Jbandmmomma's journey

[Jbandmmomma]

Update for beginning of June. Someone in my office has hot Mexican food and it smells DIVINE! OHEMMGEE.
Rejoined Costco and have been having at least 1 Premier Protein drink per day (30 g; not too difficult to choke down as long as it's very very very cold). I am up to at least 7 cups of fluids per day and trying to get to 8/9 per day. I have consistently gotten 90 grams protein per day for the last 5 or 6 days and I think that has been a real key for me.
The NP agreed to give me an Rx for protonix at my 1-month appointment and that has helped tremendously with acid and nausea. Again, sincere gratitude for pharmaceutical intervention.
My weight had been creeping up about 2 weeks ago, when the nausea was really bad so I've really been making a determined effort to eat as much protein as possible, along with forcing down fluids as frequently as I can. It's such a mind-shift. No longer eating to overstuffed because it's there and I feel like I have to, but forcing myself to eat (and frequently!) so I can be healthy. Anyway, I re-lost the gained weight and kept going. I am now 60 pounds down from my highest and 50 pounds down from day of surgery. When have I ever been able to lose that in 6 1/2 weeks? This change in metabolism is incredible and I am so thankful.

 

[Jbandmmomma]

Came here to re-read previous posts and console myself that this is a distance race, not a sprint. I have lost and gained the same 2 pounds 3 three times over the last 1.5 weeks and was back up another pound this morning. I wanna have a pity party, but that will help no one. SO, looking for my proverbial bootstraps and trying to find a way to get some exercise in today with the excess heat we now have.
Also had my monthly visitor here for last 5 days, so expect some water weight gain/loss with that.


Going back to square one with protein. Plan to drink at least two 30 gram shakes per day, and find ways to get more fat with my other (eaten) protein. I am battling constipation. Just feel like I never 'finish' going, and always have a small need to go. Going to force myself to drink even more water today and the rest of the week to see if that will also help. Am taking 1 colace and 1 Mg Citrate with every dose of calcium, and a daily dose of benefiber. Hoping the additional water will help this issue. I still have to get iron added in to my regimen, but the thought of another binding supplement scares me. I have no desire to become chronically constipated.

Find myself wondering if my sleeve is bigger than it should be. I ate 1/2 of a scrambled egg, a couple of tablespoons of runny grits loaded down with as much butter as I could get in them (grits used as a vehicle for fat consumption), and 2 slices of bacon for breakfast this morning. Felt fairly full, but was still able to drink 3/4 of a cup of hot tea while reading for ~15/20 minutes after I finished eating. Does this sound like too much? Or am I just uber paranoid? I know this is a newbie "I've broken my WLS" question. That's why I buried it in my journey log.

The second-guessing is another mind-f&ck, huh?

Current stats: Total weight loss: 64 pounds. Weight loss from day of surgery: 54.8 pounds. 9 1/2 weeks post-op.

Re: grazing. Psych questioned that I was actually hungry when I said I had been getting hungry (1.5 to 2 hours after a meal/snack, start feeling hungry, leads to stomach growling if don't eat soon). She is concerned that eating this frequently will lead to grazing behavior. I whipped out my MFP log to show amounts that I am eating, and that it is 3 "meals" with 2 or 3 snacks daily. Spread that all out over waking hours and with complications of commuting, work, and parenting, it is about every 2 to 2.5 hours eating. Pre-op, I was told to NEVER go more than 3 hours without eating as this would lead to gorging. By same lady. Confusing. From what I recall, most folks here (and previous places "we" have frequented in our virtual community) eat small portions every 2 or so hours throughout the day. confusing.

 

[JackieOnLine]

I'll let DS folks address the issue but I really hate that eating more than a certain number of times a day or more frequently than a number of hours gets labeled "grazing" and condemned. I'm sure certain rules (3 meals and 3 snacks!) work for some people.

I think the toughest part is knowing how full is "done" and then stopping until the next time you are hungry. I do wish I hadn't realized - as we all do - that when you are full if you just wait...20 minutes, 30 minutes then you can fit in more.

 

[southernlady]

If I didn't graze, I would NOT get in enough protein. And that's even at 3 1/2 years out.

The Psych is thinking how unaltered guts work...not ours...since we have so LITTLE real estate to take food in...it has to be often.

Good for you for getting back on track.

 

[brooklyngirl]

I've been eating a MINIMUM of 6 times a day since I was done with the clear liquids phase.
1- I wouldn't have ever been able to get in enough protein otherwise because space is so limited, does she want you to force yourself to eat "old you" portions just so you limit the amount of meals to 3 but stretch out your stomach?
2- from the get go I was hungry every 2 hours. Not head hunger, I had and still have plenty of that, I mean tummy growling hunger pangs/pains. Eating some protein every time that happens helps me from eating a bunch of junk if I wait.

 

[hilary1617]

First of all, Becky, 54.8 pounds in 9 weeks is ah-mazing. Super happy for you! Babies eat every two hours. They have little newborn tummies. So do you. If your stomach is gurgling it is real hunger.

1/2 an egg, some grits and two strips of bacon is probably a teeny fraction of what your stomach could hold pre-DS. It's not much.

In summary, all is well! No need to waste a good pity party on success!!!

P.S. Be prepared to go bra shopping repeatedly for the next 18 months or so.
P.P.S. If you figure out a way to stop second guessing, please share it with me. We are all our own worst critics and I keep writing my own bad reviews in my mind.

 

[Jbandmmomma]

I started eating A LOT MORE about 1.5 weeks ago, and making an effort to drink more whenever possible. My mini-stall seems to have busted and I'm back losing again. As of this morning, down a total of 76+ pounds (66+ in the 12 weeks since surgery). The biggest change is getting as much fat in as I can (most days at least 90 g), and bumping my protein intake up to over 90 g per day. Still looking for protein-dense foods with fat, or that can be combined with fat. Have been adding butter to as much as I can.

NSV: I wore a pair of pants today for work that I also wore 1 week ago. They were laundered between (so not stretched out). Last week they "fit" and a little snug in the waist. Today, they are definitely loose. This is the smallest size pants I currently own, so the hope of under-growing them is great. I can't wait to actually need to buy some new-to-me clothes. Next week also have to shop for bras. I've been putting it off, and expect to have to do this again, but the couple I have now are not doing me any favors and it's time to replace them.

thankful for my DS

 

[Jbandmmomma]

Had my 3 month check-in with the NP last week. Officially down 86 pounds from highest, 76 from day of surgery. Labs looked good, he agreed to help me get my protonix Rx prior-authorized by federal BCBS (big runaround the day before on that front!).

We've been having some cooler weather so I've been getting more exercise on those days by walking DH's dog. It got HOT again over the weekend, and I've found that my tiny tummy days seem to coincide somewhat with the hot weather, so I'm learning to not stress over those. Getting enough water and minimum of 90 g protein.

My pattern now seems to be lose for about a week, then stay within 1/2 pounds of the same number for 7-10 days, then lose again. Now that I've seen it happen a few times, it's easier to recognize. I tried on clothing last week in smaller sizes and was a bit disheartened that I'm still stuck in "big-girl" sized stuff. On the other hand, I do at least fit into the clothes in stores now. Am trying to wait as long as possible to buy clothes, but am running out of pants options.

Hair loss has increased quite a bit, so went in for a real cut last Friday. Took off about 3-4 inches (my DH says 6, but...) so it's less tangly and easier to comb. Am going to have to re-learn how to blowdry in the mornings. yuck. Hopefully can get through the hair loss with enough that I don't have to go to a pixie cut yet. But I do want to go truly short again eventually. Will see.

 

[hilary1617]

Wow - 76 pounds in 4 months - that's unbelievably great!

 

[JackieOnLine]

fantastic progress; you are doing great!

 

[Jbandmmomma]

Thanks y'all! I actually signed on again to update. I work at the office 2 days/week, but don't see some of my colleagues frequently. Today I am in the office.

I have been asked twice this morning "where's the rest of you?" SO, I guess that my body is changing in visible ways, even if I can still wear my very-big-girl clothes still. I'll accept this new NSV with a smile of gratitude.

 

[brooklyngirl]

Great update! Keep up the good work and don't stress about hair or clothes. It took me A LOT of lost weight in the beginning to go down in sizes, now it happens with much smaller amounts. I used to cry about my hair in the beginning as well, and crying got me nowhere, didn't accomplish anything. I felt much better when I chopped it off to chin length instead of feeling like it was stringy and tangled when it was long (I did get a bad cut AND color job in between the 2, but I choose to try to forget that happened ).

 

[Terri]

@Jbandmmomma You are doing fantastic! I have always tried not to worry about the size of clothing. I have some pants in 18 that fit looser than some 24's. The hair thing is hard on most. I think it is because even when we were obese we could still have great hair and styles, so it is the one thing we have always been able to control.

 

[brooklyngirl]

Yes, ^^^ this! No matter how big I was, I always had AMAZING hair, like, the kind of hair that strangers would stop me in the mall and comment on. Now, ummm, not, but that's ok. I'm much happier with my overall appearance now, so the trade off is worth it

 

[JackieOnLine]

and any hair issues due to WLS are probably temporary.