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
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