jeannefitz

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Everyone's pictures look fabulous! I am down 126 pounds, and the weight loss has slowed but the pounds are still coming off. I only have 39 pounds to my goal weight. I went to the store to buy a pair of sweatpants and had to leave the plus size section to find a pair that fit. I can't tell you how exciting that was! The holidays were tough food-wise, but I made it through no worse for the wear. I'm walking 1.5 miles per day (about a half hour) and on occasion will do that twice a day. Not as good as my hospital roomie who is now RUNNING 2 miles a day (congratulations Denise!) but I'm pretty happy with my progress. I go in about 3 weeks for my 1 year check up with Dr. Bertha, I still can't believe it's been a year and the changes that year has brought. I was so frightened when I first thought about surgery that I almost didn't do it. For me it was definitely the right choice!                                          
 

This time the stall seemed to be from the lack of protein. I've started taking those 42g liquid proteins (half mid morning and the other half late afternoon) and after a few days the weight started to come off again. I'm having no problem meeting my daily protein requirement now so I'm hoping that soon my hair will stop falling out. It's very unnerving...    I'm up to 1.5 miles on the treadmill a day at a little faster speed than I was doing, and I've really noticed the difference. No more huffing and puffing walking across the park to get to my daughter's soccer game. It feels great! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get alot more weight off before the next plateau. 

And I'm very frustrated. I haven't lost anything in a week. Had my 3 month post op visit yesterday and everything is good, the doctor is happy with my weight loss and my blood work is normal accept for my iron which is very low. They gave me a prescription for iron so hopefully that will do the trick. So I am happy about all that, just wish the weight loss would pick up again. I am up to walking 1 1/4 miles on the treadmill a day and feeling great. Just waiting for the plateau to be over!!

I hope the weight loss continues going this well, after that plateau I hit I get a little nervous when I get on the scale, but so far so good. The exercise has definitely helped. I am still at 1 mile, have not been able to increase it yet and would be thrilled if I could leave it at 1 mile.
My husband thinks I should work towards 3 miles a day   !!
 
I'll see what the doctor has to say when I go in for my next check. At least I am doing the mile faithfully every day. I'm also splitting the protein bar in quarters, and eating 2 quarters (1 in AM/1 in PM) a day rather than 4. I get 15 mg of protein with half the calories of the full bar which I think is much more reasonable.

Maybe by summer I won't be afraid to leave the house in a bathing suit...

I'm able to do a mile on the treadmill now, and am very thankful the scale has started to move again. 1 mile may not seem like much to others, but considering that before surgery I couldn't walk for more than 5 minutes this is a huge accomplishment for me. My next goal is 1 1/2 miles, but I have to be more comfortable with the mile first. 

And now I understand what everyone is talking about regarding the frustration!  I am doing the same things I've been doing since the beginning. and not taking off weight. (Not gaining any either, thankfully) I'm exercising now every day, and I'm up to 3/4 of a mile on the treadmill and hoping to be at a mile in the next few days. If the weather is nice I'll walk outside. Yes, I know this plateau will pass, and I hope it's soon!     I am 3 lbs away from having lost 60lbs and can't wait to reach that mark! On the plus side, Jello now makes a sugar free/fat free lemon pudding which is a wonderful change from the standard chocolate I've been using to disguise my protein. There are several other ff/sf flavors too, and what I've had so far are actually very good. Hopefully in the next few days I'll have more weight loss to report! 

I saw Dr. Bertha today, and he says I'm doing great! I've been cleared for full exercise again, and can progress onto the regular modified diet. I was a little nervous when he gently pressed on the surgical areas to check them because I thought it was going to hurt! But it didn't, no pain at all! 

He's pleased with everything, but reminded me how important the protein is. I admit I'm having a tough time with the shakes. He wants me to have 70 grams of protein a day which is more than I thought. If I got to 60 a day I was happy. I asked about the protein bars rather than the shakes, and he said they aren't a good option. His advice was to keep trying the protein supplements until I find one I can tolerate. A friend suggested 'Pure Protein Frosty Chocolate' so I'm going to try it tomorrow. I also told him I haven't been able to walk as much as I had expected to at this point because of hip pain. This was one of the problems that lead me to bypass surgery. He says swimming is a really good alternate because there is no pressure on any of the joints, etc. A fabulous idea I never thought of! 

I can't believe how far I've come since I initially consulted Dr. Bertha. I was so nervous about the possible complications at my first pre-op visit with him that I was shaking. I was so sure I shouldn't go through with the Bypass. By the day of surgery my fears were gone and I was at peace with my decision. (Good thing because I had to walk into the OR!) And now a few weeks later I have lost a total of 49 pounds and 2 pant sizes. And the ride is just beginning! Thanks to my OH friends   for all your care and support, especially my hospital buddy Denise and my sister-in-law Karen  I couldn't do this without you! 

Today was my first day back to work, and it went really well. I drive a school bus for 3 different schools, and it was good to see all the kids again. I had to take a nap in between the morning and afternoon runs, but the day was good. One of the parents brought me a dozen yellow roses to welcome me back, it was so sweet! My left side is a little sore, but the terrible pain I had even just last week is gone, thank God! It feels so good to get back into a regular routine again and as much as I love being home, to get out every day. It's been a long 3 weeks!         

The ones I've tried are actually gross. I just started combining a half scoop of chocolate Designer Whey with a small portion of No Fat-No Sugar pudding until its completely mixed in. It goes down very nicely that way. Someone suggested getting the no flavor mix and blending it with a water bottle and a crystal light of choice. I think I'll try that next. I'm able to walk a little easier today, and have been outside once this morning and looking forward to several more walks around the yard this afternoon. It's so fabulous to be outside that I don't even care how cold it is. The sun is out, it's a beautiful day, and I haven't felt this way in a long time.

Not making big leaps and bounds, but every day I feel stronger. I can hardly believe it's been almost 5 days since my surgery, I was so nervous and thought the day would never come and now here I am. Looking forward to starting protein shakes tomorrow, I waited an extra day to start the 3-7 day post op diet because I didn't feel like I was ready. I never thought I'd be excited about farina!