Dropping Weight fairly quickly now!

The first 3 days of surgery yielded no weight loss.  I know this isn't a magic cure, but come on, i'm averaging 100 calories a day, surely I should be losing.  Well the plateau is over and let the losing begin.  Since my surgery, i've lost....8 lbs.  That's 2 lbs per day.  I couldn't believe the scale when i read it....could that be right?  I weigh in the mornings...and when I weighed a few moments ago, i had lost another 2 lbs.  I guess that happens when you have so much to lose.  Let me go check and see, because now I'm even doubting myself.  I'll take a pic this time to prove it.

First off...no one comment about the state of my toenails ok? they are in desperate need of a pedi...

ok, I have Fred Flinstone feet...literally I could kick start a car with these things! Geeze....I swear i do have ankles though..even though you can't tell here!! Hahahahaha!!

I'm feeling pretty good! I've been cooking for the Hubbo and the baby and it hasn't bothered me at all.  I love to cook, so if anything it helps me by not removing me completely from the food. I can still enjoy preparing it atleast!!

BTW...off topic, but still relevant...there is such a thing as too much icing...i made a cake for the family and the top cake literally slipped off onto the counter.  Never have been much of a baker...guess i'll keep trying.

Bandito OUT!

3rd Day Post Op, Irritability sets in...

My incisions are feeling less tender, steri strips are still intact, still no hunger...can't really complain.  But...if you will allow me to, I will say this:

Gas Pains SUCK! I feel like i've probably gotten rid of all of the gas that was pumped in to me, but I'm talking about burping in general and how uncomfortable it is.  When I have an empty stomach, I belch, i'm not sure if this happens to anyone else, but it is definitely posing a problem for me currently.  I've had no problem dropping diet cokes and anything carbonated, so that is not it, rather I think it's me not being able to keep anything on my stomach long enough to keep me from having gas.  They suggested gas strips, but I've heard from more than one person that is not the answer.

I have an appt with my surgeon next week for follow up.  Perhaps I can run that by him and see if there is some sort of relief.  I'm mostly just afraid that I will shift my band by burping so much, or enlarge my pouch above the band.  I'm sure that i'm just being paranoid, but still, who wants to do this all over again?

Clear liquid diet phase has been ok, really.  I've been drinking iced tea, vitamin water XXX zero, chicken broth, SF Jello and SF Popsicles.  I've been adding protein shakes when I can, but you can definitely tell when it goes down, it being much more thick than the rest.

I do feel sensations at my band, but i'm not sure if that is hunger or pain from surgery or gas.  I'm interested to find out what each one feels like so that i can satiate when needed.

All in good time I suppose! Looking forward to next Thursday, when i can shift to a True Liquid diet.!! Tomato soup, here i come!!

I DID IT!!!! 1st full day Post OP!!

I'm home and in recovery mode!! I have to say having a C-Section with my little one was much worse than this.  The nurses were surprised at how fast I was up and at it!!

Being the first one in line, meant no time to even think about what was happening.  We arrived at the hospital and before I knew it, I was being called back for pre op!!

If i don't share this next part, Hubbo will be disappointed...so respiratory came in to have me exercise my lungs to help with expansion before surgery.  Well..instead of sucking in, i blew out and looked at the respiratory clinician like...oh man...I was supposed to suck not blow right? WE all had a good laugh.  I made sure that I wasn't the only person who had ever done that and was assured...thank goodness. Hubbo laughed a little too hard at that one..thanks hon.

I remember kissing Hubbo and being wheeled back to the surgery suite, but after that it went fuzzy! My anesthesiologist is a Professional Mixologist, he did me right.  I remember them waking me up afterwards and seeing Dr Reilly, well seeing him partially...my glasses were with Hubbo.  He advised that it all went well and was being led back to my recovery room!!

I had to use the restroom pretty badly so they accompanied back to the restroom and as mentioned before they were very surprised at my up and at em! Hubbo came back to the room and we were soon wheeled off to radiology.  Here is me standing at the xray machine getting ready to drink my Barium cocktail.  It tasted just like lemon cleaner..TERRIBLE!! But all looked good and Hubbo said it looked pretty awesome to see the liquid run from my esophagus to my stomach! Wish I could have seen it!

After this event we were again wheeled back to recovery and since I had already walked and used the restroom, two of the requirements, I needed to be able to take down some liquid and see if it stayed down.

Don't mind the face!! hahaha!! i was just glad to be out of surgery and given the opportunity to get that terrible taste of the Barium out of my mouth!!! I was able to keep it down and was advised that i shouldn't take more than an oz or 2 down every 15 min.  Just as long as I sip liquids as I would a hot cup of coffee, I should be good.  I need to take in atleast 64 oz of liquid a day, so basically i'm sipping all day.  This will be for a week and then on to things like tomato soup.

Here is my actual before picture that Hubbo and I actually took when we got home from surgery.  It will stand as my beginning!

Bandito!! OUT!!

Morning of Surgery and I'm Feeling FINE!! Right?

Good Morning, it is 4:30 am CST, we will be leaving her shortly to begin my next phase of my Bandito Adventure.  I received a call from one of my surgeon's nurses last night that Dr. Reilly had moved me to the first spot on the surgery list!! Im going to take this as a good thing!! Not sure of his reasons, but i'm going to look at it as perhaps I'm the least complicated of the day and why not get it over with quickly? Who knows...but being able to get out of there fast is what i'm appreciative of....well, after the post op etc etc...

Not feeling as jittery as yesterday, feeling hopeful.  I will make my husband finally take a before pic at the hospital and will post asap!

Down 14 lbs pre op.  Starting at 266 pre surgery weight, ideal weight is 130, I'm only 5'1" remember?

So it's average to lose 60% of your weight that you want to lose right? So if I'm an average lap bad patient, i will lose 81.6 lbs which would take me down to 184.4 lbs.  So I need to lose 54 more lbs than the average patient to meet my goal!! Think I can do it?  Stick around and see!!!

Bandito OUT!! Until the next episode.....(thank you Vanilla Ice).

2 More Days Pre-Op Diet...Surgery is approaching!

I'm starting to get nervous...I'm 13 lbs down and that is a very good thing, but the anticipation of what is ahead is really occupying my time.  I guess you are never really completely prepared for something like this, i just want it to be over with I think.  I think too, I hate feeling sick, or nauseous and I'm afraid that that is how I will feel with my band on.  Can someone describe how it feels when the band is first applied? The anticipation is torture.......

11 days Pre-Op Diet and 11 lbs DOWN!! SAY WHAT????

The scale says it's true, but the real proof is how my go-to jersey dress is hanging that much further to the ground!!! Meaning, my belly isn't sticking out as far..thank goodness.  My sister told me once, which actually made me feel better somehow, that I carry my weight similar to pregnancy weight; meaning i'm all in the middle people.  Barrel chested, at least that is how it is described in my family. Another one of those ways we justify our weight problem.  Or, corn fed.  Or another one of my favorites is farm girl arms.  Meaning many many bails of hay can  be lifted by these arms.  Look out, we might have another contestant for the strong man competition....easy fellas...i've got one specialty...tossing hay...don't hate.

This is me in one of the many jersey dresses that I mentioned above, so easy, so stretchy...so limiting..

Come on back to center Bandito....

In that 11 days of pre-op mania, I went to see my surgeon for my pre-surgery appointment.  The time with my surgeon was quicker than I imagined, but I don't feel any less confident in my procedure or his abilities.  The one thing that I did take away from his visit is the idea that over-planning can become a barrier in your weight loss.  He described it as this;  go through your days how a man would approach it.  Meaning a man wakes ups, gets dressed and goes to work rarely thinking of what he will eat next until his stomach starts growling, then he eats, then its over until it growls again.  In contrast a woman like myself, who is a self described over planner, will have each meal planned and boxed by Sunday so that I know what i'm eating at each meal.  The problem with that is...what if your not hungry for that meal.  You are basically force feeding yourself the calories.  Not good.  Straight out of the horse's mouth: You will not get too skinny, you will not become emaciated..you need very little food to live.  Don't each just because it's "meal time" eat when you are hungry and that is it. LIGHT BULB!!

But make good choices and don't ever go over 1200 calories....and you must exercise.

Another gem of a statement from my surgeon was this: No one has ever gained weight from eating 1200 calories a day. If they have, they have missed calories somewhere and are not tracking properly.

So, here is my game plan...

Have low calorie, high protein foods available at work and at home if i do get hungry and walk in the am and pm for at least 15 minutes each due to time constraints.  And....continue to cook for my family, but using better, leaner lower calorie ingredients. 

This will make much more room for so many more things in my life.  I'ts as if Dr. Reilly gave me a gift of more time and less stress.  I hope that it will be as easy as that!! The pre-op diet has proven to me that I can eat smaller meals and survive just fine, just imagine having my hunger under control, the kind of success I will have then!!!!

Looking forward to it people!  Only 6 more days until surgery and I'm feeling fine!!!

7 days Pre-Op Diet and First Fat Picture!! EEeeek!

I'm seven days in to the pre-op diet and I think i might have a handle on this thing.  Surprisingly hunger is not an issue.  Getting out of the routine of eating at certain times, or amounts is the one thing I think that is going to take a while to get over.  I've programmed myself in thinking that I need "this much" to survive or to even make it through my day.  But the fact is...I need very little. When hunger does strike...I do have my normal anxiety of finding my next meal or having to satiate.  That still scares me, but that is what i'm looking most forward to with the band....the satiation!!! I've been trying to find the source of my anxiety about food and I can pick out a few times in my childhood where I think this anxiety was born.  I'm no professional, but atleast it's a start.  I may break in to that topic in later posts, but tonight...i'm tired and getting through this pre-op diet has all of my attention! I will post a picture of myself in my current state to remind me of where I was when i look back with pride at where I've come.

Feast your eyes on this beauty........

I decided to go with a bathing suit picture, because why the hell not?? I mean, no more hiding from myself and others.  There I am, swim dress and all! My daughter is 10 mos here and I have no excuse for the size that I am.  I think i am 290 here?  Wow!! Quite a bit for a 5'1" 34 year old.  But she among other things are my main motivation to snap out of it and get in to shape!! I'll work on getting my husband to take a current before so that I can have a visual starting point.  This was 5 mos ago, but still fairly accurate for what it is!! Who knows, maybe i'll show you an after bathing suit picture! Hahahaha, don't get too excited, i'm sure that it will be in a swim dress also.  Until next time!

The Great Bandito...OUT!!