6 weeks post op- vertical sleeve

I am happy to report that my tantrums have stopped!  Now that I have moved onto "real food" I am not feeling deprived.  The soft diet was tougher than I thought it would be.  I am just over 6 weeks out from surgery and I am down 45 lbs.with 8 of that being lost pre-op.  My current weight today:  206.9.

One of the reasons I decided to have this surgery was because I do not want to be on a diet the rest of my life.  I have been on the losing end of that battle for over 15 years,and it's been exhausting.   I hear so much about how the first 6 months after surgery is the time to lose the weight and that I should make the best of this time frame.  I know I will never be able to go back to eating fast food allllll the time, and serving sizes meant for 3 people... Others who have had this surgery ( some of them die hards in my opinion) say to keep protein up, carbs down, this trick, that trick. etc.  I am following my portion guidelines (about 2 ounces (by volume,not weight) and trying to make good choices.  To me, it seems some of these people are still dieting.  For me, it's more about what works best for my body....What makes me feel good physically.  I will have a bite or two of cake if I am at a party, but not until after I eat my healthy protein portion of my meal.  It's still a fine line to make the right choices while still enjoying life.  It's something I have always struggled with.

But now... I have a tool.  It makes the things that I have always struggled with easier.  I will always love food, but my new tool makes me soooo much more capable of handling it.

People have started to notice a difference in how I look.  And finally....I am starting to notice a difference too!

1 month post op-Vertical Sleeve(bariatric surgery)

I had my bariatric surgery, Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, on March 17, 2014.  Its been 4 weeks and I am down 30 lbs since surgery, and down 39 lbs from when I first stepped foot in the surgeon's office in January.  Weight was coming off pretty quick after surgery but has slowed down since.  Sometimes I don't lose for days.  Some days I don't weigh because whether I weigh or not, I am still doing things as I should per my plan and I don't want the frustration of not losing.

I drink two protein shakes a day.  Usually I have a ready made Pure Protein or Premier Protein at work, and later in the day I have one that I make out of powder and a scoop of PB2 which I have found is quite pleasant. I eat three meals a day, but not within 30 minutes of drinking.  I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around 2 ounces being a meal.  I have been eating moist scrambled eggs, string cheese, chicken salad, egg salad with a drop of olive juice(yum), cottage cheese, yogurt, deli ham and turkey, and fish.  For drinks I have been drinking one vitamin water zero or sobe life water, and then refilling the bottle with water when it's gone.  Between that and my protein shakes I am hitting both my protein needs and water needs each day.  I am tracking my calories using my "Lose it" app that I love.  I usually range between 500-600 calories a day for now.  I will be moving onto stage 3 foods soon so I can enjoy different foods.

Mentally, stepping on the scale each day is fine some days.  I remind myself its a doton my graph.  Right after surgery weight was falling off.  Sometimes, as typical with bariatric surgery it slows or stalls but eventually starts back up.  I know in the big picture I am losing so I am not complaining about that but it is hard to stall with eating so differently!  I also use the weight trend app on my phone that shows on a graph how my weight is headed downward.  I like that a lot.

Something that's odd for me is that even though I am down 38 lbs(30 since surgery) I really struggle to see it and feel it yet.  I feel like with that much weight I should.  I went into surgery at 244 lbs and I am 214 now.  I keep reminding myself that I was much heavier at my start weight than I have ever been.  With medifast i didn't even start until I was 206.  So 214, although its down from 252, is still high for me.  I am still wearing the same clothes.  This is how I tended to gain so easily in the past.  Maybe they were snug before and comfortable now, but still...the same clothes!  No one has really commented on a difference in me either, other than a few people said my face is thinner.  So I anxiously await that moment when I SEE it and FEEL my weight loss. 

Tantrums...  I am not 3 so luckily I have kept them inside :)   There have been a few times when I really wanted to have what others are having.  For the most part, in this stage of the game, I am eating very differently from my family and others I am around.  Sometimes I am fine with it, other times not so much.  We ordered pizza for my daughters Bday party this weekend.  It looked and smelled sooooo good.  I should also mention that I am one of these people who did NOT lose my cravings or appetite after surgery like many do, even with my Prilosec(this helps calm stomach acid which mimics hunger).  I cant decide yet if that's a good or bad thing.  Another thing I have realized is that even though my stomach may get "full" after two ounces(totally different feeling-my new full feeling is more a fullness in my esophagus) my head is not yet satisfied with what I have eaten.  It does usually catch up after a while though.  I take about 20 minutes to eat my 2oz and that's a struggle for me slow it down!  But its been only a month and I am working on it.  Its a learning curve.

All in all, I am very glad that I had the procedure.  I realize it sounds like a lot of negativity in my post, but I am just expressing the things that I personally struggle with.  Soon, I will start feeling and seeing the benefits of my weight loss and having lost before I know that will change my tune dramatically.  So stay tuned!

Anyone who would like to chime in with a comment, something that has helped you or someone you know, or your experience, I greatly welcome it! I have not been blogging much so anyone who is looking to catch up on my experience with bariatric surgery it can be done in a total of 3-4 posts :)

I hope everyone out there is doing well!

Jennifer