Update

On Monday I will be four months out from my surgery. I have lost 109 lbs. Even after I had the surgery it seemed unreal that this day would come. Today I decided to reward myself with some new shoes, I don't know what possessed me but I purchased some four in heels. It has been a long time since I wore four in heels, I bought them and immediately put them on, but I managed to wear them the entire day. It is just another sign that I am reclaiming the old me. With every pound that goes I feel more relaxed and more confident, more like the me that I've always known was in there. Since it would be a complete update without new pictures here you go.

Hypoglycemia

I have gotten an official diagnosis of hypoglycemia. The good news is that it is not a debilitating condition and can certainly be managed with diet, the bad news is that I have not yet figured out how to manage it all the time. Since I have been aware that this is an issue I have been much more area and have not had blood sugar crashes nearly as often, but it is still happening. I have to be constantly vigilant about my food and make sure that I have food with me whenever I leave the house. I had hoped that this surgery would free me from focusing on food all the time, but now it is required in order to prevent my blood sugar from reaching dangerously low levels. The normal blood sugar range is between 80-120, I have readings that were as low as the 38. In another ironic twist I have been medically advised to carry candy in my purse, I never thought a doctor would be advising me to eat candy.

My first major milestone.

Today I am officially down 100 pounds! I hope you are all ready to love a lot less of me!

What I'm eating...

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts so I thought I would update..

Fruits--I finally got brave enough to try fruits and I didn't realize how much I missed them until I had them again. I've had pineapple, blueberries, cherries, grapes and banana with no problem. I ate an apple with peanut butter one day and promptly had my first episode of dumping. I'm pretty sure it was related to the peanut butter, but I haven't tried apples again yet.

Proteins--I'm still eating all the basics, yogurt, cheese, chicken, I've also developed an new love of scrambled eggs and eat them 4-6 times a week. I've added a protein shake back into my diet because I felt like I needed to up my protein in order to start losing weight again. So far the only meat I have had problems with is beef. I tried it about a month and a half ago and I will probably try steak again sometime soon, I love steak and I miss being able to have it. Shrimp and scallops are still a staple in my diet.

Vegetables--I've tried a bunch of vegetables and so far so good. Some people find themselves unable to enjoy vegetables after surgery and I am really glad that I seem to have avoided that problems. I've tried carrots, celery, potatoes, parsnips, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, yellow squash, green beans and romaine lettuce.

It is not all smooth sailing.

My blood sugar issues are continuing even though I have been paying close attention to my diet and making sure I eat every three hours. I have learned to be more aware of the signs of my levels going down, it usually starts with a shaking feeling and then I get a headache and start to feel nauseous and dizzy. It happened twice yesterday and once today. My levels today did not go down as low as they had last week. The good news is that I seem to recover very quickly by drinking a few sips of orange juice and eating a protein and a carb. I am going to my doctor about this tomorrow and I'll update with the result.

On a positive note I have started my physical therapy appointments for my tailbone. When I left physical therapy last week I was pain free for the first time in a while. I remained pain free for the next two days. I'm hoping the more I go the longer I can go without pain.

The Stall is broken and other random musings.

I haven't weighed myself in a few days because I found that my stall is less frustrating if I don't focus on it. This afternoon I weighed myself and I am down 6 pounds, which makes my total weight loss so far 90 lbs.

The other day I was holding my friends baby and after a while my back started to hurt and I though wow she's getting big. Big is all about perspective though, the baby weighed maybe 13 lbs and I realize that I used to carry around 7 times what she weighs in extra weight. I feel the difference every day.

Today I had to go to court to deal with a speeding ticket. Going to the courthouse used to be an ordeal of finding a parking space that was close enough so I could walk to the elevator and then into the courthouse without getting winded. The elevators are notoriously slow and I had to allow plenty of extra time to get to the courthouse so I could catch the elevator. Today I parked far away without even thinking about it, walked into the courtroom and ran up the steps to get to the courtroom. I didn't break a sweat, I wasn't out of breath and I realized that I did it without thinking, I didn't head for the elevator at all, just went straight to the stairs and right on up.

My final thought for the day is that four people today commented on my appearance. They were people who didn't know I had the surgery and who haven't seen me since before I had it. They all looked at me first and said hello, and then I could see them turn back and take a second glance as if they couldn't figure out what was different or didn't feel comfortable commenting on my weight. Two of them told me I looked really good, one said I looked happy and relaxed and another one asked me if I had changed my hair. It feels good to know that even people who aren't expecting me to look different are noticing the changes.

Weight Update

You have probably noticed that I have not posted a weight update in quite a while. That is because my weight loss has stalled. I have not lost a single pound in the last thirty days. It is frustrating, but I know the weight loss will come eventually. I am down 84lbs, only 16 away from 100lbs gone forever, I am hoping that if I stick to the program I will start losing again soon. As soon as I do, I'll share the news!

Even though I haven't lost any weight, I have gone down six sizes and am rapidly running out of clothing in my closet that fits me. I have also lost two of my chins, if you see them please don't send them back. My face seems different every day, that is why I continue to post pictures, so that I can look back and have a visual reminder of where I was and how far I have come.

More Pictures

A post just for fun

This is how we wash the kitties!



Then we hang them to dry.




This is why we don't play fetch with kitties.

Side by Side Comparison

More updated pictures

After I posted the last set of pictures I realized that the clothes I'm wearing really didn't fit me. So I took one more set of pictures wearing clothes that fit me.

Day of Surgery



One month Out

Two Months Out



10 Weeks Out (Same Sweatshirt as day of surgery)



10 Weeks Out (Clothes that kind of fit)





3 Months Out






Day of Surgery



One month out

Two Months Out

10 Weeks Out (Clothes that Kind of Fit)





3 Months Out





Day of Surgery



One month Out

Two months Out



10 Weeks Out (Same Sweatshirt as Day of Surgery)



10 Weeks Out (Clothes that Kind of fit)





3 Months Out

Potential Issues

There is a certain amount of irony in this post. Before I had the surgery every doctor I went to wanted to check me for diabetes. It is a reasonable assumption that if you are overweight you could be diabetic, but I was not. I have never had issues with my blood sugar until now. The last week has been a very harsh reminder that I must follow my post surgical eating rules to a T.

Last week on Tuesday I didn't eat much because food did not seem to be agreeing with me. I drank some vitamin water with calories just so I didn't go without anything. For breakfast I had about five bites of quiche, for lunch half of a protein bar and for dinner I managed to get in 2 Oh Yeah protein wafers. About twenty minutes after I ate the Oh Yeah bars I started to get really shaky, I felt nauseous, lightheaded and dizzy. I was in Target when it started so I hurried up and started driving home. I live about four minutes from Target. I remember driving into my garage, turning off the car and closing the garage door, and putting my head back against the head rest for a minute. I woke up thirty minutes later.

I talked to my surgeon and he wanted me to follow up with my primary care doctor. I spoke to my primary care doctor and she wanted me to get a glucometer and monitor my sugar levels anytime I felt that way. I ate lunch today at noon and got distracted and for got to eat. Then I go headache and was feeling very shaky so I tested my blood sugar. I had not eaten in six hours when I tested. My level was at 44 which is very low. I drank some orange juice and tested again forty minutes later, my numbers were back up in the normal range at 109 and I felt much better.

So I need to stay on track, no more forgetting to eat because the results can be disastrous.

On one hand I am relieved that what is going on seems to be as simple as making sure I eat regularly and keep some peanut butter crackers on hand for anytime when I feel shaky On the other hand it is ironic that I am now worried about hypoglycemia when I have been warned about the dangers of high blood sugar my entire life.

While there is a chance this will go away in time, it is likely that I will need to adapt my lifestyle to deal with this issue for the long haul.

Its not all sunshine and roses, but I'm still happy that I had the surgery.

(P.S. Mom if you're reading this I am fine and I'm going to follow up with the doctor :-))