Archive for the ‘Weight loss’ Category

Reality

Posted: April 7, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Lego, Supportive Partner Woman, Walking, Weight loss
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It’s one thing to see numbers on a scale. It’s quite another to realize you fit in pants you haven’t worn since 2010.

Yet that’s what happened yesterday. After visiting my mother on Friday, she remarked on how baggy my jeans were looking, so I decided to try the next size down. I dug into the recesses of my closet and :behold: the 44 jeans actually fit and fit well.

This, my friends, is real progress. The number is just that… a number. Size is not just mass, it’s volume, too, and I am physically smaller.

I am not complaining.

So, other than the smaller pants, how else has weight loss manifested itself since surgery?

1) I can actually close my jacket
2) I can buckle the seatbelt in my car
3) I can fit comfortably in a movie theater seat without having to lift an armrest.

It’s actually really cool.

So, yesterday, I sat here and attempted to write a post. All I could come up with was pretty much crap. So, I figured I’d give it a day and see what emerged. Other than that, I managed to get some stuff done around the house. I got us a new scale and had to install a new toilet seat. I know… exciting stuff! I also finished the latest Lego project… the Palace Cinema. It was a fun build and I was ably assisted by Supportive Partner Woman (becoming an experience Lego builder!) who did most of the roof. Her next project is the Farnsworth House, from the Architecture series. I think I’m going to have to build some display shelves.

521900_10200991424894387_1326894639_nI also managed a visit to the gym. For those of you keeping score, that was four straight days. I’ve been trying to up my time by five minutes every day, at least until I can get some real food in me. I have an exercise appointment tomorrow. so we will see what the boys have planned for me.

At any rate, today’s agenda should include some yard work and cleaning. I’m going to take out the front screens and clean them, since that’s way overdue. I’m still not able to lift, but a little cleaning shouldn’t cause too much of an issue.

Tomorrow’s report will include a preview of pureed food. I know… exciting stuff!

Song of the Day: I Got a Feeling – Black Eyed Peas

Letting it sink in.

Posted: April 5, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Physical activity, Walking, Weight loss
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By now if you saw last evening’s post, you know I lost a bit of weight.

This is a good thing.

It’s also not the end.

There’s a long weigh (get it?) to go, a lot of pounds to be shed and many years of poor food decisions to be atoned for. It didm’t go on overnight and it sure as hell won’t come off overnight.

So, last night was support group. Our guest speaker was a medical doctor specializing in non-surgical weight loss and he talked about vitamins. I’ve alluded that I would be on vitamin supplements for the rest of my life, now I learned more about the what and why. I’ll spare you the details, but simply put, post surgically, my body cannot get the vitamins and minerals it needs from food alone. This is primarily due to the bypass of the majority of the stomach. I’ll be short on B12, calcium, iron, D, and folic acid. It’s just how it works. When I return for my followup on Wednesday, I’ll get more information on dosages and such. There was also clam chowder that Dr. McPhee prepared. I did not have any of it, but it smelled awesome. Also met up with a guy in group who is the younger brother of a high school classmate. Small world.

I also stopped at the fitness center to see Ryan and Cory. I do get to go back there next week for some walking. No weights until I’m cleared by the docs, but it will be a nice change of scenery. Plus, I know that they’ll be able to offer some other exercises that I can do and won’t be too hard on the gut. In the meantime, back to the Rec for more walking, at least until it warms up.

That is the real downer, being cold all the time. I was never really cold… now I’m walking around with my hands up my sleeves seriously considering gloves. In the house.

Something is NOT quite right with that.

At any rate, time to get the day underway. Off to the gym for some treadmill time, then off to Mom’s. I picked up 10 pounds of apples that she’s going to turn into applesauce for me. It will be nice to have once I transition to purees next week. The store bought stuff is just too sweet and loaded with extra sugar that I don’t need. Plus, Mom makes some banging applesauce.

 

First goal down…

Posted: April 4, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Weight loss
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Remember I said my first goal was to actually see a weight on our home scale?

I assumed it was a 350 pound capacity… and it seemed to be taking forever. I’d get on, it would say “ERR” and that was it.

Today, I climbed aboard and I saw a reading of 334.0. I didn’t believe it, so I stepped off and on and got “ERR” again. This makes no sense if the scale is a 350 pound capacity. It makes perfect sense if it’s a 335 pound capacity. I say this because when I got home from support group it read 334.4. Loosely translated, that means a loss of just over 45 pounds since I started the program. I can live with that.

Let’s keep it going!

I done did it

Posted: April 4, 2013 in 5K, Bariatric surgery, Goals, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, Team AllEars, Weight loss
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In January 2014, I’m running my first ever 5K.

Well, perhaps “running” is a strong word.

I’m participating in my first ever 5K. If it goes well, it probably won’t be the last.

I have a checkered history with running. As a kid, I didn’t mind doing a sprint, although “sprint” was probably a strong word. I hated any kind of distance running. When we had to do the mile for gym class, I could struggle through it in 8 minutes, but I was pretty much dead for the rest of the day. My legs would turn to jelly. That was when I was younger and in far better shape due to the time I spent in marching band. Not to mention, being around half my current body weight. And had ten complete toes. So, how the hell am I going to do this?

That’s a good question.

I’m hoping that I’m mentally tougher than I was 25 years ago. I don’t know that I am, but I like to think so. I also hope that my improved gym habits will help.

Either way, well, I’m in for an experience.

Last year's 5K course map. I'm pretty sure it won't change too much.

Last year’s 5K course map. I’m pretty sure it won’t change too much.

So, a little about the race. It’s the Disney Family Fun Run 5K. It’s nothing competitive, just a run through our favorite of the Disney parks. I’m psyched of “running” through Epcot and seeing the sun rise while going through World Showcase. I’m even more psyched about doing this with some of my closest friends, not to mention the lovely and gracious Supportive Partner Woman (did I mention lovely and gracious?). Other than the feeling of satisfaction from doing this, one of the other huge motivators for doing this particular race is the chance to support our friends who will be doing the other races that weekend. There’s also a 10K, a half marathon and a full marathon. There are a couple of bundled races as well, the Goofy (the half and full marathons on consecutive days) and the Dopey, which is the 5K, 10K, half and full, in four days. These folks are all running with purpose and I’m proud to call them my teammates.

I’ve been told what to expect, but I get the feeling that it probably won’t matter until I actually experience it for myself. I’m looking forward to a tough race, but one that will be rewarding and give me a sense of accomplishment. I’m using the race to validate all that I have done thus far in regards to the gastric bypass and the hours in the gym. It will serve notice to the huge part of me that doubts I can achieve anything worthwhile. Or, to put it a little more colorfully, to bitch slap the self doubt that usually pollutes everything I try.

I’m doing this. I’m doing it for me.

Song of the Day: Porroh Man – Big Country

A Grand Day Out

Posted: April 3, 2013 in 5K, Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Food porn, Lego, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, The Beetus, Walking, Wegman's, Weight loss
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Greetings!

Sorry I never got to write yesterday. We got busy with doctors appointments and errands and whatnot. It happens.

I did manage to spend most of the day out yesterday. First off, I had a foot doctor appointment. I managed to keep Stubby in check, but Wayne’s next door neighbor is a little ulcerated. Dr. Miller unroofed it and we’re doing the Betadyne and bandaid treatment until it dries up. This was a regular appointment, so I also got the toenails trimmed and all that.

Afterward, we went to visit Supportive Partner Woman (Practiced good eating habits!)’s mother. Had a nice visit over lunch, well, Mom ate, SPW and I kind of watched and chatted. Afterward, we took the car to the Three Minute Car Wash. This is a Reading, PA institution. You drop your car at the entrance and they clean it inside and outside, and clean it well, all for around $12 without any extras. It”s in a sketchy part of town, but the quality of the cleaning is far superior to some of the other full-service car washes in the area (cough, Cloister, cough) AND it’s less expensive.

Then it was off to the Lego Store at King of Prussia. It’s like Mecca for Lego geeks. We looked around and considered the new Architecture series release, the Imperial Hotel, but opted instead for the Palace Cinema. It’s pretty cool and bears a resemblance to The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I think that’s the real reason we went with it. It was a double points period, which means more VIP points for later. It’s like free money, so you can’t turn it down.

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Some really yummy tomato soup at Wegman’s

After that, we went looking for a place for SPW to grab a bite. I had my trusty pudding and Jell-o in the car, so I was good, but she needed to forage. We swung by Gino’s, which was a big fast food joint in our youth, recently resurrected as an “upscale” burger joint. It smelled fantastic, but SPW was underwhelmed by the menu and we hit the road for Collegeville and Wegman’s (insert choir of angels singing). This is a rather new Wegman’s and it’s in a huge retail complex that features an Eastern Mountain Sports, Best Buy and a Movie Tavern location. This Wegman’s actually has a pub with a sit down menu, and a huge cafe area. SPW managed to located a few tasty items and we found an organic tomato soup that was right up my alley. It was spicy instead of salty and really sit well with the pouch, which I think we will call Joe. I also brought in my pudding cup. Shhh.

It was my first meal out since Red Robin a couple of weeks ago and while it was only soup, it really went down well. I couldn’t finish it all (no surprise) but that’s OK. I have some more of that yumminess for today.

On today’s agenda will be registering for the 5K in January.

Yup… I’m we’re really going to do it. And you’d better believe that when we get those finisher medals, we’re wearing them. Other than that, not sure what’s on the agenda. A walk, for sure.

OH… one other thing that I wanted to share. The last three days, my blood glucose has been at 88. It’s weird, but three days in a row, slightly different times, same number. I guess consistency is key.

Have a great day and get out for a walk!

 

Better days

Posted: April 1, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Weight loss
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(WARNING: There is a photo of a surgical incision later in this post. It’s not the worst thing ever posted, but avert your gaze if you’re squeamish.)

The purpose of this is that so the incision picture doesn't gross people out. And, well, puppies!

The purpose of this is that so the incision picture doesn’t gross people out. And, well, puppies!

After last evening’s sobering post, I felt drained. It took a lot for me to just throw it out there. I’m not always the best at communicating how I really feel. I usually try to deflect things away from myself. It’s my way of dealing with things that make me uncomfortable.

I’ve been trying to change that behavior, because that just makes things worse. Avoidance is not always the best policy.

Anyway, I started taking a look at myself in a different light. Knowing that I really am an addict makes things a little different. I guess I’ve known that for some time, just never accepted it. Sort of like I’ve been a nerd for a long time and never really embraced that fact. The question is, how do I move forward?

Well, first off, I actually ate two servings of tomato soup today. No protein powder, just old fashioned Campbell’s tomato soup. It tasted awesome, and the best thing is that for the first time in three days, I took in more than 70-80 calories. Even though I wasn’t exactly hungry, I know I needed to eat and get something in me, otherwise the body would start to slow my already glacial metabolism. I also still have not seen an actual number on the home scale. This does not make me happy, but I’m still processing out fluids from surgery. It’s understandable, albeit frustrating. I can’t beat myself up over that anymore. Need to keep moving forward.

That’s always been a huge character flaw of mine. I don’t have a short memory. I tend to reminisce and analyze and wind up beating myself up for stupid stuff I did twenty years ago that I can do absolutely nothing about.

Enough.

photo-3So, I’m posting a pic of one of my five incisions. As you can see, it’s healing pretty nicely. I’m told the surgical glue does a good job. It’s basically a non-toxic form of SuperGlue. According to information I saw, it sets in 30-45 seconds (faster than suturing) and leaves an equivalent amount of scarring. I have two incisions about this size that are glued, one that was sutured and now is closed by Steri-Strip. The other two incisions are small, virtually unnoticed. Once the hair grows back, all of them will be hard to find.

Upcoming on the medical front is a visit to the foot doctor tomorrow morning. Supportive Partner Woman (Foot care master!) has off, so she’s going to go to the appointment with me. I have to explain to Stubby that he’s once again not allowed to bust a cap in Dr. Miller for saying I have unattractive feet. That is the truth, whether or not Stubby wants to believe it.

Thursday is support group. I know some folks are really hoping I will make it. It’s on my to-do list, although I will probably be unable to sample whatever samples they cook up in the test kitchen.

Next Monday I can start eating something resembling real food. This make me happy. I have some of my mom’s homemade vegetable soup that I’m thinking of running through the blender to make edible for my pouch. Probably wouldn’t be smart to throw crackers in the blender with the soup, though.

Finally, next Wednesday is my follow-up with Dr. McPhee. I’m hoping to get cleared to go back to the gym at that point. I really miss it. I really REALLY miss it. I’ll also be placed on vitamins at that point. These will be things I will have to take for the rest of my life. One of the ways bariatric surgery works (at least a bypass) is through malabsorption. This means that I can no longer receive all the nutrients I need via eating or drinking. It’s a small price to pay for being healthier and sans medication.

In short, I’m feeling a lot better than I was last night. This could be in part to the fact that the mail finally moved, so to speak. But no need for details.

Hope you all have a good night!

Wow… I got nothing

Posted: March 29, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, Weight loss
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First of all, thank you thank you THANK YOU… 221 page views yesterday. That set a new record for us here at MOASTBFFG and I’m very honored and humbled that so many took time to visit.

So, the first night at home.

As you can see by the time I’m posting this (4:15 AM), it’s pretty early in the AM. The good news is that I turned in around 9:30 and turned the light off at 10:00. That means pretty near six hours of sleep, which totally beats anything I had in the hospital. It’s not as much as I hoped, but that’s OK… it’s not like I have to go to work today or anything. I found that I couldn’t really get comfortable flat on my back, so I had to prop myself up with pillows. My back doesn’t mind it too much, which is a good thing, I guess.

The other issue I had was with hiccups. I kept getting them yesterday. It wasn’t exactly fun, but what can you do? They seem to have subsided. I have to think that maybe I was trying to drink (eat) too fast. That’s really going to be the biggest adjustment for me. I used to scarf down a meal in no time flat and that’s just not going to work anymore. My new stomach is the approximate size of a shot glass (or my thumb) and won’t stretch nearly as much as the old one did.

far_side002I do have a lot of worries, though. My biggest is whether or not I will experience “buyer’s remorse” that I took such a radical step. I’m reading on the online forums that some folks experience it. I’m sure there will be times when I regret that I went this route. I think it’s natural… it’s a major lifestyle change that I’ve made. Giving up a life that totally celebrated food and was all about the next meal was not easy. I hope that this will not change my joy of cooking, because I can’t necessarily partake. As I said to Supportive Partner Woman (Eater of a very paleo plate!), I’ll probably never be able to have jambalaya again, unless I figure out an alternative to rice. Same way with a Chipotle burrito bowl. At least with that I can opt to have more beans and veggies. But that’s far in the future.

Speaking of SPW (eater of tasty meat!), she’s considering a move to the paleo diet. Apparently, it’s based on lots of natural foods, low grains, high protein, and unprocessed stuff. Looking over it, a lot will actually apply to me when I can transition to solid foods. It’s an interesting concept… eat like the cavemen. It might actually work for me, as I’ll have to eliminate a lot of grains from my diet, but the downside is the lack of dairy. Considering that Greek yogurt pretty much became a staple for me, well, I guess we will see.

The other bad thing is that the walking in slipper sock, coupled with the extremely dry air of the hospital, did a number on my feet. Much cracking was observed, and that has me concerned. I see the foot doctor next week, though, so perhaps this will work out. In the meantime, SPW will continue to attack the feet with the ammonium lactate cream and hopefully that will cause the cracks to start to heal. I probably should’ve just sucked it up and put on sneakers to walk, but I wasn’t sure about how much I could bend. We will get the feet happy again.

At any rate, I’ll keep you updated as we break new ground in the recovery. That should be interesting.

It’s good to be home…

Posted: March 28, 2013 in 5K, Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, liquid diet, Supportive Partner Woman, Team AllEars, Walking, Weight loss
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Greetings from the Nerd Lair!

I arrived home earlier this afternoon via chariot pulled by unicorns. Or a Honda Civic. Close enough. Either way, it felt awesome to walk out of the hospital, get in the car and then be in our own house. I get to go back to full liquid diet, which meant I could have a protein shake for lunch. Woohoo!

Best part of my discharge instructions

Best part of my discharge instructions

The biggest news, which left me stepping lighter, is that I have been released from the insulin scourge. As you know, that was my primary reason for having the operation done. Pretty drastic, but the end result was what I wanted, no, needed to have happen. I needed to be off the insulin.

Everything seems to be healing up nicely. I’m limited to light activity for a couple weeks until I go back to see Dr. McPhee. Have to give the belly time to heal. I would post a picture of it, but it’s a little off-putting and I’d rather not gross anyone out.

My diet has returned to full liquids. I can go to pureed foods in a couple of weeks. Basically, I have to learn to eat again. To figure out what I can and can’t handle. So far, I’m able to handle a protein shake, so that’s a good thing. I’m going to try some soup for dinner… again, nothing major in terms of quantity… I just need to remember that it’s most important to stay hydrated

My other big news is that I committed to join Team AllEars. I’ve been toying with the idea for quite some time, but I could never seem to get myself in good enough shape. I’m planning on running/walking in the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 5K. I know it’s not a long distance, but for someone who’s never run in his life, it’s huge. I’m excited because I’ll be teaming up with some of the finest people I know and in support of Avon breast cancer charities. Both Supportive Partner Woman (considering going Paleo!) and I know people who have survived and who have succumbed to breast cancer, and its hard to think of a more worthy charity. As I told my co-captain, “It won’t be fast and it won’t be pretty, but I’m going to finish it.”

I’ll post more about that later.

So, I’ve said it before, but this is when my life is really going to start. It’s not going to be easy… believe me that bariatric surgery is never the easy way out, but I’m determined to get my body in shape and to keep it that way. I’ve wasted a lot of years (and part of toe) in service to food and poor habits. Now that I see how good it feels to be active, I’m going to grab that lifestyle and go as far as I can with it. It’s not going to be easy, but how many really good things are?

I’ll keep you posted, and, for the record, the happiest moment on this blog is going to be when I can post a picture of myself crossing that finish line.

Lessons from the hospital

Posted: March 28, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Walking, Weight loss
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So, after a couple days in the bastion of healing, I’ve come up with a couple of hard, incontrovertible truths.

1) Sleep is important to healing.
2) It’s damn near impossible to sleep in a hospital, unless they have you under anesthesia.

I learned this when they get me up every four hours to go for a walk. This is to prevent blood clots, or so they say. It is a good idea, since blood clots are bad… Very bad. However, while you’re sleeping, they have these things on your legs that inflate and deflate to do exactly the same thing.., prevent blood clots.

So after you do your mandatory constitutional, you lay back down in bed and by the time you finally drift off again, one of the vampire crew shows up to collect blood, waking you up again. It’s about that time when you give up, opt to sit in your chair and blog.

Speaking of walking, Supportive Partner Woman (great motivator!) and I calculated my laps from yesterday and realized that I walked almost 2.5 miles. In slipper socks. No wonder my feet are hurting a bit. But in the good news department, I get discharged today.

Yay!!! (Insert happy dance)

Things are actually feeling pretty good. I still ache, but I’ve not taken any painkillers since yesterday. I’ve also started expelling the surgical gas. I know… No one wants to hear about farting, but it is an unfortunate byproduct of laparoscopic surgery. The other side effect showed up when they weighed me last night. I’m 11 pounds heavier than when I checked in on Tuesday morning. That too is cycling out, but it will take a few days to unload all that retained fluid. Plus, they have me on a pretty constant IV of Ringer’s lactate. That stuff should be familiar to anyone who watched the 70’s TV show Emergency! Seems it’s used to help pump up blood volume. I think it’s also used to keep me chained to an IV pole.

I am ready to go home and get on with the process of healing. Dr. McPhee seems to think ill be able to be off all of my diabetes medications. This makes me very happy. No more insulin? That would be spectacular. Not to mention save a lot of cash. I’d even willingly sacrifice the full vial in the fridge. I’m pretty happy about the prospect of no longer being a human pincushion.

In the other cool news, we got to see a helicopter land and drop off a patient yesterday afternoon. It was pretty cool to watch. I’ll include a picture from my window. Hopefully the victim is OK. I did not find any details in the media, but it was kind of cool to watch.

At any rate, back to being bored for the last few hours of my confinement. More later!

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Good morning

Posted: March 27, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Walking, Weight loss
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So here I sit.

I’m in the chair in my very nice hospital room. I overlook the emergency room helipad, I found this out when I was sent on my first forced march yesterday. See, walking is a key. It helps to keep the blood flowing and avoid any clots.

The operation was no picnic, at least from my end. I remember being in recovery in a blanket of mental fuzziness. I don’t even recall being taken to my room. I remember a raging thirst, which I can only slake with a water-soaked swab, and also pressing the pain med dispensing button. I vaguely remember Supportive Partner Woman (Best wife Ever!) watching me drift in and out of wakefulness. I remember drifting in and out.

I remember the pain.

Yes, there is pain. I felt like I did about 1,000 crunches in very short order. It still hurts like a bastard.

The incisions themselves look pretty good. They are small and they glue them closed with some kind of surgical super glue. I couldn’t see all of them, but the one I could see was about 1/2 inch. There’s a bigger one that has a drain in it. That’s to help get rid of the sterile fluids and excess blood leftover. They will remove that before I go home on Thursday.

Today, they will be removing the dreaded catheter. I can’t wait. I’m not looking forward to getting that thing yanked out of my junk, but I’ll be glad to get rid of it. I also get to have some fluids today. Woohoo! It’s going to be a big change, having to eat and drink as slow as I’m going to have to. But I’ll adjust. I also think they are taking off the heart monitor this morning, too. That means I get the joy of taking off the leads. So, word of the day will be ouch.

I get to see Dr. McPhee today as well. He’ll want to check the incisions and go from there. I even get a shower!

The nursing care has been awesome. Heather, my day nurse, and Summer, the night nurse, have been super nice and super professional. Summer is actually in the program and goes for her procedure next week.

I’m sure I’ll post more later today, so I’ll stop right now.

Thanks again for all the awesome support. I’ll include a picture of my bed.

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