Some people have been saying that they have come and read my blog and wanted to post a comment but couldn't. Truthfully I don't know much about blogs, so I don't know the answer to the problem, but one person did say that the only way they could comment is by joining Google or something like that. If anyone is more well-versed about these things, and knows a better answer, please leave me a comment, or send me a message on Facebook, email, or my phone. Thanks!
Yesterday and today I have been pretty diligent about my intake of everything that I need. I am supposed to have a goal of 48-64 oz of liquid a day, and up till a couple days ago, I was only taking in 30-some ounces, my urine was peach-colored, and I was a little concerned. I have been experimenting with taking bigger sips, and find that I can, and I'm not sure if that is good or bad. So I am just carrying an about 20-oz water bottle, and keep it filled with ice water, or flavored water, or Special K protein water. I like the flavored waters, because then I can sneak in a few extra vitamins. I like the protein water, partially because it has 5g of protein, but I also like that it has 5g of fiber. Can't get fiber from too many other sources right now, and I don't want my digestive system to get too use to no fiber, then have problems later. All of these flavored drinks are a little dull in flavor, so sometimes I do add a couple squirts of real lemon and some Stevia (my FAVORITE sweetener, and my favorite brand is KAL, which you can order on-line). I am not sure if I am supposed to have the lemon yet, but I thought about the fact that it has no calories, some vitamin c, and is printed on the next stage of my plan, so it can't be too bad for me to have.
In this phase, they suggest me having my protein drink and yogurt in 3-4 oz. increments. I am finding that I can have about 6 oz., in small bites, over about a half hour. Again, I am not sure if this is bad or not, so I have to ask my dietician, but I find that if I have smaller amounts, it's kind of like I run out of time during the day to eat, and I don't get enough calories. They want me to have 600-800 calories a day, and I'm not sure I even want to figure out how few calories I had in the first week. Yesterday I was able to reach over 600, and between that, reaching my hydration goals, and my visit to the chiropractor today, I feel a lot better today. I am not so much tired, as weak. I don't necessarily sleep very much (in fact, probably not enough), but I found that I was too tired to hold myself up well, sitting a lot, schlumping in a chair. leaning over with elbows on my legs to read something rather than holding it up.
As for protein, Dr. Hawasli suggested that until I can have a full 8-oz glass of milk (and I think I could if I tried), that I still put a full scoop of protein in with a 4 or 6-oz glass, so that is what I do. Plus his protein powder (called Rutein) is full of great vitamins. Between the milk, protein powder, the Special K protein, and the yogurt, I am able to reach my protein goals.
For vitamins, I take 2 kids chewable vitamins. I have some from Vitamin World that my girls don't care for, so I am using them. The vitamins I am keeping an eye on are vitamin D, iron, biotin, calcium, folic acid, and sometimes I log vitamin C if that's all a particular product has (flavored waters and fruit juice popsicles). I know that there are all kinds of other key nutrients, but between the vitamins and protein powder, I think I am pretty well set. I am low on vitamin D, and I have a really small pill. I took it yesterday with no problem, but I just took one recently and I am kind of concerned because this may be my first experience with something sitting in my esophagus and not going down. I can kind of feel it, but it's not bothering me, so I am just drinking a lot and hoping that eventually it will go down.
So with that chart I made (mentioned in a previous post), I am hoping that by reaching my hydration, calories, and protein goals, and being mindful of what kind and how much vitamins I am taking in, that I will have more energy, my hemoglobin will be normal when it's checked in a month, I will be able to safely exercise in the coming days, and prevent HAIR LOSS.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
The mathematician in me
I am a list maker, and a chart maker. When the girls had their dance recital, I charted and listed the order of their line-up, costumes, dressing room, etc. about 5 different ways! I guess it's how I think. So now this weight loss journey is no exception.
The first chart that I made is a weight loss chart. I figured out that if I want to lose a total of 126 pounds, each 10% is 12.6 pounds. So I made a chart in 10 sections for each 10%, and what my weight would be, my BMI, and my "classification" (obese, overweight, etc). Then each section has a couple of lines to show how much I lost each week within that 10%. So I am writing down my weight every Tuesday, since my base weight started on a Tuesday.
I was making a list of what I am consuming. Today I turned it into a chart. There are 6 columns for time, food intake, oz., calories, protein, and key vitamins. I also have a check off for the two chewable vitamins I need to take, and for the vit D that I need to take since mine is low (normal is 30, mine is 19). I have a spot for the date, current weight, and the exercise I did that day.
If any of you are reading this because you are considering doing this surgery, and you want a copy of these things, let me know. :-)
The first chart that I made is a weight loss chart. I figured out that if I want to lose a total of 126 pounds, each 10% is 12.6 pounds. So I made a chart in 10 sections for each 10%, and what my weight would be, my BMI, and my "classification" (obese, overweight, etc). Then each section has a couple of lines to show how much I lost each week within that 10%. So I am writing down my weight every Tuesday, since my base weight started on a Tuesday.
I was making a list of what I am consuming. Today I turned it into a chart. There are 6 columns for time, food intake, oz., calories, protein, and key vitamins. I also have a check off for the two chewable vitamins I need to take, and for the vit D that I need to take since mine is low (normal is 30, mine is 19). I have a spot for the date, current weight, and the exercise I did that day.
If any of you are reading this because you are considering doing this surgery, and you want a copy of these things, let me know. :-)
Monday, July 18, 2011
Good decision
Originally we scheduled our yearly trip to Oscoda for this Saturday. Then when all of these complications happened, I decided that it would not be a wise idea to go so that I could heal better. Then my in-laws so graciously offered to take the girls anyway, then we could meet them the next weekend in Bad Axe/Ubly for a family reunion. Well, today I am still tired but feeling a lot more normal, so what's happening is after I see my surgeon on Thursday, if he gives me the thumbs-up, Glen and I will still go, but arrive a day later. Julie and Cam will still go with Glen's parents, sister and family. We will take it easy going up, stopping often to walk and stretch, and take it really easy with food and stuff while we are there. We already have some frozen hamburgers and hot dogs, I have my protein powder, and everything else we can get at Walmart up there. And Rochelle is letting us borrow their van. I feel so loved! xoxox
I promise I'm not rushing
I am looking forward to a day when I don't have to think a lot about food. Right now, what I am thinking about is trying to increase the liquids I consume so I don't get dehydrated, increase protein so I don't get woozy, and try to balance out nutrients so I don't get sick.
My goal is supposed to be to try to reach 48-64 oz of liquids during this liquid protein phase (same foods as the two weeks prior to surgery. Right now I am pushing it to reach 30 oz. And if I try to have more, I don't really feel sick, I just feel like my stomach is trying to do somersaults. Plus I still have some ab pain so trying to take the liquid pain medicine and the pepcid can be hard.
So right now, I am having protein drinks, yogurt, jello, broth, and also any other low calorie non-carbonated beverages and popsicles that are in the "clear liquid" phase. Teri got me some no-sugar added fruit juice popsicles and they are really good. But I have to be careful to not have too much of any of the really low calorie stuff, because then I run I out of room for the stuff that has the nutrients in it.
Once in awhile I have short twinges of cravings for a "real" food. The other day, I really wanted one pringle, for the crunch and the salt. But almost as quickly as it came, it passed. What I am really craving is protein in meat and cheese, even low-fat, which will be a big part of my regular diet anyway. My next phase, in a month is "pureed foods" (think baby food), and they give a couple of recipes that sound great, for refried beans with lowfat cheese, deviled eggs (pureed, so Glen already said he is looking forward to it as a sandwich), tuna salad, and something called "chicken supreme." They recommend staying away from rice, noodles, bread and other white carbs, though mashed potatoes are promoted a bit, probably because it is still a vegetable and has a lot of nutrients in it. I am still not going to go overboard on the potatoes because I have read from some blogs and stuff that potatoes are a kind of food you can "sneak in" more of, and that's where people start having problems with not being able to lose weight.
Teri said that she is going to make me some roast beef that I can puree, and Glen talked about making his delicious meatballs, and we found a few recipes that use potato flakes instead of bread crumbs in the meatballs, so we considered trying that. I have a couple of great creamy chicken soup recipes, that I could make with milk instead of cream, one of which my cousin Kit has posted on facebook. My other cousin Linda has a really good cream of cauliflower soup that I can do too. It will be fun to get to that phase in a month (before school starts) where I can make some dinners (maybe even all in a crockpot) for my family, and then just puree it for me.
I am also looking forward to being able to have a salad, and other raw fruits and veggies, in the future.
My goal is supposed to be to try to reach 48-64 oz of liquids during this liquid protein phase (same foods as the two weeks prior to surgery. Right now I am pushing it to reach 30 oz. And if I try to have more, I don't really feel sick, I just feel like my stomach is trying to do somersaults. Plus I still have some ab pain so trying to take the liquid pain medicine and the pepcid can be hard.
So right now, I am having protein drinks, yogurt, jello, broth, and also any other low calorie non-carbonated beverages and popsicles that are in the "clear liquid" phase. Teri got me some no-sugar added fruit juice popsicles and they are really good. But I have to be careful to not have too much of any of the really low calorie stuff, because then I run I out of room for the stuff that has the nutrients in it.
Once in awhile I have short twinges of cravings for a "real" food. The other day, I really wanted one pringle, for the crunch and the salt. But almost as quickly as it came, it passed. What I am really craving is protein in meat and cheese, even low-fat, which will be a big part of my regular diet anyway. My next phase, in a month is "pureed foods" (think baby food), and they give a couple of recipes that sound great, for refried beans with lowfat cheese, deviled eggs (pureed, so Glen already said he is looking forward to it as a sandwich), tuna salad, and something called "chicken supreme." They recommend staying away from rice, noodles, bread and other white carbs, though mashed potatoes are promoted a bit, probably because it is still a vegetable and has a lot of nutrients in it. I am still not going to go overboard on the potatoes because I have read from some blogs and stuff that potatoes are a kind of food you can "sneak in" more of, and that's where people start having problems with not being able to lose weight.
Teri said that she is going to make me some roast beef that I can puree, and Glen talked about making his delicious meatballs, and we found a few recipes that use potato flakes instead of bread crumbs in the meatballs, so we considered trying that. I have a couple of great creamy chicken soup recipes, that I could make with milk instead of cream, one of which my cousin Kit has posted on facebook. My other cousin Linda has a really good cream of cauliflower soup that I can do too. It will be fun to get to that phase in a month (before school starts) where I can make some dinners (maybe even all in a crockpot) for my family, and then just puree it for me.
I am also looking forward to being able to have a salad, and other raw fruits and veggies, in the future.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Baby steps
Well, my surgery came and went with a few bumps along the way. The surgery went pretty much like clockwork and I did well on the day of surgery. That night when I got up to use the restroom, I passed out two different times, and one time they thought I had a seizure, in which they called their Rapid Response team. The staff there was very caring and helpful. I was in a private room, but when they discovered that my hemoglobin went from 13 to 8.1, I was moved to a telemetry room and had a heart monitor on me. Hospital rooms are pretty noisy and I could only sleep in 15 minute increments. Plus people always coming to check my BP, temp, and pulse and oxygen level. I ended up receiving 2 units of blood. I was so tired I didn't feel like going anywhere. In telemetry I was in a semi-private room and luckily I was by myself most of the time. They did not push me to get up a lot which was fine with me because I was so weak. If all had gone well, I should have gone home Wed. afternoon, but ended up going home Thursday night. I was ready to sleep in my own house and eat my own food, even if it was still the liquid diet. The hospital food was pretty nasty.
So I came home last night, and today I finally took a shower. Glen helped me do a little bit of laundry. He went out today while I was napping (from the Vicodin) and got me a new protein powder from the doctor's office, a better scale, and some other stuff we needed. He has been really great to me. Last night he brought down my rocking chair from when the girls were a baby from upstairs, and that has been a real blessing, because I get so tired from the Vicodin, but I don't want to lay down right away. I am so afraid of throwing up because I am taking in so little, so I am just consuming everything in really small sips.
The girls have been at my sister Patti's and we all miss each other, but it has also been such a blessing to have them away for a few extra days while I work this all out, plus they have been doing fun things every single day: zoo, movies, swimming, Frankenmuth, Somerset Mall, etc. I am so thankful to have all of the support that I do, offers of help from family and friends. Thank you all.
So I came home last night, and today I finally took a shower. Glen helped me do a little bit of laundry. He went out today while I was napping (from the Vicodin) and got me a new protein powder from the doctor's office, a better scale, and some other stuff we needed. He has been really great to me. Last night he brought down my rocking chair from when the girls were a baby from upstairs, and that has been a real blessing, because I get so tired from the Vicodin, but I don't want to lay down right away. I am so afraid of throwing up because I am taking in so little, so I am just consuming everything in really small sips.
The girls have been at my sister Patti's and we all miss each other, but it has also been such a blessing to have them away for a few extra days while I work this all out, plus they have been doing fun things every single day: zoo, movies, swimming, Frankenmuth, Somerset Mall, etc. I am so thankful to have all of the support that I do, offers of help from family and friends. Thank you all.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Big day tomorrow
My sister Teri picked me up today and I had the scope test done. They were so very nice there, I got put under (twilight anesthesia) and it was done really fast. I have still been having a sore throat and some coughing, and I was so worried that they would cancel my surgery. I do not know if I could do that 2-week liquid diet again! But they did not ask me about it, and apparently they didn't see anything, so I am good to go. Teri told me most likely I was just having allergy symptoms.
So today I am at home sleeping/resting/chilling out. I can only have clear liquids today, so broth, jello, popsicles, kool-aid, etc. I am so tired and so used to a grumbly stomach that it doesn't really bother me at all.
Yesterday we dropped the girls off with Patti. We met at the pool and hung out for a couple of hours. It was really nice, because I'm not sure when I'll have clearance to swim again. We said our good-byes with lots of hugs and kisses, then came home. Glen took a different way home, and we took 15 Mile Road across. While driving either in Troy or perhaps Sterling Heights, a buck ran across the road in front of us (at a safe distance) and his friend was still at the other said, and ran across after we passed. The weird thing was that there was only one other car out on the space of road to see it, which is really unusual. Later I told Glen that I felt like it was a message from God that the surgery would be okay. He said he had thought the same thing.
So today I am at home sleeping/resting/chilling out. I can only have clear liquids today, so broth, jello, popsicles, kool-aid, etc. I am so tired and so used to a grumbly stomach that it doesn't really bother me at all.
Yesterday we dropped the girls off with Patti. We met at the pool and hung out for a couple of hours. It was really nice, because I'm not sure when I'll have clearance to swim again. We said our good-byes with lots of hugs and kisses, then came home. Glen took a different way home, and we took 15 Mile Road across. While driving either in Troy or perhaps Sterling Heights, a buck ran across the road in front of us (at a safe distance) and his friend was still at the other said, and ran across after we passed. The weird thing was that there was only one other car out on the space of road to see it, which is really unusual. Later I told Glen that I felt like it was a message from God that the surgery would be okay. He said he had thought the same thing.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
New recipe
I bought some new greek yogurt (I got Chobani, which is pricy but it is REALLY creamy), and just made the cream soup again, and it came out pretty good! The tartness of the yogurt gave the soup a flavor that reminds me of dill pickle soup, so it might be good to add a little dill for the seasonings.
Creamy Soup
1 cup chicken broth
pepper, garlic and/or onion powder
6 oz (3/4 cup) plain non-fat yogurt
Heat chicken broth and seasonings in a small pot. You could try mixing some vege broth with the chicken broth if you want to try something different. Heat till just boiling, plus maybe 20 seconds, remove from heat. Add yogurt and stir with a small whisk. I tested it and it was hot enough, so I did not heat it further; didn't want to risk it separating.
Creamy Soup
1 cup chicken broth
pepper, garlic and/or onion powder
6 oz (3/4 cup) plain non-fat yogurt
Heat chicken broth and seasonings in a small pot. You could try mixing some vege broth with the chicken broth if you want to try something different. Heat till just boiling, plus maybe 20 seconds, remove from heat. Add yogurt and stir with a small whisk. I tested it and it was hot enough, so I did not heat it further; didn't want to risk it separating.
Moving along
So now I am six days away from surgery. I didn't write for a few days because you would have just heard wah-wah-wah with it being the 4th of July and yes, it's really hard being on such a restrictive diet during a holiday. We went to my brother John's on Sunday but we decided not to do anything on Monday. Glen is on call, and at least at my brother's he could run home if needed since it's so close. We got some great photos by the campfire (check them out on facebook) and played a song trivia game. Some people also played "Just Dance," Glen included which was pretty fun (also in the FB album). I will admit...oh no, I ate a couple microscopic pieces of cauliflower, just to get to CHEW, but I brought my broth, yogurt and boost with me too. :-)
Yesterday we returned the loaner and got our car back. They did a fantastic job with everything! I really love and highly recommend Progressive for auto insurance! Afterwards, we went to Lakeside and had dinner. I found a place in the food court with cabbage soup, so I had the broth and a diet coke, plus I brought a yogurt. It was great to walk around and the girls did some shopping. Julie still had birthday money she wanted to spend, plus we gave both the girls a little money for great report cards and being really helpful lately.
Today we are doing more organizing. These are all the things we have to do: Get some boxes and things around the house put away... go through all of our clothes to donate/throw away/put away for later, I am getting rid of all my winter stuff that currently fits me now... Make the picture boards for my nephew's grad party on Saturday... Do the veggie tray for the party... pack for the hospital/girls pack to go to Patti's on Sunday...Start packing for Oscoda since it'll be really hard after surgery.
This is all difficult because I am trying to take it easy and get better since I was sick last week, and I don't want it to interfere with my surgery. Somehow, it will all get done. :-)
Yesterday we returned the loaner and got our car back. They did a fantastic job with everything! I really love and highly recommend Progressive for auto insurance! Afterwards, we went to Lakeside and had dinner. I found a place in the food court with cabbage soup, so I had the broth and a diet coke, plus I brought a yogurt. It was great to walk around and the girls did some shopping. Julie still had birthday money she wanted to spend, plus we gave both the girls a little money for great report cards and being really helpful lately.
Today we are doing more organizing. These are all the things we have to do: Get some boxes and things around the house put away... go through all of our clothes to donate/throw away/put away for later, I am getting rid of all my winter stuff that currently fits me now... Make the picture boards for my nephew's grad party on Saturday... Do the veggie tray for the party... pack for the hospital/girls pack to go to Patti's on Sunday...Start packing for Oscoda since it'll be really hard after surgery.
This is all difficult because I am trying to take it easy and get better since I was sick last week, and I don't want it to interfere with my surgery. Somehow, it will all get done. :-)
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Please don't...
These are some things that I wish wouldn't happen, but inevitably they will...
1) I hope that people are not ONLY focused on my weight loss. I am glad that I have so many supportive people, but I don't want it to be the only thing we ever talk about. I am so much more than a fat person or a thin person. I am a mom, a teacher, a sister, a euchre player, (apparently now a blogger, LOL), a flute player, a church member, and hopefully much more to come!!!
2) I hate the phrase "hot mama." I don't think I ever hear anyone saying that to a person who has always been thin. This is not about "hotness." It's about good health.
3) I am sure that I will have some issues with saggy skin and I will always have the stretch marks that I already had, and I could possibly have some thinning hair. I hope that people do not stare at them or constantly ask me if my insurance will cover a tummy tuck or other plastic surgery. My dietician said that 98% of their patients do NOT have a surgery (partially because insurance won't always cover it, and they are getting more strict about it). I just want to get through the weight loss, and developing good eating and exercise habits, and cross that bridge when I come to it.
4) I hope people don't analyze everything that I eat, whether they think it's too little, too much, "Why is she eating THAT?", etc.
5) Lastly, and most important to me, I do not want people to make any rude, but presenting it in a cheerful way, comments to Glen about what he is going to do with me losing so much weight. He has some to lose, but not nearly as much as I do, and when he is ready he will do something, but if he doesn't, it's okay...I still love him like crazy, and we don't have to come as a "matched set." He is really looking forward to the point in time (mid-September) where I will be eating regular food again, because he LOVES what I cook and make when we are eating healthy. When we did WW together, I did a lot of "buffets" with, for example, low-fat taco meat, bowls of veggies and other toppings, and we all just take what we want, but with lots of veggies as the base. He LOVES that. Our problem is that we make ourselves so darn busy that we end up eating out WAY too much, which is expensive and not very veggie-plentiful.
So, to anyone who reads this, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support. It's weird...I will LOVE getting compliments, but I will also look forward to the day when how I look is just "business as usual"..........
1) I hope that people are not ONLY focused on my weight loss. I am glad that I have so many supportive people, but I don't want it to be the only thing we ever talk about. I am so much more than a fat person or a thin person. I am a mom, a teacher, a sister, a euchre player, (apparently now a blogger, LOL), a flute player, a church member, and hopefully much more to come!!!
2) I hate the phrase "hot mama." I don't think I ever hear anyone saying that to a person who has always been thin. This is not about "hotness." It's about good health.
3) I am sure that I will have some issues with saggy skin and I will always have the stretch marks that I already had, and I could possibly have some thinning hair. I hope that people do not stare at them or constantly ask me if my insurance will cover a tummy tuck or other plastic surgery. My dietician said that 98% of their patients do NOT have a surgery (partially because insurance won't always cover it, and they are getting more strict about it). I just want to get through the weight loss, and developing good eating and exercise habits, and cross that bridge when I come to it.
4) I hope people don't analyze everything that I eat, whether they think it's too little, too much, "Why is she eating THAT?", etc.
5) Lastly, and most important to me, I do not want people to make any rude, but presenting it in a cheerful way, comments to Glen about what he is going to do with me losing so much weight. He has some to lose, but not nearly as much as I do, and when he is ready he will do something, but if he doesn't, it's okay...I still love him like crazy, and we don't have to come as a "matched set." He is really looking forward to the point in time (mid-September) where I will be eating regular food again, because he LOVES what I cook and make when we are eating healthy. When we did WW together, I did a lot of "buffets" with, for example, low-fat taco meat, bowls of veggies and other toppings, and we all just take what we want, but with lots of veggies as the base. He LOVES that. Our problem is that we make ourselves so darn busy that we end up eating out WAY too much, which is expensive and not very veggie-plentiful.
So, to anyone who reads this, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support. It's weird...I will LOVE getting compliments, but I will also look forward to the day when how I look is just "business as usual"..........
Do over!
I tried to make a soup with plain yogurt in it. I am trying to find things that, as they would say on Top Chef, are more savory as opposed to sweet, but with some substance. Well, live and learn. I put the yogurt in, then let it boil again, and it all curdled (duh). So I had to throw it out. I looked at some recipes on-line, and I believe there are some Mediterranean warm yogurt soups, and it sounds like I need to heat up the broth, take it off the heat to bring down the temp of the soup, then stir in the yogurt and keep on stirring it with a whisk, and then have it on a low temp to warm it up again, and it should stay creamy. I bought some really interesting spice blends at Meijer: lemon herb, tomato garlic basil, and garlic dill. So I will try again today. :-)
Saturday, July 2, 2011
New recipe
Chicken Lemon Soup (No Rice)
1 cup chicken broth
Garlic powder, pepper
1 T. fat-free cream
1/4 cup lemon jello (already made)
Mix the first two items together in a small pan and bring to a boil. Add the cream, then turn off the heat when it comes to a boil again. Add the lemon jello, then eat.
Okay, I will admit this one is a little weird. I suppose you could just add jello powder but I already had the jello made in 1/2 cup serving sizes. I liked the flavor of the lemon, but it was a little sweet, so though I used a 1/2 cup that time, I will use 1/4 cup next time. It was worth a try and not bad. I was hoping that the jello would stay a little gelatinous to make the soup more "full", but of course it did not. I am not sure what makes soup gelatinous, probably corn starch or something, which I can't use.
1 cup chicken broth
Garlic powder, pepper
1 T. fat-free cream
1/4 cup lemon jello (already made)
Mix the first two items together in a small pan and bring to a boil. Add the cream, then turn off the heat when it comes to a boil again. Add the lemon jello, then eat.
Okay, I will admit this one is a little weird. I suppose you could just add jello powder but I already had the jello made in 1/2 cup serving sizes. I liked the flavor of the lemon, but it was a little sweet, so though I used a 1/2 cup that time, I will use 1/4 cup next time. It was worth a try and not bad. I was hoping that the jello would stay a little gelatinous to make the soup more "full", but of course it did not. I am not sure what makes soup gelatinous, probably corn starch or something, which I can't use.
Day 4
Today has been a great day so far...extremely hot but we are outside as little as we need to be! I finally feel like I can go do some normal things without freaking out about not being able to eat or wondering how my body is going to be feeling. We got up earlyish and went to the 10:00 showing of Kung Fu Panda 2. It was REALLY cute!!! It did not bother me that everyone else was eating popcorn, pop and candy. Okay, it bothered me a little and I was so tempted to have one kernel, but I did not. I even went out and did the refills (since I am having only liquids, I have to pee a lot). I smuggled in a large Tim Hortons, and brought my own cream and my stevia. The only problem is that I should have bought a smaller size, because the 2 T. of fat-free cream that I brought didn't even change the color of the coffee - yuck!!! I also brought one of my yogurts and some gum, so I was okay.
Afterwards we looked at fireworks, went to the dollar store, and also went to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I got a new scale, which I desperately needed. It looks like a really nice one, and it was on clearance, plus the coupon. I wanted to get a Magic Bullet, to blend small amounts, for the puree stage of the process, but I didn't like the one that they had. We got a really nice collage frame, to put all of Julie's photography of nature (it's really good!) so it will give me something fun to work on. After, we went to Roger's Roost. Glen was nice and got fish and chips with cole slaw, which I knew he liked, and I like it sometimes, but don't really care that much about it. I ordered soup broth, and made my lemonade with stevia and a couple of squeezes of lemon. They were really nice and didn't add any other stuff to the broth. It was good to still be able to go out, and survive. Lastly, we went to Meijer. I got a smaller size exercise shirt (on clearance), plus some more of my food, new beverage glasses and some other stuff.
It was really great to just go out and do normal things and not wither away of "hunger." I really can do this thing!
Afterwards we looked at fireworks, went to the dollar store, and also went to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I got a new scale, which I desperately needed. It looks like a really nice one, and it was on clearance, plus the coupon. I wanted to get a Magic Bullet, to blend small amounts, for the puree stage of the process, but I didn't like the one that they had. We got a really nice collage frame, to put all of Julie's photography of nature (it's really good!) so it will give me something fun to work on. After, we went to Roger's Roost. Glen was nice and got fish and chips with cole slaw, which I knew he liked, and I like it sometimes, but don't really care that much about it. I ordered soup broth, and made my lemonade with stevia and a couple of squeezes of lemon. They were really nice and didn't add any other stuff to the broth. It was good to still be able to go out, and survive. Lastly, we went to Meijer. I got a smaller size exercise shirt (on clearance), plus some more of my food, new beverage glasses and some other stuff.
It was really great to just go out and do normal things and not wither away of "hunger." I really can do this thing!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Recipes for the liquid diet
Berry Vanilla Ice Cream
1 Boost
1 Berry yogurt
Put them together in a gladware container and mix. If you are home throughout the day, stir periodically and eat at desired consistency. Otherwise, you can microwave it for 15 seconds to thaw a bit to eat it like ice cream.
I made this one to give variety to the Boost and help “mellow out” its strong flavor. I am going to try a strawberry Boost with a strawberry yogurt next.
Iced Cappuccino
One large cup of coffee (I used hazelnut-flavored Keurig coffee on the 2nd highest size)
Fat free cream, if desired
1 Chocolate Boost
Mix the coffee and cream, and fill an ice cube tray with it. When frozen, put in a blender with the boost.
This one is great if the family is going out for ice cream. It tastes really similar to Tim Hortons iced cappuccino. I can’t even tell that it is made with a Boost! This one was REALLY good. I like the fact that the coffee one actually cut down on the sweet taste of the Boost and just made it more creamy-tasting.
Chili Broth
1 cup beef broth
Pinch of McCormick Chili Seasoning
Pinch of garlic salt and pepper
Mix all together and cook in a small pot.
I made chili for my family, and since the taste matched the cooking smells of the food that they were eating, I was totally satisfied with it!
What's happening now
So today is Friday, July 1st. On Monday I went for an EKG, chest xray and bloodwork for surgical clearance. I knew that on Wednesday I would have to start my liquid diet. To prepare for this, I had to go for a two and a half hour class at the doctor's office with the dietician. I discovered that this liquid diet was really strict, and only 800 calories a day for two weeks! Trying to do this, pre-surgery, I knew might be my biggest challenge. This is what I can have each day:
3 8-oz. bottles of Boost Glucose Control (I bought all three flavors)
2 containers of light yogurt (I bought Yoplait "Thick and Creamy")
2 8-oz. servings of plain broth
2 half-cup servings of diet jello
And other than unlimited zero-calorie beverages, that is it! One saving grace is that I can have coffee with milk, or fat-free cream. So I can still have my Tim Hortons hazelnut coffee.
The purpose of this diet is to prepare for surgery. I will lose abdominal fat, which will make the surgery easier, and also the size of my liver will shrink, which will probably prevent surgery complications and simply make more room for the surgeon to move around.
I am on Day 3 of this diet. I won't lie. It's really hard. I want to backtrack and say that after the class on Tuesday, we all went out for my "Last Supper." We went to Famous Dave's and I got my favorite pork sandwich, and then we all shared a bread pudding for dessert. Later on, I had what might be my last (or at least for a long time) Reese's peanut butter cup, and probably my last Wild Cherry Pepsi. I thought about taking a picture, but anyway I looked at it, it just seemed kind of weird.
So the first day was the hardest. I really dislike the taste of the Boost, and I was overwhelmed by the fact that it was so many artificial sweeteners. I did it though, but I woke up in the middle of the night with really bad acid reflux, which I normally never have unless I eat something really ridiculous in the evening, like chips and salsa. It was 3:15 and I was hungry and irritated. I wasn't sure if I could have Tums, so I just drank some water and sat up, went on Facebook, listened to my voicemails, and pouted for awhile. I kind of had a sore throat too. But I went back to bed and did not sleep much. On that day I emailed the dietician a few times with questions and concerns. I hope that I didn't irritate her. But I figured it was better than calling, at least she could answer whenever she had time.
On the second day, my throat really hurt, and eventually I took my temp. and it was 99.8, and I was coughing. I had been sick about a month ago, the strep test had come back negative, so they just gave me a steroid shot (my uvula was swollen). I knew I couldn't get a steroid shot so close to surgery. I called the doctor's office and explained the situation. My doctor ended up calling in a z-pack for me. So I am praying, and if you are reading this please pray for me, that the antibiotic knocks this thing out and my surgery can go on as scheduled. We have a family vacation up north planned for two weeks after surgery, and I want that to go on, and I don't want to find out that I have to do this two-week diet again to prepare for a future date!!! On that day (yesterday actually), Julie got her hair cut and brows waxed. She looks SO cute! We then went to the hospital so I could have a test that checks my blood type, on the chance that I'd need a transfusion. We drove up Jefferson so the girls could see the view of the lake and the houses. Then we went to Meijer to get the prescription, and home. Also, during those two days, I found out that Camilla had been sent a letter inviting her to try out for competition tap and jazz, but we never received it, so I missed the parent meeting. But Cami is still allowed to come to the tryout/practices, which loosely coincide with Julie's summer competition practices. And my sister Patti, who is watching them for the few days during and after my surgery, so graciously agreed to taking them to the practices while they are with her. Camilla decided that she only would like to do tap, because as a family we agreed that we needed to cut back on a few things to make room for family time, exercise, friends, confirmation lessons, and just having some down time. So the girls are not doing jazz or lyrical at all. They are both keeping tap, ballet, hula (their favorite), and now competition classes that will start in December (assuming Cami is chosen). It will still be a full schedule, but a little less.
Oh! Back to the diet.... So anyway, on Day 2 I was totally unmotivated to stick with the diet because I was sick and felt nauseous from the first day. One thing I did was cut back on any EXTRA artificial sweeteners: gum, diet pop, etc. I use Stevia in my coffee, tea, and kool-aid, which does not cause any problems for me. I tried adding (after the dietician's okay) some spices to my broth to give it more flavor. I mixed the Boost with yogurt, froze it and made ice cream that wasn't too bad. The same continued for today. I WILL make it. I WILL be able to do this. On a separate post, I will list some of my recipes, for anyone that may read this someday who is maybe doing the same program through Dr. Hawasli's office, or some other doctor, and maybe it will help you get through it. :-)
3 8-oz. bottles of Boost Glucose Control (I bought all three flavors)
2 containers of light yogurt (I bought Yoplait "Thick and Creamy")
2 8-oz. servings of plain broth
2 half-cup servings of diet jello
And other than unlimited zero-calorie beverages, that is it! One saving grace is that I can have coffee with milk, or fat-free cream. So I can still have my Tim Hortons hazelnut coffee.
The purpose of this diet is to prepare for surgery. I will lose abdominal fat, which will make the surgery easier, and also the size of my liver will shrink, which will probably prevent surgery complications and simply make more room for the surgeon to move around.
I am on Day 3 of this diet. I won't lie. It's really hard. I want to backtrack and say that after the class on Tuesday, we all went out for my "Last Supper." We went to Famous Dave's and I got my favorite pork sandwich, and then we all shared a bread pudding for dessert. Later on, I had what might be my last (or at least for a long time) Reese's peanut butter cup, and probably my last Wild Cherry Pepsi. I thought about taking a picture, but anyway I looked at it, it just seemed kind of weird.
So the first day was the hardest. I really dislike the taste of the Boost, and I was overwhelmed by the fact that it was so many artificial sweeteners. I did it though, but I woke up in the middle of the night with really bad acid reflux, which I normally never have unless I eat something really ridiculous in the evening, like chips and salsa. It was 3:15 and I was hungry and irritated. I wasn't sure if I could have Tums, so I just drank some water and sat up, went on Facebook, listened to my voicemails, and pouted for awhile. I kind of had a sore throat too. But I went back to bed and did not sleep much. On that day I emailed the dietician a few times with questions and concerns. I hope that I didn't irritate her. But I figured it was better than calling, at least she could answer whenever she had time.
On the second day, my throat really hurt, and eventually I took my temp. and it was 99.8, and I was coughing. I had been sick about a month ago, the strep test had come back negative, so they just gave me a steroid shot (my uvula was swollen). I knew I couldn't get a steroid shot so close to surgery. I called the doctor's office and explained the situation. My doctor ended up calling in a z-pack for me. So I am praying, and if you are reading this please pray for me, that the antibiotic knocks this thing out and my surgery can go on as scheduled. We have a family vacation up north planned for two weeks after surgery, and I want that to go on, and I don't want to find out that I have to do this two-week diet again to prepare for a future date!!! On that day (yesterday actually), Julie got her hair cut and brows waxed. She looks SO cute! We then went to the hospital so I could have a test that checks my blood type, on the chance that I'd need a transfusion. We drove up Jefferson so the girls could see the view of the lake and the houses. Then we went to Meijer to get the prescription, and home. Also, during those two days, I found out that Camilla had been sent a letter inviting her to try out for competition tap and jazz, but we never received it, so I missed the parent meeting. But Cami is still allowed to come to the tryout/practices, which loosely coincide with Julie's summer competition practices. And my sister Patti, who is watching them for the few days during and after my surgery, so graciously agreed to taking them to the practices while they are with her. Camilla decided that she only would like to do tap, because as a family we agreed that we needed to cut back on a few things to make room for family time, exercise, friends, confirmation lessons, and just having some down time. So the girls are not doing jazz or lyrical at all. They are both keeping tap, ballet, hula (their favorite), and now competition classes that will start in December (assuming Cami is chosen). It will still be a full schedule, but a little less.
Oh! Back to the diet.... So anyway, on Day 2 I was totally unmotivated to stick with the diet because I was sick and felt nauseous from the first day. One thing I did was cut back on any EXTRA artificial sweeteners: gum, diet pop, etc. I use Stevia in my coffee, tea, and kool-aid, which does not cause any problems for me. I tried adding (after the dietician's okay) some spices to my broth to give it more flavor. I mixed the Boost with yogurt, froze it and made ice cream that wasn't too bad. The same continued for today. I WILL make it. I WILL be able to do this. On a separate post, I will list some of my recipes, for anyone that may read this someday who is maybe doing the same program through Dr. Hawasli's office, or some other doctor, and maybe it will help you get through it. :-)
How it really began
In Michigan, and probably everywhere, they are really messing with teachers' salary and benefits. In our district, we have always taken very little in the way of a pay increase in order to keep decent benefits. When I heard they might be messing with our benefits, I decided to have a surgery this summer. My initial plan was to have a hysterectomy. I have uterine fibroids that cause me some problems. But then I was worried about the safety of that surgery, with all of my excess weight. Last year I lost 30 pounds doing Weight Watchers, but I was not able to sustain it, and gained 15 back. I made numerous attempts to start up again, but was not able to keep it going. Plus I was really tired this year and not motivated to work out. So then I considered doing what I never thought I would do, bariatric surgery. I have had friends and family who have had a variety of procedures. Some of them had problems with vitamin malabsorption. Some had other problems. But most notably, every single one of them has kept the weight off, and despite any problems they had, every one said that if they could make the choice all of again, that they would do it, and it has changed their life.
When I mentioned it to my regular doctor, he was thrilled and gave me the name of a great surgeon. Then three other people happened to mention his name, so I knew that it a good sign that it was meant to be. So I called and made an appointment. I won't go into a lot of details, because I don't think it's that interesting, but basically I did all of the things I needed to do to get approved (seminar, psych evaluation, physical exam, lab work, etc.).
So quite quickly I was approved for the surgery. I do not have too many health problems. I have no diabetes, high blood pressure (some high readings, but not consistently), sleep apnea, etc. I do have varicose veins in my legs, some arthritis in my feet, an overactive bladder (probably related to the fibroid), and I am tired A LOT. What got me approved so quickly is that my BMI is over 40. I am not prepared to say my weight at this time, but I will say that my BMI is 45 so you could probably figure it out if you really wanted to! :-)
My surgery is set for July 12th at Grosse Pointe Beaumont, formerly Bon Secour. It is a smaller hospital, but it's nice because they have an area set aside just for bariatric patients. The procedure I am having is called vertical sleeve. Basically he is taking my stomach which is a football shape down to a tube shape. I do believe they said they are removing 75% of my stomach, and also taking out a hunger hormone (I believe called Grehlin) that is in the area of the stomach that they are removing. There is no re-routing of anything, so there will be much less, if any, risk of vitamin malabsorption.
By the way, I posted this picture of myself at a wedding one week ago today. I put it on here because I really like it. I want to say that I do not "hate myself" for the way that I look. I have been extremely overweight since I've been about 25, and I am 42 years old right now. At this weight I have worked through my career and furthering my education, buying a house, lots of vacations, having two babies, celebrating births and adoptions in our family, and I would not change any of it. I just want to be able to do more. My main goal is to be able to do MORE with my girls as they are becoming teenagers: bike rides, rides at Cedar Point, maybe roller and ice skating (though they were never my favorite things to do, I'd like the option!), and so much more. This is not so much about looks, but about feeling good, more energy, and getting more out of life. About finally being successful at my attempts to lose weight, one last time, having more assurance that my hard work is going to pay off.
When I mentioned it to my regular doctor, he was thrilled and gave me the name of a great surgeon. Then three other people happened to mention his name, so I knew that it a good sign that it was meant to be. So I called and made an appointment. I won't go into a lot of details, because I don't think it's that interesting, but basically I did all of the things I needed to do to get approved (seminar, psych evaluation, physical exam, lab work, etc.).
So quite quickly I was approved for the surgery. I do not have too many health problems. I have no diabetes, high blood pressure (some high readings, but not consistently), sleep apnea, etc. I do have varicose veins in my legs, some arthritis in my feet, an overactive bladder (probably related to the fibroid), and I am tired A LOT. What got me approved so quickly is that my BMI is over 40. I am not prepared to say my weight at this time, but I will say that my BMI is 45 so you could probably figure it out if you really wanted to! :-)
My surgery is set for July 12th at Grosse Pointe Beaumont, formerly Bon Secour. It is a smaller hospital, but it's nice because they have an area set aside just for bariatric patients. The procedure I am having is called vertical sleeve. Basically he is taking my stomach which is a football shape down to a tube shape. I do believe they said they are removing 75% of my stomach, and also taking out a hunger hormone (I believe called Grehlin) that is in the area of the stomach that they are removing. There is no re-routing of anything, so there will be much less, if any, risk of vitamin malabsorption.
By the way, I posted this picture of myself at a wedding one week ago today. I put it on here because I really like it. I want to say that I do not "hate myself" for the way that I look. I have been extremely overweight since I've been about 25, and I am 42 years old right now. At this weight I have worked through my career and furthering my education, buying a house, lots of vacations, having two babies, celebrating births and adoptions in our family, and I would not change any of it. I just want to be able to do more. My main goal is to be able to do MORE with my girls as they are becoming teenagers: bike rides, rides at Cedar Point, maybe roller and ice skating (though they were never my favorite things to do, I'd like the option!), and so much more. This is not so much about looks, but about feeling good, more energy, and getting more out of life. About finally being successful at my attempts to lose weight, one last time, having more assurance that my hard work is going to pay off.
In the beginning...
I suppose I should have started this back in April when I first made the call to Dr. Hawasli's office. I didn't know how far this would go, or whether I would be approved for the procedure, and honestly I didn't think I would ever write a blog. I am not sure anyone will read it, though I don't suppose it matters. I have been posting on Facebook, and while I am receiving very supportive replies, on the other hand I am thinking that it might drive some people crazy, especially if I am having a bad experience. So I decided to start this blog so that anyone who may want to come visit and see my journey can do so if they wish. In addition, I found out that I have to teach a computer course in the second marking period of school, and any of you who know me, you know that I am not a techy person AT ALL. So now I have to always been in the mindframe of learning new things, so that I can have an overall knowledge base about as many things as I can.
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