit about not getting enough fiber.  I look forward to the day when I can eat lots of fresh veggies again, but for now, it's "soft" foods only.

Here's my typical day:

Breakfast
Before breakfast, I have 2 cups of coffee, and take my morning Prilosec.  For breakfast, I have 1 large egg, poached with 1 T. shredded cheese, garnished with fresh chives from my garden.  And the first of 3 vitamins is taken.

Morning Snack
1 piece of string cheese (Frigo's Cheeseheads - yummy)

Lunch
Protein Shake, which I make with chocolate protein powder, PB2 (powdered peanut butter), skim milk, and a little instant coffee to bring out the chocolate flavor.  When I remember, I add a tablespoon of Chia seeds, which has lots of fiber and protein.  Second vitamin is chewed up and swallowed!

Afternoon Snack
1/2 cup of nonfat cottage cheese (luckily, I like cottage cheese)

Dinner
1/2 c. creamy soup (this week it was wild rice) with about 1 oz. chicken breast mixed in
1/2 c. green beans
Third and final vitamin of the day!

Evening Snack
Another piece of string cheese!  I also generally have 1 or 2 cups of Sleepytime tea in the evenings when I'm winding down to go to bed.  My second Prilosec dose is taken now too.

And slowly but surely I'm getting my exercise, although with the rain the last 3 days it hasn't been easy.  My legs complain the most; guess I should do some stretches before I hit the pavement.

With all the rain, the Summer Palace grounds are looking green and lush.  The trees are all leafing out (they have a way to go yet), and the rhubarb is growing liking gangbusters!  I'm a little concerned that the asparagus hasn't come up yet, but it has been a weird Spring.  I planted some sugar snap peas this weekend and now need to get in the greens.  Another week and the tomatoes can go outside too!

So much work and so little time!  I guess I better get at it!

Day 11

Today is day 11 since my surgery.  Yesterday for the first time I made it the entire day without taking at least one nap!  I was determined to get some exercise too, so I went out for a walk.  Five minutes in I was huffing and puffing and felt like I had run a marathon.  Geez, am I out of shape or what?  Still, I managed 20 minutes around the park.  I'll see if I can do it again today in the breaks between rain.

I've lost 9 pounds since surgery, which is excellent news.  I had my original lap band surgery 7 years ago, and my intent then was to lose weight.  I lost about 60 pounds, gained 10 back, then stabilized at about 53 pounds lost.  Still in the 'obese' category, but much better than where I started.  My surgeon has told me that I actually did very well with the band; better than most.  I knew that if I wanted to lose the remainder of the weight I needed to get off my butt and start exercising, and pay better attention to what I ate.

So when I had complications from the band and was told I should remove it and revise to gastric sleeve, my intent was to try and simply maintain; not regain the weight; knowing that either surgery is simply a tool and the work is all me.  The complications had gotten so severe from the band, however, that I had a complete unfill in February, meaning that I could eat anything I wanted again.  So I went on a spree of eating everything I couldn't for the last 7 years.  Pizza Hut deep dish pizza...4 days in a row.  Cheeseburgers with the bun, french fries, you name it.  And I promptly gained 15 pounds!

I'm still 6 pounds from my 'stable' weight.  I'm kicking myself for the weeks of excess, but have settled into a day-to-day of between 600 and 900 calories and eating every 2 hours.  I haven't had alcohol since surgery either, and don't intend to for awhile.  It was one of my big weight triggers, especially in the summer when everyone parties on the weekends.  I track every morsel that goes into my mouth.  Obsessive, yes, but necessary at the beginning.

I am grateful for the second chance.

What Happens When the Propane Runs Out

Early this morning (like 4:30 this morning early), my cats piled on top of me.  I was cold, so I didn't mind so much.  Then I got really cold, even with the blankets of fur.  Why, oh why, does the propane decide to run out in the middle of the night of the coldest night of the summer?  It happens this way every year!

I put my slippers on and my warmest robe and went outside to switch tanks.  When I got back in the house it was 44 degrees inside - no wonder my furry friends were complaining!

The furnace and space heater back on, I decided to stay up and brew my first cup of coffee.  The sun rises early here, and with the sunrise came the deer.  The one that came closest had a broken back leg, poor thing.  I guess nature will take care of her.  Through the trees I could see other shapes moving, in search of their breakfast.  It must be hard on them this year, with the late start to spring.

Today is day 5 after surgery.  And I'm grateful.

Six New Holes I Didn't Have Before

I had my lap band removed and a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) done 2 days ago in the Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND.  It was done laparoscopically, so I have 6 new incisions in my abdomen.  Six new scars added to the previous ones from gall bladder removal and the original lap band placement.

Like my previous surgeries, my main complaint was nausea; so bad that would get the dry heaves at least once an hour.  And like all hospitals, lack of sleep because a nurse would poke and prod me every hour.

I'm home now; very tired but not a lot of pain.  It's a struggle to get enough nourishment in my body since I'm not hungry and can only do liquids or pureed food right now.  But I'm not complaining - I had two surgeries done at one time so I don't have to go back into the hospital in a couple of months.

On the Summer Palace front, my rhubarb is leafing out fast!  When I arrived here on May 5th it was just a red stub on the surface, but now it has leaves!  Same for the chives - I can start harvesting them any time.  No asparagus yet, but that'll be next.