Hi, guys and gals! I want to first of all thank you for viewing this blog. You have no idea how much each view means to me. I promise I wont get all gushy on ya, so on to the posting!
I want to share 10 tricks that I've learned to help eat less. I've picked these up through various sources, including my nutritionist. They dont all help me everytime, but hey, there's 10 of 'em so if one doesn't work for ya now, try another!
#1 - Focus - Concentrate on what you are eating. Savor every bite... the flavor, the texture. Don't eat in front of the tv! Don't have a dinning room table? Ok, eat in front of the tv, BUT TURN IT OFF! While eating meals in a social setting, trying to periodically think about the nutrition you are giving your body. This can be difficult to do, but everyone can learn to multitask.
#2 - Baby Steps - I know you've heard this one before... take smaller bites. If you're like me and have a hard time with this, try using a baby spoon or chop sticks! You can get both for cheap (the chopsticks you can even just get for free if you just ask a restaurant for them).
#3 - Rotation - If you just have to eat something bad, make sure you balance it with something good. I can typically eat 2/3 a box of macaroni and cheese. However, when I throw in some raw cauliflower AND rotate between a few bites of this and a few bites of that, I was only able to eat a few bites total of macaroni because the cauliflower filled me up!
#4 - Maybe, Maybe Not - I know you say, "I know what my stomach feels like when I'm hungry." I said that too. But just MAYBE it's not really hunger. Why not try drinking a full glass of water first? Not every time, but sometimes that just ends up being the case with me. If you end up still being hungry, then hey, at least you got some good-for-ya H2O on you!
#5 - 80, Baby - Drink between 64 and 80 ounces of water a day. I used to think I already was because an antidepressant made me constantly thirsty. However, once I started keeping track, I realized I was no where near it. Trying to drink that all throughout the day can be a difficult task, but it helps keep you full. Don't worry about water weight... you body will actually identify that you are constantly giving it water and realize it doesn't need to hold onto any.... but be prepared for plenty of pee pee breaks. The clearer your urine, the better!
#6 - PreMeal - Before eating a meal, try drinking a full glass of water and/or eating an apple or some celery sticks. Those ALWAYS help fill me up, even before I had bariatric surgery!*
#7 - Calorie Chaser - Track all your calories, even the bad ones. I know there are days you eat something bad and figure there's no point in tracking the calories. However, if you do track them, you are more likely to not over indulge on something else. Take my word for it! My favorite app/website for this is Spark People.
#8 - Lil Plate - Try serving your meals in a smaller plate or bowl. Try setting two, exact same portion sizes of something in front of you... one on a large plate and one on a small plate. Which one would you, without thinking about it, automatically want to go for? It's an illusion. Trick your mind into thinking you're eating more than you really are.
#9 - Meal Plan - If you can, one or two days a week, plan your meals for the next several days and spend a few hours prepping them. Diving everything up into single servings and refrigerate/freeze the individual portions. When you get ready to eat, only heat up/thaw one at a time. That way you can't just jump to another serving, because you have to wait to thaw/cook the next serving, and by then, your stomach would realize it's hungry. I find this especially helpful when my mom starts baking a million Christmas cookies that I just want to munch on nonstop!
#10 - It's all in The Family - Not only should you avoid temptation, but you should also surround yourself with those who will be supportive of your healthy lifestyle by not eating poorly in front of you. Saying their supportive, and acting upon it are two different things. However, you cannot make someone eat healthy... maybe they want some encouragement from someone, but you really have to play that card carefully as some people are very sensitive to the subject.
I hope you found this posting helpful and informative. If you have any other tips, please share them with myself and fellow readers below. Also, don't forget that I vlog (video blog) on YouTube, so you can keep track of weigh ins, struggles, and successes! Check out my channel by clicking here.
*Yes, I had bariatric surgery. Most of those patients can only eat small amounts, so things are pretty set for them. However, I can still eat the same size as a normal person, and I can still overeat like a normal person. It's not that my surgery was unsuccessful (I used to be able to eat an entire pizza at once, now I can only eat half..... many bariatric patients can barely do a slice), it's just that mine wasn't cut down as small as others, and I like that because I feel more normal and I wont be so restricted the rest of my life. If you are curious about bariatric surgery, you can learn more about it at my previous blog: The Bariatric Binder.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Recipe: Cauliflower Pizza
Cauliflower Crust Pizza
So I was going over one of my favorite websites, Pinterest.com, and was in search of some new, healthy recipes to try. I came across a ton of postings on Cauliflower Pizza Crust. "I might just be weird enough to try that!" Next thing I knew, I was grating cauliflower!
It was hard to pick which recipe to go by... they're all slightly different! I ended up just picking one with an appetizing photo and altered the recipe a bit from there. I was a bit nervous about how it would turn out. However, when I checked on the crust in the oven, it looked so amazing that I couldn't wait to get my toppings on there and give it the good 'ol taste test.
Now, one of the post-op side effects is that your taste in things may change. I haven't noticed a huge difference (I'm okay with tuna now whereas I used to hate it), but I have noticed a change in my sense of smell. The first few weeks after surgery, EVERYTHING (and I do mean everything) smelled strongly of garlic to me. During the Super Bowl, my friend had a table full of crock pots with different recipes and dips for the gang. I had a few of my own dishes to add as well. The combination of everything just made me want to vomit (I still managed to eat some pretty amazing chips and dip anyway). I was the only one who thought it smelled bad. When I made this cauliflower crust pizza, I thought it smelled like rotting trash. It was so bad that I almost didn't eat the food. No one else noticed a smell, so it's hard to say what actually smells good/bad and what's just me.
Now that I have your mouths watering (LOL, sorry).....
When the pizza was done, it tasted SO amazing! My dad had just eaten dinner, so he said he was only going to try a bite. After a couple minutes of eating the pizza directly off the cookie sheet, he finally loaded it up on a plate to 'share' with mom (which never happened... he ate the whole thing!). We are a house full of picky eaters, so when someone disappears with the food and hogs it to themselves, you know it's got to be good!
I always hate when food bloggers type forever and ever about their food, making you wonder, "where the hell is the recipe!?" Well, now I'm guilty. So, without further a-do... adu?.... my version of the recipe:
Ingredients: Serves: abt. 6**
2 cups cauliflower (grated or riced)*
2 cups cauliflower (grated or riced)*
2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs (you can get away with one if you prefer)
Basil
Rol-Tel tomatoes (drained)
Newman's Own Marinera Sauce
Choice of Toppings
*Grate or rice two cups of cauliflower (uncooked). I find if you use frozen (thawed) cauliflower florets, it's easier to squish it through a ricer. Using a fresh head of cauliflower, use a grater (this is my preferred method).
Throw that cauliflower in a bowl with eggs and mozzarella cheese. Add a few dashes of basil. Mix together thoroughly (hands always work the best, so give your kids a call because this part is nasty!)
Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Grab a handful of the cauliflower mix and compact it well in your hands. Place the ball of cauliflower on the cookie sheet and flatten into a patty (about 1/2 inch thick). Continue with rest of mix until you have multiple, individual pizzas. (makes about 6)
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Pull the cauliflower crusts out and spoon a very small amount of the marinera sauce on each crust. Sauce isn't a dieters best friend. We are only using a small amount to help 'glue' the toppings on. After applying a thin layer, add a spoonful or two of the Rol-Tel tomatoes (juice drained). This makes up for the small amount of sauce.
Top with additional choice of toppings. Choice of cheese, veggies, etc.
Pop it back in the oven for just a couple minutes (long enough for the cheese on top to melt).
Serve, enjoy, and give yourself a pat on the back for eating a healthy, yet tasty, alternative!
**This makes about 6 patties. How many it serves really depends on how much who can eat! Us bariatric patients could easily be full off of one (or less) patties. These do freeze and re-bake well later (put each individual pizza in it's own ziplock bag, so they dont stick together, to freeze). (Or place a sheet of wax paper between each in one ziplock bag and lay flat)
This is a great idea for kids who are stubborn about eating vegetables. If they don't grate the cauliflower to know what it is, they'll probably have no problem eating this. I mean, hello, it's pizza... what kid says 'no' to pizza?
**I know, I know... I dont have any pics posted. Like I said, it looked so good that I dove in and totally forgot to get a picture. There are plenty online, but I will get a photo next time and add it to this blog entry!**
**I know, I know... I dont have any pics posted. Like I said, it looked so good that I dove in and totally forgot to get a picture. There are plenty online, but I will get a photo next time and add it to this blog entry!**
The Time Leading Up To Surgery
This blog entry is actually from another blog of mine, The Bariatric Binder, but it's relevant to this blog as well so I had to share:
"Here it is, the end of April of the year 2013 and I am so behind on giving ya'll the scoop about my surgery. Here is what's been going on the passed few months. Feel free to ask any questions! I am an open book and will answer anything, no matter how personal, if it will help you make a decision.
Where the Weight Came From
I've struggled with my weight for most of my life. When I was a kid, I was always the chubby one. I remember a time when my mom actually took me to a doctor and asked her how to get me to lose the weight because I was lazy and wouldn't exercise (she had at one time offered to pay my sisters and I to walk on the treadmill. It wasn't a significant amount and I was too lazy to even earn a couple bucks.... the treadmill was right next to the couch in the tv room. I chose the couch). The doctor told her that if she would limit my food intake, I would grow into my weight. I was 12 years old and 198 lbs. (I remember this because the paper it was written on hung on the wall for a decade). My mom would give me significantly smaller portions than the rest of the family. I'd watch my two skinny, high metabolism sisters eat a big dinner while I got less. I don't remember every actually being hungry, but I do remember feeling picked on and that's when I started to build resentment towards my mother. Even the kitchen pantry and fridge had locks on it. Thus began my life of depression! I know my mother meant well, but I can already think of several other approaches that would have been better.
By age 15, I had grown a few inches and lost weight. I was down to 119 lbs and looked borderline anorexic. I was eating smaller portions and used to it (the kitchen was no longer on lock down), but I was still not eating the right foods. No one had taught me. My whole family ate fattening foods on a regular basis (including many home-cooked meals). At school, I would eat a thing of fries and a carton of milk for lunch every day. Occasionally I would have a soda, but I was never a big soda drinker (I dont like the carbonation. I actually prefer flat soda).
By 16, I had my first job at Bakers Square. The food and pies are AMAZING and the cooks always cooked my meals just how I liked. I never brought food with me to work. I would eat what I ordered from them and was always taking pies home. I had also began dating. Steve, the boy I was dating and another lucky high-metabolism person, like my sisters, was always taking me out to eat burgers, cheese fries, and pizza. The combination of the two began to catch up with me and I bounced between 150/160 for the next few years. I remember one night at work, the seam of the butt on my pants split. My manager had actually told me to stop eating so much. I was humiliated (fortunately, that manager is gone and only the one I have fond memories of still works there).
At age 18, I moved out the summer of high school graduation and moved to Utah for my first year of college. I was ordering pizza constantly and cooking lots of baked potatoes smothered in broccoli cheese soup and butter, pizza, chicken strips (my fav) and fries with 'Some Dudes Fry Sauce' (only available out there. Good thing I don't live there anymore because that stuff is addicting). A roommate of mine, Karla, convinced me to join the gym with her. Neither of us had cars so we'd walk several blocks to the gym. On the way, we'd pass a Carl's Jr. (the west's version of our midwest Hardees), and I'd stop and eat there several times. One time, I even took a burger with me to the gym and at it in the locker room! Yep, seriously. At the time I thought it was funny; now, it's an embarrassing, shameful story.
My time in Utah stayed around 170 lbs. I didn't even go to the gym much. I think the only reason why I didn't gain a ton of weight was because I didn't have a car and I lived in a mountain. I had to walk uphill for 6 blocks to get groceries, which I'd buy TONS of, so I'd walk home carrying what must have been 50 lbs of food.
Towards the end of my academic year, I found some people I went to high school with online and chatted with them. One of them was best friends, and roommates, with the guy I had a crush on since 7th grade but had never spoken to. He introduced us and we chatted every day/night for hours. I moved back home as soon as I could, where I ended up having to have surgery to remove my gallbladder that August. I spent the semester at a local community college and then convinced my parents to let me move an hour and a half away to go to school where my dream guy was.
He (Michael) and I began dating and very quickly fell in love. He was so amazing to me and I learned alot from him. However, we distracted one another from school. He was still able to pull off decent grades and graduate with his bachelors. Unfortunately, I was too distracted and landed only with a non-transferable Associates. I moved in with him and his friends, where I'd cook for them all. The guys ate such huge portions that I began eating the same. They'd all eat their own pizzas as well. I couldn't share with any of them since they each ate a full one, so I'd have to order my own... which I'd end up eating all of as well. Horseshoes (a famous meal from my hometown) became a regular meal. I followed him back to our hometown and we continued to eat lots of fast food and junk. He was super athletic and trained hard in the gym. Towards the end of our 5 1/2 year relationship, he started getting on my case more and more about my weight. I was also on new medication to help with insomnia. The meds would make me get up and eat a crap load in my sleep. I wasn't even aware of it until one day I had asked him where all the chicken nuggets went and he said, "I yelled at your a couple nights ago about it. You were eating the entire bag and wouldn't stop!" I didn't believe that I was doing that in my sleep, and I didn't believe him either. I figured he ate it all and was just being a jerk because he was always looking to get on my case about weight.
He began rejecting me and ignoring me. Telling me that I needed to dress up even to run an errand because you never knew who I could run into and he didn't want his friends or coworkers seeing me not at my best. He wanted my hair done a certain way, and I would try and try but it was never right. When I'd dress up and try to get him to acknowledge it, he would say, "What? Am I supposed to say congratulations for being normal?" I would go to bed alone at night while he played video games. I'd always have dinner ready for him when he got home from work (except the occasional forgetting an ingredient, in which he would get super pissed at me for even asking him to go to the store and pick it up real quick. He'd also get annoyed at me for asking for help with draining a huge pot of noodles). Soon as he got done eating, it was straight to video games. I got tired of going to bed alone and never having any time with him, so there were nights when I actually would lay on the floor next to his gaming chair and fall asleep so I could be by him. Still, he never acknowledged me. The depression grew dramatically and I would begin to say things I didn't mean like, "I hate you" and "your a jerk", where he'd throw a "bitch" back at me. There were times I would stay at the gym from 8:00 pm to 3:00 in the morning and he would never say "good job". He'd ignore it and continue to point out my weight. The depression just made me feel worse and worse and I turned to food more and more to make up for the attention he refused to give me. I had already forgave him once for cheating on me (and later found out he was still talking to the girl and tried to hide it from me and expected me to just trust him again automatically), then, one day at work, I just broke down with one of the random panic attacks I was experiencing around that time. I texted him about it, hoping for him to give me some sort of moral support. Instead, he text me back saying it was over (the first time he dumped me was over Instant Messaging, but he would still have sex with me, leading me on. When the girl he had cheated on me with dumped him, he took me back... I should have known better. It was less than a year until he cheated on me and dumped me again). I went home from work in tears and took enough Xanax to help me relax and go to sleep. The next morning, he told me I needed to pack up my stuff. I couldn't believe it. I started screaming at him. He was really the one dumping me!? And over a freakin text message when I needed him!? I wasn't even satisfied in the tears he had in his eyes. He couldn't even look at me. It took all I had not to clock him in the face. He left for work and I packed up my stuff as quick as I could.
I moved back in with my parents and took two weeks off work. I did what I did during our last breakup (which had only lasted a couple months and I had also dropped a good chunk of weight then), I made a profile on a dating site and cried non stop. I met this nice, older (40), but still pretty attractive guy named Daniel. I still can't believe he was willing to listen to me cry and blubber on. We still talk to this day. Anyways, the only guys I had actually gone out with from those sites ended up having only one thing on the mind.
After a couple months, I found a home in a neighborhood nearby that was up for rent and the price was unbeatable (which I later began to regret but that's another story). I moved in and since no one could say anything about what I ate, I spent all my money (including credit) on fast food and candy. In the course of 1 year, I spent nearly $10,000 on food. True story. I had then jumped from 230 (when Michael dumped me) to nearly 300 in that one year. I began having health problems. I was on a never ending period for multiple months and went to the gym one day and returned with swollen feet and ankles that wouldn't go away. My doctor told me I was pre-diabetic. My mom had also just been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. I had heard horror stories about diabetics losing body parts, so I quickly began cutting back on sugar (but not fat or salty stuff). I was able to get out of the pre-diabetic range. Unfortunately, my mom still refuses to even try and is now a Type 2 Diabetic with a world of problems. However, during that time, I was making several trips to the doctors office for appointments and tests. I gave my employer the required doctor notes to be excused, but was still fired and couldn't even get Unemployment or Disability. I had to move back in with my parents.
For awhile, my older sister was baking a cake each week. My mom fills empty prescription bottles with candy and also has issues eating in her sleep (we often find her with melted chocolate on the bed or a hot dog hanging out of her mouth). I had discovered that I was eating in my sleep when I woke up to a million candy wrappers around me.
Fast Forward... I've now been living with my parents and my older sister (my younger sister living in Cali and is prob the only child my parents are proud of) and it's been about 2 1/2 years since the break up. It took me a good two years to quit being sad about it and wishing I could fix things... as if it were completely my fault. I've finally realized its NOT completely my fault and I do NOT want him back. I admire the things he was in the beginning of our relationship, but as for the person he became, I hope he never puts another woman through what he put me through. No one deserves that pain. We had just been looking at buying a house together only like a month before he dumped me and went on a cruise with another girl (the same one his parents invited us on that he made every excuse in the book to not go on with me). Yes, as you can tell I'm still very angry about it and will be for awhile. I would be happy if he could just admit he was a jerk, but I know that will NEVER happen. He has too much pride.
Anyways, my mom eats like crap. My older sister eats the worst of us all. She's average size now, but has a bit of a tummy. I calculated each of our meals at dinner once and she topped us all wither over 1,000 calories, which she followed up with ice cream even after I told her of her calorie total. And the next day she came home with a bag of donuts! I am post surgery now, but still have the same struggles. My family eats junk and it's hard to eat healthy when I'm surrounded by junk. In fact, I get flat out angry when I see someone (in my family) eating bad. They just don't care at all. I know I can't control what they eat and I wish I didn't get so mad about it, but I do.
My dad pays for most of my groceries, and everyone puts what they want on the list. However, my stuff is often either eaten or thrown out to make room for more of their crap. For example, I'll get the ingredients for something I want to make. I'll even write my name on everything, but still, a family member will take it for something they want to make, thus ruining whatever recipes I had in mind and I'm left with only junk frozen food or macaroni options. The only thing I've manage to keep people off is my drinks (see my Water and Sex Appeal entry), unless they decide to just flat out throw it away and put another one of their sugary juices in its place. I even was given a second fridge in the basement to use, which isn't easy on my knees to go up and down the stairs for constantly. Even then, my sister has recently taken it over. She's become a serious junk food addict (even her fridge looks like a grocery store). Part of me wants her to gain a few pounds to see what it's like to stress about weight, but I don't think that'll ever happen.
Mom continues to have health problems but her excuse is, "We have good health insurance". Not to mention, she's never really worked and dad pays for EVERYTHING. If she had to pay for even one of her own medical bills, I bet she'd be singing a different tune.
Dad is the healthiest of us all. He's at a healthy weight and eats decent. He still eats fast food, but he does balance it with a lot of fish and smaller portions.
Making the Decision
With all the stress my weight was causing on me emotionally, as well as physically (I was even beginning to have problems with waking up in the middle of the night, gasping for air), a friend of mine, Lacie, suggested I look into bariatric surgery. Someone she knew had it (her aunt I believe, and I believe it was Gastric Bypass) and was successful with it. Lacie is a blond haired, bright blue eyes, big dimples, super tan girl that I compare to a Barbie doll cuz she's so freakin' perfect (I've wanted to look like her ever since I met her in middle school. I actually used to be super intimidated by her but as I grew up, I've gotten over MOST of my shyness and we chat quit a bit... she's even helping me find a job so I can move out again!) If she told me, "I drink this and eat this and do this to look the way I do", I would've jumped on it. She could've easily sold me placebos for $100 and I WOULD HAVE DONE IT! However, I shot done the weight loss surgery quickly. I said no way, that's for people who are like 400+ pounds (as I was already above 300 and still gaining) and it's just a quick fix. I was determined that I was going to earn it and not have some shameful surgery. As the weeks went by, I found a show called "My 600 lb life" which was a short documentary series (you can actually find it on YouTube now... Melissa is my favorite. I think she's every one's favorite actually) where a few people were followed and had gastric bypass surgery. The show followed their successes and even failures. It showed that it wasn't easy and it's not a quick fix... you can even gain weight with the surgery! I started looking into it more, researching the various bariatric surgery options online, making sure my text sources were credible. I had even followed vlogs on YouTube. My primary physician encouraged me not to do that, but I did anyway. I know people are more likely to post a video complaining than they are to say "this was great". However, I got several 'this was great's and enough information to actually inquire more questions for me to ask my doctor and surgeon about. I thought it was pretty easy to decide which surgery I wanted, the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I went to my doctor and told her what I wanted. She told me what to expect and referred me to a surgeon. I've known my primary physician all my life so I didn't even look into specific surgeons. I knew she would recommend someone and I would be perfectly happy with her recommendations. I was at the end of my time where my dad's insurance would cover me and I was worried the new one wouldn't cover it. My new insurance was already difficult to find because of my weight (other insurance companies wouldn't take me). I trusted my dad to get me the best 'deal' out there (while also actually helping to cover all my prescriptions), and I was worried this 'deal' wouldn't cover bariatric surgery. Fortunately, it did.
The Months Following Up
I was surprised my new insurance not only covered the surgery, but they also DID NOT require me to do a six month, doctor supervised diet. However, the Bariatric Team for my surgeon does require that you prove yourself a worthy candidate for them first. At the time, I was asking my dad if I could just go to Mexico and do it already (my grandmother, his mother, had recently passed away and he was using money she left him to cover the appointments not covered by insurance, or the extra amount after insurance). He told me he didn't feel safe with me going to Mexico for surgery. Luckily, I have a wonderful bariatric team and I am grateful that I stuck with them.
Linda, my Physical Therapist, evaluated my stamina and began working with me on making out a workout plan. She would always tell me to go slow. However, I'm a "0 to 200" (as my Nutritionist called it), so I tend to wanna jump in full force as if Jillian Michaels were watching. When I do that, I always get burnt out and Linda knew that would happen before even getting to know me. She would only let me walk with some stretches she assigned me for specific parts (specifically my lower back pain).
I also met with Wendi, a social worker. I was super nervous about her. I had heard from support groups that she was a real ball buster. I sat as straight as I could in those appointments. I answered honestly, but admit I may have put a slightly more positive spin on some things. I didn't want her thinking I was too depressed to lose weight, because I already knew my depression was getting tons better. Turned out, she's super adorable and so nice (everyone on the bariatric team is nice! There's no reason to be afraid... they truly are there to help.) What's funny is now I email her like "I need advice!" rather then be nervous I'll get in trouble for feeling a certain way.
Tiffany is the nurse I had a consultation with. I did not see her again until I was awake from surgery months later and now I have follow up appointments with her. She and my nutritionist talked about my problems with IBS, which I had suffered with for YEARS (no doctor prescribed any medication that helped), but these two immediately were like, "oh yeah, you need this..." and it WORKED! That alone was worth a million bucks! I'm so happy not to have to deal with that anymore. I had no idea these girls would make that problem go away.
Angie is my nutritionist. I've seen her the most. I really struggled with meeting the requirements in the beginning but, as she calls it, I had my "AHA!" moment. We're looking to find it again because now, post surgery, I'm still having some struggles (I think it will be better when I'm living on my own again).
For the next couple of months, I was to 'build my plate' with 50% non starchy vegetables, 25% starch, and 25% protein. At first I thought 'there's no way I'll be full if I'm mostly just eating some leaves!", but it does work! I even crossed off the starch because I was fine without it. However, Angie told me it was important to have some carb/starch with protein, so I put that back in. Weight began falling off, and mostly just because of the diet (I didn't go to the gym everytime. I felt like if all I could do was walk, it was pointless.. once again, I'm a 0 to 200 kind of gal). As they say, it's 80% nutrition... they were right!
The PreOp Diet
Two weeks before surgery (which was scheduled for December 17, 2012), I was put on a preop diet. This diet is different from surgeon to surgeon (I've learned this chatting with Sleeve patients from around the world in a Facebook group), but they still share the basics. I was to consume as much of approved liquids as possible (crystal light, Gatorade, chicken broth, etc) and I could have raw or steamed non starchy veggies. Angie told me I couldn't have any dressing, but I could make an approved dip.... greek yogurt with ranch seasoning. I think most Greek yogurts are sour, but the plain Chaboni (sp?) brand was perfect. I mixed with just a couple teaspoons of the Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning mix. I couldn't stand steamed veggies without salt and butter, so I had alot of this homemade, approved dip with raw broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. I even munched on plain sugar snap peas. Yum! I was also approved for a limited amount of sugar free jello or sugar free pudding. I was to also drink protein shakes.
After surgery, you'll be drinking lots of protein shakes, and since you dont want to buy a full sized container of something you dont like, Angie suggested I purchase some protein shake samples to try during my preop diet, so I could decided which I liked and which I didnt.
The preop diet, in my opinion, is the worst part of the whole thing. I told them I never cheated, and that was the one straight lie I told my bariatric team, and I feel super bad about it. I ate plenty of cottage cheese (even though they said it wasn't allowed) and plain crackers. I also had some cheese (the stuff on a block that you cut yourself... not the pre-cut or pre-shredded junk filled with chemicals and other fillers/preservatives). My mom came home with a huge fried chicken dinner and the smell drove me wild, especially since I was so sick of the same stuff over and over. I stuffed my face with about half of a friend chicken breast... or wing... I don't remember. I remember I had grease all around my mouth and hands because I literally just went caveman on the stuff. I got sick to my stomach afterwards. I had also gotten a thing of Chicken Selects from McDonalds once with some fries and honey mustard. It also made me sick. I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but if I don't eat greasy or 'heavy' foods for awhile, and then suddenly I do, they make me sick. Maybe this was part of the IBS thing? I dunno... I didn't get my IBS medicine until I had told them about it AFTER surgery).
I had heard horror stories online of patients not getting their surgeries because the surgeon went it and decided their liver was still too big. I denied cheating and figured, "if they've already got the surgery started, they're more likely to go ahead and do it than back out." I was lucky that the written report I was given after surgery said my liver looked good. I do NOT encourage anyone to cheat. However, I know it's super hard and it'll make you want to binge like crazy, so I say if you just HAVE to cheat, stick with fat free or low fat cottage cheese and plain crackers.
The Night Before
The day before surgery I had to drink a laxative. I thought it was going to be gross, but it tasted alot like Sprite.... only a little more sour. I also thought I'd be on the toilet forever and cramping. However, since I had ate so much less for the previous two weeks on the pre-op diet, there really wasn't much to get rid of in my intestines. It wasn't the horrifying experience I thought it would be.
I was so excited I couldn't sleep. People say that if you say you weren't scared, you're lying. I really wasn't though. There was one moment where I had some concern that they would think I was asleep but wasn't really. I have such a high tolerance on sleeping pills with my insomnia and that was where the concern came from. However... (if my Speech teacher is reading this, she's prob got a tally going on how many times I say certain words, like 'however'. SORRY MRS PROTZ!), my dad reminded me that my mom also has insomnia and takes a whole lot more sleeping pills than me and has had multiple surgeries without any problem. After that, I was fine and just couldn't wait to get there and get my sleeve!"
"Here it is, the end of April of the year 2013 and I am so behind on giving ya'll the scoop about my surgery. Here is what's been going on the passed few months. Feel free to ask any questions! I am an open book and will answer anything, no matter how personal, if it will help you make a decision.
Where the Weight Came From
I've struggled with my weight for most of my life. When I was a kid, I was always the chubby one. I remember a time when my mom actually took me to a doctor and asked her how to get me to lose the weight because I was lazy and wouldn't exercise (she had at one time offered to pay my sisters and I to walk on the treadmill. It wasn't a significant amount and I was too lazy to even earn a couple bucks.... the treadmill was right next to the couch in the tv room. I chose the couch). The doctor told her that if she would limit my food intake, I would grow into my weight. I was 12 years old and 198 lbs. (I remember this because the paper it was written on hung on the wall for a decade). My mom would give me significantly smaller portions than the rest of the family. I'd watch my two skinny, high metabolism sisters eat a big dinner while I got less. I don't remember every actually being hungry, but I do remember feeling picked on and that's when I started to build resentment towards my mother. Even the kitchen pantry and fridge had locks on it. Thus began my life of depression! I know my mother meant well, but I can already think of several other approaches that would have been better.
By age 15, I had grown a few inches and lost weight. I was down to 119 lbs and looked borderline anorexic. I was eating smaller portions and used to it (the kitchen was no longer on lock down), but I was still not eating the right foods. No one had taught me. My whole family ate fattening foods on a regular basis (including many home-cooked meals). At school, I would eat a thing of fries and a carton of milk for lunch every day. Occasionally I would have a soda, but I was never a big soda drinker (I dont like the carbonation. I actually prefer flat soda).
By 16, I had my first job at Bakers Square. The food and pies are AMAZING and the cooks always cooked my meals just how I liked. I never brought food with me to work. I would eat what I ordered from them and was always taking pies home. I had also began dating. Steve, the boy I was dating and another lucky high-metabolism person, like my sisters, was always taking me out to eat burgers, cheese fries, and pizza. The combination of the two began to catch up with me and I bounced between 150/160 for the next few years. I remember one night at work, the seam of the butt on my pants split. My manager had actually told me to stop eating so much. I was humiliated (fortunately, that manager is gone and only the one I have fond memories of still works there).
At age 18, I moved out the summer of high school graduation and moved to Utah for my first year of college. I was ordering pizza constantly and cooking lots of baked potatoes smothered in broccoli cheese soup and butter, pizza, chicken strips (my fav) and fries with 'Some Dudes Fry Sauce' (only available out there. Good thing I don't live there anymore because that stuff is addicting). A roommate of mine, Karla, convinced me to join the gym with her. Neither of us had cars so we'd walk several blocks to the gym. On the way, we'd pass a Carl's Jr. (the west's version of our midwest Hardees), and I'd stop and eat there several times. One time, I even took a burger with me to the gym and at it in the locker room! Yep, seriously. At the time I thought it was funny; now, it's an embarrassing, shameful story.
My time in Utah stayed around 170 lbs. I didn't even go to the gym much. I think the only reason why I didn't gain a ton of weight was because I didn't have a car and I lived in a mountain. I had to walk uphill for 6 blocks to get groceries, which I'd buy TONS of, so I'd walk home carrying what must have been 50 lbs of food.
Towards the end of my academic year, I found some people I went to high school with online and chatted with them. One of them was best friends, and roommates, with the guy I had a crush on since 7th grade but had never spoken to. He introduced us and we chatted every day/night for hours. I moved back home as soon as I could, where I ended up having to have surgery to remove my gallbladder that August. I spent the semester at a local community college and then convinced my parents to let me move an hour and a half away to go to school where my dream guy was.
He (Michael) and I began dating and very quickly fell in love. He was so amazing to me and I learned alot from him. However, we distracted one another from school. He was still able to pull off decent grades and graduate with his bachelors. Unfortunately, I was too distracted and landed only with a non-transferable Associates. I moved in with him and his friends, where I'd cook for them all. The guys ate such huge portions that I began eating the same. They'd all eat their own pizzas as well. I couldn't share with any of them since they each ate a full one, so I'd have to order my own... which I'd end up eating all of as well. Horseshoes (a famous meal from my hometown) became a regular meal. I followed him back to our hometown and we continued to eat lots of fast food and junk. He was super athletic and trained hard in the gym. Towards the end of our 5 1/2 year relationship, he started getting on my case more and more about my weight. I was also on new medication to help with insomnia. The meds would make me get up and eat a crap load in my sleep. I wasn't even aware of it until one day I had asked him where all the chicken nuggets went and he said, "I yelled at your a couple nights ago about it. You were eating the entire bag and wouldn't stop!" I didn't believe that I was doing that in my sleep, and I didn't believe him either. I figured he ate it all and was just being a jerk because he was always looking to get on my case about weight.
He began rejecting me and ignoring me. Telling me that I needed to dress up even to run an errand because you never knew who I could run into and he didn't want his friends or coworkers seeing me not at my best. He wanted my hair done a certain way, and I would try and try but it was never right. When I'd dress up and try to get him to acknowledge it, he would say, "What? Am I supposed to say congratulations for being normal?" I would go to bed alone at night while he played video games. I'd always have dinner ready for him when he got home from work (except the occasional forgetting an ingredient, in which he would get super pissed at me for even asking him to go to the store and pick it up real quick. He'd also get annoyed at me for asking for help with draining a huge pot of noodles). Soon as he got done eating, it was straight to video games. I got tired of going to bed alone and never having any time with him, so there were nights when I actually would lay on the floor next to his gaming chair and fall asleep so I could be by him. Still, he never acknowledged me. The depression grew dramatically and I would begin to say things I didn't mean like, "I hate you" and "your a jerk", where he'd throw a "bitch" back at me. There were times I would stay at the gym from 8:00 pm to 3:00 in the morning and he would never say "good job". He'd ignore it and continue to point out my weight. The depression just made me feel worse and worse and I turned to food more and more to make up for the attention he refused to give me. I had already forgave him once for cheating on me (and later found out he was still talking to the girl and tried to hide it from me and expected me to just trust him again automatically), then, one day at work, I just broke down with one of the random panic attacks I was experiencing around that time. I texted him about it, hoping for him to give me some sort of moral support. Instead, he text me back saying it was over (the first time he dumped me was over Instant Messaging, but he would still have sex with me, leading me on. When the girl he had cheated on me with dumped him, he took me back... I should have known better. It was less than a year until he cheated on me and dumped me again). I went home from work in tears and took enough Xanax to help me relax and go to sleep. The next morning, he told me I needed to pack up my stuff. I couldn't believe it. I started screaming at him. He was really the one dumping me!? And over a freakin text message when I needed him!? I wasn't even satisfied in the tears he had in his eyes. He couldn't even look at me. It took all I had not to clock him in the face. He left for work and I packed up my stuff as quick as I could.
I moved back in with my parents and took two weeks off work. I did what I did during our last breakup (which had only lasted a couple months and I had also dropped a good chunk of weight then), I made a profile on a dating site and cried non stop. I met this nice, older (40), but still pretty attractive guy named Daniel. I still can't believe he was willing to listen to me cry and blubber on. We still talk to this day. Anyways, the only guys I had actually gone out with from those sites ended up having only one thing on the mind.
After a couple months, I found a home in a neighborhood nearby that was up for rent and the price was unbeatable (which I later began to regret but that's another story). I moved in and since no one could say anything about what I ate, I spent all my money (including credit) on fast food and candy. In the course of 1 year, I spent nearly $10,000 on food. True story. I had then jumped from 230 (when Michael dumped me) to nearly 300 in that one year. I began having health problems. I was on a never ending period for multiple months and went to the gym one day and returned with swollen feet and ankles that wouldn't go away. My doctor told me I was pre-diabetic. My mom had also just been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. I had heard horror stories about diabetics losing body parts, so I quickly began cutting back on sugar (but not fat or salty stuff). I was able to get out of the pre-diabetic range. Unfortunately, my mom still refuses to even try and is now a Type 2 Diabetic with a world of problems. However, during that time, I was making several trips to the doctors office for appointments and tests. I gave my employer the required doctor notes to be excused, but was still fired and couldn't even get Unemployment or Disability. I had to move back in with my parents.
For awhile, my older sister was baking a cake each week. My mom fills empty prescription bottles with candy and also has issues eating in her sleep (we often find her with melted chocolate on the bed or a hot dog hanging out of her mouth). I had discovered that I was eating in my sleep when I woke up to a million candy wrappers around me.
Fast Forward... I've now been living with my parents and my older sister (my younger sister living in Cali and is prob the only child my parents are proud of) and it's been about 2 1/2 years since the break up. It took me a good two years to quit being sad about it and wishing I could fix things... as if it were completely my fault. I've finally realized its NOT completely my fault and I do NOT want him back. I admire the things he was in the beginning of our relationship, but as for the person he became, I hope he never puts another woman through what he put me through. No one deserves that pain. We had just been looking at buying a house together only like a month before he dumped me and went on a cruise with another girl (the same one his parents invited us on that he made every excuse in the book to not go on with me). Yes, as you can tell I'm still very angry about it and will be for awhile. I would be happy if he could just admit he was a jerk, but I know that will NEVER happen. He has too much pride.
Anyways, my mom eats like crap. My older sister eats the worst of us all. She's average size now, but has a bit of a tummy. I calculated each of our meals at dinner once and she topped us all wither over 1,000 calories, which she followed up with ice cream even after I told her of her calorie total. And the next day she came home with a bag of donuts! I am post surgery now, but still have the same struggles. My family eats junk and it's hard to eat healthy when I'm surrounded by junk. In fact, I get flat out angry when I see someone (in my family) eating bad. They just don't care at all. I know I can't control what they eat and I wish I didn't get so mad about it, but I do.
My dad pays for most of my groceries, and everyone puts what they want on the list. However, my stuff is often either eaten or thrown out to make room for more of their crap. For example, I'll get the ingredients for something I want to make. I'll even write my name on everything, but still, a family member will take it for something they want to make, thus ruining whatever recipes I had in mind and I'm left with only junk frozen food or macaroni options. The only thing I've manage to keep people off is my drinks (see my Water and Sex Appeal entry), unless they decide to just flat out throw it away and put another one of their sugary juices in its place. I even was given a second fridge in the basement to use, which isn't easy on my knees to go up and down the stairs for constantly. Even then, my sister has recently taken it over. She's become a serious junk food addict (even her fridge looks like a grocery store). Part of me wants her to gain a few pounds to see what it's like to stress about weight, but I don't think that'll ever happen.
Mom continues to have health problems but her excuse is, "We have good health insurance". Not to mention, she's never really worked and dad pays for EVERYTHING. If she had to pay for even one of her own medical bills, I bet she'd be singing a different tune.
Dad is the healthiest of us all. He's at a healthy weight and eats decent. He still eats fast food, but he does balance it with a lot of fish and smaller portions.
Making the Decision
With all the stress my weight was causing on me emotionally, as well as physically (I was even beginning to have problems with waking up in the middle of the night, gasping for air), a friend of mine, Lacie, suggested I look into bariatric surgery. Someone she knew had it (her aunt I believe, and I believe it was Gastric Bypass) and was successful with it. Lacie is a blond haired, bright blue eyes, big dimples, super tan girl that I compare to a Barbie doll cuz she's so freakin' perfect (I've wanted to look like her ever since I met her in middle school. I actually used to be super intimidated by her but as I grew up, I've gotten over MOST of my shyness and we chat quit a bit... she's even helping me find a job so I can move out again!) If she told me, "I drink this and eat this and do this to look the way I do", I would've jumped on it. She could've easily sold me placebos for $100 and I WOULD HAVE DONE IT! However, I shot done the weight loss surgery quickly. I said no way, that's for people who are like 400+ pounds (as I was already above 300 and still gaining) and it's just a quick fix. I was determined that I was going to earn it and not have some shameful surgery. As the weeks went by, I found a show called "My 600 lb life" which was a short documentary series (you can actually find it on YouTube now... Melissa is my favorite. I think she's every one's favorite actually) where a few people were followed and had gastric bypass surgery. The show followed their successes and even failures. It showed that it wasn't easy and it's not a quick fix... you can even gain weight with the surgery! I started looking into it more, researching the various bariatric surgery options online, making sure my text sources were credible. I had even followed vlogs on YouTube. My primary physician encouraged me not to do that, but I did anyway. I know people are more likely to post a video complaining than they are to say "this was great". However, I got several 'this was great's and enough information to actually inquire more questions for me to ask my doctor and surgeon about. I thought it was pretty easy to decide which surgery I wanted, the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I went to my doctor and told her what I wanted. She told me what to expect and referred me to a surgeon. I've known my primary physician all my life so I didn't even look into specific surgeons. I knew she would recommend someone and I would be perfectly happy with her recommendations. I was at the end of my time where my dad's insurance would cover me and I was worried the new one wouldn't cover it. My new insurance was already difficult to find because of my weight (other insurance companies wouldn't take me). I trusted my dad to get me the best 'deal' out there (while also actually helping to cover all my prescriptions), and I was worried this 'deal' wouldn't cover bariatric surgery. Fortunately, it did.
The Months Following Up
I was surprised my new insurance not only covered the surgery, but they also DID NOT require me to do a six month, doctor supervised diet. However, the Bariatric Team for my surgeon does require that you prove yourself a worthy candidate for them first. At the time, I was asking my dad if I could just go to Mexico and do it already (my grandmother, his mother, had recently passed away and he was using money she left him to cover the appointments not covered by insurance, or the extra amount after insurance). He told me he didn't feel safe with me going to Mexico for surgery. Luckily, I have a wonderful bariatric team and I am grateful that I stuck with them.
Linda, my Physical Therapist, evaluated my stamina and began working with me on making out a workout plan. She would always tell me to go slow. However, I'm a "0 to 200" (as my Nutritionist called it), so I tend to wanna jump in full force as if Jillian Michaels were watching. When I do that, I always get burnt out and Linda knew that would happen before even getting to know me. She would only let me walk with some stretches she assigned me for specific parts (specifically my lower back pain).
I also met with Wendi, a social worker. I was super nervous about her. I had heard from support groups that she was a real ball buster. I sat as straight as I could in those appointments. I answered honestly, but admit I may have put a slightly more positive spin on some things. I didn't want her thinking I was too depressed to lose weight, because I already knew my depression was getting tons better. Turned out, she's super adorable and so nice (everyone on the bariatric team is nice! There's no reason to be afraid... they truly are there to help.) What's funny is now I email her like "I need advice!" rather then be nervous I'll get in trouble for feeling a certain way.
Tiffany is the nurse I had a consultation with. I did not see her again until I was awake from surgery months later and now I have follow up appointments with her. She and my nutritionist talked about my problems with IBS, which I had suffered with for YEARS (no doctor prescribed any medication that helped), but these two immediately were like, "oh yeah, you need this..." and it WORKED! That alone was worth a million bucks! I'm so happy not to have to deal with that anymore. I had no idea these girls would make that problem go away.
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| 50 lb difference |
For the next couple of months, I was to 'build my plate' with 50% non starchy vegetables, 25% starch, and 25% protein. At first I thought 'there's no way I'll be full if I'm mostly just eating some leaves!", but it does work! I even crossed off the starch because I was fine without it. However, Angie told me it was important to have some carb/starch with protein, so I put that back in. Weight began falling off, and mostly just because of the diet (I didn't go to the gym everytime. I felt like if all I could do was walk, it was pointless.. once again, I'm a 0 to 200 kind of gal). As they say, it's 80% nutrition... they were right!
The PreOp Diet
Two weeks before surgery (which was scheduled for December 17, 2012), I was put on a preop diet. This diet is different from surgeon to surgeon (I've learned this chatting with Sleeve patients from around the world in a Facebook group), but they still share the basics. I was to consume as much of approved liquids as possible (crystal light, Gatorade, chicken broth, etc) and I could have raw or steamed non starchy veggies. Angie told me I couldn't have any dressing, but I could make an approved dip.... greek yogurt with ranch seasoning. I think most Greek yogurts are sour, but the plain Chaboni (sp?) brand was perfect. I mixed with just a couple teaspoons of the Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning mix. I couldn't stand steamed veggies without salt and butter, so I had alot of this homemade, approved dip with raw broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. I even munched on plain sugar snap peas. Yum! I was also approved for a limited amount of sugar free jello or sugar free pudding. I was to also drink protein shakes.
After surgery, you'll be drinking lots of protein shakes, and since you dont want to buy a full sized container of something you dont like, Angie suggested I purchase some protein shake samples to try during my preop diet, so I could decided which I liked and which I didnt.
The preop diet, in my opinion, is the worst part of the whole thing. I told them I never cheated, and that was the one straight lie I told my bariatric team, and I feel super bad about it. I ate plenty of cottage cheese (even though they said it wasn't allowed) and plain crackers. I also had some cheese (the stuff on a block that you cut yourself... not the pre-cut or pre-shredded junk filled with chemicals and other fillers/preservatives). My mom came home with a huge fried chicken dinner and the smell drove me wild, especially since I was so sick of the same stuff over and over. I stuffed my face with about half of a friend chicken breast... or wing... I don't remember. I remember I had grease all around my mouth and hands because I literally just went caveman on the stuff. I got sick to my stomach afterwards. I had also gotten a thing of Chicken Selects from McDonalds once with some fries and honey mustard. It also made me sick. I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but if I don't eat greasy or 'heavy' foods for awhile, and then suddenly I do, they make me sick. Maybe this was part of the IBS thing? I dunno... I didn't get my IBS medicine until I had told them about it AFTER surgery).
I had heard horror stories online of patients not getting their surgeries because the surgeon went it and decided their liver was still too big. I denied cheating and figured, "if they've already got the surgery started, they're more likely to go ahead and do it than back out." I was lucky that the written report I was given after surgery said my liver looked good. I do NOT encourage anyone to cheat. However, I know it's super hard and it'll make you want to binge like crazy, so I say if you just HAVE to cheat, stick with fat free or low fat cottage cheese and plain crackers.
The Night Before
The day before surgery I had to drink a laxative. I thought it was going to be gross, but it tasted alot like Sprite.... only a little more sour. I also thought I'd be on the toilet forever and cramping. However, since I had ate so much less for the previous two weeks on the pre-op diet, there really wasn't much to get rid of in my intestines. It wasn't the horrifying experience I thought it would be.
I was so excited I couldn't sleep. People say that if you say you weren't scared, you're lying. I really wasn't though. There was one moment where I had some concern that they would think I was asleep but wasn't really. I have such a high tolerance on sleeping pills with my insomnia and that was where the concern came from. However... (if my Speech teacher is reading this, she's prob got a tally going on how many times I say certain words, like 'however'. SORRY MRS PROTZ!), my dad reminded me that my mom also has insomnia and takes a whole lot more sleeping pills than me and has had multiple surgeries without any problem. After that, I was fine and just couldn't wait to get there and get my sleeve!"
Monday, September 10, 2012
PreOp Bariatric Appointments (Part Three)
Well the support group was much bigger than I had anticipated. Most of the members were older than me, but it was nice to see a few people closer to my age. I didn't get a change to talk with them, but hopefully I can next time. I'm curious as to if people closer to my age had issues with excess skin or if it 'bounced back'.
The meeting started with the two surgeons answering any questions group members had. Some of them were questions in helping them decide between surgeries, others were questions regarding post surgery.
Later, we split into groups based on what surgery we had/are looking into getting. The newcomers (including me) were taken into a separate room, where the surgeons went into more detail regarding the different surgery options, why we have to 'jump through hoops' before surgery, what to avoid after surgery, etc. This was about half of the original group (which was maybe 100 or so people). Questions asked this time were more personal, such as if it would cure someone's specific disease, etc. There were some interesting facts I made notes of to talk to my dad about, but I threw it away after talking to him about it! I didn't even think to keep it to inform you guys/gals on my blog. I'm so sorry about that.
A few days later, I had my nutrition classes. Most of it was information I had already learned either from nutrition classes in school, or just doing my own research. The first class discussed general nutrition, the second was more specific to the surgery we were getting (bypassers and sleevers were together). There will be another nutrition class after surgery. They gave me about 75 pages of notes to add to my binder. I'll review over them with you:
Nutrition 101 (The first course) - discusses the important of structured eating; learning to eat until satisfied vs eating until full; how to build your plate; starchy vegetables vs nonstarchy vegetables; healthy food ideas and sample menus; label reading; sample grocery list
Nutrition 200B (dont ask me why it's not 201 or 102... but it is the next one in the series) - importance of vitamins, water, and protein pre and especially post surgery; pre and post surgery sample meal plans (week by week); clear liquid diet ideas; what to expect while in the hospital recovering from surgery; soft proteins; protein bars and trans fat; protein drink samples*
*Rather than purchase a $25-50 gallon of protein mix, you can purchase the samples online to decide if you like the flavor or not (nothing worse than buying a ton of something you end up hating). The websites to check are: injury.com and mybariatricpantry.com.
It is important to check with your bariatric team about your vitamins post surgery. Your body will digest these vitamins differently, so you'll need vitamins specially made for people who have had bariatric surgery. This is something you will have to take the rest of your life. With the gastric sleeve, this may not be neccessary, but since there is little history on this surgery, my surgeon requires us to take the supplements as a precaution until there is more literature.
I also have a note written in the margin regarding the liquid diet. The nutritionist recommended purchasing 'Torani' sugar free syrups to mix up the flavor. She said patients had even made this into slushies and ice cream somehow! Pretty cool idea. I just watched my dad suffer for a day of liquid dieting before his colonoscopy, and us surgery people will be doing it for a few weeks, so we better have options!
Until Next Time,
XOXO Miss Fat Girl
The meeting started with the two surgeons answering any questions group members had. Some of them were questions in helping them decide between surgeries, others were questions regarding post surgery.
Later, we split into groups based on what surgery we had/are looking into getting. The newcomers (including me) were taken into a separate room, where the surgeons went into more detail regarding the different surgery options, why we have to 'jump through hoops' before surgery, what to avoid after surgery, etc. This was about half of the original group (which was maybe 100 or so people). Questions asked this time were more personal, such as if it would cure someone's specific disease, etc. There were some interesting facts I made notes of to talk to my dad about, but I threw it away after talking to him about it! I didn't even think to keep it to inform you guys/gals on my blog. I'm so sorry about that.
A few days later, I had my nutrition classes. Most of it was information I had already learned either from nutrition classes in school, or just doing my own research. The first class discussed general nutrition, the second was more specific to the surgery we were getting (bypassers and sleevers were together). There will be another nutrition class after surgery. They gave me about 75 pages of notes to add to my binder. I'll review over them with you:
Nutrition 101 (The first course) - discusses the important of structured eating; learning to eat until satisfied vs eating until full; how to build your plate; starchy vegetables vs nonstarchy vegetables; healthy food ideas and sample menus; label reading; sample grocery list
Nutrition 200B (dont ask me why it's not 201 or 102... but it is the next one in the series) - importance of vitamins, water, and protein pre and especially post surgery; pre and post surgery sample meal plans (week by week); clear liquid diet ideas; what to expect while in the hospital recovering from surgery; soft proteins; protein bars and trans fat; protein drink samples*
*Rather than purchase a $25-50 gallon of protein mix, you can purchase the samples online to decide if you like the flavor or not (nothing worse than buying a ton of something you end up hating). The websites to check are: injury.com and mybariatricpantry.com.
It is important to check with your bariatric team about your vitamins post surgery. Your body will digest these vitamins differently, so you'll need vitamins specially made for people who have had bariatric surgery. This is something you will have to take the rest of your life. With the gastric sleeve, this may not be neccessary, but since there is little history on this surgery, my surgeon requires us to take the supplements as a precaution until there is more literature.
I also have a note written in the margin regarding the liquid diet. The nutritionist recommended purchasing 'Torani' sugar free syrups to mix up the flavor. She said patients had even made this into slushies and ice cream somehow! Pretty cool idea. I just watched my dad suffer for a day of liquid dieting before his colonoscopy, and us surgery people will be doing it for a few weeks, so we better have options!
Until Next Time,
XOXO Miss Fat Girl
Sunday, September 2, 2012
PreOp Bariatric Appointments (Part Two)
My first appointment with a nutritionist began by weighing her me and noting my body fat percentage and BMI. She asked a few questions regarding my visit with the social worker, my eating habits, and the surgery I am looking into. I dont remember too many details... my memory isn't the greatest and this appointment was last week. In the end, she made her suggestions, which she wrote down for me:
The first, is to schedule my meals and workouts. This is also what my social worker has asked of me. We decided to 'schedule' it right then and there. She pulled out a paper and we decided when I go to bed at night and when I get up in the morning. I was really worried about this, since I have insomnia (prescription sleeping pills dont always work and I'm often awake until dawn!). I usually am up til the sun comes up... or close to... and usually sleep in until the early afternoon! Once in a blue moon, I'd get my schedule back to something more normal, but sooner than later, it'd eventually reverse again (up late, to sleep late). Luckily, this hasn't been an issue since our appointment. I set my alarm for 10 am, as we scheduled, and have actually been falling asleep within the scheduled 'go to bed' time, or around it. Only a couple of times have I slept in an extra hour. I'm not even groggy or tired throughout the day!
Scheduling meals is done so your body knows when to expect food. I've heard of 'starvation mode' before, but had read that it doesn't begin storing fat until after a few weeks or months of regularly letting your body get extremely hungry before eating it. However, she suggested that it can go into a starvation mode if you dont regularly eat at scheduled times. Your body wants to know when it's going to eat next (by eating at a normal, scheduled time). She also said a little bit of a hunger pain isn't a big deal because it tells you you've got a metabolism. You just want to avoid getting to the point where you're extremely hungry and then end up overeating. My social worker suggested eating every three hours. The nutritionist said every 3-5 and not to go more than 5 hours without a snack. We scheduled meals accordingly: 10 am (when I wake up), lunch at 2, a snack at 5, and dinner at 8 (our family has always had dinner around 8 pm). I'm used to having more snacks each day, so I may allow myself a second snack if I do get HUNGRY, but will otherwise stick to her schedule.
The other scheduled item is a workout. She scheduled me for one 30 minute workout every 3-4 days. I tried to tell her to schedule me for an hour every day, because I feel that's what I should be doing. She pointed out I tend to want to go from '0 to 200' (which I know is true) and usually results in me getting burnt out and failing, then starting all over again! She told me if I decide to work out for an hour, than that's fine, but to only commit myself to 30 minutes, so that way I dont disappoint myself if I don't do an hour... the same reason with only doing it 3-4 days out of the week. We scheduled this for 1 o'clock, since that's when the sun is in a perfect spot for my swimming pool. However, I haven't been able to swim at all since our weather is being all screwy lately! That's no excuse for my not having worked out at all though. Yes, I admit it. I saw my nutritionist on August 28th... it is now September 2 in the evening and I still haven't worked out! However, I AM working out this evening. I was going to earlier, but I wanted to wear my Exerspy armband to see how many calories I'll burn during my workout. The battery was dead so I have it charging now.
To follow my meals and exercise each day (if you want suggests for yourself), you can check out my SparkPeople.com profile. My username is LysMyMiss53. I've been off and on that website since winter of last year, but I'm back on it now to keep track of my meals for the bariatric team. I like that the site not only monitors calories, fat, carbs, etc, it also gives you a feedback report at the end of the day... pie charts and everything!
I may post my meal plans and workout details (what I'm doing, for how long, etc) on here at the end of each month.
The other suggestion was to plan my meals... not just the time, but also what I'll eat. This was also suggested by the social worker (so I'm getting my 'homework assignments' from both bariatric team members done at the same time). I asked my social worker what my calorie limit would be, however, she told me she was not ready to assign a calorie limit for me yet. She just wanted me to get in the habit of eating at regular times, and recording what I eat/planning meals (or 'menus'). I'll still be watching my calories based off of what SparkPeople.com suggests for me. However, even though I want to dive right in and do everything perfectly, it is nice that the nutritionist is taking it a step at a time. As she said before... I tend to go from '0 to 200', and I know where that gets me!
My next meeting is on September 4th. It will be my first support group meeting, and I will also be meeting with the surgeon one-on-one. I'm so excited for these support group meetings and I wish they were held more than just once a month. I'm only required to attend one, but I plan to attend every month!
My other appointments scheduled are:
September 6th - I will be taking the required "Nutrition 101" and "Nutrition 200" classes. My binder (given to me by the bariatric teams) says that '101' covers 'structured eating/balanced plate/label reading'. '200' is divided into sections based on which surgery you are getting... so I will be attending the one specific to the gastric sleeve (which is also with gastric bypass patients.... the lapband patients are in a separate section). You can take these two classes on different days, however, I was able to schedule them both back to back. They are scheduled to last three hours total... an hour and a half each. I will have a 30 minute break in between the two.
September 13 - I also was able to schedule two separate appointments back to back. The first one will be with the physical therapist (my first appointment with her) and the next will be my second appointment with the nutritionist. Those should be approx. 1 hour each. The physical therapist appointment section in the book says to wear tennis shoes and comfortable close, so I'll prob be doing a workout. I'm nervous about the workout though... I'm afraid she'll have me do more than my body is able to handle at this time/weight. I do expect to be 'pushed', but I hope she doesn't have me collapsing before my appointment with the nutritionist!
I'm also supposed to have a follow up with the social worker. The book says the follow up is only 'if recommended', but it IS recommended. It has not been scheduled yet though. I will schedule that when I'm there on the 13th, or maybe the 6th.
Welp, that is the update for now. I see this blog is getting many views, but no comments yet. :( I encourage you guys/gals to ask questions or give me feedback. As I've said before.... I'm so antsy that my life is pretty much revolving around forums, vlogs/blogs, websites, journal articles, etc when I'm not doing my schoolwork!
Til Next Time,
Miss Fat Girl
The first, is to schedule my meals and workouts. This is also what my social worker has asked of me. We decided to 'schedule' it right then and there. She pulled out a paper and we decided when I go to bed at night and when I get up in the morning. I was really worried about this, since I have insomnia (prescription sleeping pills dont always work and I'm often awake until dawn!). I usually am up til the sun comes up... or close to... and usually sleep in until the early afternoon! Once in a blue moon, I'd get my schedule back to something more normal, but sooner than later, it'd eventually reverse again (up late, to sleep late). Luckily, this hasn't been an issue since our appointment. I set my alarm for 10 am, as we scheduled, and have actually been falling asleep within the scheduled 'go to bed' time, or around it. Only a couple of times have I slept in an extra hour. I'm not even groggy or tired throughout the day!
Scheduling meals is done so your body knows when to expect food. I've heard of 'starvation mode' before, but had read that it doesn't begin storing fat until after a few weeks or months of regularly letting your body get extremely hungry before eating it. However, she suggested that it can go into a starvation mode if you dont regularly eat at scheduled times. Your body wants to know when it's going to eat next (by eating at a normal, scheduled time). She also said a little bit of a hunger pain isn't a big deal because it tells you you've got a metabolism. You just want to avoid getting to the point where you're extremely hungry and then end up overeating. My social worker suggested eating every three hours. The nutritionist said every 3-5 and not to go more than 5 hours without a snack. We scheduled meals accordingly: 10 am (when I wake up), lunch at 2, a snack at 5, and dinner at 8 (our family has always had dinner around 8 pm). I'm used to having more snacks each day, so I may allow myself a second snack if I do get HUNGRY, but will otherwise stick to her schedule.
The other scheduled item is a workout. She scheduled me for one 30 minute workout every 3-4 days. I tried to tell her to schedule me for an hour every day, because I feel that's what I should be doing. She pointed out I tend to want to go from '0 to 200' (which I know is true) and usually results in me getting burnt out and failing, then starting all over again! She told me if I decide to work out for an hour, than that's fine, but to only commit myself to 30 minutes, so that way I dont disappoint myself if I don't do an hour... the same reason with only doing it 3-4 days out of the week. We scheduled this for 1 o'clock, since that's when the sun is in a perfect spot for my swimming pool. However, I haven't been able to swim at all since our weather is being all screwy lately! That's no excuse for my not having worked out at all though. Yes, I admit it. I saw my nutritionist on August 28th... it is now September 2 in the evening and I still haven't worked out! However, I AM working out this evening. I was going to earlier, but I wanted to wear my Exerspy armband to see how many calories I'll burn during my workout. The battery was dead so I have it charging now.
To follow my meals and exercise each day (if you want suggests for yourself), you can check out my SparkPeople.com profile. My username is LysMyMiss53. I've been off and on that website since winter of last year, but I'm back on it now to keep track of my meals for the bariatric team. I like that the site not only monitors calories, fat, carbs, etc, it also gives you a feedback report at the end of the day... pie charts and everything!
I may post my meal plans and workout details (what I'm doing, for how long, etc) on here at the end of each month.
The other suggestion was to plan my meals... not just the time, but also what I'll eat. This was also suggested by the social worker (so I'm getting my 'homework assignments' from both bariatric team members done at the same time). I asked my social worker what my calorie limit would be, however, she told me she was not ready to assign a calorie limit for me yet. She just wanted me to get in the habit of eating at regular times, and recording what I eat/planning meals (or 'menus'). I'll still be watching my calories based off of what SparkPeople.com suggests for me. However, even though I want to dive right in and do everything perfectly, it is nice that the nutritionist is taking it a step at a time. As she said before... I tend to go from '0 to 200', and I know where that gets me!
My next meeting is on September 4th. It will be my first support group meeting, and I will also be meeting with the surgeon one-on-one. I'm so excited for these support group meetings and I wish they were held more than just once a month. I'm only required to attend one, but I plan to attend every month!
My other appointments scheduled are:
September 6th - I will be taking the required "Nutrition 101" and "Nutrition 200" classes. My binder (given to me by the bariatric teams) says that '101' covers 'structured eating/balanced plate/label reading'. '200' is divided into sections based on which surgery you are getting... so I will be attending the one specific to the gastric sleeve (which is also with gastric bypass patients.... the lapband patients are in a separate section). You can take these two classes on different days, however, I was able to schedule them both back to back. They are scheduled to last three hours total... an hour and a half each. I will have a 30 minute break in between the two.
September 13 - I also was able to schedule two separate appointments back to back. The first one will be with the physical therapist (my first appointment with her) and the next will be my second appointment with the nutritionist. Those should be approx. 1 hour each. The physical therapist appointment section in the book says to wear tennis shoes and comfortable close, so I'll prob be doing a workout. I'm nervous about the workout though... I'm afraid she'll have me do more than my body is able to handle at this time/weight. I do expect to be 'pushed', but I hope she doesn't have me collapsing before my appointment with the nutritionist!
I'm also supposed to have a follow up with the social worker. The book says the follow up is only 'if recommended', but it IS recommended. It has not been scheduled yet though. I will schedule that when I'm there on the 13th, or maybe the 6th.
Welp, that is the update for now. I see this blog is getting many views, but no comments yet. :( I encourage you guys/gals to ask questions or give me feedback. As I've said before.... I'm so antsy that my life is pretty much revolving around forums, vlogs/blogs, websites, journal articles, etc when I'm not doing my schoolwork!
Til Next Time,
Miss Fat Girl
Monday, August 27, 2012
Pre Op Bariatric Appointments (Part One)
This blog entry will cover what occurred during my first two appointments with the bariatric team, as well as meeting with my primary physician. While each hospital's bariatric group may be different, these beginning appointments seem like they'd be a pretty general thing, so this blog entry should give you an idea of what to expect.
Fortunately for me, my primary physician works at a walk-in clinic, so I didn't have to wait for an appointment with her. I just called the office to see when she was working next (which was like the next day), and then popped in to see her. She already knew I was trying to lose weight. I had seen her last summer when I came to her office after my ankles swelled up after a workout and stayed swollen for days. She told me then I was prediabetic. She also suggested I workout in the gym swimming pool, since I had complained of the lower back pain I was getting from all the weight I was carrying around in my stomach. Anywho, she asked me if I was still working out, but I admitted I had pretty much quit since I dont have access to the gym now (although I do have a small pool in my backyard, so I'm not entirely free of excuses). I had tried doing workouts like BeachBody's "Turbo Fire" and "Insanity" but could barely do more than a few minutes at a time before collapsing. I had told her about the research I had done on various weight loss surgery procedures (I literally researched all day and all night for a few days until I was convinced I wanted to find out more). She had asked if I was interested in any particular surgeon, which I wasn't - that was like the one thing I didn't research. Either way, I trust my primary physician to make good recommendations. She referred me to Dr. Hammer. She told me she would have her nurse schedule me an appointment with his nurse and would call me in a couple days with the appointment date.
Being especially eager to 'get the show on the road', I wanted to be as prepared as possible. I checked out the hospital website for Dr. Hammer and found there were online orientations I was required to complete. The orientations were a few videos, about 20-40 minutes a piece followed by short, multiple choice quizzes. The website also said to have my primary physician fax over my medical records, but that was also done with the referral. After playing phone tag for a few days, I finally got my appointment.
My first appointment was with Dr. Hammer's nurse. She asked me what I knew about the various procedures and filled me in on any important information I was missing. We discusses my best option, and she agreed with my original decision of the gastric sleeve (vertical sleeve gastrectomy). She double checked my medical history (health conditions that run in the family, my health conditions, my medications) and weighed me. She also felt around my stomach to make sure she didn't feel any hernias. I didn't keep track of how long the appointment lasted, but if I were to guess, I would say it was around half an hour. Oh, she also sent me off with a list of lab work to get done. This I was able to get done with my primary physician. I just started a new insurance plan on June 1st, so I was worried about the labs not being covered due to my weight being a 'preexisting condition' (I didn't gain all this weight overnight). Luckily, she said my labs were needed and there was some sorta way around it and my labs were done on the spot (without an appointment... although I would bet most doctors would require an appointment for this list of labs). Several tubes of blood were taken, a urine sample, a chest xray, and an EKG.
My next appointment was about a few days to a week later (I don't remember exactly... my memory is that bad and I didn't write down the appointment dates. I just had my social worker appointment a couple days ago, however) with a social worker. The social worker evaluated me to see if she thought I needed any sort of therapy to work on deeper, underlying issues. I 'passed', so I do not need to see a psychologist. We talked about my history of depression (it is well controlled), what I believe contributed to my weight gain, my home environment and support system (I dont have a very good support system at home, however, she still 'passed' me, but encouraged me to try and talk with my family about being more supportive), what motivates me, etc. This appointment took an hour and fifteen minutes. It took this long because I was having to explain my entire history of depression (26 years in the making), and all the details she was looking for were not easily explained (I don't remember how many therapy visits I had as a child). She gave me a couple 'homework' assignments and a 3-ring binder specifically for patients preparing for bariatric surgery. My assignments include trying to better my family support system (I continue to attempt this, but family members habits are easily changed), make out a consistent schedule (exercise, meals, as well as regular daily things such as homework or work. The point is to think of everything like you would a doctor appointment, and not miss things like workouts), and record what I eat (my next appointment, which is actually tomorrow, is with a registered dietician. I think this is mostly to prepare for my visits with her). I'm not a caffiene drinker, alcohol consumer, or smoker, so I don't have to worry about trying to cut those out of my diet. However, I do have some expensive bottles of diet pills that I dont want to waste. They contain caffiene and once I have surgery, caffiene isn't allowed. I don't want to just have thrown away money, so I'm finishing off these bottles of pills - Lipo 6 Hers Black; Orovo Detox) while I have the chance.
All of my college classes are online (since walking through the parking lot to my classes was too difficult on my lower back) and I don't work, my schedule is very open. That makes it easier to schedule these appointments close together. This will give people an idea of how quickly it is POSSIBLE to get through these appointments to surgery (depending on if you are going through insurance and requirements of the hospital). At the path I'm on, I'm guessing I'll have surgery in October (the 3-ring binder they gave me maps out the appointments and stuff done before surgery is scheduled, as well as the approximate time it takes for insurance approval). They will NOT contact my insurance for surgery approval until the entire bariatric team (not just the surgeon) approves me for it. I looked over the weight loss surgery insurance plan for my insurance provider, and as of February this year, my insurance does NOT require me to have a particular diet set up by the team. However, the hospital I am getting this through may require a diet... it will vary depending on the person. Hopefully I will find out at my appointment tomorrow if I will need to take one. The reason why these diets are usually required is to (1) make sure you are likely to be compliant with your required diet AFTER surgery and (2) to help shrink your liver so they have easier access to your stomach during surgery (part of your liver lies over your stomach).
To help with my 'antsy'ness.... I've been watching a lot of personal journey's on YouTube (be it lap band, the sleeve, or gastric bypass) and getting an idea of what to expect pre and post op through others). I've also watched tv shows that have been uploaded to YouTube (such as 'My 600-lb life'). There are SEVERAL obesity related shows on YouTube... most seem to be british, so you'd need to look up the conversion of lbs to 'stones' if you really want to follow along). Another influential show is "Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition" with personal trainer Chris Powell. This can be found on Xfinity On Demand and on Hulu.com. My advice is to keep watching these motivational and informative shows and keep looking up information. You may get to the point where you think you've learned it all, but eventually you'll find something new (ex: If you experience nausea after surgery, try putting peppermint extract on ice chips and eating them! Neat-o tip!). Also join a forum so you can continue to learn about other's experiences and ask questions. I downloaded the "VST" app to my phone and read through several of the postings and heard about patient's "stalling" (not something I had heard about on other websites or YouTube vlogs). Knowledge is your friend and will help speed up the process and prepare you better!!!
XOXO,
Miss Fat Girl
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Fortunately for me, my primary physician works at a walk-in clinic, so I didn't have to wait for an appointment with her. I just called the office to see when she was working next (which was like the next day), and then popped in to see her. She already knew I was trying to lose weight. I had seen her last summer when I came to her office after my ankles swelled up after a workout and stayed swollen for days. She told me then I was prediabetic. She also suggested I workout in the gym swimming pool, since I had complained of the lower back pain I was getting from all the weight I was carrying around in my stomach. Anywho, she asked me if I was still working out, but I admitted I had pretty much quit since I dont have access to the gym now (although I do have a small pool in my backyard, so I'm not entirely free of excuses). I had tried doing workouts like BeachBody's "Turbo Fire" and "Insanity" but could barely do more than a few minutes at a time before collapsing. I had told her about the research I had done on various weight loss surgery procedures (I literally researched all day and all night for a few days until I was convinced I wanted to find out more). She had asked if I was interested in any particular surgeon, which I wasn't - that was like the one thing I didn't research. Either way, I trust my primary physician to make good recommendations. She referred me to Dr. Hammer. She told me she would have her nurse schedule me an appointment with his nurse and would call me in a couple days with the appointment date.
Being especially eager to 'get the show on the road', I wanted to be as prepared as possible. I checked out the hospital website for Dr. Hammer and found there were online orientations I was required to complete. The orientations were a few videos, about 20-40 minutes a piece followed by short, multiple choice quizzes. The website also said to have my primary physician fax over my medical records, but that was also done with the referral. After playing phone tag for a few days, I finally got my appointment.
My first appointment was with Dr. Hammer's nurse. She asked me what I knew about the various procedures and filled me in on any important information I was missing. We discusses my best option, and she agreed with my original decision of the gastric sleeve (vertical sleeve gastrectomy). She double checked my medical history (health conditions that run in the family, my health conditions, my medications) and weighed me. She also felt around my stomach to make sure she didn't feel any hernias. I didn't keep track of how long the appointment lasted, but if I were to guess, I would say it was around half an hour. Oh, she also sent me off with a list of lab work to get done. This I was able to get done with my primary physician. I just started a new insurance plan on June 1st, so I was worried about the labs not being covered due to my weight being a 'preexisting condition' (I didn't gain all this weight overnight). Luckily, she said my labs were needed and there was some sorta way around it and my labs were done on the spot (without an appointment... although I would bet most doctors would require an appointment for this list of labs). Several tubes of blood were taken, a urine sample, a chest xray, and an EKG.
My next appointment was about a few days to a week later (I don't remember exactly... my memory is that bad and I didn't write down the appointment dates. I just had my social worker appointment a couple days ago, however) with a social worker. The social worker evaluated me to see if she thought I needed any sort of therapy to work on deeper, underlying issues. I 'passed', so I do not need to see a psychologist. We talked about my history of depression (it is well controlled), what I believe contributed to my weight gain, my home environment and support system (I dont have a very good support system at home, however, she still 'passed' me, but encouraged me to try and talk with my family about being more supportive), what motivates me, etc. This appointment took an hour and fifteen minutes. It took this long because I was having to explain my entire history of depression (26 years in the making), and all the details she was looking for were not easily explained (I don't remember how many therapy visits I had as a child). She gave me a couple 'homework' assignments and a 3-ring binder specifically for patients preparing for bariatric surgery. My assignments include trying to better my family support system (I continue to attempt this, but family members habits are easily changed), make out a consistent schedule (exercise, meals, as well as regular daily things such as homework or work. The point is to think of everything like you would a doctor appointment, and not miss things like workouts), and record what I eat (my next appointment, which is actually tomorrow, is with a registered dietician. I think this is mostly to prepare for my visits with her). I'm not a caffiene drinker, alcohol consumer, or smoker, so I don't have to worry about trying to cut those out of my diet. However, I do have some expensive bottles of diet pills that I dont want to waste. They contain caffiene and once I have surgery, caffiene isn't allowed. I don't want to just have thrown away money, so I'm finishing off these bottles of pills - Lipo 6 Hers Black; Orovo Detox) while I have the chance.
All of my college classes are online (since walking through the parking lot to my classes was too difficult on my lower back) and I don't work, my schedule is very open. That makes it easier to schedule these appointments close together. This will give people an idea of how quickly it is POSSIBLE to get through these appointments to surgery (depending on if you are going through insurance and requirements of the hospital). At the path I'm on, I'm guessing I'll have surgery in October (the 3-ring binder they gave me maps out the appointments and stuff done before surgery is scheduled, as well as the approximate time it takes for insurance approval). They will NOT contact my insurance for surgery approval until the entire bariatric team (not just the surgeon) approves me for it. I looked over the weight loss surgery insurance plan for my insurance provider, and as of February this year, my insurance does NOT require me to have a particular diet set up by the team. However, the hospital I am getting this through may require a diet... it will vary depending on the person. Hopefully I will find out at my appointment tomorrow if I will need to take one. The reason why these diets are usually required is to (1) make sure you are likely to be compliant with your required diet AFTER surgery and (2) to help shrink your liver so they have easier access to your stomach during surgery (part of your liver lies over your stomach).
To help with my 'antsy'ness.... I've been watching a lot of personal journey's on YouTube (be it lap band, the sleeve, or gastric bypass) and getting an idea of what to expect pre and post op through others). I've also watched tv shows that have been uploaded to YouTube (such as 'My 600-lb life'). There are SEVERAL obesity related shows on YouTube... most seem to be british, so you'd need to look up the conversion of lbs to 'stones' if you really want to follow along). Another influential show is "Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition" with personal trainer Chris Powell. This can be found on Xfinity On Demand and on Hulu.com. My advice is to keep watching these motivational and informative shows and keep looking up information. You may get to the point where you think you've learned it all, but eventually you'll find something new (ex: If you experience nausea after surgery, try putting peppermint extract on ice chips and eating them! Neat-o tip!). Also join a forum so you can continue to learn about other's experiences and ask questions. I downloaded the "VST" app to my phone and read through several of the postings and heard about patient's "stalling" (not something I had heard about on other websites or YouTube vlogs). Knowledge is your friend and will help speed up the process and prepare you better!!!
XOXO,
Miss Fat Girl
.jpg)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
What is a supportive family?
I've had two appointments so far with the bariatric team. The first with a nurse and the second with a social worker. They both asked about my home support system. I told them my family was all for me losing the weight. The social worker wanted more detail. She asked what they do to show their support. I thought about it. Well, my dad is willing to pay for the surgery (what insurance doesn't cover) and he'll make comments about foods I eat or need to eat... (ex: If I'm eating a pizza, he'll get on me for eating it. Or if there are several apples in the basket that need to be eaten, he'll remind me about them). My dad can also relate to dieting because lately he's been trying different tweaks in his diet... such as cutting out diary and gluten for a few weeks and seeing what changes that made for him. Then she asked about my mom.... I didn't want to talk much about my passed with my mom because it's not something I really dwell on as much as I used to. I did tell her my mom and I were both told last summer we were pre-diabetic. I got out of that prediabetic area immediately, but my mom literally told me she doesn't care. Now, a year later, she's been diagnosed with diabetes. She continues to pop open cans of soda and fruit nectar (loaded with sugar), bake cakes and pies, eat ice cream, etc. While I may not have the same sugary habits as her, when I see someone eating that junk, it makes me crave more of whatever it is I am eating. Instead of one serving of turkey burger, I may end up having three, for example. The social worker told me I needed to talk to my mom about being more supportive in what she brings into the house, not just with words. I talked to my mom about this, cautiously. All she did was pat my hand while I opened up to her about how hard it is to eat right when you're surrounded by temptation.
A couple hours later, my old sister shows up with a bag of McDonalds. She is 5'2" and pretty petite, however, she does have some chunk on her. She's nearly 30, but just got into the dating scene about a year ago. Like most girls just starting to date, she and her boyfriend are going out to restaurants and fast food chains every day. She has a stash of junk foods in her room as well as bottles of soda lined up along her dresser. Sooner or later, her bad food choices will start showing on her body. And with her age, her metabolism is going to begin slowing down. She has OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), and I'm worried that when she does suddenly start gaining weight, she's going to obsess over losing it and develop an eating disorder. Just last November, she dated this guy with a horrible record (we couldn't convince her not to seem him though) and he drove one night, drunk, flipped the car (which was actually mine) and the accident took off the top of her scalp and left her in a body brace for several months. She obsessed over her weight then, and she was skinny! She almost entirely quit eating and weighed herself several times a day. When I remind my parents of this, they don't seem to listen enough to say anything to her about the choices she's making now and how she should stop before she ends up like me.
The next day, my mom came home from the grocery store with loads of food, as always, including cake batter. The following day (today), I see a cake sitting out in the kitchen. So what did I do? I baked myself a pizza and some Romen noodles. Now that's a bigger binge than normal, but it was still trigger buy constantly seeing that cake and the other junk. I open the freezer and it's stocked with Butterfinger ice cream. The pantry is filled with Oreos and Cheez Its. I really ought to take a photo of all the food in supply. It's hard enough when you're watching tv and a fast food commercial comes on and put it in your head. Speaking of which, I think there should be no fast food commercials, especially with Americans already in an obesity epidemic.
Anyways, I know I can't change they're eating habits, and they aren't forcing food down my throat. But I do now desire the real support my social worker was talking about. I wish I could live alone and not worry about other people's temptations, but then again, that didn't work out for me so well last time (however, I was going through major depression then. I will talk about the 100 lb damage I did to myself living alone in another blog). I have my sleep study tonight. At first, I was wanting to cancel it because I dont think I can fall asleep in a different place, and with wires hooked up to me. Now, I can't wait til I can finally get there. I did get some teasing from a family member already today about there not being any midnight snacks there.
XOXO,
Miss Fat Girl
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