A friend I met on Facebook turned me to www.myfitnesspal.com, which is a great place to track what I eat, how much water I drink, and how much exercise I'm getting. Snort, yeah right. I'm exercising. More on that later.
The web site is really helping me to be accountable for what I'm doing. Since I started using it last mid-week last night, I've lost four pounds. Love it!
Now for the exercising thing. I went to LA Fitness today and joined. Working for Boeing, one of our discount programs allows us to join with no initiation fee ($100 savings). The monthly fee is $29.99 and includes lots of machines / treadmills / elliptical trainers, all classes, pool, sauna, and a hot tub. It's on my way home from work, and with Jim working second shift once he starts at Boeing I really have no excuse for not going to the gym.
I was going to also look at the YMCA in Shoreline, but I realized it WAY out of the way. When I got there, the parking was a nightmare and I kept envisioning a club full of screaming children. No, thanks!
My jeans are getting looser, but I still can't quite wrap my mind around not being obese. It's gonna happen, though! I'd have to work really hard for it to not work. Frankly that is more work than making it happen.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Saw the Nutritionist Today
So, I went to see the Nutritionist today. She says I'm doing very, very well and look great. She even said I'm probably the best she has seen, given that mine was a revision. For those of you that don't know, I had lapband surgery in 2006 and never had much luck with it. Not blaming the band. If there was a way to work around what it was supposed to do, I think I found it. On June 22 I had my band removed; then on August 4 I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG). VSG involves removing most of the patient's stomach, but unlike Gastric Bypass the intestines are not rerouted. I digress...
The visit went very well. I seem to be doing everything I should be doing with the exception of taking the generic Prilosec (omedprezol?). I have been having no heartburn so of course I decided I didn't need it. I was wrong. I need to take it every day because it helps my stomach heal, especially since mine was a revision.
During the course of the visit she asked me if I ever get lightheaded. I told her that I do sometimes, but to be honest I never think too much about it. About five minutes later I told her I was feeling light hearted and warm/flushed. She got the blood pressure cuff and my BP was 110/58. VERY low. She said I need to be sure to get in enough fluid. All I had had so far this morning at that point was my protein shake. To be safe, I'm going up to my surgeon's office tomorrow to have them monitor my BP. If it's so low again, I'll try to get in to see the doctor while I'm there.
It took me a while to start losing weight after the surgery (due to the IV bags), but since last Friday I've been averaging a 1.5 pound per day weight loss. Yay me!
Talk to you later!
The visit went very well. I seem to be doing everything I should be doing with the exception of taking the generic Prilosec (omedprezol?). I have been having no heartburn so of course I decided I didn't need it. I was wrong. I need to take it every day because it helps my stomach heal, especially since mine was a revision.
During the course of the visit she asked me if I ever get lightheaded. I told her that I do sometimes, but to be honest I never think too much about it. About five minutes later I told her I was feeling light hearted and warm/flushed. She got the blood pressure cuff and my BP was 110/58. VERY low. She said I need to be sure to get in enough fluid. All I had had so far this morning at that point was my protein shake. To be safe, I'm going up to my surgeon's office tomorrow to have them monitor my BP. If it's so low again, I'll try to get in to see the doctor while I'm there.
It took me a while to start losing weight after the surgery (due to the IV bags), but since last Friday I've been averaging a 1.5 pound per day weight loss. Yay me!
Talk to you later!
Monday, August 15, 2011
11 Days Out
It's been a journey, I say that. I was starting to feel discouraged on Friday because I still hadn't lost any weight since the surgery itelf. I lost 15 pounds on the pre-op low carb diet, but nothing since the surgery. The doctor's office told me that each of the (four) bags of IV fluid they gave me weighs five pounds, which I didn't realize. Eventually I'll start losing the water weight. It's hard to drink the water I need because for some reason water tastes naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasty now. LOL
I ran out to take my wedding rings in for the annual check-up at Shane and stopped by the doc's office to weigh myself. I needed to see if there is any relation between my home scale and reality. Apparently there is. I've lost two pounds since Friday. I hope that's the beginning of a trend!
I ran out to take my wedding rings in for the annual check-up at Shane and stopped by the doc's office to weigh myself. I needed to see if there is any relation between my home scale and reality. Apparently there is. I've lost two pounds since Friday. I hope that's the beginning of a trend!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
I Made It!
I had my surgery last Thursday morning. The sugery went well. I have the best doctor in the world. :-) They put in two drains that will get taken out next week. Luckily I've had drains before and they don't bother me.
The surgeon's staff kept me overnight due to my sleep apnea. It's something new they are trying. It gave them the ability to monitor my oxygen levels all night. A couple of times the monitor went off because I was only at 88% oxygen so I was glad I was there. However, I'm also very glad to be back home! It's impossible to get any good sleep in a hospital.
I was pleasantly surprised, if you can all it that, that my weight loss during the pre-op diet was closer to 15 pounds than the six pounds my home scale indicated. I kept thinking what the heck?! My pants were looser than they had been, but my scale wasn't reflecting that. Now we have to recalibrate our home scale.
Jim picked me up at 7am yesterday and brought me home, where I spent the better part of yesterday napping and walking around the condo to get some walking in. It was so nice to sleep horizontally in my own bed.
Michael and Mikey came over to see me yesterday. Michael came over this morning for about four hours so Jim could get an estimate on repairing the motorcycle. We went for a walk around the block then I came home and slept for two more hours.
I am taking it easy, following the doctor's and nutritionist's advice, and resting. We've got tickets to see Les Miz next Saturday and I'm not missing that for the world.
TTFN,
Cathy
The surgeon's staff kept me overnight due to my sleep apnea. It's something new they are trying. It gave them the ability to monitor my oxygen levels all night. A couple of times the monitor went off because I was only at 88% oxygen so I was glad I was there. However, I'm also very glad to be back home! It's impossible to get any good sleep in a hospital.
I was pleasantly surprised, if you can all it that, that my weight loss during the pre-op diet was closer to 15 pounds than the six pounds my home scale indicated. I kept thinking what the heck?! My pants were looser than they had been, but my scale wasn't reflecting that. Now we have to recalibrate our home scale.
Jim picked me up at 7am yesterday and brought me home, where I spent the better part of yesterday napping and walking around the condo to get some walking in. It was so nice to sleep horizontally in my own bed.
Michael and Mikey came over to see me yesterday. Michael came over this morning for about four hours so Jim could get an estimate on repairing the motorcycle. We went for a walk around the block then I came home and slept for two more hours.
I am taking it easy, following the doctor's and nutritionist's advice, and resting. We've got tickets to see Les Miz next Saturday and I'm not missing that for the world.
TTFN,
Cathy
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tomorrow's the Day
I report to my surgeon's office at 6:30 tomorrow morning. I'm a little nervous. This is a big deal, removing most of my stomach. The vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) I'm having leaves a pouch about the size of a small banana. The thing I like about it, though, is that it is not as radical as a gastric bypass. My intestines will not be altered.
This is a new adventure and I'm not sure if I can picture myself as a thin person. Even as a child I visualized myself as "round." Those were the role models I grew up with. I visualized myself as a grown up, albeit in 1960's apparel, as a short-haired blond with glasses, definitely rounder than Twiggy. Even when I weighed 135 pounds (at my lowest, when I was working full-time, practicing with my drill team for the nationals, and my mother was terminally ill), I saw myself as overweight. At 5'8", 135 pounds is not overweight. I see that now. The males in my life at that time didn't help matters, but there's no point in going there now.
However, now I have a husband who already thinks I'm beautiful, supportive family and friends, and support groups on Facebook that provide a lot of support and information.
Here's to my new future. One that will be healthier. I may break the bank buying new clothes. I am determined to be successful. I know it won't always be easy, particularly the first few weeks.
Talk to you in a few days.
This is a new adventure and I'm not sure if I can picture myself as a thin person. Even as a child I visualized myself as "round." Those were the role models I grew up with. I visualized myself as a grown up, albeit in 1960's apparel, as a short-haired blond with glasses, definitely rounder than Twiggy. Even when I weighed 135 pounds (at my lowest, when I was working full-time, practicing with my drill team for the nationals, and my mother was terminally ill), I saw myself as overweight. At 5'8", 135 pounds is not overweight. I see that now. The males in my life at that time didn't help matters, but there's no point in going there now.
However, now I have a husband who already thinks I'm beautiful, supportive family and friends, and support groups on Facebook that provide a lot of support and information.
Here's to my new future. One that will be healthier. I may break the bank buying new clothes. I am determined to be successful. I know it won't always be easy, particularly the first few weeks.
Talk to you in a few days.
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