I survived Thanksgiving!

Wow!  I wasn't quite sure how it would go to try to have the Thanksgiving feast with my extended family and not indulge as I used to.  My modus operandi for holiday meals was always this...see how much food I could cram on a plate while trying to make it look like I wasn't taking any more than anyone else.  I was brilliant at it, always cleaned the plate, usually had seconds on some things and then when dessert time came I often had a piece of everything.  I have read that the average person consumes about 4500 calories in their Thanksgiving meal.  I often wonder if I consumed even more than that!

Well, here is how it went.  I got a plate, went to the buffet line, got about 3 ounces of white meat, no skin, and a small sliver of ham, took a deviled egg half and some raw veggies; jicama, peppers, celery, and carrots.  That is all, no sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, scalloped corn, stuffing, gravy, frog-eye salad (which I made) or pie.  And you know what?  I was fine.  I ate slow, chewed well, enjoyed what I ate and noticed it took me longer to eat than most people with all the goodies.  Had good conversations, looked at all the black Friday ads and all in all did just fine.  I chose not to feel deprived and really realize it is a choice.  Is that cool or what?

So this morning I did something I am pretty sure I have never done in my entire 63+ years on this planet.  I got on the scale the day after Thanksgiving!  And guess what?  I lost a pound!  Thank you, Lord, that was a big blessing to me and energized me to look forward to Christmas dinner the same way!

The other interesting challenge I am going to have is my annual cookie exchange.  I have been hosting it for about 20 years now.  A friend is going to have it at her house this year but I still plan to participate which means making around 10-12 dozen cookies of one kind and coming home with the same number but all different kinds.  My plan is to have my hubby and my daughter take a good amount of them to their respective work places for co-workers to enjoy but I also won't be putting my new choices on my hubby and 2 grown kids who live with us.  They have to make their own choices about what they put in their mouths.  It may be tough because cookies are one of my downfalls but I believe I am up for it, after all, I made frog-eye salad and didn't taste it, nor did I try any of the ingredients, i.e. marshmallows, cool whip, coconut, etc.  I have not experienced dumping syndrome yet and I don't intend to if at all possible!  And in case you don't know what that is or need a refresher course, here is a good link.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dumping-syndrome/DS00715/

                   A Red Letter Day!

— n
	a memorably important or happy occasion.  I had to look it up to see exactly what it meant to make sure it fit what I am feeling and I believe it does so this is a red-letter day. It has been a really great day!  First off, when I got on the scale this morning the dreaded plateau or stall had finally ended.  I was down 3 pounds or so.  I am at 185 even and that is exactly 60 pounds lost.  Yay, me!  On Wednesday I had my 3 month follow up appointment at the bariatric center and I got to see everyone!  I didn't realize that I would see them all and since I love them all to death it was great.  First Dr. Long stuck his head in Erica my nut's office, (nut,short for nutritionist).  He jokingly said, "I understand there is a patient here today that nobody even recognizes anymore!"  He is such a dear man and chatted with me for a few minutes.  Then I spent time with Erica going over what I am doing, looking at my blood work (which was great except a little high for B12)!  Then I met with Kristie, Dr. Long's PA and went over vitals, talked more about blood work and just had an all around great visit.  Then I met with Elisabeth, the counselor, and we talked about how I am doing mentally with all the changes and she just kept on and on about how great I am doing!  Then she asked me if I would be willing to speak at the class they hold each month for the people who are looking into bariatric surgery or are on their journey with the insurance companies to get approved.  I went to classes for 3 months but many, if not most, people have to attend 6 months worth of these classes.  I told her I would love to and so I did that this morning.  I have to say it was great, at least for me.  I really want to be a help and a support to other travelers on this journey to health.  I just basically told them a little about me and how poor my health was and then some of the pros and cons of having this surgery as I see it now at 3 months out.  They were very kind to me and even gave me some applause.  No one looked too incredibly bored and I got a few questions.  I stuck around after the class was over and a few people stayed around to talk to me.  I gave them all this blog address and I do hope some of them will visit.  I will officially be at 3 months post-op on November 27th.  A part of me feels like it has been much longer since so much has changed but another part of me says, "Wow!  It has only been 3 months!!"  That really isn't a long time. Another thing that made today great was I tried something new for my lunch.  I have kind of been in a rut with either tuna, or my made up chili or a black bean burger.  I took a Mission Low-carb tortilla (the small one) spread 2 T. vegetarian refried beans on it and put it in the oven on a Pam sprayed cookie sheet at 400.  While it warmed up I cooked a link of turkey sausage, chopped some red onion and some yellow bell pepper and a mini babybel light cheese wedge.  I pulled my tortilla out and put all of that on top, chopping the sausage first.  Then back in the oven for a few minutes while the cheese melted.  I added a couple teaspoons of salsa to the top and voila!  Mexican Pizza!  It was really good and a nice change.  I seem to want everything spicy and my little pouch doesn't seem to mind at all, lol! Hope you all have a super weekend.  It is really cold here in Colorado and I am hoping it will warm up! It snowed Wed. night and yesterday and now it is just freezing!

                                    Pictures, pictures, pictures.

So I haven't posted in over a week because I promised the next time I posted there would be pictures and I didn't know how to do it!  I am sure all you tech savvy people are rolling your eyes right now, lol!  But I got hubby to sit down and work with me and now I know how to do it.  If you want to see them you will have to click on the archives on the right and go back into August.  I posted before and after pictures of all 3 of my major weight loss adventures as well as a picture back in October when I was down about 40 pounds.  

I am not losing very fast but I am losing.  Today I weighed in at 187.6.  When I get to 185 I will have lost 60 pounds which is the most I have ever lost on any program or diet I tried in the past.  I have set my goal as 145 which will be 100 pounds lost and I don't think it is an unreasonable goal.  I think 130 would be just too thin for me.  I am not a dainty little girl even when thing.  I wear a size 11 shoe and am pretty big boned.  I will never be a size 4 or 6 or even an 8 but a size 10 might be achievable.  I just had to get some more jeans.  They are a size 16, down from my 22's.  I saw my grand kids earlier today and I was wearing a new outfit, had make-up on and expected a real double take from them.  After quite a while when no one said anything I said to my grandson, Connor. "Hey, can you tell grandma has lost weight?"  He looked me over and said, "No, you just look like grandma!"  You just gotta love it!  I guess grandma's are just perfect no matter what they weigh, lol! 

I hope everyone reading this blog is doing awesome or at least hanging in there.  Losing weight is a tough road, it is not for wimps and even having bariatric surgery does not make it a cake walk.  I wonder why so many metaphors we use are food related.  Cake walk.  I used to always participate in those at school fairs and I won more than my share of cakes, just as I always ate more than my share of cake but I digress.  Anyway, I think of those of you who come and visit as my friends, and when I pray I offer you all up for whatever your need is because I believe God knows each one of you and your needs.  

                   A New Low

And by that I don't mean I am depressed, lol!  I hit 188 on the scale yesterday.  Went from 193.6 to 188 all of a sudden.  Weight loss is so strange, you can do everything you are supposed to be doing and it doesn't move and then suddenly, woosh, 5 pounds gone!  I'm not complaining,  in fact,  I am very happy.  For some reason this new number has excited me more than moving out of the 200's did.  I stood on that scale for the longest time just staring at that number, having a hard time believing it.  So that is a grand total of 57 pounds lost.  The most I have ever lost on all the weight loss programs I have participated in is 60 pounds but when I reach my goal I will have lost 100 pounds.  I wonder if there is a club I can join, you know, something like the Mile High Club, lol!

On another note, I am beginning to experience the dreaded hair loss.  I think I had myself convinced that it wasn't going to happen to me.  I take all my supplements, extra biotin, get in lots of protein but I guess it is just an inevitable part of this journey.  My son's girlfriend, who had this surgery about 5 years ago says it is at it's worse about 6 months out.  So I am only 2 and a half months out now.  Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy, is all I can say!  I will deal with it but I don't have to like it, right?  The same could be said for all the saggy, baggy skin I am beginning to see.  I promised myself in the beginning that I would focus on all the positive changes in my health and that is what I am trying to do but it is hard!  I guess I need to start shopping for my Spanx, LOL!

You may recall me telling you about a young man I know who had wls in September.  Clay has had extreme complications, nearly died and is still in the hospital after 6 weeks.  He just got out of ICU this week and is finally getting to try a little bit of clear liquids after passing a leak test.  It just boggles my mind that a young (30) person would have so much trouble while someone my age sailed through it all with no complications.  Is it the surgeon, the hospital, the patient?  We'll probably never know but it is a very sobering situation.  We take a risk any time we have any surgery.  Make sure you check everything out that you can about your doctor and the hospital he operates in.  Make sure you tell them everything, any underlying condition you may have has to be taken into consideration.

Gonna try to hijack hubby this weekend and get some pictures posted.  Don't hold your breath but I will try!

                    Time Flies

Where does the time go?  I mean to post at least every couple of days but time just gets away!

Interesting week with Halloween in it, lol!  I have seen so many people post how hard staying away from all the candy has been for them.  I was with my grandkids for Halloween and while everyone ate pizza, Caesar salad and chips and dip, I had some white meat chicken, some grape tomatoes and a low-fat string cheese.  The only thing that looked a little tempting was the chips and dip but not so much that I would have some.  Then while the mom's took the kids out trick or treating, the other grandma and I did what has become a tradition for about the last 12 years.  We sat behind a long table in the driveway with 2 big buckets of candy, our big pump thermoses full of hot chocolate, and a bucket full of mini marshmallows.  The kids love it and the adults love it!  We had the hot chocolate right at drinking temperature and it was so cold that almost no one turned down a cup.  The hot chocolate didn't tempt me, the marshmallows didn't tempt me and the candy didn't tempt me.  I am sure it is because I am still pretty much a newbie at 10 -11 weeks out from surgery and next year may be very different but for now the idea of dumping syndrome, getting back into sugar or weight gain are not on my agenda!!

Now I do have to admit to more hunger this last week or so.  I am eating very healthy, mostly turkey, chicken and fish for protein, edamame, grape tomatoes (love) cottage cheese, beans, and still some protein shakes.  I have gotten bad at eating too quickly and maybe not chewing as well as I need to and I have paid the piper.  Twice I have gotten food stuck and it caused me to have to throw it up and a good case of the dreaded "foamies".  In case you don't know what that is I will copy and paste a description here from the web.  "When you get food stuck (either from not chewing well enough or from eating something that's too dry) -- your body reacts by trying to slide the food through your pouch with extra lubrication. That lubrication is saliva.  But since the food is stuck, the saliva can't go down -- and it ends up pooling in your mouth instead. So just grab a tissue and spit (as lady-like as possible).   Sometimes when you vomit from stuck-food, you won't actually get the food but just a bunch of saliva that's all foamy looking. "
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/4225415/what-are-the-foamies/
Mindful eating is essential for us and what I did was mindless eating, it doesn't work and it is one of the things that made me obese to begin with.

How's my weight doing you ask?  I was 191.4 this morning.  That is only 3 more pounds in a week and a half but hey who's counting, lol!  Seriously, it isn't super fast but hey I did pray it wouldn't be, didn't I?  I am losing lots of inches and am going to have to head over to my fancy boutique (thrift store) soon for a smaller size pants.  These 18's are starting to hang pretty loose on me.  It is crazy but I am a little sad because the 2 pair of jeans that I bought are really nice ones.  I hope I can find some cute ones in a 16 or I wonder if I should try to squeeze into a 14 so they will last me longer?  Nah, I doubt I could do that just yet and I don't want to be uncomfortable. 

I hope all of you are doing really great and any journey you are on is moving along.  It won't always be a smooth road but it is your road and you need to enjoy travelling down it as much as possible.