OK this so doesn't seem like a lot ... last time I checked a bag of taters weighed 10lbs ... what happened to the other lbs ... if that's the case I am closer to 7 bags than 6 at least give me 6.5 bags!
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A side effect to WLS is hair loss ... 4 1/2 months later it's time to do something about it ... I knew it was coming! I knew to expect it ... I even blogged about it ... My hair needs help! Pre-op I set a goal that when I lost enough for people to tell I would get a drastic haircut & color change. I thought this would be a great way to prepare myself for the inevitable, and also give everyone something else to talk about. I thought by this time I might be tired of people talking to me about the sx and weight loss. Good news ... This isn't true, I am not tired of it yet! For a month or so, every time I would shampoo, so much hair came out. The ends would tangle making combing it out even harder. I was to the point of washing up to every three days & using a dry shampoo spray in between. Not the best idea, but it was dry and falling out and buns suit me. I didn't have any bald areas, but it was starting to become noticeably thin and as you can see in the above picture it looked jagged on the ends. Surgeons & nutritionists usually attribute the hair loss to a lack of protein, and internist say a shock to the system after surgery and subsequent rapid weight loss is to blame. Either way... it happened! Since the cut, I have had a ton less hair loss and I have gotten used to looking at my chin with short hair. On a side note it is funny when your kids start to notice the weight loss ... they have each reacted in their own way. After the hair cut, I had a long day I was pulling my hair back in a pony tail. Kaidan looks at me and said "now you are starting to remind me of the Full house girl, DJ, but now in real life." Funny he doesn't even know that Liz and I used to be DJ & Stephanie. I can hope I look a bit like her one day. OK maybe not... but we are both white girls with fake blonde hair ... and she is totally fit & puts God 1st... that's something to strive to be!
Since my VSG I have had several people message me curious about the procedure, the side effects, the details and my results. The last couple of weeks it seems that I have had an influx of conversations about the sleeve. I'm always happy to talk about and off help or advice when I can. An unspoken in every comment is ... "Will this work for me?" I'm obviously not a Dr. & I can only say that based on my own experience I would recommend the sleeve to everyone. It has to be something you work out within yourself, there is an commentary we have with ourselves, doubt and fear creep in & we don't go through with it, I think for me that the desire to be healthy eventually took over. I know a lot of you are like me, so here are a few of the internal battles I faced and the post op results up to this point. 1. Will I ever eat normal again? - Normal is relative, if by normal you mean a thanksgiving sized feast every meal, then No... you will never eat normal again. However, if by normal you mean healthy portions of healthy foods then yes, and you will actually feel more normal than pre-op. My mindset is changing where food is concerned. Sure there are times my fat girl brain and impulses take over and I make myself sick. Those impulses are getting further and further apart though and it is getting easier to pass on the chips and fries and cookies and candy. 2. I am the fat Jolly girl, will this change that? This was such a silly fear... skinny is funny too... how ridiculous that I would assume my size would change my personality!?! I am the same me, right now my hormones are wild and crazy but they were before too. I look forward to the day that they are lined out and mood swings are a thing of the past! 3. Will people see me as weak? For the most part age has taught me to not worry about what others think ... but, I still didn't want those close to me to see me as weak.... on the contrary though, I think that they see me as strong willing to take a leap of faith and do something drastic to make a change. 4. God made me "perfect" does that mean I am meant to be fat? Yes, I am meant to be fat and a meth head is meant to be beautiful with icky rotting teeth! NO! It is true, God created all things perfect, then a little thing called sin sneaks in and we choose to succumb to it. My sin? Much like the meth head is an addiction to what is killing me and destroying "His temple." I literally have an addiction and to be honest it is quite possible I would put that sin before Him and make it my idol of sorts. 5. How will my kids, husband, family & friends react when I start dropping the weight? Not a major fear for me but more concerned about some over others. Everyone has been so supportive and each one amazed at the change at different times. I am still a little concerned about J. we struggle a little and have an appointment to meet with a nutritionist. 6. Will I eventually just give up like all the times before? I have days of weakness, I backslide, I cheat... but so far I always come back around. It is easier now to pick myself up and get back on track. I think I'll be fine! 7. Will I live life hungry or hangry? Tummy hungry not often, head hungry a lot... it is all mental I have to distract myself, this is my current goal, to defeat head hunger. As far as Hangry goes, I am never hungry enough to be angry. 8. My hair will fall out, my skin will sag is it worth it? The answer is yes! My hair has changed textures and is falling out by the hand full... I take that as an opportunity to get a new style. and honestly as fast as it is falling out it is growing back. I have whispy new baby hair all over. I am only in the beginnings of sagging skin but it isn't as bad as I anticipated I was certain I would have sagging thighs but they are actually pretty firm ... I have the "bye-bye" arms but am working on it, so we'll see. 9. Vitamins daily for life? Not bad at all!!! Yeah I do it, but I'd rather take vitamins than a handful of prescription drugs. 10. I am never going to be able to feed my family and myself with such different diets? I have discovered a new love for cooking, it is tough at times and there are a lot of fend for yourself lunches, but I try to cook dinner 5 times a week! I enjoy tweaking recipes to fit all of our needs, but this just recently happened. In the beginning if I ate with my family, I ate too much too fast, now that I know my tummy I know what will work with all of us. This is why I choose to have a VSG. Because I am not perfect. Because I needed help. Because even though I occasionally screw up I deserve to be happy. Because I want to be a better Mom, wife, sister daughter, friend, aunt and hopefully someday grandma. Other commonly asked questions and their answers for those of you wondering ... What are my options? Why did you choose Mexico? What did it cost? How soon did you book? How long were you off work? - As far as VSG options, as far as paying goes there is the insurance, self pay or finance options. Insurance is only available here in the US as far as I know. However, there are finance options in both Mx and US.From what I have seen and heard the average self pay in the US begins at around $12,000 though I have heard of a couple getting deals for newer surgeons and facilities, so it is worth calling around for. - I chose Mexico, for a ton of reasons. To my family it was no shock, I have always connected with my people south of the border. Aside from the cost difference, I honestly don't feel like I would have been able to hang with the US pre-op requirements for sx, I think I'd have given up. I had limited funds and honestly Mx just fell into place. - My total cost was $5000. Michael and I both have a flex plan option through work with a $2500 max. I think for me my sx with BMI add'ons was about $4000 and our airfare was $800. I used the flex cards for the Sx and paid cash for the airfare. The $4000 included all hospital, dr. and medication costs AND the hotel room at the Marriott for both Michael and I. I booked 3 months out BUT could have books as soon as 2 weeks out! - I took a week off of work... we left on a Sunday had SX on a Tuesday and returned home on a Friday. I went back to work on a Tuesday. If you are thinking about the sleeve or have more questions, post them here or message me on FB! I'd love to answer your questions! ironically after fair week!I know today is supposed to be wordless ... but ..... What? Are you kidding me? I lost a calf??? Some days I feel like I haven't lost enough, but this graphic puts it into perspective. If ever in doubt I guess I'll strap a calf around my shoulders, how did I carry that all the time, no wonder I was so tired!
In other news! I am a little over a pound away from a MAJOR weight loss milestone! We will celebrate! McDonald County Fair ... one of my fondest memories ... the friendships, the fun, the food!!! How am I surviving the food? Well the truth is, I am allowing 1 cheat a day. Since we generally eat 2-3 meals a day here. This is what my day looks like ... I do scrambled eggs and a sausage patty for breakfast, for lunch & dinner I either have a cheat in the form of a 1/2 order of onion rings, then the other meal is a hamburger patty w/ ketchup, mustard, lettuce and tomato. I did have a taste or two of funnel cake and homemade german chocolate cake. I spend the days drinking water and unsweet tea. I have worked pretty hard physically, but I am not excited about getting on the scale. I feel like the pigs the boys are showing. I had no idea I was such an emotional eater until I had surgery. Even at the time I spoke to the Dr, I actually told her that I only ate out of habit, not emotion. Apparently, I was in denial about that and many things. The fact is, I am an emotional eater. Food is my comfort. Shortly after sx, I was faced with an emotionally stressful situation at work. I let habit take over and before I knew it I had eaten all the food in front of me entirely too fast. I ended up in the bathroom miserable and praying for the pain and nausea to pass. As I sat there I realized, holy moly, I feed my emotions! Since that day, I have battled many urges, but there are times it overtakes me. Sadly I can say that I have figured out a loophole. A way to comfort myself with food even through the restrictions of the sleeve. There are foods we call slider foods, to the wls patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions. They are often soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition. The most commonly consumed slider foods are pretzels, crackers, popcorn, Cheetos or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips. Most of which WLS'r will rationalize, are better for you than chocolate bar, candy, cookies or cake <if eaten these are slider foods too.> Sometime's I can even find "healthy" "sliders" like granola bars. You can actually eat an unhealthy portion of healthy snacks with the sleeve, just not all at once. You can eat until you’re full, then wait a little bit, then just eat some more … and some more … These foods seem harmless enough, in fact some of the snacks I choose are quite healthy. Part of the problem is that on tough days I rarely journal. Another problem is not necessarily the ingredients, as much as my relationship with food. I have to get back to basics. Back to listening to my tummy. Back to eating when I need to eat, not because I want to eat. Back to focusing on protein and water. Back to logging things more accurately. Looking for treats and rewards that are not food related. Hunger ScaleI have found my new favorite protein fix! Did you know that you can add protein powder to your favorite Starbucks flavor?!?! It is delish! Pretty sure I will be replacing meals with these! I added mine to a grande skinny iced caramel macchiato & couldn't taste the protein at all ... & drank about 1/2! I plan on memorizing the 20 under 200cal chart here. Icing the hot drink and adding protein as meal replacements. Here is a quick ref. guide for drinks under 200 calories!
Jax & I set out today, for a mom/son day. He was to be my assistant while I stock the pantry at Aldis, I wanted to take the opportunity to teach him about making healthier choices. First stop, lunch, before we go shopping we like to fill our bellies. Jax chose Hu Hots he like the entertainment from the grill staff & I realized that it could be tiny tummy friendly! I filled my bowl with all solid proteins in the form of meat & black beans, added veggies, bean sprouts & sauce, completely avoiding noodles and rice. The adult meal price is a little steep for one mini trip through the prep line ($9.99) but the bonus is Jax eats for $2.99 so it makes the cost of mine reasonable. We both got water/flavored water & declined the complementary rice / tortillas. I wasn't able to clean my plate, but I am also learning that this is ok too! All in all a pretty VSG friendly meal! Our food choices were not the big news though!When we arrived the host that greeted us was an older man. I would generally say "2 ... table, not a booth..." but this time I had forgotten. He lead us directly to a booth in the back corner & during the entire walk I am thinking - 'please don't be a booth, not gonna fit, ask to switch to a table' - but I went ahead and sat.... and I FIT! I didn't say anything, but when the host walked away Jax said with a half smile "You fit in the booth..." YES I DID!
I have been working on moving more through out the day. Whether it be walking laps around the living room while I watch the Chew or parking further from the door at Wal-mart. I have been forcing myself off the couch & out the the barn with Michael & working to get more movement in my day. The other day I read a blog by a woman who is a 5 yr WLS veteran, she talked about HIIT and the app she had. She said from day 1 this was the fitness plan her Dr. and trainer both recommended. So I decided to check it out.
Basically, HIIT, high-intensity interval training, is a fast-paced workout that burns tons of calories in a short amount of time. This type of training will have you alternate between periods of maximum effort (20 seconds of jumping jacks) & short recovery (10 seconds of side steps). I did a little research on HIIT for beginners {That's Me!} & they say since I am just getting into fitness, the key to success lies in doing the moves, at my own pace. HIIT should be intense, but pushing too hard, too fast can result in injuries and other setbacks. I am also to listen to my body, modify as needed, and complete each movement with proper form. So, since I am just starting out & trying to get Jax involved, I decided to start with the "Whip and Nae Nae" (his new favorite dance) & have a workout that totaled only 5 minutes. This video is just about 4 min long so we improvised on the last min. I set My HIIT Timer app, to {Prep :45 - Work :20 - Rest :10 - Rounds 8 - Cool Down :15 for a total of 5:00}. During the beginning of this video the man talks so we did a short warm-up then {next time I think we will do the 2 min warm-up (prep) with another song}. During the workout time we went crazy, exaggerating the movements & on the rest part we moved in slow motion or swayed side to side. It's fun & goofy but a good workout. We are hoping to do it 3-4 times a day and work up to the workouts that I found online. I'll try anything to get Jaxen involved.
This is the workout my online browsing recommend ...
Before each workout, start with a two-minute warm-up to get your muscles ready to go.
10-Minute HIIT Workout -
Jab, cross, front (right side): Stand with the right foot in front of the left, hips facing to your left side. Bring your arms up into a boxing position. Jab (punch) forward with the right arm, then throw a “cross” punch with the left arm, letting your body rotate as your left arm crosses over your body to the right. Your body weight should be over your right foot, with your back heel picking up off the floor slightly. Bring both arms back into the body, shifting your weight back to the starting position and facing front. (This is the “front” move.) Repeat on the left side.
Jumping jacks: Start by standing upright with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Jump your feet out while raising your arms. Repeat as fast as possible. If a regular jumping jack is too difficult, step side to side while raising your arms instead. Sumo squats: Position your feet a little more than hip-width apart and point your toes out at a 45-degree angle. Keeping your weight in your heels, back flat and chest upright, lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Engage your glutes and quads and push back to the start position. Repeat. Cool down with an overhead stretch.
20-Minute: HIIT Workout
When the above HIIT workout is no longer a challenge, move on to this one ...
This HIIT focuses on Metabolic conditioning & is designed to maximize caloric burn, so you should expect this workout to feel challenging. You’ll go through five exercises that focus on full-body, multi-joint movements. Try to do as many reps as possible during each 45-second interval, then rest for 15 seconds before repeating. Complete the same warm-up as in the previous workout then shake it!
Push-ups: If you can’t complete a traditional push-up, place your hands on a stable chair or plyo box instead of the floor. Or, try doing push-ups with your knees resting on the ground.
Squats: For extra assistance, use a chair for added support. Remember to keep your feet under your hips and your bodyweight in your heels, says Justin. Butt kicks: Jog or walk in place, kicking your right heel up to touch your bottom. Repeat with the left leg. Tricep dips: Place your hands on a chair or a low table, with your back to the chair. Put your legs straight out while balancing on your palms. Bending from your elbows, lower as far as you can, then press up to the original position. Engage that core! Side Lunges: With your bodyweight in your heels and your toes facing forwards, step to the left in a deep lateral lunge, keeping your knee above your toes. Alternate legs. Cool down with an overhead stretch, a quad stretch and a forward fold.
30-Minute: HIIT Workout
Ready to to challenge your core, and your upper and lower body? Got half an hour? Try this workout! This will burn more calories than 30 minutes spent walking on the treadmill! Complete the same warm-up as in the previous workout then dive in!
In an ongoing quest to discover a protein packed snack, I have found, I will try just about anything. Yesterday the boys and I made a stop at Academy, I have found that I enjoy browsing their health & fitness department these days. Anyway, while we were there my eyes drifted upon these interesting looking products. I will admit, I am a sucker for stellar product packaging, however, I had seen another another VSG'r talk about how she gets protein in with these lovelies! At $2.50 each I grabbed one of each.
This morning, I felt that I needed a protein packed mid-morning snack, so I reached for an EPIC. I grabbed the Bison flavored, took one bite into what I thought was to be jerky. Let me tell you there is no jerk to that jerky, it was like taking a huge bite of Spam. The flavor was actually pretty good, but I just couldn't get past canned dog food texture, so the boys finished it off & loved it! You can bet at the price I paid, I will be tying all the other flavors once I have prepared myself for the texture. I'll let you know how it goes. I didn't let myself miss out on a mid-morning snack. I enjoyed the unique flavors of a KIND bar. Not as much protein and certainly more sugar, but just what I needed. |
This weight loss is only from June 2015 (I had lost another 51 pounds prior to this)
Blog MissionIt has taken me a long time to get to this point, but I feel like God opened the right doors at the right time. My vision for this blog is not only to document and share my journey with those who care, but also to encourage those who may be following in my footsteps. First and foremost though, I want to give all the glory to God & to focus on his plan for me throughout the journey. What you talkin' 'bout?VSG = Vertical Gastric Sleeve Categories
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