ONE MONTH!!

Wow! I can't believe it has been one month! It just seems like yesterday I was inquiring as to whether or not this would be a good idea! It turned out to be the best thing I ever did! No complications.....really speedy recovery.....WOW!

I finally figured out how to balance my scale at home and it says 288! That would be 52 pounds! I am on track to be over 85 pounds down at my 3 month post-op appointment in June! Wouldn't that be awesome! But I am trying not to count on that! What really matters is how I feel and that is wonderful! For the first time in well over a year, I am not only sleeping for a full 7 hours but sleeping in the bed and not a chair! I am also getting up on my 15 minute breaks and just taking a short walk around our building! Exercise, which was once so foreign to me, is now becoming a way of life! I look for social activities that involve walking, not shy away from them.

Exactly one month to the day of my surgery, I found a protein shake I really like! I mix a cappucchino one with a french vanilla one and drink it all day! Not only do I get 54 grams of protein but also 125 mg of caffeine! :) It does figure that this would happen the week I start to incorporate food! :)

The food thing is amazing to me as well. The person who used to drive through Carls Jr. for breakfast and order a breakfast star combo and french toast sticks now can barely finish 1/2 of a Yopliat yogurt! That is so wild! But I am finding that there are certain foods I just have a struggle with: mashed potatoes! I could live on them! The garlic mashed from the Outdoor Grill in Northridge are especially dangerous! I can't stop eating them when they are around. Well....I do stop and far sooner than I usually would but it is tough! Right now, they are fine because I am only getting in around 500 calories but they are a trigger food that should be avoided! My stomach is so small that I would be wiser to put protein and good veggie carbs in there so I can eventually kick the protein shakes for good! Yippee!

What is letting me know that the surgery will result in permanent change is that I can recognize the mashed potatoes as the comfort/trigger food they have been all my life! I know this and can now either work with them or avoid them. I can't believe I am finally able to see this! This is the great thing about this process! After detoxing all the junk out of my system, I can really appreciate food! The tastes.....the textures....the smells! I have never stopped shoveling the food in to really enjoy it! I have always looked at food as a thing to fear and not a thing to enjoy! Food is really just fuel for our body, right! Well....what if God just made these less than wonderful shakes to nourish our bodies? No barbeque chicken....broccoli...spinich omelettes or even mashed potatoes? We are blessed that the nourishment we need for our bodies comes in such a wonderful wide variety! I can't believe how much I used to abuse that by eating such junk and mass quantities of it! It is amazing that I ended up as healthy as I am! Praise God!

Now if I could only figure out how to do protein drink...food ....AND water! I am up to two glasses of water (24 oz total) and try to get in more every day! I just need to get a routine down!

Love from this work in progress,
Cynthia :)

Back To The Real World

Today marks the first day back to work! The first day back to the 5Am-10PM schedule! Work-Gym-Activity-Home! Ya know what, I am thrilled to be back to reality! I like having my old routine back!

Eating...or lack thereof....is still a challenge but I think I am getting the hang of it! Protein shake and water alternating every 1/2 hour with pureed (baby) food for 1 half hour for lunch and dinner! And since I have been putting my protein shake in a water bottle, it is easy to transport! Great for my crazy schedule!

Work today was great! People are noticing the weight loss! 53 pounds total! I can walk without feeling like I am going to die! I am much happier!

:)