FitBit scale (& soft foods update)...

We got a FitBit Aria scale yesterday!!!  

I haven't set it up, yet, but it should be really cool--it connects wirelessly to our home network and automatically syncs with a FitBit account.  We have each ordered the FitBit One which will be here at the end of October.  I set up my FitBit account earlier this week and have just been tracking my activity manually.  I absolutely LOVE the website and am thrilled with the tracking, progress reports, graphs, etc.  

In other sleeve-related news:  I have been on puree/soft foods since Tuesday.  Let me tell you, pureed steak is gross!!!  I have abandoned the idea of just puree-ing whatever I cook for Darrell and have decided just to cook a lot of ground meat meals to serve with pureed veggies.  For example, tonight we are having BBQ Turkey meatballs with pureed cauliflower.  Tomorrow I plan to make a bolognese and serve with pureed green beans (Darrell will get the beans whole).  Fingers crossed this works out a little better for my tastebuds.

Speaking of tastebuds--I am still extremely sensitive to sweet things these days!  I still put a Splenda in my coffee, but I just cannot stomach things like pudding or Jell-O.  They just taste SOOOO sweet to me that I almost get a gag reflex.  I'm sorta hoping this will last for a while since The Hubs likes to keep chocolate ice cream around.  So far, I haven't been tempted to taste.

I have finally been able to meet my protein goals for 5 days in a row!!!  I am averaging around 700-800 calories each day.  I still need to work more on my H20 consumption--so far I get in about 48 oz.  most days.  I really need to make an effort to get in those last 16 oz.  My plan today is to have 8oz first thing in the morning (before coffee, even) and then to have another 8oz just before bed.  Hopefully this won't make me get up in the middle of the night for a potty break.  I've been grateful to be sleeping through the night w/o the potty break for the last week or so.  Of course, that might be because I'm not drinking enough water. LOL




Cheers!--and happy weekend!

things are getting better...

The switch from liquids to puree/soft is going well.  Yesterday, I didn't have any of the gastro-intestinal issues that have been plaguing me of late.  And for the first time since surgery I actually met my protein goal!

I have started tracking my food (for the umpteenth time) on MyFitnessPal.  If you're interested in what I'm eating, you can view my Food Diary at www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/justlynda (password: imaboob).  If I can figure it out, I'll also put a new tab on my blog to link to the site.

Through the ObesityHelp website, I have been in contact with a couple of other women who had sleeve surgery about the same time as me:  one on the same day and the other 3 days later.  We've been comparing notes & it seems like everything I've been experiencing...even the emotional breakdown...is right on track.  Glad to know I'm not any more crazy than I thought!

To all the Chicago ladies...have fun this weekend!!!

eggs....yum...

I get to eat (legally) a soft scrambled egg this morning!!!  I never thought I'd be so excited about an egg.  Stay tuned to for updates.

total breakdown yesterday...

Silly me decided that it would be ok to eat some pimento cheese as long as I "watered" it down with extra mayo in order to duplicate the loose consistency of some of the soups I've been eating.  BAD idea!  Within minutes, I was dealing with some very violent vomiting!  Then, I started crying because I didn't want to be sick.  Then, I cried more because the vomiting strained my abs right around the area where my main incision is.  Add that to the fact that I had forgotten to take my Lexapro for about 2-3 days and you get a MAJOR emotional breakdown.

My husband was great and just sat on the bed with me while a cried for about an hour.  Then, when I was finished, he brought me a wet cloth to wipe my face and tucked me into bed to take a nap.  I love that man!

Talked to my nutritionist today and she said the vomiting was probably from all of the fat (I used regular, not low-fat, mayo and full-fat cheese).  Duh!

interesting tidbit i learned @ support group...

When Doc R (I erroneously identified him as Dr. F in my last post) found out where I had my original Lap-Band surgery his eyes rolled and he had a bit of a Cheshire Cat grin going on.  Later it came out that he is not a fan of my lap-band surgeon or the Emory program in general.  His exact words were: "That's the last place in the state that I would ever send someone."

After further discussion, I learned that he hears a lot of stories like mine about the whole process being difficult to navigate and about after-care being...absent.

my first LIVE and IN-PERSON support group...

My surgeon & the hospital where I had my surgery offer support group meetings several times a month.  There are three types:  Open (for anyone); Veteran (for those 12+ months post-op); & Newbie (for those -12 months post-op).

With the Lap-Band, I relied solely on online support--specifically my blog and my B.oo.Bs.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I want to do things a little differently this time, so I decided that I would give the bariatric support groups a shot.  My sister went with me.

We attended an Open support group last night.  Running the show was Dr. F who is a psychiatrist specializing in bariatrics for the last 14 years.  There were about 20 patients--about 50/50 post-op and pre-op.  Everyone but me was gastric bypass.  Dr. F mentioned that this was perhaps the smallest group he had ever seen and that there are generally many more Sleevers in the mix.  He also suggested that I might want to try the Veterans' group since I qualify from having a Lap-Band for 2 years.  

I didn't get much from the group, personally.  This was due in large part to the fact that I didn't feel as though any of the "support" applied to me since I had a different surgery.  Despite this, I did enjoy the group and am looking forward to attending another.  I plan to try both the Newbie and the Veteran group to see where I feel the most comfortable.  

I have never been a support group kind of person, but I am willing to give it a go if it will help me attain long-term success.

Cheers!

weight loss comparison...

It took me 6 months to lose the first 20lb with the lap-band.

It has taken me 2 weeks + 1 day to lose 20lb with the sleeve.

Things that weight 20 lbs:

A car tire.

Anonymous grandma holding 20 lb cat!