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.