Wake up call!

Good Day Folks!

Today I went to the gym. I walked 0.75 miles and jogged 0 .25 miles, then I did 15 minutes on the stair climber, swam for a half hour and sat in the sauna. It felt great, well most of it. I did have some lower abdomen discomfort, like gas pains. I'm blaming it on the increased peristalsis secondary to the increased movement(the nurse in me speaking), it passed over time so now I'm fine. When I got home I logged my food into Sparkpeople, just to take stock and see where I am nutrition wise. Well what a wake up call for me! I consumed a whopping 364 calories, 16 grams of carbs, and 67 grams of protein. No wonder why I'm like a zombie by 7pm, I'm not getting nearly enough calories to keep with the demands of my life. So I'm going to try and squeeze another meal into my day to get me somewhere around 500-600 calories. I'm still working on finding a palatable protein supplement, I'm just sucking up for now because what I have on hand is pretty disgusting. I did mix some Vanilla stuff that I got for Vitamin World with 2oz of orange juice, 4oz of almond milk, and some frozen mango. That was delish, but not an everyday kind of thing because of the sugar. Since I did get a pretty good work out in today I think I deserve it and my body probably needs the extra protein as well. Oh yeah, I finally remembered to get a measuring tape so I will have DH measure me and will edit those numbers in later.

Little plate, Photo whoring, and TMI

Photo Whoring-Alright now I'm 2 weeks post op and I have lost (drum roll please) 15 pounds!!! I know I said I wasn't going to get on the scale for a week but I put on these jeans (size18) that I had just worn three days ago and they felt looser, so what the heck I stepped on and the scale said 211.4!Well shut the front door, I was so excited it made me feel light headed . So I took a head shot today  to see if I could see some clavicle, what do you think? Any collarbone action going on there? Maybe just a little :)  This was taken just after the dentist so my jaw is a bit swollen. My brows are also a mess, I need to take care of that ASAP!

Now I don't want you all to think this is all about looks, that part is really just a cool side effect, but health wise I feel pretty good. The true test will be what happens when I get back to Zumba, which I had decided to wait one more week for so I don't risk re-herniating my hernia, if that makes any sense. I also decided to go forward with becoming a certified Zumba instructor, more details about that in February.

Little plate-I bought a saucer from the thrift store so I don't feel so silly eating a tablespoon full of food off of a huge dinner plate, so here is a photo of what I ate for dinner. Yes it is lacking in color, particularly green, but my tiny sleeve is still very sensitive to fiber rich foods, so no green veggies yet:(  This is one ounce of baked chicken, with cream of mushroom soup and one tablespoon of mashed potatoes. I did manage to eat it all in about 30 minutes and I was comfortably full. I always eat protein first and then carbs if there is room.

TMI!!!- This is gross but I just had to share because it is a part of my journey. DH, DS4, and I were perusing the Guitar Center the other day when BAM, my sleeve was giving me a sensation like I had never felt before. Not painful, but very uncomfortable. Now, I had up until this point considered this a good day. I was getting in my fluids I was about halfway to my protein goal and it wasn't even noon yet. Well I must have had too much, too early, or too close together, so I had to go and BAD. Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE public restrooms, especially when it comes to "the movement". So along with my girlish figure, my sleeve is also keeping me humble, cuz uh that is not cute! Also, I must be in ketosis, because my breath is F U N K Y!!! There is this gross metallic taste on my tongue, especially in the morning.I know if it tastes bad, it must smell even worse. I am brushing and gargling incessantly but it seems as if nothing helps, I'm going to try that Biotene stuff and see if that helps.

One last thing, I think the rapid synthesis of fat is releasing a large amount of estrogen into my bloodstream, because I have been a tad emotional lately. I had read about the VSG causing issues with relationships, not necessarily because of the weight loss, but the emotions involved. Between mourning my former BFF(food) and the hormonal changes, sometimes I want to punch my DH, DS1,2,and3( never DH4 he's just too darn cute)but, I remain prayerful and ask God to see me through.


I know I'm kind of all over the place, but be patient I'm trying to get it together, thank you for supporting me:)

Holy Restriction!

Good day friends!!!
          This week went pretty well overall. I currently weigh 215.3 pounds and that is the lowest I have weighed in at least five years (maybe longer). I have also rediscovered my love for consignment shopping this past week. I cannot fathom the expense involved in replacing my wardrobe each month. I have changed dress sizes twice since September, my underwear are a bit loose (though I won't buy those used :), and even my shoes are a tad big. So we ventured out to a few thrift stores twice this week. We went to AmVets, The Salvation Army, and The Goodwill. Although The Goodwill is probably the biggest name in consignment,and the loser in my opinion... I found it a bit pricey( lol, I guess as pricey as a thrift store can get) and way too disorganized for my patience. Coming in second place is The Salvation Army Thrift store,I found a pair of nearly new Aeropastele jeans in a size 14(for the future) for $2! I also nabbed a cute little long sleeve tee with a pearl neckline for just a dollar. I also found a great suit jacket for DS3 for 2 bucks, so I would call that excursion a success. The winner in consignment stores this week is AmVets. I bought a ton of handmade Christmas ornaments and found those old school retro icicle garland for my tree. I also found a great wool dress in a size 16 that I wore to church today, I will post a picture of me in it! I would like to try Plato's Closet and Clothes Mentor this upcoming week. I'm pretty sure that Plato's Closet doesn't carry many plus sizes, but I saw a Clothes Mentor commercial today and they carry up to a size 26, so I will be taking a trip there in the very near future.
            I also started to really feel my sleeve this week. When I was on liquids and even some purees I would always under eat, I know I should hold about 3 ounces, so I would eat or drink no more than 2 at a time. Well, since I advanced to mushy two days ago I can really feel the restriction in my sleeve! I can eat maybe 3/4 of a soft scrambled egg, maybe an ounce of chicken(by volume not weight) and I am full for hours. While this may sound like a great thing, it poses a bit of a challenge when I need to get in 60grams of protein and 64 ounces of fluids plus vitamins and minerals. The preferred method of getting my protein is from food, I could certainly drink 60g of protein in a day, but I need to eat food. I never thought that eating enough would be an issue for me, go figure. I'm not complaining, just putting it in perspective.
           This Tuesday will be two weeks since I had my VSG and because I am an intelligent lady I know that I will not be losing a pound per day any more, so I have decided to weigh only once per week. I will do it on Tuesday mornings so that I can post it in the evening blog.
          Lastly, I just want to give a major shout out to my DS1. He is 14 years old and he has truly been a God send in my life! From the time he was born he has given me something to live for. When it comes to me he is completely selfless. He is always concerned about my well being, he is such a big help to me, and my number one supporter. I don't know what I would do without that young man. He is compassionate far beyond his years and I am glad to have him, so I dedicate this blog to him.
Hope we all have a wonderful and productive week!
                                                                                              Peace

Day 12 Post Op
215 Lbs.
This is the size 16 dress I bought for 5 dollars at Amvets.
I look a bit tired because I did a little dancing and shouting at church!

The difference a week and a day makes.

Would you believe that people are STILL questioning my decision to have WLS??? First of all, because we don't walk around with our weights displayed on our foreheads you may not realize how heavy your cute little pudgy friend, daughter, wife, or mother actually is. Secondly, our culture of excess has desensitized many of us to believe that being fat is okay. Well, I am fat and I have nothing against fat people, but I have decided that it just isn't for me. I don't want to live my life as an obese woman, I want to be healthy and active and set a good example for those around me, not only my children but my extended family and friends as well. I just feel so much better when I eat healthfully and exercise, and when something is good, you want that for the ones you care about as well. Whew, glad I could vent.

So far this has been a great week. I have embraced my pureed foods and have been experimenting with different flavor combinations. I also found these cute little 2 ounce containers at family dollar that are great for portioning out my meals, and they were a dollar!Also, I was very excited to find liquid hair skin, and nails on Amazon!(y'all know I need my hair vitamins). DH and I also went to the YMCA today. The cardio room was closed, so I walked a mile and a half around the indoor track and it was great! I also did some arms and squats. I just cannot wait to get back to Zumba( I feel like I've said this before). I am so glad that I decided to blog about this whole experience, not only is it therapeutic for me, but hopefully I can help someone out there who is on the fence about WLS.That being said, below are my goals for the upcoming week.

Goals for next week.

1.Get weights for home
2.Get measuring tape and post measurements
3. Bake cookies for the children
4.Get all my fluids in (64 oz is a lot)
5.Buy myself a cute new dress!

I also wanted to post what I ate today just to give you an idea of what my current diet is like.

B: Scrambled egg (pushed through strainer)
S: 4oz protein shake(2 oz pre workout and 2oz post workout)
L: 2oz cream of chicken soup(strained)
S: 2oz Sugar Free pudding
D: 2oz Fat free re fried beans, 1 tsp of nacho cheese soup, 1 tsp of salsa, and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt(strained)
S: 4oz protein shake
S: SF Popsicle

Plus: 40oz of water, Liquid MVI twice daily and  Calcium citrate twice daily

To date I have lost a total of 31 pounds ,almost 9 since surgery. My current weight is 216.6 My highest weight(July) was 247!!! And I feel great!!!

Drain Out and Shout Out

I went to the doctor today and had my JP drain removed (ouch!). I lost 5 pounds in 6 days whoopie!!! Dr.Posner said I look fabulous, as fabulous as I feel :) I have been cleared to walk on the treadmill and lift light weights, so I will begin that tomorrow. Also I can have super fine puree foods, which is like thickened liquids basically, but I'm happy with that. So everything is going well. I thank everyone for all the support during this exciting time of change and I can only see it getting better from here :)


Before I get out of here I just want to give a shout out to my fellow blogger Eggface who is hosting a contest that I would like to win. She is giving away a fabulous basket of goodies, if you would like to enter visit her @
Celebrate Vitamin Contest also look for her "badge" in my sidebar. She has a great story and always has lots of great inspiring recipes!

Six days out.

Hello Friends, 
      Today makes five days since I had my VSG and I feel great!!! I am still on liquids, mostly clear plus almond milk and protein powder. I am constantly sipping to get in my 64 ounces of fluids and 60 grams of protein. I'm going to see Dr. Posner tomorrow to have my drain removed(hopefully) and hopefully get cleared to do some exercising, y'all know how much I miss my Zumba! This week I would really like to start walking on the treadmill (possibly elliptical) and definitely do some arms, crazy arms and chest so I can combat some of this flabby hanging skin I'm going to have. So, things have been going extremely well, I have not been convalesced at all, I still carry on my normal business with the exception of work. I made it to church this morning and felt pretty good.I am falling asleep quite a bit, but I'm pretty sure that's my body adjusting to running on so few calories. I jumped on the scale just before I started this and I weigh 220 which is what I weighed before I got pregnant with DS4, maybe even a pound or two less. Nonetheless I know I haven't seen that number on the scale in quite a while so I am very happy with whats going on in my body thus far. I do not feel hungry, but a bit jealous when people are eating around me. That all goes away though every time I look in the mirror because I can see the change in myself. That's all for now, Thanks for stopping by!

How I did and how I'm doing.

Howdy and how the heck are ya!?  I was sleeved three days ago and I feel great! I'll start at the beginning.

I didn't sleep much Monday night, my sister and nephew stayed the night to help get the children off to school and to watch DS4 while DH was at BGH with me. My younger cousin and step-son also wound up coming by and spending the night, they are all in their early 20's so I just love talking to them about life. We stayed up until about 2 am, I then laid down, prayed for about an hour, talked with DH for another half hour and closed my eyes for maybe fifteen minutes. I was fully active at about 5am, I took a shower, dressed, double checked my bags, and put them by the door. Then I woke, hugged, and kissed each of my sons and told them not to worry we would Skype later. We arrived at BHG at 6 o'clock on the dot and found the "guy in the tuxedo". We had a bit of a wait as I was scheduled for 9:15, so I read the newspaper and tried to ignore the Timmy Ho's breakfast sandwich and coffee DH was wolfing down. The nice guy in the tuxedo returns around 6:50 and takes us to the surgical floor. I get all comfy in a very flattering green gown in my semi-private holding area. Well it turns out that my roomie and I have the same surgeon, she is having the Lap Band done and is the 8 o'clock case. We trade a few jokes between us, and off she goes to be prepped by anesthesia. Moments later, the nurse returns to give me my Lovenox and informs me that the first case has been postponed and I'm next. As much as I was sure that I was not nervous and I was ready for my sleeve, when I got this news my heart sank into my gut and my palms were instantly sweaty. Welp, nothing to do now but stand on what I believe so here I go. I jump up on the gurney and flash a toothy grin at my very nervous husband and assure him I will see him very shortly. I am wheeled back to the pre-op holding area where I meet the anesthesia resident who is going to start my I.V. (great) she starts by injecting me with something to numb the site(inject me to make the injection hurt less?) whatever, I figure well maybe it's going to be a deep PIV so I smile and tell her to go for it. OMG it hurt so bad I wanted to slap the foundation off of her face. She was digging and adjusting and all the while the(other) student was asking me eight million questions about my history to distract me(get on my last nerve), so while I'm telling him all about why I'm fat and how long I've been fat and how many diets I've been on the anesthesiologist comes over and makes the 18 gauge catheter fit and runs the Ringers Lactate with Ampicillin piggy backed in. I asked what every single thing they were giving me was and I was shocked that they didn't readily offer that information. Now that I've been poked twice and traumatized I am also cold and shivering; or shaking of nervousness. The very kind and pretty nurse comes with a syringe with an orange label and I ask"what's that?" she said "something called Versed to help calm you down" well things were looking up from there! Into the ice cold operating room we go. I jump up onto the table position myself in the middle and put my life in the hands of Dr. Posner and his OR staff....
I wake up in recovery the clock says 10:50. I estimate the surgery must have taken 2 hours instead of 1 and I notice my shoulders and chest are very sore, hmmm...I wonder if i had a hiatal hernia? The nurse comes over and pushes some dilaudid and confirms my suspicion, she says it will be a few minutes for my room to be ready and gives me a generous helping of ice chips to work on while I wait. I'm a tad sore, and my throat hurts, but I feel okay. I came out alive and now my life will change forever.
Around noon I get up to my room 1515 window, "wait no private room?, you know I'm family first?" "I'm sorry Mrs.W we are at capacity" First thought after that is let me get the heck out of here ASAP!

Around 1o'clock DH shows back up. They wouldn't let him see me in recovery so he went home to check on DS4. He visited briefly and then I sent him home so that I could "rest". The nurses on the floor were nice enough you could tell they were very busy, it always took about 20 minutes to get anything I asked for, but I know how it is so no big deal. I got up and walked the floor and walked to the bathroom, a lot. I tried and tried to void and to no avail, I could squeeze out a few trickles but I somehow was feeling like my bladder was still full. I called my nurse and she said she would come do a bladder scan, well an hour later I was writhing in pain and here she comes. "dilaudid first please" I said. She performs the scan and indeed I had nearly a half liter of urine in my badder, so I bought myself a foley for the night. I figured at this point why bother wrestling with the foley, I.V. pole, drain, and monitor. I planned to stay snowed and just sleep the night away and besides Skyping my boys and my close friend that's what I did.

Day Two

The Nurse Practitioner came in early, so my first request was to get rid of the foley. We went over my discharge instruction at great length and she ordered an upper GI. Within 10 minutes the foley was out and I was being wheeled down to radiology for the barium swallow. Now up untill this point I was only allowed ice chips and tiny sips of water so the Omnipaque and barium went down effortlessly. The tech told me right away that there were no leaks and I was relieved. When I got back upstairs I had a lunch tray of clear liquids to enjoy. There was chicken broth, yellow jelllo, and apple juice. Since I had been told by Dr. Posner My stomach would be able to hold 3-4 ounces I portioned myself 1 oz of broth, 0.5 oz of jello , and0.5 oz of apple juice, I know that doesn't equal 3 ounces but I was trying to account for the swelling :) I got it all down in about 30 minutes and then got up and walked the floor some more. By the time Dr. Posner rounded at around 1pm I had walked a mile around that little unit.He asked me if there was any reason why I should stay and I could not think of one, and neither could he. I showed him how I would care for my drain and dressings at home and promised to call him if I had any issue at all, in return he gave me my walking papers. I got dressed and got home a little after 3. When I got home my MIL was there getting my troops in line. I sat and visited with my MIL, SIL, and children and answered all their questions. I showed DS3 my belly wounds(he has one too so he wanted to compare). I then poured myself a few cups of liquids and retired to my bed for the evening.

Day Three

I don't remember what I did, I drank a lot of fluids and took my pain meds around the clock.I went out and ran a few errands, that was really it. I wasn't feeling too bad just tired.

Day Four

I went to the dentist, I got my old mercury fillings replaced with composite ones. I cooked spaghetti for my family. I wasn't hungry, but I was sleepy. We had friends over and watched The Grinch.

Day Five

I got up early, got dressed, even put on makeup! I was feeling fabulous! I went to the Wailing Women Ministry meeting. This is the first day I got in all of my fluids and protein. I haven't been on the scale...maybe tomorrow.

Pre- Op, Poop, and Promises

 Tomorrow is the BIG day! I am packed, prepped, and ready to go. All helping hands are on deck, my sister is here to supervise the children,  my MIL is on standby, as is my mom, and my work mom P.H. I had a protein shake for breakfast and have been on clear liquids since. I don't feel hungry at all but I do envy those who are chewing their food today. I am much more excited than I am nervous, there have been prayers a plenty and I thank everyone for the support! I know I will come out on the other side of this in one piece, well more like two because the big portion of my old stomach will be removed. Now all there is to do is sleep(if at all possible) and wake up. I will post an update as soon as I am able <3 Peace :)

This is my empty bottle of mag citrate I had to drink this morning. It tastes like salty flat sprite. Now that my "prep" is done I'm off to take a nap.




And more info about the VSG procedure.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/about_vertical_sleeve_gastrectomy.html

A quick and dirty about the "sleeve"

The RNY (Gastric bypass) is below for comparison.

    I promised I would do it alright so here goes...now that I look back (it was only a month ago) I was much huger ( that is a word isn't it?) than I thought. I'm a bit ashamed, but at least I have the wherewithal to be actively doing something about it. I said I will post everything, so as much as it make me uncomfortable here I am in all my fat glory, I hope this helps someone. I always look for people with similar body composition to compare myself to so it is important that I be courageous and do this. My highest weight has been 247 (ouch!!! and I wasn't even pregnant at the time) and I am a very tall 5' tall.

10/28/2011 241 lbs.!!!

Side View 10/28/2011 241 lbs.!!!

This second of photos(in the purple shirt) was taken this morning (11/28/2011) I weigh 223.8 pounds.

Soooo...Today is Sunday, My absolute favorite day of the week. It's for praising the LORD, football (Go Bills), family, and food. In that order, lol.  I'm all packed and ready for Tuesday. Tonight I will feed my old stomach her final dinner and in the morning she will have her final lunch, both Phase 1 of South Beach. For dinner I'm going to treat myself to crab legs and salad and some sugar free pudding for desert. For breakfast tomorrow morning I think I will just have eggs and turkey sausage, after that it will be liquids for the next 15 some odd days, YAY! I'm up for the challenge because I have worked extremely hard to get to this point, mentally and physically. I've done lots of explaining to friends and family why this is what I want, so now it's time for me to show and prove. Before I turn in tonight I will post some before pics(don't judge me) and some links with FAQ's about the VSG procedure.

Allow Me to Introduce Myself :)

             My name is India. I am thirty years old and I have been overweight or obese most of my adult life. I am married to a great guy who constantly reassures me of how beautiful and desirable I am, I feel it necessary to say this because I have not entered this journey lightly. I am a self confident woman and secure in myself. I feel as if WLS is a tool much like education. Having a degree is a good thing for an intelligent person to do, but having a graduate degree makes you better equipped. It doesn't mean you are trying to fix your stupid, just trying to improve. I love me the way I am, because of this self love I realize that I can be even better. I want to be a healthy active mother and set a good example for my sons (which I have four of). I also believe that we as human beings should use each and every opportunity and experience to help someone, whether we know they need the help or not. So, I am putting myself out there, raw and uncut, my weight loss journey from start to finish. I promise to keep it honest and interesting,