Yesterday, for the first time, I broke out the sippy cup. I did not manage 8 cups of liquid, only 5.5 cups and 1.5 of that was the protein shake. I can see this is going to be a trial.
Breakfast: 12 oz weak Protein Shake
Lunch: 4 oz Ham, Lettuce, low-carb Tortilla, 2 oz Colby Jack 2% Cheese, 2 T Lite SW Ranch dressing - I made a wrap, and a SF Cherry Pomegranate Jell-o
Three-sies: Tea
Dinner: 4 oz Pork Tenderloin, 1.5 cups of roasted Carrots, Onions, and Potatoes
Look at all those veggies!!
Weigh-in yesterday: 351.3 lbs, 2.2 more pounds out of my life forever!
Friday, January 30, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Clothing Sizes
Good Morning people at the other end of the internet!
It is not yet 8:00 AM and as I type I amdrinking sipping a weak protein shake. Mission for the day: accomplished! Well, one mission anyway. I just finished making a change to one of the Pages. It used to be called Weight Log, but I have changed the title to Progress Log. I added my clothing size as something to keep track of in addition to my weight.
I know as I stay on track, sometimes the number on the scale won't change, but I will still be fitting into smaller clothes. I have never been one to take my measurements, so as an alternative, I will track my jean size. I think it will be very motivational for me to see the drop in clothing sizes. I chose jean size, because it is the larger or the two sizes I wear. I have always been small busted for a large woman, maybe 1-2 sizes smaller on top depending on the fit.
I was browsing Bariatric forums last night and came across of thread concerning the speed at which you will drop clothing sizes. Everyone ones input was different of course, but the trend seemed to be this: You may only go down one clothing size for the first 45-65 lbs lost, but the smaller the size you get into the less weight you need to lose to progress to the next size. One woman even commented that as she was nearing goal, even 10 pounds necessitated a smaller size in clothing. I'm not sure what this says about the clothing manufacturers, but I do find it interesting.
My thought is that perhaps since bigger people are less likely to wear well fitting clothing, bagginess will do for us longer? Or perhaps we, like all women, try to fit into the smallest size possible, and the more fabric present, the more give (stretch) there will be? Hence we will be wearing a size, or even 2, smaller than we really should be. I know for myself, I hate tight clothes and tend towards baggy. However, I'm sure we've all seen someone squeezing into a piece of clothing that they ought not wear. If you haven't, take a gander over at peopleofwalmart dot com. That being said, even I am guilty of this to a degree.
When I began this three weeks ago, I wore a tight size 36 jeans. They are not so tight that I have to lay down to get them to zip, but in my teens, I was guilty of that too. Now, I refuse to go up another size, especially since I am working on changing this. They are still tight on me. In my closet, I have 2 pairs of size 32 jeans, practically brand new. So when I do get to a size 34, I will either be wearing a baggy 36 or a tight 32. More than likely it will be the baggy 36s since I really do not enjoy wearing tight clothing, but I am not ruling out the 32s at this point.
It is not yet 8:00 AM and as I type I am
I know as I stay on track, sometimes the number on the scale won't change, but I will still be fitting into smaller clothes. I have never been one to take my measurements, so as an alternative, I will track my jean size. I think it will be very motivational for me to see the drop in clothing sizes. I chose jean size, because it is the larger or the two sizes I wear. I have always been small busted for a large woman, maybe 1-2 sizes smaller on top depending on the fit.
I was browsing Bariatric forums last night and came across of thread concerning the speed at which you will drop clothing sizes. Everyone ones input was different of course, but the trend seemed to be this: You may only go down one clothing size for the first 45-65 lbs lost, but the smaller the size you get into the less weight you need to lose to progress to the next size. One woman even commented that as she was nearing goal, even 10 pounds necessitated a smaller size in clothing. I'm not sure what this says about the clothing manufacturers, but I do find it interesting.
My thought is that perhaps since bigger people are less likely to wear well fitting clothing, bagginess will do for us longer? Or perhaps we, like all women, try to fit into the smallest size possible, and the more fabric present, the more give (stretch) there will be? Hence we will be wearing a size, or even 2, smaller than we really should be. I know for myself, I hate tight clothes and tend towards baggy. However, I'm sure we've all seen someone squeezing into a piece of clothing that they ought not wear. If you haven't, take a gander over at peopleofwalmart dot com. That being said, even I am guilty of this to a degree.
When I began this three weeks ago, I wore a tight size 36 jeans. They are not so tight that I have to lay down to get them to zip, but in my teens, I was guilty of that too. Now, I refuse to go up another size, especially since I am working on changing this. They are still tight on me. In my closet, I have 2 pairs of size 32 jeans, practically brand new. So when I do get to a size 34, I will either be wearing a baggy 36 or a tight 32. More than likely it will be the baggy 36s since I really do not enjoy wearing tight clothing, but I am not ruling out the 32s at this point.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Note to Self: Drink a Protein Shake for Breakfast Tomorrow.
Things are still going well. Nothing momentous to report about Tuesday other than to say it was the last day of Umi's antibiotic pills. Her stool has resumed it's normal consistency. She doesn't have a big appetite yet, but she is eating.
For my meals, I ate a lot of protein, some vegetables, and a small baked potato. That was definitely an improvement over my veggie-free Monday.
Tuesday Meals:
Brunch: Rotisserie Chicken, 2 thighs, 2 legs with skin removed
Afternoon: Tea
Dinner: 6 oz Steak, Veggie blend of Broccoli, Carrots, Peppers, small Baked Potato with a little butter
Dessert: SF Orange Jell-o cup
My efforts paid off because this morning I was back down to 353.5 pounds. That is the lowest so far for a total of 7.5 lbs lost. I ate an acceptable amount of food today, although I can tell you I feel so hungry right now. I also have a headache, but whether that is due to the lack of sugar, lack of caffeine, or the weather changing, I couldn't tell you. But regarding my food choices, I see again, the veggies have disappeared. Sigh.
Wednesday meals:
Brunch: Egg Beaters, 3 oz Ham, 1 oz Colby Jack 2% Cheese all made into an omelet and an Apple
Two-sies: 2 Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, 1.5 c Milk with SF Vanilla Syrup
Dinner: 1.5 Rotisserie Chicken Breasts
Dinner was eaten on the go because the informational session for my husband's surgery was tonight. I packed the chicken to go with me when I left the house for my hair appointment. Then I picked up my Mom, who wanted to learn more about the surgery. Then I picked up my husband from work, because there would be no sense in us both driving across town to the meeting. Between picking up my Mom and my husband I scarfed down the chicken. Did I eat slowly and take small bites? No. But I did stay on track food-wise even though we went through a McDonald's drive-thru to pick up dinner for them. So I am proud of that.
I see a trend towards a late or nonexistent breakfast. I can't seem to bring myself to eat anything first thing in the morning. Partly because protein first thing makes me feel unsettled, but also because I don't want to have to cook that early. I want to sit down and wake up with a mug of tea and a pastry of some sort. Obviously that is a thing of the past, but my neither stomach nor brain have reconciled themselves to this. Tomorrow, I will try for a protein shake. It solves the problem of no cooking, but that much protein may make me feel yurky. Perhaps I shall try half a scoop of powder. Eating anything on plan at all has got to be better than going without.
For my meals, I ate a lot of protein, some vegetables, and a small baked potato. That was definitely an improvement over my veggie-free Monday.
Tuesday Meals:
Brunch: Rotisserie Chicken, 2 thighs, 2 legs with skin removed
Afternoon: Tea
Dinner: 6 oz Steak, Veggie blend of Broccoli, Carrots, Peppers, small Baked Potato with a little butter
Dessert: SF Orange Jell-o cup
My efforts paid off because this morning I was back down to 353.5 pounds. That is the lowest so far for a total of 7.5 lbs lost. I ate an acceptable amount of food today, although I can tell you I feel so hungry right now. I also have a headache, but whether that is due to the lack of sugar, lack of caffeine, or the weather changing, I couldn't tell you. But regarding my food choices, I see again, the veggies have disappeared. Sigh.
Wednesday meals:
Brunch: Egg Beaters, 3 oz Ham, 1 oz Colby Jack 2% Cheese all made into an omelet and an Apple
Two-sies: 2 Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, 1.5 c Milk with SF Vanilla Syrup
Dinner: 1.5 Rotisserie Chicken Breasts
Dinner was eaten on the go because the informational session for my husband's surgery was tonight. I packed the chicken to go with me when I left the house for my hair appointment. Then I picked up my Mom, who wanted to learn more about the surgery. Then I picked up my husband from work, because there would be no sense in us both driving across town to the meeting. Between picking up my Mom and my husband I scarfed down the chicken. Did I eat slowly and take small bites? No. But I did stay on track food-wise even though we went through a McDonald's drive-thru to pick up dinner for them. So I am proud of that.
I see a trend towards a late or nonexistent breakfast. I can't seem to bring myself to eat anything first thing in the morning. Partly because protein first thing makes me feel unsettled, but also because I don't want to have to cook that early. I want to sit down and wake up with a mug of tea and a pastry of some sort. Obviously that is a thing of the past, but my neither stomach nor brain have reconciled themselves to this. Tomorrow, I will try for a protein shake. It solves the problem of no cooking, but that much protein may make me feel yurky. Perhaps I shall try half a scoop of powder. Eating anything on plan at all has got to be better than going without.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Back on track
The weekend was bad, in that I mean we did use the last Groupon, but I didn't stop there. My shame will not permit me to go into detail, other than to say that on Monday morning I weighed 356.7. So here I am after 3 days of silence.
Monday actually went really well. Even though there were snacks in the house, I didn't indulge in them. I was hungry most the day, it was hard to stop eating when I did, but I managed.
Breakfast: 2 Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Oatmeal sweetened only with Stevia.
Lunch: 2 Egg Beaters, 1/4 cup Colby Jack Cheese, Ketchup, 1 low-carb Tortilla
Dinner: 4 oz Smoked Turkey Sausage, SF pudding cup
Dessert: 3 cups of Milk with SF Vanilla syrup
It was my first time making steel cut oatmeal. It turned out well, I think. It got all thick like rolled oats, but it still was a but grainy. I guess it is supposed to be that way? It was edible in any case. For the lunch, I wrapped it all into the tortilla to make a burrito of sorts. Moving on to the pudding, I really like Jell-o's Sugar Free Dulce De Leche flavor. In fact, it is the only flavor I usually buy now. It is so good!
Do you see anything wrong with what I ate? Yes, me too... it is remarkable devoid of anything resembling a vegetable. So, I will try to improve upon that today.
Weight this morning: 355.3 lbs
Monday actually went really well. Even though there were snacks in the house, I didn't indulge in them. I was hungry most the day, it was hard to stop eating when I did, but I managed.
Breakfast: 2 Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Oatmeal sweetened only with Stevia.
Lunch: 2 Egg Beaters, 1/4 cup Colby Jack Cheese, Ketchup, 1 low-carb Tortilla
Dinner: 4 oz Smoked Turkey Sausage, SF pudding cup
Dessert: 3 cups of Milk with SF Vanilla syrup
It was my first time making steel cut oatmeal. It turned out well, I think. It got all thick like rolled oats, but it still was a but grainy. I guess it is supposed to be that way? It was edible in any case. For the lunch, I wrapped it all into the tortilla to make a burrito of sorts. Moving on to the pudding, I really like Jell-o's Sugar Free Dulce De Leche flavor. In fact, it is the only flavor I usually buy now. It is so good!
Do you see anything wrong with what I ate? Yes, me too... it is remarkable devoid of anything resembling a vegetable. So, I will try to improve upon that today.
Weight this morning: 355.3 lbs
Friday, January 23, 2015
Cravings
I haven't cut out sugar yet and I am already having cravings big time due to the reduction in what I am eating. It's ridiculous. I look in the fridge and see nothing I want to eat, because it is not a sugary food. The cupboards are slightly better, because their contents are more carby, but still not sugary. Unless I eat the bag of sugar in there... and I am just not doing that. I need to buy some stevia this weekend, and a sippy cup. I want to start working on more of the post-op goals. I know the more changes I can make now, the better it will be dealing with food afterwards. I weighed 353.9 this morning. Current goals are going okay, but a couple times I just started eating my meals and forgot to have small bites.
First thing I did this morning was my Bible study, because I forgot yesterday. So I did yesterday and today's study. I did learn something that was like, whoa! Romans 8:10-11 (New Living Translation) 10. And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Earlier this week I learned the Holy Spirit prays for us. (Romans 8:26) Now, I find that the Holy Spirit enables our souls to go to heaven. This is because when we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit reside within us. It is really an amazing thought. I still need to do my daily reading, probably after lunch.
I worked on a scarf I'm knitting while watching a couple episodes of Fairy Tail on Netflix. It is an anime about wizards, it is really quite good. It is only available until 2/12/2015. I am about half way through, so I think I will make it through the 48 episodes of season 1. I am enjoying it enough that I am already considering buying it to see more. We will see.
Then, after cleaning a bit, I was so tired this morning that I took a nap. That is pretty unusual for me. I hate feeling like I am wasting the day. I have never mastered the "power nap" or even the napping most people do, that is like half hour to one hour right? No, No, I am lucky if I wake up after two hours of sleeping. Most of my naps are in the 3-4 hour range. You see why I hate taking them? I seriously lose a big chunk of my day.
So two hours later when I woke, I fed Umi some more food. She definitely has her appetite back, still having diarrhea though. I also played with Wren, our dog, for a bit. Then I paid some bills. I enjoy seeing the balances go down. We finished paying off all of our credit cards in December 2013 with the help of a credit counseling company. I look forward to seeing our mortgage and other loans being paid off too. Quitting my job will slow that a little, but we are still moving in the correct direction.
Now, I must go find some lunch. My stomach is gnawing at me. I think I will have some tea too so I can get a little bit of sugar. More later... maybe? If I remember.
First thing I did this morning was my Bible study, because I forgot yesterday. So I did yesterday and today's study. I did learn something that was like, whoa! Romans 8:10-11 (New Living Translation) 10. And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Earlier this week I learned the Holy Spirit prays for us. (Romans 8:26) Now, I find that the Holy Spirit enables our souls to go to heaven. This is because when we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit reside within us. It is really an amazing thought. I still need to do my daily reading, probably after lunch.
I worked on a scarf I'm knitting while watching a couple episodes of Fairy Tail on Netflix. It is an anime about wizards, it is really quite good. It is only available until 2/12/2015. I am about half way through, so I think I will make it through the 48 episodes of season 1. I am enjoying it enough that I am already considering buying it to see more. We will see.
Then, after cleaning a bit, I was so tired this morning that I took a nap. That is pretty unusual for me. I hate feeling like I am wasting the day. I have never mastered the "power nap" or even the napping most people do, that is like half hour to one hour right? No, No, I am lucky if I wake up after two hours of sleeping. Most of my naps are in the 3-4 hour range. You see why I hate taking them? I seriously lose a big chunk of my day.
So two hours later when I woke, I fed Umi some more food. She definitely has her appetite back, still having diarrhea though. I also played with Wren, our dog, for a bit. Then I paid some bills. I enjoy seeing the balances go down. We finished paying off all of our credit cards in December 2013 with the help of a credit counseling company. I look forward to seeing our mortgage and other loans being paid off too. Quitting my job will slow that a little, but we are still moving in the correct direction.
Now, I must go find some lunch. My stomach is gnawing at me. I think I will have some tea too so I can get a little bit of sugar. More later... maybe? If I remember.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Wash your vegetables and sweep your floors
Yesterday, I forgot to post anything, although I thought about it several times. There wasn't a lot of free time in the day, so it just got away from me. I started my day off with a weigh-in as usual. 355.8, still going down, yay! Today, I weighed 354.2, even better!! That means I have lost 6.8 lbs now.
Then I packed my husband's lunch. I do this for two reasons, I love him and it is cheaper than if he ate out at lunch. I actually enjoy it mostly, but I hate washing carrots for some reason. But if I don't, well, gritty carrots are not the way to go. You are eating dirt along with either pesticides or manure depending on what kind of carrots you buy. Honestly, I don't think I like washing vegetables in general. Or fruit, but vegetables are worse. I am lazy that way.
Then I got myself ready for the day and went to volunteer. Every Tuesday morning, I volunteer for a literacy program. It focuses on 1st and 2nd graders who are falling behind in their reading. We review the alphabet and the letter sounds, work on sight words, and then read together for a little bit.
Next stop was work. I won't go into detail, because it was my last day. I had given my two weeks notice prior to this. From here on out, I will not work for a while. I think it will make dealing with the surgery and the weeks post-op easier to manage. Then who knows? I have my eye on a couples places I'd like to work. We are very fortunate that we can afford for me to not work. God has blessed us with my husband's job. Side Note: My reasons for quitting had nothing to do with surgery, or I would have worked all the way up until that time.
I came home and checked on Umi, she appears to be in good spirits, although still not eating that much. She has food pretty much 24/7, so when ever she gets a hankering for it, it is there. I waited for the vet to call with the test results... and waited... and waited. Finally, she called at 8 PM. No presence of nucleated red blood cells after all. She does have a type of white blood cell present that indicates general inflammation or infection. So she prescribed an antibiotic, and an anti-diarrhea medication as well as some more of the recovery food. It seems to be the only thing Umi will consider eating right now. Monday night, Umi had had explosive issues from both ends, but all has been calm since then. She said if there was any more vomiting to let her know and she will prescribe an anti nausea medication as well. An hour or so after talking to the vet, Umi had a almost normal consistency bowel movement
This morning, Umi actually woke us up trying to get into the dog food bag! She had eaten all her food in the night and was finally hungry. She didn't eat a lot, but after hardly eating for so many days, I imagine there is not a lot of room in her stomach right now. I will continue providing small amounts of food at regular intervals to make sure she doesn't gorge, but has plenty to eat.
Last night, I also had an epiphany as to why Umi might be sick. With winter being here, we are tracking plenty of rock salt into the house. I try to sweep it up often, but apparently not often enough, because about a week and a half ago, I caught Umi chewing on a piece. I, of course, googled cats eating rock salt immediately upon this revelation. I found that it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other things too. If the salt toxicity is bad enough, it can kill the animal. I hadn't seen her eat any since the first time, but if she has been eating the rock salt, no wonder she is sick. I am going to give the vet an update on all this when I go to pick up the meds.
During the wait for the phone call, I fixed us a delicious dinner of chicken vegetable stir-fry and served it over brown rice. My husband said he really liked it. After dinner, we played a round of Munchkin Legends. I won this time. We have the add-on packs of Princesses and The Guild mixed in. We love getting together with our friends and playing this too.
I'm not sure what time we went to bed, but I dreamed about multiple tornadoes and destruction. The family was all there as well as an extraordinary amount of kittens. I wonder what my subconscious is trying to tell me with that? This isn't the first time I've dreamed of tornadoes or kittens, but it is the first time they were together and with my family.
Then I packed my husband's lunch. I do this for two reasons, I love him and it is cheaper than if he ate out at lunch. I actually enjoy it mostly, but I hate washing carrots for some reason. But if I don't, well, gritty carrots are not the way to go. You are eating dirt along with either pesticides or manure depending on what kind of carrots you buy. Honestly, I don't think I like washing vegetables in general. Or fruit, but vegetables are worse. I am lazy that way.
Then I got myself ready for the day and went to volunteer. Every Tuesday morning, I volunteer for a literacy program. It focuses on 1st and 2nd graders who are falling behind in their reading. We review the alphabet and the letter sounds, work on sight words, and then read together for a little bit.
Next stop was work. I won't go into detail, because it was my last day. I had given my two weeks notice prior to this. From here on out, I will not work for a while. I think it will make dealing with the surgery and the weeks post-op easier to manage. Then who knows? I have my eye on a couples places I'd like to work. We are very fortunate that we can afford for me to not work. God has blessed us with my husband's job. Side Note: My reasons for quitting had nothing to do with surgery, or I would have worked all the way up until that time.
I came home and checked on Umi, she appears to be in good spirits, although still not eating that much. She has food pretty much 24/7, so when ever she gets a hankering for it, it is there. I waited for the vet to call with the test results... and waited... and waited. Finally, she called at 8 PM. No presence of nucleated red blood cells after all. She does have a type of white blood cell present that indicates general inflammation or infection. So she prescribed an antibiotic, and an anti-diarrhea medication as well as some more of the recovery food. It seems to be the only thing Umi will consider eating right now. Monday night, Umi had had explosive issues from both ends, but all has been calm since then. She said if there was any more vomiting to let her know and she will prescribe an anti nausea medication as well. An hour or so after talking to the vet, Umi had a almost normal consistency bowel movement
This morning, Umi actually woke us up trying to get into the dog food bag! She had eaten all her food in the night and was finally hungry. She didn't eat a lot, but after hardly eating for so many days, I imagine there is not a lot of room in her stomach right now. I will continue providing small amounts of food at regular intervals to make sure she doesn't gorge, but has plenty to eat.
Last night, I also had an epiphany as to why Umi might be sick. With winter being here, we are tracking plenty of rock salt into the house. I try to sweep it up often, but apparently not often enough, because about a week and a half ago, I caught Umi chewing on a piece. I, of course, googled cats eating rock salt immediately upon this revelation. I found that it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other things too. If the salt toxicity is bad enough, it can kill the animal. I hadn't seen her eat any since the first time, but if she has been eating the rock salt, no wonder she is sick. I am going to give the vet an update on all this when I go to pick up the meds.
During the wait for the phone call, I fixed us a delicious dinner of chicken vegetable stir-fry and served it over brown rice. My husband said he really liked it. After dinner, we played a round of Munchkin Legends. I won this time. We have the add-on packs of Princesses and The Guild mixed in. We love getting together with our friends and playing this too.
I'm not sure what time we went to bed, but I dreamed about multiple tornadoes and destruction. The family was all there as well as an extraordinary amount of kittens. I wonder what my subconscious is trying to tell me with that? This isn't the first time I've dreamed of tornadoes or kittens, but it is the first time they were together and with my family.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Post-Groupon or not
First, I did end up making an appointment for Umi with the Vet. I was doubly glad I had done so when I found both puke and poop in the room we keep the cat carrier in. The room has been closed up for the past 3 days, so it was quite chilly in there. And very smelly. She must have done it right before we closed the room up, because I know I was in there earlier that day and there was no mess then. She is not one to normally make a mess outside of the litter box, so it just reconfirms to me that she needs to go. The appointment is in about an hour.
This past weekend we attempted to use up the remaining two groupons, but only managed to use one of them. I just didn't feel like going on Sunday. So instead, we had a very healthy dinner of tilapia, broccoli with cheese, and a baked potato. Unfortunately, this means that this next weekend we will be splurging yet again.
All my goals didn't survive the weekend, which is as I expected really.
Eat protein-rich food at each meal - Check!
Take a Multivitamin daily - Check!
Eat Slowly and stop when I feel full - no
Take small bites and chew well - no
Avoid Mindless/Emotional eating - Check!
Weight this morning: 356.3 lbs, so back up to only 4.7 lbs lost since 01/08/2015
Edit: Back from the Vet, Umi definitely is under weight, she weighs 7.8 lbs, at her highest it was 16.3 lbs. Her eyes are sunken, indicating the fat behind them is gone. She is a bit dehydrated. Blood-work found glucose and thyroid to be normal, but there was the suspected presence of nucleated red blood cells. They are sending her blood to an outside lab to confirm and get a number if they are present. Vet told me that a small number could just be stress related, squeezed out of her spleen, but a large number would definitely indicate something due to bone marrow such as leukemia or lymphoma. I won't know until tomorrow afternoon some time.
In the meantime, she has been given fluids, B vitamins to stimulate her appetite, something to stop nausea, and a couple of cans of recovery food. I'm to let the vet know if she continues to have diarrhea, and if so, she will be given something for that too.
This past weekend we attempted to use up the remaining two groupons, but only managed to use one of them. I just didn't feel like going on Sunday. So instead, we had a very healthy dinner of tilapia, broccoli with cheese, and a baked potato. Unfortunately, this means that this next weekend we will be splurging yet again.
All my goals didn't survive the weekend, which is as I expected really.
Eat protein-rich food at each meal - Check!
Take a Multivitamin daily - Check!
Eat Slowly and stop when I feel full - no
Take small bites and chew well - no
Avoid Mindless/Emotional eating - Check!
Weight this morning: 356.3 lbs, so back up to only 4.7 lbs lost since 01/08/2015
Edit: Back from the Vet, Umi definitely is under weight, she weighs 7.8 lbs, at her highest it was 16.3 lbs. Her eyes are sunken, indicating the fat behind them is gone. She is a bit dehydrated. Blood-work found glucose and thyroid to be normal, but there was the suspected presence of nucleated red blood cells. They are sending her blood to an outside lab to confirm and get a number if they are present. Vet told me that a small number could just be stress related, squeezed out of her spleen, but a large number would definitely indicate something due to bone marrow such as leukemia or lymphoma. I won't know until tomorrow afternoon some time.
In the meantime, she has been given fluids, B vitamins to stimulate her appetite, something to stop nausea, and a couple of cans of recovery food. I'm to let the vet know if she continues to have diarrhea, and if so, she will be given something for that too.
Umi Cat
I am worried about Umi, 10.5 year old our cat. Ironically, I am worried because of weight-loss. She used to be a heavy cat, 15 pounds on her medium frame. We worked on that and got her down to a healthy 11 pounds and she stayed around that for several years. March 2014, we had visitors stay for 3 days, they brought a 2 year old child and a 100 pound dog with them. Needless to say it stressed her out. She stopped eating for an entire week and went down to 9 pounds. Ever since then she has been very finicky about what she will eat.
In the past 3 months or so, we have had to switch food 2 times because although she was happy to eat it at first, she suddenly decided she didn't like it any more and would just not eat. She has still been losing weight although much slower. She feels so bone-y, although her coat is still healthy looking. I decided to weigh her over the weekend and she only weighs 7 pounds. My home scale may not be as accurate as the Vet scale.
In August 2014, we had to put her brother to sleep due to severe worsening of his chronic illness. I don't want to lose any more of my babies. I feel like maybe she is depressed because she misses him, I certainly do. She has never been sick like he was and maybe I am overreacting because we just lost our other cat. I don't want to take her to the vet and find out nothing is wrong only to have the vet visit itself stress her out to where she won't eat again.
I plan on calling the Vet this morning once they open and asking their opinion.
In the past 3 months or so, we have had to switch food 2 times because although she was happy to eat it at first, she suddenly decided she didn't like it any more and would just not eat. She has still been losing weight although much slower. She feels so bone-y, although her coat is still healthy looking. I decided to weigh her over the weekend and she only weighs 7 pounds. My home scale may not be as accurate as the Vet scale.
In August 2014, we had to put her brother to sleep due to severe worsening of his chronic illness. I don't want to lose any more of my babies. I feel like maybe she is depressed because she misses him, I certainly do. She has never been sick like he was and maybe I am overreacting because we just lost our other cat. I don't want to take her to the vet and find out nothing is wrong only to have the vet visit itself stress her out to where she won't eat again.
I plan on calling the Vet this morning once they open and asking their opinion.
Friday, January 16, 2015
The train is about to derail
My weight this morning was 355.3. That makes 5.7 lbs gone now. Mostly water weight I am sure. But I have a confession, we have two Groupons to use still. We are going to try and use them both this weekend to be done with them. So weigh-in on Monday... not looking too good from here. This will be the last time I eat at these places, so I am not even planning on trying to eat well. And I admit, after only 1 week of lower carb eating, I am looking forward to it immensely.
Yesterday was not as low carb as Wednesday had been. But still better than my previous food choices. We have used up several things between yesterday and this morning including: Lean Pockets, Lindt Truffles, Strawberry Conserves, Bacon Ranch dressing, and my all time favorite tea Vanilla Caramel. I didn't finish all of those myself, but regardless they are all gone now.
Breakfast: Vanilla Protein Drink - 30 minutes
Lunch: 2 Pepperoni Lean Pockets, Milk Chocolate Lindt Truffles - 38 minutes
Dinner: 6 oz Turkey Breast, Side salad with cheddar and Lite SW Ranch dressing - 56 minutes
Water: 7 cups
It is really hard to make a 8 oz drink last 30 minutes! Now imagine I have to sip 64 oz all day long... that is going to be a trial. Lunch was amazingly fatty, but both those items are now out of the house for good. I did have a weakness for both those items. By the time I finished dinner, my jar was starting to ache. In fact, it still feels a little tight now. Never in my life have I taken so long to eat a meal. Usually we would be done eating in 10-15 minutes, and a drink for a meal, maybe 5 minutes. I am glad I choose this as one of the first goals to work on, because it is taking a lot of adjusting.
As far as the goals I've chosen:
Eat protein-rich food at each meal - Check!
Take a Multivitamin daily - Check!
Eat Slowly and stop when I feel full - Check!
Take small bites and chew well - Check!
Avoid Mindless/Emotional eating - Check!
Now, how long do you suppose I should maintain a goal before considering it accomplished? Obviously, I am going off the rails this weekend, but after that? If I can keep these five going all next week, should I add another in? I've read it takes 21 days to make a habit... that is something for me to contemplate.
Yesterday was not as low carb as Wednesday had been. But still better than my previous food choices. We have used up several things between yesterday and this morning including: Lean Pockets, Lindt Truffles, Strawberry Conserves, Bacon Ranch dressing, and my all time favorite tea Vanilla Caramel. I didn't finish all of those myself, but regardless they are all gone now.
Breakfast: Vanilla Protein Drink - 30 minutes
Lunch: 2 Pepperoni Lean Pockets, Milk Chocolate Lindt Truffles - 38 minutes
Dinner: 6 oz Turkey Breast, Side salad with cheddar and Lite SW Ranch dressing - 56 minutes
Water: 7 cups
It is really hard to make a 8 oz drink last 30 minutes! Now imagine I have to sip 64 oz all day long... that is going to be a trial. Lunch was amazingly fatty, but both those items are now out of the house for good. I did have a weakness for both those items. By the time I finished dinner, my jar was starting to ache. In fact, it still feels a little tight now. Never in my life have I taken so long to eat a meal. Usually we would be done eating in 10-15 minutes, and a drink for a meal, maybe 5 minutes. I am glad I choose this as one of the first goals to work on, because it is taking a lot of adjusting.
As far as the goals I've chosen:
Eat protein-rich food at each meal - Check!
Take a Multivitamin daily - Check!
Eat Slowly and stop when I feel full - Check!
Take small bites and chew well - Check!
Avoid Mindless/Emotional eating - Check!
Now, how long do you suppose I should maintain a goal before considering it accomplished? Obviously, I am going off the rails this weekend, but after that? If I can keep these five going all next week, should I add another in? I've read it takes 21 days to make a habit... that is something for me to contemplate.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
A good beginning
Yesterday turned out pretty well. I managed to stick to five goals I am focusing on. I went to bed a little hungry, but it wasn't anything that kept me awake. I could have had a snack, but did't want to eat that late.
Yesterday's meals:
Breakfast: Fasting
Lunch: 4 oz turkey breast, 2 cheese sticks, 1 sugar free pudding
Snack: 12 oz sweet tea
Dinner: A turkey leg and thigh
Dessert: 12 oz sweet tea
Notes regarding food: Our church had something about fasting in the last service, so I thought I would rise to the challenge and do so for one meal a week. I do not think I will do breakfast again next week. I'm sure I need to eat in the morning to start my metabolism working. I realize I will not be able to do this after surgery as I will be eating so little food as it is. For dinner, I had a side salad made, but I was full. I do have a weakness for sweet tea. I have to stop drinking black tea soon, so I am trying to get what I have left used up. I plan on buying some stevia this weekend to replace the sugar/honey. I know it won't be as tasty, because I've done it before, but maybe it will help me drink less tea in general.
The turkey I roasted turned out well. There is one more in the freezer, so I'll have to roast again before surgery. I have always like cleaning out the pantry, freezer, etc. So this part is kind of fun for me. I've already gone through and gotten rid of all the expired items. Now the challenge will be to take what I have left and work it into our menu, or to re-home it. Not that we will have empty cupboards when I'm done, after my husband will still need to eat. I just need to get rid of anything that will be a trial for me to resist.
Weight this morning: 356.7 - 4.3 lbs lost
Yesterday's meals:
Breakfast: Fasting
Lunch: 4 oz turkey breast, 2 cheese sticks, 1 sugar free pudding
Snack: 12 oz sweet tea
Dinner: A turkey leg and thigh
Dessert: 12 oz sweet tea
Notes regarding food: Our church had something about fasting in the last service, so I thought I would rise to the challenge and do so for one meal a week. I do not think I will do breakfast again next week. I'm sure I need to eat in the morning to start my metabolism working. I realize I will not be able to do this after surgery as I will be eating so little food as it is. For dinner, I had a side salad made, but I was full. I do have a weakness for sweet tea. I have to stop drinking black tea soon, so I am trying to get what I have left used up. I plan on buying some stevia this weekend to replace the sugar/honey. I know it won't be as tasty, because I've done it before, but maybe it will help me drink less tea in general.
The turkey I roasted turned out well. There is one more in the freezer, so I'll have to roast again before surgery. I have always like cleaning out the pantry, freezer, etc. So this part is kind of fun for me. I've already gone through and gotten rid of all the expired items. Now the challenge will be to take what I have left and work it into our menu, or to re-home it. Not that we will have empty cupboards when I'm done, after my husband will still need to eat. I just need to get rid of anything that will be a trial for me to resist.
Weight this morning: 356.7 - 4.3 lbs lost
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
A more realistic start
So, after struggling the past two day, I've started again. Besides for it being a little overwhelming, I think that fact that I was so hungry played a big part in my failure. The goal for eating 3-4 meals and no snacks is a killer! This time I am only going to focus on 5 of the 11 pre-op goals, but still keep the other 6 pre-op goals in mind.
So for now my goals are:
1. Eat protein-rich food at each meal. (No carb-y meals!)
2. Take a multiple vitamin/mineral supplement daily. (I should have already been doing this anyway)
3. Eat meals very very slowly, stopping when I feel full.
4. Take small bites and chew well. (20-30 times per bite)
5. Avoid emotional/mindless eating.
I feel like I am also working on the drinking one, by getting in 8 cups of fluid a day, but I am not sipping yet. I have already exercised 2x this week, so if I can keep that up, the exercise goal won't be too far out of reach either. I think #3 and #4 above kind of go hand in hand, and if I can accomplish #4, then #3 should be pretty easy. For example, for lunch I had 4 oz turkey, 2 cheese sticks, and a sugar free pudding. It took me 43 minutes to eat, I was not full, but stopped eating because it was taking too long. So I can do this.
I want to have all of these accomplished by my next dietitian appointment in 3 weeks on 2/3/15. That way I will have two months for the other six goals which I think will be the harder ones.
Weight today: 357.9 - 3 lbs less than at start
So for now my goals are:
1. Eat protein-rich food at each meal. (No carb-y meals!)
2. Take a multiple vitamin/mineral supplement daily. (I should have already been doing this anyway)
3. Eat meals very very slowly, stopping when I feel full.
4. Take small bites and chew well. (20-30 times per bite)
5. Avoid emotional/mindless eating.
I feel like I am also working on the drinking one, by getting in 8 cups of fluid a day, but I am not sipping yet. I have already exercised 2x this week, so if I can keep that up, the exercise goal won't be too far out of reach either. I think #3 and #4 above kind of go hand in hand, and if I can accomplish #4, then #3 should be pretty easy. For example, for lunch I had 4 oz turkey, 2 cheese sticks, and a sugar free pudding. It took me 43 minutes to eat, I was not full, but stopped eating because it was taking too long. So I can do this.
I want to have all of these accomplished by my next dietitian appointment in 3 weeks on 2/3/15. That way I will have two months for the other six goals which I think will be the harder ones.
Weight today: 357.9 - 3 lbs less than at start
The past two days and from the beginning of the journey
The past two days: I struggled a lot with even starting to change the way I eat. I tried to tackled all 11 of the pre-op goals I was given, and failed miserably. I read blogs telling how horrible you feel after bariatric surgery, both emotionally and physically. Yet, almost every one of them said they would do it again. I went on weight-loss forums and looked and people's before and after pictures. I wondered if this was really my best chance at losing and leaving behind the extra weight I've been carrying since I was 3-4 years old. Can I really restrict my sugar/fat/food intake for the rest of my life? What will my life be like if I don't? But I will miss this... or that... or everything! Food isn't just something I love, it is part of my identity. I am known for my desserts and cake decorating among our family and friends. I even considered going to culinary school at one point. Will I still even want to bake?
I know the decision can be changed. I still have doubts obviously. But right now, I say I am going to do it. I am going to have Gastric Bypass surgery, probably in late April of this year. Starting in 2014, my husband and I, for the first time, have insurance that has coverage for the surgery. Not that the coinsurance on the procedure won't be quite a hunk of change, but better than paying for it in full. We are both extremely overweight. We are both interested in the surgery and it was decided that I would start the process first, and he would follow 1-2 months afterwards. That way we can be there for each other during recuperation.
I went a informational session in mid-December and got a referral from my primary care physician to see a dietitian. My insurance requires 3 months of supervised weight-loss, a psych visit, and lots of blood work. I imagine that is pretty standard. The dietitian told me I was actually lucky, that she had had one insurance plan require a full year of supervised weight-loss before they would approve surgery. The dietitian appointment was Thursday last week, January 8th.
Of course, the day starts off with car trouble! My Mom went with me because my car wouldn't start that morning, subzero temperatures will do that. I told her she might as well come into the appointment with me because if I do this it will change the way I have to eat for the rest of my life. I weighed 361.something at the appointment. The dietitian said that the insurance may deny coverage if I don't lose weight or at least maintain my weight for the next 3 months. I was told to make a psychologist appointment with one of a few specific doctors and to expect it to take 2-3 hours. She gave me 11 goals to work on accomplishing before the surgery, changes to my eating habits and lifestyle that will make me more successful post surgery. It was lot of of information all at once.
The Pre-Op Goals:
1. Eat 3-4 meals per day. No Snacking.
2. Avoid all sugars, sweets, desserts, and sugared beverages. Read food labels for 5 grams of sugar or less per serving.
3. Avoid fried foods, limit fats added to foods, and avoid high fat fast foods. Read food labels for about 3 grams of fat or less per serving.
4. Eat protein-rich food at each meal.
5. Take a multiple vitamin/mineral supplement daily.
6. Sip liquids. Drink 8 cups each day between meals.
7. Eliminate alcohol, caffeine, black tea, coffee, and carbonated beverages.
8. Eat meals slowly (approximately 30 minutes per meal). Stop eating when you feel full.
9. Take small bites. Chew foods well.
10. Avoid emotional/mindless eating.
11. Exercise 3x a week.
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