Wow

I just got home from some appointments at the Mayo Clinic, and I got some cool news. The nutritionist told me that since I first went to the Mayo Clinic last September I have lost 64 pounds! I never even thought about the fact that I had lost some weight before the surgery. So I was happy to be able to say that I have lost 41 pounds, but now I can say I have actually lost 64! When I went to the Mayo Clinic last September I weighed 276 pounds - I never want to be anywhere near there again!

Okay, Okay..........

So, it has been a couple weeks since I have posted an entry, but I'm here now, so everybody just pipe down! :) 

There have been some funny things happening that I have to share.  I shared the fact that a few weeks ago I finally bought a belt to hold up my pants, well, it has been working great, and I've actually had to move it over from the 1st hole to the 3rd hole just in the couple weeks I've had it.  Well, my new problem is underwear!  (Yes, men I'm going to talk about my underwear for a minute!)  I was at the grocery store today, and as I'm strolling down the aisle I realize that my underwear is slowly falling down.  I guess I didn't think that I would need to buy a belt for my underwear too!  I actually just had to crack up, because who in the world has that problem?  My panties are falling down, now of course, since I did have pants on they would not have gotten too far, but still I did have to pull them up at one point.  Needless to say I think I will have to invest in some interim underwear.  I'm really trying not to buy any clothes until I absolutely have to, but I think I will have to get some undies! 

I have also found that losing weight means hard chairs really make my rear end hurt!  I guess I've been large for so long I never realized my butt bone was there!  At Abby's dance studio the only chairs we have to sit in are metal folding chairs, and I'm there 3-4 nights a week for no less than 1.5 hours sitting in those chairs.  My rear end is killing me!  All of a sudden those chairs are painful.  How do you skinny people sit in them for longer than a few minutes?  I told my friend I was going to have to buy myself a chair pad to bring with me, cause this whole butt bone thing is new to me!!! 

Geoff and I had a cool discovery this afternoon - he went to hug me, and realized that his arms go around me way more than they used to!  That is really cool!  Honestly, I still don't really see it when I look in the mirror, but I know I'm smaller.  I wonder if I will ever look small to myself in the mirror?  My wedding ring is actually getting a little big, which it hasn't been since we got married, so that tells me that I must be nearing that size again.  Of course, after 2 kids my body doesn't look the same and stuff isn't in the same place it was 11 years ago! 

I find myself actually getting a little impatient now to reach my goal.  Crazy, huh?  I mean this couldn't really go any faster, but I'm ready to wear all those cool clothes that I see on tv!  I never really used to pay attention to clothing ads on tv, because there was no way I was going to be able to wear any of that stuff, but now I find myself really paying attention and impatient for the day that I can put that stuff on, and look cute!  I know, I know, I've still got a long way to go, but it will happen one day, and that is totally cool! 

Yesterday morning was my weigh in day, and the scale and I are doing well!  We got past our little speed bump and have made up.  My weight yesterday morning was 212.5.  Down a total of 41.2 pounds since the morning of surgery.  Wow!  It just doesn't seem possible!  That also means I am down another 20 pounds, so I took some pictures in my favorite outfit this afternoon to share. 

I still don't understand why I stand so crooked - it doesn't feel like I'm standing crooked, but holy cow I look like I'm going to tip over at any moment!  The shorts I have on in the pics are very big on me now - I had just taken them out of the dryer today for the picture, so they weren't falling off of me yet, but in the original pics they are too tight.  You can also see that my arms hang closer to my sides now.  I can't wait to see what the next pics look like! 

Life after gastric bypass is good right now - my cravings aren't so strong, and I'm learning a variety of things to eat.  Things are going much better.  I can't say the same about my strong-willed 22 month old, or my diva 8 year old, but that is another blog completely!  It is easier to chase the 22 month old without that extra 40 pounds!  Until next time........................

One More............

Well, I should've known it was too good to be true!  My relationship with my scale hit a rough patch this morning as we had our first fight.  It tried to tell me I have only lost 1 pound since last Wednesday, and I couldn't help but argue the absurdity of that statement!  Only 1 pound in 5 days?!?!?!?!?  But alas, this battle was won by my scale, because it doesn't lie, unless it is out of batteries, and then it wouldn't light up at all, so it won this round.  I was frustrated at first, but I'm okay now - at least I lost one more for a total of 35 pounds in the last two months.  That in itself is amazing, so I'm staying positive!  I will forgive my scale this time, and hopefully we can repair our relationship and get it back on track!

I had my first experience with some negativity about my surgery this past weekend.  I told a friend I hadn't seen in months that I had gastric bypass, and her answer was, "WHY?", in a not so nice tone.  I explained because I have 100 pounds to lose, and this was the decision I made.  I told her I've lost 34 since surgery 2 months ago, and she replied, "Well, it has taken me all summer just to lose 21".  Implying that I have it easy.  I knew not everyone would understand my decision to have gastric bypass, and some people will think it is the easy way out, but again, I just have to stay positive.  It has certainly not been an easy process, and I still have a long way to go, and a lot more physical and psychological changing to do, so I don't think I took the easy way out.  I don't think my family would think this has been all that easy either. 

That is why I was glad it was my night for my bariatric surgery support group at the Mayo Clinic.  This time there were 3 of us there who had all had gastric bypass.  One woman, who I was sure didn't belong in the group because she was so small, has actually lost a total of 98 pounds in the last 11 months.  The other woman had surgery 6 months ago, and has lost about 65 pounds.  I was encouraged to hear both of them talk about their experiences.  It is nice to be in a room with other people who know exactly what you are going through, and can help you realize it will be okay, and you will make it.  The psychologist that runs the meetings did tell me tonight that I was the first person she has ever known who still had the cravings and desires for all the bad food after surgery.  Apparently, most people don't even have the desire for those bad foods anymore, but leave it to me to be the exception to the rule!  She did say that it means that I will have to work harder in the future to stay on track when the day comes that I can start eating those foods again.  I can't even think about that right now.  I still just need to make it day to day. 

I still have a daily struggle with what to eat.  I know I'm not getting enough protein in my diet, and I'm basically surviving on dairy foods right now.  (I could eat my weight in Chobani yogurt!)  Eggs, cheese, milk and yogurt are my basic staples.  I think the reason behind this is I don't have to chew these things to death, and they retain their flavor even when I swallow them.  Other stuff I have to chew up so much that it starts to taste gross, but that isn't healthy for me.  I've got to figure out how to get more protein especially at lunch. 


I made the mistake of drinking right after I ate a bite of roasted chicken the other night, and had the most unbelievable pain.  Geoff wanted me to go to the bathroom and throw it up, but I knew that if I did that then I wouldn't eat chicken anymore, so I struggled through the pain.  I didn't really eat anymore until the next afternoon.  It was a bad evening and I ended up crying and asking Geoff why in the world I did this to myself, and he walked away and got his iPad looked up my blog and held it up to show me my before pics, and told me that was why I did this to myself.  It helped.  He has been an unbelievable support for me during this, when I can't even imagine having to live with me right now!  He deserves a medal!  I don't know how anyone could get through this process without a supportive spouse, or family, or friends!  Thank you all!!!!!

Short But Very Sweet!!!

We were out of town on Monday, so I wasn't able to weigh myself, and I forgot to do it yesterday morning, so I was very curious to get on it this morning! I thought after all the weird eating I did this past weekend that maybe the scale didn't move much. I was wrong! When I stepped on the scale this morning it said 219.5. Holy cow! Last Monday it said 225. That is a great change in one week! Well, I guess technically it is 9 days, so it is probably still what I would normally lose. It is so strange to have a good relationship with my scale - we have always had such a tumultuous relationship in the past, but we are really getting along well right now!

Last night I dreamt I was at the Mayo Clinic to ask some questions about my surgery and my diet. The woman I was seeing called me and Geoff back to her office and told us to sit down at a table. She then said she would be right back and she would bring something to snack on. When she came back she set a huge piece of cake down in front of me. I couldn't believe it, and I started yelling at her and getting really angry. That is when I woke up. Good grief - when will I stop dreaming of food!?!?!?

Just a few more pounds and I will post some more pictures - oh the lovely outfit! Also, I want to have some kind of celebration went I reach 199 lbs, but the only kind of celebrating I'm used to involves food, so how in the world can I celebrate this huge milestone? Email me some ideas, because I am clueless! I can't remember the last time I weighed below 200 lbs. It has been well over 10-15 years, so this will be big!

Geoff put some great pictures of our Chattanooga trip on his flying blog if you are interested. The address is http://family-flying.blogspot.com/.

July 18: 253.7
Today: 219.5
Total lost: 34.2

Chattanooga - Day Two

Our last day here in Chattanooga was great. We drove up to Lookout Mountain, and Geoff and Abby rode the incline railway back down the mountain, while Mary and I drove down in the rental car to pick them up. Mary was sleeping during most of our time on the mountain, so since I did the incline ride back when I was 10 I wanted Geoff and Abby to get to do it.

For breakfast I had an omelet with cheese and ham this morning. I have been having trouble with eating too much too quickly today, so food stuff hasn't been great. When I eat too much too quickly everything gets stuck at the opening of my stomach and it feels like I am full, but about an hour later I am hungry again. That seemed to be the theme of the day for me. After we came down from the mountain we went to the childrens musuem. We ate lunch first in their cafe, and I had a grilled cheese and some apple slices. They did not allow any food or drinks in the museum, so about an hour after we ate I was extremely thirsty and hungry once again. I left Geoff with the girls and sat in the lobby and drank a bottle of water. After going back in I ate part of a protein bar that I had in my bag.

Mary has had a runny nose today, so I brought her back to the hotel early to rest and take it easy. I also needed another snack so I had some milk. When Geoff and Abby came back he went to Wendys to get Mary and me some dinner. I got a grilled chicken sandwich (I swear I'm going to start clucking soon from all this chicken). Now I have to admit that since I was hungry so much today I did take a bite of something I shouldn't have - one of Mary's french fries. Okay, fine, I ate 1-1/2 french fries. They were so salty, and really didn't taste as good as I thought they would. I think the tasting of the fries also stemmed from passing a Long John Silvers on the way to Lookout Mountain this morning. That is probably one of my all time favorite fast foods, if not my very favorite! I know a lot of people think that is disgusting, but hey, how do you think I got this way, by eating veggies all the time? Anyway, luckily the fries didn't do anything to my stomach, but just the guilt alone was enough to make me feel bad, so I won't be doing that again anytime soon. Geoff and Abby are at a baseball game tonight, so they were not here to witness my slip-up, but I know I'm going to get an ear full when Geoff reads this post!

Needless to say, I am ready to go home to my own kitchen with my food that I know I can eat! I made it through this trip, but it hasn't been easy, and I am tired of having all this food I love constantly around me! But seeing all the very large parents with their very large children all weekend did reinforce my decision to do the surgery- I don't want to be like this anymore, and I certainly don't want my children to ever look like this!!!!!

Chattanooga: Day One

We decided to fly to Chattanooga for the long weekend yesterday. It has been a while since we have flown in our plane all together and Geoff found that it would only take 2- 1/2 hours to get here. Chattanooga has a really great aquarium and a childrens museum, so here we are to see the city! This is my first real trip without access to a kitchen since the surgery, and I was nervous. It meant that I would have to find something on the menu to eat wherever we went. I have eaten out a couple times since surgery, but always had an idea of what the restaurant served and what I could eat before we went, this weekend I am kind of just flying blind. I did bring a few protein drinks and some protein bars just in case.

Last night when we got here and got checked into the hotel we were all pretty hungry, so we headed out to find something to eat. We ended up at a place called Big River, which was just basically a brew house type restaurant. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with rice pilaf off the children's menu. I only ate about 1/3 of it. It was pretty good, but boy Mary's chicken tenders and french fries looked a whole lot better!

This morning we woke up and Geoff and the girls went down to the breakfast buffet while I showered. They brought me some eggs and yogurt back to the room, so breakfast was fine. Then we headed out to the aquarium, and for snack I had a protein bar. I brought Mary back to the hotel room for a nap, and when she woke up we went back to the aquarium to their snack bar for lunch. I had another grilled chicken sandwich, but that one wasn't as good. The corny dog and french fries that the humongous lady next to us was eating sure looked good though, but that is why I'm doing this right,so I'm not big anymore.



For snack this afternoon I had some milk, and at the same time I took some Tylenol for a headache. The only problem with that was that I had to take children's strength, because I can't swallow pills yet. I had to take 4 tsps of the kids stuff, and it is so sweet and thick that it was hard to get down. For dinner tonight we went to a Mexican restaurant. It was very hard not to eat the chips, but I made it through. I had a chicken enchilada with cheese sauce. During dinner I started to get the sweats and my stomach started really hurting. It eventually stopped, but for a little bit even after dinner I thought I was going to be sick. I don't know if it was the medicine, the milk, or the enchilada, or maybe the combination of all three. Luckily though I never did get sick.



After dinner we went to see an IMAX movie about surfing in Tahiti. Abby loved it, of course, but she told me she was never going there to surf because the waves are too big! They were selling popcorn and candy in the lobby just like at a regular theater, and it smelled sooooo good! This is the first movie I have been to post-surgery. In the past movies were all about eating for me, but not tonight - tonight I sat there and drank a bottle of water.

So far so good on this trip with my eating. We are having a good time, and I'm glad my eating hasn't been an issue!