So this past Friday marked 6 weeks since I had my surgery. Overall, I'm doing really well. The only downside to this week is that I didn't loose anything. Boo! But I have read lots of blogs about this, and it seems that it's really normal for my body to come to a weight loss stall. It's trying to adjust to the 33lbs it's lost so quickly. I most definitely have lots inches this week. My jeans are very lose on me. I had to get rid of several shirts because they were literally falling off my shoulders. I am shrinking and that makes me happy.
Food wise, I have eaten a lot of different things. So far, the only thing that doesn't sit well are the pintos and cheese from Taco Bell. I ate them because I was in a time crunch and needed fuel. Ick! They did not go down comfortably. The other thing weird that happened is that I drank some iced tea and it made me feel sick to my stomach. I think it was just too cold, because I drank some more 30 minutes after I ate, and I was fine.
Work has been really stressful, and I am seriously evaluating whether or not I should continue on as a social worker. It's something I am praying about. To be completely honest, if I could afford it, I would probably take a month off to look into other employment options, such as starting my own business. Anyway, this is another thing I am working through right now. It's not that I have a bad job--quite the contrary actually. My new body is just not handling stress very well. Anyway, I will most definitely share my thoughts on this later.
Time to get ready for church.
Peace, Love and Joy,
Rachel
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
5 Weeks
So Friday I celebrated 5 weeks since my surgery. So far, I am down 33 lbs. Woohoo!
Here is what I've learned this week: Eating a hard boiled egg, without it being mashed up, can be painful. Drinking iced tea too fast makes me want to throw up. Walking over a mile is not possible without a long nap afterwards. And most importantly, taking a zinc lozenge will make my stomach very sick.
I am getting rid of shirts that are way too big. My clothes are feeling nice and loose, so are my shoes.Overall, it's been a great 5 weeks. Thank you, God!
Until next time!
Peace, Love and Joy,
Rachel
Saturday, March 15, 2014
1 Month
Yesterday I made it one month! I have lost 28 lbs and a whole lot of inches. As of yesterday, I am now able to eat most anything except breads/refined sugar. I am SOOOO craving beef--ground beef, a hamburger patty, carne asada. Just thinking of it makes my mouth water. (This craving is weird for me since I RARELY ate beef prior to surgery. I mostly only ate turkey and chicken.) Today for lunch I had ground beef in spaghetti sauce with a tiny dash of cheese on top. It was delicious and I feel so full and satisfied from my 1/3 cup portion. Now I need to focus on getting my water in.
I am still only walking for exercise. By the time I finish my walk, I am exhausted. I am hoping that after this week, with my added protein, I will be able to start some resistance training and that I'll have more energy.
Overall, I feel great and am so glad I made the decision to have have surgery. This month has flown by and I am looking forward to another month going by....along with lots of pounds of fat leaving my body. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for being with me on this journey, for Your hand of protection over me and for loving me just as I am.
Love, Peace and Joy,
Rachel
I am still only walking for exercise. By the time I finish my walk, I am exhausted. I am hoping that after this week, with my added protein, I will be able to start some resistance training and that I'll have more energy.
Overall, I feel great and am so glad I made the decision to have have surgery. This month has flown by and I am looking forward to another month going by....along with lots of pounds of fat leaving my body. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for being with me on this journey, for Your hand of protection over me and for loving me just as I am.
Love, Peace and Joy,
Rachel
Saturday, March 8, 2014
3 Weeks
Good morning! I am excited that I just finished my 3 week milestone. I went to the doctor on Thursday.....drum roll please......I have lost 26 lbs and 15% of my excess body fat. Woohoo! I feel great about this. Overall, things are going really well.
What's new? To be honest, not too much. I am on soft foods for another week, then I finally get to eat meat, veggies and fruit. I am craving meat! I want some of my Aunt Debbie's ground beef, or my favorite turkey sausage, or chicken and mushrooms. My body needs some protein! Other than than, I am pretty much the same.
My energy level hasn't really changed too much. One thing I have noticed is that if I am faced with emotional situations, ie a funeral, then I get extremely physically tired. That is new. I never used to get tired over those kinds of situations. I used to be really good at holding my emotions in check and not expressing them, but I find it very difficult to do this. I am not feeling new things--I am not more sensitive, I just used to hide it really well. It's like with each layer of fat that I lose, another layer of my true feelings is exposed and I lose a layer of resistance. I will have to spend some time thinking and praying about that. It's something I find very interesting.
Moving on, I am still needing a lot of sleep. 9 -10 hours per night is perfect. For someone who used to sleep 5-6 hours a night, this is a huge change. I anticipate that this will change again once I begin eating protein and my energy level goes up. We'll wait and see.
That's all I have to share for now. I am going to do something "normal" for Saturday...hit the grocery store, Costco then Target after I have unloaded groceries. Have a great weekend!
Peace, Love and Joy,
Rachel
What's new? To be honest, not too much. I am on soft foods for another week, then I finally get to eat meat, veggies and fruit. I am craving meat! I want some of my Aunt Debbie's ground beef, or my favorite turkey sausage, or chicken and mushrooms. My body needs some protein! Other than than, I am pretty much the same.
My energy level hasn't really changed too much. One thing I have noticed is that if I am faced with emotional situations, ie a funeral, then I get extremely physically tired. That is new. I never used to get tired over those kinds of situations. I used to be really good at holding my emotions in check and not expressing them, but I find it very difficult to do this. I am not feeling new things--I am not more sensitive, I just used to hide it really well. It's like with each layer of fat that I lose, another layer of my true feelings is exposed and I lose a layer of resistance. I will have to spend some time thinking and praying about that. It's something I find very interesting.
Moving on, I am still needing a lot of sleep. 9 -10 hours per night is perfect. For someone who used to sleep 5-6 hours a night, this is a huge change. I anticipate that this will change again once I begin eating protein and my energy level goes up. We'll wait and see.
That's all I have to share for now. I am going to do something "normal" for Saturday...hit the grocery store, Costco then Target after I have unloaded groceries. Have a great weekend!
Peace, Love and Joy,
Rachel
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Back to Work
I went back to work yesterday. I had a great day! I had a lot of visitors at my cubicle. Let me say that I have some amazing coworkers. I was reminded again that I am so blessed that God brought me here to work. My energy was fine all day and through the evening....but I felt exhausted this morning. None the less, I am here, ready to work. On that note, it's time for me to sign on and get my type on.
Peace, LOVE and Joy,
Rachel
Saturday, March 1, 2014
2 Weeks
I am officially 2 weeks post-op and doing great! I'm down 22lbs, which is crazy to think about. I am noticing the weight loss now. Besides getting my face back, I can see it in my arms and back. Soon I will have no more back fat! Yahoooooo!
Enough about my body image stuff, let's get down to how I am feeling. First of all, I have had no problems with my new foods. I have taken one extra bite a few times, and felt it, but so far no vomiting. I am really careful to measure out my 1/3 cup of food per meal, take tiny bites with at least 1 minute in between. One of the weirdest things is not having the feeling of hunger. I keep waiting for it to happen, even though it never will. Now, today for example, I did get a little shaky, so I knew I needed food. Other than that, I don't experience the normal being "hungry" like I did before. Very weird, in a kind of cool way.
I am still tired in the afternoon, but I haven't been napping. I go back to work on Monday, so I am hoping I'll make it through the day. If not, I plan on going home early. I am going to listen to my body and not over-do it. I am determined to be healthy!
Activity wise, I am still only able to walk. I have been walking most every day (except for yesterday when it rained and poured all day). I am not up to my normal pace yet, but I AM moving and getting my heart rate up, which is important.
Let's see, what else is new.....My incisions are almost 100% healed. I don't feel as much pulling on them as I did (only with quick movements). Unfortunately for my husband, our bed seems to cause me pain. I think it's the pressure on my back, causing pressure on my stomach/incisions. I have been sleeping in the spare bedroom with no problems. I can sleep on my side now, which feels amazing! I am now one of the cold people who needs lots of layers. That is a huge change as I have always been an inferno, especially at night. I have been sleeping with at least 3-4 quilts on me, with the heater on.
Once again, I have to say that I have no regrets. This has been one of the best decisions of my life. I want to thank God again for having His hand on me. I credit this great recovery 100% to Him.
Love, Peace and Joy,
Rachel
Enough about my body image stuff, let's get down to how I am feeling. First of all, I have had no problems with my new foods. I have taken one extra bite a few times, and felt it, but so far no vomiting. I am really careful to measure out my 1/3 cup of food per meal, take tiny bites with at least 1 minute in between. One of the weirdest things is not having the feeling of hunger. I keep waiting for it to happen, even though it never will. Now, today for example, I did get a little shaky, so I knew I needed food. Other than that, I don't experience the normal being "hungry" like I did before. Very weird, in a kind of cool way.
I am still tired in the afternoon, but I haven't been napping. I go back to work on Monday, so I am hoping I'll make it through the day. If not, I plan on going home early. I am going to listen to my body and not over-do it. I am determined to be healthy!
Activity wise, I am still only able to walk. I have been walking most every day (except for yesterday when it rained and poured all day). I am not up to my normal pace yet, but I AM moving and getting my heart rate up, which is important.
Let's see, what else is new.....My incisions are almost 100% healed. I don't feel as much pulling on them as I did (only with quick movements). Unfortunately for my husband, our bed seems to cause me pain. I think it's the pressure on my back, causing pressure on my stomach/incisions. I have been sleeping in the spare bedroom with no problems. I can sleep on my side now, which feels amazing! I am now one of the cold people who needs lots of layers. That is a huge change as I have always been an inferno, especially at night. I have been sleeping with at least 3-4 quilts on me, with the heater on.
Once again, I have to say that I have no regrets. This has been one of the best decisions of my life. I want to thank God again for having His hand on me. I credit this great recovery 100% to Him.
Love, Peace and Joy,
Rachel
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