Sunday, April 7, 2013
Chicken Broccoli Casserole
I made a broccoli and chicken casserole tonight. It was pretty good. I was able to eat more than I thought I would be able to. I made way more than needed so that I can have lots of leftovers. Here is the finished product and also my plate.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Meals - before and after pics of my meals! (dorky, I know!!)
So I've kind of discovered that I like to take before and after pictures of the food I'm eating. You know, just to kind of compare the difference from your full plate to your finished plate. Silly, I know!! It's kind of fun because I'm still stuck in the "eyes are larger than stomach" phase, so my initial portions are normal people portions. When I was pre-op, this is the sort of thing I would of loved to have seen.... to get a real idea of how much I would be eating. Today I had BBQ chicken and turnip greens for lunch. I plan to continue doing this, so I hope they can help you get a good visual! Remember I am 12 weeks post op, and feel I can eat more than most sleevers at my stage. :) but I really don't know.
Before:
After:
For anyone interested in the recipe, it is super simple, delicious, and diet friendly!! In a crockpot I put a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins, two medium yellow onions, a LOT of minced garlic (I don't measure things, sorry), salt and pepper, and a bottle of BBQ sauce (I just used Kroger brand). Very good and I will definitely be making it again.
Moving on..... I had a really bad "food day" yesterday. I had two glasses of wine last night. Mistake! Wine is one of the biggest reasons I got fat in the first place. Not necessarily because of the calories in the wine or anything, but because once I get a little buzz I become STARVING! It turns out my nice new stomach didn't change at all when it comes to this. I was SO hungry! I had two pieces of pizza....not at the same time as I can only eat one small piece at one sitting. I had the other a few hours later. Lesson learned. I just cannot have wine while I am trying to lose weight. Boo!
I seem to be stuck at the same weight for maybe a week now, but I think it's because I have been slacking on the exercise and not eating the best foods. I'll do better this week.
Have a good night! :)
Before:
After:
For anyone interested in the recipe, it is super simple, delicious, and diet friendly!! In a crockpot I put a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins, two medium yellow onions, a LOT of minced garlic (I don't measure things, sorry), salt and pepper, and a bottle of BBQ sauce (I just used Kroger brand). Very good and I will definitely be making it again.
Moving on..... I had a really bad "food day" yesterday. I had two glasses of wine last night. Mistake! Wine is one of the biggest reasons I got fat in the first place. Not necessarily because of the calories in the wine or anything, but because once I get a little buzz I become STARVING! It turns out my nice new stomach didn't change at all when it comes to this. I was SO hungry! I had two pieces of pizza....not at the same time as I can only eat one small piece at one sitting. I had the other a few hours later. Lesson learned. I just cannot have wine while I am trying to lose weight. Boo!
I seem to be stuck at the same weight for maybe a week now, but I think it's because I have been slacking on the exercise and not eating the best foods. I'll do better this week.
Have a good night! :)
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Today was weird!
In my lat post I was ranting that I never lost my hunger. Well, today I haven't been hungry. Totally weird, but I'll take it!!! Sadly I didn't get anywhere near my protein goal. :( I will do better tomorrow.... But today I only managed maybe 300 calories. It's almost 11pm now, so I'm just going to consider the day a failure. I'll be visiting family tomorrow for Easter lunch, so I'm sure I'll make up for it. :) I plan to have some turkey, a deviled egg, and some green beans. Goodnight!!
Friday, March 29, 2013
It isn't easy.
So it's been a while since I have posted. I only made this blog to help get out some thoughts/feelings since I'm not attending therapy of any kind. I've learned a lot through this journey so far. It definitely hasn't been what I expected it to be. My surgery was January 9 and in a weird way I feel like this will always be a significant date for me.... You know, like a birthday or something. I am 11 weeks and 2 days post-op! I am completely 100% healed, at least in my opinion. I feel completely normal. Before surgery I had the mindset of "I'm having most of my stomach removed, I'm never going to feel the same physically again!" But I do. I feel totally normal, I just get full quick. I really haven't had ANY issues and I feel soooo lucky and blessed for that. I can tolerate all foods I have tried so far, and I have been experimenting as early as 5 weeks post op if not earlier. I just had no issues with eating anything, so why not eat it? My dietician says no to most vegetables until you are at least 3 months out. Psh!!! Crazy talk. I was able to eat pretty much anything from the moment that I could actually start eating again. I have cheated, I won't lie. I drink diet drinks, I won't hide that either. I didn't do this traumatic surgery for myself to go through life and not indulge occasionally in the things that I love. I had a few bites of carrot cake from J Alexander's yesterday. It was worth every little bite. I don't feel guilty about it at all. Before surgery, I would have eaten the entire thing. For me, I did this mostly for the sole purpose of controlling my binge eating. The amount of food that I could put down before surgery in one sitting was insane. I'm talking an extra large meat lovers pizza, cheese sticks, and often a dessert. My highest weight was 206, but I swear I must have a fast metabolism because I should have weighed at least 350 pounds just from the amount of food I would consume. No lie. My stomach was a bottomless pit!! I can happily report that as of today I have gone from 206 pounds to 166.6 pounds in these 11 weeks. I'm ahead of my surgeons expectations so far, so that's great. I'm also working out a lot. I splurged and bought myself a Cybex Arc Trainer (it even has a tv!!) and I absolutely love it! On average I'm working out 4 or 5 days a week for one hour at a time.
The biggest thing I would tell someone who is considering this surgery is to realize (and I mean really try to realize) that this new stomach you have is only a tool. If you research, you'll read that over and over.... Only a tool. When I was pre-op, I really paid no attention to those remarks. In my mind I thought "I'll get full quick, and supposedly I won't be hungry either since the portion of the stomach they remove is the part that releases the hunger hormone!" I know there are people who don't get hungry. But there are also just as many people (heck, maybe more) who do not lose their hunger. I woke up from surgery hungry, craving a cheeseburger! The post-op liquid and puréed diets are pure hell, I won't lie. It's a mental game. And then once I could start eating mushy food and then moved on to solids, I did have a very small window in there that I wasn't hungry. I would rather drink my protein shakes than eat a meal. I was so happy and thought that this is how it would remain. Wrong. That lasted maybe a week and a half. I'm hungry now....my hunger is back. And since it was only somewhat gone for maybe a week, you could just say it never really went away at all!! :) when I had my consult with my surgeon before surgery, he described this surgery to me as a restrictive procedure (can't eat much at once), and that I wouldn't be hungry. In fact I think his words were "you will care nothing about food and will have to force yourself to eat." He said this is the main reason why the surgery is so successful. He didn't tell me there would still be a possibility that I am still hungry. I am not angry about this at all. It is just something that I didn't really know was a possibility and was hit with a big surprise post-op. So that's good for anyone considering the surgery to know.
The second thing is, you're still in control of what you put in your mouth. My weight loss plan is VERY strict. It seems to be stricter than other surgeons plans, but I believe my surgeons patients tend to lose more than the average weight loss for this surgery, so whatever works I guess! My diet looks like this:
3 meals a day, "NO SNACKING"
400-600 calories a day
64 ounces at least of water (right now I get maybe only 50 because I love diet sprite)
60-90 grams of protein
And....... 15 carbs a day (ouch, I know, right?)
I log everything I put in my mouth on MyFitnessPal (have I mentioned how much I love MFP!?)
So it's pretty serious business. For the most part I stick to this, except I sometimes have a few more carbs (like yesterday when I had a little bit of carrot cake!) I find that if I throw in days where I eat a little more, it keeps my weight loss from stalling as much. The day before that I had 550 calories, 101 grams of protein, and 15 carbs....so I usually do pretty well. But I could easily graze on bad foods all day long and gain weight. I just choose not to. Grazing was never really my problem anyway.....it was just overeating at one sitting.
So I'm kind of obsessed with all of this. I'm not sure how you couldn't be. Having such a major surgery and then COMPLETELY changing your eating habits takes a lot of planning, dedication, and hard work. Many of my thoughts are consumed with how I am eating and the weight I am losing. I do imagine once I get to goal that this will subside a great deal.
So, the subject of this post is "It isn't easy". And it isn't. It's just a whole different side to the battle of the bulge. Not an easier side, but a different side. I have a tool that helps keep me on track, but in no way, shape or form is this easy. I don't regret having the surgery in the tiniest bit. I would hop in my car and go to the hospital and have it done again in a split second without a single thought. It isn't the easy way out. I'm the one who makes it work, or I'm the one who makes it fail. And I'm determined to make it work and reach my goal. :)
The biggest thing I would tell someone who is considering this surgery is to realize (and I mean really try to realize) that this new stomach you have is only a tool. If you research, you'll read that over and over.... Only a tool. When I was pre-op, I really paid no attention to those remarks. In my mind I thought "I'll get full quick, and supposedly I won't be hungry either since the portion of the stomach they remove is the part that releases the hunger hormone!" I know there are people who don't get hungry. But there are also just as many people (heck, maybe more) who do not lose their hunger. I woke up from surgery hungry, craving a cheeseburger! The post-op liquid and puréed diets are pure hell, I won't lie. It's a mental game. And then once I could start eating mushy food and then moved on to solids, I did have a very small window in there that I wasn't hungry. I would rather drink my protein shakes than eat a meal. I was so happy and thought that this is how it would remain. Wrong. That lasted maybe a week and a half. I'm hungry now....my hunger is back. And since it was only somewhat gone for maybe a week, you could just say it never really went away at all!! :) when I had my consult with my surgeon before surgery, he described this surgery to me as a restrictive procedure (can't eat much at once), and that I wouldn't be hungry. In fact I think his words were "you will care nothing about food and will have to force yourself to eat." He said this is the main reason why the surgery is so successful. He didn't tell me there would still be a possibility that I am still hungry. I am not angry about this at all. It is just something that I didn't really know was a possibility and was hit with a big surprise post-op. So that's good for anyone considering the surgery to know.
The second thing is, you're still in control of what you put in your mouth. My weight loss plan is VERY strict. It seems to be stricter than other surgeons plans, but I believe my surgeons patients tend to lose more than the average weight loss for this surgery, so whatever works I guess! My diet looks like this:
3 meals a day, "NO SNACKING"
400-600 calories a day
64 ounces at least of water (right now I get maybe only 50 because I love diet sprite)
60-90 grams of protein
And....... 15 carbs a day (ouch, I know, right?)
I log everything I put in my mouth on MyFitnessPal (have I mentioned how much I love MFP!?)
So it's pretty serious business. For the most part I stick to this, except I sometimes have a few more carbs (like yesterday when I had a little bit of carrot cake!) I find that if I throw in days where I eat a little more, it keeps my weight loss from stalling as much. The day before that I had 550 calories, 101 grams of protein, and 15 carbs....so I usually do pretty well. But I could easily graze on bad foods all day long and gain weight. I just choose not to. Grazing was never really my problem anyway.....it was just overeating at one sitting.
So I'm kind of obsessed with all of this. I'm not sure how you couldn't be. Having such a major surgery and then COMPLETELY changing your eating habits takes a lot of planning, dedication, and hard work. Many of my thoughts are consumed with how I am eating and the weight I am losing. I do imagine once I get to goal that this will subside a great deal.
So, the subject of this post is "It isn't easy". And it isn't. It's just a whole different side to the battle of the bulge. Not an easier side, but a different side. I have a tool that helps keep me on track, but in no way, shape or form is this easy. I don't regret having the surgery in the tiniest bit. I would hop in my car and go to the hospital and have it done again in a split second without a single thought. It isn't the easy way out. I'm the one who makes it work, or I'm the one who makes it fail. And I'm determined to make it work and reach my goal. :)
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Here we go!
The date of this blog says it's January 10, but it's actually January 16. My surgery was scheduled for 1/9/13. I had to be at the hospital by 7am. I got there, checked in, and gave a urine sample. I was surprisingly calm but a little nervous. After the urine sample they sent me to a grounded room where I changed into a gown and got comfortable. They finally came and got me at around 9:45am to go get ready for surgery. I didn't have my cantact lenses or glasses so that was difficult since I am SO blind!
I got to the main pre-op room and felt kind of alone even though lots of people were walking about. This was probably because I couldn't see anything! About 3 or 4 anesthesiologists came by to ask questions, then a few nurses asked the same questions. They started my IV and supposedly gave me relaxing medicine. I didn't feel a thing so the nurse gave me a second dose. I still didn't feel a thing so I just hung out until it was time. The surgeon came by and said he'd see me in the operating room in 45 minutes. This whole process took way longer than I thought it would. They finally wheeled me into the operating room, I scooted over to the operating table, joked with the nurses, then they put an oxygen mask over my face and next thing I knew I was waking up with a really sore stomach. The recovery nurse was making me mad but I was good and didn't yell at her like I wanted to. I kept telling her it really hurt and she kept saying "yeah what'd you expect?" and things like that. They finally got me comfortable and I was taken to my room. I don't want to talk much about my hospital experience because it was quite terrifying. I believe I suffered from "hospital psychosis". You can google it. Severe confusion, dementia, hallucinations, etc. It was quite possibly the most terrifying thing of my life. I believe they over medicated me. So they took me off of the medicine I was on, I got a little better but I didn't fully come back to reality until I got home from the hospital. The pain is not bad at all. Mostly just a sore feeling! :) so far no complications at all. No nausea, not even a tiny bit. It's hard to get all my fluids in at this point. I'm not even focusing on protein, just hydration. I have my 1 week post-op visit tomorrow. I'm taking all my vitamins. I HATE the chewable vitamins!!! :)
So far so good. I don't regret my decision at all! I am so glad I finally did something. Realistically I know I would of kept ordering pizzas and pastas and cupcakes until I worked my way up to 300 pounds or so.
As of this morning I am down 13.4 pounds. :)
I got to the main pre-op room and felt kind of alone even though lots of people were walking about. This was probably because I couldn't see anything! About 3 or 4 anesthesiologists came by to ask questions, then a few nurses asked the same questions. They started my IV and supposedly gave me relaxing medicine. I didn't feel a thing so the nurse gave me a second dose. I still didn't feel a thing so I just hung out until it was time. The surgeon came by and said he'd see me in the operating room in 45 minutes. This whole process took way longer than I thought it would. They finally wheeled me into the operating room, I scooted over to the operating table, joked with the nurses, then they put an oxygen mask over my face and next thing I knew I was waking up with a really sore stomach. The recovery nurse was making me mad but I was good and didn't yell at her like I wanted to. I kept telling her it really hurt and she kept saying "yeah what'd you expect?" and things like that. They finally got me comfortable and I was taken to my room. I don't want to talk much about my hospital experience because it was quite terrifying. I believe I suffered from "hospital psychosis". You can google it. Severe confusion, dementia, hallucinations, etc. It was quite possibly the most terrifying thing of my life. I believe they over medicated me. So they took me off of the medicine I was on, I got a little better but I didn't fully come back to reality until I got home from the hospital. The pain is not bad at all. Mostly just a sore feeling! :) so far no complications at all. No nausea, not even a tiny bit. It's hard to get all my fluids in at this point. I'm not even focusing on protein, just hydration. I have my 1 week post-op visit tomorrow. I'm taking all my vitamins. I HATE the chewable vitamins!!! :)
So far so good. I don't regret my decision at all! I am so glad I finally did something. Realistically I know I would of kept ordering pizzas and pastas and cupcakes until I worked my way up to 300 pounds or so.
As of this morning I am down 13.4 pounds. :)
Monday, January 7, 2013
Pre-Op Clear Liquid Diet
Day 1 done of clear liquids. My head hurts, I'm tired, and I'm grumpy!! :) one day left!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
"Last Meal"
I definitely fell into the trap of pigging out before surgery. I'm scared to see how much weight I have gained! It's all over now. I'm starting my pre-op diet tomorrow (a day early). I've been putting off taking "before" pictures. I'm reeeeaaaaalllyyyyy dreading it!!!!!!!! But I'm told I will be happy I did it later on. Lets hope so! I am taking them tomorrow. I don't really have much else to report. I'm ready to have the surgery behind me and really hoping for an easy recovery and no complications!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
T minus 9 Days!
I will be having my gastric sleeve surgery performed on January 9, 2013 at 8am with Dr. Hugh Houston at Centennial Women's Hospital. I'm terrified (but only about the recovery) and excited. I've officially reached over 200 pounds. I am only 5'2". This is a lot of weight to be carrying around on a petite frame. When I first started researching this surgery, I think it was initially for mostly vain reasons. I wanted to be thin again and look good. Now, as my weight has gone up and up, it is no longer about simply looking good. I don't plan on weighing myself until the morning of surgery, because right now it is too depressing to see the number. Last I checked, I was 202 pounds. I have had back pain for a while now that I believe is definitely caused by my weight. But not only that, I now have severe hip pain when standing for more than a few minutes or walking around. It's excruciating and so depressing to feel like I need to sit down for relief. My ankles also hurt, which I'm sure is weight related as well. These three things scare me. I am only 28, and if I am being realistic with myself, I know I cannot lose the weight on my own and KEEP IT OFF. Therefore these problems will only get worse with time, and new problems will be added along the way like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. I view this surgery as a tool. I have done extensive research. I literally have nothing else to read it seems. I know that this is not going to be a magic fix, but I expect it to be a helpful tool to get me to where I need to be.
A lot of surgeons require a two week pre-op diet of only liquids. This is to shrink the size of the liver so that the surgeon has more room. My surgeon only requires a two day pre-op liquid diet. This consists of things like chicken/beef/vegetable broth, sugar free jello, water of course, sugar free popsicles, crystal light, decaf coffee, decaf tea, sugar free kool-aid. My surgeon says the post-op liquid diet after surgery is torture enough, so therefore he does not require the long pre-op diet. So for two weeks (14 days) after surgery I will only be allowed clear liquids while my new stomach heals. After this, Stage 2 begins. Protein drinks are introduced during this stage, and it lasts two weeks. Stage 3 is the blended diet. It also lasts for two weeks. I will eat three meals per day, and I will need to mechanically blend some foods to a finely chopped consistency.
Stage 4 is the last stage and it is the High Protein Low Carbohydrate Diet. This stage lasts until 75% or more of excess weight is lost.
Protein and staying hydrated are going to be my biggest goals. This isn't going to be easy. I don't expect it to be, but I'm ready for a new beginning.
A lot of surgeons require a two week pre-op diet of only liquids. This is to shrink the size of the liver so that the surgeon has more room. My surgeon only requires a two day pre-op liquid diet. This consists of things like chicken/beef/vegetable broth, sugar free jello, water of course, sugar free popsicles, crystal light, decaf coffee, decaf tea, sugar free kool-aid. My surgeon says the post-op liquid diet after surgery is torture enough, so therefore he does not require the long pre-op diet. So for two weeks (14 days) after surgery I will only be allowed clear liquids while my new stomach heals. After this, Stage 2 begins. Protein drinks are introduced during this stage, and it lasts two weeks. Stage 3 is the blended diet. It also lasts for two weeks. I will eat three meals per day, and I will need to mechanically blend some foods to a finely chopped consistency.
Stage 4 is the last stage and it is the High Protein Low Carbohydrate Diet. This stage lasts until 75% or more of excess weight is lost.
Protein and staying hydrated are going to be my biggest goals. This isn't going to be easy. I don't expect it to be, but I'm ready for a new beginning.
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