As regular readers know, I had a rather unusual December. For the first three weeks, I was on work travel for a class, and I flew home on December 22. It was going to be a strange Christmas no matter what, but I didn't know what I had in store.
Let's go back to early December when I got to my new hotel home for three weeks. I knew a Wal Mart was close, but I didn't know it was THAT close. I got to the hotel, and meticulously unpacked, to see if I forgot anything, then embarked on my three minute walk across the parking lot to Wal Mart.
My hotel room had a full size refrigerator, two burners, and a microwave, so there was no excuse to stick to my normal eating routines. The first week I cooked up a pound of ground beef, and the second week was a kielbasa. The third week got a little more into convenience foods and leftovers. But more on that later.
The hotel gym left something to be desired. There was one elliptical, two treadmills, a weight station that would do for a shorter trip, and a single barbell. One. Luckily, there was a gym across the street that was used to people coming in for a few weeks at a time, so they had a good deal. The gym offered recorded classes, which I surprisingly enjoyed, as all of the materials were right there, as compared to doing it at home and making do with replacement items. They also offered live classes.
At the actual class site, there were a lot of places to go for healthy walks during lunch, and I did that nearly every day. I hit my 10,000 steps nearly every day and I hope to maintain that.
A few things I learned:
Don't be shy about what you've been through. We were sitting in a large seminar with over 100 people, broken up into class. So I sat next to this guy who would be in my class. We got to talking, and we ended up not just in the same class, but at the same table. When it came out later in the day that I had had WLS, he said "Oh yea, I noticed your Medical ID when I was talking to you this morning." He is a volunteer EMT and it warmed me to know that he noticed this. Quick plug for an awesome husband, he got me a new ID to go onto my FitBit so I only have to wear one bracelet.
People are super understanding and want to learn. In the first week, we went out for German food. We were warned by locals that they had massive servings, and several people in the class told me to not order anything and I could have some of theirs.
Not weighing yourself daily for a period can be healthy. I vowed to not get on the scale while I was gone and some of the most unexpected things happening. First of all, I lost five pounds while I was gone. Second, instead of getting on the scale after a heavy lift day and being discouraged even though I knew why the scale went up, I did a workout that my body wanted to. I did Yoga a couple of times, a live bootcamp class, running, walking, and LOTS of kettlebell workouts. If I was weighing myself, I would have probably done more of the same instead of realizing Yoga is a heck of a lot easier when you're down over 100 pounds and kettlebell workouts are killer.
Take the stairs. For some reason I didn't really take stairs if an elevator was around. But I started taking the stairs out there and I haven't stopped.
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Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Traditions
I'm going to deviate from my normal format where a clear connection is made between my life now as compared to my life before surgery.
This has to do with traditions and when it's time to let them go.
This season we're in is all about the traditions. We all have them and they all mean different things to each other, even within the same family.
A newer tradition we have started in the last couple of years since my brother moved closer to us, and he is the only one on my side of the family that has little kids, is that we go to his house on Christmas Eve for dinner and merriment.
A tradition my husband and I have done since our first Christmas together is that we do a Feast of the Twelve Fishes but with sushi. We do this because when we started dating, we pretty much just went out for Asian food for lunch, and in marrying him and taking his name, I gave up a pretty rocking Italian last name.
The thing is with traditions is that they grow and transform, or maybe even go away, as families change, get older, and then add new ones in the form of in-laws and children. My niece and nephew are 5 and 3 so Christmas literally changes every year with them so far.
My husband and I recognized that some of the traditions that we have participated in are not going to work for us this year, and maybe for the foreseeable future. This has caused a lot of strife in our family.
I'll skip you the gory details, but between my history of Seasonal Depression, the fact that I'm actually on a work trip for almost the entire month of December, and the fact that my coping mechanism has been taken away from me, we decided to take Christmas to the barest of bare bones. This has not been kindly received from certain members of our extended family, so we have decided to spend Christmas with just the two of us, and possibly making that a tradition.
I think the funniest thing about all of this was that when we decided to do Christmas on our own, our minds immediately went to food partially. Food is so deeply rooted in this season its nearly impossible to escape it.
There are a few important things I'm taking from this rather difficult last week and a half or so:
1) When traditions come before people, it's time to let them go. I'm not saying that if one person can't eat cake anymore we need to not have cake. I'm saying it's unreasonable to maintain a tradition for the sake of tradition if its simply not working for certain members of the family. Allow your family to continue to serve cake, but make sure they know you will not provide cake if it's ever your turn.
2) Allow yourself to be excused. If an aspect of the holiday is starting to be too much for you, politely excuse yourself and take a walk around the neighborhood or find a quiet room to sit down in for a few minutes. I feel like such an anti-social creep when I do this but I know it's needed if I want to be a constructive member of the family.
3) Learn to watch for your signs of overdoing it. This can vary for everyone. For me, I will feel an extreme temperature change. I'll suddenly get very hot or very cold.
4) Know when to say no. This is so much easier said than done, but understand your limits and know when it's the right time to refuse and invitation or say no to an aspect of a celebration.
This year is going to be interesting to say the least. I think I have a healthy relationship with food but I forgot how much I depended on it during this time of year. I'm hoping that lowering stresses as much as I have control over will help me every step of the way.
This has to do with traditions and when it's time to let them go.
This season we're in is all about the traditions. We all have them and they all mean different things to each other, even within the same family.
A newer tradition we have started in the last couple of years since my brother moved closer to us, and he is the only one on my side of the family that has little kids, is that we go to his house on Christmas Eve for dinner and merriment.
A tradition my husband and I have done since our first Christmas together is that we do a Feast of the Twelve Fishes but with sushi. We do this because when we started dating, we pretty much just went out for Asian food for lunch, and in marrying him and taking his name, I gave up a pretty rocking Italian last name.
The thing is with traditions is that they grow and transform, or maybe even go away, as families change, get older, and then add new ones in the form of in-laws and children. My niece and nephew are 5 and 3 so Christmas literally changes every year with them so far.
My husband and I recognized that some of the traditions that we have participated in are not going to work for us this year, and maybe for the foreseeable future. This has caused a lot of strife in our family.
I'll skip you the gory details, but between my history of Seasonal Depression, the fact that I'm actually on a work trip for almost the entire month of December, and the fact that my coping mechanism has been taken away from me, we decided to take Christmas to the barest of bare bones. This has not been kindly received from certain members of our extended family, so we have decided to spend Christmas with just the two of us, and possibly making that a tradition.
I think the funniest thing about all of this was that when we decided to do Christmas on our own, our minds immediately went to food partially. Food is so deeply rooted in this season its nearly impossible to escape it.
There are a few important things I'm taking from this rather difficult last week and a half or so:
1) When traditions come before people, it's time to let them go. I'm not saying that if one person can't eat cake anymore we need to not have cake. I'm saying it's unreasonable to maintain a tradition for the sake of tradition if its simply not working for certain members of the family. Allow your family to continue to serve cake, but make sure they know you will not provide cake if it's ever your turn.
2) Allow yourself to be excused. If an aspect of the holiday is starting to be too much for you, politely excuse yourself and take a walk around the neighborhood or find a quiet room to sit down in for a few minutes. I feel like such an anti-social creep when I do this but I know it's needed if I want to be a constructive member of the family.
3) Learn to watch for your signs of overdoing it. This can vary for everyone. For me, I will feel an extreme temperature change. I'll suddenly get very hot or very cold.
4) Know when to say no. This is so much easier said than done, but understand your limits and know when it's the right time to refuse and invitation or say no to an aspect of a celebration.
This year is going to be interesting to say the least. I think I have a healthy relationship with food but I forgot how much I depended on it during this time of year. I'm hoping that lowering stresses as much as I have control over will help me every step of the way.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Hydrate or Die
A few weeks ago, I found myself attending the AUSA (Association of the United States Army) Conference held annually in Washington, DC. As a Department of Defense employee, I was allowed to go and my installation sponsored a bus trip.
AUSA showcases current and future technologies. Not to get too deep on acquisitions, but contractors need to put out their own money to develop a technology with the hopes that someone will buy it. Waiting for the call for bids to develop would often put these businesses in a poor posture.
This stuff is way beyond my pay grade, but nevertheless, it was a fun day checking out stuff.
I found a few booths that were giving away samples of hydration aids and I was immediately drawn to them. When they heard about the bariatric needs for hydration, I think I literally saw dollar signs in their eyes. They had been focusing on athletes and soldiers, but this market of individuals who have unique hydration needs was disregarded in their market research.
Hydration is important for everyone, but for bariatric patients it is even more important. The most common cause for hospital readmission following surgery is dehydration. It is also the most preventable. I was not the best bariatric patient I could have been regarding this, but with some tips I've learned perhaps you can learn from my mistakes.
1) You're only drinking that first week, right? Make sure you are getting water and electrolytes in as well as protein. My husband is going to go through this procedure sometime in 2018, and during that first week, he will have water, a protein shake, or both within arms length all of the time.
2) There is no such thing as too much water. I stupidly listened to the Facebook support groups, that if I drank too much water, my stomach would stretch back out. I was told by my research surgeon that this will not happen. Water just flows through your new rerouted system, which actually means you need more of it. If you drink a sip that's a little too big and you feel pressure, then you know you've sipped too much. Learn from that.
3) But, you will not get 64 ounces of water in immediately. Be patient with yourself. Know where you were at the previous day and try to do a little better the next day (this is where my severely analytical side kicks in).
4) When you get tired of water, mix it up. I still deal with this. I went away a few weekends ago, and I just didn't put any flavor in my water for some reason. I found my intake getting slower, and it took a day to realize that I was missing my flavor. It was in my bag the whole time. There was no reason for me to get a little dehydrated. Crystal Light-type individual flavor packets are great because they are portioned out. I have started using the squeeze bottle style so I can leave one or two in my bag at a given time.
5) Electrolytes are your friend. Use them. When I go a day or two without a little bit of an electrolytes in my drink, I notice that I feel just a little dryer. I have spoke the praises of Propel, but I also use the WalMart brand of Electrolytes as well as Mio.
AUSA showcases current and future technologies. Not to get too deep on acquisitions, but contractors need to put out their own money to develop a technology with the hopes that someone will buy it. Waiting for the call for bids to develop would often put these businesses in a poor posture.
This stuff is way beyond my pay grade, but nevertheless, it was a fun day checking out stuff.
I found a few booths that were giving away samples of hydration aids and I was immediately drawn to them. When they heard about the bariatric needs for hydration, I think I literally saw dollar signs in their eyes. They had been focusing on athletes and soldiers, but this market of individuals who have unique hydration needs was disregarded in their market research.
Hydration is important for everyone, but for bariatric patients it is even more important. The most common cause for hospital readmission following surgery is dehydration. It is also the most preventable. I was not the best bariatric patient I could have been regarding this, but with some tips I've learned perhaps you can learn from my mistakes.
1) You're only drinking that first week, right? Make sure you are getting water and electrolytes in as well as protein. My husband is going to go through this procedure sometime in 2018, and during that first week, he will have water, a protein shake, or both within arms length all of the time.
2) There is no such thing as too much water. I stupidly listened to the Facebook support groups, that if I drank too much water, my stomach would stretch back out. I was told by my research surgeon that this will not happen. Water just flows through your new rerouted system, which actually means you need more of it. If you drink a sip that's a little too big and you feel pressure, then you know you've sipped too much. Learn from that.
3) But, you will not get 64 ounces of water in immediately. Be patient with yourself. Know where you were at the previous day and try to do a little better the next day (this is where my severely analytical side kicks in).
4) When you get tired of water, mix it up. I still deal with this. I went away a few weekends ago, and I just didn't put any flavor in my water for some reason. I found my intake getting slower, and it took a day to realize that I was missing my flavor. It was in my bag the whole time. There was no reason for me to get a little dehydrated. Crystal Light-type individual flavor packets are great because they are portioned out. I have started using the squeeze bottle style so I can leave one or two in my bag at a given time.
5) Electrolytes are your friend. Use them. When I go a day or two without a little bit of an electrolytes in my drink, I notice that I feel just a little dryer. I have spoke the praises of Propel, but I also use the WalMart brand of Electrolytes as well as Mio.
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Constipation(!)
I'm just going to start here:
Having a gluten intolerance and diagnosed with IBS (likely Celiac but faulty blood tests) I've always been open to talking about my bowels.
But I have talked more about my bowels in the last six months or so than I ever thought was humanly possible.
Bariatric patients deal with constipation for several reasons. First of all, we drink protein shakes like they're going out of style, and they can bind you up. Second, we take a high amount of iron daily, which also binds. And, for the first 8 weeks post op, we don't get a lot of vegetables in, which doesn't help us correct the issues. Further, our bodies need to adjust to the new much smaller portions and there isn't as much moving through to help things along.
I started experiencing constipation during my Liver Shrink Diet two weeks before the surgery. At my return to clinic visit about ten days out, the Nurse Practitioner told me to get myself unconstipated before the surgery to make things less painful. I was told when they pump the gas into your abdominal area (common for laproscopic surgeries) if you have constipation it hurts a lot more. So starting at 10 days out, I had a cocktail of Miralax every night. Which did it's job...but the time I was constipated led to hemorrhoids. Yea. I'm going to go there.
Hemorrhoids have lived to their description as the biggest pain in my rear and lurks where ever I go. It has led me to change how I sit, remembering to take a cushion with me, and using a Squatty Potty whenever I am at home. For those of you that have seen the commercials, Squatty Potty really does live up to expectations. The hemorrhoids are also a double edged sword: they flare if I don't go every day, but they're so painful I don't want to go.
So by about two weeks out, I realized that if I had a little bit of coffee, I would be able to go. Now this was a huge bariatric no-no, but I couldn't see another way out. A few weeks later, that trick stopped being so dependable and I started having fiber every morning, which also helped.
Also, getting the proper water in helps a lot. Like, I think it prevents constipation all in all.
After a long trial, I have developed a system that works for me.
I take Colace three times daily.
I now take my vitamins in a powder that I mix with water. This powder includes a little fiber which has replaced my separate fiber drink (for the most part). I take this twice a day.
Daily, I try to get vegetables in.
If I have not gone by my bed time, I set aside 10 minutes to sit on the "throne" using the Squatty Potty and if I haven't gone in 10 minutes, I take 2 Senna Tabs and go to bed.
If the Senna has not worked overnight, I take a fiber drink in the morning and go to work, and hope for the best. At this point I carry hemorrhoid cream with me.
Constipation and hemorrhoids are not pleasant but they're a realistic side effect.
Having a gluten intolerance and diagnosed with IBS (likely Celiac but faulty blood tests) I've always been open to talking about my bowels.
But I have talked more about my bowels in the last six months or so than I ever thought was humanly possible.
Bariatric patients deal with constipation for several reasons. First of all, we drink protein shakes like they're going out of style, and they can bind you up. Second, we take a high amount of iron daily, which also binds. And, for the first 8 weeks post op, we don't get a lot of vegetables in, which doesn't help us correct the issues. Further, our bodies need to adjust to the new much smaller portions and there isn't as much moving through to help things along.
I started experiencing constipation during my Liver Shrink Diet two weeks before the surgery. At my return to clinic visit about ten days out, the Nurse Practitioner told me to get myself unconstipated before the surgery to make things less painful. I was told when they pump the gas into your abdominal area (common for laproscopic surgeries) if you have constipation it hurts a lot more. So starting at 10 days out, I had a cocktail of Miralax every night. Which did it's job...but the time I was constipated led to hemorrhoids. Yea. I'm going to go there.
Hemorrhoids have lived to their description as the biggest pain in my rear and lurks where ever I go. It has led me to change how I sit, remembering to take a cushion with me, and using a Squatty Potty whenever I am at home. For those of you that have seen the commercials, Squatty Potty really does live up to expectations. The hemorrhoids are also a double edged sword: they flare if I don't go every day, but they're so painful I don't want to go.
So by about two weeks out, I realized that if I had a little bit of coffee, I would be able to go. Now this was a huge bariatric no-no, but I couldn't see another way out. A few weeks later, that trick stopped being so dependable and I started having fiber every morning, which also helped.
Also, getting the proper water in helps a lot. Like, I think it prevents constipation all in all.
After a long trial, I have developed a system that works for me.
I take Colace three times daily.
I now take my vitamins in a powder that I mix with water. This powder includes a little fiber which has replaced my separate fiber drink (for the most part). I take this twice a day.
Daily, I try to get vegetables in.
If I have not gone by my bed time, I set aside 10 minutes to sit on the "throne" using the Squatty Potty and if I haven't gone in 10 minutes, I take 2 Senna Tabs and go to bed.
If the Senna has not worked overnight, I take a fiber drink in the morning and go to work, and hope for the best. At this point I carry hemorrhoid cream with me.
Constipation and hemorrhoids are not pleasant but they're a realistic side effect.
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
First Post Surgery Thanksgiving
A common question these days is how is the first holiday season going to go?
I'm not going to lie, but I was very nervous approaching this holiday season. What will be there for me to eat? I still struggle with poultry, making the typical Thanksgiving Dinner a little difficult. As with most things in life, I planned out my day ahead of time and stuck to the plan.
1) I woke up early and got a run in. This served two purposes. First, I was able to say to myself "I got up and ran for thirty minutes" which is a strong self-affirmation. Second, I was able to self-justify going over my normal calorie level because I had burned so many calories before really starting my day.
2) I protein-ed up. Usually I stick to my protein shake for breakfast, but when I came back to the room from my run, my husband was ready for the free hotel breakfast. I went downstairs and had a pre-made 2 egg omelette with cheese (16g of protein). Then, hours later before we left for dinner, I had a protein shake (25g of protein). Before really starting my day, I had 41 grams of protein. It worked well because I had no interest in any appetizers and waited until dinner (nearly 3 hours after we arrived).
3) We brought acceptable desserts. I am not one to bake, but I've been known to make some candied nuts before. A friend had posted a recipe for candied nuts made with butter, stevia, and cinnamon. And nuts, of course. I made Candied Cashews, which were weird, but my husband really likes cashews. Nest time he won't win. I also made three-ingredient Keto peanut butter cookies. It was 1 cup peanut butter, 0.5 cup stevia, and 1 large egg to make 15 cookies. I made three sets of these, and my husband and I ate them guilt free for dessert.
4) I had a little bit of everything that I wanted. So I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything at all.
5) I stopped when my body said stop. This is a no brainer.
All told the holiday went great. I hope my tips can help others during their first holiday season.
I'm not going to lie, but I was very nervous approaching this holiday season. What will be there for me to eat? I still struggle with poultry, making the typical Thanksgiving Dinner a little difficult. As with most things in life, I planned out my day ahead of time and stuck to the plan.
1) I woke up early and got a run in. This served two purposes. First, I was able to say to myself "I got up and ran for thirty minutes" which is a strong self-affirmation. Second, I was able to self-justify going over my normal calorie level because I had burned so many calories before really starting my day.
2) I protein-ed up. Usually I stick to my protein shake for breakfast, but when I came back to the room from my run, my husband was ready for the free hotel breakfast. I went downstairs and had a pre-made 2 egg omelette with cheese (16g of protein). Then, hours later before we left for dinner, I had a protein shake (25g of protein). Before really starting my day, I had 41 grams of protein. It worked well because I had no interest in any appetizers and waited until dinner (nearly 3 hours after we arrived).
3) We brought acceptable desserts. I am not one to bake, but I've been known to make some candied nuts before. A friend had posted a recipe for candied nuts made with butter, stevia, and cinnamon. And nuts, of course. I made Candied Cashews, which were weird, but my husband really likes cashews. Nest time he won't win. I also made three-ingredient Keto peanut butter cookies. It was 1 cup peanut butter, 0.5 cup stevia, and 1 large egg to make 15 cookies. I made three sets of these, and my husband and I ate them guilt free for dessert.
4) I had a little bit of everything that I wanted. So I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything at all.
5) I stopped when my body said stop. This is a no brainer.
All told the holiday went great. I hope my tips can help others during their first holiday season.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Goal Setting
If you participate in any form of social media, you know you're friends tend to fall into groups. If you're in your early to mid thirties like most of my friend group you have a little from the following:
The Mommies
The Nerds
The Harry Potter Fans (insert other fans here too)
The Crafters
The "Always at the Gym"
So when one of my dearest friends put up she was interested in doing a half marathon, I thought "Well this is unexpected". So I commented something along the lines of "Really?"
Then the text conversation started.
A few minutes later, both of us were signed up for our first half marathon. I wish there were more to it but it was really as simple as that.
This happened on Saturday night, but Sunday morning she was putting me to shame by already going for a run and telling me that she was going to do the leg workout I did on Saturday on Monday morning. But she didn't have a lot of guidance.
At this point, most half marathon plans I've found run for 12-13 weeks, which gives us two months to get to that point.
Until then, I made a plan for us to increase time by 10% every week to two weeks and get three runs in at first, then move to four. I will be sharing this math on my Instagram (@jackienelli) seen in the upper right corner of my page.
I've run since essentially my peak weight, so running is nothing new to me. However, since I started running post-op I've noticed an adjustment was needed for nutrition. No longer can I have a carb filled dinner the night before.
I ran the 10K Across the Bay a few weeks ago and finally got a 10K PR for myself. I attribute part of my success to taking Gu Packs every 40 minutes or so. This will likely be continued in a blog post as training continues.
Anyway, we're both very excited for this run. I'll be posting many of my workouts to Instagram and I'll put some summaries on here from time to time.
The Mommies
The Nerds
The Harry Potter Fans (insert other fans here too)
The Crafters
The "Always at the Gym"
So when one of my dearest friends put up she was interested in doing a half marathon, I thought "Well this is unexpected". So I commented something along the lines of "Really?"
Then the text conversation started.
A few minutes later, both of us were signed up for our first half marathon. I wish there were more to it but it was really as simple as that.
This happened on Saturday night, but Sunday morning she was putting me to shame by already going for a run and telling me that she was going to do the leg workout I did on Saturday on Monday morning. But she didn't have a lot of guidance.
At this point, most half marathon plans I've found run for 12-13 weeks, which gives us two months to get to that point.
Until then, I made a plan for us to increase time by 10% every week to two weeks and get three runs in at first, then move to four. I will be sharing this math on my Instagram (@jackienelli) seen in the upper right corner of my page.
I've run since essentially my peak weight, so running is nothing new to me. However, since I started running post-op I've noticed an adjustment was needed for nutrition. No longer can I have a carb filled dinner the night before.
I ran the 10K Across the Bay a few weeks ago and finally got a 10K PR for myself. I attribute part of my success to taking Gu Packs every 40 minutes or so. This will likely be continued in a blog post as training continues.
Anyway, we're both very excited for this run. I'll be posting many of my workouts to Instagram and I'll put some summaries on here from time to time.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Coping with New Normals
Dealing with not being able to overeat again.
There are a lot of fears when it comes to surgery. For me, the fear of the surgery itself was shadowed by the fear of what was to come, and I know I'm not alone.
I can remember in my days pre-op I would over eat from time to time and I would be incredibly uncomfortable. I wanted to sleep, but the rock in my stomach was uncomfortable. I wanted to walk, but the desire to stay still was just as strong.
It's not something you think about until you know this is a sensation you won't really experience again.
For those of you who are pre-op/searching/looking for a friend. The three stages most patients go through, however the timelines are different, are:
Full Liquids: Protein shakes, yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, water, jello, pudding (1 week)
Pureed Foods: If it blends you can have it (3 weeks)
Soft Foods: Pretty much everything except nuts, raw fruits and vegetables, and the skins of fruits and vegetables (3 weeks)
During the first week, the goal was literally a tablespoon at a time of "foods" besides water. This number increases as even the week goes on. By the time I got to pureed food, I had half of a baby food container at a time.
The sensation of overeating makes what I used to go through look like a walk in the park. Every time I overate until about three months in, I would get the foamies.
There are tons of articles about the foamies. But I would describe it was a mucusy, saliva vomit. Very little food comes up, but after a few minutes with the foamies, I would be ok. Not 100%, but more comfortable.
I don't get the foamies anymore because I don't allow myself to get there. Every once in a while I'll eat something my pouch doesn't want to process, or I'll have just a little too much, and I just take a nap to deal with it.
There are times where I'm eating, and I'll literally have food in the spoon, and that's all I have, and I'll leave it there. Literally, one spoonful is the difference between being comfortable and foamies.
So, people wonder how I do it. Because I know what's coming if I eat even just a hair too much. It's as easy as that. I had several bouts with foamies and being uncomfortable, and I think of those as learning experiences. Once a patient gets a handle on that, they should be ok.
There are a lot of fears when it comes to surgery. For me, the fear of the surgery itself was shadowed by the fear of what was to come, and I know I'm not alone.
I can remember in my days pre-op I would over eat from time to time and I would be incredibly uncomfortable. I wanted to sleep, but the rock in my stomach was uncomfortable. I wanted to walk, but the desire to stay still was just as strong.
It's not something you think about until you know this is a sensation you won't really experience again.
For those of you who are pre-op/searching/looking for a friend. The three stages most patients go through, however the timelines are different, are:
Full Liquids: Protein shakes, yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, water, jello, pudding (1 week)
Pureed Foods: If it blends you can have it (3 weeks)
Soft Foods: Pretty much everything except nuts, raw fruits and vegetables, and the skins of fruits and vegetables (3 weeks)
During the first week, the goal was literally a tablespoon at a time of "foods" besides water. This number increases as even the week goes on. By the time I got to pureed food, I had half of a baby food container at a time.
The sensation of overeating makes what I used to go through look like a walk in the park. Every time I overate until about three months in, I would get the foamies.
There are tons of articles about the foamies. But I would describe it was a mucusy, saliva vomit. Very little food comes up, but after a few minutes with the foamies, I would be ok. Not 100%, but more comfortable.
I don't get the foamies anymore because I don't allow myself to get there. Every once in a while I'll eat something my pouch doesn't want to process, or I'll have just a little too much, and I just take a nap to deal with it.
There are times where I'm eating, and I'll literally have food in the spoon, and that's all I have, and I'll leave it there. Literally, one spoonful is the difference between being comfortable and foamies.
So, people wonder how I do it. Because I know what's coming if I eat even just a hair too much. It's as easy as that. I had several bouts with foamies and being uncomfortable, and I think of those as learning experiences. Once a patient gets a handle on that, they should be ok.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Favorite Motto
If you've been reading a lot of my posts, you have probably identified a common theme or mantra that I live by:
If you've failed to plan, you've planned to fail.
I wanted to put down a few things that I do to plan and make life more manageable.
Vitamins: Every Thursday night is Vitamin night. I take about 10-15 minutes to organize my vitamins into an organizer. This 10-15 minutes means every morning, I just grab my container for the day and I'm good. Part of why this works for me is because I use Celebrate vitamins specifically formulated for bariatric patients. If I had more individual supplements, the 10-15 minutes that it took would be extended but still, it would make the rest of the week easier.
Meal Planning: A few days before I go shopping, I write out a little quick agenda of the week's events. I indicate if we have plans, and how those plans affect our eating habits. Sometimes, it might be being out all day so we're going to eat out, or we might have a potluck event that we need to plan for. I organize what we might want to eat on given days (20 minutes if you add in looking for recipes that I've already found) then I...
Write a food list: I take this writing out a food list a step further. I write down all of the ingredients we need and I indicate what recipe it will be used for. I learned this when I went to make a Broccoli Slaw for a party and Broccoli was just stupid expensive at the store so I decided to make something different, but I didn't know what other items were for the recipe, so I bought everything except broccoli.
Organizing Time: Google Calendar has been a lifesaver. But I take it a step further. I put in the times for working out just as I would a doctors appointment. This serves two purposes. I see that it's there and if I'm trying to make plans I know I need to reschedule, and also it makes working out less of a "if it's convenient" thing and more of a "this is a thing I need to do".
By doing all of these things (and more I'm sure I'll think of later) I organize my time and plan my hours properly.
If you've failed to plan, you've planned to fail.
I wanted to put down a few things that I do to plan and make life more manageable.
Vitamins: Every Thursday night is Vitamin night. I take about 10-15 minutes to organize my vitamins into an organizer. This 10-15 minutes means every morning, I just grab my container for the day and I'm good. Part of why this works for me is because I use Celebrate vitamins specifically formulated for bariatric patients. If I had more individual supplements, the 10-15 minutes that it took would be extended but still, it would make the rest of the week easier.
Meal Planning: A few days before I go shopping, I write out a little quick agenda of the week's events. I indicate if we have plans, and how those plans affect our eating habits. Sometimes, it might be being out all day so we're going to eat out, or we might have a potluck event that we need to plan for. I organize what we might want to eat on given days (20 minutes if you add in looking for recipes that I've already found) then I...
Write a food list: I take this writing out a food list a step further. I write down all of the ingredients we need and I indicate what recipe it will be used for. I learned this when I went to make a Broccoli Slaw for a party and Broccoli was just stupid expensive at the store so I decided to make something different, but I didn't know what other items were for the recipe, so I bought everything except broccoli.
Organizing Time: Google Calendar has been a lifesaver. But I take it a step further. I put in the times for working out just as I would a doctors appointment. This serves two purposes. I see that it's there and if I'm trying to make plans I know I need to reschedule, and also it makes working out less of a "if it's convenient" thing and more of a "this is a thing I need to do".
By doing all of these things (and more I'm sure I'll think of later) I organize my time and plan my hours properly.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Finding a New Self Love and Self Improvement Balance
On October 19, 2017, I hit my second weight loss goal, and my first since the surgery. I finally hit 100 pounds down.
I get on the scale regularly, honestly probably more than I should, and I knew this day was coming sooner rather than later.
I thought of the ways to celebrate hitting 100 pounds off of me forever, and I came up with the idea to take a day off and spend $100 on myself, no guilt allowed. Originally, I was going to get a facial or a massage, because I was afraid I would return whatever I bought.
The day finally came and a few "life happened" moments occurred. First, I couldn't take off the next day (a Friday) or the following day (a Monday) because of a deadline. Suddenly the rest of the week didn't look good, nor did the next two weeks (being a grown up is overrated). Also, in a good way, a friend gifted me a massage the week before, so I got my planned happy treat for free. Earlier in the month, I did spend a frivolous $100 on a TENS machine to help my aches and pains after workouts, and my husband's painful feet.
So back to what happened on October 19. I came home from work and for the heck of it, I stepped on the scale to see this. I was on my way to the gym, so I went there, shared the good news with my friends there, had a killer workout, and took a super cute Instagram picture. It didn't feel right just to go home at that point.
How was I going to express self-love in this process?
Before I tell you the embarrassingly nerdy way I celebrated 100 pounds, I want to touch on the journey I've gotten to for my self care, love, and improvement.
From the start of my medical weight loss journey in January of 2017, I eased into a workout routine. I started with alternating cardio and weight training and fell into doing both cardio AND weights at least twice a week. Part of this was possible because my part time job as a swim coach was ending with the conclusion of the season. This is an important point.
Then came surgery day, and I couldn't wait to get back to the gym. I had more time to work out because I cleared my schedule for healing, and working out was a big part of my emotional and mental well being. I found myself (safely and with the blessing of my medical team) working out regularly. As I went back to work, I struggled at first to find the right levels of energy and the right timing to workout, and I found it. But I let my body decide more than my social schedule or any outside influence.
Now as I approach five months out, I listen to my friends and husband's suggestions but when it doesn't work for me, I tell them, and there's not an issue because I'm being honest and everyone is understanding.
This has made for its fair share of uncomfortable situations. The most recent one is that my husband, on his own bariatric journey, committed to weekly aquarobics classes at the Y. I went with him for the first class, but I realized it was not a very challenging workout for me. I felt bad telling him, but I had to be honest and tell him that on Tuesdays (his chosen day for now), I get a more quality workout at Planet Fitness with my friends than I would at the aquarobics class. I know it was hard for him to hear, but we all only have 24 hours in the day and I need to make them work for me.
I also had to quit my job as a swim coach. This was a hard an unexpected turn of events, but the head coach was making the schedule and was not considering my new needs. We had an established schedule, but then she changed it, and wanted to keep changing it, and I told her this would simply not work for me. More importantly, as the season hit its crazy stride, I knew the schedule would get tougher, so I had to make the tough choice to walk away from my "sanity check" job.
So the theme here is that I had to find time for self love/care and self improvement. I told my husband and my former coach that my old schedule wasn't going to work for me anymore. Additionally, I enjoy journaling my weight training so I can see a clear improvement.
Finding time for self care is a little more difficult. I love to crochet, so it's been easy to find projects and circles of others who enjoy getting together to crochet. Other good hobbies friends of mine enjoy are adult coloring books, bullet journaling, and volunteering at local organizations.
So back to how I celebrated my loss. I left the gym, and decided to go to GNC to buy some good protein.
Yes, how very "bariatric patient" of me.
The week before, we bought my (former) favorite Pure Protein in vanilla from Wal-Mart. I had a scoop and it didn't taste right to me, but they say tastes change over time, so I didn't think much of it. A couple of days later, my husband complained and I thought that this might be a quality issue. But, we bought it, it was a little pricey, so we're stuck.
At some point on the day I discovered the loss, I decided we deserve better even if it means throwing the protein shake away. A recent visit to GNC taught me that they stand behind their products with a 30 day guarantee, so I went there to get us a new flavor that was actually halfway decent. Also, the quality of protein is likely higher.
The bottom line is, that day I realized, we deserve better. We shouldn't have to stomach our way through a protein shake.
So there you have it. The day I lost 100 pounds, I celebrated by working out, and buying protein.
I get on the scale regularly, honestly probably more than I should, and I knew this day was coming sooner rather than later.
I thought of the ways to celebrate hitting 100 pounds off of me forever, and I came up with the idea to take a day off and spend $100 on myself, no guilt allowed. Originally, I was going to get a facial or a massage, because I was afraid I would return whatever I bought.
The day finally came and a few "life happened" moments occurred. First, I couldn't take off the next day (a Friday) or the following day (a Monday) because of a deadline. Suddenly the rest of the week didn't look good, nor did the next two weeks (being a grown up is overrated). Also, in a good way, a friend gifted me a massage the week before, so I got my planned happy treat for free. Earlier in the month, I did spend a frivolous $100 on a TENS machine to help my aches and pains after workouts, and my husband's painful feet.
So back to what happened on October 19. I came home from work and for the heck of it, I stepped on the scale to see this. I was on my way to the gym, so I went there, shared the good news with my friends there, had a killer workout, and took a super cute Instagram picture. It didn't feel right just to go home at that point.
How was I going to express self-love in this process?
Before I tell you the embarrassingly nerdy way I celebrated 100 pounds, I want to touch on the journey I've gotten to for my self care, love, and improvement.
From the start of my medical weight loss journey in January of 2017, I eased into a workout routine. I started with alternating cardio and weight training and fell into doing both cardio AND weights at least twice a week. Part of this was possible because my part time job as a swim coach was ending with the conclusion of the season. This is an important point.
Then came surgery day, and I couldn't wait to get back to the gym. I had more time to work out because I cleared my schedule for healing, and working out was a big part of my emotional and mental well being. I found myself (safely and with the blessing of my medical team) working out regularly. As I went back to work, I struggled at first to find the right levels of energy and the right timing to workout, and I found it. But I let my body decide more than my social schedule or any outside influence.
Now as I approach five months out, I listen to my friends and husband's suggestions but when it doesn't work for me, I tell them, and there's not an issue because I'm being honest and everyone is understanding.
This has made for its fair share of uncomfortable situations. The most recent one is that my husband, on his own bariatric journey, committed to weekly aquarobics classes at the Y. I went with him for the first class, but I realized it was not a very challenging workout for me. I felt bad telling him, but I had to be honest and tell him that on Tuesdays (his chosen day for now), I get a more quality workout at Planet Fitness with my friends than I would at the aquarobics class. I know it was hard for him to hear, but we all only have 24 hours in the day and I need to make them work for me.
I also had to quit my job as a swim coach. This was a hard an unexpected turn of events, but the head coach was making the schedule and was not considering my new needs. We had an established schedule, but then she changed it, and wanted to keep changing it, and I told her this would simply not work for me. More importantly, as the season hit its crazy stride, I knew the schedule would get tougher, so I had to make the tough choice to walk away from my "sanity check" job.
So the theme here is that I had to find time for self love/care and self improvement. I told my husband and my former coach that my old schedule wasn't going to work for me anymore. Additionally, I enjoy journaling my weight training so I can see a clear improvement.
Finding time for self care is a little more difficult. I love to crochet, so it's been easy to find projects and circles of others who enjoy getting together to crochet. Other good hobbies friends of mine enjoy are adult coloring books, bullet journaling, and volunteering at local organizations.
So back to how I celebrated my loss. I left the gym, and decided to go to GNC to buy some good protein.
Yes, how very "bariatric patient" of me.
The week before, we bought my (former) favorite Pure Protein in vanilla from Wal-Mart. I had a scoop and it didn't taste right to me, but they say tastes change over time, so I didn't think much of it. A couple of days later, my husband complained and I thought that this might be a quality issue. But, we bought it, it was a little pricey, so we're stuck.
At some point on the day I discovered the loss, I decided we deserve better even if it means throwing the protein shake away. A recent visit to GNC taught me that they stand behind their products with a 30 day guarantee, so I went there to get us a new flavor that was actually halfway decent. Also, the quality of protein is likely higher.
The bottom line is, that day I realized, we deserve better. We shouldn't have to stomach our way through a protein shake.
So there you have it. The day I lost 100 pounds, I celebrated by working out, and buying protein.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Haters gonna Hate
A common topic of discussion on my various Facebook support groups is when do you tell people you’re having the surgery and how do you deal with the Negative Nancies.
The best place to start is with my story…
I pretend to know a lot about insurance and medical stuff because I read a lot, I watch a lot of Grey’s Anatomy (and ER back in the day), and my mom has done insurance stuff for most of my life. I do honestly know more than most people.
So a few years ago, and I would like to think it was the passage of the Affordable Care Act, I noticed many friends on Facebook were putting up the similar posts:
“Hey everyone, I have decided to undergo weight loss surgery, it was a deeply personal decision and I’m excited about it. Please, no negative thoughts, just positive vibes”
And back in 2013 when these posts started, I couldn’t believe these people didn’t want the negative vibes. If you don’t want negativity, don’t put it on the internet! I was not supportive of weight loss surgery. I thought you could lose it on your own, and keep it off. I’ve only failed because I screwed up. Also, I felt like all weight loss surgery veterans had the same eye-popping look to them.
Flash forward to 2015, after my husband and I went to his first physical in several years. He had just lost about 50 pounds on a crash diet and was honestly feeling pretty good about himself. He got his BP taken and blood drawn, then the doctor comes in and the first thing out of his mouth was “you need weight loss surgery, I’m sending you to a surgeon”. We were disgusted. Could this doctor for one moment focus on the good?
In the summer of 2016, I was training for a long run (another one of my defenses, if I was THAT fat, how was I running?) and I ended up needing Physical Therapy for the whole summer. I ballooned up to my high weight, a familiar number where other fun symptoms reared their ugly heads, and came to my own decision to pursue surgery.
At this point, I told my parents, my husband, and my in-laws. I told myself I wasn’t deciding until I met with the surgeon. Suddenly we’re in January 2017, meeting with the surgeon, and I’m pretty much sold.
What I realized between 2013 and 2017, was that diets largely do not yield long term successes. Surgery is the only thing with a higher success rate, and you can read up on why that is the case. I slowly decided I wanted long term success and this was the only way to see that come to fruition.
Now I’m an extraordinarily confident person. I’m thick skinned to a fault, and I share only that which I’m ready to accept challenging opinions on. So, I’ll post I was getting weight loss surgery, but not who I voted for in the 2016 election. But I still didn’t say anything. My thing was I wanted a date, so that it felt real to me.
I decided to post my news 3 months before my originally scheduled date and the support I got at that first post and every single surgery related one since has since had a positive response. I waited so that I knew as much as I could and I guarded myself with rebuttals to any potential Negative Nancy.
But I didn’t stop there. I posted pictures to Instagram, I friended everyone I could on My Fitness Pal, and I checked into Doctor’s appointments. Any friends who thought I could wake up one day and get this were proven wrong. I would like to think that my openness has awakened my friends to the process so that they understand just how much goes into it. I even made a Google Sheet about my process with all of my appointments to share with anyone who asked (Note: I did this at first for my own organization and share it more for potential patients, not for the haters).
I had one Nancy in my life. We work in the same office, and she saw surgery as an unnecessary risk. I told her that being overweight was a risk. Pre-surgery, I had good luck losing weight, it was more than luck, I worked my butt off. One day, she says “I’m tired of this surgery talk, you’re losing weight fine, cancel the surgery and lets lose weight together” to which I responded, I always get down to a certain number, and I’m not even there yet. Then, I’ll plateau for a while, then gain it back slowly. Let’s even address the fact that she was taking Phentermine, so let’s talk about throwing rocks at glass houses.
Some of the stories I read are heartbreaking. A mom who won’t care for her grandchildren while her daughter goes to an appointment, someone who is afraid their partner will leave them post-op, coworkers set up to sabotage diet efforts, it’s saddening.
For these deeply personal situations, I don't even know what to say because I was blessed with a lot of support.
My best advice to those people is to get their knowledge base on, and be prepared for the haters before you tell them. Ultimately, this is your life and your decision, so you need to be comfortable whichever way you go. This surgery will only save your own life. There is no denying the success of weight loss surgery, when the instructions are followed carefully.
Friday, October 6, 2017
How do I do this financially (clothes)
I was at my lovely support group last week when a pre-op patient raised her hand and asked how we are expected to do this without breaking out budget.
A local hospital's website presenting their bariatric center advertises all of the new clothes patients will be able to wear once they start losing weight. My friend was looking into what local hospital would work best for her and this tidbit actually turned her off to that particular program. Her logic was that the focus should really be on the health benefits of weight loss surgery and not the fashionable aspects.
She has a point, and a very good one at that. My program made no mention of the fun, smaller clothes I'll be able to buy.
But, there's about a year and a half of rapid weight loss where I can't wear the clothes I used to wear and I'm constantly in need of buying some clothes.
I'm going to start here: A few years ago, three friends and I went shopping. As usual with people I hang out with, I was the biggest. One of them shot a question point blank to me: "Are you okay with us going into stores where you can't fit?"
The real answer: of course I was. But I also like girl time, which has always been something I don't think I get enough of. And who wants to go shopping with me? Lane Bryant was pretty much the only place I went, until I discovered Kohl's (more on that later).
Tomorrow I'm going shopping with two girls who are just a hair smaller than me and I'm looking forward to it in some ways. At the pace I'm going through clothes however, it would be prudent of me to not max out my credit cards on clothes tomorrow.
Since my surgery just over 4 months ago, I've gone from my pants at 22 and shirts at 3x (and NEVER a button up), to my pants size being 16 and shirts at 1x/18ish/and 2x if it has buttons. I also need new bras. Badly. Every time I turn around, something on my bra isn't fitting right. It's the reality of the situation.
Someone once told me to put the money in the foundation of what you wear. So, I never wear cheap shoes, I spend an embarrasingly high amount on socks, and my underwear and bras I always want to be well-fitting. Because I'm losing weight and inches so quickly, I need to only buy one bra at a time.
But, I'm going to break that rule a little this weekend with the girls. We're going to a local outlet mall, and if the Lane Bryant there is offering the deal I expect, I will probably buy 2 bras in my current size, and 2 a band smaller. Then, Joann Fabrics sells bra extenders that I will take advantage of.
Lets get back to a more generalized topic of "how I don't break my budget". There are a few things I do to save some money:
1) Facebook: There is such a community out there for people going through bariatric surgery! A friend just started a local clothing swap and I haven't done anything for them yet, but I will likely give before I take on that group. There are also a ton of county wide online yard sales that I am a part of and keep an eye on.
2) The kindness of others: I have been super open about what I am going through in my office, and my coworkers are open enough to me to tell me "hey that shirt is too big, put it in your pile for donation". My coworkers are also kind enough to pass me clothing. One lady gave me two pairs of jeans, and another, upon hearing that I had to go to Texas for a funeral loaned me a nice simple black dress. These kind gestures do not go unnoticed.
3) Clearance racks: As my friends tomorrow will realize, I will not spend the expected amount on anything (besides "foundations"). When I go into a store, I get tunnel vision until I get to that clearance rack. If I want a shot to get anything that will work for me though, I need to go a lot.
4) Thrift stores: Again, thrift stores are a place I need to go consistently. I'm pretty good about going every other week, and a local chain offers half price on nearly everything on the last Saturday of the month. Last week was one of those magical Saturdays and I got two light jackets and two pants for $10.
5) Assess what you have: This doesn't really apply to me, in my adult life I've been good about getting rid of whatever I didn't wear that season, but so many people hold their clothes of all sizes with the hope they will fit again. So, before looking for new clothes (and I know that part is fun) go shopping in your own closet!
One last note is that I know it's fun to get rid of piles of clothes, but be sure to hold on to a top and bottom from your biggest size. I can't wait to take pictures in them in the future!
A local hospital's website presenting their bariatric center advertises all of the new clothes patients will be able to wear once they start losing weight. My friend was looking into what local hospital would work best for her and this tidbit actually turned her off to that particular program. Her logic was that the focus should really be on the health benefits of weight loss surgery and not the fashionable aspects.
She has a point, and a very good one at that. My program made no mention of the fun, smaller clothes I'll be able to buy.
But, there's about a year and a half of rapid weight loss where I can't wear the clothes I used to wear and I'm constantly in need of buying some clothes.
I'm going to start here: A few years ago, three friends and I went shopping. As usual with people I hang out with, I was the biggest. One of them shot a question point blank to me: "Are you okay with us going into stores where you can't fit?"
The real answer: of course I was. But I also like girl time, which has always been something I don't think I get enough of. And who wants to go shopping with me? Lane Bryant was pretty much the only place I went, until I discovered Kohl's (more on that later).
Tomorrow I'm going shopping with two girls who are just a hair smaller than me and I'm looking forward to it in some ways. At the pace I'm going through clothes however, it would be prudent of me to not max out my credit cards on clothes tomorrow.
Since my surgery just over 4 months ago, I've gone from my pants at 22 and shirts at 3x (and NEVER a button up), to my pants size being 16 and shirts at 1x/18ish/and 2x if it has buttons. I also need new bras. Badly. Every time I turn around, something on my bra isn't fitting right. It's the reality of the situation.
Someone once told me to put the money in the foundation of what you wear. So, I never wear cheap shoes, I spend an embarrasingly high amount on socks, and my underwear and bras I always want to be well-fitting. Because I'm losing weight and inches so quickly, I need to only buy one bra at a time.
But, I'm going to break that rule a little this weekend with the girls. We're going to a local outlet mall, and if the Lane Bryant there is offering the deal I expect, I will probably buy 2 bras in my current size, and 2 a band smaller. Then, Joann Fabrics sells bra extenders that I will take advantage of.
Lets get back to a more generalized topic of "how I don't break my budget". There are a few things I do to save some money:
1) Facebook: There is such a community out there for people going through bariatric surgery! A friend just started a local clothing swap and I haven't done anything for them yet, but I will likely give before I take on that group. There are also a ton of county wide online yard sales that I am a part of and keep an eye on.
2) The kindness of others: I have been super open about what I am going through in my office, and my coworkers are open enough to me to tell me "hey that shirt is too big, put it in your pile for donation". My coworkers are also kind enough to pass me clothing. One lady gave me two pairs of jeans, and another, upon hearing that I had to go to Texas for a funeral loaned me a nice simple black dress. These kind gestures do not go unnoticed.
3) Clearance racks: As my friends tomorrow will realize, I will not spend the expected amount on anything (besides "foundations"). When I go into a store, I get tunnel vision until I get to that clearance rack. If I want a shot to get anything that will work for me though, I need to go a lot.
4) Thrift stores: Again, thrift stores are a place I need to go consistently. I'm pretty good about going every other week, and a local chain offers half price on nearly everything on the last Saturday of the month. Last week was one of those magical Saturdays and I got two light jackets and two pants for $10.
5) Assess what you have: This doesn't really apply to me, in my adult life I've been good about getting rid of whatever I didn't wear that season, but so many people hold their clothes of all sizes with the hope they will fit again. So, before looking for new clothes (and I know that part is fun) go shopping in your own closet!
One last note is that I know it's fun to get rid of piles of clothes, but be sure to hold on to a top and bottom from your biggest size. I can't wait to take pictures in them in the future!
Friday, September 22, 2017
Stress Eating and Travelling: A Two for One Deal!
Just as a little bit of background before I jump into it, my husband's family with little exception all lives in a town in Southeast Texas. We've gotten out there about once a year since we started dating because we can see so much family in a single shot. Also, his grandmother (Meemaw from this point forward) had Lou Gehrig's Disease. She passed away on September 6, 2017.
If you have put a few pieces of this puzzle together, she passed away during a time of a natural disaster (Hurricane Harvey), and partially due to this the services had to take place nearly two weeks after she passed away.
When we got the sad news, we assumed things would happen quickly and the price of last-minute flights made it cost-prohibitive for both of us to go. A day later, we found out the service would be in about ten days, and we managed to find cheap airfare so both of us could go. After all, if Meemaw knew you, you were her grandchild and she loved you as such.
So today's story hits on two things, dealing with a high-stress situation, and traveling.
This was not my first post-operative trip, we went to Canada when I was eight weeks out. But, when we went to Canada, I was not cleared to eat all foods yet, so I found myself reverting to be safe as I didn't want to have an emergency so far from home.
At nearly 16 weeks out, I can eat practically anything, so the thought of what to eat for safety was no longer present which made some things easier, but also presented a danger for eating the wrong things.
I'm not going to sit here and write that I made every perfect decision and I would proudly present my food journal to my nutritionist or surgeon. The facts remain that I wrote everything down, and I did the best I could. A few key points made this possible:
1) I have a supportive husband who is willing to share plates. I'm going to start a new series of entries about my husband going through his own WLS journey (he starts in a few weeks from writing). So he understands where I'm coming from, and also that portions at restaurants are so huge, me having my three or four bites does not take anything away from his experience. Especially since the surgery, we haven't eaten out all that much. We would discuss what to order, then when it came to the table I had a small plate for my own serving. I know some hospitals give out cards to keep in your wallet that you have a medical necessity to order from the kid's menu. After this weekend, I am solid in my choice to not even ask for that card. The choices on the kids menu are generally less healthy than the main menu. They are there as usual kid crowd pleasers.
2) Planning planning planning. I have said in past posts that failing to plan is planning to fail. From the start of planning out our flights and our day of travel (we were landing at 3:30pm, getting lunch with my in-laws, who were on the same flight, and driving the 90 minutes to the destination) we planned out how we were going to get what we needed for a good trip. Before we even got on the plane, we made a list of things we would need at Walmart when we landed. This list included pre-made Premier Protein (a luxury to us), Cheerios, water flavoring, and fiber laxative. We stopped at Walmart and made our purchases, which carried us through the trip.
3) Think "protein" first. Every time I put something in my mouth, I thought "protein" first. I tried to keep my normal day for as long as possible every day, and no matter how the day ended, I restarted with the normal day the next morning. My normal day is my fiber laxative, protein shake, and a little later Cheerios (dry). At that point my days change as I mix up lunch and dinner. While the family was eating the food local organizations had so generously brought, I had my lunchbox. On the way in, I bought beef jerky from Buc-ee's. For non-Texas people, Buc-ee's is just a magical rest stop with the cleanest bathrooms you'll ever experience, along with fun food options. What caught my eye was the beef jerky bar, and we bought enough jerky to share with everyone. Also, beef jerky takes so long to chew, especially post-op that it would really keep me busy.
This wasn't the happiest of trips either. It was the first time I found myself in a situation where I would have eaten a lot from stress eating before the surgery. I was a little nervous going into it, but honestly I had no desire to overeat. I wonder how this will change in the future, but I had no issue saying no, and more importantly, no family pushing anything on me. This was the first time everyone had seen me since I lost any weight, so I was down 90 pounds since the last time I saw them.
This trip proved a lot to me about what I'm capable of and what level of planning it takes. The most important part is that as long as I am able, a Walmart should be my first stop, even before I get to a hotel. Research and preparation will allow anyone to have a successful trip.
If you have put a few pieces of this puzzle together, she passed away during a time of a natural disaster (Hurricane Harvey), and partially due to this the services had to take place nearly two weeks after she passed away.
When we got the sad news, we assumed things would happen quickly and the price of last-minute flights made it cost-prohibitive for both of us to go. A day later, we found out the service would be in about ten days, and we managed to find cheap airfare so both of us could go. After all, if Meemaw knew you, you were her grandchild and she loved you as such.
So today's story hits on two things, dealing with a high-stress situation, and traveling.
This was not my first post-operative trip, we went to Canada when I was eight weeks out. But, when we went to Canada, I was not cleared to eat all foods yet, so I found myself reverting to be safe as I didn't want to have an emergency so far from home.
At nearly 16 weeks out, I can eat practically anything, so the thought of what to eat for safety was no longer present which made some things easier, but also presented a danger for eating the wrong things.
I'm not going to sit here and write that I made every perfect decision and I would proudly present my food journal to my nutritionist or surgeon. The facts remain that I wrote everything down, and I did the best I could. A few key points made this possible:
1) I have a supportive husband who is willing to share plates. I'm going to start a new series of entries about my husband going through his own WLS journey (he starts in a few weeks from writing). So he understands where I'm coming from, and also that portions at restaurants are so huge, me having my three or four bites does not take anything away from his experience. Especially since the surgery, we haven't eaten out all that much. We would discuss what to order, then when it came to the table I had a small plate for my own serving. I know some hospitals give out cards to keep in your wallet that you have a medical necessity to order from the kid's menu. After this weekend, I am solid in my choice to not even ask for that card. The choices on the kids menu are generally less healthy than the main menu. They are there as usual kid crowd pleasers.
2) Planning planning planning. I have said in past posts that failing to plan is planning to fail. From the start of planning out our flights and our day of travel (we were landing at 3:30pm, getting lunch with my in-laws, who were on the same flight, and driving the 90 minutes to the destination) we planned out how we were going to get what we needed for a good trip. Before we even got on the plane, we made a list of things we would need at Walmart when we landed. This list included pre-made Premier Protein (a luxury to us), Cheerios, water flavoring, and fiber laxative. We stopped at Walmart and made our purchases, which carried us through the trip.
3) Think "protein" first. Every time I put something in my mouth, I thought "protein" first. I tried to keep my normal day for as long as possible every day, and no matter how the day ended, I restarted with the normal day the next morning. My normal day is my fiber laxative, protein shake, and a little later Cheerios (dry). At that point my days change as I mix up lunch and dinner. While the family was eating the food local organizations had so generously brought, I had my lunchbox. On the way in, I bought beef jerky from Buc-ee's. For non-Texas people, Buc-ee's is just a magical rest stop with the cleanest bathrooms you'll ever experience, along with fun food options. What caught my eye was the beef jerky bar, and we bought enough jerky to share with everyone. Also, beef jerky takes so long to chew, especially post-op that it would really keep me busy.
This wasn't the happiest of trips either. It was the first time I found myself in a situation where I would have eaten a lot from stress eating before the surgery. I was a little nervous going into it, but honestly I had no desire to overeat. I wonder how this will change in the future, but I had no issue saying no, and more importantly, no family pushing anything on me. This was the first time everyone had seen me since I lost any weight, so I was down 90 pounds since the last time I saw them.
This trip proved a lot to me about what I'm capable of and what level of planning it takes. The most important part is that as long as I am able, a Walmart should be my first stop, even before I get to a hotel. Research and preparation will allow anyone to have a successful trip.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
My Own Decision
Some of the most common things I see on the various Facebook support groups I follow include what brands of vitamins to take to save money, and what finally made people decide that surgical weight loss was the way to go.
If you've ready my story, you know how I arrived here. For those of you that didn't read it, my size was defining physical limitations that were becoming more limiting by the day, so it was time to do something about it.
I thought about surgery from the start of physical therapy for a knee and hip injury in July 2016 and applied through Johns Hopkins in October 2016. I was still not convinced when I applied, but since that twelve-page application deemed me eligible, I decided it was something to really consider. Still, however, I told myself not to make up my mind until I saw the surgeon. Even after the appointment with the surgeon, I made the first couple of appointments, which were an EGD and my first appointment with my Primary Care Provider, I still wasn't convinced. Either way though I was going to lose a little weight. I don't know exactly when my mind was made up, but by the second month of my process, I knew that surgery was the right choice for me.
To oversimplify my thought process, I'm going to break this up into Pros and Cons.
Pros:
1. I will lose weight quickly: This one speaks for itself. No other program boasts up to a 75% excess weight loss in 18 months.
2. I am more likely to keep it off: Of course everyone I talk to has a cousin that has a friend that had the surgery and then gained it all back and then some. But, the numbers tell me that more people have greater long term success due to surgery. This surgery is altering how my body absorbs food, so as long as I'm not actively seeking out all of the loop holes, I will be successful.
3. All of the other pros of weight loss: More energy, less over all pain, better fertility. All the things that other programs can offer as well as weight loss surgery.
Cons:
1. Surgery is scary: Someone is knocking you out to the point where you can't even breathe on your own and rerouting your body. Yes, its scary. But I was deemed medically necessary by the surgical team as well as my insurance, so this must be a risk worth taking.
Counterpoint: My first surgery was when I was 28 years old. It was a tonsillectomy and I needed it. Like, my tonsils touched when I swallowed and were terribly infected so my quality of life was not too good. I was scared, but I knew I had to do it, otherwise every few months I would be sick for a week at a time, and each time I got sick, it got worse. Finally one day I realized that I'm one bad turn of the steering wheel or even one bad step, away from needing emergency surgery where I would have the time to go through my own existential crisis. That actually soothed me.
2. There are no guarantees it will work: Yes the surgery makes your stomach a lot smaller, but I can just change my eating habits and get it all in. There are ways for this to fail and the surgeon and your team are not with you all day helping with your choices. One side effect of the long pre-op is you have plenty of time to think and decide if this is really right for you.
3. Possible complications: Every surgery carries risk and unfortunately these risks are multiplied for those who are overweight/obese.
Counterpoint: See con 1. You never know when you need surgery. Also, if you follow the instructions to the letter, you decrease the chance of complications significantly.
If you've ready my story, you know how I arrived here. For those of you that didn't read it, my size was defining physical limitations that were becoming more limiting by the day, so it was time to do something about it.
I thought about surgery from the start of physical therapy for a knee and hip injury in July 2016 and applied through Johns Hopkins in October 2016. I was still not convinced when I applied, but since that twelve-page application deemed me eligible, I decided it was something to really consider. Still, however, I told myself not to make up my mind until I saw the surgeon. Even after the appointment with the surgeon, I made the first couple of appointments, which were an EGD and my first appointment with my Primary Care Provider, I still wasn't convinced. Either way though I was going to lose a little weight. I don't know exactly when my mind was made up, but by the second month of my process, I knew that surgery was the right choice for me.
To oversimplify my thought process, I'm going to break this up into Pros and Cons.
Pros:
1. I will lose weight quickly: This one speaks for itself. No other program boasts up to a 75% excess weight loss in 18 months.
2. I am more likely to keep it off: Of course everyone I talk to has a cousin that has a friend that had the surgery and then gained it all back and then some. But, the numbers tell me that more people have greater long term success due to surgery. This surgery is altering how my body absorbs food, so as long as I'm not actively seeking out all of the loop holes, I will be successful.
3. All of the other pros of weight loss: More energy, less over all pain, better fertility. All the things that other programs can offer as well as weight loss surgery.
Cons:
1. Surgery is scary: Someone is knocking you out to the point where you can't even breathe on your own and rerouting your body. Yes, its scary. But I was deemed medically necessary by the surgical team as well as my insurance, so this must be a risk worth taking.
Counterpoint: My first surgery was when I was 28 years old. It was a tonsillectomy and I needed it. Like, my tonsils touched when I swallowed and were terribly infected so my quality of life was not too good. I was scared, but I knew I had to do it, otherwise every few months I would be sick for a week at a time, and each time I got sick, it got worse. Finally one day I realized that I'm one bad turn of the steering wheel or even one bad step, away from needing emergency surgery where I would have the time to go through my own existential crisis. That actually soothed me.
2. There are no guarantees it will work: Yes the surgery makes your stomach a lot smaller, but I can just change my eating habits and get it all in. There are ways for this to fail and the surgeon and your team are not with you all day helping with your choices. One side effect of the long pre-op is you have plenty of time to think and decide if this is really right for you.
3. Possible complications: Every surgery carries risk and unfortunately these risks are multiplied for those who are overweight/obese.
Counterpoint: See con 1. You never know when you need surgery. Also, if you follow the instructions to the letter, you decrease the chance of complications significantly.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Presurgical Shopping List
I remember getting ready for my surgery and thinking to myself how different life was going to be as soon as I got home from the hospital. I was nervous, excited, anxious...so many emotions at once.
I was well prepared, the program at Johns Hopkins had gotten me ready and I was more excited than anything to get the petal to the metal. Hopkins even makes their guidelines available to the public, if anyone would like to read over the material.
The weekend before the surgery, I went shopping and got two sets of the below list. I got two because I was going to be spending nights at my house, but would be spending most days at my parents' apartment since my mom works from home and is an RN. This list was derived from the guidelines linked above:
The biggest key however is getting at least that 64 ounces of water in daily. Before discharge I got a water bottle from the hospital that had increments of 2 hours to get 8 ounces of water in. If I started at 7:00am, and I was consistent, I would get my 64 ounces in by 11:00pm. I still use the one from Hopkins, but I found inspiration here. But, even taking a standard 32oz Nalgene with a Sharpie would work, but you would have to remark it fairly regularly.
Finally, I made a paper chart with goals based on the timeline in the guidelines attachment. I would include all of my new vitamins and medications on this list as well. I don't have any copies of these left, but it looked something like this:
I was well prepared, the program at Johns Hopkins had gotten me ready and I was more excited than anything to get the petal to the metal. Hopkins even makes their guidelines available to the public, if anyone would like to read over the material.
The weekend before the surgery, I went shopping and got two sets of the below list. I got two because I was going to be spending nights at my house, but would be spending most days at my parents' apartment since my mom works from home and is an RN. This list was derived from the guidelines linked above:
- Protein powder
- Lowest fat cottage cheese
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Dannon Triple Zero Oikos
- No sugar added pudding pops
- Sugar free popsicles
- Fairlife skim milk
- Ricotta Cheese (lowest fat)
- Pudding (powder)
- Jell-O
The biggest key however is getting at least that 64 ounces of water in daily. Before discharge I got a water bottle from the hospital that had increments of 2 hours to get 8 ounces of water in. If I started at 7:00am, and I was consistent, I would get my 64 ounces in by 11:00pm. I still use the one from Hopkins, but I found inspiration here. But, even taking a standard 32oz Nalgene with a Sharpie would work, but you would have to remark it fairly regularly.
Finally, I made a paper chart with goals based on the timeline in the guidelines attachment. I would include all of my new vitamins and medications on this list as well. I don't have any copies of these left, but it looked something like this:
- 7:00am: Protein Shake made with Fairlife and AM pills
- 8:00am: Water
- 9:00am: Greek Yogurt (make sure water goal is met), Lovenox shot
- 10:00am: Water
- 11:00am: Fudgepop (make sure water goal is met)
- 12:00n: Protein shake made with Fairlife and Noon pills
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Tailbone Pain after Bariatric Surgery
After I had my surgery and went back to the office (read: a more sedentary lifestyle), I noticed a very unusual and uncomfortable symptom developing.
Lower back/tail bone pain.
The pain comes on quick at about an hour after sitting down. It is terribly uncomfortable, and unfortunately seems to be a common complaint not just from WLS patients, but also people who have lost a lot of weight.
When I started telling friend about this pain, the joke became that I'm losing my "padding" on my bottom. However, I never exactly had a lot of padding down there. I would love to understand why this happens, but I would like to take a few minutes to share my coping mechanisms that I'd started and will start in the near future.
Lower back/tail bone pain.
The pain comes on quick at about an hour after sitting down. It is terribly uncomfortable, and unfortunately seems to be a common complaint not just from WLS patients, but also people who have lost a lot of weight.
When I started telling friend about this pain, the joke became that I'm losing my "padding" on my bottom. However, I never exactly had a lot of padding down there. I would love to understand why this happens, but I would like to take a few minutes to share my coping mechanisms that I'd started and will start in the near future.
- My Fitbit vibrates every hour. I have a Fitbit Blaze and one day last spring, it started vibrating at 10 minutes to the hour. I looked into my app, and there were now hourly goals. Most hours, I remember to get up as I start to feel the familiar tenseness, but there are times I get wrapped up in my work and that vibration is a reminder to get up and give myself just a few minutes to get moving. This feature is NOT available on all Fitbits, such as Fitbit Charge, Fitbit Charge HR, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit One, Fitbit Surge, and Fitbit Zip.
- I got a cushion. We were visiting friends in Upstate New York and spending hours around a fire when I started to shift in my seat a lot. One of my friends noticed and gave me a cushion that he had gotten for his car, but he is very tall and his head was hitting the ceiling of the car. I can't tell you how much mine cost, or even what brand it is, but it has made my bottom much happier.
- Standing Desk. This is still in the early stages. I was going to do the IKEA hack but I was encouraged to ask for my job to provide me with a standing desk and it was really easy. I got a doctor's note, and less than a week later I was approved. Due to budget issues, I need to wait until October to actually get it but I'm sure it's going to help this situation.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
August 24, 2017: Three month post-op visit
I should start with addressing two issues: first, this appointment was 12 weeks and 1 day post op for those of you paying attention to the dates. Secondly, the three month appointment really started 10 days earlier.
On August 14, I went to the lab to get my bloodwork done for my upcoming appointment. To help anyone going through this in the future, the phlebotomist took seven vials of blood and it took two arms to get this job done. The good news is that this is not a fasting blood test so I didn't get woozy or anything. I could list all of the blood tests they did, but highlights included a standard CBC, protein checks, B12, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and electrolytes.
Between August 14 and August 24, I got to see my blood tests come back using the MyChart feature Johns Hopkins provides to all patients. Everything was coming back beautiful.
Finally on August 24, I had my appointment which, thanks to nasty traffic, I was nearly late for.
I sat down with my Nurse Practitioner and discussed how the last three months had gone. I told her about a burning sensation I had under my ribs the previous week, but changing my diet and certain routines things had gotten better. She then told me that she thought the best idea was to re-prescribe Protonix, which I would have asked for if she hadn't brought it up. We began going over my average daily diet and I apologized for my diet sounding bland, but I had adjusted my diet to address that burning sensation, which I assumed to be heartburn. She said "I'm already giving you back your Protonix!" jokingly.
I am doing one thing bad: coffee. I was completely off the sauce prior to the surgery but I found coffee to be a helpful part of my daily routine at preventing constipation. I told her this and we addressed changing my constipation prevention routing. The new routine is:
Finally the surgeon came in and she did the standard pain check by touching my stomach, which went fine.
These post op appointments are so important no matter how far out you are. I think I would be hard pressed to find someone who skips an appointment so early, but there are people who just don't want to go to the doctor when they are feeling well. However, bariatric patients, for the most part, have been trained better than this.
On August 14, I went to the lab to get my bloodwork done for my upcoming appointment. To help anyone going through this in the future, the phlebotomist took seven vials of blood and it took two arms to get this job done. The good news is that this is not a fasting blood test so I didn't get woozy or anything. I could list all of the blood tests they did, but highlights included a standard CBC, protein checks, B12, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and electrolytes.
Between August 14 and August 24, I got to see my blood tests come back using the MyChart feature Johns Hopkins provides to all patients. Everything was coming back beautiful.
Finally on August 24, I had my appointment which, thanks to nasty traffic, I was nearly late for.
I sat down with my Nurse Practitioner and discussed how the last three months had gone. I told her about a burning sensation I had under my ribs the previous week, but changing my diet and certain routines things had gotten better. She then told me that she thought the best idea was to re-prescribe Protonix, which I would have asked for if she hadn't brought it up. We began going over my average daily diet and I apologized for my diet sounding bland, but I had adjusted my diet to address that burning sensation, which I assumed to be heartburn. She said "I'm already giving you back your Protonix!" jokingly.
I am doing one thing bad: coffee. I was completely off the sauce prior to the surgery but I found coffee to be a helpful part of my daily routine at preventing constipation. I told her this and we addressed changing my constipation prevention routing. The new routine is:
- 1 colace 3 times a day
- 1 Senna at night (was 2)
- 1 serving of Metamucil at night (new)
Finally the surgeon came in and she did the standard pain check by touching my stomach, which went fine.
These post op appointments are so important no matter how far out you are. I think I would be hard pressed to find someone who skips an appointment so early, but there are people who just don't want to go to the doctor when they are feeling well. However, bariatric patients, for the most part, have been trained better than this.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Living on a budget (vitamins and protein)
It is no secret that eating healthy
is more expensive than not eating healthy.
I can go to Little Caesar's and get
a medium pizza that will feed both my husband and myself for $5.99 or go next
door to Panera and spend over $6 for each of us to get a salad. All of this is
situational seeing as I'm gluten free by medical necessity.
I'm not going to go over this fact
again as many blogs and sites have done it themselves.
But Bariatric surgery has an added
level of complication. Post-op, patients need to buy protein supplements and
vitamins. These can add up to astronomical levels. Some say that the money
you're saving on food can help balance the budget, but I haven't completely
found that to be true as I am still feeding my husband.
Let's start with saving money on
protein:
Addressing once again that I'm one
of the cheapest people I know, I will remove a little satisfaction from my food
to save significant money. That is exactly what I do with Pure Protein. I have
had better brands with better flavors, but Pure Protein is $17.98 for 29
servings. That means I go through one of these every four weeks.
Going on to vitamins:
I decided to use Celebrate vitamins
when I started this process simply to take less vitamins any given day. But,
does this add up to savings at the register? I'm going to compare two options
at prices for every thirty days. All vitamin intake must meet these minimum
standards.
- Daily intake of 65mg Iron
- Daily intake of 1500mg Calcium Citrate
- Daily intake of 800mg Folic Acid
- Daily intake of 3mg Thimine
- Daily intake of 2mg copper
- Daily intake of 3000IU Vitamin D3
- Daily intake of 500mg B12
- Preferably has selenium and zinc
- Oh, and chewable only for the first 6 months
- AND you can’t take gummy vitamins
One option that many seem to take is
to take Flintstones Vitamins and then supplement what else they might need. Looking at
our list, if you use the iron minimum to decide how many vitamins to take, you
must take six Flintstones a day (and this is with enhanced iron). At six
Flintstones a day, you meet the requirements for Iron, Folic Acid, and Thimine.
This means you are still missing Calcium Citrate, Copper, Vitamin D3, Vitamin
B12.
Some quick math on walmart.com
showed me that:
- Best value for Flintstones was $27 for 180 pills (or $27 for 30 days)
- Best values for Calcium Citrate (includes part of daily supply for D3) was $15 for 155 pills (or $12 for 30 days)
- Best value for Copper was $7 for 300 days (or $1 for 30 days)
- Even with the Calcium Citrate in this scenario, you still need one D3 which was $13 for 240 pills (or less that $0.50 for 30 days)
- Best value for B12 sublingual $4 for 200 days (or $1 for 30 days)
- Total vitamins daily: 12 (6 Flintstones, 1 Copper, 1 D3, 1 B12, 3 Calcium)
Flintstones come to about $41.50/30
days to meet all requirements.
At first, I thought it was going to
be more expensive to buy the special brand name bariatric vitamins for my
needs. Due to the values of the needed minerals and vitamins, there is no need
for extra supplemental items to buy. Let’s see how they measure up:
- Multivitamin chewable (without Iron) is $42 for a 90 day supply ($14 for 30 days)
- Iron supplement (chewable): The price discrepancy is significant depending on how much you need. I’m on the high end as I had gastric bypass and I still have my period. The cost range is $21.50-$35 for 90 days (or $7.17-$11.67 for 30 days)
- Calcium is interesting because this vendor offered soft chews, which taste better and have a better texture, but in my (cheap) opinion is not worth the extra price. The cost comes to $45 for 90 days ($15 for 30 days)
- Total vitamins daily: 6 (2 MV, 1 Iron, 3 Calcium)
Going with Celebrate Brand means
less work organizing your vitamins weekly. This is something I spend about 10
minutes a week doing to get me set up for a full 7 days.
Celebrate Brand vitamins would cost
$36.17-$40.67/30 days. This means that a patient would save a little less than
a dollar to go the Celebrate route.