Minus 53

It is Easter afternoon and I am molded into the couch. It is cloudy outside (which should make me happy) but for some reason, I have the blahs. Probably because it is Sunday which means tomorrow is Monday which means work. Woo hoo!

I think I have a skin cancer place on my neck thanks to an example I saw in a magazine I was reading last night. That could also be contributing to the blahs. I am very nervous about it and know I need to go get it seen about ASAP. Sigh...

I did add two new foods to my very short list! Almonds and shrimp. I love them both! Almonds are such a good, crunchy snack for me and I will probably keep some in my purse all the time. Did you know that if you get stuck in line at Walgreen's that you can find the sleeves of almonds in all kinds of flavors? I got vinegar and salt. Oh my. They were so good and I got my craving satisfied for that salty, savory chip I had been missing. They also have smokehouse and chili-lime. Yum.

I ate four shrimp tonight for dinner. And I mean shrimpy shrimp. Not the jumbo ones that look like a lobster tail! I can't believe how full I get. Last night, we were out running errands and we got some chicken mcnuggets to share. I ate two. I used to eat ten. Yeah, big difference.

On another note, I am going to begin the training to become a medical transcriptionist. One of my friends I went to high school with has been doing it for 10 years. After we became friends again through Facebook, I saw on her profile that she does this full time and also has her own training program. To make a long story short, as of last Saturday, me and three friends of mine signed up. I am so excited! I got my first book yesterday. Will start studying tomorrow! I want to make supplemental income and eventually be able to stay home and do this full time. That will be a little while, though.

So to explain the title if I need to, I am down 53 pounds. I am happy with the weight loss since it has only been two months. I can begin to tell a difference in my clothes but still have a long way to go. Taking it one day at a time!

Thanks for reading!

My New World is Overwhelming

So now that six weeks has passed, I can eat anything..well, except citrus (too acidic), sugar (can't digest well) and soda. So why am I still eating the same things? I am afraid to branch out? Some people have trouble with red meat and pork so I haven't tried those yet. I don't want to get sick but I won't ever know if I don't try them. I grilled chicken Friday night and ate maybe 5 bites and probably should have eaten only 4. Eating is just not fun anymore-it won't always be this way. Eventually I will get to eat a little more and also eat more of a variety. Eating is just work now! Before I ate whatever was in front of me without giving it a second thought. Now, I have to think and plan my meals. Maybe if I had been doing that before, I wouldn't have had to have gastric bypass surgery! :)

I just made some sugar free fudge. I had a small taste off the beaters and it wasn't too bad but wasn't something I would crave by any means.

I am just blah today. Don't get me wrong, I sure don't regret having the surgery. Having to work through establishing a new routine is so worth the 49 pounds I have lost. I wouldn't go back and change one thing!

Thanks for reading...I appreciate all of you!

May I decrease as He increases...

37 Days

Yep...it's been 37 days since I had surgery. I have been on the same diet for over a week now. I go to my lifetime maintenance diet next Friday-the 6 week mark. So strange to think about. I have really been on a crash course of a new life. Started out on liquids, then mushy foods, then solid foods, then meat...and next week, raw veggies and fruit. From infancy to adulthood. All in six weeks.

I have been feeling good-still get a little tired every now and then. I just have to remember to take my vitamins that are to be a part of my life forever. I have SEVEN I have to take every day. They are all chewable and thankfully they don't taste bad.

I get to start using my Curves membership after the six weeks mark. I am excited about getting to exercise. Did I really just say that?!?! I haven't been doing any exercise (I should have been walking) but I haven't made time for it. Not good-I need to schedule exercise in my day like I do anything else.

If you know anyone thinking about having this surgery or is already scheduled, send them here. They can leave me a comment and I can send them my email address. I want to help others who want, or already are, taking this same journey.

Love to you all!

Cash for Books

I LOVE to read! I read everything I can get my hands on. I get 33 magazines a month, all subscription. Crazy...I know. I also have tons of books. Most I have read more than five or six times. They are piling up to the point I don't know what to do with them. Now, I don't want to get rid of all my books but the old Danielle Steele novels can certainly go. Lo and behold, I ran across a blurb in one of my magazines about a website called Cash 4 Books and all you have to do is type in the ISBN number on the back of the book and see if it is one they are currently buying back. They will even send you a free shipping label! Yet another easy way to do some spring cleaning around the house. Most of the time, books only fetch a quarter at best in a garage sale and this site will pay a little more.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Support is a Girl's Best Friend

Not THAT kind of support, although it is vital to me or else, well, you don't really need me to go there...I went to my first weight loss surgery support meeting tonight. It was sooooo what I needed. What was so refreshing was the freedom I felt being in that room. I didn't have to worry about being the fattest one in the room (although I was). No one judges you. Everyone has been where you have been, or they are about to be there. They understand. They laugh with you, they cry with you, they want to get to know you for YOU. Not that I don't have friends like that support me but I hate meetings, especially where one I have never been to before. I would rather hide under my desk or curl up under the covers. You can refer back to the post of WHY I had this surgery. So anyway, I met some great new people. We all share the same struggles. Chairs that we don't fit in. Ordering two drinks in a drive thru so they think two people are going to eat all the food you ordered. Worrying what everyone thinks about you. Yeah. That is my life. But not here. For two hours, I was fat and I wasn't alone.

I sitll sat in the back corner. Haven't come out of my shell too far yet! But I will.....just wait.

Trial and Error

It has been almost 3 weeks since surgery and for the most part, I have been doing pretty well. I have tolerated meat well even if it was of the potted variety, and plan to have a "real" piece of chicken this weekend.

I guess life in general could be called "trial and error." I have been doing trial and error with my meals the past few days. I have always eaten very fast...I wolfed down my food. Learning to eat slowly and actually chew my food has been the hardest thing. If I eat too fast, I am full before I realize it and one more bite will send me to the couch with a cold rag. Not good. I have done it more times than I care to mention. I have found that I can tolerate real eggs much better than egg substitute. Who knew? Peanut butter is ok....UNTIL I ate one teaspoon too much and then it was off to the bathroom. Ugh. I still haven't tried sugar. About 40% of WLS patients can't tolerate sugar. I hope I am in the 60% who can. I can't imagine not being able to eat a couple of bites of chocolate. Or cake. Or ice cream. Or my mom's pound cake. Or a 3 Musketeers. Or a Cadbury egg. Yikes! I like sugar! Sugar is in everything that is good! Even Catalina salad dressing and barbeque sauce! One day I will try a bite of something sweet, maybe on a Saturday, and see how it affects me. Fingers are crossed!

So I am living life by trial and error these days. Nothing wrong with that, that's the only way I will learn. I am hopeful that all of this will just become second nature.

I am down 27 pounds since I weighed on March 6th. I am not sure when I will get to weigh again. My scale at home only goes so high. Wow I can't believe I just typed that for everyone to see!

It's the Little Things....

Day 15 after surgery is approaching. It is actually tomorrow! According to my sheet of instructions from my surgeon, I get to introduce some more things into my diet. Guess what I am most excited about??? VIENNA SAUSAGE! I haven't eaten those since I was in elementary school but now, it sounds like a steak. Not just any steak, but a gorgeous, juicy, melt in my mouth fillet. I can also have potted meat product. I am almost just as excited about that and have stocked up on some deviled chicken spread. Mmmmmm....it's the little things. Little milestones on this big journey. I think I am going to make it!