Arkin10

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Wow, time does fly by, huh?  My one year surgi-versary has come and gone.  Life is happening.  I started a new, demanding job about 2 months ago.  Things are better in that dept.  Thank goodness.  It is a high volume work environment with a lot of stress.  I work in a food related industry no less.  Hah.  That's ironic, huh?  It presents some challenges with the many celebrations the company tends to have.  They feed us.  Buffet, all-you-can-eat style.  Thank goodness for my RNY.  I know I can't (nor do I want) to hog out that way. 

A year gone.  I'm not yet at goal.  To date I've lost a total of 87 lbs.  Not as much as I had hoped.  I need to lose another 50 lbs but I feel I will get there.  I keep reminding myself I'm not in a race with anyone, including myself.  This is a lifetime commitment and I'm committed to healthy eating about 97% of the time.  Ha-ha.  I occasionally give in to poor food choices.  Hey, I'm human.  Too, I am not entrapped to the idea of some "honeymoon" period of weight loss.  I can and will gain and loses weight for the rest of my life.  I am in control of how much.  I definitely need to work on the exercise more BUT.....I'm happy.  Despite some extra skin, I feel almost graceful in my shrinking body.  I'm bolstered by my first, honest compliment on an outfit I wore yesterday.  Someone actually admired my jeans and how they fit my still too big butt!  Ha-ha.  But mainly I feel soooo much better than a year ago, healthwise.  I've been fortunate in that I've not suffered any negative surgery-related issues like restrictions or bowel obstructions, etc.  I had a vitamin A deficiency and low D on one of my earlier labs but the NUT added supplements for that and on my last labs everything was fine.  I continue to take the additional supplements and am about to get my labs drawn again.  I hope to keep all deficiency issues at bay. 

To those who may read this, I can say that for me, at a year out, this was the best thing I've ever done for myself.  Anyone still on the fence needs to know weight loss surgery of any type is not going to magically transform you into a thinner, healthy person.  You get what you put into it.  It does take commitment to a healthy eating regimen and exercise for the rest of your life if you want to maintain your weight loss.  As oft said on these boards, the surgery, whatever type you may have, is just a tool.  Oh but what a wonderful tool to have!  I am so glad to not feel that starving, gnawing sensation in my gut.  My battle is no longer with insatiable hunger and it's exactly why I chose this surgery.  I knew what and how to eat properly but I couldn't control my portions with my former high volume gut.  Not for long anyway.  Yes, I am winning my battle with obesity albeit a little slower than the 20-30 yr olds do but win it I will. 

The new job has kept me busy this past month.  I thought the first week was the hardest until this past week.  My co-worker/trainer was on vacation.  I'm glad for her and she was very lucky to be gone because all heck broke loose because of an uncontollable incident at the border where our trucks got held up.  They (Border Patrol and/or FDA) do random checks and regardless of reason or suspicion they can put you on hold for as long as they want to.  Government bureaucracy for you.  It was only a 3 day delay but man what a cluster effect it can and does cause to the entire distribution system.  Shipments had to be re-scheduled, product diverted, re-orders, etc.  I thought I was going to die from exhaustion -- 54 hours I worked.  Holy Moly!  Haven't had a work week like that in decades.  I can sure feel the difference too.  I literally came home, ate maybe 2 bites, and fell exhausted into bed.  Sleeping was not an issue.  I was out and stayed out until that darn alarm went off at 5:30 the next morning so I could get up and do it all over again.  Eating was not an issue either except that I ate too little, didn't have time to journal my intake, and I missed nearly all my calcium.  Yes, it was that bad.  The whole mess seemed to be smoothing out on Friday so hopefully the ripple is over and things can get back to normal.  Everyone at work kept trying to reassure me it had never been like this before.  It will help considerably when my co-worker, Rita, is back.  She is the be-all in order entry whereas I am still very much the trainee when it comes to problem issues in shipping....and every order last week had a shipping problem issue.  I could not get any momentum going because every order had to be researched and checked to make sure the customer could take it on a different day, or that production could fulfill it.  It will be so nice to have someone to turn to who has the answers and not have to run all over the place dealing with 10 different people (all of whom direct you on to someone else because they don't know either....aaack!).  Plus, I can get back to having my twice daily walks.  Maybe.  At least that helps relieve the stress of the 'normal' day.  After last week, I'm thinking it's time for a trip to the nail salon for a pedicure and a mechanical chair massage!   :o)

The last three weeks have been a little stressful thanks to a new job.  Due to the downed economy I sadly had to leave my last employer of nearly 6 years (trim & door company).  But equally thankful to be employed, now I am working for a food products company.  Great job for someone who is committed to eating better, huh?  LOL.  Fortunately, their line of foods are healthy ones.  At least when consumed responsibly.  Ha-ha.  Primarily they make salsa and avocado based food items and they are all natural with no added chemicals, taste enhancers, etc and are processed fresh.  And even luckier for me, my trainer and co-worker is on her own personal quest to lose weight and get healthy.  She has been so excited to 1) have desperately needed help and 2) someone with whom she can share, give, and receive support from about all things weight loss.  I have been able to provide great tips I've learned here at OH along my journey that apply just as well to non-WLS folks.  We are close in age too which just seems to add to our common ground in a lot of other things besides weight loss.  We are a good fit it seems.  And that's a good thing given the job we have running the order processing dept can be very stressful when you work for a company who ships nationwide and internationally.  So to relieve our stress and escape the bonds of sitting in front of the computer for hours on end, we take (or try to at least) two breaks each day.  When we are able to do this, and we strive hard to make it happen, we throw on our walking shoes and head outside to the parking lot where we make two, brisk laps.  Just enough to start feeling warmed up but not enough to break a sweat.  I'm in Texas for those who may not know.  It's mid-April and yes, we've had 80 degree temps already.  Spring is VERY brief here.  Soon, the blaze will be on.  Thank God I am 86 pounds down now.  I feel cold almost all the time when I'm not up and moving around and I know it's because my blood volume is now more normal, plus I tend to have low blood pressure as opposed to the high blood pressure I used to have.  Also, diabetes is still gone.  I did have a scary moment last weekend.  Before I became a type 2 diabetic, I had been hypoglycemic since my teen years.  I've read here where some RNY folk develop hypoglycemia over time after their surgery, sometimes severe cases of it like Melting Mama who has seizures.  I know exactly what the initial low blood sugar experience feels like and I know how to treat it and so I was able to deal with it when it happened last weekend.  Since I don't consume sugar and follow a fairly low carb diet I'm not sure what happened to have caused it.  I grabbed a cheesestick and wolfed it down and I was fine and have remained so ever since.  I also eat about 5-6 times a day and have been since my surgery.  This keeps me fueled and the blood sugar balanced out.  Despite that scary episode, overall I am feeling so great these days.  I am grateful for the continued employment and now a new weight loss buddy who is as serious about getting her health back as I am.  Oh, and just when I think I have become friends with chicken again, I had a bad experience eating it this past week.  Pouch was all accepting of dinner until that last bite.  I think I get too complacent and forget to chew it as well as I should.  I also had a first ever surprise (sick) episode taking my calcium one morning 2 weeks ago.  I know my pouch was empty at mid-morning because it was before my snack when I took my 10 am dose of calcium citrate.  Both went down fine but within 3 minutes of having swallowed I became violently nauseaous and had to run to the bathroom (opposite side of the bldg from my office no less).  I barely made it and tossed my crystal lite.  I didn't see the calcium but that doesn't mean anything since the toilet is white.  Sorry, TMI.  Anyhoo, I had the shakes for a bit but as soon as I felt better I had my morning snack.  I hope I'm not forming a stricture.  That would suck. 

Wow, life sure takes over, huh?  The past 6 months have been stressful at my old job.  Yes, my OLD job.  Unfortunately, the housing bust has taken its toll on the company I worked for these past six years and they are on the verge of bankruptcy.  But in every dark cloud there is a silver lining.  I just started a new job last week thanks to good friends and neighbors who tipped me off about an opening.  I am blessed to have a job but I had to take a significant pay cut.  Trade off is I have less responsibilities for now.  It is a new position as yet not thoroughly defined; basically a floater position.  So far I'm catching on to their intricately detailed order processing system.  And I get to re-learn it all again in about 2 months as they are transitioning to a new accounting software program called Navision (Microsoft).  Yay.  There are now 4 of us neighbors from the same street who work there and we're jokingly called the "Knots Landing" group.  Fortunately I'm considered one of the 'good' characters from that old 80's dramatic series....lol.  Overall it's a great company and again I feel blessed to have stayed employed.  Got one kid in college and a 2nd who will enter in a year from now.  I'm sure many can relate; Momma can't be unemployed.  Anyway, not much to report except weight loss has slowed to a crawl.  I'm down 83-86 lbs.  Weight seems to be bouncing a little now.  I'm sure if I would step up the exercise the evil scale would move down again.  I'm so close to One-derland now I can almost taste it....lol.  But despite the slow weight lossI do still seem to be losing inches.  All in the top half down to my waist.  That durned lower half is destined to be forever out of proportion with the rest of me.  Sigh.  It's been hard to make myself exercise.  I've let stress make me feel sorry for myself.  Parting from the old job & friends was very hard emotionally.  We were a great group and I miss them.  I know the new group of co-workers are good people too, it's just hard to make transitions the older you get.  At least for me it is.  Well, all the time I have for now.  Gotta scott off to that new job. 

Just a quick update.  Had my follow up appt yesterday with the Nutritionist.  Am eating all the right things, protein, calories, carbs, etc., are all in line.  Weight loss has slowed.  A lot.  Longest stall yet.  Only lost 11 lbs. since last appt. 3 months ago.  Holding steady at 79 total lbs lost.  Sigh.  Trying to keep my focus on the positives of surgery and not the number on the scale.  Probably need to increase exercise but is hard as hip socket is feeling the winter.  It is bitterly cold here today.  Artic blast they call it.  Sure is, had a light misting rain this morning around 3AM per night owl son who goes jogging at that hour.  Mist glazed everything in ice of course.  Stayed home from work, schools closed, wrecks everywhere, etc.  Sun has popped out now at 11 AM and everything appears melted but still not going in to work.  Took advantage of being home and started the laundry and have a load in the dryer.  Yep, think I will just stay home today and save my struggling employer a few payroll dollars and get my house in ship shape and not have to do it this weekend.  But the good news is my labs came back great.  Yay!  No more vitamin A deficiency or low D.  Both are back in line.  NUT said I can continue taking the vitamin A as I'm within range and with RNY I'm not in danger of hypervitamintosis (aka too much vitamin A).  The only blurb on these labs was my LDL (bad cholesterol) it was marked 'high' but in checking this level online the reading of 119 is categorized as 'near optimal'.  I am ecstatic.  Thank you RNY and the weight I've lost so far.  Before surgery I was on Pravachol because it was 220 -- very, very high.  I had stopped taking it after surgery, my own choice, because I wanted to see how much effect diet plays.  At least in my case the drastic change in eating habits are making me leaner inside too.  Now I need to get that spreadsheet that Pam Tremble offers and get my labs logged in so I can watch for any negative trends. 

Happy New Year all !

Wow, Thanksgiving week sure went by in a hurry.  We were on vacation up in Arkansas for the annual family feast and reunion.  I did well on my eating.  Didn't lose but didn't gain either.  I pre-planned and converted all but the dressing recipe to healthier versions.  Candied yams and desserts were sugar free of course.  I substituted Splenda and Splenda Brown wherever sugar was called for.  I secretly laughed watching my eldest son plow thru his beloved cheesecake made with Neufatchel and Splenda.  He was totally unaware of the changes.  To my surprise when I did tell him of the switch, he didn't remark that he thought there was something 'strange'.  I had expected some type of negative feedback but he didn't and said it tasted as good as any I'd ever made.  Is this a sign he is growing up?  Dare I hope?  LOL.  Geez, I should have been making these baked cheesecakes this way all these years.  I had a sliver of it myself.  Yum - very creamy and thick and rich.  Can't say that my pumpkin pie passed with similar flying colors though.  They were a tad runny and did not set as firm as I'd have liked.  Will have to experiment on that one some more.  I think I may reduce the amount of FF Pet Milk next time.  Despite that, it did taste like pumpkin pie ought to.  Oh, and my first experience ever at making fresh cranberry sauce turned out great.  Very simple to make too.  Again, learning lots of new cooking tricks and branching out because of this surgery.  I may even turn out to be a real cook one day.  We have lots of diabetics in our family so the cranberry sauce was appreciated.  My Aunt took home the leftovers she liked it so much.  Again very simple to make and what a gorgeous, bright red color!  I made a big batch for our gathering and will halve it next time for us at Christmas as we will be a group of only 5.  I used 2 bags of fresh cranberries, 1- 6oz. jar of Smucker's SF orange marmalade, Splenda, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.  Rinse the berries, add 2 cups water to pan and heat on medium-low until berries begin to pop.  I just mashed them as they softened, added the marmalade and stirred to incorporate the two and then the Splenda and spices.  If you don't want to use marmalade I'm sure dried or fresh orange zest would be great too.  When it had cooled, I poured it into clear jars and used a gravy ladle for serving.  

In case anyone reading this thinks all I did on my holiday week was cook and eat, know that I did exercise too.  There is always something to be done as the old family home is closed up most of the year.  Something always needs repair, yard work, bush-hogging, etc.  Hello?  It's Fall.  Can you say the leaves were 3 ft. deep on a 5-acre front yard?  Sheesh!  Oh, the riding mower was broke down too.  It was rakes and tarps for us my friends.  But not all was drudgery.  We have 20 acres there that we will retire to one day.  Each time we go 'home', we walk across hilly and slightly rough terrain to get to our ppty from my sibling's adjoining 20 acres.  In anticipation of retirement one day, and a view of the pond in Springtime from the porch-to-be, I talked dear hubby into helping me plant 100 daffodil and narcissus bulbs.  Yellows, whites and even pink ones.  One of the few things you can plant with little fear of them being eaten by deer or other forest critters.  Plus, they will naturalize and spread over time for a (hopefully) great Spring display.  Dogwoods are native and we have quite a few on our land that we will transplant to more strategic spots to coordinate with the pink dogwoods I've ordered.  Alas, the pink dogwoods did not arrive in time for our trip.  Now we have to make another trip up when they do.  Bareroot twigs must go in the ground now for best chance of survival.  Hopefully they will get here soon as we are already having freezes up there.  Hubby not going to be a happy camper if he has to put a pick to the ground to dig a hole.  LOL

....just a few days ago?  Yes.  Yes, it was.  Sorry for pity party on my slow-weight-loss-whine-fest I was having just a mere 4 days ago.  Why am I sorry about that you may wonder?  Well, let me tell you.  Yesterday, a co-worker asked me how much I had lost.  I told them 72 lbs.  Mentally, I was saying "only 72 lbs" as I was still mentally on my pity pot about not having lost more.  My co-worker was very supportive and sweet and commented that my weight loss was really showing on me now and also that an outside vendor (who'd been in our office that day and only sees us maybe once a month), the vendor had also commented how thin I appeared.  The vendor hadn't said anything to me directly because he was afraid I was sick with cancer or something.  LOL.  My co-worker reassured him I wasn't and that I was simply on a new weight loss program that was working for me.  I could have hugged him for such truthful tact! 

Now, know that I was wearing a new shirt yesterday.  Yes, it was a smaller size and darted so it followed my emerging curves (aka a bonafide waistline.  Yes, I've had them all along only my curves had curves.....lol.  I actually got several compliments on the new shirt and how well it fit me.  I've been clinging to the old wardrobe trying not to spend too much money plus no time lately for shopping.  Anyway, I appreciated the praises but inside I was still feeling a little down with myself because I thought if only I could have lost more than I have so far, I'd be that much closer to dropping into the next jean size down, etc, etc.  Whine, whine, whine.  Well lo and behold folks, I couldn't resist a quick step onto the scale this morning because even I thought I saw a slightly smaller double chin in the mirror.  I try not to weigh myself any more frequently than every 2 weeks now because of the slow progress and I'd just weighed on Sunday so it wasn't time....but OK, I did.  To my utter surprise I had dropped another 5 pounds.  FIVE WHOLE POUNDS!  That makes the total weight loss to date:  77 pounds!  WOO-HOO!  That's almost 80 lbs.  A few more pounds and it will be.  That's only 20 lbs. from having lost a smooth 100.  Oh geez, I feel motivated again!  I can do this!

I'm feeling discouraged, only 5 lbs since last month.  Sigh.  Things are really slowing down in my weight loss.  I'm a week short of 6 months out and I've lost a total of 72 lbs.  I'm not complaining about the total loss, just wish it were more because I am impatient.  I keep trying to find solace in that slow losers are often told they will have less skin issues.  OK, whatever.  I'm 49.  I'm gonna have skin issues regardless.  All those years of yo-yo dieting truly seem to have wrecked my metabolism.  Again, so frustrating.  I'm teetering on being able to move down another size in my jeans/pants but am still just a tad too large to wear 20's comfortably yet.  OK, let's be honest.  I wouldn't be able to breathe or bend at the knee so I'm stuck in my too-big-in-the-waist 22's for a while longer.  It seems I'm always on the edge; 'just about' or 'almost'.  My weight will be X-amount-and-a-half pounds.  Clothing almost fits.  My proportions are all wrong.  Everthing is hanging off the top half and clinging tight to the bottom.  I hate being a pear shape and I hereby declare should I ever reach a normal BMI, I WILL have some plastic surgery.  Lipo for these saddlebag thighs and a tummy tuck for the gut.  Shearing those areas down would make a better match to my narrow shoulders and waist.  Even as a thin person all those many years ago, I was bottom heavy.  Not a sexy hour-glass shape, just big butt and thunder thighs.  Sigh.  And have I whined about trying to up my calories?  I'm trying but I just can't seem to hold it.  On some days I feel like I can eat a ton of food (and do), and then the next I will feel sick after just a few bites of the same food I had the day before that went down easy.  I read this on the forums all the time and there seems to be no explanation for why this happens.  At least chicken is not as much my enemy these days.  We have a tenuous eating relationship now as long as chicken remains moist.  As always though, I refuse to close my personal blog with all negatives.  I am down 72 lbs. and I don't have high blood pressure and I don't have diabetes and my hip and knee don't bother me until I've been working out for a while.  And those are GOOD things and they far outweigh the extra pounds that are still attached to my body.  So for now I'm staying the course folks!

Simple vs Complex Carbs

  Many people are confused about the differences between simple and complex carbohydrates -- and many of the popular weight-loss books seem to do all they can to muddy the waters even further.

Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients that provide calories in our diets. The other two are protein and fat. Carbohydrates provide most of the energy needed in our daily lives, both for normal body functions such as heartbeat, breathing and digestion and for exercise such as biking, walking and running up the stairs.

Carbohydrates are considered simple or complex based upon their chemical structure.

• Both types contain four calories per gram
• and both are digested into a blood sugar called glucose, which can then be used to fuel our bodies for work or exercise.

Somehow, simple carbohydrates have become known as the "bad" carbohydrates, while complex carbohydrates seem to be designated as the "good" carbohydrates. But there is no real scientific or nutritional justification for these descriptions.

• Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly. Many simple carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals. Examples include fruits, fruit juice, milk, yogurt, honey, molasses, maple syrup and sugar.
• Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and are usually packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Examples are vegetables, breads, cereals, legumes and pasta.

Most experts recommend that 50-60 percent of the total calories in our diet come from carbohydrates. The bulk of the carbohydrate choices should be complex carbs and most of the simple carbohydrate choices should come from fruits and milk or yogurt, which also contain vitamins and minerals.

Avoid making the bulk of your carbohydrate choices from refined foods high in sugar, since they are usually low in the nutrients we need to maintain health and energy levels


EDITED TO ADD:

Increase Alertness

You need carbs to fuel your muscles and brain. Your brain in particular can burn only glucose--and not fat--for energy. Research shows that it needs a minimum of 130 grams of carbs a day to function. (Most low-carb weight loss diets recommend you eat fewer than 40 grams a day.) When you skimp on carbs and your blood glucose levels remain chronically low, you'll begin to feel muddled, have trouble concentrating, and perhaps even notice poor memory recall.

 I have fine textured and what I thought was thin hair before surgery.  I am nearly 5 months post op now and I've been losing my hair for at least 2 months.  I know all the reasons why hair loss happens; resting phase vs. growth phases.  I've done my best to combat it by getting in my protein and don't feel that I experienced a significant length of time where I didn't get in the minimum 50g protein (as outlined by my surgeon/NUT).  Maybe the first 2 wks but after that I was able to get in enough protein shakes and food to meet and exceed that amount.  I think there's a good deal to the surgery trauma theory; that the body is shocked.  I haven't resorted to taking Biotin or buying hair growing shampoos, etc.  In my 6-mo. pre op classes, we were told none of that works and then they stressed the importance of taking our supplements because that does help make the re-growth healthy and shiny.  My hair has gotten pretty thin in the temples and front crown area but I'm not ready for a wig despite the fact that I literally have handfuls of hair coming out in the shower.  For some reason I seem to lose more when it's wet.  I don't know if warmer water temperature relaxes the hair follicles like it does to skin pores but I definitely notice a difference in the amount wet vs. dry both during shampooing and in brushing it out.  On days that I skip washing it (usually Sat.), I can dry brush it and I don't lose nearly as much.  Weird. 

Well, call me vain but I felt freaked out about it more this week for some reason.  I had read another post about hair loss and it was suggested in one response to go for a cute, short haircut.  It's been at least 10 years since my hair was above my shoulders.  I haven't been inside a beauty shop in nearly that whole time either as I trimmed my own.  This was a big step and change for me.  I had all one length, sans a fringe of bangs, mid-back length hair until yesterday.  And because of being so heavy for so long, I was hot and sweaty all the time so it pretty much stayed in a ponytail or pulled back in a clip all the time.  But I'd had enough of seeing those long strands wrapped around my fingers.  At least a short cut will make it seem that less is coming out.  So it was with my near 70-lb weight loss I found myself ready for a mini makeover and decided to get it cut really short yesterday.  Now I'm sporting an angled swing bob.  Losing weight is also making me brave.  I walked into a salon, picked out what I thought was an experienced hairdresser and told her my story and asked her to give me something easy to take care of, with movement but disguise the thinning sides & top.  She was so nice and very understanding......and knowledgeable.  Holy Cow was it hard to hear/feel that first snip!  But I gritted my teeth and just let the experience happen.  She wanted to know more about my surgery and so we chatted as she sheared me.  LOL.  Little did I know the entire salon was listening in to our conversation.  By the time she was done with me the rest of the beauticians had been joined in with questions, etc. and I damn near got an ovation when my hair was all fluffed and styled.  They went on and on about how cute it was on me, etc.   I really do not like being the center of attention and found myself so embarrassed by it but I knew it was coming from a good place in their hearts.  But best of all I'm not shell-shocked by the hairstyle.  I really like it and I'm about to go shower and see if I can make it look as good as she did.  I hope to see far less hair during the shampoo process too.  Boy are my co-workers gonna be surprised tomorrow!