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AnaA

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  1. AnaA

    End of Week 10 Post Plication

    By AnaA,

    Ok. Technically tomorrow (Friday) is the end of week 10 but I doubt anything super dramatic will happen from here to there. I gained 6 ounces this week and frankly, am surprised that's all i've gained. I am still in the same place I was last week. Menstrual cycle 15 days late now (not preggers, I checked), horrendous constipation, and a lot of gas. I think I might know what's going on. "MIGHT" i've been eating laughing cow cheese pretty regularly, on a daily basis sometimes 2 times a day and while calorically it's fine, i believe my intolerance to lactose is creeping in on me and asking, what gives?? I am ok to have some cheeses periodically, but I never had them daily, and without even thinking about it, have been having LC quite a bit, so I think my stomach said that is it. That and hubby and I ate something rotten last Friday and we have had terrible stomach issues all week. So, that said, i'm just really trying to push through this and know that the scale will move downward soon as all this is passed. I've omitted LC from my diet just to check. Looking forward to week 11...
    With Hope
  2. AnaA
    I'm super late at posting this. The holidays have been absolutely chaotic true to holiday form.
    I lost 1.2 pounds this week! Yea! better than the up 2 ozs and up 4 ozs the two previous weeks. I am happy enough with this and still feel like I have the chance at greeting the new year in, in the 5's. We shall see.
    To next week! (which due to late posting is tomorrow... lol.....)
  3. AnaA
    Week 19 has been very positive. But it started out pretty scary. And because of that I had to get disciplined.
    After Thanksgiving for weigh in I was down 1 lb last week and happy about that. But I had pumpkin pie and cool whip for Thanksgiving on Thursday, 1 slice, then again Friday, 1 slice and Saturday, 1 slice. After having pumpkin pie and cool whip 3 days in a row I began to notice something startling! I started getting mental cravings and Sugar cravings!! I found myself thinking of having pie after I'd eaten it on Friday and counting down the minutes until I could have it on Saturday and then after eating it on Saturday feeling like I really needed to have just 1 more slice. But I did not. And I decided not to eat any on Sunday. Also, instead of my eating 3 times a day, I was snacking into the night, two separate times and I did this on Friday and Saturday. And even though my snack choices were healthy ones, I felt them going toward unhealthy things like salty tortilla chips. All mental cravings. The power of the sugar craving was strong and constantly on my mind, but I denied it. The mental cravings were more alarming in that I recognized eating sugar triggers a need to eat salt which was an old pattern of mine, candy or frosting and then salty chips. *GULP*
    Sugar cravings!!! *sigh* This is the problem I have with sugar. I was VERY disgusted with feeling like this. I knew that I needed to address this right away and discipline myself and get things under control before they got out of hand, because OOOH how easily they get out of hand. And I am not that woman anymore, the one who let's this get out of hand. The day of my surgery that all changed and I refuse to allow it back in.
    I wanted to get a handle on this ASAP so that in retrospect I could look back on this time and say, ok, don't eat sweets, even 1 slice 3 days in a row, not even 2 days in a row. Also, I wanted to handle this immediately so that I could look back on the end of week 18, (and Saturday and Sunday of week 19) and say, Ok, it got ugly, but you took charge, contained it, handled it and beat it! And I did.
    This is what I did to get back in charge.
    Beginning Monday 11/26, when I was back in my own home, my own kitchen (went away for 4 days during Thanksgiving) I made the conscious decision to cleanse the sugar out of my system. I remembered how FANTASTIC the OCC lean and green diet was for losing that 10% pre operative weight. I pulled out my Spiru-Tein protein powder, chocolate (it does not taste sugary), blender, bought broccoli, minestrone soup, and lean cuisine meals and I did the lean and green diet for 4 days, Monday - yesterday. (Actually, i'm still doing it today too). I lost 5 lbs this week as a result!!!! :) Not only did I lose 5 pounds of fat, but I cleansed all the sugar craving from my body and do not feel any need for it. I put myself in control of my health, I took charge and did not let pie undo me, and I weigh 164 lbs!! Wow! I will be in the 5's in no time! Just 15 lbs until I reach my goal weight. In the 4 months and 10 days since I had my plication, I have lost an astounding 57lbs, 25% of my body weight and I have proven that sugar will NEVER gain control of me again. I feel fabulously victorious! I WIN!
    ADDENDUM TO LEAN & GREEN:
    During my 5 days of lean and green (including today) I added prunes for obvious reasons, (I never miss a day of eating them) and from Tuesday - Today added 1/4 c. of almonds. It is delicious and nutritious. I slice 5 prunes into 1/4ths and added in the almonds and had a healthy organic trail mix with fantastic results.
    HEALTH BENEFIT BONUS OF PRUNES & ALMONDS:
    Prunes:
    Stimulating effect on bowel motility, helps to build and preserve bone mass, antioxidants found in prunes help to prevent oxidation of cholesterol in the blood stream which could lead to plaque formation in the arteries, the high potassium content in prunes helps to normalize blood pressure, while the soluble fiber promotes heart health, they are a great source of Vitamin A
    Almonds:
    Eating almonds as part of your regular diet helps raise HDL cholesterol, or "good" cholesterol, levels, and also reduces LDL cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol, levels, they are high in potassium and low in sodium, both are factors that regulate blood pressure, fiber in almonds has a detoxifying effect, the fiber allows food to move through the digestive system more efficiently, cleansing the system and preventing colon cancer, Almonds also have a stabilizing effect on sugar and insulin levels after meals, offering protection from diabetes, they help with weight loss due to their nutrient density and have the effect of making you feel full and nourished, and therefore are less likely to have cravings and over eat, having four to five almonds every day will prevent constipation, they are high in fiber, and a diet that is high in fiber is an effective way to stay regular, they boost energy, reduce the risk of heart disease AND! almonds also contain phenylalanine, a brain-boosting chemical that aids healthy development of our cognitive functions
  4. AnaA
    This is the second week in a row that I have gained weight. Last week I was up 2 ozs and this week I am up 4 ozs, so I have gained 6 ozs in 2 weeks which is not a major catastrophe, but means I am not losing. That part is yuck.
    I have still had the stomach flu this week. It feels like it's on its way out, but I have still had quite a bit of gas and bloat and other stomach nastiness. Also, for my birthday a week or 2 back I didn't get to celebrate so did that this past week. That consisted of going out with friends for drinks, 3 days this past week and i'm sure the alcohol stalled my metabolism.
    Because it's so easy to get caught up in the alcohol celebrations during the season, I am making sure that I do not drink again until New Years Eve. I would like to drop at least 4 lbs in the next 3 weeks, totally realistic. It would be great to start the year off in the 5's for 2013! I can do it!! And ofcourse, I loved that for my birthday I was over 50 lbs slimmer than last year's birthday, I dressed up and my man took me dancing. It was fantastic. I felt so petite in my little dress. Aahhhh. Here's to breaking 164 next week!
  5. AnaA
    Ok, this is my last blog entry of 2012! As such I think it merits positive reflection.
    Last year, I brought in the 2012 New Year weighing 221 lbs. I was wearing size 18/20 clothes. I was fat, the vein in my right thigh was throbbing and numbing up, and I felt sluggish, all around awful and was steadily heading to Diabetes in a pre-diabetic state. My health was bad, my spirits were low, I looked blah.
    This year, I am grateful for the changes that have occurred in my life since my plication at the OCC on July 20th. I began my pre-op diet at 221 lbs. I lost the 5% of my body weight necessary to do the procedure (a whole 15 lbs!) and entered the surgery room at 206 lbs. In the last 5 months and 8 days post-procedure, I have lost 44 pounds! Add to that the 15 lbs I lost pre-surgery, and I have lost a total of 59 lbs to date! I now wear size 9/10 jeans, HALF the size I was at 6 months ago! I have gone down 6 sizes of clothes and I feel great! I feel thin and feel very happy. I just went in for my physical check up and blood work last week and the Dr. was raving about my results! I am hundreds of miles away from pre-diabetes! My good cholesterol is UP! More than most adults, yessssss, and my bad cholesterol is way down. WOW! Everything was wonderful. I am in tip top shape! It just feels like such a blessing to bring in 2013 in this new healthy way. I feel proud of everything that I have accomplished and could NOT have done this without the plication as the most fantastic weight loss tool ever!
    I still get fantastic restriction. And if I ever feel that my restriction wasn't as tight at a meal, then I make sure the next meals to eat much lighter and that fantastic restriction returns. For me, I have finally learned that if you stretch something regularly, well, the natural response is stretching. But if you keep it in its current shape it stays that way. There are so many many lessons I have learned throughout this journey. I feel great when I look in the mirror and every single time I put on my skinny clothes! I never take that for granted anymore. This is the last time in my life I will have had to go through this weight loss journey so I give it the highest precedent in my life and honor it daily by eating smart.
    This week I have lost 1.4 lbs!! Yea! I am just 13 lbs away from my goal weight of 149 as set by the OCC! Under 20 lbs away from goal! And while I enter the new year weighing 162, Three pounds off from the 5's I was hoping for, it doesn't even matter really, because I know in a week or two, i'll be there.
    Happy 2013 Everyone!
    :) :)
  6. AnaA
    Hello Fellow OCC'ers,
    Here I am 3 days into week 36 which for me ends this Friday 3/29.
    My last entry was at the end of my 6 month anniversary on week 26 January 18, 2013. After that, I decided to go off of my regimental OCC blogging, personal journaling, calorie tracking, way of being and merge myself back into a 'new regular' routine. I wanted to see what that would be like.
    What I found is much like what I saw posted in the forum. After 6 months I find myself losing and gaining the same 4 lbs. I fluctuate from 158 - 162 (In my after picture I am at 164). This is without counting calories, eating pretty much what I want (sans sugary stuff), having alcohol occasionally, etc.
    Overall, I feel really great. I have no complaints! I love being at this weight. I was at 221 and I have lost 60 lbs. It is amazing, this difference! I can wear really nice clothes, and feel great being out and about. I feel sexy. My restriction is fantastic, so portion control is STILL fabulous. I realize this has EVERYTHING to do with strictly adhering to the no eating or drinking within 1 hour of the other. I do. On 3 occasions I have lessened it to 40 minutes. So I guess what I’m saying is I’m discovering how to be flexible, what to allow and when, and how not to take advantage of that and stay in control.
    I have set an emergency weight for myself. It is 165. What that means is that while I am fluxing between 158-162 if for some reason I get up to 165, I will do a two week lean and green cleanse, or a juice cleanse, or a liquids cleanse. Hey, two weeks out of my life is WORTH not ballooning up to 221 which I will NEVER again do.
    I just love that going through this procedure with the OCC has taught me to control my weight, given me this thin life and given me fantastic tools like lean and green that thanks to fantastic restriction work for me and give me tools to fight possibly going in the other direction.
    I feel really happy that I have found this balance. My health is really good. I am good.
    Now that I have given myself this time to figure out how to ease back into life without journaling, etcetera, I am ready to enter a new phase. I will keep blogging for up to my first year so others can see if they want what the first year is like. But I will blog monthly instead of weekly.
    Also, I am just 13 little ole pounds away from my OCC set goal weight of 149 lbs. And while I'm totally happy here at 162, I am going to get down to 149 just to see what that looks like, and so that when I do my one year check up at the OCC I can go in there at goal or a tad lower.
    All this weight that I have lost so far has been without one single stitch of exercise. I know... terrible for me to admit that.. lol and I’m definitely not saying you should follow my lead. But I have just purchased ZUM BA!!!! And I am going to start working out and tightening up, sooooo, I will give myself until my 1 year anniversary, 4 more months, in July, to lose those additional 13 lbs. I got this. Because I'm only 13 lbs. away from goal, I have just posted a before and after picture of myself in the gallery. I figured i'm close enough to goal for all to see the huge difference the OCC has made in my life.
    Continued Success Everyone!
  7. AnaA
    ONE YEAR AGO TODAY ... (Mmmm)
    I made a decision that changed my life. I decided to get weight loss surgery at the OCC. The decision was not made lightly. I researched Dr. Ortiz and surgeries in Mexico first I suppose out of curiosity. The lower price certainly led to that curiosity. I suppose somewhere in the fore front of my mind I had no intention of going to Mexico for surgery. (not because of the ignorant stories...) I just wanted to see what people said about the experience. And in the back of my mind, I knew my feelings about surgery in Mexico were just the same as my feelings about surgery in England. It made me uncomfortable to think of surgery in any other country but the US. And then I thought it through. Did I personally think Dr.s were better or worse depending on their country of origin? No. Then what were my concerns? That I have a good Dr. who knows what they are doing and operates in a top notch facility with staff who imbibe that high standard. Certainly I have had my share of uncaring burnt out Dr.'s with sincere medical limitations, alongside burnt out nurses who make big mistakes here, as has my Mom. And I have had good care here as well. So I just concentrated on the Dr., what the Dr. was like, what their facility was like, and what the staff were like and then I made comparisons to others in that field and that country and this one. And standing here, one year out, I am so amazed by Dr. Ortiz. THANK YOU DR. ORTIZ, bless your Mama for making you By the state of the art OCC facility, By the caring nursing staff (Thank you for comforting me), and by not only the amazing plication operation that they performed but also by the unique technique Dr. Ortiz has developed that creates this positive result. I love when I can look back on a decision that I have made one year out and smile with the satisfaction of knowing I done good.
    It has been an amazing ride. Worth saying twice. And for those of you new to this forum/blog who want to know what the journey has been like I have been blogging the entire year about it. This last week I have come away from my previous three month weight fluctuation (163-167) by returning to the simple clarity of tracking my calories and journaling about my relationship to food each day. And I learned that I was just taking in more than I needed to be. This having been said and altered has resulted in my return to weight loss. This morning I weighed in at 161. But it's not just the number. I feel really trim. My clothes fit fantastically. I am just 12 lbs away from my goal weight. I began Zumba 4 days ago and I have embarked upon a new journey to cook healthy gourmet foods, gourmet being the operative word. One of my dinners this past week consisted of a potato vegetable pancake with a slice of smoky flavored salmon with fresh rosemary and garlic. The entire meal was better than restaurant and under 300 calories. Post eating, I felt entirely satisfied and did not want anything else to eat. That is my goal. To eat that meaningfully all the time. To realize that taking a break from healthy eating is silly because it means eating junk. Why would I want to do that? And I realize that the key to all of this is gourmet. To do this in a way that I am eating more flavor packed sensuous foods than I have ever done before. To eat really well.
    I feel like this coming year I will be blogging here about my health journey through gourmet cooking, juicing, and dehydrated raw foods. Because I feel like my first year was about becoming healthy in measure to pounds which was necessary. Now, this next year will be about becoming healthy in relation to how I nourish my body, deliver it amazing flavors, and keep it active. I look foward to every post.
    To Year Two! :) :)
  8. AnaA

    24 Days and Counting!

    By AnaA,

    Day 24
    I am counting down until I have my plication procedure. This is the first day of my blog. I feel very excited/nervous [excervous??] about everything. I find myself catching sight of my body in the mirror as I walk by it. I wonder. . . what ME will emerge post plication? How Exciting! I can not wait to find out! I am happy about my decision to take control of my health.
    I began my pre-op dietary instructions 2 weeks ago. I chose the protein shakes and the low fat frozen dinner with ample greens: salad and soup. I started 1 month early because the 5% body weight that I had to lose came up to 11 lbs. and I wanted to make sure that I met it! So far I have lost 10 lbs and need to lose 1.5 more in 24 days. I know that this is no problem and feel good about being on task.
    This fantastic thought just occurred to me yesterday. For the last 12 days I have begun a permanent weight loss journey. My weight from here on out will only go down. As I sit here smiling with this thought in mind, visions of great looking clothes dance in my brain.

  9. AnaA

    12 Days and Counting

    By AnaA,

    Twelve days to go until plication. (why did the 12 days of Christmas just pop into my head?? ...12 pounds before op, 11 lbs the next week, 10 lbs week after.. ok i'm stopping now ) Today I went out dancing with friends at this really hip inclusive club. The music was fantastic, the ambient was perfect and there was the sweetest breeze. Every one had a drink in hand. This was my first "2 weeks to go until procedure" temptation challenge. I am not a major drinker, but I do like to social drink. All my friends and my sweetie had that vibe going. But I put some thought into this. I thought, no, no alcohal from the day I began to cleanse 3 weeks ago, and that means even at social outings. I figured, i'm going to have to learn how to deal with this kinda thing anyway for awhile so might as well start now. I ordered a cranberry on ice with lime. It was put in the same kinda vessel everyone else had so no one even knew the diference! When I was asked what I was drinking I said cran and everyone was cool with that, and 15 minutes later they'd forgotten anyway lol I felt really super proud conquering that. It seems simple. DUH, just say you're not drinking. But we all know what peer pressure is like. Permitting myself to not drink and feel content with that made a big diference in my choices and those who asked me why I wasn't drinking we're supportive when I said I was on a cleansing and needed to drop some lbs. for my health. It was very important for me to work everything out like I did totally acknowledging what I was feeling and why and then allowing myself to be who I was in that moment, a woman in process of losing weight. And as it turned out, it only heightened the ambiant.
  10. AnaA
    Good Evening Fellow PLay Cats (Plicators) & WLS-ers:
    I wanted to share my story with you here.
    My decision to be a PLay Cat (be plicated) came out of a need to be healthy. My health. I'm 41 and I had this super candid conversation with my mom not long ago. She's had a mild stroke (10 or so years ago) and a major heart attack all fairly recently. But her health decline? That started when she was 47 (20 years ago). That's the age she became diabetic. The big bad D. As a result, her health took a slow and steady decline. Well I went to the Doctor 4 months ago, and he told me that I was just a few points away from being Diabetic and that if I didn't start to lose weight I would have big problems.Nearly diabetic? At 41? Six years ahead of my mom?? And what's worse? What triggered my visit to the Dr.'s was this hot numbing pain in my upper right thigh. The Dr. said that was because my weight was pushing down on that vein, and while the vein is regenerative (thankfully!) the fact that my weight was triggering pain in me delivered a pretty tough message very quickly. I looked at this unfolding total health picture: being over weight, potential diabetes, the talk with my mom, potential strokes, arriving in a world of heart disease ahead of schedule vs. possibly not at all. All this happened within 3 days. And I thought, do something now while the warning is mild. It became brutally clear that at the rate I was going, I would get diabetes younger than my mom. I have seen my mom suffer through those life shocking diseases, it's pretty bad. And wasn't I the one who said to my mom as I held her hand in the cardiac room before heart (bypass) surgery that I knew it would be hard to change her way of life, but that it was now a matter of life? And wasn't I also the one who used to think, "I would rather change my habbits of my own accord, however rough, versus being told I had to?" Yes. That was me.
    I need to be healthy.
    RIght now, I feel good about having reached my "lose 5%" goal, and know that for the next 10 days I will add to that weight loss, especially with the pre-op liquid diet and fast.. And that is me. That is my story. I honor you all and I want to take this moment in time to honor the courage you have for even coming here. Please feel free to email me here or reply if you'd like to share the ride. PLay Cats, Bandsters and all walks of WLS Life Welcome.
    Inner Peace,
    PLay Cat Ana
  11. AnaA
    This is Post Plication Day 5 for me. I had my procedure July 20th. I had to stay an additional 2 days near the OCC because my stomach swelling was slow to reduce and I was having some phenomenal gas pains. Wow, can gas really really hurt! Everyone at the OCC was fantastic and the Dr.s took good care of me, very reassuring and very thorough on follow up testing to make sure that what I was experiencing wasn't anything to be concerned about. And as it turns out, it wasn't. I got home yesterday and wow am I happy to be home. I did my first weigh in today and weighed in at 200 lbs!! OH MY GOSH! I am soo very excited. I may actually be seeing some 1's pretty soon instead of these terrible 200's! And when I say terrible 200's I want to make it absolutely clear I am referring to myself alone. All total, I started out at 221 lbs. lost 15 lbs prior to my surgery weighing in at the OCC at 206 lbs., gained 3lbs after the surgery (you gain 3-5 on average right after surgery due to gas and swelling etc.) so then weighed 209 lbs 2 days after surgery on 7/22/12 and now wow, lost that 9 lbs and am at 200 lbs. I am just so happy! Overall I feel good. Trying to adjust to drinking in as much liquids as possible. One of the benefits of the barium test is that the Dr.'s noticed that the post operative sips I was taking were too small, they said sipping that little was only going to take in more air than liquid thus adding to my gassiness! Yikes! Like I need help with that! So they had me continue taking bigger swallows until I was where they wanted me to be and so I know what that means. It's essentially a 1/2 oz. of liquid. I was probably taking in 1/8 of an oz. with my sips... So every day I take in more liquids. The first day post surgery I maybe took in 3 oz.s all day. I just was not hungry or thirsty. For me, post op, smells were really strong too! I smelled food and I felt nauseated. ew. Today so far, it's 3pm I've taken in 16 ozs of water and 5 oz. of half apple juice half water. I haven't been hungry really. Tomorrow I get to start on full liquids meaning protein shakes and blended soups so that is going to be nice. I also started taking my 1500 mgs of calcium today and added in B12 and 800 mg of D Vitamin for good measure. My bariatric vitamins are on order and I will start those as soon as they arrive. All in all, I am feeling very excited about having had the procedure and what wonderful things will come of it health wise. Having now lost 21 lbs. I have 51 lbs. to go! WEEEEEE!
  12. AnaA

    Inbetweeners

    By AnaA,

    So 2 weeks ago I had a really difficult week. I noticed that my emotions were going up and down like a rollercoaster. I was ranging from upset to super sensitive to hurt to mad. It wasn't happy. I read online and discovered that when you lose weight your fat cells release hormones and that can make you mood swing. Especially if you are losing weight more rapidly than usual. To remedy this, I went out and bought some Rhodiola tincture. A friend of mine put me on to these a few years back when I was going through some stressful moments. This has regulated my mood and now that roller coaster ride is a thing of the past. I feel so much better mood wise! I just wanted to blog about this in case others have similar things going on. I recognize that this is my body expeirencing this process and that it may not apply to others and the same goes for Rhodiola moderating mood. I am grateful though that it worked for me!
  13. AnaA

    Practice Makes Perfect

    By AnaA,

    So WOW. How to handle this all? Right?
    It was overwhelming for me to think about going from liquids to soft/regular foods. Liquids were easy because all I had to do was to make sure that I had liquid in my hands at all times throughout the entire day. I simply finished one kind and grabbed another. Easy PZ.
    For me, in order to master something totally foreign to me, while adhearing to the golden rule of no liquids within an hour of meals requires clarity. For me, clarity means scheduling. So this example is just for those who might want to know what it looks like to track things my way:
    6-6:30 am Breakfast : usually oatmeal or cottage cheese and crackers (high fiber gluten free low calorie: Mary's Crackers)
    6:30 - 7:30 am NOTHING
    7:30 - 10:30 : Liquids: 32 ozs of water and a 16 oz protein drink w/ 23 grams of protein (syntrax nectar)
    10:30 - 11:30 NOTHING
    11:30 - 12pm Lunch: usually cottage cheese, grapes, crackers, or mashed potatoes (gluten free mashed potatoe flakes)
    12 - 1 pm NOTHING
    1pm - 5pm Liquids: 32 oz of water, 10 oz ensure w/ 9 grams protein, 2 yakults (for probiotics, zero lactose)
    5pm - 6pm NOTHING
    6 - 6:30pm Dinner: a fraction of a lean cuisine meal with mashed potatoes and veggies
    6:30 - 7:30pm NOTHING
    7:30pm - Liquids
    What I love about this plan is that the time frames are flexible. You can cut back an hour of liquids to add in a snack of fruit, etc. I also love that breakfast is a no brainer because when you wake up you already get an hour of not having had anything before, so that is a freebie!
    It should also be mentioned that I am gluten intolerant and cottage cheese aside, lactose intolerant, (cottage cheese has very small amounts of lactose so it sits ok with me), and vegetarian so my diets are based on no meat, no gluten, and no milk. Given that this is quite the speicalty I hope it can help others in the same boat
    With this way of scheduling, I get my 64 ozs of water in, at least 32 grams of protein in (plus what I can get from cottage cheese) and this is good until I can learn to incorporate more high protein foods. I'm still new to food phase so still looking up high protein low cal recipes I actually still enjoy my liquid intake more than my food intake. I do love incorporating fruit too, I believe I missed that more than anything.
    I also love that after 7pm i'm not eating anymore and having just liquids, so that sticks to another addage i'd always heard, don't eat food after 8pm.
  14. AnaA
    I keep forgetting to add my forum updates to my blog updates, so here is the post plic 1 month update from last Friday:
    It's been a busy week for me. I am happy to report though that at 1 month post plication, to date, I have lost 16 lbs! I am very happy with my progress and just continue to feel this was the best decision ever.
    I have been taking in 64 ozs of water since the required day we were to do that, week 1 of soft foods I believe it was. I enjoy my water intake. I have found it somewhat difficult to get all the calories in, so I am working on that.
    I am adhering to the Golden Rule at every meal, waiting both 1 hour before and 1 hour after meals to drink and feel good about incorporating this once intimidating aspect into my life. Even met a gal yesterday who has never had WLS but does the no drinking before and after food, she does this for 30 minutes either side and when I told her that I do this for 1 hour either side she was very impressed with my discipline. That made me feel really good, a great motivator.
    Today is Day 1 of regular foods. I had essentially the same soft food breakfast and lunch that I have been having, the only thing I did different was that I added 1 whole slice of toast to each meal, and added non butter butter. It was great and filling. For dinner I had 1 roll of sushi and a small salad with thousand island dressing. I know thousand island dressing is fatty, but because I am trying to get calories up, I had it. Won't do that again. It tasted super fatty! My palette is so cleansed that I am really sensitive to fats, disliking the amped up taste, it's like watching a movie in technocolor.. too much! So I will stick to my wish bones.
    Yep, i'm coming along nicely
  15. AnaA
    (again just transfering the first months weekly updates from the forum to my blog)
    OK!
    Today there is A LOT going on! It is the end of week 3 and I have lost a total of 4 lbs this week! I am so excited about this! So far in the last 3 weeks since my procedure I have lost a total of 13 lbs! I've never used so many exclamation marks!! lol And over all including pre op weight loss I have lost a noteworthy 28lbs, over 12% of my body weight! BMI going down.
    There's a lot for me to report on. Today was/is my first day of soft foods and THIS transition has been an experience in itself let me tell you. I have a lot to say about this part of the experience so I am going to blog that so as not to suck up too much forum space haha.
    Carry on. That is all.

  16. AnaA
    OK! Today is end of week 2 for me. I have lost 2 lbs. for a total of 24 lbs! This week was a challenge. I was already taking in 8 ozs of pedialyte daily when I showed signs of dehydration. This week I noticed some slight signs again and determined to stay ahead of it I upped my pedialyte intake to 16 ozs now. Still showing some signs, and have upped my liquid intake. I have seen some positive changes this week. I notice that my favorite jeans, jeans that I could NOT fit into before pre-op diet are now loose! I can pull them 2 inches away from me easily and that makes me feel good. I definitely feel like I have gone down in inches, and can see this in the mirror. I opted not to measure that stuff so no specifics, but it is notable. My energy level has been pretty good and that is saying a lot considering that before I even heard of the OCC my energy level was a constant struggle and low! I have been increasing my walking and am looking forward to resistant training and exercise which I can begin at the end of week 3, next Friday. I feel proud of myself that I have been on liquids for 17 days and feel good. I would have never thought it possible for ME? to stick to something like this for this length of time and I just feel very proud of myself.
  17. AnaA
    I am not sure if I will post my results at the end of every week, but I wanted to post at the end of my first week which this is and then I will post if something notable happens or I need advice or want to give tips, and barring that, I will update montly. I feel compelled to update monthly because when I was going through my decision making process what I wanted and didn't feel I got was someone who updated regularly. Peeps eventually dropped off the radar.
    Kay. Today is my 1 week post plication procedure anniversary and I weighed in at 199! I am sooo excited to be in the 19's! Wow. It is a great feeling to leave those 20's behind.
    Today I also started the full liquids so it was the first day I had soup and a protein drink, met the 64 oz. consumption of liquid intake and the 30g of protein intake Boy! Did I feel water logged! lol I was sloshing in my shoes. So much to keep track of! Until it becomes autonomic and I am sure it will, I am on myself to monitor the proper intakes to make sure that I don't get dehydrated because I had some baby signs of that. My 64ozs consisted of 1 liter of water, 10 ozs of ensure clear peach (I love this drink: tasty and protein!), a protein shake that recommends mixing with 1 cup of water, i changed that and made the protein powder scoop with 16 ozs of water, it was perfect! Not too thick, nice and watery which is how I prefer intake at this time. (I use GNC's Spiru-Tein High Protein Energy Meal protein shake, vanilla & chocolate because they are soy based and not made with milk) The soup I had was gluten free clam chowder. I have a couple of food issues pre surgery, I am gluten intolerant and lactose intolerant so I don't eat bread or drink milk products. I put the clam chowder in the blender. Wow, it was superb. The brand was progresso. They do nice soups. And for my probiotic because I can not drink yogurt I drank yakult which was pretty pleasing. I had an otter pop too.
    After I finished eating/drinking all that throughout the day I felt stuffed. I kinda had to push myself to get all that in. I am curious as to how this is going to go tomorrow because I have events to attend all day. Hmm. My gas/burping is still present but lessoning all the time. All in all I am very pleased with my procedure and my healing.
  18. AnaA
    Ok. Last week was pretty frustrating. I gained 4 ozs., went from 190.2 to 190.6
    That was frustrating in itself because it meant that I not only gained 4 ozs, (it's not the amount I gained but the fact it went the WRONG way) but that I did not lose anything all week long, and believe me it felt loooooong.
    I was super constipated all last week and right up to yesterday *sigh* and OUCH!!!. Very! And I know it was the culprit that contributed to this set back. Still its hard getting over the psychological aspect of it. Not having lost anything all week, having adhered to everything exactly, and the distention of my stomach which omits my concentration on just feeling good about feeling thinner. Frustrating. I tried to get around that by just focusing on how I have lost 31 lbs. and that i'm sure this can't go on for long... grrr
    I called the OCC and received advice from Dr. M so here's to hoping that this week is better! I weighed in this morning, and I was at 189.2, so I have lot a pound this week so far, here's to hoping its a better week!
  19. AnaA
    OK, I went out of town so couldn't post my week 6 results for this past Friday, August 31st, so here's week 6:
    I lost 1.8 lbs during week 6!! Yea!
    It's true, I want those 3 lbs lost weeks back, but compared to gaining 4 ozs, i'm elated the scale is going the right way and hopeful I will get more 3lb losses soon.
    My constipation (Thank you Dolittle for the MOM recommend!) is now a thing of the past thank GOODNESS! Dolittle recommended milk of mag and WOW is it fantastic! It did not make me diarrhetic and it did not cramp my stomach, ich, a terrible experience, it let me go regularly. It worked in 2 hours so didn't happen instantly and I appreciated that. Aahh, my stomach was regular and not distended for week 6. Relief!
    Also, I had a small big victory! I was in whole foods, which I LOVE and I was looking at gluten free cookies, because for the first time I felt like having one, and I was looking at my options, yummy choc chip, sugar cookies, oatmeal, nila and choc wafers, it's amazing how the GF (gluten free) market has expanded! But the cookies were 120 calories for a 50 cent piece sized cookie. I stood there for a moment with the bag in my hand just letting that twirl around in my mind. 120 calories for 1 cookie. Hmmm. Most of my breakfasts have been at an average of 237 calories and I am COMPLETELY full and satisfied. 237 calories. That is less than 2 cookies... At that moment I realized that a moment of wanting a cookie was outweighed by the price of what it would cost. It just wasn't enough. Two cookies would not be satisfying to me. Not the way my 237 calorie breakfasts are, not with my sugar craving past. And these calories could be better spent on other satisfying, filling food I really enjoy. So with that, I put the cookies down, and walked away!
    I felt so victorious!! I WON!! I WON!! I still feel victorious!! I WIN.
  20. AnaA
    Today is the end of week 7 for me and it was DEFINITELY a better week! After an extremely pain stakingly slow week 4 and 5, then a slowed 1.8 lb loss week 6 I was starting to feel discouraged but trying with all my might to be positive and note other victories!
    I just realized something SUPER EXCITING!! I am HALF way to MY GOAL!!! I have lost 36 lbs and have 36 left to go!!! Here's to making it ALL THE WAAAAAAY!!!
    Today is that day of redemption. I lost 3 lbs!!!! WOOOOO HOOOO! It feels SOOO good to see that scale take a dive in numbers. At 185 I feel safely out of those nasty nines! It feels fantastic.
    This week my calorie intake hovered between 1150-1190. On two days I went up to 1200 but am most comfortable staying in the 1100's. I actually caught sight of myself in the mirror and wow! I really notice my stomach has slimmed considerably! The jeans that I was finally able to get in to are comfortable and dare I say... roomie! And I can see the change happening. To date, I have lost a whopping 16% of my body weight! Wow. My BMI is 29.0, I have lost 21 lbs post plication and a total of 36lbs! For all these reasons I feel very victorious today. Happy. Steady on.. Steady on!
    Just for the record I continue to drink 64 ozs of water a day plus, take the liquid 16 oz of 23 grams of protein. Still take my vitamins and calcium and the metamucil. That development, taking 3 metamucil caps daily was since week 6 when I had the nasty constipation.
    All is well.
    To another high loss week! Cheers!
  21. AnaA
    OK. This week I am up 1 lb. I gained. :/ I know why.
    I discovered gluten free pizza from the local and we ate it twice this week. Also, I had a corn quesadilla in a quick pinch because I was running late on another night, and taquitos on another night. Yep. That's a lot of grease and cheese.
    Thanks to prunes, it didn't constipate me, but it was too much grease and cheese even though I only did eat a little part of them. SO, this coming week, no cheese anywhere and no grease. I'll be cooking at home which I prefer because at least I know what goes into it. I normally cook anyway. This week was just hectic and not planned out. So, ok, i'm at 176 this week, a 1 lb. setback and no loss. To keep me motivated I just appreciate the weight I have lost, know I will lose more beginning next week, and focus on how good it feels to be in slimmer jeans. Also! A major victory, I have not had anything sugary like candy, frosting, or the like since my procedure! Might not sound major but my weakness is sugary things like that. They are the thing that derails me every time. And I have not had 1 single piece nor will I. When I feel in the mood for something like that, which is not easy 2 weeks before my period, I have a tablespoon of peanut butter and even that is in large moderation.
    I know my lack of planning and ungreat choices threw me off this week and will change that. On to week 14!
  22. AnaA
    I lost 2 lbs this week! I feel very happy about that. I learned a lot from last week and kept the cheese down to just 1 meal and the grease out of it. It never ceases to amaze me how much grease and cheese can trip you up. It might sound obvious, but just witnessing my body as it changes and went up then held steady then dropped, I realized that is a lot of time to spend waiting for the effects of cheese and grease to go away. Too much precious time.
    I am still taking prunes daily. They are my daily regiment and thanks to those dark beauties I have not had a problem with constipation. I continue to get my liquids in and feel like that is a very important part of this process. I have been drinking 72 ozs of liquids a day. 32 of that is pure water and 40 ounces of that is vitamin water or sobe life water. Wow those flavors are amazing. I have yet to drink one that I didn't like. What is amazing to me is how much my taste buds have changed.
    In the beginning, I needed to drink something heavy in acids like soda to draw the most flavor out of it. That was the level of 'numbness' my taste buds were at. When I first went on liquids and drank the vitamin water, acai berry, my taste buds translated it as a subtle flavor. I liked it, but it was really subtle. Now when I drink vitamin water, acai berry, lemonade, the flavors are very flavorful, robust, not subtle at all. I had to detoxify the harsh acidic things I was feeding to my poor inundated buds to get them to fully get the full flavor of vitamin waters. Now if I have cranberry juice I definitely have to cut it with water or it makes my ears pop! I feel very proud of myself to be at the point to do this.
    I have found the pleasure of cooking at home. I love making healthy food to serve myself and my man. We both eat healthy and as a result, he has lost a load of weight without the surgery. He is now at his ideal weight. I feel proud that my decision to have this surgery has positively impacted our health as a couple. We are both much more active and I just went down another size in clothes! I will never get tired of the sensation of wearing a pair of jeans having them fit if a bit snug and then weeks later pulling them away from me for inches because I have undergrown them. This was the best decision I made for myself in my life. On to week 15.
  23. AnaA

    Top 5 Weight Loss Tools

    By AnaA,

    I thought I would share the day to day top 5 weight loss tools that I use to keep me on track. They are not in order of importance because I consider them all equally critical to my success. These tools are created with my own personal needs in mind.
    1. Water: Yes, A Major Tool.
    When I went on the pre and post op liquids only diet, I realized that on liquids alone my body could not only be sustained, but satisfied. It was surprising to me. I was actually sad about having to transition to soft foods! That knowledge taught me that I need to rely on water primarily and use food to get some nutrients in between. I typically have 64 - 96 ozs of 0 calorie drinks per day, 48-64 ounces of that is water and the rest is a 0 calorie drink like Vitamin water (love the acai berry flavor) and Sobe 0 Calorie water (love the pear apple and the kiwi cherimoya, yumberry and well, all of the flavors are good). If I have one of those days where i'm feeling ravenous, I make sure that I drink more water than usual. This helps me to feel full. I also drink a protein drink when i'm feeling ravenous because a protein drink (I use nectar, 25 calories 25g protein) makes me feel full, and chase it with 16 ounces of water. Also, being thirsty and needing water induces a thirst pang that the body can not differentiate from hunger pangs, so if you find your stomach is growling, it could be craving water if you have not taken in enough, not food. For me, I feel like transitioning to liquids only post procedure was a valuable moment in my life because it taught me that liquids are enough, vital, nourishing, and body necessary. Rely heavily on water.
    2. Journal: A Fantastic tool!
    I have kept a journal since the first week I went on soft foods. Every single thing I eat every single day is counted in calories and written down in this journal. At first, I kept the journal just as a means of trying to track, but then weeks into it I found that it was keeping me honest! No Cheating. I record everything. If I cheated, who would I be cheating but ME? And now, 4 months post plication, I love my journal. I rely on it. It let's me see my patterns, what can cause weight increase or decrease. I can see on average how many calories I consume for breakfast, lunch and dinner. What this does for me is if I know i'm used to having 300 calories for lunch, and I pick something up i'm thinking of having for lunch that's say 150 calories, like yogurt but i'm feeling hungrier for lunch this day and the yogurt is not enough food for the calorie amount then that tells me to look for something more satisfying,like a sweet potato and broccoli and I keep myself on caloric track while feeling satisfied. It goes the opposite way too. If i'm just not feeling hungry for lunch I may have a piece of fruit and yogurt. This way I don't have to make myself eat too much and get the calories in. The journal also helps me understand the flow and rhythm of my body and it is a record of my final journey to weight loss. My journal looks like this, an example from the first day:
    Friday Day 1 8/10
    B- (stands for breakfast, takes up 1 line) 7 tsp oatmeal, 1/4 toast = # of calories
    (i typically write the amount of calories for each item above the food item so i.e. above 7 tsp oatmeal I would write 50 and over the 1/4 of toast I would write 10)
    L- (lunch, 1 line)
    same as above, i itemize what I ate, write calories for each over the food and total
    D- (same as B and L)
    TF: (total calories from food)
    TLIQ: (total calories from liquid)
    Calories: total intake for the day
    I leave 3 lines after the Calorie total and here is where I write things like: feeling sick, constipated, feeling low, head and body aching, etc, things that I notice are departures from the norm. I use these notes to just be aware of my body's reactions and to post updates to my blog on what influenced my outcome for the week. Now you may not need to keep a journal or one as detailed as this, but I do it because I know me. This is the last time I will have been obese and I am serious about that and part of that means understanding what my body feels through paying absolute total attention to it and so for me, this journal is a total blessing!
    3. Calorie Counting App. Must have!
    I have an iphone and found this app called MyfitnessPal. The icon on the app is a very fit person leaping in the air with arms raised out. The background color is blue. What I use this app for is to find the amount of calories in a food. This is what I use to guesstimate what I am eating when I am away from the comforts of my calorie tracked kitchen. It is great because it allows me to keep calories counted. If you don't have an iphone and this app isn't available on android another fantastic tool is the weight watchers calorie counter book. And I am sure that there are other calorie counting books in the shops that you can pick up. It just helps to know what I eat. Post plication I have NEVER eaten something that I can not track calorically. I just can not do it. Things like salad dressing and cheese are so fattening in such tiny amounts that I find I just have to make smart choices and anyone following my progress can see what happens when I do not.
    4. Pre-Preparing.
    I have been ill prepared twice now since my procedure in July. Each time this happens it just results in bad decisions and weight gain which means set back and no weight loss. I end up eating high fat things: something quick like GF (gluten free) cheese pizza or a cheese quesadilla (grease and high fat cheese...) and even though at the end of the day following my journal they are still within the OCC caloric recommendations, they still make me gain because that is a lot of fat and cheese and fat and cheese is not healthy or body friendly. So even if it is within my calories, it is not smart choice eating. I am in the process of finding out a way to pre prepare for trips etc, putting together an emergency way to get by. I will update that in this blog when I get it down.
    5. Know Your Weakness(es)
    This is a critical tool also. Everything I have listed here is what is necessary for me. My weakness is sugar. Sugar sugar sugar. NOTHING will throw me back into my old fat hell quicker than sugar. Nothing will plummet my health like sugar. Nothing will make me get alarmingly close to diabetes, stroke and heart trouble like SUGAR. And I know that. I knew that before plication but I always welcomed it and caved in to it as though I did not know it thereby allowing it to keep me under its will. Can you imagine? Being under the power of sugar?? An inanimate object?? I guess I did not want to know it. But I know it now. When I decided to have my surgery, before the actual procedure, I got real with myself. I acknowledged the destructive role sugar played in my life and I began to look at it for the ugly thing it was. Post plication I have not eaten candy. THAT was a HUGE weakness. I have stayed away from sweets wherever I go and when I do want something sweet I have a mango, strawberries, apple, or banana. That is the only sugar I take in now. It was hard. It was such a weakness but I prepared for the fact that I needed to abstain from it before surgery. I said, when you have surgery, it will remove the need for sugar. If you have sugar it will undue your stitches and your health. I talked my brain into believing these things because if I didn't, I might not have made it. SO. Know your weakness and do whatever you have to do to get it under control. Now I have control over sugar. It does not control me. And when I pass candy or cake or sweets counters, I look at them in disdain and turn my nose up at it and think, yea, ... right. I don't think so. And I walk away and smile knowing I control this now. I do. Not sugar.
    Hope this helps. As I said, these are necessary tools for me. They may work for you they may not. What is most important is getting your own personal routine going. Something you use daily that changes your life from what it was prior to surgery. We all invested so much to have surgery, financially, physically, mentally, so it only seems right we get the spiritual in line and make life changes to bring us up to where we belong from here on out.
    Happy Weight Loss
  24. AnaA
    It's the end of week 15 and I lost 2.4 pounds this week! Yeaaaa! I hope that by next week I will be out of the 7's and into some super 6's. This journey has been pretty amazing. To think that I have lost 50 pounds! Wow.
    I wanted to talk some about liquid intake. I take liquid in 3 times a day. After breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What that does for me is it allows me to feel completely full. Liquid deprivation creates pangs in the stomach that are indecipherable to food hunger pangs so I make sure to keep that at bay. Each time I drink liquid per day I drink in one 16 oz bottle of water chased by one 20 oz bottle of sobe 0 calorie water and/or one 16 oz bottle of vitamin water, so all totaled, on a daily basis I get from 96 - 108 ounces of calorie free liquid. It keeps my body very satisfied.
    Also, I have discovered the joy of baking sweet potatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, onions and carrots sprinkled with basil and fresh rosemary from my window garden, I spray with pam so as to use non fat spray, but it is nice with olive oil carefully rubbed on the veg, and drizzle a small bit of honey on it, not saturate. Wow is that filling and fantastic! I ate it 3 times this week for dinner and it is very productive on the fiber front too! Blog followers will appreciate how much I love movement on the fiber front! Only 335 calories measured out, and it is quite a bit of food! I have to eat it 3 separate times to finish it and it is so wonderfully nourishing.
    This brings me to another topic, post operative food intake restriction 15 weeks out. I am happy to report that I still feel great restriction. I still eat only a small portion of what I would have done before and feel completely satisfied. There are moments before my period where I have to fight off mental cravings, but those are totally mental. I still have NOT eaten candy since my operation which is soooooome accomplishment considering we just passed Halloween!! PHEW. On to week 16!
  25. AnaA

    End of Week 8 Post Plic

    By AnaA,

    Today is the end of week 8 for me. I have lost ANOTHER 3 lbs of bad health!!! I feel super excited! I am now down to 182 and that fence is getting lower and lower, I can see those super slimmer 7's from riiiiiiight here
    This was another week of pretty high constipation. I had 3 days where I struggled to go at all. Thank goodness for milk o mag. I took it for five days in a row. The first 1 1/2 days I had little to no results, but last night it finally kicked in. Just in time for weigh in. Seems like every 2 weeks or so I go through a nasty bout of constipation. bleh. I still continue to take 3 metamucil caps a day and hope that one day that is enough to maintain consistent regularity.
    Next Friday I come up on another anniversary. Next Friday I can stop taking Inhibitron! Yea!! One less pill. Seems like I take a whole ton of them with the 6 bariatric vitamins, the inhitibron, the 1.5 calcium and the 3 metamucils. It will be nice to take one less.
    Week 8 Done.
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